VENICE (Venezia) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is situated on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers. The Grand Canal forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. One end of the canal leads into the lagoon near the Santa Lucia railway station and the other end leads into the basin at Piazza San Marco. The banks of the Grand Canal are lined with more than 170 buildings, most of which date from the 13th to the 18th century. The canal is crossed by four bridges, the Rialto Bridge (1173), the Ponte degli Scalzi, the Ponte dell'Accademia, and the Ponte della Costituzione.
