Venezia

Didn't know I could speak Italian, did you?? Si, signoras. I can also say per favore (please), grazie (thank-you) and the two most important phrases of all, Posso avere un po' più di vino per favore? (May I have some more wine please?) and Quanto è questi pattini? (How much are these shoes?)

This is all we need to know how to say in Italian.

But there is much more to know about Venice. The history of Venice is quite interesting, really.

• According to tradition, Venice was founded in 421 AD on April 25th, St.Mark's day, who is the patron saint of Venice.
• History shows that the mainland was invaded in 452 by Attila the Hun as he tried to conquer what is present day Italy. Refugees fled to the lagoon islands and settled there.
• The most important village in the lagoon by that time was not Venice but Torcello, where in 639 the gorgeous Cathedral was built, and where many people sought refuge from barbarian invasions. Step by step, Venice was built on several islands of a lagoon, then linked by bridges.
• In Venice the Doges' government was established in 726: the first historically known doge is Orso Ipato.
• The year 814 was the starting date of the construction of Palazzo Ducale (Doges' Palace) in what is today St. Mark's Square. The Basilica St. Mark's was begun in 834, but this first basilica burnt down.
• Venice spread its commercial boundaries: in 1000 its fleet defeats the pirates of the Adriatic sea. Then Venice takes part to the Crusades, the war campaigns aimed to free Jerusalem. For Venice this is a business opportunity and expansion chance as well. Many works of art are taken to Venice as a booty: for instance, the four bronze horses of St. Mark's. The only existing specimen of an ancient quadriga, or monumental four-horse chariot, they originally adorned a Roman triumphal arch. They were found in Constantinople and in 1204 were brought to Venice. In 1797, Napoleon carried them off to Paris but in 1815 the horses were returned to Venice. The original bronzes can now be seen in St.Mark's museum, whilst the four horses on the Basilica's facade are perfect copies.
• The journey of the Venetian merchant Marco Polo from Venice to China is one of the most fascinating true stories of the Middle Ages (1271-95). His adventure and the meeting with Genghis Khan are told in the book 'Il Milione'.
• In 1348, Venice population was halved by the plague. In spite of this, Venice succeeded in becoming the leader of the 4 sea powers of the Mediterranean Sea: the other ones were the Republics of Amalfi, Genoa and La Spezia. Remember, at this time Venice was a republic in its own right, known as Serenissima Repubblica.
• In 1489 Venice conquered the island of Cyprus.
• In 1516 the first Ghetto in the world was founded in Venice.
• Another great plague affected Italy in 1630, and for Serenissima Repubblica this was the beginning of the decline.
• Giacomo Casanova was not a legend: he was actually born in 1725 in Venice. The myth of the irresistible seductor and lover told his story in the book 'Memorie di Giacomo Casanova'.
• Teatro La Fenice was founded in 1790.
• Repubblica Serenissima di Venezia, the Venetian Republic, was defeated by Napoleon in 1797 and it became a part of the Hapsburg Empire (Austria).
• Venetians attempted to free their land from the Hapsburg Empire (1848). In 1860 the army of Giuseppe Garibaldi made it possible for Italy to become a nation under the reign of the Savoia dynasty; Venice joined Italy in 1866 after the 3rd Independence War.
• The first Biennial exhibition of Italian art was held in 1894. From that year on, the exhibit pavillions were built in the Giardini di Castello. On 30th April 1894, the I Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte della Città di Venezia (1st International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice) was opened in the presence of the Italian King and Queen, Umberto I and Margherita di Savoia.
• In 1902 the new Modern Art Gallery opened at Ca' Pesaro, thanks to a bequest from duchess Bevilacqua-La Masa.
• St. Mark's square bell tower collapsed in 1902: there are photos and postcards of this impressive event, and they can be bought in Venice. The bell tower had to be re-built completely, in 1912, as we see it now.
• In 1910 la Biennale exhibit had one room dedicated to Klimt, a one-man show of works by Renoir, and a retrospective dedicated to Courbet. A work by Picasso is removed by the organizers, fearing that its novelty might shock the public. Picasso had his first work exhibited at the Biennale only in 1948. The first retrospective of Modigliani was held in 1922.
• The first edition of the Venice Film Festival was held in 1932: the first Esposizione internazionale d'arte cinematografica (International exhibition of cinematographic art) is held between 6th and 21st August on the terraces of the Hotel Excelsior. No prizes were planned but a poll was held. From 1935, the Festival became annual. At the time, Italy was still the Kingdom of Italy, and was governed by the Fascist party. Amongst the pre-war films that won awards were Clarence Brown's Anna Karenina, Luis Trenker's Der Kaiser von Kalifornien, Carnet du bal by Julien Duvivier and Olympia by Leni Riefenstahl.
• In 1937 the Palazzo del Cinema was inaugurated at the Lido di Venezia (it was enlarged in 1952).
• Because of the 2nd World War (1940-45), the artistic activities were interrupted. The Art Exhibition was suspended in 1942 and resumed only in 1948. In September 1943, Cinecittà installed itself in the Giardini di Castello, using the pavilions as studios (Cinevillaggio), and remained there until April 1945. The Film Festival was suspended between 1943 and 1945.
• Fortunately, during the 2nd World War (1940-45), Venice was not bombed: both sides respected the most gorgeous city on earth.
• A flood in 1966 caused serious damages: water level reached 2 metres. In many churches and palaces they put a sign marking the reached water level.
• Fire at Teatro La Fenice, totally destroyed it in 1996. The trial is still going on, and reconstruction was stopped several times, it was re-opened in 2004.
  

Credit to veniceword.com/vehistory.html. Thank you!

So, history lesson completed, we will now explore one of the most beautiful cities on earth.