An ornate stage prop makes a dramatic exit through the window of Venice’s La Fenice Opera House.

Built on wooden pilings sunk in the ooze of a backwater lagoon, Venice rose over a millennium to become a city-state of dazzling power. By the 15th century, it was the envy of Europe.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Venice: More Than a Dream,” February 1995, National Geographic magazine)