Venice (Italy) - the most detailed information about the city with photos. The main attractions of Venice with descriptions, guides and maps.
City of Venice (Italy)
Venice is a city in northeastern Italy, the capital of the province of Veneto. It is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is one of the most unique and famous cities on the planet, the historical center of which is built on 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon. Venice is stunning, fabulous, romantic. More than 20 million tourists come here to look at the charming canals, graceful architecture and bridges, ride gondolas and listen to the songs of gondoliers, walk along San Marco and photograph the Rialto Bridge, taste local cuisine and feel the Venetian atmosphere. Venice is a city that buzzes every day like an agitated beehive, and then freezes in the evening, this is a place that has hardly changed in 6 centuries in appearance and in which there are no cars at all.
Venice is located in the Adriatic Sea almost at the latitude of our Krasnodar region. The historical center is located on many islands, separated by canals and connected by bridges, which are called "Sestieri". It includes the districts of Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce and San Marco, where the main monuments and attractions are located. Other islands in the Venetian Lagoon include Murano, Torcello, San Francesco del Deserto and Burano. The architecture of Venice is a special architectural style called Venetian. Most of the architectural and cultural monuments were built between the 12th and 16th centuries. Interestingly, most of Venice's historical buildings are built on stilts made of Alpine larch, which does not rot in water.
Venice Grand Canal
Geography and climate
Venice is located on 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon of the Adriatic Sea. The islands are separated by 150 canals and connected by 400 bridges. The city is a major seaside resort and one of the largest Italian seaports.
Venice is located in a subtropical climate zone. Summers are quite hot, winters are mild. Frost and snow are rare in winter. Although in the cold season it is quite chilly here due to the proximity of the sea. Due to surge waves, floods often occur in Venice.
Unfortunately, this unique city is gradually sinking under water. 4-5 mm every year. During the 20th century alone, Venice went under water by more than 20 cm. In just a few decades, it may become uninhabitable. So far, the MOSE project to save Venice, which involves the construction of dams around the city, has not significantly corrected this situation.
Best time to visit
The worst times to visit are during carnival (very expensive and crowded) and rainy times in late autumn and winter (cold, windy and wet). In summer it can get quite hot. The best time to get to know Venice is spring and autumn.
Gondola - traditional Venetian means of transportation Practical information
- Population - 264.6 thousand people.
- Area - 414.6 square kilometers.
- Language - Italian.
- Currency - euro.
- Time - Central European UTC +1, summer +2.
- Visa - Schengen.
- Restaurants are open from 12.00 to 22.00. Shops from 10.00 to 19.00
- Tourist tax ranges from 3.50 to 5 euros per person.
Story
During the Roman Empire in Antiquity, the Veneti tribe lived here, who gave their name to the future city and province. People began to settle in the vicinity of the Venetian Lagoon, fleeing the raids of the barbarians. An urban settlement began to form here in the 6th-7th century. Initially it was located on the islands of Malamocco and Torcello and belonged to Byzantium. In the 7th century, the settlements of the Venetian lagoon were united under the rule of the Doge, effectively the head of state. The Doge was elected from rich and influential families for a life term. During the entire existence of the Venetian Republic, more than 100 doges were elected.
In the 9th century, the importance and influence of Venice began to grow at a rapid pace. In 828 the relics of St. Stamps stolen in Alexandria. St. Mark is the patron saint of the city. Interestingly, the Venetian Republic was a unique state entity. There was practically no vassalage here, and the Doge was forbidden to appoint a successor to himself.
From the 12th to the 15th centuries, the Venetian Republic was one of the most powerful states in Europe. The prerequisite for this was the defeat of Constantinople in 1204 by the crusaders. The republic became the main link between East and West. By 1300, Venice was the richest city on the European continent.
In the 15th century, the expansion of the Turks and the subsequent reorientation of trade routes towards the Atlantic undermined the economic and trading power of the city. The mighty republic ceased to exist. At the end of the 18th century, Venice was conquered by Napoleon. After some time it was part of the Habsburg possessions, until in 1866 it became part of Italy.
How to get there
Venice has an international airport, Marco Polo, which is located near Mestre (actually a suburb of Venice). You can take a bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma. The railway station has connections with Milan, Trieste, Verona, Rome and the rest of Italy. Cruise ships and yachts usually arrive at Stazione Marittima. Trains from the mainland pass through Mestre to Venice Santa Lucia train station on its western side. Attention - do not confuse with the Venice Mestre page, which is the last stop on the mainland. Direct trains to Venice run from Munich, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb.
The main means of transportation around Venice and its islands are vaporetto and water taxis. Vaporetto is the most economical way to travel. It is better to buy a day ticket to get to the islands of Murano and Burano. Boarding the vaporetto takes place at special stations. To cross the Grand Canal you can use the traghetto. These are public gondolas operated by two gondoliers. The fare costs only 2 euros per person (cash only).
Gondolas are one of the main attractions of Venice. These boats are historically the main means of transportation along the canal streets. Now they serve to entertain tourists. The gondolas are controlled by gondoliers. This is a very prestigious and profitable profession, which is almost impossible for outsiders to get into. The state keeps strict records of gondoliers. Their number is regulated - 425 people. Moreover, this profession is usually passed on from father to son. The cost of a gondola ride around Venice is about 80 euros.
Shopping and purchases
Venice has always been a city of merchants. Consequently, most Venetians still own or work in a store. Be careful when purchasing souvenirs and goods. A huge tourist flow does not always guarantee high quality.
Shops are open from 10 am to 7 pm and later. People buy in Venice: antiques, leather goods, shoes, scarves, jewelry, books, Murano glass, carnival masks and costumes. Brand stores can be found in the area of Piazza San Marco. Typical tourist traps: "pasta cauliflower" and "Venetian limoncello" are not Italian cuisine. No Italian will ever buy this.
Food and drink
Venice is famous for its excellent restaurants, but the general perception is that Italian food here is not the best, and Venetian pizza is traditionally the worst in Italy. We recommend trying polenta, risotto with cuttlefish sauce, seafood dishes, and pasta here. Be careful when restaurant menu prices are based on the weight of the dish (usually "etto", abbreviated as "/hg").
Attractions
Venice is full of attractions, historical and cultural monuments: squares and bridges, churches and historical buildings will not leave anyone indifferent.
The heart of Venice, its most famous and beautiful square. Napoleon called San Marco "the most elegant drawing room in Europe." Famous attractions, expensive shops and the oldest cafes are located here. The Venetian doges and Marco Polo walked along it, and the famous Casanova reveled in the cafe.
One of the main landmarks of Venice and Piazza San Marco in particular. This is the tallest building in the city, with a height of 98.5 meters. The current bell tower of St. The stamp dates back to 1912. The original 12th century structure collapsed in 1902. Initially, in the 9th century, the bell tower served as a watchtower and lighthouse. For 8 euros you can admire the panorama of the city from a height of almost 100 meters.
St. Mark's Basilica is the main religious building in Venice. An ancient church in the Byzantine style, which is rarely seen in Western Europe. The relics of St. Mark (apostle and evangelist) and valuable works of art that were taken from Constantinople. The relics were stolen from the Saracens by Venetian merchants in the 9th century. From that time on, the winged lion became the symbol of Venice. The Basilica of San Marco was the Doge's court church until 1807. The first basilica was built in 829 and burned in 976 during a revolt against Doge Pietro Candiano IV. Some researchers believe that during the fire the relics of St. The stamps were lost. The current basilica was completed in the 11th century. It is built in the shape of a Greek cross. The interior is richly decorated with mosaics and many varieties of marble.
The Doge's Palace is the symbol of San Marco, a masterpiece of Gothic art and the center of power of the Venetian Republic. The Doge's Palace consists of three large parts: the wing to the Basin of San Marco, which contains the main council chamber (which is the oldest part of the building), the wing to Piazza San Marco (the former Palace of Justice) and the Renaissance wing, which housed the Doge's residence.
The Clock Tower is a historic building from the 15th century with a clock in the early Renaissance style. The tower is located in the northern part of St. Mark so that the clock can be seen from the Venetian Lagoon. The lower floors of the tower form an arch that leads to the main street of Venice - Merceria, which connects San Marco and Rialto. The top of the tower is decorated with two bronze statues of "Moors" ringing a bell. Just below is a sculpture of a winged lion with an open book. There used to be a statue of the Doge nearby, which was removed by the French at the end of the 18th century. On the floor below there is a copper statue of the Virgin and Child. The clock is located above the arch and has a large dial with Roman numerals.
Grand Canal The Grand Canal or Grand Canal is Venice's most important waterway, dividing the city on two sides. Its length is just under 4 km. Interestingly, from above Venice looks like a fish. And the line of the Grand Canal resembles the letter "S". This waterway has been the center of vibrant Venetian life and trade since the Middle Ages. Along the perimeter of the Grand Canal you can admire dozens of magnificent buildings and palaces from the 12th to 16th centuries, where the richest and most influential Venetians lived. The Grand Canal ends at Piazza San Marco with a wonderful panorama of the lagoon. There are 4 bridges across it, the most beautiful and famous of which is the Rialto.
Rialto is one of the symbols of Venice, the first bridge across the Grand Canal. It was originally made of wood and allowed ships to approach San Marco. It was only in 1588 that the Rialto was rebuilt and faced with white marble, which is called Istrian stone here. The bridge is 22 meters wide and 48 meters long. It is a unique arcade 7.5 meters high, topped by several smaller arcades that are crossed by three parallel staircases. The Rialto area is known for its famous market, open every day except Sunday.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute is the symbol of Dorsoduro and one of the architectural dominants of the Grand Canal. This church was built by the Venetians in gratitude for the relief from the plague in 1630. Since then, on November 21, the city celebrates the feast of the Madonna della Salute. The Venetians are building a floating bridge of boats from St. Mark's Square to the church. The central part of the church has an octagonal shape, above which rises a large hemispherical dome. Six small chapels were built around it. The central part is connected to the south side by a presbytery topped by a smaller dome and two bell towers.
Murano is the famous island of glassblowers, one of the most famous islands of the Venetian Lagoon. If you are going to buy Murano glass, then only here. Glass factories and craftsmen moved here in the 13th century to protect Venice from fire and preserve production secrets.
Until 1171 the island was part of the Santa Croce area. In 1275, Murano masters were given broad rights. They could draw up their own laws and even print coins.
Burano is one of the islands of the Venetian lagoon, famous for its colorful houses, lace and culinary traditions. The first houses on the island of Burano were built at the beginning of the 11th century. They began to make houses colored so that fishermen could distinguish their homes in the fog. This tradition has become the main feature of Burano, which attracts many tourists.
The center of the island is the area of the Church of San Martino and Piazza Baldassara Galuppi. San Martino is the only church on the island. It is famous for the fact that its bell tower is tilted several degrees from its axis.
A popular landmark of Venice, which is not a bridge at all, but a passage connecting the Doge's Palace and the prison. It was built of white marble at the beginning of the 17th century.
The Academic Bridge is the newest of the bridges over the Grand Canal. It was built in the mid-19th century during the Habsburg ownership of Venice. Rebuilt in 1933.
Other attractions and monuments of Venice
Ca" Rezzonico Ca" Rezzonico is one of the few palaces on the Grand Canal open to the public. There is an 18th century museum with paintings and frescoes taken from other palaces. The building was built in 1667 and in 1702 bought by a merchant from Genoa - Rezzonico. Giorgio Ballroom The Massari is the most famous room of the palace.It has been restored, decorated with beautiful chandeliers, sculptures and frescoes. On the second floor there is a room of paintings by Pietro Longhi (which depicts the daily life of the Venetians).
Campo Santa Margherita is a square in the historical district of Dorsoduro. Here you can enjoy a real Venetian atmosphere: 14th-15th century architecture, small shops, bars, restaurants, a tiny fish market and a street market. On the opposite side is the famous Ponte dei Pugni bridge, which connects Campo Santa Margherita with Campo San Barnaba.
Redentore is a 16th century church on the island of Giudecca, designed by Palladio. The facade of the building is made of white marble.
The island of San Giorgio Maggiore is an island on the opposite side of the Grand Canal lagoon opposite Piazza San Marco. The island long belonged to the influential Venetian Memmo family. On the island there is an ancient monastery founded in the 10th century, a church designed by Palladio, a bell tower from the late 18th century and much more interesting things. In addition, the island offers a beautiful panorama of San Marco.
The Church of San Sebastiano is a 16th century church in the Renaissance style designed by Abbondi. The interior is decorated with frescoes by Paolo Veronese from the 16th century. The church can be considered almost Veronese's workshop and is considered a masterpiece of Venetian art. This cultural monument is practically unknown to tourists.
The Church of Santa Maria dei Carmini is a church in the Dorsoduro district near Piazza Santa Margherita. The church was founded in the 13th century and rebuilt in Renaissance style in 1500. The presbytery and side chapel were built between 1506 and 1514 by Sebastiano Mariani. On the left side there is a beautiful Gothic portal and the bell tower of Giuseppe Sardi, topped by a statue of the Madonna del Carmine.
The Church of San Giacomo di Rialto is one of the oldest churches in Venice (and possibly the oldest). It was built in 421 in the Rialto quarter. The church is usually called Chiesa di San Giacometto (translated as "little Giacomo") due to its small size compared to other religious buildings in the city.
Church of San Jeremiah - located in the Cannaregio area, just a few minutes walk from Santa Lucia Station. The façade of the church overlooks the Grand Canal. Saint Lucia of Syracuse rests here.
The Church of San Simeone Piccolo is located in the Santa Croce quarter on the Grand Canal embankment. The church was built in 1738 by Giovanni Antonio Scalfarotto in the neoclassical style. The architect was apparently inspired by the Roman Pantheon. It is the only church in Venice where services are still conducted in Latin. The dome has the shape of an oval bowl. It is covered with lead plates and visually increases the height of the building. Interestingly, the church has an underground crypt that has not been fully explored.
Fondaco dei Tedeschi is a palace on the Grand Canal next to the Rialto Bridge. It was built in the first half of the 13th century. Nowadays there is a natural history museum here.
The Church of San Zan Degola is located in one of the quietest corners of the city, far from the popular routes and crowds of tourists between San Giacomo Dall Orio and Fondaco dei Turci in the Sestere di Santa Croce quarter. Here it seems that time has stood still on the border with the past: there are practically no shops, people with cameras and smartphones. The church is very old. Mentions of it date back to the 11th century. Now it belongs to the Russian Orthodox community.
Tolentini Church - located in the Santa Croce Sestiere quarter, opposite the square of the same name. The church was built at the beginning of the 17th century. Doge Francesco Morosini is buried here.
Pesaro is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Venice. The palace was built in 1710. The majestic beauty of the baroque facade, decorated with various statues, surpasses the beauty of the interior interiors. Unfortunately, most of the decorations were destroyed or damaged. Only a few frescoes remain.
Frari is a 15th century Franciscan church. The church's bell tower is the second tallest after San Marco. The interior is extensive and rich in works of art by Titian.
Campo San Polo is a square square in the Sestire di San Polo quarter, the second largest in Venice after San Marco.
The Kamerlenghi Palace is a palace of an unusual pentagonal shape near the Rialto Bridge. It was built in the 16th century. The façade is lined with marble.
The Arsenal has been the heart of Venetian shipbuilding since the early 12th century. This huge production complex was built to equip ships and was at that time one of the largest production facilities in Europe. Nowadays there is a maritime historical museum here.
Scuola Grande di San Marco is a historical building of the 13th century in the Renaissance style, the seat of one of the 6 largest Venetian scuola (guilds).
The Jewish ghetto is located in the Cannaregio quarter and was founded in 1500. The ghetto area has tall buildings and low ceilings because Jews were not allowed to settle anywhere else. There are five synagogues here that represent the different Jewish ethnic groups that have lived in Venice for 5 centuries.
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a Gothic palace with a beautiful spiral staircase. It was built by the Venetian Contarini family in the 15th century.
Ca d'Oro Ca' d'Oro is one of the most remarkable examples of Venetian Gothic architecture and one of the most elegant historical buildings in Venice, located in the Cannaregio area on the Grand Canal. The palace was built in the 15th century. Nowadays the Franchetti Gallery is located here.
Venice is a city in northern Italy, geographically occupying a group of islands. The climate in Venice is temperate, similar to the climate of Crimea, summers are hot and winters are mild.
The history of Venice is full of ups and downs. Today we will learn how the city on the water came into being.
The name of the city comes from the Veneti tribe, who inhabited the territory of the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea during the times. This territory was captured by the Romans and named Aquileia. Aquileia later became the administrative center of the province of Venetia. In 402 the province was ravaged by the Visigoths. According to legend, Venice was founded by residents of the province who fled from the Goths on March 25, 421. Settlement began with the Rialto Islands and continued during the decline of the Roman Empire. The main source of income for the inhabitants of the islands was fishing, salt mining and coastal navigation.
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While the tribes of the Huns, Lombards and Ostrogoths ravaged the cities of the Western Roman Empire, Venice, thanks to its isolated position and the fact that the inhabitants learned to build houses on stilts and live on the water, avoided the fate of mainland cities. The invasion of militant barbarians led to the resettlement of wealthy mainlanders to the islands.
The result of this was the rapid growth of trade and transportation of goods, as the fleeing nobles invested in these industries.
In the 6th century, Venice had the most powerful fleet on the Adriatic, which supported Emperor Justinian in the Eastern Roman Empire's war with the Ostrogoths. In gratitude, Byzantium granted Venice its protection and trading privileges. The Venetians elected their first Doge in 697. For more than 1000 years, Venice had 117 doges in power.
Due to its unique location, Venice was a trade and transport hub through which silk, rice, coffee and spices, which at that time were worth more than gold, reached Europe.
Middle Ages and trade
The competent policy of Doge Pietro Orseolo II, Morganist marriages, and the help Byzantium provided by Venice against the Saracens further increased the privileges of Venetian merchants. The “golden bull” given by Byzantium halved the duty on Venetian ships arriving in Constantinople. During the Crusades, Venice increased its wealth through loans to the crusaders and chartering ships. With varying success, for almost two centuries, Venice waged wars with Genoa, which were based on trade rivalry. In the 12th century, the first banks opened in Venice. Venetian sailors were the first to insure their cargo.
In the XII-XIII centuries, large ships with a displacement of up to 200 tons began to be built in the shipyards of Venice.
To increase its economic power, the Republic of Venice annexed mainland territories called terraferma. In 1494, the Venetian Luca Pacioli systematically described double-entry bookkeeping, which is successfully used in the modern world.
Decline
Since the 15th century, when great geographical discoveries were made, Venice lost its position to Portugal, Spain, Holland and England. By the 18th century, Venice had lost its former power, most of the mainland possessions passed to Austria. But the city itself shone with splendor. During this period, gambling and prostitution became widespread in Venice.
On May 1, 1797, Napoleon declared war on Venice. The Great Council decided to fulfill all the demands; on May 12, Doge Ludovico Manin abdicated the throne.
For the first time in more than a thousand years, Venice lost its independence.
The city's economy was undermined by the French continental blockade. But time passed, in 1869 the Suez Canal was opened, a new port was built in Venice, and the city became a popular place to start traveling to the East. The tourism business is developing, annual international art exhibitions are held in Venice, and the Golden Lion international film festival has been held since 1932.
Why did the Venetians surround their city with numerous canals? What does the lion on their banners symbolize? What forced them to hide the relics of the saint under pieces of pork? How did “funny lights” save the Republic? The history of Venice is wars, exciting intrigues, conspiracies, hidden from outsiders in the shadow of centuries.
Already in 997, when the military squadrons of Venice brought Trieste, Kapodistrias, Ragusa and a number of other cities and lands of Dalmatia under its control, the Venetians began to call the Adriatic Sea the Gulf of Venice, and the Doge took the title of “ruler of Venice and Dalmatia.” And during the first crusade, Venice obtained a promise that throughout the entire kingdom of Jerusalem its merchants would be exempt from taxes and taxes and would be able to trade unhindered.
Since 998, in the reign of the twenty-sixth Doge, Pietra Orseolo, the ceremonial galley Bucintoro was appointed for the marriage of the Doges to the Adriatic Sea on Ascension Day.
Each newly appointed doge on this day threw a golden wedding ring into the water, saying: “O sea, I become engaged to you, as a sign of my unchangeable and eternal dominion over you.”
One hundred and fifteen gold rings lie on the seabed. The remains of the last Doge have long crumbled into dust. And the sea is indifferent, like a thousand years ago, splashing like a wave, and man has no power over it.
From Corinth to Azov
The capture of Ptomelais, ancient Tire and Sidon, Jaffa, and the capture of Jerusalem by the combined forces of the allied forces during the Crusades opened up new opportunities for the republic. Asian trophies poured into Venice.
While Europe was going bankrupt, equipping the crusades, the city of the lagoon strengthened its power. What saved him was the same thing that later destroyed him - practicality. Venetian galleys, brigantines, frigates, and merchant ships went further and further into the sea. The Peloponnese and Corinth, Chios, Lemnos, Abydos became trading points of Venice. Venetian ships also sailed by the Black Sea - to the Crimea, by the Azov Sea - to Tana, today's Azov, here they took not only bread grown in the south of Russia, but also furs, leather, slaves, Indian goods delivered through Central Asia. Venetian merchants felt quite at ease in Candia, Rhodes, Cyprus, Accra, Haifa, Beirut, Alexandria, Aden, Damascus, and Baghdad. In the 11th century, Venice was able to afford to begin construction of the luxurious Basilica of St. Mark, intending to create a church of unprecedented beauty. St. Mark's Cathedral is decorated with riches obtained in the East, in Byzantium, from the Turks and Saracens. In the decoration of the building there are entire pieces of Greek and Roman temples, adjusted to the size and shape of the cathedral. Convinced that the artistic value of the building would increase from the diversity of its details, the builders did not spare the ancient ruins. Venice itself was originally built from Roman bricks, which were transported on boats from cities destroyed by invasions. They were taken from Tire and installed in the square of St. Mark, near the shore, there are two powerful columns (sinking another one along the way), made of red and gray granite. One of the columns is crowned by a statue of St. Theodore, the ancient patron saint of the Venetians, the other by a lion, the symbol of St. Brand. The bronze image of a winged lion is a Sasanian sculpture of the 4th century, and the white marble St. Feodor riding a crocodile is composed of the torso of a 2nd century Roman general and the head of Mithridates of Pontus.
Since 1117, noble patricians began to be appointed to reside in all notable ports with the title of local councilors (consuls). In 1157, the first bank in Europe opened in Venice.
“Nowhere in the world is there such a huge concentration of masterpieces,” this is what they said about the city on the water.
Conspiracy against the Republic
In 1618, the Spanish ambassador to Venice, the Marquis Bedemar, seeing the wealth of the city on the water, conceived a plan to capture it. According to him, a thousand armed Spanish soldiers would be enough for this. The city was garrisoned by poorly trained zemstvo militia, and the troops of the Venetian Republic were busy with the war, both on land and at sea.
The ominous buildings of the Admiralty confused the gaze of the insidious Spaniard. He imagined it destroyed, the Venetian fleet burned. Spanish troops occupied the city, and banners with the lion of St. Mark bowed before the flag of Castile.
“No government enjoys such unlimited power as the Senate of the Venetian Republic,” the Marquis wrote in his diary. The Venetians were invincible when united, but now the nobles were squabbling among themselves, and in the neighborhoods of the poor they were ready to revolt. Bedemar spent a significant sum on bribing the leaders of this future uprising. The Spanish army was in Lombardy and could, if successful, reach Venice quite quickly. The Marquis did not let the king know about his intention, but hinted to one of the ministers and received tacit approval in response.
Taking advantage of his diplomatic immunity, the Marquis Bedemar bought bags of weapons that would be enough for a couple of battalions. One by one, soldiers in disguise and still unarmed began to enter Venice: the Spaniards and the Dutch. They were waiting for the squadron from the sea. A certain defector, a captain who had previously served with the Duke of Ossuma, was also sent to the Venetians. Having assured the Senate that he had fled from the oppression of the Spanish Duke, the captain led the Venetian fleet and won several victories over the sea robbers - the "Uskoks". He was awarded the rank of admiral. He slowly recruited his people onto the ships.
"As soon as night falls, those of the thousand soldiers who come without weapons will go to the ambassador for them. Five hundred... will arrive in St. Mark's Square, most of the other 500 in the vicinity of the Arsenal, the rest will take possession of all the ships on the Rialto Bridge," - wrote the Marquis Bedemar.
Having captured the Arsenal, it was necessary to kill all its commanders, storm the Doge's Palace, destroy the weapons depots, and burn the Admiralty. In order to divert the attention of residents from the events taking place, it was planned to set the city on fire in forty places. The arsonists were already recruited in poor neighborhoods.
The death of the old one and the election of a new doge somewhat shifted the plans of the marquis. It was decided to carry out the operation on Ascension Day, when the new Doge would solemnly become engaged to the Adriatic Sea, throwing a golden ring into its waters. Finally, everything was ready. The admiral of the Venetian fleet gathered supporters and explained in detail how to destroy the ships under his command and kill the crews of the ships. One of the admiral's men, Jaffier, alternated between blushing and turning pale throughout the meeting. “Jaffier was scared,” they told the admiral. “We need to do something with him immediately before he does something stupid.”
“Jaffier is my friend,” the admiral waved him off. “He will do everything that is required.”
Jaffier was Venetian by blood. He imagined fires, screams of people being killed in the streets, and enemy soldiers occupying the city. This is on the one hand. On the other hand, friends. Friends who will be executed if the plot fails. For a long time, the Secretary of the Council of Ten, Bartholomew Comino, could not understand what this exhausted and pale young man needed from him. But when he asked for the lives of 22 participants in the conspiracy and revealed the whole plan, the matter turned out to be terrible. So terrible that no one believed the informer.
How will the ships be destroyed? - asked the dumbfounded Comino.
Amusing lights. They are filled with a flammable mixture that is almost impossible to extinguish. The ships will burn, and the flagship on which the admiral is located will be captured by people loyal to the admiral. They are currently preparing or have already made these funny lights in the Arsenal.
Realizing that there was almost no time left before the deadline indicated by Jaffier, Bartholomew Comino rushed to the Procuration. The sentries were put to sleep by a sleeping pill mixed into the wine, and those who were standing were hopelessly drunk. In the Arsenal, where Comino then burst into, he did not find any of the conspirators until he broke down an inconspicuous door in one of the buildings. The bribed officials were finishing packing the last “amusing” fire and, seeing the angry secretary of the Council of Ten in front of them, they were scared to the point of hiccups and began to mumble something unintelligible in their defense.
“In the name of the Republic, you are under arrest,” Bartholomew Comino announced. The Council of Ten alerted everyone they could find. Together with the guards, Comino burst into the presence of the Spanish ambassador. Amid the marquis's screams and curses, the guards carried armfuls of weapons out of the house.
The small ship, having raised all sails, rushed towards the Venetian squadron. The admiral was called on deck, ostensibly to deliver an important letter, stabbed to death and thrown into the sea. All his supporters were dealt with in the same way. The Republic ships were saved.
Without thinking twice, the Council of Ten put to death the rest of the participants in the conspiracy. Forty officials bribed by the marquis were drowned, the inspirers of the failed uprising were strangled and hanged by the leg for everyone to see as traitors. Three hundred more people were strangled secretly in prison. Some of the Spanish soldiers fled and some were captured.
The Spanish Ambassador did not stop complaining and threatening. In response, the Venetian Doge said that he was ready to apologize to the Marquis if the Marquis explained where so many weapons came from in his house. Bedemar waved his hand and decided to go to the celebration of the Doge's betrothal to the sea. The unfortunate Jaffier rushed about, unsuccessfully trying to save his former friends. The Republic always loved to borrow, but was never in a hurry to pay bills. He went so far as to threaten and curse.
He was forced to take money - four thousand sekins. Within three days, Jaffier was obliged to leave the Venetian possessions. Return was punishable by death.
The unfortunate man now wanted only one thing - revenge. According to Bedemar's plan, it was planned to raise an uprising not only in Venice, but also in one of the nearby cities - Bresse. The enterprise could still be a success, and Jaffier rushed there. But it was not for nothing that the Council of Ten kept a large staff of shoulder craftsmen. Confessions were extracted under torture, and the secrets no longer existed. Surrounded by superior forces, Jaffier fought to the death, commanding the remnants of the defeated Spanish detachment, but the Venetians managed to capture him. The Supreme Court of the Republic gave Jaffier the last reward for saving his capital. The verdict was: death penalty by drowning. The Marquis Bedemar soon received a decree of his resignation. “First of all, scold me and my actions,” he taught the man who came to replace him. “First you need to gain their trust.” To start...
Thirty years later, in 1648, the government of Venice received humiliating peace terms from the Turkish Sultan for discussion. Patrician Pesaro, instead of answering, donated 6,000 ducats to the fatherland. The entire Senate followed his example, which was an eloquent answer to the Sultan. The Republic was still strong, resting on the shoulders of strong-willed people who were ready to sacrifice property and life itself for its salvation and prosperity.
Age of mask
At the beginning of the 18th century, Venice was pushed into the Adriatic Sea and deprived of all its possessions outside its borders. Once upon a time, the British, Germans, and Swedes learned shipbuilding, navigation and cartography from the republic. Now the Russian Tsar Peter I was able to take only galley art from the Venetians; in other respects, numerous students had already surpassed their decrepit teacher. The Peace of Passarowitz with the Turks in 1718 put an end to numerous wars, and Venice began to live peacefully, without conquering anyone, without trading with anyone in particular, and burning through the remnants of its past.
She was full of charm. It was called the second capital of Europe, after Paris. All the celebrities of the scene, people of art, travelers and adventurers, rich people, inventors, charlatans and simply curious people filled the city, creating an amazing atmosphere. The 18th century was the century of music, and not a single city in Europe or even Italy could compare with Venice in terms of musicality. Life in Venice, luxurious and idle, was an eternal holiday. “Venice,” writes Monier, “has accumulated too much history behind itself, it has marked too many dates and shed too much blood. It sent its terrible galleys too long and too far, it dreamed too much of grandiose destinies and realized too many of them. .. After a difficult week, Sunday finally arrived, and the holiday began. Its population is a festive and idle crowd: poets and hangers-on, hairdressers and moneylenders, singers, cheerful women, dancers, actresses, pimps and bankers - everyone who lives for pleasure or creates them..."
The 18th century is considered to be the century of the mask. From the very beginning of its existence, Venice put on a mask, not revealing its plans to anyone, intriguing, spreading absurd rumors about itself and carefully keeping secrets. But there were no secrets left, intrigues were a thing of the past, and the mask became tangible. And the life of the republic suddenly gave way to just a game of life. From the first Sunday in October until Christmas, from January 6 until the first day of Lent, on St. Mark's Day, on the Feast of the Ascension, on the day of the election of the Doge and other officials, each Venetian was allowed to wear a mask. This is a carnival that lasted six months. Many masks appeared and disappeared, many people dressed up, each playing their role. The jealous Venetian merchant Pantalone has survived to this day in his strange, half-medieval guise - long red stockings, a short camisole, a protruding beard and a cloak with a hood, the Venetian maid Columbina, the Venetian jesters Harlequin and Brigella. The comedy of masks swept through Venice like an epidemic. The city on the water saw the last magnificent flash of the ancient Commedia dell'Arte.
Last minutes of independence
Bonaparte dealt the final blow to the Venetian Republic. On May 1, 1797, he declared war on Venice. A descendant of the famous patrician Pesaro tried back in 1796 to establish armed neutrality, but in vain.
On May 12, 1797, the last Doge of the Republic, having resigned his power, established a temporary administration, which was voluntarily transferred into the hands of the French. After 14 centuries of aristocratic rule, Venice fell. And in the last minutes of its existence, the republic had three million subjects, many fortifications, a fleet, an army, and 26,000,000 francs of annual income. The capital of the republic was impregnable both from sea and land. But no one wanted to protect her.
Having passed the formidable fortresses, which did not fire a single shot, on May 16, Napoleon's troops entered the city. But already on the seventeenth of October around the world in Campo Formia, the emperor gave the territory of the former republic of St. to the Habsburgs in exchange for other lands. Mark is like a pawn in a chess game.
On January 18, 1798, Austrian troops solemnly entered Venice. In 1805 it was again captured by the French. And in 1814 - again the Austrians.
Between the first departure of the French and the first entry of the Austrians there were nine days of inter-power. Nine days in which the mob took to the streets to burn and plunder their own city. The ceremonial galley of Bucintoro, in which the doges went out to betrothed to the sea, covered with gold and jewelry, was plundered, broken and thrown aground. The Austrians quickly restored order, put out the fires, imprisoned particularly zealous profiteers, and began to rule at their own discretion. And it was like that for half a century.
And suddenly Venice remembered its ancient greatness. In 1848, the Austrian garrison was captured. The head of the Admiralty, ship captain Marinovich, tried to hide, but the crowd caught up with him and tore him to pieces. Venice declared itself independent. But the past could not be returned. She held out for seventeen months. But blocked from sea and land, it was forced to surrender to Venice or other places.
Today's Venice is just a ghost of a former life.
Sixty-six percent of buildings in "old Venice" are in need of major repairs, and forty percent of dwellings are either uninhabitable or overcrowded. The sea in the Venice Lagoon is currently rising by about 1 centimeter every 10 years. At the same time, the process of soil subsidence in Venice is accelerating: on average, three centimeters per ten years.
Tidal currents “wash out” canals and undermine the foundations of buildings.
In 1501, Doge Agostino Barbarigo signed a decision of the Council of Ten, which stated that anyone who tried to “in any way damage the public dam, lay a pipe underground to divert water, or deepen or widen canals ... will have his right hand cut off, They will tear out his left eye and confiscate all his property..."
Now, in connection with industrial production, pipes have been laid in the lagoon, apparently or invisibly. They expanded old canals, dug many new ones, and pumped water and gas out of the subsoil. Is it because of all this taken together that Venice began to sink faster and faster into the waters of the lagoon? More and more often and more and more thoroughly, the streets and squares of the city are being overwhelmed by sea waves.
Venice is beautiful during the day and full of charm at night. The silhouettes of the palaces grow straight out of the water, and at the main entrances there is a palisade of poles - piers for boats and gondolas. The palaces stretch one after another - four-story, yellowish-brown, greenish-gray, pinkish-fawn. Now many palaces have museums, and that is why the Grand Canal is called the art salon of Venice. Wandering through the labyrinth of streets, you notice white stripes on the walls - traces of floods, and looking carefully into the water, which is now not very clean, you see that the chipped foundations of the buildings are bearded with blue-green algae.
The past is preserved in stone and in the names of canals, streets and buildings. Two bronze Moors ring the bell on the Clock Tower. Since the end of the 15th century, hands made by craftsmen from Parma have been moving, showing the seasons of the year, the phases of the Moon, the movement of the Sun from constellation to constellation and, of course, time. They say that even the time here is different - saturated with dampness and the salty smell of the sea, the time of ebb and flow, hiding in a white haze on the horizon, where the galleys, frigates and merchant ships of the Venetian Republic have gone forever.
Dmitry Belichenko. The whole world No. 14 1998.
A little unreal, a little sad in its beauty, the city has an unusual history. The deeper you look into it, the more you understand - Venice is surprisingly similar to a patchwork quilt. At least because many local attractions came here from all over the world. In an effort to ensure the cultural superiority of Venice, its inhabitants did not hesitate to use even banal theft and international deception.
The first example of this is the history of the city. Historians call the date of the founding of Venice 568, when Patriarch Peacock, who fled from Aquileia, settled on one of the islands, illegally taking with him a fair portion of the values of the Aquileia patriarchy. He was joined by fishermen and refugees from the mainland, driven out by the Longabards. Surrounded on all sides by the sea, the city quickly began to grow and develop - the water was its fortress walls, reliably protecting it from outside attacks. Such isolation left a peculiar imprint on the character of the city's inhabitants. One of the early medieval priests spoke of them this way: “Venetians are greedy, stubborn and superstitious people. They would like to subjugate the whole world if they could.”
Due to their small numbers, the Venetians were unable to cope with the whole world. But they were quite successful in “snatching” various shrines and artifacts from all over the world to their city. The example of Venetian deception is the story that happened to the Turks. The relics of St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice, were in Alexandria. Venetian merchants, in an effort to deliver the saint's body to his hometown, stole the remains in 822 and hid them in boxes of pork. The Turks did not dare to touch the meat of an unclean animal, and the merchants safely returned to their homeland. To avoid unnecessary conflicts with Alexandria, in 1094 the Venetians announced the miraculous spontaneous appearance of relics in the Cathedral of San Marco, then still under construction. The Alexandrians were embarrassed and immediately stopped demanding the return of the relics. From then on, the winged lion, personifying the greatness of St. Mark, became the main symbol of Venice.
The columns decorating the cathedral are different - apparently due to the fact that they were also collected by the Venetians “from around the world.” The lions on the “Lion Cub Square” come from Byzantium, the horses on the threshold of the cathedral come from the same place. The Venetians took the most “trophies” from Constantinople - the columns of Mark and Theodore, which is also one of them on the Piazzetta. The sculptures of the lion of St. Mark and St. Theodore with a crocodile are also not the work of Venetian masters. Historians are confident that the lion was taken from Iran, and the figure of Theodore generally represents a kind of mosaic. It is made up of the torso of a sculpture of an unknown Roman commander, while the head is of Mithridates of Pontus, seized by Venetian merchants also from Constantinople.
It was the famous ability of the Venetians to profit from literally everything that brought greatness and glory to their hometown - despite the fact that manifestations of entrepreneurial ability often resulted in very peculiar forms. For example, the famous architect Niccolo Barattieri negotiated the right to place gambling tables next to his creations, the income from which was included directly in the amount of his wages. In Venice, courtesans were taxed for the first time. The rulers rightly considered that 11 thousand women for a city with a population of 60 thousand people was an excellent source of income for the city treasury.
In the northwestern part of the Adriatic Sea, where rivers flowing from the Alps carry silt, a vast lagoon was formed thousands of years ago, the waters of which are cleaned daily by the ebb and flow of the tides. From the east it is fenced off from the sea by a narrow strip of land.
Since time immemorial, the lagoon's 118 sandy islands have been home to fishermen, salt miners and waterfowl hunters. In Roman times, the islanders also mastered cattle breeding and agriculture. The inhabitants of the lagoon earned their food through hard work. But it was safe here - the sandy barrier of the Lido held back the pirates that swarmed the Adriatic Sea, and getting to the islands from the coast, not knowing the local swamps, was not so easy.
In 451, the decrepit Western Roman Empire was shaken by the invasion of the Huns led by Attila. The horror of these savages was so great that, according to stories, even birds carried away their chicks in their beaks. Fleeing from the invasion, thousands of refugees from the mainland poured into the lagoon - descendants of the ancient Veneti tribe - and so they remained here. The beginning of the history of Venice is usually attributed to this time. An old Venetian legend even names the exact date of birth of the city - on March 25, 451, at exactly noon, the low tide allegedly exposed a vast sandbank to give way to the most amazing city on earth.
80 years later, the historian Flavius Magnus Aurelius compiled the earliest description of the lagoon and its inhabitants. According to him, the first Venetians made great efforts to provide themselves with solid land. They patiently conquered areas of land from the sea, drained lakes, cleared swamps, erected embankments and laid canals. Early Venice was like a wooden ship. Its palaces, houses, churches and bridges were built of wood and rested on stilts driven into unstable soil. On each island there was a church, behind which lay a “campo” - a grassy field. Around the church were the houses of those who gave money for its construction; Poorer houses stood a little further away. Thanks to this layout, the city subsequently did not have rich and poor neighborhoods.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Venice first depended on Padua, and then became part of the Byzantine Empire.
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In the first centuries of the existence of Venice, the leading role among the many island settlements was played by the community of the present Lido. The local settlement was then called Malamocco. However, discord constantly arose between the inhabitants of the islands. For this reason, the city authorities in 810 decided to move their residence to another, more fortified island - Rialto. This regrouping of forces was carried out just in time. In 812, one of the decisive battles of Venetian history took place on Malamocco - with the Frankish king Pepin (son of Charlemagne), whose army was buried in the quicksand of the lagoon.
In the X-XI centuries, Venice quickly gained strength. Its enterprising sailors went further and further into the Adriatic, and then into the Mediterranean Sea. The republic's battle fleet became more and more powerful. In the naval battle of Dyrrhachium, the Venetian galleys defeated the fleet of the Normans, who then owned southern Italy and Sicily. For this service, Alexei Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, which nominally included Venice, opened the most important ports of the East to the Venetian merchants, freeing them from paying taxes and duties.
But the Venetians did not remember the good. In 1201, Venice contracted for 85 thousand silver marks to transport French knights - participants in the Fourth Crusade - to Egypt on its galleys. The Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo, a skilled politician and intriguer, tried to extract maximum benefit from this deal for the Venetian Republic. Instead of taking the crusaders to Africa, he set them against the weakened Byzantium, as a result of which Constantinople was captured and sacked on April 12, 1204.
Under the terms of the agreement with the Latin Empire formed by the crusaders, Venice was the heir to a significant part of the former Byzantine possessions. At key points in the Mediterranean, it now owned fortresses that controlled important sea routes. Its enterprising merchants ruled over vast areas from Italy to Palestine, reaching India and China.
The naval power of Venice was on everyone's lips: its battle fleet numbered 300 ships with eight thousand experienced sailors. The goods of Venetian merchants were transported by three thousand merchant ships with 17 thousand crew members.
Fortune favored Venice. After the defeat of the Byzantine Empire, she became the “queen” of the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean for two hundred years. The “golden age” of the city in the lagoon began.
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Venice has never known monarchical power. From the first days of its existence it was a commune. Ancient chronicles say that the inhabitants of the lagoon elected leaders from among themselves, who were called tribunes in the Roman style. At first there were 12 tribunes, and each of them ruled a separate island. But in 697, due to the threat posed by the Germanic Lombard tribe, the inhabitants of the island city-state elected their first Doge named Paolo Luzzio Anafesto. The word “doge” is related to the Latin “dux” (in our opinion, prince).
At first, the Doge's residence was on the islands of Heraclea and Lido. In 810, his residence was moved to Rialto, the largest island in the lagoon, which was divided in two by a winding channel. Following the Doge, patricians and rich merchants who had previously lived on the island of Torcello began to move here. By the way, Venice itself was usually called Rialto until the 11th century.
The Doge, elected for life, was a living symbol of the Most Serene Republic. In official documents he was called the Sovereign, and the profile of each new Doge was minted on coins. Doges usually became persons who had reached 60 years of age and had significant wealth. The election of the Doge, his dedication and wedding were arranged with magnificent ceremonies, which the Doge paid for out of his own pocket.
The Doge's ceremonial attire was distinguished by royal splendor and splendor: he appeared to the people in a purple robe woven with gold and trimmed with ermine, in the red boots of the Byzantine emperors and, until the 14th century, in a golden crown, which was then replaced by a high cap, studded with large pearls and precious stones. When the Doge left the palace, a velvet umbrella embroidered with gold was opened over him.
However, for all that, the Doge was more of a ceremonial and sacred figure. The noble Venetian families took great care to limit his power. The Doge was not allowed to enter into contacts with envoys of other states, manage the treasury, appoint officials, or even print correspondence addressed to him. All this was done in his presence by the Office of the Doge, which was also called the “heart of the state.” The Doge only signed the decrees she drafted.
In a word, dressed in truly royal robes, the Doge was a “sovereign without power,” the sacred shadow of the Venetian Republic. This importance of the Doge was especially clearly manifested in the custom of the so-called “betrothal of Venice to the sea.”
The history of this main holiday of the Venetian Republic goes back centuries.
In 1177, Venice entered into an extremely profitable treaty with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who assigned the northern part of the Adriatic Sea to the republic. The authorities of Venice decided to celebrate this memorable event annually, in late autumn, on the day of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It must be said that on this day traditional celebrations were already taking place, established back in 998 in honor of the victory of Doge Pietro II Orseolo over the Dalmatian pirates. However, this ceremony was quite simple. The clergy and the Doge, dressed in festive attire, went on boats to the island of Lido, where a solemn mass was celebrated in the Church of San Nicolo. But after 1177, this modest celebration was replaced by a magnificent ritual - the betrothal of Venice to the sea, which has since been described many times and in great detail by foreign travelers.
From early morning, Venetians, dressed in their best attire, poured out onto the streets of the city. All the city's treasures were put on display for the residents and guests of Venice - from the treasury of St. Mark to the piles of gold and silver coins in the money changers' shops. After the solemn mass, the Doge boarded the ceremonial 20-oar galley “Bucentaur” and, accompanied by thousands of gondolas, decorated with carpets and flags, sailed to the island of Lido.
The Bucentaur was a magnificent sight. It all sparkled with gold. Above its deck, decorated with stucco and purple, fluttered the flag of the republic. The Doge, who played the role of the symbolic groom of the deeps of the sea, sat on a high throne of honor. Noble persons in luxurious clothes took places under the canopy, and their children sat at the long red oars. At the entrance to the canal, the Doge threw a golden ring into the water of the lagoon with the words: “We are engaged to you, O sea, to possess you forever!” Thus, the union of Venice with the sea was sealed.
As the Venetian Republic weakened and declined, this celebration, which once had a deep religious and symbolic meaning, degenerated into an ordinary secular celebration, like a carnival. It was brought to an end by the troops of the French Directory under the command of General Napoleon Bonaparte, who abolished the Venetian Republic in 1797. French soldiers broke the last “Bucentaur”, flattered by its gilding. Now its surviving fragments, along with a reduced model, are kept in the local Museum of Maritime History.
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Already in the 12th century, all power in the city was tenaciously held in the hands of the ancient aristocratic families of Venice, merchants and bankers. This happened because the basis of the republic's prosperity was trade, and the bourgeoisie and artisans were too weak to play a significant role in political life.
In 1172, the Grand Council, consisting of 480 noble citizens who were elected for a period of one year, became the highest body of state power in Venice. The members of the Great Council themselves, in turn, elected the Doge, and subsequently the Senate. But already at the beginning of the 13th century, real executive power passed to the Council of Forty - the supreme court of the republic, and then concentrated in the hands of the Signoria, which was controlled by an even smaller body of power - the Council of Ten, which over time turned into the highest tribunal of the Venetian Republic.
In 1315, the so-called “Golden Book” was compiled, where the names of citizens who enjoyed voting rights were entered. As is clear from this document, only 2,000 rich people - nobles, or 8% of the city's population (later their share decreased to 1%) were full citizens of Venice. It is this small group of the true rulers of the city that the Venetian chronicles call “the people of Venice.” The republic turned into a classic oligarchy.
The Council of Ten closely monitored the slightest signs of discontent. Any attempts by the Doge and other persons to seize power in the republic were mercilessly punished. In general, the Council of Ten could bring to justice any Venetian accused of disturbing the peace. The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote that it was “a bloody tribunal, striking on the sly and deciding in utter darkness who will die and who will lose their honor.” Before this tribunal, the accused had no right to defense and could only count on the mercy of the judges.
It may seem strange, but the common people of Venice felt under the control of this government, if not happy, then quite content. The “Fathers of the Fatherland” tried to provide the crowd with a cheerful and satisfying life and did not allow abuse of the law. Thus, the Council of Ten very carefully considered the complaints of ordinary people against the nobility, strictly punishing the offending nobles. Apparently, thanks to this, Venice gave an example of the longest experience of a republican system in the history of mankind.
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Medieval Venice represented a rare example of a secular state for its time. The Venetian government assigned the church and religion the role of a spiritual assistant to the state in instilling in its subjects respect for law and authority. The importance of the state itself was exalted in every possible way, serving it was regarded as a duty and honor, state interests were placed above personal ones and required self-sacrifice. The word “state” was written only with a capital letter. And since 1462, the Republic of Venice began to be called Serenissima (Serenissima), which can be translated in two ways: “The Most Serene” or “The Most Serene.” The new name reflected the officially established idea of Venice as a calm and peaceful state.
To maintain and strengthen this state ideology, the authorities of the Republic took special care to create historical works glorifying the past of Venice. It is no coincidence that the historical chronicle became the most widespread genre of patrician literature. In the second half of the 15th century, by order of the Venetian Republic, Marcantonio Sabellico compiled the 33-volume “History of Venice from the Founding of the City,” in which he argued that Venice surpassed the Roman Republic in the justice of its laws and government. At that time of universal admiration for antiquity, it was impossible to imagine greater praise.
Like most cities, Venice grew due to the influx of visitors. And in order to avoid chaos, the city authorities pursued a strict migration policy. According to the statute of 1242, the natives of the four islands of the lagoon - Rialto, Grado, Chioggia and Cavarzere - were considered Venetians proper. Only they had the right to build houses in Venice. All the rest were included in the category of “invitees”, who received equal rights with the “born” only after 25 years of life in the lagoon.
The secular nature of the Venetian Republic led to greater freedom of local morals. Suffice it to say that many married couples did without a church blessing and, as a result, easily broke their marriage ties - a completely scandalous matter at that time. Gambling became so widespread that the government had to issue a decree prohibiting gambling in the portico of the Cathedral of San Marco and in the courtyard of the Doge's Palace. Professional players were flogged and branded with irons. And the Venetians were known for such terrible foul language that the poet Petrarch even complained about them in his poems. The authorities clearly outlined their position here: public insult with a word was punishable by a large fine.
Probably, some of what we heard would be useful to transfer into our everyday life.
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By the 15th century, island Venice had become one of the largest mainland states. In addition to half of Northern Italy, the Republic of St. Mark owned part of what is now Croatia and Slovenia, the Southern Peloponnese, Athens, Cyprus and colonies scattered throughout the Middle East and the Black Sea region. Venice called its mainland possessions Terraferma (“solid ground”).
The economic prosperity of the Republic of St. Mark was based on maritime trade. In their colonies, the Venetians sought to take over all local trade, engaged in usury and mercilessly oppressed the indigenous inhabitants. Residents of neighboring Slavic Dubrovnik, for example, did not dare to sell their goods anywhere other than in Venice itself, where, naturally, they received pittance for it. Any craft there was suppressed in the bud, only the production of tallow and wax candles for home use was allowed, and soap and pottery had to be bought only in Venice. The Venetians also arrogated to themselves a complete monopoly in the Adriatic on the construction of sea vessels.
Engaged only in the predatory exploitation of its colonies, Venice did not care at all about their development. During its reign, the Republic did not build a single road in Terraferma, did not organize a single production for processing local raw materials, did not plant a single olive tree or grapevine.
All the neighbors of the Republic of St. Mark experienced the insidiousness of Venetian policy. Venice had a particularly destructive influence on the Zeta state of the Dalmatian Slavs. Century after century, she pushed him away from the sea, bringing discord and confusion into his inner life. And when the Zeta state was completely weakened in this struggle, the Venetians began to convert its people to Catholicism, take away churches and monasteries from the local Orthodox Church, and, in case of resistance, destroy them. Orthodox priests and monks were expelled or exterminated.
Therefore, it should not be surprising that the Republic of Venice has a very unflattering international image. Venice's neighbors compared her to a toad and a sea snake. The 13th-century Italian chronicler Salimbene called the Venetians “a gang of greedy and miserly people” who turned the Adriatic into a “den of robbers,” and Giovanni Boccaccio (author of the famous “Decameron”) considered Venice “the repository of all abominations.”
In the end, the lagoon city suffered historic retribution.
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Venice was dying slowly. Its decline began in the 15th century, when the young Ottoman Empire began to seize the mainland possessions of Venice one after another. The Republic resisted with all its might, but bloody naval battles with the Ottomans only ravaged its treasury and drained its military power.
And then, as luck would have it, in 1499 the Portuguese Vasco da Gama opened a sea route to India, bypassing the Mediterranean trade routes on which the prosperity of the Republic rested. The Venetian economy suffered a severe blow.
In 1630, Venice was devastated by the plague, which killed 47 thousand city residents - a third of the entire population (including the great artist Titian). Today, this is reminded by the giant bluish dome of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute, erected as a sign of gratitude to the Holy Virgin Mary for ridding the city of a terrible epidemic.
By the beginning of the 18th century, Venice was already politically bankrupt. However, it was at this time that she experienced another flowering of the arts - Tiepolo and Canaletto lived and worked in the city, and plays by Goldoni and Gozzi were staged on the stage. Until the very last days of the Republic, the Venetians lived easily and carefree, as if not noticing the passage of merciless time.
Thus the Age of Enlightenment came to an end, and with it the history of independent Venice. In 1794, the troops of the young general Napoleon Bonaparte captured Northern Italy. On May 12, the Venetian Senate received a formidable ultimatum from the French commander, and the city on the islands, with powerful fortifications, a large fleet and five hundred fortress artillery guns, surrendered to the ground army without firing a single shot.
The last Doge, Ludovico Manin, casually threw his crown to a servant with the words: “Take it away, this will no longer be needed.” Napoleon plundered the Venetian treasury, destroyed about forty palaces, and three years later handed over the gutted city to Austria.
In 1826, Venice was declared a free harbour. After Byron's visit to the city, the poetry of Venetian decadence became fashionable. Bohemians came to the Venetian canals and bridges for inspiration, wealthy Europeans spent the summer on the fashionable beaches of the Lido.
In 1866, Venice became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy. However, memories of the 14th century of the Republic of St. Mark are still alive in Venice. In the summer of 1997, a group of patriotic youth hoisted the ancient banner of the Republic on the bell tower of San Marco and demanded independence for the Venetian region. It seems that Venice’s proximity to present-day Kosovo is unlikely to have cooled these sentiments...
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After Napoleon's decree on the liquidation of the Venetian Republic, the city seemed to freeze in anticipation of its destruction. Already in the middle of the 19th century, Venice was for Balzac just “a pitiful, shabby city, which is tirelessly sinking into the grave every hour,” and the inexorable water hangs “mourning fringe” on the plinths of houses. Emile Zola did not see any prospects for the revival of the “trinket city,” which, according to him, was time to be placed under a glass cover.
An ancient prophecy says: “Venice was born from the sea, and it will find its end in the depths of the sea.”
Indeed, the future of Venice gives rise to serious concern. The sea, which for centuries has enriched the city with rich goods from the countries of the Levant, now threatens it with death. “Most Serene Venice” does not rise from the waters, as it did before, but sinks into the waves, like a sinking ship. In the mid-60s of the last century, the world was shocked by the message of scientists: Venice is sinking under water at a rate of two and a half millimeters per year. Floods are becoming more frequent, and more and more sea water is flooding the lower floors of the palazzo - these magnificent monuments of Venetian architecture. Priceless art collections in city museums and private collections are suffering from dampness. In the Cathedral of San Marco, the floor has curved oddly due to the settlement of the foundation, as the tides regularly turn the area in front of the cathedral into a salt lake. Stucco figures of cherubs and seraphim are crumbling from the façade of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute. The once wise laws of the Republic declared anyone who dared to lay a pipe in the ground an enemy of the Fatherland, and until recently today’s would-be entrepreneurs pumped groundwater with all their might, thereby contributing to further subsidence of the soil.
The environment within the city is polluted to the extreme. The canals are littered, the water in them is lifeless, even poisonous. The industrial complex of Porto Marghera, which has grown up just five kilometers from the Doge's Palace, fills the air with acrid sulfur fumes that cause the erosion of historical buildings and statues.
Experts from all over the world are developing projects to save the unique city in order to prevent Venice from sharing the fate of the legendary Atlantis.
Although there’s really no need to invent anything. Recently, underwater archaeologists discovered the remains of the ancient Roman quarter of Venice in the lagoon. It turned out that 2000 years ago, two stone walls 150 meters long perfectly protected the city from sea tides. Apparently, in those blessed times there was no bureaucracy, with its eternal excuses about the lack of funds for carrying out expensive work.
