Articles
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The Venetian Lazzaretti
The lazzaretti in Venice were the Venetian republic’s response to the emergency of the plague, and an efficient response too.
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Venice might not have been
Venice was an independent state for almost a millennium, but it might note have been. It all hinged on a single battle fought in the Venetian lagoon in 810.
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Why St Mark?
San Marco, or St Mark, is the patron saint of Venice since 828, and the Feast of St Mark on April 25th is an important day in Venice.
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Why the winged lion?
There are statues, reliefs and paintings of a winged lion all over Venice. The lion is the symbol of the Evangelist St. Mark
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Africa Orientale Italiana
At Sant’Elena in Venice a flagpole base commemorates Venetians fallen in Africa Orientale Italiana – an Italian colony in Ethiopia and Somalia
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Quarantine – forty days of isolation
Quarantine is derived from the Venetian (and Italian) word for forty, because the quarantine period on the Lazzaretto Nuovo ended up around forty days.
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Ciao – I’m your slave
Ciao – the Italian informal salute – is actually Venetian, and has its roots in the medieval slave trade.
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Ballot and ballottaggio
The Venetian lawmakers voted by casting a small ball in a vase. That ball, a balote, became a ballot in the United States.
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Cocciopesto
Cocciopesto is a dark red colour commonly used for short-lived writing on walls – but sometimes they survive.
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The United States of America and the Republic of Venice
The founding fathers of the United States of America sought inspiration, and looked to Venice, the oldest of only two republics in Europe in the 1700s.