In 1797 Napoleon invaded the Republic of Venice, treading on eleven centuries of history. As with the other capitals he conquered, Napoleon quickly devised a new layout for the city of Venice. The history of the Giardini begins here. The Napoleon government accepted the plan proposed by the Venetian architect Giannantonio Selva in 1807. The project called for the demolition of the furthermost part of the Castello quarter, an area densely populated and rich with vegetable gardens, convents and some of the oldest churches in the city. The rubble left over from the demolition of the buildings was used to settle and consolidate the ground in the area and to erect a small and artificial hill as a means of enhancing the aesthetics of the landscape. Confronted with a space that was 'destined for the public', Selva chose the 'simplicity of the Italian garden' as his design guideline for the area and one which would reflect, in cultural and educational terms, the 'modest possibilities of abstract thinking of the working class – the intended inhabitants of the Castello quarter'. Venice was the last city to be annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and the Venice National Exhibition was concerned strictly with art. On 30 April 1895, the first International Exhibition of Art was inaugurated. Today inside the Giardini of the Biennale, there are 30 national pavilions representing 34 countries, the last having been built by South Korea in 1995. Thank you for your kind comments.