Torcello is a quiet island in the Venetian Lagoon. It was a safe haven for early fishermen fleeing barbarian invaders on the mainland. Due to its trading location it became the most powerful island of the lagoon before its canals silted up and Venice grew.
Torcello is a far more rural island today, although it boasts an impressive cathedral, Santa Maria Assunta, containing impressive early medeival mosaics depicting the Last Judgment.