Ron's photo of a canal scene in Venice on May 13, 2010

 
“Venice was the Autocrat of Commerce;
her mart was the great commercial centre,
the distributing house from whence
the enormous trade of the Orient
was spread abroad over the Western World.”
— Mark Twain (1869)

Solo in the Veneto

By Ron Fritze from the MS Splendour of the Seas
on the Adriatic Sea not far from Venice, Italy
Filed on May 15 and posted on May 18, 2010

Don’t get excited, this is not about Han Solo making a trip to Venice. It is not even about Twylia making a trip to Venice. Sadly, I am in Venice without my Princess Leia. While picking up Harley the Chihuahua back home in Athens, Twylia hurt her back a couple days before we were scheduled to fly out. It left her in no condition to sit for a long flight, much less the unavoidable task of hefting luggage from place to place. And let me tell you, the luggage does need hefting in Venice as the city of full of canals and little bridges, all pretty steep.

Imagine a city where you have canals instead of streets. Imagine a city where everything looks like the River Walk in San Antonio, although many of the canals here are bigger than the famous urban stream in Texas — and a few, like the Grand Canal, are far bigger. In Venice, you either ride a boat or walk to get around.

Twylia would love Venice. It is a great place to walk. You get a good workout and see some wonderful scenery as well. It’s a good thing, too, because Venice is packed with interesting places to eat.

Just now I am in my jetlag phase. I’m trying to stay up until about 7:30 or 8 so I can get my ten-to-twelve hours of sleep and adjust the biological clock to local time.

What Would Twain Have Thought?

My arrival day turned out to be lovely. I walked from the hotel near the railroad station to the Piazza San Marco, which took about forty minutes, taking some good pictures there and along the way. Unfortunately, they are doing a little work on St. Mark’s, so it has some scaffolding on one side, which Mark Twain would not have considered a big loss. He thought St. Mark’s was a rather ugly building compared to other great churches of Europe. Some might disagree with Twain’s aesthetic judgments.

The next day was one of dreary drizzle, but I didn’t let the weather deter me. A street vendor sold me a serviceable umbrella as I had forgotten to pack one, and my jetlag was pretty well blunted by a good night’s sleep of ten solid hours, plus some dozing for a bit over an hour. After a delicious breakfast, I walked once again to San Marco, arriving about 9:15. A large line had already formed outside Saint Mark’s Basilica for the opening at 9:45. But the line moved fast and I was in the church by 9:45.

The interior is beautiful. Like the churches in Sicily, St. Mark’s is heavily Byzantine in style with lots of mosaics, including a wonderful set about Noah and the Flood. I got the see the four horses that the Venetians looted from Constantinople during the rather sleazy Fourth Crusade. The originals are housed in the museum with replicas on the outside. These guys are big, Clydesdale big. For me, it was a historical thrill to be close to something that Justinian and Theodora had looked on in the Hippodrome and Napoleon had looted from Venice.

St. Mark's Basilica on the Piazza San Marco ~ May 13

Surviving the drizzle, I caught a cab to the cruise terminal and boarded my ship, The Splendour of the Seas. We sail at 5 p.m. I will be back in Venice in a week and then I will visit the Doge’s Palace and the Arsenal.

Currency, Measures, and Walking

What did I learn in my brief time in Venice?

First, don’t exchange currency at Western Union. They apply some pretty hefty service charges, but don’t mention that inconvenient fact until the traveler’s check is already signed and made out to them.

Second, be cautious when buying fruit. They use a metric measure, which means they also attach the unit price to amounts that are much smaller than Americans are used to buying. You can get a rather nasty surprise. I know I did today when I got some rather pricey cherries — and they were pretty mediocre cherries as well!

Third, walking in Venice is an adventure, but you really can’t get too lost. Signage is abundant, providing welcome directions to the Rialto, San Marco, Ferrovia (the railroad station), and other key landmarks and crossroads. Nevertheless, don’t be surprised to find yourself following the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of tourism. You have a fairly good idea about where you are going, but you are never quite sure how to do it, and never very certain about your exact location as you walk through the adventure.

I imagine that Mark Twain walked and boated a fair ways through the streets and canals of Venice. For sure he knew his history. His observation about the city in the epigram at the head of my essay is right on target. Twain visited Venice during his travels to the Holy Land on the ship Quaker City. Although he was a novelist, not a historian, Twain’s historical judgments were generally accurate, perhaps because of his background as a journalist.

During the height of the Middle Ages, Venice was the richest city in western Europe and a great power as well. Its beginnings, however, were not all that auspicious.

Venice is blessed by a wonderful setting. The city is located on the islands of the Rialto about 2.5 to 3 miles from the mainland. Other islands are located in the lagoon of Venice. Of the two barrier islands, the largest is Lido. The lagoon of Venice is shallow, often only waist deep. There are channels that allow seagoing vessels to reach the city, but the passage into the Adriatic Sea goes past Chioggia a bit over ten miles to the southwest of Venice.

Venice has a natural harbor and great access to the sea. The lagoon of Venice provides a natural moat, a barrier that made the city almost impregnable against attackers through most of its history. At the same time, Venice is close enough to the mainland to draw upon it for food and other commodities. Besides possessing a great harbor for commerce, Venice is located strategically to engage in trade.

Historically, Venice was poised between the Byzantine Empire and the Middle East on one side and western Europe on the other. From that location, it could convey trade goods to the east or to the west by sea, or send them over the Alps into central Europe. Such a location would not have been so favorable in the unified Mediterranean world of the Roman Empire, but it was a great location in the divided Mediterranean of the Middle Ages.

Venice did not exist during the many centuries of the Roman Empire. In fact, Attila the Hun could be said to be the father of Venice. When his Hunnic horde invaded northern Italy in 452, the inhabitants of the cities Padua, Verona, and Aquileia in the region of Venetia took refuge in the marshes and island of the lagoon of Venice. It was an area of 118 small islands. Taking shelter on the protecting water, the refugees of Venetia began to build up and connect the marshy islands into a town and then a city. Later invasions by the Ostrogoths and Lombards compelled other refugees to seek the safety of the lagoon. Venice grew in size and was transformed from wooden structures to buildings of brick and stone over the course of years. It also turned to the sea for its living, first through fishing but quickly its sailors turned to trade.

The Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire reconquered Italy from the Ostrogoths from 535-554 and established a capital or headquarters in the Exarchate of Ravenna. Venice was under the protection of the Exarch and Byzantine influence remained very strong for centuries as is reflected and in the art and architecture of Venice. The city remained independent of barbarian control despite the Lombard invasion of Italy in 568.

Ravenna fell to the Lombards in 751, but Venice continued as a Byzantine territory ruled by a governor known as a dux/doge. The doge’s headquarters was initially located in the port-town of Malomocco in Lido Island but moved to the Rialto of Venice during the government of Agnello Patriciaco (811-827).

Venice is commonly associated with St. Mark the apostle, whose symbol is the winged lion. Lion images are common in Venice, but it was not always so, despite the long tradition. St. Theodore was the saint originally associated with Venice. According to legend, St. Mark stopped on the islands of Rialto as he journeyed from Aquileia to Rome, where he was to join St. Paul in his captivity. On Rialto an angel appeared before St. Mark and gave him a blessing. The angel’s blessing: Pax tibi, Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescat corpus teum, meaning “Peace be unto you, Mark, my evangelist. On this spot shall your body rest.”

In fact, St. Mark went on to be the first bishop of Alexandria, according to tradition, and was buried there. But the story didn’t end there.

Venetian merchants had been visiting the Muslim ports for trade during these years. In 828, some Venetian merchants in Alexandria managed to acquire the remains of St. Mark the Evangelist. Egyptian Christians, who were the guardians of St. Mark’s tomb, were concerned that fanatical Muslims would destroy it. The Venetians persuaded (perhaps with bribes) the Egyptians to give them St. Mark’s body. The Venetians opened the tomb and placed the remains of St. Mark in a basket.

The problem was that St. Mark’s body, being holy, smelled sweetly rather than stinking of decay. The strong odor attracted the attention of Muslim officials, but the clever Venetians had covered the body with pork. As soon as the Muslims discovered the pork, they cried out, “Kanzir, kanzir!” or “Pig, pig,” and fled. So the Venetians got St. Mark onto their ship and carried him to Venice, although not without a few narrow escapes from destruction and miraculous deliverances along the way. The acquisition of St. Mark gave Venice great prestige. It is possible that the Doge Giustiniano Participazio may have specifically ordered a secret expedition to go to Alexandria and obtain the body.

The Lion of St. Mark, holding an open book containing the angel’s welcoming words, became the classic symbol of Venice. Except at the Arsenal.

From their home harbor at the north end of the Adriatic Sea, Venetian traders often sailed past the many islands and bays of the Dalmatian coast. Pirate havens dotted the coastline, and passing merchant ships were in constant peril. To blunt the problem, Doge Pietro Orseolo in 1000 led a fleet against the pirates. Orseolo’s expedition gained a series of victories that brought the pirates under control and gave Venetian merchants access to the Dalmatian ports.

For his exploits, the Doge gained the title of Dux Dalmatiae. His victory also led to the establishment of an annual ceremony on Ascension Day in which the Doge, the Bishop, nobles, and citizens of Venice sailed out past Lido into the Adriatic. There they held a service of supplication and thanksgiving for their victory. Various items were thrown into the sea as gifts, and with time, the throwing of a wedding ring into the Adriatic became a distinctive feature of the event, lending the Ascension Day remembrance the name “Sposalizio del Mar,” the Marriage of the Sea. It continued until the end of the Venetian Republic I the late eighteenth century.

St. Mark’s Basilica has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Early Venice was a city of wooden houses that were periodically ravaged by fire. One of the more dramatic fires destroyed St. Mark’s in 976, but the Venetians were determined to rebuild it. The “new” and current St. Mark’s was consecrated in 1094. Although it has been added to over the years, the existing building is essentially the one raised from the ashes between 976 and 1094. And despite Twain’s misgivings, the basilica is widely considered a gem of Venetian architecture.

Because Venice was becoming the leading trading power of the Mediterranean, it needed a powerful fleet to protect its merchant ships and overseas outposts. To make the Venetian fleet more efficient, Doge Ordelafo Falier nationalized the Venetian shipbuilding industry, then centralized it by establishing the famous Arsenal in 1111. The name derived from the Arabic words dar sina’a, which means “house of construction” or “house of industry.” The Doge made it happen by commanding all the Venetian shipwrights to gather there to practice their craft in service to the state.

Located on two small islands known as the Zemelle, or Twins, on the eastern end of the Rialto islands, the Arsenal grew over time to include dockyards, workshops, foundries, and magazines. Dante visited Venice in 1321 and described the Arsenal this way,

For as at Venice, in the Arsenal
In winter-time, they boil the gummy pitch
To caulk such ships as need an overhaul,
Now that they cannot sail — instead of which
One builds him a new boat, one toils to plug
Seams strained by many a voyage, others stitch
Canvas to patch a tattered jib or lug,
Hammer at the prow, hammer at the stern, or twine
Ropes, or shave oars, refit and make all snug
       — Dante, Inferno, vii, 7-15
 

Eventually, the Arsenal would employ over 16,000 workers, mostly specialized craftsmen. Shipbuilding specifications were standardized, helping Venice became known for producing the best quality ships. When enemies captured Venetian vessels, they tried to copy the design, but were unable to duplicate some of the techniques.

Construction at the Arsenal was highly organized. In its heyday, Venetian shipwrights could produce a fully equipped war galley every few hours. In the age of gunpowder, the Arsenal experienced several nasty explosions. But throughout, the work conducted there helped Venice maintain command of the sea.

Shipbuilding at the Arsenal is testament to the fact that Venice developed industrial production techniques well before the Industrial Revolution. The city also got street lights in 1128 due to the efforts of Doge Domenico Michiel. It was the first instance of this urban lighting innovation in Europe, although some will argue that Constantinople developed a version of street lights some years earlier. Venice also established a national health service for its inhabitants in 1335, the first in Europe. The service included publicly supported hospitals and doctors who were employed by the Venetian Republic.

When the Crusades began in 1099, it was expected that Venice would participate. Venetian ships would be needed to carry troops and supplies to the Holy Land and protect the sea-lanes from Muslim warships. Venice’s role in the first three crusades is sometimes ambiguous. Venetians traded heavily with Muslim countries, especially Egypt. They were not anxious to jeopardize that trade for the ideals of Crusading. This attitude was exemplified by the proverb:

“Pria Veneziani, poi Christiani.”
(a Venetian first, and then a Christian)
 

In fact, the Crusades were good for Venetian trade and give the city greater access to Constantinople and other eastern Mediterranean ports. The Fourth Crusade worked out very well for Venice, even if it did not prove all that beneficial to other parties or the Crusading movement in general.

Richard the Lion-Hearted noted during the Third Crusade that Egypt was a better target for the Crusaders. Although the Crusade was planned in accordance with the normal goal of recapturing the Holy Land from Muslims, leaders of the great expedition began to consider an attack on Egypt. But to get there, either Holy Land or Land of the Pharaohs, the Crusaders needed to be transported by Venetian ships. The clever Doge Enrico Dandalo agreed to carry them — for a substantial price.

One condition of transport required the Crusaders to attack the Dalmatian port of Zara, an action that enraged the Pope. Then, the Venetians and Crusaders involved themselves in a dynastic dispute over the throne of the Byzantine Empire. End result: the Venetians and Crusaders captured Constantinople twice in 1205. The empire was dismembered and a Crusader was placed on the Byzantine throne. Although this Latin Empire was short-lived, Venice managed to acquire much Byzantine territory for its own overseas empire: the West coast of Greece, the Ionian Islands, Peloponnese, Euboea, Naxos and Andros, Gallipoli, Adrianople, and Crete

The Venetians also took troves of Byzantine loot home with them, including the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome of Constantinople and the statute of the tetrarchs, including Diocletian and the Icon of the Virgin Nicopoeia. All stand in St. Mark’s.

Venice acquired its empire, but the sack of Constantinople badly weakened the Byzantine Empire and opened the way for the rise of the Ottoman Turks, who became the nemesis of Venice.

During the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, Venice solidified its trading empire. Initially Venice relied on merchant ships called Cogs for trade and on swift galleys for its warships. Later about 1400 they developed six trade circuits that were followed by Venetian conveys and utilized large merchant galleys to carry high value goods. It was during this era that Venice introduced its famous gold ducat coin in 1284.

Venetian merchants ranged far. Marco Polo, probably the most famous Venetian, made his way to China, where he lived from 1271-1295 with his father and uncle. The Polo family was not unique. Other Europeans visited China during this time. But Marco was unique in his creation of a written count of his time in China. When he returned home, Polo found Venice embroiled in another round of its great struggle with the rival trading city of Genoa. Polo was captured at the Battle of Curzola in 1298. His imprisonment gave him the leisure to write down the famous account of his travels.

Venice’s war with Genoa ended in a treaty in 1299, but it continued at intervals until the War of Chioggia resulted in a decisive defeat of Genoa in 1381. Meanwhile around 1300, Venetian ships started to use stern rudders, which allowed for both better control of navigation and for larger ships to be built. Between 1341 and 1365 the Venetians reconstructed the Doge’s Palace, and Venetian landmark and the finest example of secular Gothic architecture from medieval Europe.

During its golden age, Venice gained a reputation for wealth, beauty, good government, and impartial justice. A republic ruled by a stable oligarchy, the city avoided the internal civil strife and rule by despots that characterized other Italian cities of the Middle Ages. And by the standards of the age, Venetians uniquely enjoyed something recognizable as equal justice under the law.

The fifteenth century saw Venice’s commercial dominance of the Mediterranean threatened. The first and most obvious threat was the rise of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Although they began as horse-riding nomads, the Ottomans began to develop their sea power, which became a threat to the Venetians. In 1453, the Ottomans under their Sultan Mehmet II captured Constantinople, further strengthening the naval might of the Turks. Slowly but surely, the Ottomans captured various Christian strongholds in the eastern Mediterranean, including those of Venice. The effort to combat the Turks drained Venice’s resources to a significant degree and gravely weakened the Republic.

The second threat arose more suddenly. In 1499 Vasco da Gama returned to Lisbon from his epic voyage to India. He had blazed a sea-route to the spices of Asia. Now, instead of spices coming on Muslim ships and caravans to Aleppo, Cairo, and Alexandria, where Venetian merchants would carry them to the rest of Europe and make tremendous profits, the Portuguese were cutting out the middle men, particularly the Venetians, by transporting the valuable spices directly to their ports. It was a huge threat. Eventually it became clear that the traditional spice trade controlled by Venice, though not dead, was severely diverted and drained by Portuguese competition. Again, Venice was weakened.

Venice experienced a brief revival after the battle of Lepanto in 1571 when its fleet took the lead in inflicting a great naval defeat on the Ottoman fleet. But the spoils of victory were short lived. The Turks rebuilt and regained the initiative, and Venice never recovered its command of the Mediterranean. The resources of Spain and the Ottoman Empire were too much for her to overcome.

Echoes and traces of past glories are everywhere to be seen in twenty-first century Venice. She remains a city of beauty and romance. Already, I want to come back.

Click on the black panther to read about Ron Fritze's latest book, Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science, and Pseudo-religions.