Lido

The Lido – the original Lido that gives its name to countless bathing establishments, bars, arcades and cinemas all over the world – is one of the long spits of land, or lidi, that form the protective outer barrier of the Lagoon.

For most of its history it was a wild sandy place, a place to go riding, as Lord Byron did daily to cure his urban claustrophobia, and a place to store the French Crusaders in 1202. Even in the 18th century, the only people who swam off the Lido were courtesans, whose lascivious beach parties were one of Venice’s tourist attractions.

In 1857, the first reputable bathing establishment was opened, and to the horror of precious aesthetes such as John Ruskin and Henry James, Venice began to attract seaside holidaymakers. It also soon began to draw in discrete gay visitors from abroad, including Baron Corvo, John Addington Symonds and Horatio Brown.