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The Ponte di Rialto is in the upper left, the Piazza San Marco is clearly visibile in the upper center of the shot, and San Giorgio Maggiore is in the upper right. The lazy reverse S-curve of the Grand Canal divides Venice roughly in two, with the less-visited Dorsoduro section to the south and west. Three bridges cross the Grand Canal: the white marble Ponte Rialto, the wooden Ponte Accademia, and the stone Ponte degli Scalzi. Venice lies 4 km. (2 1/2 miles) from the Italian mainland (connected to Mestre by the Ponte della Libertà) and 2 km. (1 1/4 miles) from the open Adriatic. It's an archipelago of 118 islands. Most visitors, however, concern themselves only with Piazza San Marco and its vicinity. In fact, the entire city has only one piazza, which is San Marco (all the other squares are campos). Venice is divided into six quarters (sestieri): San Marco, Santa Croce, San Polo, Castello, Cannaregio, and Dorsoduro.
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Western Europe
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