Torcello: Difference between revisions

Torcello
	View of Torcello
	Torcello
Geography
Coordinates	45°29′48″N 12°25′02″E / 45.496565°N 12.417313°E
Adjacent to	Venetian Lagoon
Administration
	Italy
Region	Veneto
Province	Province of Venice

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Torcello (Latin: Torcellum; Venetian: Torceło) is a sparsely populated^[1] island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, in north-eastern Italy. It was first settled in 452 AD^[2] and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was populated. It was a town with a cathedral and bishops before St Mark's Basilica was built.^[3]^[4]

History

After the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, Torcello was one of the first lagoon islands to be successively populated by those Veneti who fled the terra ferma (mainland) to take shelter from the recurring barbarian invasions, especially after Attila the Hun had destroyed the city of Altinum and all of the surrounding settlements in 452.^[5] Although the hard-fought Veneto region formally belonged to the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna since the end of the Gothic War, it remained unsafe on account of frequent Gothic (Sarmatian) invasions and wars: during the following 200 years the Lombards and the Franks fuelled a permanent influx of sophisticated urban refugees to the island’s relative safety, including the Bishop of Altino himself. In 638, Torcello became the bishop’s official seat for more than a thousand years and the people of Altinum brought with them the relics of Saint Heliodorus, now the patron saint of the island.

Torcello benefited from and maintained close cultural and trading ties with Constantinople: however, being a rather distant outpost of the Eastern Roman Empire, it could establish de facto autonomy from the eastern capital.

Torcello rapidly grew in importance as a political and trading centre: in the 10th century it had a population often estimated at 10,000–35,000 people, with 20,000 the most commonly cited estimate.^[6] However, some recent estimates by archeologists place it at closer to a maximum of 3,000.^[7] In pre-Medieval times, Torcello was a much more powerful trading center than Venice.^[8] Thanks to the lagoon’s salt marshes, the salines became Torcello’s economic backbone and its harbour developed quickly into an important re-export market in the profitable east-west-trade, which was largely controlled by Byzantium during that period.^[5]

The Black Death devastated the Venetian Republic in 1348 and again between 1575 and 1577.^[9] In three years, the plague killed some 50,000 people.^[10] In 1630, the Italian plague of 1629–31 killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens.^[11] A further serious issue for Torcello specifically was that the swamp area of the lagoon around the island increased by the 14th century, partly because of the lowering of the land level.^[12] Navigation in the laguna morta (dead lagoon) was impossible before long and traders ceased calling at the island.^[13] The growing swamps also seriously aggravated malaria.

As a result, by the late 14th century, a substantial number of people left the island for Murano, Burano or Venice.^[5]^[12] In 1689, the bishopric transferred to Murano, and by 1797, the population had dropped to about 300.^[14] It now has a full-time population of just 10 people, including the parish priest, according to some sources,^[1] and only 12 in 2018.^[15]

Sights

Torcello's numerous palazzi, its twelve parishes and its sixteen cloisters have almost disappeared since the Venetians recycled the useful building material. One small palazzo is the only remaining medieval structure, consisting of a cathedral, a church, the town's former council chamber and archives (which house the museum), and the nearby basilica and campanile; the latter two were rebuilt in the year 1008.^[16]

Today's main attraction is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 639. It is of basilica-form with side aisles but no crossing, and has much 11th and 12th century Byzantine work, including mosaics (e.g. a vivid version of the Last Judgement). Other attractions include the 11th and 12th century church of Santa Fosca, in the form of a Greek cross, which is surrounded by a semi-octagonal porticus, and the Museo Provinciale di Torcello housed in two fourteenth century palaces, the Palazzo dell'Archivio and the Palazzo del Consiglio, which was once the seat of the communal government.

Another noteworthy sight for tourists is an ancient stone chair, known as Attila's Throne. It has, however, nothing to do with the king of the Huns, but may have been the podestà's or the bishop's chair, or the seat where chief magistrates were inaugurated.^[17] Torcello is also home to a Devil's Bridge, known as the Ponte del Diavolo or alternatively the Ponticello del Diavolo (devil's little bridge).

Famous residents

Ernest Hemingway spent some time there in 1948, writing parts of Across the River and Into the Trees. The novel contains representations of Torcello and its environs.^[18] In addition, numerous famous artists, musicians, and movie stars have spent time on the island, a quiet refuge.^[19] Torcello is the background for Daphne du Maurier's short story Don't Look Now.

Gallery

View of Torcello in a book published in Venice in 1534
Central Torcello, with the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Church of Santa Fosca
Facade of the cathedral.
Narthex of the cathedral.
Mosaic from the cathedral in the Louvre in Paris.
Sculpture of the Museo provinciale di Torcello.
Ponte del Diavolo
Torcello as seen from the Venetian lagoon
Venetian lagoon as seen from Torcello

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b "Torcello, l'isola che sta sparendo Restano dieci abitanti. E un prete". Corriere del Veneto. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
^ Kleinhenz, Christopher (2004-08-02). Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. ISBN 9781135948795.
^ (Firm), John Murray (1853). A Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy: Being a Guide to the States of Sardinia, Lombardy and Venice, Parma and Piacenza, Modena, Lucca, and Tuscany as Far as the Val d'Arno. p. 347.
^ The Home Encyclopædia: Compiled and Revised to Date from the Leading Encyclopædias. Educational publishing Company. 1895. p. 5870.
^ ^a ^b ^c Frederic Chapin Lane (1973), Venice, a maritime republic, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 0801814456
^ Kleinhenz, Christopher (2004-08-02). Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. ISBN 9781135948795.
^ Calaon, Diego (2013). Quando Torcello era abitata. Regione del Veneto. p. 73. OCLC 883623826.
^ Norwich, John Julius (1982). A History of Venice. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 672. ISBN 0679721975.
^ Bernstein, William J. (2009-05-14). A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-55584-843-9.
^ State of Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services. "History of Plague". Dshs.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
^ "Medicine and society in early modern Europe". Mary Lindemann (1999). Cambridge University Press. p.41. ISBN 0-521-42354-6
^ ^a ^b Goy, Richard J. (14 April 2011). Venetian Vernacular Architecture: Traditional Housing in the Venetian Lagoon. p. 16. ISBN 9780521154901.
^ Alfieri, Bruno (1950). Venice; a Guide to the City of the Lagoon. p. 103.
^ Kleinhenz, Christopher (2 August 2004). Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. p. 1086. ISBN 9781135948801.
^ Rogers, Patrick (2018-03-12). "Exploring Venice's Exclusive Private Islands". Town & Country. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
^ "Torcello: The Rise and Fall of Venice's Forgotten Rival". decodedpast.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-13.
^ (Firm), John Murray (1853). A Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy: Being a Guide to the States of Sardinia, Lombardy and Venice, Parma and Piacenza, Modena, Lucca, and Tuscany as Far as the Val d'Arno. p. 349.
^ Crevar, Alex (19 February 2006). "Torcello Offers a Refuge From the Tourist Crush". New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
^ "Hotel Cipriani: Our Memories". Locanda Cipriani. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2014.

External links

Listen to this article (4 minutes)

This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 25 November 2010, and does not reflect subsequent edits.

[dieci-1] "Torcello, l'isola che sta sparendo Restano dieci abitanti. E un prete". Corriere del Veneto. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.

[2] Kleinhenz, Christopher (2004-08-02). Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. ISBN 9781135948795.

[3] (Firm), John Murray (1853). A Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy: Being a Guide to the States of Sardinia, Lombardy and Venice, Parma and Piacenza, Modena, Lucca, and Tuscany as Far as the Val d'Arno. p. 347.

[4] The Home Encyclopædia: Compiled and Revised to Date from the Leading Encyclopædias. Educational publishing Company. 1895. p. 5870.

[lane-5] Frederic Chapin Lane (1973), Venice, a maritime republic, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 0801814456

[6] Kleinhenz, Christopher (2004-08-02). Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. ISBN 9781135948795.

[7] Calaon, Diego (2013). Quando Torcello era abitata. Regione del Veneto. p. 73. OCLC 883623826.

[norwich-8] Norwich, John Julius (1982). A History of Venice. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 672. ISBN 0679721975.

[9] Bernstein, William J. (2009-05-14). A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-55584-843-9.

[10] State of Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services. "History of Plague". Dshs.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2009.

[11] "Medicine and society in early modern Europe". Mary Lindemann (1999). Cambridge University Press. p.41. ISBN 0-521-42354-6

[books.google.ca-12] Goy, Richard J. (14 April 2011). Venetian Vernacular Architecture: Traditional Housing in the Venetian Lagoon. p. 16. ISBN 9780521154901.

[13] Alfieri, Bruno (1950). Venice; a Guide to the City of the Lagoon. p. 103.

[14] Kleinhenz, Christopher (2 August 2004). Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. p. 1086. ISBN 9781135948801.

[15] Rogers, Patrick (2018-03-12). "Exploring Venice's Exclusive Private Islands". Town & Country. Retrieved 2020-10-15.

[16] "Torcello: The Rise and Fall of Venice's Forgotten Rival". decodedpast.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-13.

[17] (Firm), John Murray (1853). A Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy: Being a Guide to the States of Sardinia, Lombardy and Venice, Parma and Piacenza, Modena, Lucca, and Tuscany as Far as the Val d'Arno. p. 349.

[nyt-18] Crevar, Alex (19 February 2006). "Torcello Offers a Refuge From the Tourist Crush". New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.

[19] "Hotel Cipriani: Our Memories". Locanda Cipriani. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2014.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Island of the Venetian Lagoon, Italy}}
-[[Image:Torcellomosaic.jpg|thumb|350px|''Last Judgement''. 12th-century Byzantine mosaic from Torcello Cathedral.]]
+{{Infobox islands
-[[Image:TorcelloLagune.jpg|thumb|Torcello]]
+| name             = Torcello
+| image_name       = Venezia - Torcello 01.JPG
+| image_size       =
+| image_caption    = View of Torcello
+| image_alt        =
+| map = Venetian Lagoon
+| location         =
+| coordinates      =  {{coord|45.496565|N|12.417313|E|format=dms|display=inline, title}}
+| archipelago      =
+| waterbody        = [[Venetian Lagoon]]
+| area_m2         =
+| area_footnotes   =
+| length_m        =
+| width_m         =
+| coastline_km     = <!-- or coastline m  -->
+| elevation_m      =
+| country          = [[Italy]]
+| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = [[Regions of Italy|Region]]
+| country_admin_divisions_1         = [[Veneto]]
+| country_admin_divisions_title_2   = [[Provinces of Italy|Province]]
+| country_admin_divisions_2         = [[Province of Venice]]
+}}
+'''Torcello''' ({{langx|la|Torcellum}}; {{langx|vec|Torceło}}) is a sparsely populated<ref name=dieci>{{cite news|title=Torcello, l'isola che sta sparendo Restano dieci abitanti. E un prete|url=http://corrieredelveneto.corriere.it/veneto/notizie/cronaca/2014/28-giugno-2014/torcello-l-isola-che-sta-sparendo-restano-dieci-abitanti-prete-223481613061.shtml|access-date=24 December 2014|publisher=Corriere del Veneto|date=28 June 2014}}</ref> [[island]] at the northern end of the [[Venetian Lagoon]], in north-eastern [[Italy]]. It was first settled in 452&nbsp;AD<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNs3BQAAQBAJ&q=torcello+was+settled+in&pg=PT4010 |title = Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia|isbn = 9781135948795|last1 = Kleinhenz|first1 = Christopher|date = 2004-08-02}}</ref> and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was populated. It was a town with a cathedral and bishops before [[St Mark's Basilica]] was built.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itIxAQAAMAAJ&q=torcello&pg=PA304 |page=347 |year=1853|title=A Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy: Being a Guide to the States of Sardinia, Lombardy and Venice, Parma and Piacenza, Modena, Lucca, and Tuscany as Far as the Val d'Arno |last1=(Firm) |first1=John Murray }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3saAAAAYAAJ&dq=torcello+larger+population+than+venice&pg=PA5870 |title=The Home Encyclopædia: Compiled and Revised to Date from the Leading Encyclopædias |date=1895 |publisher=Educational publishing Company |pages=5870 |language=en}}</ref>
+==History==
-'''Torcello''' is a quiet [[island]] at the northern end of the [[Venetian Lagoon]].
-After the downfall of the Roman Empire Torcello was one of the first lagoon islands to be successively populated by those [[Veneti]] who fled the ''terra ferma'' (mainland) to take shelter from the recurring barbarian invasions, especially after [[Attila the Hun]] had destroyed the city of [[Altinum]] and all of the surrounding settlements in [[452]]. Although the hard-fought [[Veneto]] region formally belonged to the Byzantine [[Exarchate of Ravenna]] since the end of the [[Gothic War]], it remained unsafe on account of frequent Germanic invasions and wars: During the following 200 years the [[Langobards]] and the [[Franks]] fuelled a permanent influx of sophisticated urban refugees to the island’s relative safety, including the Bishop of Altino himself: In 638 Torcello became the bishop’s official see for more than a thousand years and the people of Altinum brought with them the [[Relic|relics]] of [[Saint Eliodorus]], now the [[patron saint]] of the island.
+After the downfall of the [[Western Roman Empire]], Torcello was one of the first lagoon islands to be successively populated by those [[Adriatic Veneti|Veneti]] who fled the ''terra ferma'' (mainland) to take shelter from the recurring barbarian invasions, especially after [[Attila the Hun]] had destroyed the city of [[Altinum]] and all of the surrounding settlements in 452.<ref name=lane>{{Citation
+    |publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press
+    |isbn = 0801814456
+    |location = Baltimore
+    |title = Venice, a maritime republic
+    |author = Frederic Chapin Lane
+    |date = 1973
+    }}</ref> Although the hard-fought [[Veneto]] region formally belonged to the Byzantine [[Exarchate of Ravenna]] since the end of the [[Gothic War (6th century)|Gothic War]], it remained unsafe on account of frequent Gothic (Sarmatian) invasions and wars: during the following 200 years the [[Lombards]] and the [[Franks]] fuelled a permanent influx of sophisticated urban refugees to the island’s relative safety, including the Bishop of Altino himself. In 638, Torcello became the bishop’s official seat for more than a thousand years and the people of Altinum brought with them the [[relic]]s of [[Heliodorus of Altino|Saint Heliodorus]], now the [[patron saint]] of the island.
-Economically, Torcello benefited from the formal status of a Greek colony and maintained close cultural and trading ties with [[Constantinople]], but as a rather distant outpost of the [[Byzantine Empire]] it could establish ''de facto'' autonomy from the Greek metropolis.
+Torcello benefited from and maintained close cultural and trading ties with [[Constantinople]]: however, being a rather distant outpost of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]], it could establish ''de facto'' autonomy from the eastern capital.
-Torcello rapidly grew in importance as a political and trading centre: In the [[tenth century]] it had a population of at least 10,000 people and was much more powerful than [[Venice]]. Thanks to the lagoon’s salt marshes, the salines became Torcello’s economic backbone and its habour developed quickly into an important re-export market in the profitable east-west-trade, which was largely controlled by Byzantium during that period. Fortunately for the island of ''rivus altus'' (see [[Rialto]]), the lagoon around the island of Torcello gradually became a [[swamp]] from the [[twelfth century]] onwards and Torcello’s heydays came to an end: Navigation in the ''laguna morta'' (dead lagoon) was impossible before long and the growing swamps seriously aggravated the [[malaria]] situation, so that the population abandoned the worthless island bit by bit and left for [[Murano]], [[Burano]] or Venice. It now has a population of around 60 people.
+Torcello rapidly grew in importance as a political and trading centre: in the 10th century it had a population often estimated at 10,000–35,000 people, with 20,000 the most commonly cited estimate.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNs3BQAAQBAJ&q=peak+population++&pg=PT4010 | title=Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia| isbn=9781135948795| last1=Kleinhenz| first1=Christopher| date=2004-08-02}}</ref> However, some recent estimates by archeologists place it at closer to a maximum of 3,000.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Calaon|first1=Diego|title=Quando Torcello era abitata|date=2013|publisher=Regione del Veneto|oclc=883623826|page=73|url=https://www.academia.edu/7886889}}</ref> In pre-Medieval times, Torcello was a much more powerful trading center than [[Venice]].<ref name=norwich>{{cite book|last1=Norwich|first1=John Julius|title=A History of Venice|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofvenice00norw|url-access=limited|date=1982|publisher=Vintage Books|location=New York|isbn=0679721975|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofvenice00norw/page/672 672]}}</ref> Thanks to the lagoon’s salt marshes, the salines became Torcello’s economic backbone and its harbour developed quickly into an important re-export market in the profitable east-west-trade, which was largely controlled by Byzantium during that period.<ref name=lane />
-The former splendour of Torcello’s numerous palazzi, its twelve parishes and its sixteen cloisters has almost disappeared since the Venetians recycled the useful building material. The only remaining mediaeval buildings form an ensemble of four edifices: Today's main attraction is the [[Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta]], founded in [[639]] and with much [[eleventh century|eleventh]] and [[twelfth century]] [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] work, including [[mosaic]]s (e.g. a vivid version of the [[Last Judgement]]), surviving.  Other attractions include the [[eleventh century|eleventh]] and [[twelfth century]] [[Church of Santa Fosca]], which is surrounded by a porticus in form of a Greek cross, and a [[museum]] housed in two [[fourteenth century]] [[palace]]s, the ''Palazzo dell’Archivio'' and the ''Palazzo del Consiglio'', which was once the seat of the communal government. Another noteworthy motif for tourists is an ancient stone chair, known as ''Attila’s Throne''. It has, however, nothing to do with the king of the Huns, but it was most likely the [[podestà]]’s or the bishop’s chair.
+The [[Black Death]] devastated the [[Venetian Republic]] in 1348 and again between 1575 and 1577.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bernstein |first=William J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ePiReZWp0NwC |title=A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World |date=2009-05-14 |publisher=Grove/Atlantic, Inc. |isbn=978-1-55584-843-9 |pages=143 |language=en}}</ref> In three years, the [[plague (disease)|plague]] killed some 50,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |author=State of Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services |url=http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/preparedness/bt_public_history_plague.shtm |title=History of Plague |publisher=Dshs.state.tx.us |access-date=28 March 2009 |archive-date=11 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411041422/http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/preparedness/bt_public_history_plague.shtm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1630, the [[Italian plague of 1629–31]] killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens.<ref>"''[https://books.google.com/books?id=fQxAkrbksTEC&pg=PA41 Medicine and society in early modern Europe]''". Mary Lindemann (1999). [[Cambridge University Press]]. p.41. {{ISBN|0-521-42354-6}}</ref> A further serious issue for Torcello specifically was that the swamp area of the lagoon around the island increased by the 14th century, partly because of the lowering of the land level.<ref name="books.google.ca">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zeongbkpoCwC&q=torcello++abandoned&pg=PA16 |page=16|title=Venetian Vernacular Architecture: Traditional Housing in the Venetian Lagoon |isbn=9780521154901 |last1=Goy |first1=Richard J. |date=14 April 2011 }}</ref> Navigation in the ''laguna morta'' (dead lagoon) was impossible before long and traders ceased calling at the island.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vcRWAAAAYAAJ&q=torcello+dead+lagoon |page=103|title=Venice; a Guide to the City of the Lagoon |last1=Alfieri |first1=Bruno |year=1950 }}</ref> The growing swamps also seriously aggravated [[malaria]].
-One of the most famous fans of the island’s decayed and contemplative charm was [[Hemingway]] who spent some time there in 1948, writing parts of [[Across the River and Into the Trees]].
+As a result, by the late 14th century, a substantial number of people left the island for [[Murano]], [[Burano]] or Venice.<ref name=lane /><ref name="books.google.ca"/> In 1689, the bishopric transferred to Murano, and by 1797, the population had dropped to about 300.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E2CTAgAAQBAJ&dq=torcello+++gradually+abandoned&pg=PT1116 |page=1086|title=Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia |isbn=9781135948801 |last1=Kleinhenz |first1=Christopher |date=2 August 2004 }}</ref> It now has a full-time population of just 10 people, including the parish priest, according to some sources,<ref name=dieci /> and only 12 in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Patrick|date=2018-03-12|title=Exploring Venice's Exclusive Private Islands|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a19179204/venice-italy-private-islands-lagoon/|access-date=2020-10-15|website=Town & Country|language=en-US}}</ref>
-==External link==
-*[http://maps.google.com/maps?q=venice,+italy&ll=45.497203,12.415752&spn=0.012002,0.041096&t=k&hl=en Satellite image from Google Maps]
+==Sights==
-{{coor title dm|45|30|N|12|25|E|region:IT_type:isle}}
+Torcello's numerous [[palazzo|palazzi]], its twelve [[parish]]es and its sixteen [[cloister]]s have almost disappeared since the Venetians recycled the useful building material. One small palazzo is the only remaining medieval structure, consisting of a cathedral, a church, the town's former council chamber and archives (which house the museum), and the nearby basilica and campanile; the latter two were rebuilt in the year 1008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://decodedpast.com/torcello-venices-forgotten-rival/2901 |title=Torcello: The Rise and Fall of Venice's Forgotten Rival |website=decodedpast.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113015922/http://decodedpast.com/torcello-venices-forgotten-rival/2901 |archive-date=2015-01-13}} </ref>
+Today's main attraction is the [[Torcello Cathedral|Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta]], founded in 639. It is of basilica-form with side aisles but no crossing, and has much 11th and 12th century [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] work, including [[mosaic]]s (e.g. a vivid version of the [[Last Judgement]]).  Other attractions include the 11th and 12th century church of Santa Fosca, in the form of a Greek cross, which is surrounded by a semi-octagonal porticus, and the [[Museo Provinciale di Torcello]] housed in two fourteenth century [[palace]]s, the ''Palazzo dell'Archivio'' and the ''Palazzo del Consiglio'', which was once the seat of the communal government.
-[[Category:Islands of Italy]]
-[[Category:Venice]]
+Another noteworthy sight for tourists is an ancient stone chair, known as ''[[Attila's Throne]]''. It has, however, nothing to do with the king of the Huns, but may have been the [[podestà]]'s or the bishop's chair, or the seat where chief magistrates were inaugurated.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itIxAQAAMAAJ&q=torcello&pg=PA304 |page=349 |year=1853|title=A Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy: Being a Guide to the States of Sardinia, Lombardy and Venice, Parma and Piacenza, Modena, Lucca, and Tuscany as Far as the Val d'Arno |last1=(Firm) |first1=John Murray }}</ref>
-[[de:Torcello]]
+Torcello is also home to a [[Devil's Bridge]], known as the ''Ponte del Diavolo'' or alternatively the ''Ponticello del Diavolo'' (devil's little bridge).
-[[fr:Torcello]]
-[[it:Torcello]]
+==Famous residents==
-[[nl:Torcello]]
+[[Ernest Hemingway]] spent some time there in 1948, writing parts of ''[[Across the River and Into the Trees]]''. The novel contains representations of Torcello and its environs.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last1=Crevar|first1=Alex|title=Torcello Offers a Refuge From the Tourist Crush|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/travel/19dayout.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=24 December 2014|work=New York Times|date=19 February 2006}}</ref> In addition, numerous famous artists, musicians, and movie stars have spent time on the island, a quiet refuge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hotel Cipriani: Our Memories|url=http://www.locandacipriani.com/eng/inostriricordi.html|website=Locanda Cipriani|access-date=24 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007014514/http://www.locandacipriani.com/eng/inostriricordi.html|archive-date=7 October 2013}}</ref>  Torcello is the background for [[Daphne du Maurier]]'s short story ''[[Not After Midnight|Don't Look Now]]''.
-[[no:Torcello]]
+==Gallery==
+<gallery widths="160" heights="100">
+- Isolario di Benedetto Bordone - Torcello.jpg|View of Torcello in a book published in Venice in 1534
+Torcello 2.jpg|Central Torcello, with the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Church of Santa Fosca
+File:0 Torcello, Cathédrale Santa Maria Assunta (1).JPG|Facade of the cathedral.
+File:0 Torcello, Cathédrale Santa Maria Assunta (2).JPG|Narthex of the cathedral.
+File:0 Tête d'ange - OA 6460 - Louvre.JPG|Mosaic from the cathedral in the Louvre in Paris.
+File:0 Torcello, bas-relief - Museo dell'Estuario (1).JPG|Sculpture of the Museo provinciale di Torcello.
+File:Torcello - Ponte del diavolo.jpg|[[Devil's Bridge|Ponte del Diavolo]]
+File:0 Torcello, pêcheurs naviguant au large de l'île.JPG|Torcello as seen from the Venetian lagoon
+File:Venetian lagoon as seen from Torcello island, Torcello, Italy.jpg|Venetian lagoon as seen from Torcello
+</gallery>
+==See also==
+* [[List of islands of Italy]]
+==Notes and references==
+<!-- this 'empty' section displays references defined elsewhere -->
+{{Reflist}}
+==External links==
+{{commons|position=left|Torcello}}
+{{Spoken Wikipedia|Torcello.ogg|date=2010-11-25}}
+{{Portalbar|Geography|Islands|Italy}}
+{{Islands of the Venetian Lagoon}}
+{{authority control}}
+[[Category:Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Venice]]
+[[Category:Geography of Venice]]
+[[Category:Islands of the Venetian Lagoon]]

v t e Islands of the Venetian Lagoon
Northern lagoon	Buel del Lovo Burano Crevan Cason Montiron Isola dei Laghi La Certosa La Cura Madonna del Monte Mazzorbo Mazzorbetto Monte dell'Oro Motta dei Cunicci Motta di San Lorenzo Murano Salina San Francesco del Deserto San Giàcomo in Paludo San Michele Lazzaretto Nuovo Santa Cristina Sant'Andrea Sant'Ariano Sant'Erasmo Torcello Vignole
Central group	Giudecca Sacca Fisola Sacca San Biagio San Giorgio Maggiore San Pietro di Castello San Secondo Sant'Elena Tronchetto Venice
Southern lagoon	Lazzaretto Vecchio Venice Lido Pellestrina Poveglia Sacca Sessola San Clemente San Giorgio in Alga San Lazzaro degli Armeni San Marco in Boccalama San Servolo Sant'Angelo della Polvere Santa Maria della Grazia Santo Spirito Sottomarina

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States Czech Republic Israel