Today, Venice is the capital of Italy s Veneto region. Its watery setting, once a prime defense against invaders, is now the reason that it's one of Italy s most visited cities. A single bridge links it to the mainland city of Mestre. Traffic stops at Piazzale Roma, making the city serenely free of buses, cars and motorcycles. Main Street is the Grand Canal.
Streets are narrow and winding some little more than sidewalks between buildings.
A map of the city looks like a labyrinth, but surprisingly it is not too difficult to find your way to the main attractions. Specific addresses can be hard to find, however, as many streets are so small they aren't on maps. The phone directory isn't much help either, because it lists addresses by the name of the sestiere, plus the number of the building, with no reference to a street. Hotel employees and shopkeepers are usually quite knowledgeable about their neighborhoods. Several islands in the lagoon also are part of the Venice area.