About the neighborhood
Historic sestieri (districts) of Venice
Cannaregio (Italian pronunciation: kannaˈredʒo) is the northernmost of the six historic sestieri of Venice. It is the second largest sestiere by land area and the largest by population, with 13,169 people as of 2007.
Isola di San Michele, the historic cemetery island, is associated with the district.
History
The Cannaregio Canal, which was the main route into the city until the construction of a railway link to the mainland, gave the district its name (Canal Regio is Italian for Royal Canal). Development began in the eleventh century as the area was drained and parallel canals were dredged. Although elegant palazzos were built facing the Grand Canal, the area grew primarily with working class housing and manufacturing. Beginning in 1516, Jews were restricted to living in the Venetian Ghetto. It was enclosed by guarded gates and no one was allowed to leave from sunset to dawn. However, Jews held successful positions in the city such as merchants, physicians, money lenders, and other trades. Restrictions on daily Jewish life continued for more than 270 years, until Napoleon Bonaparte conquered the Venetian Republic in 1797. He removed the gates and gave all residents the freedom to live where they chose.
In the 19th century, civil engineers built a street named Strada Nuova through Cannaregio, and a railway bridge and road bridge were constructed to connect Venice directly to Mestre. Today, the areas of the district along the Grand Canal from the train station to the Rialto Bridge are packed with tourists, but the rest of Cannaregio is residential and relatively peaceful, with morning markets, neighborhood shops, and small cafés.
Main sights
Venetian Ghetto
Venezia Santa Lucia railway station
Ponte delle Guglie
Ponte dei Tre Archi
Palazzo Bollani Erizzo
Palazzo Bonfadini Vivante
Palazzo Calbo Crotta
Palazzo Contarini Pisani
Palazzo Correr Contarini Zorzi
Palazzo Giustinian Pesaro
Palazzo Falier
Palazzo Labia
Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello
Palazzo Memmo Martinengo Mandelli
Palazzo Michiel del Brusà
Palazzo Nani
Palazzo Savorgnan
Palazzo Surian Bellotto
Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana
Palazzo Testa
Palazzetto da Lezze
Isola di San Michele
Ca' Vendramin Calergi
Ca' d'Oro
Sacca della Misericordia
Palazzo Cendon
Churches
See: List of Churches in Cannaregio
Santa Maria di Nazareth, known as Chiesa degli Scalzi
Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Sant'Alvise
San Giovanni Crisostomo
San Geremia
San Canciano
Madonna dell'Orto
Abbazia della Misericordia
See also
Sestieri of Venice
References
External links
Media related to Cannaregio (Venice) at Wikimedia Commons
Photos of Cannaregio: canals, shops, markets -- Visit Venice
45°26′46″N 12°19′37″E / 45.446°N 12.327°E / 45.446; 12.327
Encyclopedic content adapted from the Wikipedia article on Cannaregio, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
