Panorama Photo

The Arsenale is one of the hearts of Venice. In here were built war and commercial ships, with which the Serenissima controlled the entire Adriatic Sea and the isles of Greece down to Creta and Cipro.The early buildings are dated XII century. Arsenale, anyway, is above all a group of docks for the laying-up of the ships, surrounded by large shipyards and hangars in which the workmen, named Arsenalotti, made ropes, rows, sails and every other shipping gear. Arsenale was really the first industrial complex of the world.
The towers of water entrance date from 1686. The wonderful monumental entrance, on the left, built in 1460, was further enlarged in 1571 after Lepanto battle. The are lions everywhere... the big ones were carried from Pireo harbour by Francesco Morosini "il Peloponnesiaco".
5 vertical freehand shots - EXIF data of the first one: ISO 64, f/4,8, 1/640, focal lenght 6 mm.