Luca Pes, VIU

Why was Venice founded on water? What is specifically characteristic of Venice? Why and when did the City become powerful? Why and when has its power declined? How was the impact between the City and modernity? What is life about in Venice in the present and the past? Is Venice doomed to die?

The aim of the course is to try and respond to this and other questions adopting an historical approach. Half of the course will be dedicated to the History of the City at the time of the Republic. The other half will be dedicated to the City in the XIXth-XXIst Centuries.

Course outline

The course will be divided into six units:

•  interpretations of the origins of the City; Wladimiro Dorigo's controversial interpretation; the armwrestle between land and sea; City-building and the invention of the Lagoon; digging wooden poles; escavating and sanding canals; the defense of the Lagoon; the Magistrato alle acque ; functions of water; water and City morphology; toponyms and the City origins

•  the fortunes of Venice; vanguard position of the Byzantine Empire with good relations with the German Empire; the fight against pirates for the protection of the Adriatic Sea; gradual autonomy from Byzantium; the conquest of the Eastern Mediterranean markets; the Cruzades; Constantinople taken over; foundation of an Empire; conquest of the Mainland; City-State and dominions; physical presence of Venice in the former dominions today; an economy-world made of culture and exchanges; City-emporium; Marco Polo; the segregation of foreigners

•  myths and anti-myths; the capital of Art, Culture and Printing; the Most Serene oligarchic government and the non-feudal aristocracy; Venice and the Inquisition; a Secular or a Christian City?; the condition of women; health and welfare policies; Scuole Grandi , hospitals, corporations; popular classes; a network of ambassadors; a “pacifist diplomacy”?; vanguard urban planning; Murano, first industrial district; the slow decline; Napoleon; the democratic republic; imprints of modernity; the black legend against the aristocracy; the myth of the death of Venice; the defence of the City's past in the XIXth Century; “com'era dov'era”

•  the XIXth Century as a ribirth; urban policies: continuities between democratic municipality, Napoleon, Austrians; arsenal, canals, punto franco , porto franco , railway, road network; City engeneers; from a society based on orders to a society based on classes; the formation a new High Bourgeoisie which included the rich aristocracy; the importance of the Chamber of Commerce; the exclusion of the Professionals from politics; the 1848-49 Revolution; Rights, Censorship, the role of the Church; the conditions of women and of the popular classes; charity and beggars; Igienismo ; port, tourism, industries; the incorporation in the Kingdom of Italy; Lido becomes part of the Venice City Government; the relationship between the City, the Lagoon, the hHinterland and the region; the Piano di Risanamento of the 1880's

•  the first Venetian industrial revolution (1880); the impact; the transformations of the social classes; a “new” capitalism; SADE; Adriatic Imperialism and the Marghera Project; the workers and Socialist Movement; the Catholic movement; the anti-socialist front; the First World War; building the new industrial port and area; the growth of Fascism and Fiumanesimo ; the extension of municipal boundaries to inglobe the Mainland (1926); the idea of the Greater Venice; its strength and weakness; urban development at the Lido; the Rosso Plan; Life in Venice during Fascism; the invention of Triveneto ; Second World War; Venice headquarter of Ministries of Salò; Resistence movements; postwar Reconstruction; the Second Industrial Zone at Marghera; projects for a Third Zone: Venice as the heart of Fordism; the advent of mass tourism

•  migrations fron the Center to the Mainland; functional City and Urbs ; the definition of the Problema di Venezia ; Venice and the debate on the Historic Centers; 1966; Venice in peril; crisis of Marghera; fear of Mestre and imaginary on Mestre; Venice as excluding City; the failure of the great projects of urban innovation (S.Giuliano, underground transportation system; Expo 2000); referendums; Bipolar City versus città al plurale ; Mainland urbanization; the Housing Problem; ethnocentrism in Venice; effects of globalization; from a class-based society to a status-based society; decisionì-making and power in contemporary Venice; Lagoon, MoSE, Consorzio Venezia Nuova ; pollution, HighTide; sustainable tourism?; port and airport; the universities; labour structure; scenarios

The course will consist of interactive lectures, visits on locations (Historical Archives, Arsenale etc.) and discussions with students on selected readings. Students arew expected to write a final essay of at least 15 pages and to present it orally to the class at the end of the course.

Evaluation

50% quality of discussion and rate of attendance; 50% final essay and presentation.