Venice is the largest car-free city in the world. Other than at the great parking lots at
Rome Square and on the Lido (a sand bank 12 km long, which forms a natural barrier between Venice and the open sea), automobiles are banned from the city.
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Since the end of the 18
century, tourism has been at the heart of the Venetian economy.
Luxury establishments such as the Danieli hotel and the celebrated Caffe Florian were developed
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in the 19 century for wealthy foreigners. Pensions, food emporiums, and souvenir shops line
each major street and square along the routes from the station and parking lots to the Rialto and San Marco. Nearly a third of the city’s workers find employment in tourism, now continuous to all seasons.