As you may know, Venice was born as the barbarians invaded the Roman empire, pillaging their way down Italy. Some of the inhabitants fled to the islands of what eventually morphed into Venice. But the first of the fleers landed on the island of Torcello, in the fifth century, and for several centuries Torcello remained the center of Venice. In 638 a cathedral was built here, which remained the home of Venice's bishop for a thousand years. But by the fifteenth century, the island's canals had silted up and malaria plagued the island, reducing the island's population from twenty thousand to about thirty, where it remains today. It's not a popular spot on the tourist circuit, but it should be, although that would ruin the ghost town feel to the place. The highlight of the abandoned town is the seventh century cathedral, and weirdly there's an equally large church right next door. The town is far from where the boat drops you off, so an added pleasure is the walk along the canal, which feels much more like English countryside than Venice. We liked it so much that we stopped at the island's only restaurant for a drink along the canal.