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The sestiere of Dorsoduro covers Venice's southern flanc, including the island of Giudecca. The name of this island has a particular history: as it was the island where were isolated the prisoners, the name derives from Dante's Divine Comedy in which the Giudecca is the last circle of Hell where there are the benefactor's betrayer. The name Dorsoduro means "hard back" and refears to the quality of the soil. Dorsoduro in the 17th and 18th cent. acquired both dignity and status, with a lavish rebuilding of many of its churches and the construction of magnificent palaces. The skyline was radically changed by the building of La Salute and le Zattere. During the 19th cent., after the establishement of the Accademia at La Carità and the construction of the Accademia bridge, the sestiere become one of the favourite areas for wealthy foreign residents. Here there is the last still working Gondola's yard in Venice.
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