March 25, 421 is commonly recognized as the date on which the City of Venice was founded, as written in the manuscript of the Chronicon Altinate and, in more recent times, by Marin Sanudo who, describing the great Rialto fire of 1514 in his Diaries, writes:

«Solum restò in piedi la chiexia di San Giacomo di Rialto, la qual fu la prima chiexia edificata in Venetia dil 421 a dì 25 Marzo, come in le nostre croniche si leze.»
Only the church of San Giacomo di Rialto, with its leaden roof, remained standing….For this was the first church built in Venice, begun on March 25, 421, as may be read in our chronicles

This year, 2021, marks the 1600th anniversary of the foundation of Venice and the City will be celebrating with an exciting program of events organized and promoted by the local authorities, institutions and associations, which includes exhibitions, museum and city tours, conferences and seminars.