Venice
Contents |
Summary
The area that Lara visits is evidently something of a backwater in Venice. There are very few signs of life around bar some Fiama Nera gang members, as well as their guard dogs and some vermin.
Lara enters over a fence into a back alley. This area includes a small courtyard and canal to one side. A wooden structure allows access to the palacial building above, with it's glassed walkway over the canal. Lara must find a motorboat in a boathouse across the canal, and drive through the sewers to a lockgate which allows access to a new collection of canals - far more extensive than the earlier area.
This section becomes one large puzzle as Lara must clear a path of gates and obstacles in order to make a timed dash to an opened door into Bartoli's Hideout. Several large sea-mines also bar the way. There are certain environmental touches also, such as breakable gondolas and ramps for use with the boat.
It is unclear which part of Venice the level is set in, but it is certainly off the tourist trail.
Links
Notes
Venice began as a small group of islands in a marshy part of the Venetian Lagoon near the Adriatic Coast. It was settled by the fleeing inhabitants of the city of Aquilea, which had been devastated by a Hunnic attack in the fifth century.
Throughout the medieval period Venice continued to grow in size and influence. Venetian lands spread out into mainland Italy and along the coast of Dalmatia. The Venetian Golden Age came in about the 16th century, when the city was known as the 'Queen of the Adriatic'.
After this period however, Venice went into a decline. Plague and syphilis ravaged the city, and many Venetian families went bankrupt by betting their fortunes at the city's casino. The Republic of Venice was overtaken by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and eventually was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Italy in the 1800s.
In the early 20th century, Venice once again blossomed as it became a fashionable destination for actors, writers and artists from all over the Western World. Today the city's main industry is tourism, receiving millions of visitors every year. However, with these rich tourists has come various problems. The population of the city itself has dwindled as younger inhabitants move out of the city into the various industrial and commercial towns that lie on the edge of the Lagoon such as Mestre and Chioggia. There is also the common problem of subsidence and water damage among the many old palazzos and churches in the Floating City.
Enemies
Gallery
A view of the first area of Venice, overlooking the canal.
A view of the canals of Venice from the second area.
