What do Lord Byron, the Armenians, a leper colony and Venice have in common?  The answer is the tiny island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni in the Venetian Lagoon. It all came about following years of persecution when the Mekhitarist monks sought a place of safety after fleeing Constantinople. In 1717 the pope asked the Republic of Venice to grant the monks the island of San Lazzaro, a former leper colony, and for the following century it was the only centre in the world which held the heritage of the Armenian people.

Over the years the group of monks reclaimed land from the sea so that it is now square-shaped and four times the original area, but still a very small island, which can be visited, but only on certain days of the week. The number 20 vaporetto leaves from San Zaccaria and calls there, after the island of San Servolo, so if you want to visit San Lazzaro you need to catch the mid-afternoon boat which coincides with the guided tour on selected days of the week. (Check the notice at the vaporetto stop.).