Venice is an incredible synthesis of art and history constructed on the lagoon. The province of Venice comprises 44 municipalities with 815.000 inhabitants, and 275,400 of the live in Venice. The inner connections of Venice are exclusively via water. There are steamboats that carry out the function of bus. The taxi service is guaranteed from the motorboats and of course there are also romantic GONDOLAS. The city of Venice represents a true artistic jewel conserving the aspect it had in the 1500. Great part of it has been declared patrimony of the humanity from the Unesco. From the uncertain origins, it seems that Venice has been born for continuation of the flow of people who, abandoning the Po plain under the push of the invasion of the Longobardi of northern Italy in the 568, found a shelter on the 118 isolette. On the border with the Bizantino Empire, developed a strong spirit of independence that carried it to being one of the cities that formed the Republics marinare, with Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi. The head of the government was the Doge (from the Latin dux), theoretically elect to life, but in practical, often forced to be replaced by the government. Today the lagoon of Venice is divided in the six sestieri of Dorsoduro, Saint Croce, Saint Polo, Saint Mark, Cannaregio and Castello and develops on 118 little islands connected from 354 bridges and it is formed by 177 between rii and channels. The center can be considered Saint Mark’s Public square, for definition the only public square of the city (the others is called Fields), one of the most beautiful in the world, where you find the basilica, the Ducale Palace and the historical bell tower . An other symbol of the city is the Bridge of Rialto on which you can notice the typical botteghe. Other important venetian monuments are the Arsenal, the church of Saint Maria of the Health, the basilica of Saint glorious Maria of the Frari, the sinagoghe of the Ghetto. The main channels of the city are the Large Canal and the Channel of the Giudecca. The first divides the city into two parts tracing a "turned upside down S", the second separates the great historical center from the island of the Giudecca.