Cura gattoli — plate 38
The Arti che vanno per via nella città di Venezia (1753, 1770, 1785, etc.), by Gaetano Zompini (1700–1778), contains sixty engravings of common, mostly poor people, peddling their trades on the streets of Venice in the mid-1700s.
Text
Co xe l’alba per tute le contrae I gatoli curemo dal sporchezzo; E se mantien le strade ben netae.
Translation
When it is sunrise in every district We'll clean the drains from dirt; And the streets are kept nice and clean.
Notes
The gatoli (gattoli, gatoi) are the drains in the pavement of the calli in Venice, and the hidden canal underneath. They are essential for draining off rain water.
The people doing this would be poor, and in the engraving it does look like the man is asking for alms from the wealthy passers-by.
All images
Related articles
Bibliography
Zompini, Gaetano. Le arti che vanno per via nella città di Venezia inventate ed incise da Gaetano Zompini, Aggiuntavi una memoria di detto autore. Venezia, 1785.
Leave a Reply