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collection belonging to Mario Taragoni. Great man of culture with a passion for Tuscan painting and a strong belief in the ideals of the Italian Risorgimento, Mario Taragoni gathered, between the 1930s and the 1970s, the Macchiaioli's works. For his purchases he trusted at his sensibility, and he preferedthe works reported from the authors of literary essays. Taragoni very prized Giovanni Fattori, Mario Puccini, Signorini, Lega's works, and  many more.  This event exhibits works which had not been available to the public for years, but  we can now be admired. Paintings as "Donna con Scialle Rosa" by Silvestro Lega and "Sosta dei Lancieri" by Giovanni Fattori, other than many more paintings. 2008-04-22 17:06:20 Magazine topic.lasso?id=31 Venezia Campo del Ghetto Nuovo Cannaregio 2909 Ikona Venezia to 24 May 2008 from 11.00 to 19.00 – saturday closed   Mario Giacomelli (Senigallia 1925-2000) is a great italian photographer of 20th. In 1953 he was join to the photographer team "Misa" with his first picture that he had take at the sea the Xmas day. In 1963, thanks to John Szarkowski, tutor of photoghraphy of M.O.M.A., he messed with the international outlook with his series photo 'Scanno' (1957). The Giacomelli' work expresses the life's emotion as in a dream. Tha hard contrast and tha picturesin movement are a praise at the genuineness of his subjects that seem naturalness. At the exibition thare are 24 artist's work's. 2008-04-04 08:54:13 Magazine topic.lasso?id=30 The Venetian Constitution The Venetian Constitution was admired throughout Europe for centuries, both for its immutability (though, in fact, it was never put down in written form) and its ability to guarantee social peace in spite of changing conditions. In fact, after the middle of the fourteenth century the city was totally free of organised revolt or rebellion; no one seemed to question the aristocracy’s right – and ability – to manage affairs of state, and this popular support for the way the business of government was organised only served to consolidate the legendary status enjoyed by the Venetian constitution. So what was the secret of this very special political, judicial and administrative system? In broad terms, it might be be said to depend on certain key basic features: 1. Collegial Responsibility: all the various city authorities [magistrature] were collective bodies whose members changed frequently, with a ban on continuous occupation of office. For example, what today might be the Ministry of Trade was under not a minister but five Savi alla Mercanzia, who held office for two years and then could only be re-elected after a further two had passed. 2. Inter-related Authorities: though the various magistrature had their own funds – and sometimes even their own courts and jails – tasks and prerogatives were sometimes interconnected (for example, the Provveditori al Sal were responsible for the sale and production of salt, but also for the building and repair work on major public buildings, including the Doge’s Palace itself). 3. Interdependent Offices and Duties. The primacy of law meant that any individual magistrato could be subject to investigation; even the Doge himself, or the members of the Council of Ten could be investigated by an Avogador di Comun, who in his turn was open to investigation and incrimination. This meant all the various magistrature kept a check upon each other. The distribution of power was rather like the dealing of cards in a game of poker; no one’s hand was a guaranteed winner. Of course, for various reasons, this could have paralysed the administration of government, due to lack of specialised skills in magistrati who were rotated from one post to another; mutual interference; absence of individual responsibility. But, in fact, the exact opposite happened; and this perhaps is the true mystery of the Venetian constitution. The Doge Throughout the more than thousand years of Venice’s history, the Doge was the highest-ranking figure in the Republic. The word is derived from the Latin dux, meaning “leader” or “chief”. Originally, there was little difference between the function of the Doge and that of the ruling lord in any other medieval city-state. However, from the twelfth century onwards, measures were taken that increasingly limited his powers. Chosen -via an extremely complex voting process - from amongst the most important families of the Venetian nobility gathered together in the Great Council, the Doge was then appointed for life. He had no decision-making, judicial or executive powers; nor was he allowed to perform any governmental or representative function on his own. What is more, he could only leave the Palace itself when accompanied by members of the government, and had to obtain special permission to leave the city of Venice (and then only for a maximum of a few days). Nevertheless, the Doge did in some way embody the State, remaining a figure of great symbolic importance. For example, when the ring and seals of the old Doge were broken upon his demise, the entire machinery of the State ground to a halt. Obviously, this paralysis of the administration was a stimulus to the rapid selection of a successor, when the solemn ceremony of investiture could then set the entire machinery of government in motion once more. The last Doge, Ludovico Manin, handed in his resignation to the Great Council on 12 May 1797. Four days later, a treaty was signed between the Republic of Venice and the Republic of France, and the last public act of the Doge was the proclamation of a provisional Municipal Government. The Election of the Doge “Thirty elect the Council. These elect forty: But of these there are Twelve who make Twenty-five; yet of these Only nine remain Who with their votes make Forty-five exactly. From whom eleven in all Elect forty-one, who closed all together With at least twenty votes Elect the Serene Prince Who upholds Statutes Ordinances and Laws.” This popular song gives you an immediate idea of the complex procedures involved in the election of the Doge of Venice. Generally, the voting took place over three days, but might last for a month - and was held in the most imposing rooms of the Doge’s Palace (Hall of the Four Doors, the Sala dell Collegio, the antechamber to the Sala del Collegio, and the Sala dei Pregadì), all of which were for this period isolated from the rest of the building using wooden planks. The conclave was in fact shut away entirely - even the windows of the rooms were darkened and covered - in order to prevent any contact with the outside influencing the voters. The records of the voting were afterwards bricked up in a wall-cabinet in the Sala dei Presidenti, so the winning candidate would never know how many votes he got. The bossoli [ballot boxes] used for the voting were placed within an urn draped in crimson velvet and known as the cappello [hat], probably because originally that was what had been used for this purpose: into here, the voters would drop balls of wax, clay or bronze (which were generally silver-plated or gilded). When the voting had finally ended with a winning candidate, a bell was rung and then the Arengo [Assembly of the Commune] was summoned to the Rialto by the tolling of the church bells. If the doge-elect happened to be outside the Palace at the time, he was summoned by the Chancellor General, by whom he would be invested with the berretto [cap] that was his mark of office (if he was present, his installation in office took place immediately). A sumptuous banquet followed this ceremony, during which the new Doge made a ritual undertaking (then put in writing) to respect the limits on his powers; thereafter the arsenalotti [shipyard workers of the Arsenale] carried him around St. Mark’s Square in a sedan-chair, from which he distributed money to the populace, who would also be the audience of the first two speeches given by the new Doge (one in St. Mark’s itself, the other in the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace). The whole event ended with cannon-shot and fireworks, and three days of celebrations for patricians and populace alike. The Collegio The Collegio - also known as the Pien Collegio - was, in fact, made up of distinct bodies with their own areas of responsibility: these were the Signoria, the Savi del Consiglio, the Savi di Terraferma and the Savi agli Ordini. The six Savi del Consiglio were first appointed around 1380; they could hold office for six months (with another six months having to pass before they were eligible for re-appointment) and were changed in groups of three. Their powers increased gradually over the centuries, so that by the eighteenth century they were practically running the affairs of the city’s Senate, especially in the field of foreign affairs. The Savi di Terrferma were first instituted in the 1410s to deal with wartime needs; the five members of this body were, in effect, responsible for Venetian dominions in mainland Italy. The five Savi agli Ordini were the oldest of the three institutions and were responsible for maritime and naval matters; their importance thus declined as Venice’s standing as a naval power began to slip. For its part, the Signoria was made up of the three heads of the Quarantia Criminale and of the Lesser Council, which comprised the Doge and six Councillors. These latter (one from each of the city’s six sestieri) had long assisted - and overseen - the Doge in the performance of his duties; they held office for a year (again, an interval had to pass before they could be re-elected) and when the Doge was out of the city, absent through illness or had recently died, his place was taken by the eldest of the six (the so-called vicedoge). Their political importance declined along with that of the Doge himself. The prerogatives and duties of the Collegio were varied and extensive: primarily, it organised and co-ordinated the work of the Venetian Senate, took first reading of the dispatches from Venice’s ambassadors and city governors, received legations from other rulers, and was a driving-force within the city’s legislative and political life. Along with these functions, which were performed as one body, each of the various components also had to meet its responsibilities in its own particular field. The net result was that the Collegio became a sort of “guiding intelligence” behind the working of the Senate, especially in matters relating to foreign affairs. The Great Council This body was the very basis of the Venetian political system. The name derives from the Latin Consiluim sapientium, which referred to those wise men [savi] who were elected by the people to stand alongside the Doge in the performance of his duties so as to guarantee due respect for the law. In 1297 this Council was “closed” - that is, it ceased to be an elected body and became a hereditary aristocratic entity. In other words, the powers of the old concia [assembly] of the Commune were absorbed by the Great Council, membership of which was limited to male patricians over the age of twenty-five. However, whilst marking the end of the old medieval liberties, the “closure” of the Great Council also guaranteed a continuing equality between the people who were actually admitted. Irrespective of prestige, merit or wealth, any patrician - by the mere fact of being a patrician - had the right to attend councils at the Doge’s Palace, to propose laws or amendments, to have them discussed, and to elect others to office or be elected himself. So, even though the Senate would over the centuries increasingly tend to limits the powers of the Great Council, that body remained the bulwark of old republican equality, even if only amongst the patrician class. This was the basis of the enduring - and never challenged - right of the Council to oversee the activities of the other state bodies and magistrature, which were soon called to order if they were abusing or exceeding their authority. Famous examples of this are the “corrections” (judicial reforms) of the Council of Ten in 1582, 1628 and 1762. In short, the 1,200-2,000 noblemen who sat on the Council never ceased to look upon themselves as the true guardians of state law, from which all the other magistrature derived their authority. In fact, the very end of the Venetian Republic itself (12 May 1797) was decreed by a vote of the Great Council. The Senate The Senate or Pregadi (so-called because the sixty members were “prayed” - pregati - to lend the council their services) was originally a typical communal assembly, to which the Great Council delegated part of its responsibilities and duties. Contemporary chronicles tell us that the Senate was first instituted in 1229 at the behest of Doge Jacopo Tiepolo; its members held office for one year from 29 September (the Feast of St. Michael). Later, especially after the “closure” of the Great Council in 1297, the Senate was extended with the addition of twenty, then forty, then sixty noblemen, bringing it to over one hundred members. It was also open to figures from other important magistrature, above all, the Quarantia Criminale. By the fifteenth century - the period when the Senate’s prestige was at its highest - the assembly comprised more than two hundred members; but not all had the same legislative and voting rights. In the modern age, the Senate became the body principally responsible for foreign policy and for economic/financial affairs: in short, manufacturing industries, trade and all the other central issues on which the State’s existence depended. Ultimately, this led to the Senate being considered as a sort of “Select Committee” of the Great Council, whose members were drawn from the wealthiest Venetian families; it has, with some justification, been said that the body might be compared to the Board of Directors of a modern-day bank. This special status explains the numerous episodes of friction between the Senate and such bodies as the Council of Ten and the Collegio, which would eventually win out against the Pregadi in the same way as the Pregadi themselves had won out against the Quarantia and the Great Council. The Council of Ten Set up in 1310 to try those involved in the Querini-Tiepolo conspiracy (one of the last attempts in the lagoon to turn the Commune into a lord-ruled Signoria), this body soon became a permanent part of Venice’s judicial system, responsible for matters relating to national security. What actually constituted such matters could be interrupted in the widest possible terms, with all areas of public life coming under the Council’s jurisdiction: religious orthodoxy, foreign policy, espionage, social vigilance, defence of the structures of the State. This inevitably lead to constant increases in the powers of the Council of Ten (a misnomer really, as there were seventeen members, including the Doge and his six Councillors). And with Venice’s territorial expansion - predominantly in the fifteenth century - the clear need for a supreme decision-making body at the top of the state hierarchy further added to the power of a body which ultimately came to be seen as a sort of ever-watchful, ruthless tribunal at the service of the ruling oligarchy. This myth and reputation were no doubt helped by the fact that the Council of Ten (and its 1539 “off-shoot”, the State Inquisitors) heard trials behind closed doors and without all the usual procedural guarantees, handing down their sentences (right or wrong) with remarkable speed: for example, Conte di Carmagnola, who in 1427 had led the Venetian forces to military victory, would a few years later be imprisoned, tried and executed all within the space of twenty-six days. Nevertheless, the Great Council did sometimes take a stand against the increasing powers of the Council of Ten, “cutting it back to size” with various rulings (1582, 1628 and 1762) which thus helped to maintain the necessary equilibrium between the various organs of the State. Sala dei Censori The State Censors were set up in 1517 by Marco Giovanni di Giovanni, a cousin of Doge Andrea Gritti (1523-1538) and nephew of the great Francesco Foscari. The title and duties of the Censors resulted from the cultural and political upheavals that are associated with Humanism. In fact, the Censors were not judges as such, but more like moral consultants - a role that is clear from the fact that they were only two in number, and thus incapable of giving a majority ruling. Their main task was the repression of electoral fraud and the protection of the State’s public institutions. On the walls hang a number of Domenico Tintoretto’s portraits of these magistrates, and below the armorial bearings of some of those who held the post. Sala dell'Avogaria di Comun As the name suggests, this particular State Advocacy department dates from the time when Venice was a commune (12th Century). The three members - the Avogadori - were the figures who safeguarded the very principle of legality, making sure that the laws were applied correctly. Though they never enjoyed the status and power of the Doge and the Council of Ten, the Avogadori remained one of the most prestigious authorities in Venice right up to the fall of the Republic. They were also responsible for preserving the integrity of the city’s patrician class - that is, verifying the legitimacy of the aristocratic marriages and births inscribed in the Golden Book. The room is decorated with paintings showing some of the avogadori venerating the Virgin, the Risen Christ or various saints. The Censors The institution of this body - on 13 September 1517 - was due to Marco Foscari di Giovanni, cousin to Doge Andrea Gritti (1523-1538) and grandson to the great Francesco Foscari. The title of this magistratura was classically-inspired; and, in fact, its duties reflect the political and cultural concerns of the humanist age. The Censors were not judges as such but more like moral consultants (a role that is reflected in the fact there were only two of them, so that there could be no such thing as a majority vote) . Their main task was to root out electoral corruption and imbroglios - a constant risk in a republic in which every ruling was discussed in an assembly and then put to the vote. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, largely due to the population increase within the patrician class over the preceding decades, procedural correctness within the exercise of political life had fallen to an intolerable low. Many of the city’s noblemen possessed little more than their title, and hence looked to the territorial expansion of the State as a way of recouping their fortunes and compensating for the decline in income from trade. The result was widespread political corruption, with bribes changing hands for appointments to city governorships, parishes or state offices, which would allow the impoverished patrician to live off the public purse. Educated, ambitious and proud, Marco Foscari was immediately elected to Magistratura dei Censori, and thus the body served as a trampoline for his own personal career; but, as so often happens, this boost to personal fortunes was justified as arising from a burning anxiety to protect public morality and the common good. Quarantia Criminale This long-established magistratura - which seems to have come into being at the end of the twelfth century - was, along with the Senate, the main “sub-committee” of the Great Council. Originally, it was made up of forty members who had ample legislative and political powers, but gradually its field of competence became exclusively judicial: in effect, it served as a court of appeal for any sentence handed down by the various Venetian and local authorities in any part of the Republic’s dominions. The forty members held office for a year and could be re-elected immediately; together with the Doge and the Lesser Council, the three heads of the Quarantia made up the Signoria, which presided over the meetings of all the different assemblies. With the conquest of Dalmatia and the extension of Venetian power onto the Italian mainland, a second Quarantia was deemed necessary and set up in 1441. The first was to be responsible for criminal cases, the second to hear appeals in civil law. Not long after, that second Quarantia was itself divided, and thus ultimately there were three judicial bodies hearing appeals of different kinds. The result was a reorganisation which meant that members passed automatically from one “appeal Court” to the next, but stayed in each for only eight months. However, having been elected, each member stayed in office beyond the two years served in these courts to become subaltern members of the College of XX and then the College of XII. These later terms lasted four months each - so, in effect, a quarantiotto remained in office for thirty-two months. Now, as a place in the Quarantia Criminale brought with it a seat in the Senate, this meant that judges of proven experience in civil and penal law also sat within the legislative body. Modern constitutions abhor this mixing of powers, but at the time it was seen as giving the quarantiotti/senatori the chance to bring their daily experience of the application of laws to the writing of them. Quarantia Civil Vecchia If a particular magistratura found its workload suddenly increased (for a variety of reasons), the traditional practice within the Venetian constitution was not to create new bodies but to split the old into two, or even three, parts which would divide that workload. Hence, when Venetian territorial expansion was at its height, it was decided in 1441 to institute a new Quarantia - in the image of the first - to take over the task of hearing appeals in civil cases (Venice never delegated or decentralised its right to hear appeals, hence the growing backlog of cases). Further land conquests in the Polesine and the Trento areas further added to the workload, and so this division of tasks did not fully meet the needs of the moment (though it must also be said that one reason for “doubling” the court had been to create job opportunities for the rapidly-growing patrician class). The result was that in 1492 it was decided to increase the number of Quarantia member to 120, splitting the civil appeals court into the Civil Vecchia (responsible for cases involving the city and the dogate) and the Civil Nuova (responsible for cases involving Venice’s foreign subjects). However, this increase in numbers did not mean an increase in political weight, for this was precisely the time when the Council of Ten became more powerful (at the expense of the Quarantia). Nevertheless, due to the high number of its members (120 , plus the 32 members of the Colleges) and the long term of office they served, this magistratura became one of the most prestigious and important in the Venetian Republic. Even as Venice’s one thousand years of independence were about to come to an end, the Quarantia remained the stronghold of the moderately-wealthy patricians classes who were traditionally well prepared for their duties and faithful to the orders of the Republic. Quarantia Civil Nuova Also known as the Quarantia Nuovissima, this was set up in 1492, with the same number of members (40) and the same prerogatives as the already-existing Quarantia Criminale and the Quarantia Civil Vecchia. It was the ducal councillor Luca Pisani who suggested the institution of this body, to lighten the workload of the Civil Vecchia, which thenceforth was responsible solely for the civil appeals relating to the city of Venice and the areas ruled by the various ducal podestà (for example, Murano), whilst the Civil Nuova was responsible for appeals from the mainland and overseas dominions. In spite of this division of duties, the three Quarantia were also seen as a single constitutional body: a unity that was underlined by the fact that, once elected, the members (the quarantiotti) passed automatically from one Quarantia to the other after serving a period of eight months (though it was only when serving in the Quarantia Criminale that they formed part of the Senate). After passing through all three bodies, the members then served for shorter terms on the College of the XX and the College of the XII (lesser authorities in the Republic’s judicial system). The long mandate - a total of 32 months - resulted in a high degree of professional expertise, which in the long run became the feature that distinguished this particular magistratura; the quarantiotti looked upon themselves as those most qualified to act as guardians of Venetian law and guarantors of its correct application. Milizia da Mar In a ruling of 5 August 1545, the Senate ordered the construction of a standing fleet of some one hundred light galleys which would be ready to go into service to meet any emergency. Certainly, this was a difficult time in Venice’s history, given that just a few years earlier the Republic had had to sign an ignominious peace with the Turks, and now found itself squeezed between the great empires of Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent. The body responsible for putting into effect this ruling about a standing fleet was the new Collegio della Milizia da Mar, made up of twenty noblemen drawn in part from the Senate, in part from the Great Council. Their core task was the recruitment of manpower, given that this would be the number one priority of the Venetian fleet throughout the sixteenth century. In other words, the Arsenale was well capable of fitting and launching an entire fleet in just a few months (as it would before the Battle of Lepanto), but the necessary manpower was not always available; each crew numbered hundreds of men (oarsmen and soldiers) and the increasing tonnage of the ships made powering them more and more arduous (and so there were fewer and fewer willing to volunteer as oarsmen). The presidents of the Milizia da Mar did not look to the prisons or to press-ganging as a way to solve their problem, but sought to engage freemen from the city’s guilds and corporations - those who were thought to have a direct interest in the safety of the Republic. Each guild was responsible for providing a certain number of men; but by the second half of the century, men were allowed to buy their way out of the service (with a sum paid by the guild itself). As a result, control of the accounts of these guilds and of the various communities within the Dogate ultimately came under the Milizia’s jurisdiction. Closely linked with this magistratura was that entitled the Provveditori all’armar, which was however primarily concerned with the fitting and supplying of ships. 2008-04-03 16:53:12 Magazine topic.lasso?id=28 The palace was the ancient residence of the bishops of Torcello. It was originally a patrician’s palace in typical Flamboyant Gothic style, and then in 1659 it became the residence of Bishop Marco Giustinian who later bought the property and donated it to the Torcello diocese. This was the period when extensive rebuilding was carried out, based on plans by Antonio Gaspari. When in 1805 the Torcello diocese was abolished, the palace passed into the hands of the Venice Patriarchate which in turn sold it to the Murano Municipality in 1848, and it became the town hall. When the museum and archives were established in 1861, they were both housed in the central room on the first floor. However, the rapid and steady growth of the collection made it necessary to find more space and so gradually the museum occupied the whole building. After the autonomous Murano Municipality was abolished in 1923 and was\annexed to Venice, the museum became part of the Venice Civic Museums. Today, the ceiling of the large central room (or portego) on the first floor overlooking thr Grand Canal in Murano testifies the original splendour of the palace with an 18th century fresco by Francesco Zugno (1709 - 1789) depicting the allegory of the Triumph of San Lorenzo Giustinian, the first patriarch of Venice (1381 - 1455), ancestor of the family which radically altered the building in the 17th century. Francesco Zanchi (1734 - 1772) also collaborated with Zugno by completing his work with architectural details. The frieze with the coat of arms of Murano families is modern. Of the three large chandeliers, the central one with 60 branches deserves particular attention.It was made by Giovanni Fuga and Lorenzo Santi and presented at the first Murano Glass Exposition in 1864 where it was awarded a gold medal. The Glass Museum The Murano Glass Museum was founded in 1861 when the darkest period in the history of Murano glassmaking had been overcome, following the fall of the Republic of San Marco ( 1797) and the subsequent years of foreign rule. Antonio Colleoni (1811-1855) who was then mayor of the island and Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti (1824-1883) - an enthusiast regarding the art of glassmaking - were able to get the town Council to approve the idea of setting up archives consisting of any available information in order to map out the history and life of the island. The museum expanded faster than the archives due to the fact that a large number of glass pieces made on the island over the centuries as well as contemporary objects were donated by the ownwers of the glass factories which had started working again in the second half of the 19th century with renewed vigour. In 1862 Vincenzo Zanetti also started up a school which was annexed to the museum and attended by the glassworkers on their days off. They studied design as well as past examples of blown glass conserved there. Following the fusion of Murano with Venice Municipality in 1923, the Glass Museum became part of the Venetian Civic Museums. In 1932 its collections were put in order under the guidance of Giulio Lorenzetti and Nino Barbantini who adopted more modern criteria regarding dispaly techniques. The museum’s collection was further expanded by the addition of the Correr, Cicogna and Molin Collections which include, among other things, the most beautiful Renaissance pieces in the museum. The Archeological Heritage Department was responsible for setting up the archeological section whose most outstanding exhibits come from the necropolises of Enona (Zara). Except for occasional purchases, even today additions are nade to the museum’s collection thanks to donations made by the island’s glassworks which enrich, above all, the contemporary collection. The origins of venetian glassmaking Up to now it has been impossible to establish precisely when the Venice glassmaking industry first began. One of the likely theories links its earliest production to the period when the Veneto people moved to the estuary islands after having lived in flourishing Roman coastal towns on the Adriatic ( from Adria to Altino) and where they had learned Roman glassmaking techniques. A document witnessed by a notary dating from 982 was signed by a certain Domenico who was a “fiolario”, that is he made blown glass, mainly producing bottles known as “fiole”. The only evidence of Venetian glassmaking consists of fragments found in 1961-62 together with the remains of a furnace during excavations in the “Piazza” of Torcello. Fragments have also been discovered in the Murano subsoil ( the church of San Donato) as well as in the lagoon itself. More recently, between 1992-93 during excavations at Malamocco ( a small place on the Lido), some ceramic fragments certainly dating from between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century were brought to light, together with two truncated cone-shaped beakers and a rounded long-necked bottle dating from the same period as those on display in this room. During the 12th-14th centuries the art of glassmaking certainly developed through contact with East, particularly Syria, Egypt and the Eastern Roman Empire as a consequence of wars and commercial enterprises. As is documented, it is certain that from the last 20 years of the 13th century until about the mid - 14th century there was the art of anamelling on glass in Murano (Gregorio da Napoli, Bartolomeo da Zara, Donino). In the 13th century the glassmakers had a statute drawn up in latin which laid down the regulations that controlled the activities of the guild. In 1441 it was rewritten in the vernacular and was called the “Mariegola dell’Arte dei Verieri de Muran”. In the Mariegola (or Matricola” there were rules which covered all the phases of glassmaking - from production to selling, taxes and the relations between the owners, glass masters and other workers in the factory. 2008-04-02 11:58:59 Magazine topic.lasso?id=27 Venetians used to sanctify the 25th of April far before that date became the actual National Holiday of Italy liberation. April the 25th is indeed the holiday of the Patron Saint of the city, whose relic, which was on Islamic territory in Alexandria of Aegypt, was transferred in Venice in the year 828 by two legendary Venetian merchants: Buono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello. It is told that to subtract from the Muslims the precious body (Islam itself recognizes and venerates Christ and the Saints), the two clever merchants covered it up in a stock of pork meat, which passed through the Turkish customer without being inspected, 'cause of the disgust for that stuff imposed to the Profet believers. We must remember that in those days (and still now, somewhere) relics were a powerful social binder; they would attract pilgrims and improve town population, a very important effect in the beginnings of Urbanism, when people were mainly living in the countryside. Every relic was well accepted, together with the one carrying it, and the body of St. Mark was particularly welcomed in Venice, because it was believed that Saint Mark, during his life, had evangelized the inhabitants of Veneto (Venice county), becoming their Patron Saint and emblema under the shape of the winged lion.   Winged, armed with a sword and holding a book where, in time of peace, one could read the sentence Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus (Peace to You Mark, my Evangelist); a book that was minaciously closed when the sword, instead that christianely discriminate evil from good, was red of warrior blood.   Today the commemoration is reduced only to the 25th of April, date of the death of the Saint, but at the times of the Serenissima people would celebrate also on the 31st of January (dies translationis corporis day of the transport of the Holy Body) and on 25th of June, the day under Doge Vitale Falier when the relic was refound in St.Mark's Basilica. Some popular tales are associated with this Celebration. One of these tells that, while the terrific seastorm described by Marin Sanudo was hitting the City in February 1340, a boatman that was repairing himself under the bridge de la Paja was instead invited to sail again by a Knight. Along the journey towards the Open Sea, the boatman had to stop first in the isle of St.George Major and then in St. Nicolò in Lido to pick up two more Knights. Once in the Open Sea, the evil pushing the water against Venice was faced and defeated by the three Knights, who were nobodyelse than the Saints Mark, George and Nicolò.    After defeating the evil, St. Mark committed the boatman a ring, to hand it over to Bartolomeo Gradenigo Duke of Venice at those times, to have it preserved in the St. Mark´s Treasure. In occasion of the Fest of the Patron Saint, Venetians males use to gift the bocolo (red rose bloom) to their beloved; about the origin of this gift we know two legendary hypothesis.    One is related to the story of the troubled love between the noblewoman Maria Partecipazio and Tancredi the troubadour. In the aim to overcome the social class differences, Tancredi goes to the war seeking for an army glory to high himself to the upper level of his beloved. Unlukly, after serving as a valiant soldier the orders of Charles the Great in the War agains the Arabians in Spain, he is wounded to death, and falls over a rose bed that become red by his blood. Dieing, Tancredi relyes on Orlando the paladin to bring a bloom from that plant to Tancredi's beloved Lady in Venice. Orlando mantains the promise and reach Venice the day before the St. Mark Patron Day, and gives the bloom to the Lady as the last love message from her, now dead, suitor. The morning after Maria Partecipazio is found dead herself, with the red bloom sat on the heart, and since that Venetian lovers use that flower as an emblematic love pledge.   The other legend we know, suggests that the Tradition of the bocolo came from the rose bed growing aside the grave of St. Mark the Evangelist. The plant would has been gifted to a sailor from the Giudecca Isle called Basilio, as a prize for his cooperation in purloining the Saint Body of the Patron to Venice from Turkey. The rosary was planted in the garden of Basilio, but became the borderline of the property divided in two parts by Basilio´s sons, when he died. The two branches of the family became later rival, with some blood too, is said, and the plants stopped flowering. On a 25th of April, many years after, a first-sight love sparkled between a girl from one branch of Basilio's Family and a boy belonging to the other. The two youngs falled in love watching each other through the rose bed separing the properties.   The rosary accompained the raising of this love with a marvellous red flowering, and the guy got one and gifted it to the girl. In memory of this happy end love, that would had reunified the two families in peace, Venetians still now offer the red rose bloom to their beloved Ladies. A curious and very Italian detail might be that the bocolo is also the gift that sons use to bring to their moms in that day. 2007-10-10 15:24:54 Magazine topic.lasso?id=17 The gondola is the only boat in the world which, being just 11 metres long and weighing more than 600 kilograms, can be steered with agility and easyness by just one person and with only one oar and it has become, for millions of tourists, the very symbol of Venice. It is unique, just like the town that it represents, also for its constructive characteristiques. First of all it is asymmetrical, as its left side is larger than the right one for 24 cm and so it always sails tilted on one side. The keel, thus, is not straight but it bends to the right, so that the gondola floats particularly tilted on the right-hand side. That allows the counterbalancing of the push of the only oar which would tend to carry it to the left side. It has got a flat bottom which let it sail in shallow water. For its construction eight different types of wood are used and 280 are the parts tha gondola is made of. The only metal elements are the characteristic ‘fero’ (iron) made of six teeth at the bow (front), whose S form should imitate the winding of the Canal Grande and the lunette, placed under a stylized doge’s cap, the bridge of Rialto, while the six teeth should represent the six sestieri into which Venice is divided and the ‘risso’ (crook) astern (back), which should symbolize Giudecca island. 2007-09-21 09:11:15 Magazine topic.lasso?id=16 Venice 1572 - Braun and Hogenberg Civitates Orbis Terrarum. Courtesy of http://historic-cities.huji.ac.il/ This Guide to the places of Interest in Venice offers basical notes about some of the major Venice Monuments and attractions. Each place is located on a detailed map of its area. The maps also show the nearest restaurants, waterbus stops and the location of others places of Interest in the surrounding of the choosen Venice Monument. St. Mark's Square The Piazza San Marco (or Saint Mark’s Square) is probably the most famous place of Venice. From the medieval age it has always been treated as the centre of Venice. It was the location of all the important offices of the Venetian state, and has been the seat of the Archibishop since the 19th century. It was also the focus for many of Venice's festivals... Accademia Gallery The Accademia Gallery is the Art Museum of Venice. It has one of the world’s greatest collection of masterpieces of Venetian painting up to the 18th century. The collection is generally arranged chronologically though some thematic displays are also evident. It was founded in 1784 by the grand duke Pietro Leopoldo... Correr Museum This building was built between 1806-1814 during the Napoleonic era when Venice was part of the Kingdom of Italy (1806-1814) and stepson of Napoleon, Eugene de Beauharnais, was Viceroy. The Venetian painter Giuseppe Borsato worked on the decoration of the interiors, producing a personal and very careful interpretation of the Empire style. The Correr Museum takes its name from Teodoro Correr (1750-1830), a passionate art collector who was a member of an old family of the Venetian aristocracy... Rialto Bridge Ponte di Rialto or Rialto Bridge is considered as one of the main attraction of Venice. It is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal. At the time of the development of Venice, there was no bridge between the two sides of Grand Canal. This was a big problem for the Establishment. To solve this problem, a pontoon bridge built in 1181 by Nicolò Barattieri...   Ca' d'Oro Ca' d'Oro (correctly Palazzo Santa Sofia) is one of the older and most beautiful palaces on the Grand Canal in Venice. It has been known as Ca' d'Oro (golden house) due to the gilt and polychrome external decorations which once adorned its walls. The Palazzo was built between 1428 and 1430 for the Contarini family, who provided Venice with eight Doges between 1043 and 1676... Salute Church In the first half of the 17th century a terrible plague broke out in Northern Italy. The Doge of Venice took preventive measures to stop infection in Venice. But the all the efforts went into vein and the disease was spreading into the city. In a very short time, in spite of the restrictions set by the authorities, the population was decimated. The Doge and most of his family perished. The failure of every medicine and prophylactic then known drove the government and people to look to religion to save them... The Festival of the Madonna of the Salute Miracoli Church Santa Maria dei Miracoli, also known as the Marble Church, is located in the Sestiere of Cannaregio, in Venice. The church is one of the best examples of the Venetian Renaissance including colored marble, a false colonnade on the exterior walls, and a semicircular pediment. Built between 1481 and 1489 by Pietro Lombardo to house a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary. In Venice, the state generally paid for the construction of churches, but the funds for the construction of Miracoli came from local citizens and devotees of the miraculous image... La Fenice Theatre La Fenice Theatre (Teatro La Fenice) appeared right from the start as the official theatre of the Venetian aristocracy. On 1st November 1789 a competition was announced to construct the Fenice Theatre. After long debate on nomination, Giannantonio Selva was selected to build the theatre. The theatre, with exemplary rapidity, was completed in April 1792... The "La Fenice" Arson in 1996 Scala Contarini del Bovolo The Scala Contarini del Bovolo (also called Palazzo Contarini Minelli dal Bovolo) is a small palace in Venice. It is hidden away in an obscure little alley known as the Calle della Vida, near the Campo Manin, and was the palace of Contarini family. The original structure was designed by Giovanni Candi in 1499. The main attraction of this palace is an elegant spiral staircase with a plethora of arches. The family hired a second architect, Giorgio Spavento, to add the staircase to the original structure... Venice Arsenal The Venetian Arsenal (Arsenale di Venezia) is one of the most important place in Venice. It was a shipyard and naval depot that played a leading role in flourishing Venetian Empire. According to the myth, from the 8th century Venice had shipyards, that were scattered throughout the city. But in the early 12th century these spreaded shipyards became a menace of fires and in 1104... Fondaco dei Turchi This heritage building is one of the oldest building in Venice. In the early part of the thirteenth century, Giacomo Palmieri, a rich nobleman of Pesaro sought refuge in venice. In 1225 he built this building for his personal use. In 1381, Republic of Venice took the control of this building, and used the palace as the court of Duke of Ferrara, Nicholas II... Ca' Mocenigo From the 17th Century, this palace was the residence of the San Stae branch of the Mocenigo family. Mocenigo family is one of the most important families of the Venice. Seven members of this famous family became doges between 1414 and 1778. This large building was originally built in a gothic style but it was extensively rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century and got its present appearance. Several famous personalities of yesteryear, like Lord Byron, Thomas Moore, Lady Mary Wortley Montague, etc. stayed here as guests... 2007-01-14 21:54:13 Magazine topic.lasso?id=5 The city stretches across 110 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; around 62,000 in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazione of Mestre and Marghera; and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon. The Venetian Republic was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain and spice trade) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. //   History Main article: Republic of Venice   Origins and history   Location of Venice in Italy and the Venetian Lagoon While there are no historical records that deal directly with the origins of Venice, the available evidence has led several historians to agree that the original population of Venice comprised refugees from Roman cities such as Padua, Aquileia, Altino and Concordia (modern Portogruaro) who were fleeing successive waves of Germanic invasions.[1] Starting in 166-168, the Quadi and Marcomanni destroyed the main center in the area, the current Oderzo. The Roman defenses 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 current Veneto, and the main administrative and religious entities, were therefore transferred to this remaining dominion. New ports were built, including those at Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. The Byzantine domination of central and northern Italy was largely eliminated by the conquest of the Exarchate of Ravenna in 751 by Aistulf. During this period, the seat of the local Byzantine governor (the "duke", later "doge") was situated in Malamocco. Settlement across the islands in the lagoon probably increased in correspondence with the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine territories. In 775-776, the bishopric seat of Olivolo (Helipolis) was created. During the reign of duke Agnello Particiaco (811-827) the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the highly protected Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore") island, the current location of Venice. The monastery of St. Zachary and the first ducal palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defense (civitatis murus) between Olivolo and Rialto were subsequently built here. In 828, the new city's prestige was raised by the liberation 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, it led to the growth of autonomy and eventual independence.   Piazza San Marco in Venice.   These Horses of Saint Mark are a replica of the Triumphal Quadriga captured in Constantinople in 1204 and carried to Venice as a trophy   Expansion From the ninth to the 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 the head of the Adriatic made Venetian naval and commercial power almost invulnerable. The city became a flourishing trade center between Western Europe and the rest of the world (especially the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world). In the 12th century the foundations of Venice's power 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 seized Constantinople in 1204 and established the Latin Empire; Venice herself carved out a sphere of influence known as the Duchy of the Archipelago. This seizure of Constantinople would ultimately prove as decisive a factor in ending the Byzantine Empire as the loss of the Anatolian themes after Manzikert. Though the Byzantines recovered control of the ravaged city a half century later, the Byzantine Empire was greatly weakened, and existed as a ghost of its old self until Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror took the city in 1453. Considerable Byzantine plunder was brought back to Venice, including the Winged Lion of St. Mark, symbol of Venice.   View of San Giorgio Maggiore Island from St. Mark's Campanile Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice traded with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim 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 then 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, who held the title until his death. 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, who originally had the power to grant or withhold their approval of 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).   alazzo Contarini del Bovolo. 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 Venice's frequent conflicts with the Papacy. Venice was threatened with the interdict on a number of occasions and twice suffered its imposition. The second, most 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. In 1630, the plague killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens.[2] Venice began to lose its position as a center of international trade during the later part of the Renaissance as Portugal became Europe's principal intermediary in the trade with the East, striking at the very foundation of Venice's great wealth, while France and Spain fought for hegemony over Italy in the Italian Wars, marginalising her political influence. However, the Venetian empire was a major exporter of agricultural products and, until the mid-18th century, a significant manufacturing center.   Military and naval affairs   Several gondolas docked in Venice   Gondolas in 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 as 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.   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 it can be argued they had lived with fewer restrictions 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 under Daniel Manin. In 1866, following the Seven 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.   Transportation   The Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs 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 car free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks. 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 (vaporetti) which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city's islands. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges. Azienda Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV) is the name of the public transport system in Venice. It combines both land transportation, with buses, and canal travel, with water buses (vaporetti). In total, there are 25 routes which connect the city. 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, however the water taxis or Alilaguna waterbus' to Venice are only a seven minute walk from the terminals. Some airlines market Treviso Airport in Treviso, 20km from Venice, as a Venice gateway. Some simply advertise flights to "Venice" without naming the actual airport except in the small print.[3]   View of Venice from St Mark's Campanile   Landmarks   Grand Canal   A small canal in Venice (Rio della Verona)   A winter sunset across the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge   Piazza San Marco and its famous pigeons   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 (including San Giorgio Maggiore), and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and Sant'Elena). At the front of the Gondolas that work in the city there is a large piece of metal intended as a likeness of the Doge's hat. On this sit six notches pointing forwards and one pointing backwards. Each of these represent one of the Sestieri (the one which points backwards represents Giudecca).   Piazzas and campi St Mark's Square Campo San Polo   Palaces and palazzi Doge's Palace Palazzo Grassi Ca' d'Oro Ca' Rezzonico Peggy Guggenheim Collection Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo Fondaco dei Turchi Palazzo Labia Scuola Grande di San Marco Palazzo Malipiero   Churches Basilica di San Marco Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute Other churches   Other buildings Accademia The Arsenal La Fenice opera house La Torre dell'Orologio (St Mark's Clock)   Bridges and canals Rialto Bridge The Bridge of Sighs Accademia Bridge Scalzi Bridge Piazzale Roma Footbridge   Surroundings The Venetian Lagoon Islands: Burano Lido Murano San Michele Sant'Erasmo San Lazzaro degli Armeni San Servolo Torcello Vignole Giudecca   Venetian Villas Main article: Palladian Villas of the Veneto The villas of the Veneto, rural residences for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside. They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. Most of these villas were designed by Palladio, and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the architects, water around the villas was a very important architectural element because it added more brilliance to the façade.   Sinking of Venice   High water in Venice   Venice and surroundings in false color, from TERRA satellite. The picture is oriented with North at the top The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which were imported from Russia, (under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood does not decay) which penetrate alternating layers of clay and sand. Wood for piles was cut in the most western part of today's Slovenia, resulting in the barren land in a region today called Kras, and in two regions of Croatia, Lika and Gorski kotar (resulting in the barren slopes of Velebit). 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 realized 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. Many Venetians have 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,[4][5] but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. In May 2003 the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an experimental model for evaluating the performance of inflatable gates; the idea is to 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 engineering work is due to be completed by 2011. 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.[6] 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. In 1604, to defray the cost of flood relief Venice introduced what could be considered the first example of what became elsewhere a 'stamp tax'. When the revenue fell short of expectations in 1608 Venice introduced paper with the superscription 'AQ' and imprinted instructions which was to be used for 'letters to officials'. Initially this was to be a temporary tax but in fact remained in effect to the fall of the Republic in 1797. Shortly after the introduction of the tax Spain produced similar paper for more general taxation purposes and the practice spread to other countries.   Culture   Typical masks worn during the Carnival of Venice 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. In the same century, Venice was the European capital of printing, being the first city to build a press after Germany, in 1500 having 417 printers. The most important printing office was the Aldine Press of Aldus Manutius, which in the 1499 printed the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, considered the most beautiful book of Renaissance, and established the modern punctuation, page format and italic type, and he first printed the work of Aristotle. Canvases (the common painting surface) originated in Venice during the early renaissance. These early canvases were generally rough.     All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers if (window.runOnloadHook) runOnloadHook(); 2007-01-10 17:26:02 Magazine topic.lasso?id=6 According to Giovaniveneziani.com we pourpose to joing the petition aimed to create a new museum in Venice to host Hugo Pratt's works. Read the whole initiative at www.giovaniveneziani.com/petition HUGO PRATT THE WANDERING VENETIAN IN THE COMICS WORLD Born on 15th June 1927, Hugo Pratt belonged to a Venetian family with English, French, Marrano and Turkish ancestries. Strictly linked to Venice, he spent there his whole childhood between the omnipresence of the fascist totalitarianism and a tendency to escape into fantasy. In addition to his esotericism, which was a legacy of his French-Mason and cabbalist ancestors, he got interested in comics, Anglo-Saxon literature and Hollywood films, which he watched at the Malibran cinema close to Marco Polo’s house together with his grandmother. From 1937 to 1943 Hugo Pratt discovered Abyssinia (today’s Ethiopia). Even though he was the son of an Italian colonial and military officer, he hated colonialism. Despite a short period in the army when he was 13, he held to his friendship with the African people against whom he should have fought and to his love for the other cultures. The cosmopolitan spirit of his family towards some British people of the opposite party convinced him of the absurdity of the war and of nationalism. Such a belief later strengthened even more after his return to Venice when he witnessed the Italian civil war between 1943 and 1945. Moreover, travelling became for him the best way to discover and know the others and their diversity. From 1945 to 1949, he started working with “Asso di Picche” (Ace of Spades), a periodical edited by his friends of the “Venice Group” including cartoonists and scriptwriters that took inspiration from the American comics. From 1949 to 1962 he moved to Argentina, where he continued to work as cartoonist collaborating mainly with the great scriptwriter Hector G. Oesterheld (1919-1977). He visited the United States, the Antilles, South America and Brazil in particular. Thanks to his passion for westerns, he discovered the Amerindians. He liked them because they fought against the whites’ colonialism and reminded him of the populations he had met in Africa. In 1960 he spent one year in London working for an English publisher. From 1962 to 1970, Hugo Pratt returned to live in Italy. After a period of stagnation in his career, Florenzo Ivaldi, a Genoese patron of the arts, financed the publication of the magazine “Sgt Kirk”, which published for the first time in Europe the comics of his Argentine period and, in July 1967, “Ballad of the Salt Sea” featuring for the first time Corto Maltese. From 1970 to 1984, Pratt lived mainly in France where Corto Maltese became the main character of a comics series initially published, from 1970 to 1973, by the magazine “Pif Gadget”, which brought him the recognition both of the general public and of the critics. Published as comic book, this series was translated into fifteen languages. From 1984 to 1995 Pratt lived in Switzerland. He owed his international success to Corto Maltese, a very psychologically complex character resulting from the travel experiences and the endless invention capacity of his author. Wanderer by nature, Hugo Pratt continued to travel from Canada to Patagonia, from Africa to the Pacific area. He died of cancer on 20th August 1995. Thanks to him, comics have finally become an Art. read more about Hugo at www.cortomaltese.com 2007-01-09 14:56:18 Magazine topic.lasso?id=7 we are very sorry to inform that this topic is available only in italian. it's possible to use a online traslator such as babelfish at www.altavista.it isola di San Lazzaro SAN LAZZARO - Tra le poche isole minori ancora abitate e tenute in ottimo stato vi è quella di S. Lazzaro degli Armeni. All’inizio fu destinata dalla Repubblica di Venezia ad uso ospedaliero per il ricovero dei lebbrosi; quando la malattia scomparve l’isola venne abbandonata e rimase deserta per circa due secoli, fino a che vi si rifugiarono alcuni sacerdoti armeni che erano sfuggiti ai Turchi (inizio del 1700). Si narra che un monaco in fuga, Manug di Pietro (detto in armeno Mechitar, il Consolatore), fondò una congregazione attorno alla quale si raccolsero molti tra quanti dovettero, come lui, sfuggire alle persecuzioni turche all’inizio del XVIII secolo. Essi ottennero l’isola in concessione: questo è un esempio della tolleranza religiosa applicata dalla Repubblica di Venezia, ampiamente ripagata nel tempo. L’isola raccoglie opere di inestimabile valore, di famosi artisti come Tiepolo e Ricci. Lord Byron vi soggiornò molte volte ed esiste una ricchissima biblioteca con manoscritti rari. Il Museo Mechitarista di S. Lazzaro conserva reperti archeologici di arte armena, greca e indiana, oltre a numerosi oggetti d’arte religiosa armena del XVI e XVII secolo (oreficeria, ceramica) e manoscritti. Da segnalare una mummia egiziana di 3.500 anni fa (una delle mummie meglio conservate al mondo), una statua egiziana raffigurante un gatto che risale a 4.000 anni fa e una tavola dorata tibetana di preghiera. Funziona Inoltre la tipografia istituita nel 1789, che è in grado di stampare in molte lingue orientali. L’isola non venne occupata da Napoleone perché considerata una accademia letteraria; si dice tuttavia che i preti armeni alzarono nell’isola la bandiera del Sultano, di cui l’imperatore era alleato. In ogni caso egli rispettò la comunità religiosa, e questo è quel che conta.   San Francesco del deserto SAN SERVOLO - S.Francesco del Deserto è abitata oggi, come secoli fa, da alcuni frati francescani. La tradizione vuole che S.Francesco di Assisi tornando dalla Palestina, si fermò in questa isoletta vicina a Torcello che in quel periodo si chiamava “Due Vigne” per poter pregare in solitudine . Quando il santo ritornò ad Assisi inviò un gruppo di frati nel luogo dove lui aveva trovato tanta pace. Alla morte del Santo nel 1228, il proprietario dell’isola fece costruire una chiesa in suo onore ed alcuni anni più tardi donò l’isola ai Francescani minori. Nel 1420 l’isola fu abbandonata come varie altre a causa della malaria che apparse con l’impaludamento di queste zone, e da quel momento prese il nome di S.Francesco del Deserto. I frati ritornarono alcuni anni più tardi e restaurarono la chiesa e il convento, abitandovi fino al 1806. Napoleone Bonaparte infatti in quell’anno soppresse l’ordine e trasformò gli edifici in polveriere. Nel 1856 Francesco I d’Austria donò l’isola al Patriarca di Venezia, il quale la concesse ai frati discepoli del Santo d’Assisi. Oggi le costruzioni sono completamente restaurate, mantenute dai frati che le occupano e che ospitano quei visitatori che desiderino vivere momenti tranquilli in questa oasi di verde silenzio.   San Servolo SAN SERVOLO - Tra il 764 e l’804 la famiglia Calbana fece erigere la chiesa dedicata a San Servolo con annesso convento. Ma solo dal 1109 l’Isola divenne stabilmente sede conventuale con l’arrivo delle suore benedettine. Le suore vi restarono per cinque secoli, fino al 1615 quando furono trasferite in città. Dal 1647 il complesso venne offerto alle 200 monache Benedettine, Domenicane e Francescane residenti nell’Isola di Candia (Creta), per salvarle dalla conquista turca. Le suore utilizzarono l’Isola fino alla loro estinzione dopodiché, nel 1716, il convento fu chiuso. Nel 1715 l’Isola era praticamente disabitata per cui il Senato della Repubblica decise di utilizzare l’ex convento quale sede del nuovo Ospedale militare poiché la guerra contro i Turchi, che faceva confluire a Venezia un gran numero di soldati, aveva reso insufficienti gli spazi dell’Ospedale militare di Sant’Angelo di Castello. La funzione medica e assistenziale insieme fu delegata ai Padri ospedalieri di San Giovanni di Dio, oggi Fatebenefratelli e vi furono trasferiti 400 malati. Venne predisposto un piano generale di ristrutturazione delle “fabbriche” e della farmacia dell’Isola, i cui medicamenti erano prodotti dai frati. In seguito l’Isola divenne un ricovero per malati psichiatrici (manicomio) che spesso vi venivano rinchiusi anche per tutta la vita. Nel 1978 l’approvazione della legge n. 180 decretò la chiusura degli Ospedali psichiatrici. La trasformazione dell’isola di San Servolo, attuata e portata a termine dalla Provincia di Venezia in uno spazio di formazione e dialogo fra culture ed esperienze, memoria e storia costituisce un’iniziativa diversa dalle altre che si vivono in laguna e che sono legate al business e alla monocultura turistica della città. È attivo un servizio di visite dell’Isola. Il servizio può essere richiesto telefonando tutti i giorni dalle 9.30 alle 17.00 (venerdì dalle 9.30 alle 15.30) al numero + 39 041 5240119.   San Michele SAN MICHELE - Cimitero di Venezia, divenne tale solo intorno al 1870 con l’unione di due isole vicine: San Cristoforo e S.Michele. Questa era di proprietà dei Camaldolesi fino alla comparsa di Napoleone e coincideva con la parte più a sinistra nella foto. Il monastero fu costruito tra il 1469 ed il 1535 ed ha un bellissimo chiostro gotico che vale la pena di vedere. L’intera isola ha più l’aspetto di un giardino che di un cimitero, ha un ambiente tutt’altro che tetro e quasi magico. Mete turistiche sono le tombe di personaggi quali Sergej Djagilev, Igor Stravinskij ed Ezra Pound.     Mazzorbo MAZZORBO - Si tratta di un centro minore che attualmente passa inosservato sotto gli occhi del turista diretto a Burano e Torcello. Quest’isola, abitata da qualche centinaio di persone è infatti collegata a Burano tramite un lungo ponte di legno e quasi tutti la considerano come parte di quest’ultima. In realtà “Maiurbium” - questo è il suo nome latino - significa “città maggiore” proprio per l’importante ruolo commerciale che un tempo quest’isola rivestiva. Sebbene assai più stretta di quanto lo sia oggi, contava ben cinque parrocchie e cinque monasteri: notare che i monasteri della laguna raramente erano piccole strutture periferiche ma spesso grossi complessi che provvedevano all’educazione dei figli dei nobili e patrizi veneziani; allo stesso modo erano custodi di opere di artisti di prim’ordine, quali Paolo Veronese. Sebbene i monasteri ed i palazzi non abbiano resistito al tempo ed all’opera dell’uomo (vedi Napoleone Bonaparte), qualcosa si è salvato: la chiesa di S.Caterina (romano-gotica del XIV secolo) ed alcune case in stile gotico allineate lungo il canale principale. Una piccola curiosità: il campanile della chiesa ospita quella che è la più antica campana della laguna, datata 1318. L’isola - salvata dall’abbandono - ospita ora strutture sportive e giardini; la maggior parte è invece coltivata.   2007-01-09 12:17:16 Magazine topic.lasso?id=9 Murano is relatively easy to visit as part of a longer trip to the main sights of Venice - or as a destination in itself. The island lies a few minutes off the principal island on the other side of the San Michele cemetery island. Water Buses The fast waterbuses ("diretto") run on the line DM from the Tronchetto or Piazzale Roma car parks, or the train station ("Ferrovia") to Murano every half hour. The line starts after 06.00 and the last return is after 15.00. The 41 line is a regular vaporetto line which operates from Murano Glass Museum to other stops on the island. It then passes the cemetery, back to Fondamenta Nuove and past the train station to Piazzale Roma. From there it heads out into the Giudecca Canal and into the Bacino di San Marco in front of St Mark's Square, along past the Arsenale and the Biennial Gardens until it reaches the Fondamente Nove once more and returns to Murano. The line runs every 20 minutes from after 06.00 to just after 20.00. The 42 runs a similar route to the 41 - just in the other direction. It runs with similar frequencies and times. The above buses stop at most Murano stops including the Glass Museum and the lighthouse ("Murano Faro"). The following buses only stop at the Faro stop: Line 13 runs from the Fondamente Nove to Murano Faro and then onwards to Vignole and Sant Erasmo. The first waterbus of the day starts after 04.00 and the last is scheduled at after midnight returning from Murano. The service runs every hour. The LN line stands for "Laguna Nord" and links Punta Sabbioni and Burano to the main island calling in at Murano along the way. The services runs every 30 minutes and starts after 04.00 and finishes after 01.00 (with a more limited service in the late night and early morning). A more limited service "ACTV NOTTE" connects Murano Museo with the Fondamente Nove during the deep night, with services running every 30 minutes. TICKETS Fares on the regular waterbuses and motoscafi are €3,50 for one journey. Those who plan on doing a lot of sightseeing may find it more attractive to take a one-day (€10,50) or three-day (€22,00) travel pass. The above fares do not apply on the "Grand Canal" route, which has a special ticket price of €5,00. There is also an hourly service which runs from Venice Airport on the mainland to either Murano Museo or Murano Colonna stops on its way into Venice. This is operated by the private Alilaguna company and costs €5,00 per journey. The most appropriate stop for the Murano Glass Museum is - surprisingly enough - Murano Museo. From the landing stage, turn to the right, around the corner, and the Glass Museum is in the first large palace before the bridge and square in front of San Donato church. 2007-01-08 00:00:00 Magazine topic.lasso?id=1 The specific characteristics of glass is the way in which it solidifies, passing from liquid to solid by increasing the viscosity and passing from the rigid to the to the solid state which is obtained at a temperature of about 500 degrees C. (centigrade). In this interval of time, the so called "workable thermal interval", the Glass Master can give shape to objects, the finished products of which will retain the rigidity of a solid body while maintaining the transparency of liquid. Glass is composed of about 70% sand and silica which is transformed into a liquid state at a temperature of 1700 degrees C. In order to melt the silica at a lower temperature a "fondente" or "flux" which is used as a melting agent is added. This composition is incisive in glass technology not only because of the economic savings but also because it becomes a protagonist in the characteristics of Murano glass for which it is famous through out the world. The primary melting agent is soda, which has the property to lengthen the solidification time thus allowing optimum conditions in which the Glass Master may work the glass. The higher the percentage of soda the slower the glass solidifies ("slow" glass), in any case the presence of a melting agent must not be excessive, in fact there is an equilibrium that must be respected. If this equilibrium is not respected, over a period of time the glass will bring the flux to the surface and the object will become opaque (in "Muranese" terms it is said that the glass " sputa" spits out the soda). In order to limit this tendency a stabilizing agent is used: limestone or calcium carbonate. Other components which are added to the composition are nitrate and arsenic which have a refining action, facilitating the expulsion of air bubbles and making the fusion more homogeneous. If colours or opaque agents are added to the primary ingredients indicated the famous coloured or opal glass is created. Today the pureness of the soda is guaranteed by the Solvay process which gets its name from its inventor, while in ancient times melting agents came from the Orient. In fact an analysis of ancient glass indicates that plant ash containing a high quantity of potassium oxide and magnesium was used as flux. In the Syriac language these substances are known as "allume di catino" and "cenere di soria". It may be suspected that the decision to use this particular potassium based ash which was sanctioned by a Major Council edict of 1306 which prohibited the use of potassium ash made from processed ferns had a political basis. In fact such an edict ensured that the "Galee" (Venetian ships) of the Venetian patriarch would return from the Orient with their holds filled. The plant ash under went a purification process in order to obtain the "sale di cristallo" or the "sale di vetro" or glass salts, which when used together with pure silica and magnesium from Piemonte was the most precious decolorant used by Angelo Barovier in the XV Century to obtain that most precious of Murano glass: crystal. As far as silica is concerned, from 1300 to the XVIII century stones from the Ticino river were used. The so called "cogoli del Tesin were very pure while the "cogoli de Verona were less precious because as is written an anonymous manuscript from the XVIII C., it makes the glass "zaleto" (yellow). Later excavated silica sand was used and is still used today. The most famous silica is that which extracted in Istria and along the Dalmatian coast which is quoted in documents as sand from Pola and Lisa. The pureness of the glass today is guaranteed, not only because of the quality of the raw materials but also for the manner and ease with which fusion takes place thanks to the use of methane gas as fuel which quickly reaches high temperatures.The most widely used furnace is the "crogioli or slow-baking furnace with a medium capacity of 500 kilograms a day. These slow-baking furnaces are known by the Glass Masters, in order of size, as "palea", "ninfa" and "curisiol". The composition is loaded into an empty slow-baking furnace in two or three stages. 2007-01-07 00:00:00 Magazine topic.lasso?id=11 we are very sorry to inform that this topic is available only in italian. it's possible to use a online traslator such as babelfish at www.altavista.it Come aggiungere insulto all'insulto? Presto detto. Anche a Murano si comincia ad usare l'intonaco. Vi chiederete cosa ci sia di male, si è sempre usato l'intonaco. Certo è che non lo si è mai usato su restauri di monumenti che, a memoria di libri, non hanno mai sfoggiato particolari in materiale povero come l'intonaco.Eppure è quello che succede da un paio di settimane al ponte di San Donato. Dopo aver atteso paziente per decenni un restauro il Ponte aveva deciso di entrare in clinica per un bel lifting. I bel Ponte, cornice della splendida basilica Romanico Bizantina di Murano, ha resistito agli scalpellini dell'era Napoleonica, ma non resiste alle decisioni dei nostri amministratori attuali, chirurghi degni solamente di una clinica di bruttezza. Tra gli sguardi increduli dei muranesi più anziani e gli obbiettivi rotti delle macchine fotografiche dei turisti che si rifiutano di immortalare cotàl bruttura, il ponte di San Donato sembra perdere la sua natura. Niente più giochi cromatici in armonia con la facciata dell'intera Chiesa, bensì un grigiore da metropoli fordiste. Sappiamo che molte forze politiche vogliono esprimere le loro perplessità attraverso interrogazioni alla Municipalità. Nostro compito è quello di denunciare il metodo oramai patologico e poco rispettoso di trattare la nostra Città e una sua isola che contribuisce con l'arte vetraria a valorizzare costantemente il patrimonio di tutta la Regione. Un comportamento ancor più di basso profilo sarebbe quello di continuare a operare senza alcun rispetto per il passato come se il nostro patrimonio culturale potesse essere soggetto alla non curanza di pochi amministratori e ai loro segretari. L'Associazione istituirà una commissione di esperti per portare alla luce la vera natura architettonica del ponte di san Donato per dissipare ogni dubbio sull'aspetto originale del Ponte. Consapevoli di aver espresso il pensiero di tanti Muranesi e Veneziani e disponibili per qualsivoglia collaborazione, vorremmo conoscere quali saranno le misure che l'amministrazione intende percorrere per far cessare questo stupro architettonico. "Ass. I Giovani Veneziani"