Venice

Venice, Italy - Venice is comprised of 26 islands along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The city is connected with canals instead of streets. Most transportation is done by boat, including the Fire Department and Police. Alot of transporation is done by gondolas and are a popular way to see the City.
Their hospital for infectious disease was on a seperate island. Later they opened a hospital for men and a seperate one for women from a convent that had closed. Of course, the ambulances are boats!
They built their homes without the use of science or technology. They thought that would prove to invaders that they were smart and would defeat anyone who tried to attack them. They cut down trees andthen beat them into the marshy land of the island vertically. Then the natural salt from the marsh petrified them. Then they built the houses on top of them. Where we live, our foundations are poured concrete. Of course, concrete was not discovered till hundreds of years later.
The oldest church in Venice is St. Mark's. It's bell tower is also a lighthouse, guiding ships to port.
Originally established 1,000 years ago, Venice was the center of the world's east and west trade routes. During this time, they sold salt. The salt was used perserving food (before refrigerator, tanning animal skins, and keeping skin young. However, with the discovery of America their strategic location was lost. Now their economy is glass, lace and tourism.
Venice governed themselves for 1000 years. They have only been part of Italy for 2 decades. THey joined the European Union and switched to Euro for money from litre. However, they did not take the time to calculate the adjustment in value from litre to Euro, which caused all of their prices to instantly double.