1-270-137 - Peter Thompson/Heritage Images

Arsenale, Venice, Italy. Founded by Doge Ordelafo Falier in 1104, the Arsenale was the centre of Venice's sea power. It was a naval base, a depot for armaments and supplies and a facility for shipbuilding and the maintenance of vessels. The Arsenale expanded greatly over the centuries to the extent that by the 16th century it employed 15,000 carpenters and, when the Turks attacked Cyprus in 1570, it was able to provide 100 galleys for combat in just two months.