Overview: ITALY, VENICE: The rags to ultra riches story of The Venetian Republic is unlike any other in European history. Refugees from the Roman Empire, fleeing the turmoil created by the power vacuum of Rome's waning ability to fend off endless barbarian incursions, turned a bunch of uninhabitable islands into the greatest and richest nation and finally empire in all of Europe. How did the Venetians do it? That is what I will explore as I take in what Venice, which is today just a city in Italy, has become in 2024. Venice is now a haven for tourists where one can truly take in what renaissance Italy was truly about. The classic Venetian carnival still exists along with local artisans making traditional masks from scratch. Murano's glassmaking tradition also continues, possibly stronger than ever. La Serenissima lives on! So tag along as I investigate the history of Venice from the year A.D. 500 all the way up to 2024