Articles
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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.
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Population 49,999
The population of the city of Venice has been in a steep decline for the last seventy years, and is now under 50,000 inhabitants.
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Postcards from the 1950s
Some old postcards from the 1950s give us a glimpse of how the city has changed dramatically within a single lifetime.
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Rubbish collection today
Garbage collection in Venice today is more efficient, but suffers nonetheless from some of the same problems as always.
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Differentiated rubbish collection in Venice
Venice had an organised system of differentiated garbage collections from the 1400s, to keep the city clean and the canals open.
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The word “Lazzaretto”
The word “Lazaret” (“Lazzaretto” in Italian) comes from the original name of the medieval plague hospital in the Venetian Lagoon.
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The Venetian Language
The now almost extinct Venetian language was once widely spoken around Europe, and some Venetian words have survived.
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Invasions of Italy in Late Antiquity
In late Antiquity the north-east of the Italian peninsula suffered many invasions. The wars caused people to move to the safer lagoon areas, and hence to the foundation of Venice.