Venice Mestre is the gateway to the historic centre of Venice and is connected to it by the Ponte della Libertà bridge. Mestre is a junction for the railway system with the Venezia Mestre FS station and for the motorways with the A4, the A27 and the A 57. From Mestre it is very easy to reach Marco Polo Airport thanks to the ACTV and ATVO buses. Parking in Mestre is also much easier without spending a fortune thanks to the many covered and supervised car parks. From here you can reach the whole of Northern Italy without any major problems.
You can also decide to stay in Mestre and travel to Venice every day for your sightseeing. Here you will find excellent hotels at reasonable prices and you will find the same professionalism and courtesy that distinguishes the Venetian people.
Mestre has always been a land of passage. In fact, the Roman Via Gallica passed through here and it was also the watershed between the Holy Roman Empire and the Republic of Venice. It was not until 1337, after the Serenissima had wrested Mestre from the hands of Verona, that what would become known as the "Stato de Tera" began to take shape. The "Stato de Tera" were the mainland possessions of the Serenissima. From 1400 onwards Mestre became the gateway to the trade of the Serenissima until its decline with the end of the Venetian Republic in 1797.
In contemporary times, in 1929, Mestre was incorporated into the municipality of Venice and the chemical and industrial hub of Porto Marghera was created. A further economic boom took place in the post-war period, peaking in the 1970s.
Mestre is not only a land of borders and passageways, it is also a land of culture still in ferment. In fact, one of the pavilions of the Biennale is held inside Forte Marghera, a nineteenth-century fortification defending the lagoon. Other events are also held in Forte Marghera.
The heart of Mestre is Piazza Erminio Ferretto, now also a pedestrian zone with restricted traffic (ZTL). Here you will find the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in neoclassical style and on the opposite side of the large square you will find the Clock Tower. The Church of San Girolamo with an altarpiece by Palma il Giovane is another noteworthy church. The Alpini of northern Italy are devoted to the Madonna del Don and in the Chiesa dei Cappuccini every September the Alpini pay homage to a sacred relic found in Russia.
Mestre also has pleasant parks such as San Giuliano Park, Villa Querini gardens, Piraghetto Park and many others.
If you visit Venice consider staying in Mestre, it can be a convenient and pleasant option.