Torcello Island & Cathedral

Torcello lies in the northern Venetian lagoon, reached from Fondamente Nove via Burano, in Italy's Veneto region. It was the first island in the lagoon to be substantially settled, predating Venice itself, and was once a thriving town before its population shifted to Venice as the lagoon silted and malaria spread. Today it has almost no permanent population, and a walk from the vaporetto landing follows a quiet canal path past meadows, a few restaurants and the historic centre at Piazza di Torcello. The main attraction is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in the 7th century and rebuilt in later centuries. The interior is bare apart from its Byzantine mosaics, among the oldest in the lagoon. A Last Judgment fills the west wall in several registers, and a solitary Madonna and Child on a gold background dominates the apse, which is the reason art historians make the trip. Entry to the cathedral costs about 5 euros for adults and 3 euros for children, and it opens daily from 10:30AM to 5:30PM, with slightly shorter hours in winter from 10AM to 5PM. Beside it stands the smaller church of Santa Fosca, and nearby is a stone chair known as Attila's Throne. The bell tower can often be climbed for a view across the flat lagoon, subject to opening. Visitors usually allow about two hours on the island, and the full journey from Venice takes roughly 60 minutes on the vaporetto. Weekday mornings are the quietest, while day-trip crowds arrive in the middle of the day, particularly in summer. Services here run less frequently than to Burano or Murano, so visitors should check the last return vaporetto before setting out. Facilities are limited, so water and snacks are worth bringing. The cathedral facade and the lagoon meadows make good photographic subjects in soft morning light.