La Giudecca at bird's eye

This long island, in front of Venice, was in the past called "Spina Lunga" (The fish-bone). It's present name "Giudecca" could come from the old Jews settlements in this part of the lagoon by the beginning of the 10th century. But according to other sources, the name of the island is not derived from "Judean" but rather from "zudega", the venetian word for the "judged". The island would then have been the place allotted to banished rebellious noble families.