![PiazzaFerretto12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/PiazzaFerretto12.jpg)
Mestre () is a borough of the ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' (municipality) of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of
Veneto
Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the ''Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo'', one of the six boroughs or districts of the ''comune''. Sometimes it is considered as a ''
frazione
A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
''. With 88,552 (2019) inhabitants, Mestre is the most populated urban centre of the ''comune''. The population of the borough of Mestre-Carpenedo is 89,373 (2010).
Overview
The ''mainland of Venice'' is the territory of on the coast of the
Lagoon of Venice, off the
Adriatic sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
in northeastern Italy. It is connected to Venice proper by a 3,850 m (2.39 miles) long railway and road bridge over the lagoon called ''
Ponte della Libertà
The Ponte della Libertà (Liberty Bridge) is a road bridge connecting the islands that form the historical centre of the city of Venice to the mainland part of the city.
Designed in 1932 by engineer Eugenio Miozzi, it was opened by Benito Musso ...
'' (Freedom Bridge).
After World War II, Mestre had a fast and disorganized period of urban growth and became a large urban area together with the other urban centers on the Venetian mainland (Carpenedo, Marghera, Favaro Veneto, Chirignago, Zelarino, Tessera). Since Mestre is the hub and the most populated area of the mainland shore, in common parlance its
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
is very often used, incorrectly, to designate the whole Venetian mainland.
Mestre became a ''comune'' in 1806 and remained so until 1926, when it was incorporated into the ''comune'' of Venice together with adjacent portions of the mainland and islands in the lagoon.
Population
Mestre has around 88,552 inhabitants while the ''Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo'' (one of the six boroughs of the city of Venice) has 89,373 inhabitants. The whole Venetian mainland (the boroughs of Mestre-Carpenedo, Marghera, Chirignago-Zelarino and Favaro Veneto) has around 181,000 inhabitants.
In contrast, there are just around 53,000 inhabitants in Venice city (San Marco, Castello, Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro, Santa Croce) and just around 27,700 in the other major islands of Venice city borough (
Murano
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was on ...
,
Burano
Burano is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, near Torcello at the northern end of the lagoon, known for its lace work and brightly coloured homes. The primary economy is tourism.
Geography
Burano is from Venice, a 45-minute tr ...
,
Mazzorbo
Mazzorbo is one of various islands in the northern part of the Lagoon of Venice. Like the other islands in this part of the lagoon, it was the site one of the earliest settlements in the lagoon which predated the development of Venice. However, th ...
and
Torcello
Torcello ( la, Torcellum; vec, Torceło) is a sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, in north-eastern Italy. It was first settled in 452 CE and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was p ...
) and adjacent multi island borough of
Lido
Lido may refer to:
Geography Africa
* Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco
Asia
* Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing
* Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok
* Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...
Pellestrina
Pellestrina is an island in northern Italy, forming a barrier between the southern Venetian Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, lying south west of the Lido.
The island is long and has since the eighteenth century been bounded to its seaward side by ...
, which makes a total of around 80,700 inhabitants based on the islands of the municipality, thus making Mestre Venice municipality's largest population centre with around one third of the total.
Public transport
Public transport is managed by
Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano. There are several bus routes and two
tram lines. Several bus routes link the mainland with ''
piazzale Roma
Piazzale Roma is a square in Venice, Italy, at the entrance of the city, at the end of the Ponte della Libertà. Piazzale Roma and nearby Tronchetto island are the only places in Venice's insular urban core accessible to ground motor vehicles, s ...
'', the main bus station in Venice, via
Ponte della Libertà
The Ponte della Libertà (Liberty Bridge) is a road bridge connecting the islands that form the historical centre of the city of Venice to the mainland part of the city.
Designed in 1932 by engineer Eugenio Miozzi, it was opened by Benito Musso ...
, the bridge which connects Venice to the mainland.
File:IRISBUS ACTV.JPG, Bus in Mestre
File:Tramvia.sandonà.JPG, Tram in Mestre
History
According to legend, Mestre was founded by Mesthles, a companion of the hero
Antenor
__NOTOC__
Antenor ( grc-gre, Ἀντήνωρ, ''Antḗnōr''; BC) was an Ancient Athens, Athenian Ancient Greek sculpture, sculptor. He is recorded as the creator of the Harmodius and Aristogeiton (sculpture), joint statues of the tyrannic ...
, a fugitive from
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...
, who founded
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
. The true origins of the town are uncertain, although it is known that a Roman ''oppidum'' (fortress) existed here. The settlement was destroyed by
Attila
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...
and was probably rebuilt in the 10th century.
The first historical attestation of Mestre is in the charter of the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King of ...
, in which Rambald, the count of Treviso, received land in an area named Mestre. In 1152 a papal bull by
Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He w ...
recognized the
bishop of Treviso
The Diocese of Treviso ( la, Dioecesis Tarvisina) is Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Veneto, Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Patriarchate of Venice ...
as lord of Mestre and mentioned the existence of the church of St. Lawrence, a castle (Castelvecchio, Old Castle) and a port. In 1257 the bishop granted Mestre to
Alberico da Romano
Alberico da Romano (1196 – 26 August 1260), called Alberico II, was an Italian condottiero, troubadour, and an alternatingly Guelph and Ghibelline statesman. He was also a patron of Occitan literature.
Biography
Alberico was born in the cas ...
, the
podestà
Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...
of
Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...
. In 1274 a fire destroyed the castle, and Mestre's inhabitants fortified the town with a
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''Palisade' ...
, which became ''Castelnuovo'' (Newcastle). No traces of this castle remain today.
In 1323 the
Scaligeri
The Della Scala family, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years.
History
Wh ...
family from
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
conquered Treviso and thus acquired Mestre. The Venetians, fearing the excessive Verona's power in the mainland, conquered Mestre on 29 September 1337.
They replaced the old fortification with a brick wall with eight towers and a moat. The port of Mestre benefited from the economic power of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
, forming Venice's main connection with the mainland. A canal (the Canal Salso) was built to facilitate the transport of goods.
The Venetian domination of Mestre ended on 16 July 1797 with the occupation of the Republic of Venice by Napoleon. In 1806 Mestre, following the French model, constituted itself into a free municipality. It remained so under the subsequent period of Austrian rule (it also incorporated Carpenedo e Marocco) and under the Kingdom of Italy. In 1923 it was given the status of town. Three years later a Royal Decree incorporated Mestre and some other neighbouring townships (Chirignago, Zelarino and Favaro Veneto) to the ''comune'' of Venice.
Since then there have been attempts to regain autonomy in four
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
s in 1979, 1989, 1994 and 2003, but in each instance the proposal for separating Mestre from Venice was rejected. Another such referendum, which was proposed by the president of the
Veneto
Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
region, took place on 1 December 2019. Even though 66% of the voters voted for the separation only the 21% of the population voted, thus making the referendum not valid.
In the 1960s and 1970s Mestre experienced a population boom, fuelled mainly by the construction of a large industrial zone in nearby
Marghera
Marghera is a ''municipalità'' (borough) of the ''comune'' of Venice, Italy. It includes the industrial area known as Porto Marghera (English: Marghera Port) or Venezia Porto Marghera.
Etymology
The name Marghera is said in popular myth to come ...
.
Tourism
Mestre is now a favourite starting point for tourists visiting Venice on a budget due to its convenient location, its cheap and frequent connections to Venice by train and by bus (which also runs at night), and the more reasonable prices of its bars, discos, car parking, hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets compared to the prices of the same tourist services in Venice.
In 1979 Mestre provided one of the venues for the European basketball championship
EuroBasket 1979
The 1979 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1979, was the 21st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Twelve national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entere ...
. This drew many tourists to the town. The other venues were in
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
,
Gorizia
Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...
and
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
.
Main sights
*Duomo of St. Lawrence (17th century)
*''Palazzo da Re''
*''Palazzo
podestarile''
*''Provvedaria''
*''Torre dell'Orologio'' (Watchtower, 1108)
*''Train Station'' (Stazione Ferrovia)
Museums
* M9 Museum, inaugurated in 2018.
Points of interest
*
Orto Botanico Locatelli
The Orto Botanico Locatelli (300 m2) is a small botanical garden located in the northeastern corner of the Parco della Bissuola (Parco Albanese), Mestre, Veneto, Italy. It is open Sunday evenings from May to October
The garden aims to integrate bo ...
, a small
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
In popular culture
Donna Leon
Donna Leon (; born in Montclair, New Jersey) is the American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice, Italy, featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti. In 2003, she received the Corine Literature Prize.
Leon lived in Veni ...
's third Commissario (inspector) Guido Brunetti mystery novel, ''The Anonymous Venetian'' (1994), aka ''Dressed for Death'', starts with a battered body found behind a slaughterhouse near
Marghera
Marghera is a ''municipalità'' (borough) of the ''comune'' of Venice, Italy. It includes the industrial area known as Porto Marghera (English: Marghera Port) or Venezia Porto Marghera.
Etymology
The name Marghera is said in popular myth to come ...
— just inside the border of Mestre. The staff of the local inspector is considered inadequate, so Brunetti is assigned to lead the investigation of the Mestre police.
In 2019, Italian-German singer Marco di Colonia released an album completely dedicated to the life and the people of Mestre.
See also
*
A.C. Mestre
Associazione Calcio Mestre is an Italian association football club located in Mestre, Venice, Veneto. It currently plays in Serie D, the fourth tier of the Italian league system. Its colors are orange and black.
History
The club was founded in ...
, the local football (soccer) club, currently playing in
Serie C
The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C.
The unification of the Lega Pro ...
*
Reyer Venezia
S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball in ...
, a men basketball club nominally representing Venice but playing home games in Mestre, currently in
Lega A
The Lega Basket A (officially: ''Lega Società di Pallacanestro Serie A'', English: Basket League) is the organizing body, as delegated by the Italian Basketball Federation, of the top division of Italian professional men's basketball league, the ...
*
Basket Mestre 1958
{{Infobox Basketball club
, color1 = white
, color2 = #C11B17
, name = Basket Mestre 1958
, nickname =
, logo =
, imagesize = 150px
, leagues =
, founded = 1958, 2009
, history = ...
, another men basketball club that both represents and plays in Mestre, currently in Serie C
*
Trams in Mestre
The Venice Tramway ( it, Tranvia di Venezia) is a rubber-tired tramway (or guided bus) system forming part of the public transport system in Venice, Favaro Veneto, Mestre and Marghera, three boroughs of the city and ''comune'' of Venice, northe ...
References
External links
*
Bacaro Tour Mestre - History of mestreMunicipality of Mestre-CarpenedoMestre in the 1900s
English team to tour in Mestre
{{Authority control
Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Venice
Geography of Venice
Former municipalities of Veneto