'…in 568 the Lombards invaded Italy in the last, and the most lasting, of the barbarian invasions. Once again the long train of refugees made their way from the mainland cities to the settlements in the lagoons; …The early histories are rich in the stories and legends connected with these new migrations … The Altino Chronicle records, for example, how Bishop Paul of the city heard a voice from heaven commanding him to climb to the top of a nearby tower and look at the stars; and how those stars showed him - presumably by the paths made by their reflections on the water - the island to which he must lead his flock. They settled in the island of Torcello, naming it after the 'little tower' the bishop had climbed.'

J.J. Norwich, A History of Venice, published by Penguin.

'For centuries Torcello supported a thriving community on the profits of its wool industry; but from the fourteenth century onwards there was a decline in its prosperity and eventually, its inhabitants greatly reduced in numbers, the island was virtually abandoned. Its population is today on the increase and some of the old houses are being restored.'

Christopher Hibbert, Venice, the biography of a city, published by Grafton.