This delightdul little island, with its overgrown main square and sparse, scruffy-looking buildings and monuments, was at its peak from the mid-7th century to the 13th century, when it was the seat of the bishop of Altinum and home to some 20.000 people.

Rivalry with Venice and a succession of malaria epidemics systematically reduced the island's splendour and population. Today, fewer than 80 people call Torcello home. 
When you get off the vaporetto, you have little choice but to follow the path along the canal that leads to the hearth of the island in a leisurely 10 minutes. Around the central square is huddled all that remains of old Torcello - the lasting homes of the clergy and the island's secular rules.
The devil's bridge is famous because local people tell a legendy about it... it is sow that it has been built in one night... by the devil.