Venice
Venice (
Italian:
Venezia,
Venetian:
Venexia,
Venessia), nicknamed the
"city of canals" and
La Serenissima, is the
capital of the
region of
Veneto and of the
province of Venice in
Italy. Its
population is 271,663 (census estimate
January 1,
2004). The city is included, with
Padua (
Padova), in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area, population 1,600,000.
The city stretches across numerous small islands in the marshy
Venetian Lagoon along the
Adriatic Sea in northeast
Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the
Po (south) and the
Piave (north) Rivers.The population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole
Comune of Venezia; the historic city of Venice (
Centro storico) inhabitants are around 62,000, while approximately 176,000 people live in
Terraferma (literal
dry land, it means the extra-lagoon areas) and 31,000 live in other islands of the lagoon.
The
Venetian Republic was a major sea power and a
staging area for the
Crusades, as well as a very important centre of commerce (especially the
spice trade) and
art in the
Renaissance.
|
Location of Venice in Italy and the Venetian Lagoon. |
Origins and history
According to legend Venice was founded in
422 by Roman refugees fleeing from the
Goths. However, no historical records exist about the origins of Venice. The city was probably founded as a result of the influx of refugees into the marshes of the Po estuary following the invasion which ravaged northern-eastern Italy starting from that of Quadi and Marcomanni in
166-
168 AD, who destroyed the main center in the area, the current Oderzo. The Roman defences were again overthrown in the early 5th century by the
Visigoths and, some 50 years later, by the Huns led by
Attila. The last and most enduring was that of the
Lombards in
568: this left the
Eastern Roman Empire a small strip of coast in the current Veneto, and the main administrative and religious entities were therefore transferred in this remaining dominion. New ports were built, including those of Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. The Byzantine domination in central and northern Italy was largely wiped out by the conquest of the
Exarchate of Ravenna in
751 by Aistulf. In this period the seat of the local Byzantine governor (the "duke", later "doge") was located in Malamocco: the settlement in the islands of the lagoon increased probably in correspondence with the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine territories. In 775-776 the bishopric seat of Olivolo (Helibolis) was created. During the reign of duke
Agnello Particiaco (811-827) the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the best protected Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore") island, the current location of Venice. Here were subsequently built the monastery of St. Zachary, and the first ducal palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defence (civitatis murus) between Olivolo and Rialto. In
828 the prestige of the new city was increased by the stealing of the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria, which were placed in the new basilica. The patriarchal seat was also moved to Rialto. As the community continued to develop and as Byzantine power waned, an increasingly anti-Eastern character emerged, leading to the growth of autonomy and eventual independence.
Expansion
From the ninth century through twelfth century Venice developed into a
city state (an Italian
thalassocracy or
Repubblica Marinara, the other three being
Genoa,
Pisa, and
Amalfi). Its strategic position at head of the Adriatic made Venetian naval and commercial power almost invulnerable. The city became a flourishing center of the trade between Western Europe and the rest of the world (especially the
Byzantine Empire and the
Islamic world).
In the
12th century the essentials for the power of Venice were laid: the
Venetian Arsenal was under construction in
1104; Venice wrested control of the
Brenner pass from
Verona in
1178, opening a lifeline to silver from
Germany; the last autocratic doge, Vitale Michiele, died in 1172.
The
Republic of Venice seized the eastern shores of the Adriatic before
1200, mostly for commercial reasons, because
pirates based there were a menace to trade. The Doge already carried the titles of Duke of
Dalmatia and Duke of
Istria. Later mainland possessions, which extended across
Lake Garda as far west as the
Adda River, were known as "Terraferma", and were acquired partly as a buffer against belligerent neighbours, partly to guarantee
Alpine trade routes, and partly to ensure the supply of mainland
wheat, on which the city depended. In building its maritime commercial empire, the Republic acquired control of most of the islands in the
Aegean, including
Cyprus and
Crete, and became a major power-broker in the
Near East. By the standards of the time, Venice's stewardship of its mainland territories was relatively enlightened and the citizens of such towns as
Bergamo,
Brescia, and
Verona rallied to the defence of Venetian sovereignty when it was threatened by invaders.
Venice became an imperial power following the
Fourth Crusade, which (with Venetian aid) seized
Constantinople in
1204 and established the
Latin Empire; Venice herself carved out a sphere of influence known as the
Duchy of the Archipelago. Unfortunately, this seizure of
Constantinople would ultimately prove to be as much a factor ending the Byzantine Empire as the loss of the Anatolian themes after Manzikert. Though the Greeks recovered control of the ravaged city and Empire a half century later, the Byzantine Empire was effectively powerless, and existed as a ghost of its old self until
Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror took the city in 1453. Considerable plunder was brought back to Venice, including the
Winged Lion of St. Mark, symbol of Venice. Only Venetian ships could efficiently transport the men, supplies, and (especially) war horses.
Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice traded with the Byzantine Empire and the Moslem world extensively. During the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce. During this time, Venice's leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. The city was governed by the Great Council, which was made up of members of the most influential families in Venice. The Great Council appointed all public officials and elected a Senate of 200 to 300 individuals. The Senate hen chose the Council of Ten, a secretive group which held the utmost power in the administration of the city. One member of the great council was elected 'doge,' or duke, the ceremonial head of the city.
The Venetian governmental structure was similar in some ways to the republican system of ancient Rome, with an elected executive power (the Doge), a senate-like assembly of nobles, and a mass of citizens with limited political power - which eventually disappeared entirely, but which originally consisted of the power of citizens to grant or withhold their approval for each newly elected Doge. Church and various private properties were tied to military service, though there was no
knight tenure within the city itself. The
Cavalieri di San Marco was the only order of
chivalry ever instituted in Venice, and no citizen could accept or join a foreign order without the government’s consent. Venice remained a republic throughout its independent period and politics and the military were kept completely separate, except when on occasion the Doge personally led the military. War was regarded as a continuation of commerce by other means (hence, the city's early production of large numbers of mercenaries for service elsewhere, and later its reliance on foreign mercenaries when the ruling class was preoccupied with commerce).
The chief executive was the
Doge (duke), who, theoretically, held his elective office for life. In practice, a number of Doges were forced by pressure from their
oligarchical peers to resign the office and retire into
monastic seclusion when they were felt to have been discredited by perceived political failure.
Though the people of Venice generally remained orthodox
Roman Catholics, the state of Venice was notable for its freedom from religious fanaticism and it enacted not a single execution for religious heresy during the
Counter-Reformation. This apparent lack of zeal contributed to its frequently coming into conflict with the
Papacy. Venice was threatened with the
interdict on a number of occasions and twice suffered its imposition. The second, more famous, occasion was on
April 27,
1509, by order of
Pope Julius II (see
League of Cambrai).
Venetian ambassadors sent home still-extant secret reports of the politics and rumours of European courts, providing fascinating information to modern historians.
Venice began to lose its position as a center of international trade after the end of the
Renaissance. However, the Venetian empire was a major exporter of agricultural products and, until the mid eighteenth-century, was a
manufacturing center.
Modern Venice
 |
A map of the historical heart of Venice. |
After 1070 years, the Republic lost its independence when
Napoleon Bonaparte on
May 12,
1797, conquered Venice during the
First Coalition. The
French conqueror brought to an end the most fascinating century of its history: It was during the
Settecento (1700s) that Venice became perhaps the most elegant and refined city in
Europe, greatly influencing
art,
architecture, and
literature. Napoleon was seen as something of a liberator by the city's
Jewish population, although nowhere else in Italy had they lived over the centuries with lesser restrictions than in Venice. He removed the gates of the
Ghetto and ended the restrictions on when and where Jews could live and travel in the city.
Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the
Treaty of Campo Formio on
October 12 1797. The
Austrians took control of the city on
January 18,
1798. It was taken from Austria by the
Treaty of Pressburg in
1805 and became part of Napoleon's
Kingdom of Italy, but was returned to Austria following Napoleon's defeat in
1814, when it became part of the Austrian-held
Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. In
1848-
1849 a revolt briefly reestablished the Venetian Republic. In
1866, following the
Six Weeks War, Venice, along with the rest of Venetia, became part of Italy.
After 1797, the city fell into a serious decline, with many of the old palaces and other buildings abandoned and falling into disrepair, although the
Lido became a popular beach resort in the late 19th century.
Naval and military affairs
 |
Several gondolas docked on a canal of Venice. |
 |
Gondola on Grand Canal beside Rialto Bridge. |
By
1303, crossbow practice had become compulsory in the city, with citizens training in groups. As weapons became more expensive and complex to operate, professional soldiers were assigned to help work merchant sailing ships and as rowers in galleys. The company of "Noble Bowmen" was recruited in the later
14th century from among the younger
aristocracy and served aboard both war-galleys and armed merchantmen, with the privilege of sharing the captain's cabin.
Though Venice was famous for its
navy, its
army was equally effective. In the
13th century, most Italian city states already were hiring
mercenaries, but Venetian troops were still recruited from the lagoon, plus feudal levies from Dalmatia and Istria. In times of emergency, all males between seventeen and sixty years were registered and their weapons were surveyed, with those called to actually fight being organized into companies of twelve. The register of
1338 estimated that 30,000 Venetian men were capable of bearing arms; many of these were skilled crossbowmen. As in other Italian cities, aristocrats and other wealthy men were
cavalrymen while the city's conscripts fought as
infantry.
By
1450, more than 3,000 Venetian merchant ships were in operation, and most of these could be converted when necessary into either warships or transports. The government required each merchant ship to carry a specified number of weapons (mostly
crossbows and
javelins) and
armor; merchant passengers were also expected to be armed and to fight when necessary. A reserve of some 25 (later 100)
war-galleys was maintained in the
Arsenal. Galley
slaves did not exist in medieval Venice, the oarsmen coming from the city itself or from its possessions, especially Dalmatia. Those from the city were chosen by lot from each parish, their families being supported by the remainder of the parish while the rowers were away.
Debtors generally worked off their obligations rowing the galleys. Rowing skills were encouraged through races and
regattas.
Early in the
15th century, as new mainland territories were expanded, the first standing army was organized, consisting of
condottieri on contract. In its alliance with
Florence in
1426, Venice agreed to supply 8,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry in time of war, and 3,000 and 1,000 in peacetime. Later in that century, uniforms were adopted that featured red-and-white stripes, and a system of honors and pensions developed. Throughout the 15th century, Venetian land forces were almost always on the offensive and were regarded as the most effective in Italy, largely because of the tradition of all classes carrying arms in defense of the city and official encouragement of general military training.
The command structure in the army was different from that in the fleet. By ancient law, no nobleman could command more than twenty-five men (to prevent against
sedition by private armies), and while the position of Captain General was introduced in the mid-14th century, he still had to answer to a civilian panel of twenty "wise men". Not only was efficiency
not degraded, this policy saved Venice from the military takeovers that other Italian
city states so often experienced. A civilian commissioner (not unlike a
commissar) accompanied each army to keep an eye on things, especially the mercenaries. The Venetian military tradition also was notably cautious; they were more interested in achieving success with a minimum expense of lives and money than in the pursuit of glory. The canals date back to the 5th century when regional inhabitants built nascent Venice in a swampy, sparsely settled lagoon in order to escape the swords of the invading Barbarians.
Venice is world-famous for its
canals. It is built on an
archipelago of 118
islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow
lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of
transport is on
water or on foot. In the
19th century a causeway to the mainland brought a
railway station to Venice, and an
automobile causeway and parking lot was added in the
20th century. Beyond these land entrances at the northern edge of the city, transportation within the city remains, as it was in centuries past, entirely on water or on foot. Venice is Europe's largest urban
carfree area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the
21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.
|
Two vaporetti approach each other on the Canale Grande. |
The classical Venetian
boat is the
gondola, although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Most Venetians now travel by motorised waterbuses ("vaporetto") which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city's islands. The city also has many private boats. The only unmotorized gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the
traghetti, foot passenger
ferries crossing the
Grand Canal at certain points without bridges.
Venice is served by the newly rebuilt
Marco Polo International Airport, or
Aeroporto di Venezia Marco Polo, named in honor of its famous citizen. The airport is on the mainland and was rebuilt away from the coast so that visitors now need to get a bus to the pier, from which a water taxi or Alilaguna waterbus can be used.
Visited by tourists, of course; but of the permanent population 3.8 % are foreigners as well: from all around the world, and especially from Asia and Eastern Europe.
The International Economy Evaluation Association (INEEA for short) breaks down the population as:
*96.13%
Italian*0.47%
Turkish*0.33%
Moldavians*0.28%
Ukrainian*0.19%
RomanianOther populations include
Bulgarian,
Tunisian,
Albanian, and
Macedonian.
|
A small canal in Venice (Rio della Verona). |
|
The afternoon light on the bulidings of the Grand Canal |
Sestieri
The
sestieri are the primary traditional divisions of Venice. The city is divided into the six districts of
Cannaregio,
San Polo,
Dorsoduro (including the
Giudecca),
Santa Croce,
San Marco and
Castello (including
San Pietro di Castello and
Sant'Elena).
Piazzas and campi of Venice
*
Piazza San Marco*
Campo San PoloPalaces and palazzi
*
Doge's Palace*
Palazzo Grassi*
Ca' d'Oro*
Ca' Rezzonico*
Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum*
Palazzo LabiaChurches
*
Basilica di San Marco*
Other churchesOther buildings
*
Accademia*
The Arsenal*
La Fenice opera houseBridges and canals
*
Rialto Bridge*
The Bridge of Sighs*
Accademia Bridge*
Scalzi Bridge |
Venice and surroundings in false colour, from TERRA satellite. The picture is oriented with North at the top. |
Surroundings
* The
Venetian Lagoon* Islands:
**
Burano**
Lido**
Murano**
San Michele**
Sant'Erasmo**
San Lazzaro degli Armeni**
Torcello**
Vignole*
GiudeccaThe
buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced
wood piles (under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood does not
decay) which penetrate alternating layers of
clay and
sand. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of
brick or
stone sit above these footings. The buildings are often threatened by flood
tides pushing in from the
Adriatic between
autumn and early
spring.
Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment.
During the
20th century, when many
artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to
subside. It was realised that extraction of the
aquifer was the cause. This sinking process has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the
1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (so-called
Acqua alta, "high water") that creep to a height of several centimeters over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Thus, many Venetians resorted to moving up to the upper floors and continuing with their lives.
Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking , but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. In May
2003,
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, inaugurated the
MOSE project. MOSE, the acronym for the experimental model created to test the gates' performance (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), will lay a series of 79 inflatable
pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110
centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic sea. This challenging engineering work is due to be completed by
2011.
However, sea levels are rising anyway, and in fact, the whole east coast of Italy is sinking (although very slowly). Some experts say that the best way to protect Venice is to physically lift the City to a greater height above sea level - by pumping water into the soil underneath the city. This way, some hope, it could rise above sea levels, protecting it for hundreds of years, and eventually the MOSE project may not be necessary (it will, controversially, alter the tidal patterns in the lagoon, damaging some wildlife). A further point about the "lifting" system would be that it would be permanent - the MOSE Project is, by its very nature, a temporary system: it is expected to protect Venice for "only" 100 years. If sinking is prevented, today's engineers hope that future generations will - perhaps in thousands of years time - remember the current work being done, for saving one of the most romantic cities in the world.
In the
14th century, many young Venetian men began wearing tight-fitting multicoloured hose, the designs on which indicated the Compagnie della Calza ("Trouser Club") to which they belonged. The
Senate passed
sumptuary laws, but these merely resulted in changes in fashion in order to circumvent the law. Dull garments were worn over colourful ones, which then were cut to show the hidden colours — which resulted in the wide spread of men's "slashed" fashions in the
15th century.
During the
16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition (the
Venetian school) and the development of the
Venetian polychoral style under composers such as
Adrian Willaert, who worked at
San Marco. Venice was the early center of music printing;
Ottaviano Petrucci began publishing music almost as soon as this technology was available, and his publishing enterprise helped to attract composers from all over Europe, especially from
France and
Flanders. By the end of the century, Venice was famous for the splendor of its music, as exemplified in the "colossal style" of
Andrea and
Giovanni Gabrieli, which used multiple choruses and instrumental groups.
Canvases (the common painting surface) originated in Venice during the early renaissance. These early canvases were generally rough.
Life in 1750s Venice is illustrated by the biography
A Venetian Affair, which is based on the prolific love letters between a Venetian nobleman and his illegitimate half-English lover.
A remarkable, and unflattering, portrait of Venetian politics appears in
The Bravo, published in 1831 by American novelist
James Fennimore Cooper. A
bravo is an assassin under contract to the state, typically carrying out his assignments with a
stiletto. Cooper's novel depicts Venice as a brutal dictatorship, governed through intrigue and murder, masked by the placid facade of the
Repubblica Serenissima (serene republic).
Other major works involving Venice include:
Literature
*
William Shakespeare's
The Merchant of Venice (1594-97) and
Othello (1603-04)
*
Philippe Sollers's
Watteau in Venice (1994)
*
Ben Jonson's
Volpone*
Friedrich Schiller's
Der Geisterseher (
The Ghost-Seer)
*
Henry James'
The Aspern Papers (1888)
*
Death in Venice (
Der Tod in Venedig), a 1912 novella by
Thomas Mann and 1971 film by
Luchino Visconti*
Orhan Pamuk's short stories "Batsin Bu Dünya" (1983) and "Emrah Gülle Gel de Gülme" (1983)
*
T. S. Eliot's "Burbank with a Baedeker: Bleistein with a Cigar" (1920)
*
The Silent Gondoliers, a fable told by
William Goldman's
S. Morgenstern*
Jeanette Winterson's
The Passion (1987)
*
Dorothy Dunnett's
House of Niccolo series (8 book series)
*
John Berendt's
The City of Falling Angels (2005)
*
Anne Rice's
Cry to Heaven*
Edgar Allan Poe's short story
The Assignation*
Cornelia Funke's
The Thief Lord (2002)
* Sarah Dunant's
In the Company of the Courtesan (2006)
* Ernest Hemingway's
Across the River and Into the Trees* Michelle Lovric's
The Floating Book and
Carnevale and
The Remedy*
Ian McEwan's "The Comfort of Strangers"
* Jane Langton's
The Thief of Venice* Giacomo Casanova's
History of My Life* Mary Hoffman's
Stravaganza: City of MasksFilms
*
From Russia with Love, a
James Bond novel (1957) and film (1963)
*
Moonraker, a
James Bond novel and film
*
Nicolas Roeg's
1973 film
Don't Look Now, based on a story by
Daphne du Maurier*
Solamente Nero (also known as
The Bloodstained Shadow), directed by Antonio Bido (1978)
*
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
*
Nikita (also known as
La Femme Nikita) (1990)
*
The Wings of the Dove (1997)
*
Dangerous Beauty (1998), a film based on the book
The Honest Courtesan by
Margaret Rosenthal about the life of
Veronica Franco *
The Italian Job (in its 2003 remake incarnation)
*
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
*
Just Married (2003)
*
The Merchant of Venice (2004)
*
Casanova (2005 film loosely based on the life of
Giacomo Casanova)
*
Tomb Raider(2002 film),based on the Lara Croft games
* Fellini's Casanova (1976 film directed by Federico Fellini)
* Senso , starring Alida Valli and Farley Granger; directed by
Luchino Visconti (1954). Dramatic. Venice at the times of Austrian occupation
*
Everyone Says I Love You, starring Woody Allen, Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts; directed by Woody Allen (1996). Musical comedy set in New York and in Venice.
* The Story of Us, by
Rob Reiner, starring
Bruce Willis,
Michelle Pfeiffer,
Tim Matheson (Usa, 1999)
*
Summertime starring Katherine Hepburn; directed by David Lean (1955). Interiors shot in Pensione Accademia Villa Maravegie
* Othello by
Orson Welles, starring Orson Welles and
Suzanne Cloutier , Othello was filmed on and off over a period of three years. (Morocco, Italy, France, Usa, 1952)
*
Children of the Century by D. Kurys (Juliette Binoche, Benoit Maginel, Stefano Dionisi) 1999
* Don't Look Now with
Donald Sutherland and
Julie Christie. A psychic thriller.(1973)
Video games
* The catacombs and the church of San Barnaba are visited in
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure.
* Venice appeared in
Core Design's
Tomb Raider 2.
* Venice was a multiplayer level in
Free Radical Design's
Timesplitters: Future Perfect.
* A fighting arena based around Venice can be found in
Soul Calibur II.
* Venice appears as a fighting arena in
Tekken, but when
Tekken 2 was released the following year on the
PlayStation, the stage was no longer used.
*Venice appears as a map in
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, in which the Allied agents need to steal an artifact and escape the city on a boat through its canals.
* The city's
patron is St.
Mark the Evangelist.
* Venice is also famous world-wide for its unique
carnival (
1).
* Venice and its lagoon are listed as
World Heritage Sites by
UNESCO.
Famous Venetians
For persons born in Venice, see Natives of Venice.Others closely associated with the city include:
*
Titian (originally
Tiziano Vecellio)(
c.
1488-
90 –
August 27,
1576), was the leader of the 16th-century
Venetian school of the
Italian Renaissance.
*
Pietro Bembo(
May 20,
1470 -
18 January,
1547),
cardinal and scholar.
*
Lorenzo Lotto( c.
1480 - Loreto,
1556) was a
painter draughtsman and illustrator, traditionally placed in the
Venetian school.
*
Veronica Franco (
1546-
1591), poet and courtesan during the Renaissance
*
Antonio Vivaldi (
March 4,
1678,
July 28 (or 27),
1741,
Vienna), famous composer and violinist of the Baroque Era
*
Giacomo Casanova (aka Jacques Casanova;
April 2,
1725 -
June 4,
1798, in
Dux,
Bohemia, now
Duchcov,
Czech Republic) was a famous
Venetian adventurer, writer and
womanizer.
*
Rosalba Carriera (
October 7,
1675 –
April 15,
1757), She became known for her pastel works.
*
Emilio Vedova (
August 9 1919), one of the most important modern painters of Italy
*
Tintoretto (real name
Jacopo Robusti;
1518 -
May 31,
1594), probably the last great painter of Italian Renaissance.
*
Giovanni Bellini (c.
1430-
1516), he was a Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of painters.
*
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (
June 5 1646 -
July 26 1684), she was the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate degree.
*
Bruno Maderna (
april 21 1920 -
november 13 1973),he was an Italian-German orchestra director and 20th century music composer.
*
Tiepolo (
March 5,
1696 -
March 27,
1770), he was the last "Grand Manner" fresco painter from the Venetian Republic.
*
Baldassare Longhena (
1598 -
February 18 1682), he was one of the greatest exponents of Baroque architecture.
*
Goldoni (
February 25,
1707 -
February 6,
1793), Along with
Pirandello, Goldoni is probably the most famous name in Italian theatre, in his country and abroad.
*
Carlo Gozzi (
13 December 1720 –
April 4,
1806), he was an excellent dramatist of 18th Century .
*
Luigi Nono (
29 January 1924 -
8 May 1990) , He became a leading composer of instrumental and electronic music.
*
Carlo Scarpa (
June 2,
1906 -
1978,
Sendai, Japan), was an
architect with a profound understanding of materials.
*
Sebastian Cabot (c. 1484 – 1557, or soon after), (originally
Sebastiano Caboto), was an
explorer.
*
Marco Polo (
September 15 1254 January 8,
1324) was a trader and
explorer who, together with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo, was one of the first Westerners to travel the
Silk Road to
China (which he called
Cathay) and visited the
Great Khan of the
Mongol Empire,
Kublai Khan (grandson of
Genghis Khan). His travels are written down in
Il Milione ("The Million" or
The Travels of Marco Polo).
*
Tomaso Albinoni (
June 8,
1671 -
January 17,
1751) was an
baroque composer*
Canaletto, (real name:
Giovanni Antonio Canal) (
October 28,
1697 -
April 19,
1768), was a famous artist for his landscapes or
vedute of Venice, but not only.
*
Sebastiano Venier, (c. 1496 -
March 3,
1578) was
Doge of Venice from
June 11,
1577 to 1578.
Foreign words of Venetian origin
*
arsenal,
ciao,
ghetto,
gondola,
lazaret,
lagoon,
lido,
Montenegro.
* "
Venezuela" means "little Venice".
Venetian Recipes
* BACCALA' MANTECATO (Creamed Cod)
Dried cod, or more properly "stockfish", came from North in exchange for spices and has always been a major part of Venetian cuisine. It can be prepared in many ways besides the following, which is perhaps the most popular. In a large container, cover dried cod with water; and leave to soak for 48 hours, changing the water periodically. Boil for 2-3 minutes in salted water. Divide into very smalì pieces, including the skin and the bit of intestinal membrane found inside.
Put these pieces into a churn (or Cuisinart with appropriate attachment) and beat together with a quarter of their weight in olive oil or, if preferred, vegetable oil - to be added very slowly, a littie bit at a time.
Churn until eveything is reduced to a sort of delicate cream, add salt and pepper to taste and flavour with a very little finely chopped garlic. The amount of oil can be increased if necessary. Some people add a bit of the cooking broth and/or a bit of hot milk to make creamier.
* BIGOLI IN SALSA (Wholemeal pasta in anchovy sauce)ave over a very low fire until the onions are completely soft like tender golden fillets. Cook the pasta until it is "al dente" and season with the sauce, adding a pinch of freshly milled pepper.
There are many variations of this dish whose traditional recipe is the one here: you can add garlic, or use tuna fish instead of the sardines.
*MAZORO A LA VALESANA (Wild Duck)
Pluck, draw and cut into fourths a "mazoro" (wild duck), preferably a hen, after leaving it to hang for three days. The evening before cooking, soak it in wine with thyme, marjoram, rosemary, bayleaves and a drop of vinegar. The next morning put it in a terracotta pot with olive oil and garlic and roast on high flame until half cooked. In a separate pan lightly fry some onion and celery and bayleaves and add 4 salted sardines (rinsed) and 15 g. of pickled capers. Add the pieces of duck, salt, pepper and cover with white wine and broth. Cover and finish cooking on medium/low heat for about 1, 1/2 hours, adding frequently cold broth. Serve with hot grilled polenta.
* FEGATO ALLA VENEZIANA (Venetian style liver)
This dish is as famous throughout the world as it is easy to prepare. Venetians correct the rather bitter aftertaste of the liver by adding a sweetening ingredient: the onions. A very old custom, if it is true that the Romans prepared it ficatum, that is with figs, from which comes the very name of 'fegato".
Cut half a kilo of calves' liver into thin, not very long strips. Finely slice two large onions, cover and cook slowly in oil and butter until golden. Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly. Add the liver and replace on the fire. After two or three minutes, stir and leave to cook for another couple of minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve the liver with slices of grilled polenta.
* RISI E BISI (Rice and Peas)
This is the most famous Venetian soup. The Doge used to eat it - observing a strict ccrimonial - on the feast-day of St. Mark, Venice's patron saint. Lightly fry some onion and half a clove of garlic in oil and butter. When the onion turns golden, add a generous quantity of peas and some broth, and let cook for about 10 minutes. Then add a handful of rice per person, mix very well, and completely cover with good broth.
Let cook over moderate flame for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth Iif ecessary. Toward the end of cooking time, add salt and pepper to taste, a hit of butter and generous spoonful of fresh parmesan cheese. This "soup" should actually have a quite dense consistency.
Fresh, just-shelled peas are recommended.
*PASTA E FAGIOLI (Pasta and Bean Soup)
Originally a country dish, it is now a very popular Venetian dish.
Use freshly shelled Lamon or Borlottini ("Baete" beans from S. Erasmo would be especially nice) beans or dried beans left to soak overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate.
Prepare a finely chopped mixture of onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, bayleaf and bacon, and sautée lightly.
Add beans (if using dried beans, rinse well and drain water) and a hambone, cover well with water and add rock salt to taste. Boil for about 40 minutes. Separate 1/3 of the beans and pass through a food mill, then put back into the soup. Add small quantities of pasta to the soup, preferably "subiotini" or "tagliatelle", and let cook as necessary
Serve hot or warm with freshly milled pepper and a dash of virgin olive oil. It is not correct to add Parmesan cheese but many people like it. The final addition of chopped parsley and garlic-flavoured oil can also be agreeable.
* RISOTTO DE GO (Goby Risotto)
The best time to enjoy this very tasty dish is late autumn through winter when fishermen go out during low tide to the "barene" (shallows), easily flnd the holes the gobies dig in the mud, and capture tens of kilos in a matter of minutes. Capture and not just fish because their technique is to sbove their arms through the two entrances to the tunnels the gobies have dug in the mud, and grab whole families with their bare hands. The goby is not a particularly prized fish: when it is very young it is used under the name of "maciarella"for catching the more prized fish, the sea bass, but when fully grown it provides us with the "risotto of kings".
The recipe is simple even though somewhat laborious: take five or six large, gutted and scaled gobies and boil them with onion, celery, garlic and green peppercorns for about an hour and a half. Remove the flavouring vegetables, finely strain the court-bouillon (we recommend using cheese cloth, squeezing it to filter the fish stock). Lightly fry the rice in olive oil with garlic and two slices of fresh ginger then add the goby stock a little at a time.
When it is almost cooked, add a spoonful of brandy and, before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
* SEPPIE COL NERO (Cuttlefish in their ink)
During the summer the lamp-lights of the fishermen catching cuttlefish are easily visible along the shores. There are many ways to cook this very popular fish, this is certainly the most traditional recipe.
Carefully clean a kilo of cuttlefish, removing the beak, the bone, the outer skin and the bag of ink which you will put aside. If the cuttlefish are smalì, leave them whole otherwise cut them into rather large strips. Sautée 2 cloves of garlic and a bayleaf in olive oil until golden. Add the cuttlefish letting them brown slightly. Add a little white wine then let it reduce completely. At this point add 2 spoonfuls of tomato sauce and the little ink bags (previously diluted in a spoonful of oil and broth). Add salt and pepper, cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes, checking periodically to make sure it doesn'tget too dry.
Serve with hot soft polenta, and sprinkle with parsley.
* BISATO SU L'ARA (Eel cooked in bayleaves)
This is one of the oldest Venetian recipes, and to be more exact a specialty of Murano where it was cooked on the red-hot furnace stones.
Open and clean eel and make two parallel cuts (one on each side with a distance between the two of 6-7 cm). Cover the bottom of a large pot (preferably of terracotta) with bayleaves and arrange the eel on top, circling it around itself. Season with salt and peppercorns and cover with another layer of bayleaves. Let cook, adding nothing else, as the eel meat will cook in its own fat.
Tradition has it that it should be cooked over hot coals in the glass furnaces, but alternatively you can use a high oven for about 25 minutes.
* SARDINE IN "SAOR" (Sardines with onion marinade)
A seafaring civilization always comes up with recipes whose main aim is to conserve food for a long time. This is the case of the "saor", a small gastronomical masterpiece.
Fry the sardines in the normal way (eel and sole are also excellent). In extra-virgin olive oil soften a quantity of sweet white onions equal to half the weight of the fish. The onions must be cut very finely and end up as sweet soft golden strips. If necessary, add a bit of fish stock or water during cooking. Now add the vinegar to taste. Piace the fish on the bottom of an earthenware bowl, cover with part of onion, oil and vinegar mixture, make another layer of fish and another of the onion mixture. Cover with all the liquid.
Leave in a cool piace for at least two days before serving.
The old recipe included pine-nuts and sultanas (raisins) pre-soaked in wine and each layer was sprinkled with a pinch of spices.
* MOLECHE FRITE (Fried Soft-shelled Crabs)
"Moleche" is the name given to crabs when they are changing their shells which, at this time, are so soft they can be eaten whole.
Beat 2-3 eggs and adda pinch of salt. Soak the "moleche" in the beaten eggs (in Murano the claws are removed, in Venice they are eaten as well) and wait until they have absorbed all the egg. Cover in flour and fry in an iron pan filled with boiling (170° C) peanut or olive oil.
* GOLOSESSI (Assorted sweet biscuits)
There is no better way to finish a typical Venetian dinner than with a good plate of 'golosessi", delicious small biscuits to be dunked in malvasia or in zabaglione - the Venetian zabaglione made with egg, white wine, sugar and lemon -. Bussolai from Burano (the sweet ones, not the savoury ones which are typical of San Pietro in Volta), "baicoli", "zaeti" made with corn meal and, at Carnival, the 'frittelle" (a sort of doughnut) which you can make using this recipe.
Put 30g. of yeast in a cup, dissolve in tepid water and mix with a handful of white flour. Cover with a serviette and leave in a warm place. When the mixture starts to rise, add 100 g. of sultanas, 100 g. of mixed rinds, 100 g. of pine-nuts, a small glass of grappa, and stir well. Gradually add 800 g. of flour. Cover, leave in a warm place to rise for a few hours. Heat plenty of vegetable oil and throw in spoonfuls of the mixture and cook until golden. Sprinkle with sugar before serving.
* I ZALETI(Venetian Cornmeal Diamonds)
We take 125 grs. of yellow maize meal and 125 grs. of wheat flour, 100 grs. of butter, 75 grs. of sugar, two eggs, 50 grs. of sultana raisins moisted for a couple of hours in a shot of grappa (one may try other aromatic spirits, indeed). The grated peel of one lemon, a pinch of vanilla, milk as necessary and a pinch of salt.
Mix aside the maize an the wheat.Whip eggs and sugar, put the salt, the raisins dried on a canvas, and all of the other ingredients.Knead it well and keep on working the dough for five minutes. If needed add sips of milk.
Shape the dough in little loafs and set them on the paper greased with butter; put in the oven at 180° for about 15 minutes. Out of the oven, let them warm down and sprinkle with abundant icing sugar.
* Granseola Alla Veneziana (Venetian Dressed Crab)
4x450 g/ 1 lb cooked crabs 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juicesalt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley lettuce leaves, to serve
Twist the claws and legs from the crabs. Cut around the underside of each body and remove the shell. Rinse the body cavity and undershell where the legs were attached, pick out the meat from both sections and place in a bowl. Rinse and dry the upper shells. Crack the egs and claws, remove the meat and add to the bowl.Pour the olive oil and lemon juice onto the crab meat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley, toss to mix well and divide amongst the shells. Cover and refrigerate until required. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.
See also
*
Venice Film Festival*
Venice Biennale*
List of painters and architects of Venice*
List of photographers of Venice*
List of architecture monuments of Venice*
List of places known as 'the Venice of something'*
Veneti and
Venetic language*
Su e zo per i pontiTwinnings
*
Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina (
1994)
*
Tallinn,
Estland*
Suzhou,
China (
1980)
*
Nürnberg,
Germany (
1999)
*
Istanbul,
Turkey (
1993)
*
Kedke,
Greece (
2000)
*
Qingdao,
China (
2001)
*
Thessaloniki,
Greece (
2003)
Cooperation agreement between the City of Veniceand the City of
ThessalonikiCooperation agreement between the Cities of
Nuremberg and Venice, signed on September 25, 1999
Co-operation Protocol signed by the Cities of
Istanbul and Venice on March the 4th 1993, within the framework of the Istanbul Declaration (1991).
The City of Venice and the Central Association of Cities and Communities of
Greece (KEDKE) established, in January 2000, in pursuance of the EC Regulations n. 2137/85, the European Economic Interest Grouping (E.E.I.G.)
Marco PoloSystem to promote and realise European projects within transnational cultural and turist field, particularly referred to the artistic and architectural heritage preservation and safeguard.
Establishment of the Science and Technology Partnership CitiesBetween
Qingdao and Venice
Scholarship
* Chambers, D.S. (1970).
The Imperial Age of Venice, 1380-1580. London: Thames & Hudson. The best brief introduction in English, still completely reliable.
* Contarini, Gasparo (1599).
The Commonwealth and Gouernment of Venice. Lewes Lewkenor, trsl. London: "Imprinted by I. Windet for E. Mattes." The most important contemporary account of Venice's governance during the time of its blossoming. Also available in various reprint editions.
* Drechsler, Wolfgang (2002). "Venice Misappropriated."
Trames 6(2), pp. 192-201. A scathing review of Martin & Romano 2000; also a good summary on the most recent economic and political thought on Venice. For more balanced, less tendentious, and scholarly reviews of the Martin-Romano anthology, see "The Historical Journal" (2003) "Rivista Storica Italiana" (2003).
* Grubb, James S. (1986). "When Myths Lose Power: Four Decades of Venetian Historiography."
Journal of Modern History 58, pp. 43-94. The classic "muckraking" essay on the myths of Venice.
* Martin, John Jeffries and Dennis Romano (eds).
Venice Reconsidered. The History and Civilization of an Italian City-State, 1297-1797. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP. The most recent collection on essays, many by prominent scholars, on Venice.
*Muir, Edward (1981).
Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP. The classic of Venetian cultural studies, highly sophisticated.
* Rösch, Gerhard (2000).
Venedig. Geschichte einer Seerepublik. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. In German, but the most recent top-level brief history of Venice.
Other
*
Ruskin, John (1853).
The Stones of Venice. Abridged edition Links, JG (Ed), Penguin 2001. ISBN 0141390654. Seminal work on architecture and society
* di Robilant, Andrea (2004).
A Venetian Affair. Harper Collins. ISBN 184115542X Biography of Venetian nobleman and lover, from correpondence in the 1750s.
*
Literature
*
FictionalCities.co.uk Novels set in Venice listed and reviewed
Resources in Venice
*
Official web site of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice*
Official Site of the City of Venice*
Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area*
La Biennale*
Marciana Library*
Musei Civici Veneziani*
Museo Guggenheim*
Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation*
Cini Foundation*
Venice Marathon*
Querini Stampalia Foundation*
Teatro La Fenice*
`Cà Foscari` University*
VIU - Venice International University*
IUAV - the Venice Higher Learning Institute of Architecture*
The Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti*
Venetian palatial architectureMaps and virtual tours
*
Satellite image from Google MapsNews
*
News about Venice by Google NewsWebcams
*
Venice Webcams*
A real-time webcam (Canal Grande from Palazzo Balbi toward Rialto)
