Earth from Space: Venetian Lagoon

This true-colour image of the Venetian Lagoon in northern Italy was acquired by the IRIDE satellites on 17 May 2026. It shows the city of Venice, with its distinctive Grand Canal curving through the historic centre, surrounded by the blue waters of the lagoon and a number of islands.

Venice came to prominence as a maritime republic and seafaring continues to be an important part of the city’s identity, as well as a key form of local transport. The white trails left by boats are clearly visible in some of the busy waterways around the lagoon – including on the south side of the city, near the Murano islands to the north and the Vignole islands to the east.

As well as its famous canal networks, the lagoon’s landscape also includes mud flats, salt marshes and shallow tidal waters. Sediment suspended in the water causes parts of the image to appear bright blue, while the dark blue is where the water is clearer. The sea is a darker shade of blue in the lower-right corner of the image, where Venice Lido, with its white-sand beach, borders the Adriatic Sea.

Extensive salt marshes – known locally as ‘barene’ – are seen in the top-right part of the image. This area of wetland appears brown and dark green in the image and is an important habitat for migrating birds. The long red roof seen in the midst of the brown marshland is an historical building – Nuovo Lazzaretto – once a monastery and later used as a sanatorium.

Other prominent landmarks visible in this image include the 3.8-km railway bridge connecting Venezia Santa Lucia station with the mainland, the large port on the west of the city, and the Giudecca island to the south.

The image was acquired by IRIDE’s Hawk for Earth Observation (HEO) satellites. IRIDE is a national Earth observation mission initiated by the Italian government and developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The programme is an ambitious space initiative funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which aims to modernise and revitalise the Italian economy. The programme is due to add more satellites to its constellation on 1 October.