San Lazzaro degli Armeni
A monastery island facing San Marco, with a cloister, gardens, a library of Armenian manuscripts and a small museum.
The story
In 1717 the Republic of Venice granted the island, a former leper colony, to the Armenian abbot Mekhitar, who had fled the Morea with his monks. Ever since, it has been one of the world's leading centres of Armenian culture, with a printing press that turned out books in dozens of languages. In 1816 Lord Byron came here by gondola almost every day to study Armenian with the monks.
Why go
A corner of the East in the middle of the lagoon, with a view of Venice that few people know.
In the itineraries
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Weather forecast
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind, wave height and sea temperature.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
Getting there
- By train. The nearest station is Venezia Santa Lucia station, 4.5 km away. Alternatively: Venezia Porto Marghera station, 10.6 km away. From the station you need a bus, a taxi or a car.
- By sea. The nearest ferry terminal is San Lazzaro, 100 m away.
- By air. The nearest airport is Venice Airport (VCE), about 10 km away.
- Parking. There are 2 signposted car parks within a kilometre; the nearest is 900 m away.
Stations, ports, airports and car parks from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); distances as the crow flies. Timetables and connections change: check them before you travel.
Climate month by month
The most pleasant months for weather are from May to October, with average highs between 18 and 29 °C. The wettest month is May (about 109 mm), the driest January. The sea is above 22 °C from June to September, peaking at 27 °C in August.
| Month | Temperature | High / low | Rain mm | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | from 4 to 9 °C | 9° 4° | 53 | 10° |
| Feb | from 5 to 10 °C | 10° 5° | 75 | 9° |
| Mar | from 7 to 12 °C | 12° 7° | 60 | 10° |
| Apr | from 10 to 16 °C | 16° 10° | 68 | 14° |
| May | from 15 to 20 °C | 20° 15° | 109 | 18° |
| Jun | from 20 to 26 °C | 26° 20° | 69 | 23° |
| Jul | from 23 to 29 °C | 29° 23° | 63 | 26° |
| Aug | from 23 to 29 °C | 29° 23° | 83 | 27° |
| Sep | from 19 to 24 °C | 24° 19° | 85 | 23° |
| Oct | from 14 to 20 °C | 20° 14° | 96 | 19° |
| Nov | from 9 to 15 °C | 15° 9° | 98 | 16° |
| Dec | from 5 to 10 °C | 10° 5° | 74 | 13° |
Averages for 2015–2024, estimated for an altitude of 0 m. Air: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), corrected for the altitude of the place; rain: average monthly total; sea: surface temperature from NOAA OISST. These are indicative values: the weather on any given day can be very different, so always check the forecast before you go.