Torcello
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 medieval mosaics depicting the Last Judgment.