Arsenale, Venice

L'Arsenale is the place, still intact, where Venice used to build its power instruments: ships!
It's a sort of litlle town into town.
Now, part of it is a site of The Biennale modern art exposition... But just go to the entrance, and take a look to an unusual spot of Venice

The place isn't so crowded with tourists. You can walk without having to pay attentions to lots of people looking elsewhere, and even find a completely empty "Campo", like the one in the picture.
The address is Castello 2557.... . You can see in the picture the west wall of the arsenale vecchio.

4 more images

Long time constructed the economic centre of the city of the arsenals, Venice's big shipyard.
Here, was built, equipped and repaired, from the 12th century, the famous Venetian long ships.
The word Arsenale comes, from the Arabic concept Dar Sina'a (job).
During the prime was active here, 16,000 workers, that was able to build within few hours, a whole ship.
In the year 1917, the shipyard was shut down.
Arsenale is, still, with few exceptions, military prohibited area.
The big Corderia, serves as showroom during the Biennale.
The mighty gate of Gambello, Venice's first classic renaissance construction, was built in the year 1460.
Two of the four lions, to both sides of the gate came in the year 1687, from Athens to Venice.
Corderia is open to the visitors, while the Biennale for exhibitions.

Vaporetto 1, 41, 42
Station: Arsenale

3 more images

Arsenale is an immense uninhabited space which, in the 16th century, use to be the site of the largest ship industry in the world. There are two large docks (darsena), both built by Jocopo Sansovino who also designed the church of San Francesco della Vigna.
Today we can only admire to the monumental entrance of the Arsenale because the entrance into it isn't allowed for the public visitors.

The Arsenale is the area where the venetians built their ships, indeed it was probably the first shipyard where boats were built in production line format. Still under strict Italian Navy control, so there is no actual access to the yard. The whole exterior has been renovated and is very peaceful with a couple of cafe/bar/restaurants in the piazza outside the main entrance.

2 more images

Dante Alighieri, probably the greatest Italian poet, was very impressed by Arsenale, that the poet recalled it in Canto XXI of the "Inferno"
"..... chi fa suo legno novo e chi ristoppa /
le coste a quel che piu viaggi fece; /
chi ribatte da proda,
e chi da poppa;......"
The bust of great poet is located on the left side of the main entrance into the Arsenale.

4 more images

Before the famous battle of Lepanto, in 1571, the immense uninhabited space of Arsenale was the largest ship industry in the world. Nowadays it is military area, forbidde for the public visitors.
What you see on the picture is the imposing 15th century gate-entrance to the Arsenale.

This is in the Castello district. You can't actually go INTO the Arsenale because it's still a military zone, but you can wander around outside of it and the streets and squares close to it are quite different from the rest of Venice - a much quieter and more 'local' feel about them. One of the vaparettos is supposed to go through the Arsenale, so this is the way to get a better look inside, but this service was suspended due to works on the canal while we were there.