A Pocket History of Venice (English language edition)

It is the perfect way to grasp, in relatively few pages, the complexity of over a thousand years of history in a place that has become a legend, and how that legend has become history.

A tale of beginnings, struggles, confrontations, victories and defeats, of a centuries-old end that is in reality merely the beginning of a new Venice, or perhaps simply of a new identity.

For the history of Venice, its lagoon and its people did not end in 1797, but continues to this day, with new challenges, new contradictions and new opportunities, which are well worth continuing to recount.

This is a pocket-sized book on the history of Venice, capturing its most significant moments; it does not stop at the best-known history but extends to more recent issues, from mass tourism to the MoSE project’s challenge of protecting the city from high water.

Written in a simple yet rigorous style by a true-born Venetian who has lived in the city since birth and has been immersed in books since his youth. Above all, he is a true enthusiast of Venetian history and the city where he was born.

A book which, together with Maurizio, the author, we have enriched with numerous contemporary and historical images, including authentic works of art, making it a pleasure to read from an aesthetic point of view as well.

• History of Venice: A journey through time from its foundation to the MOSE project, exploring the events that have shaped the city.
• Characteristics of Venice: A small city yet rich in intellectual and religious freedom, with a long artistic and cultural tradition.
• Key themes: Adventures, struggles, storm surges, tourism and coastal defences have all contributed to Venice’s unique character.

Embark on a journey through time, tracing the history of Venice from its legendary origins to the MOSE, the city’s modern defence system against the now famous lagoon “high waters”. This journey is accompanied by splendid images, works of art, and fascinating insights into the world’s most unique and beloved city.

Universally recognised as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Venice never ceases to amaze, even when retracing the more than a thousand years of history carried on its shoulders.

The adventures and vicissitudes of Venice’s past unfold like a cinematic epic: its obscure beginnings and internal organisation; its battles with pirates and struggles in Greece and the East, to devastating storms and the recent surge in tourism and construction of its sea defences.

All these events have shaped its very distinctive appearance: a small city that has always been a stronghold for intellectual and religious freedom, teeming with artists, poets, artisans, and enlightened minds who have helped shape its beauty.

It is a story that, after all, continues to be written.

From hazy origins and epic battles to trade in the East and the most recent high waters, condensing over a millennium of history into a few pages is no easy task. This book summarises the thousands of pages required to tell the long, intricate history of Venice, from its founding to the present day. The most noteworthy facts have been condensed, and some events have inevitably been highlighted at the expense of others.

The adventures and vicissitudes of Venice unfold like a film: its dark origins, internal organisation, battles with pirates, struggles in Greece and the East, devastating storms, and the more recent tourist invasion... all these have shaped the city's distinctive appearance. It is a small city, but one that has always been a stronghold for intellectual and religious freedom, teeming with artists, poets, artisans, and enlightened minds who have helped shape its beauty. The various names given to Venice over the centuries reflect the respect it commanded in the known world: Republic of Venice, Republic of San Marco, Serenissima, Dominante, Signoria. Even today, the name Venice evokes uniqueness, art, and wonder. Although it is certainly not without its challenges, modern Venice remains a persistent magnet. It is truly one of a kind, a place where life moves to a distinctive rhythm and everything is still wonderfully unique.

So, let us begin…

• Introduction
• Origins
• The Foundation
• The Dominant
• The Crusades and the East
• Genoa
• Political Organisation
• The Land State
• The Turks
• Alone in Europe
• The Collapse of Trade
• Against the Habsburgs and the Turks
• The Great Serenissima
• Between Papacy and European States
• Battles in Greece
• The Decline
• End of the Republic
• In the hands of the foreigner
• Italian Venice
• Events to remember
• The Tourist Invasion
• High waters and great calamities
• MoSE: salvation or failure?
• Essential Bibliography
  

A Venetian passionate about local history and traditions, Vittoria has served as both a functionary at the National Marciana Library and as a director of a Venetian publishing house.

He has published: Breve storia di Venezia (Rome, 1997), Guida insolita di Venezia, with M. Brusegan and A. Scarsella (Rome, 2001-2015), Guida insolita del Veneto(Rome, 2011), Le barche della laguna (Venice, 2014), Detti e modi di dire veneziani. Book-agenda (Venice, 2018). Co-author of Venise. Histoire, promenades, anthologie & dictionnaire, (Paris, 2016).

He has contributed to: Il gondoliere e la sua gondola (Venice,1979), I cavalli di Venezia (Venice, 1972), La chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora (Venice, 1981).

He has edited the ebook editions of: Eugenio Vittoria, Detti Veneziani, ovvero a Venezia si dice ancora così, (Venice, 2012); Giacinto Gallina, El moroso de la nona, Venice, 2013; Luigi Girardi, Novella originale contemporanea, Venice, 2013.

He has edited the reprints of: Marcantonio Sabellico, Del sito di Vinegia. La più antica guida di Venezia (Venice, 2016); Alexandre Martin, Manuale del dilettante del caffè (Venice, 2020).

Page 29, row 5.

The phrase:
Nell’anno 810 le truppe di Pipino, figlio di Carlo Magno e chiamato “Pipino il Breve”, arrivarono fino a Grado, espugnandola e distruggendo Jesolo e Cittanova.

Become:
Nell’anno 810 le truppe di Pipino, figlio di Carlo Magno, arrivarono fino a Grado, espugnandola e distruggendo Jesolo e Cittanova.