The last ten kilometers of Venicemarathon will lead you into the historic center of Venice which will show you its characteristic elements: the lagoon, the islands and the bridges, much important links between all the parts of Venice, island in the middle of a lagoon.
Exactly a bridge, or better two bridges, will allow you to reach Venice. With “a bridge” we meant the Liberty Bridge: opened in 1933 and named Ponte del Littorio, it was renamed with its current name at the end of the Second World War.
Beside this bridge there is the historic trans-railway bridge: it was inaugurated in 1846 and at that time it was one of the longest bridges in the world. Still nowadays it connects Venice to the mainland via the extension of the Mestre-Padova railway and the car bridge.
Before their construction, the connection was only by boats which leaved from San Giuliano and arrived in the district of Cannaregio. The course of Venicemarathon passes on the Liberty Bridge and at the beginning of its 3850 meters, two large winged lions, sculptured in the stone of Istria, will welcome you.
Halfway on the left side, just beyond the railway line, you will see the “Monument of the broken column”: it is symbol of the heroic resistance of the Venetians against the Austrians during the revolutionary motions in 1848. Right there on the lagoon bridge there was the last battle between Venetian and Austrian armies.
The Venetians, in desperate attempt to defend themselves, broke down some arches of the bridge and built a place where the Sant’Antonio Battery was placed. This army battery is still partially preserved on a grassy field with its two cannons oriented towards Forte Marghera, the Austrian stronghold.
Just ahead, always on the left, you will see a little and inhabit island: it is the island of San Secondo. Once that islet was seat of an important monastery built in the 11th century: it had here a privileged position as place on the connecting channel between Venice and San Giuliano and it was rich in buildings and lands cultivated with vegetables and fruits.
Like many other institutions, the island changed after the Napoleonic edict in 1806 which envisaged to suppress religious orders: the place was firstly transformed into a military outpost and later abandoned as we see it today.
Turning our sight to the right side of the bridge the landscape changes: from an abandoned island to a new one. It’s “Isola Nova”, built in the second half of the twentieth century, now known as the Island of Tronchetto.
You are now really close to the historical center of Venice…
Discover more about Venetian architecture by booking one of our guided running tours.
*Stories by run is a weekly column written by Venice by Run for the VMC – Venice Marathon Club events magazine.
