Why are there so many churches in Venice?

When strolling around Venice, it’s hard not to notice the immense amount of bridges and churches on what seems like every corner.

And every street seems to bear ‘Campo’ in its name.

But it all becomes clear when we learn that the first inhabitants of Venice came after the Romans solved the solution to fresh drinking water. Since there were no bridges, each ‘square’ that you see today will have been a grassy area.

Each square will have been an individual village – each with its own church (this explains all the churches), and each separated by the water.

Campo literally translates to field, and these villages were essentially self-sufficient farms to feed the villagers who resided there.

It wasn’t until the Austrian-Hungarian Empire when they modernised the city and paves the city streets, with bridge connections.

If you’re heading to Venice, I recommend a tour with Venice Free Walking Tour – one of the only FREE walking tours in the city – who’ll give you a fantastic background to Venice.

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