How was Venice built?

by Giovanni Di Stefano

"The birth of Venice from the waters is due to the intrepid men who, fleeing from the barbarian invaders, abandoned their homes on the mainland and took refuge on the scattered islands of the Lagoon. Here they designed the foundations of their freedom and achieved the miracle of building a city on the bosom of the waters, first using wood and reeds, and then, made rich by the salt trade, erecting churches and palaces with rich marbles..."

Genres: Nonfiction, History

56 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2014

Reviews

[Anete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jauka lasāmviela Venēcijas ielu nogurdinātajiem tūristiem. Interesanti fakti, zīmējumi un foto. Sniedz idejas, ko apskatīt Venēcijā un ieskatu tās vēsturē. Fakts: venēciešiem nepatīk metāla tilti, nu nepatīk un viss.

[Kristīne Līcis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English translation is quite horrible, even with my limited Italian I kept trying to imagine the text in the original. Despite that, the little book is wonderfully informative for anyone wanting to appreciate the marvel that is Venice where the grand palaces and churches are basically built on stilts - "It was the triumph of man over the water" - and where international power was held for several centuries based on coastal dominions and conquests in mainland territories.

The book gives geographic context, namely, that the Lagoon is a wetland, twice daily breathing in and out with tides, when seawater cleans the Lagoon, including from the debris and silt brought down by the rivers. Already in the 15th century the Dodges tried to reduce the Lagoon silting up and diverted some of the rivers to outside the Lagoon.

The book gives historic background - the islands of the Lagoon were initially settled mostly by refugees from the mainland fleeing the invasion of Attila in 452. The islets were gradually made habitable, putting layers of of wood and clay over the intended building site because "[i]t was necessary to manufacture the soil before manufacturing the housing". Considering that wood was necessary for building both houses and ships for Venetian merchant fleet, "Venice is a city that in its history has swallowed forests upon forests", leading to the introduction of reforestation programmes and 15th century law protecting the woods.

The book also contains laconic information on the architectural features of the city - churches, bell towers, and, above all, bridges. Finally, the book looks into political history of Venice that is largely predicated on its geography, as well as into societal features that too derive from the specificities of location - the role of communal wells, the regulated craft of the gondoliers. All unique, just like Venice itself.

"/../ An economy grows up on salt, and trades it,
Rises, and is Venice. Sinking now,
The state founded unwittingly by Huns."
/Australian poet Philip Martin/

[Geoff Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but limited.