"City of Water," "City of Masks," "City of Bridges," "The Floating City," and "City of Canals."
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on plates of Istrian limestone placed on top of the piles and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay.Submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface.
Venice is an important tourist destination for its celebrated art and architecture. The city gets up to 60,000 tourists per day (2017 estimate).