Venice hosts a New Year's Eve countdown in St. Mark's Square.
St. Mark's Square, or Piazza San Marco, is Venice's principal public square and one of Italy's most recognizable urban spaces. New Year's Eve events there have included a large public countdown and a collective kiss at midnight, promoted as a symbolic gesture of love and peace. The exact programme can change between years and may depend on city authorities and crowd-control plans.
The square is surrounded by major Venetian landmarks, including St. Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, and the Campanile. Its location beside the Venetian lagoon gives the celebration a setting very different from a conventional city boulevard. Because the area is vulnerable to high water, weather and acqua alta conditions can affect access and event arrangements.
This celebration is sometimes confused with Venice's separate Carnival, which is held before Lent rather than at New Year's. The answer is the city, Venice; St. Mark's Square is the specific setting of the countdown.