It occupies the north west part of the main islands, and can be divided into two areas: the eastern area being largely mediaeval, and the western - including the main port and the Tronchetto - mostly lying on land reclaimed in the twentieth century.
The district includes the Piazzale Roma, home to Venice's bus station and car parks, and around which is the only area of the city in which cars can travel. The tourist attractions lie mostly in the eastern part of the quarter, and include the Church of San Nicolo da Tolentino, the Church of San Giacomo dell'Orio, the Centre for the History of Costume, the Patrician Palace, Ca' Corner della Regina and Ca' Pesaro museum.
Dorsoduro is one of the six sestieri of Venice. It includes the highest land areas of the city and also includes Giudecca island and Isola Sacca Fisola. Its name derives from the Italian for "hard ridge", due to its comparatively high, stable land.
The original heart of the area was the Giudecca Canal, along which building were constructed from the sixth century. By the eleventh century, settlement had spread across to the Grand Canal, while later religious buildings including the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and the Zattere quay are now its main landmarks.
In the nineteenth century, the Accademia was set up in Dorsoduro, and the Ponte dell'Accademia linked it to San Marco, making it an expensive area popular with foreign residents, with its western end and the Giudecca becoming industrialised.
Other attractions in the quarter on the main islands include the Palazzo Dario, San Trovaso, San Pantalon, San Nicolò da Tolentino, the Ospedale Giustinian, the Church of San Sebastiano, the Palazzo Ariani, the Palazzo Zenobio, the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo, Campo Santa Margherita, Ca' Foscari, Ca' Rezzonico and Campo San Barnaba.
Giudecca is an island in the Venetian Lagoon. It is part of the sestiere of Dorsoduro.
The area is densely built and was the location of Venice's government. S.Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Saint Mark's Square, that was never administered as part of the sestiere.
The small district includes many of Venice's most famous sights, including St Mark's Square and Saint Mark's Basilica, St Mark's Campanile the St Mark's Clock tower, the Doge's Palace, the Palazzo Dandolo, San Moisè, the La Fenice theatre, the Palazzo Grassi, the Correr museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the churches of San Beneto, San Fantin, Santa Maria del Giglio, San Maurizio, Santo Stefano, San Salvador, San Zulian and San Samuele.
Castello is the largest of the six sestieri of Venice. The district grew up from the thirteenth century around a naval dockyard on what was originally the Isole Gemini, although there had been small settlements of the islands of San Pietro di Castello (for which the sestiere is named), also called Isola d'Olivolo.
The district became divided between the Arsenale, then the largest naval complex in Europe, and the monasteries in the north of the quarter. It was later altered by Napoleon, who planned what are now the Bienniale Gardens, and still more recently the island of Sant'Elena has been created, and land drained at other extremities of the quarter.
Other attractions in Castello are, the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the church of San Giorgio dei Greci, the Campo Santa Maria Formosa, the Church of La Pietà and the Church of San Zaccaria.
Cannaregio is one of the six historic sestieri (districts) of Venice, and the northernmost of the city. It also has the largest population, of around 20,000 people.
The Cannaregio Canal gave the district its name; before the construction of a railway link into Venice, the canal was the main entrance for visitors to Venice.
The quarter, the second largest of the city, was developed from the eleventh century. As the area was drained, parallel canals were dredged and the area became known for its working class housing, with a few grand palaces, mostly facing the Grand Canal. The district later became known for manufacturing, while in the nineteenth century the Strada Nuova street was run through Cannaregio, a railway bridge (Ferrovia) and later a road bridge to the mainland were constructed.
Attractions in the district include the Jewish Ghetto, Venice Santa Lucia station, the Sacca della Misericordia, the Ca' d'Oro, the Palazzo Labia, the churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Sant'Alvise and the Santa Maria Assunta. The Isola di San Michele cemetery island is associated with the district.
San Polo is the smallest of the six sestieri of Venice, covering just 86 acres (35 hectares) along the Grand Canal. It is one of the oldest parts of the city, having been settled before the ninth century, when it and San Marco formed part of the Realtine Islands. The sestiere is named for the Church of San Polo.
The district has been the site of Venice's main market since 1097, and connected to the right bank of the city by a Rialto bridge since the thirteenth century. The western part of the quarter is now known for its churches, while the eastern part, sometimes just called the Rialto, is known for its palaces and smaller houses.
Attractions in San Polo include the Rialto Bridge, the Church of San Giacomo di Rialto (according to legend the oldest in the city), the Campo San Polo, the House of Goldoni, the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the Church of San Rocco and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.