The writings on this site are split into several categories, but they’re all listed here together, chronologically, newest first.
The categories are Articles, Blog posts, Venetian Stories (newsletters), Lists and translations from Curiosità Veneziane.
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Elephanticide
The Church of Sant’Antonin in Castello still carries the sign of an unfortunate episode with an elephant.
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A Venetian Stories podcast
I’ve been told that men of my age are supposed to have a podcast, preferably an obscure one which nobody listens to.
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Il Gran Contagio di Verona — Francesco Pona — libro secondo (modern)
Libro Secondo (second part) of “Il Gran Contagio di Verona” by Francesco Pona (1631) — modernised text.
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Il Gran Contagio di Verona — Francesco Pona — libro secondo (original)
Libro Secondo (second part) of “Il Gran Contagio di Verona” by Francesco Pona (1631) — original text.
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A Catalogue of Courtesans
The famous courtesans of Venice were so famous somebody made a catalogue, with prices.
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Austrians entered Venice
Austrian soldiers entered Venice on January 18th, 1798.
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Giuseppe Tassini — a human giant
The “Curiosità Veneziane” is an unmatched treasure trove of titbits of Venetian history, and the result of decades spent in the archives and libraries.
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The lagoon in winter
The lagoon is particularly beautiful in the winter, if one dresses for the weather.
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A headless eagle
Headless eagles on Venetian lampposts — small signs of big events in the past.
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The Castle of Love
In 1215, Venice and Padua fought a war for one of the silliest reasons imaginable: a brawl during a game of Castle of Love.