The Giudecca island is the largest of the 116 islands that make up the Venice lagoon. It is called by the Venetians "spinalonga" for its elongated shape and has a very ancient history: it is probably one of the first colonized strips of land in the Venetian lagoon.
In this guide we will see an itinerary to explore the Giudecca island with some curiosities concerning this suggestive area of Venice. Let's start with the name.
WHY IS IT NAME ISOLA DELLA GIUDECCA?
There are numerous theories concerning the origin of the name. The first concerns the presence of a large Jewish population in the area, supported by numerous findings in the Hebrew language and by the presence of two synagogues, which were later demolished in 1700.
The second thesis, on the other hand, traces the name to the Yudeca district, in Constantinople, created thanks to the continuous relations in medieval times between Venice and the Byzantine Empire.
According to popular belief, the term derives from "zudegà", which in Venetian means "judged". In fact, it seems that on the island of Giudecca there were several lands given to some Venetian families as compensation for unjustly confiscated assets.
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