THE POWER OF VENICE
Mood : Feeling the Power
Dear Reader, the 3rd edition of the Munch Report is here. What an excitement. What a development. What an already 'long' history of useless thoughts combined with contemporary silliness. Who is reading this stuff ? But then.....who cares. May be I just write it for myself. Psychologists will probably analyse this ( and me ) in 100 years.....and hopefully think nothing of it.
As I have been fully engaged in preparing my boat for my forthcoming new Atlantic Adventure, starting at the end of August, I clearly did not have very much time to spend thoughts on the future of the world alas its salvation. So I thought more of its past , which is much easier, it is factual, no ambiguity here. But then the more I got into this scheme, sitting on my beloved 'Altana' ( roof terrace) in Venice, of course I got carried away , and I started to wonder : Are events repetitive, do things re-occur ?
SO WHEN WE LOOK BACK CAN WE SEE THE FUTURE ?
Consequently the scheme of this new and following edition is 'BACK TO THE FUTURE'. Nothing to do with the film, though. No cars here either ! But plenty to do with
Venice,
the physical,social and architectural result of a local people seeking shelter from huge changes to their mini-world. Venice, composed of lagoons rather than dry land, of islands and lidos, of bridges and canals, of churches and museums, hotels, gondolieri and 'aqua alta' ( high water levels ) , and once, at it's height of power called 'La Serenissima ( the most serene ) Republic of Venice' . In it's infancy a tiny copy of the mighty Roman Empire and it's early ideals, developing into a naval power with a reach much beyond the geographical, military and political position it represented in the world.
St.Mark, Marco Polo, Casanova, my Venice, my adriatic Disney Land .
ENJOY !
As I have been fully engaged in preparing my boat for my forthcoming new Atlantic Adventure, starting at the end of August, I clearly did not have very much time to spend thoughts on the future of the world alas its salvation. So I thought more of its past , which is much easier, it is factual, no ambiguity here. But then the more I got into this scheme, sitting on my beloved 'Altana' ( roof terrace) in Venice, of course I got carried away , and I started to wonder : Are events repetitive, do things re-occur ?
SO WHEN WE LOOK BACK CAN WE SEE THE FUTURE ?
Consequently the scheme of this new and following edition is 'BACK TO THE FUTURE'. Nothing to do with the film, though. No cars here either ! But plenty to do with
Venice,
the physical,social and architectural result of a local people seeking shelter from huge changes to their mini-world. Venice, composed of lagoons rather than dry land, of islands and lidos, of bridges and canals, of churches and museums, hotels, gondolieri and 'aqua alta' ( high water levels ) , and once, at it's height of power called 'La Serenissima ( the most serene ) Republic of Venice' . In it's infancy a tiny copy of the mighty Roman Empire and it's early ideals, developing into a naval power with a reach much beyond the geographical, military and political position it represented in the world.
St.Mark, Marco Polo, Casanova, my Venice, my adriatic Disney Land .
ENJOY !
A little story about the history of Venice, in the words of the editor !!!
Venice at its best : quiet and solemn in 2012
It is a long story, this Venice, and it goes way back. Which is good. May be we can learn something ?
It all started in the dying days of the Roman Empire, not in a few weeks however, but let's say between 400 - 900 AC. The Empire had seen its days. Some historians say it had weakened by outsourcing its original ideals, ideology and even religion, whilst its riches had attracted thousands if not millions of migrants joining the Empire. Not in order to destroy it, but rather to participate in its successes of political and economical stability. Sounds familiar ?
Anyway, when the provinces outside Italy had disintegrated and border control due to cost cutting and political bickering had crumbled, migration became an unstoppable stream of foreigners moving into Italy , most coming over the Alps. First in few numbers, but always in spring , after the melting of the winter snow, and always increasing in numbers. Like today, but instead with ox and horse, now with horse power ! Still with kids, Grandma and Grandpa, in groups or alone, etc, and always looking for a good time .
Today we call it holidays.
Of course I don't want to compare ! Dear me , NO ! Today everything is civilised, so to speak, but in those days, it was murder, rape and torture. So no wonder that the local population had enough. Letters of complaint to the authorities of a Byzantine Italy went unanswered ( do politicians ever listen ?) , the military prefect was in Ravenna ( far away, no power, no money ), so what else to do than seeking salvage by going partly independent ( may be Mr Bossi from the Lega Nord got his inspiration from this time ? ) , whilst remaining a friend of a powerful but far away friend = Constantinople , and in the meantime retreating.
Where to ?
Well , who of the Barbarians could swim or had a boat ? Right, straight into the lagoon, onto the mud fields or little islands. Here it was safe, and early huts and stalls for trading through the canals, specifically of salt and later spices (not to forget the slave trade), between the powers of the east and the west, developed into first true settlements.
On Torcello for example . A rather smallish island in the lagoon, that grew from early farm sheds to a mini state, housing in its heydays around 30.000 people. With all its social and economical structures that it had inherited locally and merging it with others imported from the terraferma ( mainland ) as far as Altino and Aquilea. The Doge's office was born when the roman defences finally broke and all terraferma was lost to the empire. His powers started to rise until full independence from Byzantine during Duke (=Doge) Orso's time in office in the year 727AC. The Episcopate was settled..Torcello, holy world, still today with one of Italy's oldest existing churches (639AC). Boat building flourished of course, delivered from trees along the riverbank of the slow moving Sile, originating in the Pre-Alpi area and ending in the lagoon.However the Sile became a forceful stream each spring with the melting of snow and ice. And due to the fact that the fallen trees did not keep the river banks stable any longer, tons and tons of gravel, sand and sediments were washed into the Lagoon .
For the inhabitants of the islands an environmental disaster.
Today the economists might call it 'negative externalities'.
(ie negative side effects of good intentions )
Over the years the lagoon became more and more shallow, and with that came more and more mosquitos, and with that the malaria had arrived on Torcello. And whilst in a few number of years more than half of that population vanished, the administration looked for a solution and decided to move everyone into deeper water. Trading had taken place for many years on the high banks (shore= riva ) of quite a broad channel, people called it Canale Grande, and the trading place was Rivo Alto ( actually the phrase's origin is rivo alti, plural, the connection of various islands , today simply known as Rialto ) but the centre of this , the market, some walls to encourage the political and ecclesiastical life, the strong metal chain to protect Canale Grande and of course to raise taxes , became the nucleus of the future Venice. And this is dated roughly at the year 900 AC under the Doge Pietro Tribuno ( and many untold stories in between ). The rest is history anyway !
So beyond some events that might have sounded familiar, and even seem to repeat itself in a modern context, here is a remaining question : Is it always necessary that out of an environmental change we only have to fear the worst ? Are we too negative ? In the example of this most beautiful of all cities in the world ( at least for some of us ), we wouldn't have her without the negative impact the future Venetians created at their own doorstep. Are there some lessons to be learnt for today. Do we always have the right answers ? Do we always raise the right questions ? Is the only solution to try to stop the change in our environment, or do we have to look beyond ?
What is there , beyond ?????
Hello ? Hello ? Is there anything beyond ?
That my dear reader, I will cover in my next edition. Can't wait to release it, hope you can wait to read it though !
It all started in the dying days of the Roman Empire, not in a few weeks however, but let's say between 400 - 900 AC. The Empire had seen its days. Some historians say it had weakened by outsourcing its original ideals, ideology and even religion, whilst its riches had attracted thousands if not millions of migrants joining the Empire. Not in order to destroy it, but rather to participate in its successes of political and economical stability. Sounds familiar ?
Anyway, when the provinces outside Italy had disintegrated and border control due to cost cutting and political bickering had crumbled, migration became an unstoppable stream of foreigners moving into Italy , most coming over the Alps. First in few numbers, but always in spring , after the melting of the winter snow, and always increasing in numbers. Like today, but instead with ox and horse, now with horse power ! Still with kids, Grandma and Grandpa, in groups or alone, etc, and always looking for a good time .
Today we call it holidays.
Of course I don't want to compare ! Dear me , NO ! Today everything is civilised, so to speak, but in those days, it was murder, rape and torture. So no wonder that the local population had enough. Letters of complaint to the authorities of a Byzantine Italy went unanswered ( do politicians ever listen ?) , the military prefect was in Ravenna ( far away, no power, no money ), so what else to do than seeking salvage by going partly independent ( may be Mr Bossi from the Lega Nord got his inspiration from this time ? ) , whilst remaining a friend of a powerful but far away friend = Constantinople , and in the meantime retreating.
Where to ?
Well , who of the Barbarians could swim or had a boat ? Right, straight into the lagoon, onto the mud fields or little islands. Here it was safe, and early huts and stalls for trading through the canals, specifically of salt and later spices (not to forget the slave trade), between the powers of the east and the west, developed into first true settlements.
On Torcello for example . A rather smallish island in the lagoon, that grew from early farm sheds to a mini state, housing in its heydays around 30.000 people. With all its social and economical structures that it had inherited locally and merging it with others imported from the terraferma ( mainland ) as far as Altino and Aquilea. The Doge's office was born when the roman defences finally broke and all terraferma was lost to the empire. His powers started to rise until full independence from Byzantine during Duke (=Doge) Orso's time in office in the year 727AC. The Episcopate was settled..Torcello, holy world, still today with one of Italy's oldest existing churches (639AC). Boat building flourished of course, delivered from trees along the riverbank of the slow moving Sile, originating in the Pre-Alpi area and ending in the lagoon.However the Sile became a forceful stream each spring with the melting of snow and ice. And due to the fact that the fallen trees did not keep the river banks stable any longer, tons and tons of gravel, sand and sediments were washed into the Lagoon .
For the inhabitants of the islands an environmental disaster.
Today the economists might call it 'negative externalities'.
(ie negative side effects of good intentions )
Over the years the lagoon became more and more shallow, and with that came more and more mosquitos, and with that the malaria had arrived on Torcello. And whilst in a few number of years more than half of that population vanished, the administration looked for a solution and decided to move everyone into deeper water. Trading had taken place for many years on the high banks (shore= riva ) of quite a broad channel, people called it Canale Grande, and the trading place was Rivo Alto ( actually the phrase's origin is rivo alti, plural, the connection of various islands , today simply known as Rialto ) but the centre of this , the market, some walls to encourage the political and ecclesiastical life, the strong metal chain to protect Canale Grande and of course to raise taxes , became the nucleus of the future Venice. And this is dated roughly at the year 900 AC under the Doge Pietro Tribuno ( and many untold stories in between ). The rest is history anyway !
So beyond some events that might have sounded familiar, and even seem to repeat itself in a modern context, here is a remaining question : Is it always necessary that out of an environmental change we only have to fear the worst ? Are we too negative ? In the example of this most beautiful of all cities in the world ( at least for some of us ), we wouldn't have her without the negative impact the future Venetians created at their own doorstep. Are there some lessons to be learnt for today. Do we always have the right answers ? Do we always raise the right questions ? Is the only solution to try to stop the change in our environment, or do we have to look beyond ?
What is there , beyond ?????
Hello ? Hello ? Is there anything beyond ?
That my dear reader, I will cover in my next edition. Can't wait to release it, hope you can wait to read it though !