|
We are Venetians and our boats are moored
at the island of Certosa,15 minutes from
the open sea and opposite the dockyard which
wrote the history of the Italian navy. We
have an in-depth knowledge of this city
and we want to take you through its alleyways,
small squares and landscapes. We are well
aware that the fascination of Venice is
largely associated with its highly particular
context and the profound contact between
sea and land which has inspired painters
and artists in both the past and present
and still today attracts millions of visitors.
A yacht is without doubt the most suitable
way to discover that masterpiece of nature,
the Venice lagoon, but it also offers a
way to learn more about a city which, for
those who want to listen, can still tell
of the glorious past of the capital of the
Mediterranean's most important trading power,
the Republic of Venice.
A
short History of Venice
The island of Certosa
The Arsenale
dockyard
The Venetian
influence - the Croatian coast
A short history
of Venice
Venice is built on an archipelago made up
of more than 100 large and small islands
separated by 160 canals with the Grand Canal
as the main thoroughfare. Its plan develops
among the islands and canals and is divided
into units represented by the "campi",
squares containing a church, a well, a market.
These are the starting point for the pedestrian
streets, while collective and commercial
traffic takes place along the canals. The
architectural heritage of Venice, led by
Piazza San Marco and Rialto, is a direct
testimonial of its past. And in fact the
city was once the trading capital of the
entire Mediterranean basin, thanks to the
enormous development of its fleet which
enabled it to expand across the seas to
become a genuine intermediary between East
and West.
The presence of inhabitants on the islands
began to grow from the 6th century as a
direct consequence of the raids of the Huns
and the Lombard conquest. As elsewhere,
local militia sprung up and a military aristocratic
was organised, counterbalanced by a merchant
aristocracy. But the constant transitions
of power (Byzantine, Lombard, Frank) led
the inhabitants to transfer the capital
to Rialto, the strongest and safest place
at the centre of the lagoon, to which the
surrounding islands were united. This was
the beginning of the Republic of the Venice.
At the beginning of the 13th century, Venice
reached the peak of its power, dominating
trade in the Mediterranean and with the
Orient, gaining possession of the commercially
most important islands and maritime locations
in the Byzantine Empire and guaranteeing
its contacts with the flows of trade from
Africa and India. It set up a protectorate
on Zara and throughout Dalmatia, thus obtaining
direct control throughout the Adriatic,
to then continue as far as Greece and Crete,
taking the trade routes of the Venetian
galleys to Turkey, Egypt and the Orient.
With the aim of constantly expanding its
maritime power, Venice also set up the "first
ship factory", the Arsenale (Dockyard)
where for centuries the seas' most powerful
vessels were built.
The island of
Certosa
Right opposite the Dockyard, the "factory"
which produced the most important boats
of the Republic of Venice, is the island
of Certosa, 200 m from the city of Venice
and 15 minutes from the open sea. This is
where we moor our boats and where we are
waiting for you to discover together the
freedom of enjoying the sea.
The island occupies 22 hectares and is the
entrance to the North Lagoon Park. First
occupied by the Augustinian canons since
1199, from 1424 the island was home to the
Carthusian fathers from Florence who built
a temple and a monastery there. In the 19th
century, the monastery was forcibly closed,
the works of art removed and it was taken
over for military use until 1968. In November
2004 the restored buildings were assigned
to the Vento di Venezia company responsible
for setting up a sailing centre (www.ventodivenezia.com)
which is proving to be one of the most dynamic
elements in development of the island. It
has a sailing school, moorings and laying
up facilities, accommodation, a shipyard
to construct new boats and special services
to provide wood and metal structural work.
The Arsenale dockyard
From the 12th century onwards, the Arsenale
was the heart of Venice's shipbuilding industry
and its activities are associated with the
most flourishing period of the Republic
of the Serenissima. It can, in fact, be
considered the world's first true factory.
Occupying 46 hectares, it employed up to
2000 workers a day, building merchant and
war ships, the famous Venetian galleys responsible
for the victory of Christianity in the Battle
of Lepanto in 1571. The location of the
Arsenale was dictated by both strategic
and logistic necessities. It allowed good
defence of the city in the case of attack
from the sea and optimised resources as
it was the point of arrival for all timber
coming from the hinterland. Down the years,
the monumental Land Gate, the two towers
alongside the Sea Gate, the external accommodation
for the workers, the public ovens, the warehouses
and the rope factories were constructed.
In the latter, ropes were made for the ships
at industrial level, ensuring that the city
remained independent even in the event of
war. And it was also in the Arsenale that
the Bucintoro was made, the prestigious
boat used every year by the Doge during
the ceremony of the Ascension (Festa della
Sensa) to celebrate the traditional ritual
of the marriage between Venice and the Sea.
The Bucintoro was a two-level vessel crewed
by three admirals, 30 sailors and 168 rowers.
The rowers were on the lower floor, while
the upper floor accommodated the Doge's
throne and, under a canopy of red velvet,
90 seats for the most powerful people in
the Republic.
On Ascension Day, the Bucintoro first went
to the island of Sant'Elena for the blessing
of the golden ring, then continued as far
as the San Nicola inlet and out into the
Adriatic. Here, the Doge threw the symbolic
ring into the sea pronouncing the ritual
words: "Desponsamus te, Mare, in
signum veri perpetique domini" (we
wed you, oh Sea, as a symbol of true and
perpetual dominion).
The Venetian
influence: the Croatian coast
Among the sailing itineraries we propose,
we could hardly overlook the other shore
of the Adriatic, the Croatian coast, once
dominated and influenced by Venetian culture.
For centuries, until the end of the 18th-century,
the territory of the Republic included the
area of Istria and Dalmatia. The Venetians,
to whom the Dalmatians were bound by language
and culture, could afford to be liberal
in their dominion as their main aim was
to prevent the development of any politically
or commercially dangerous competitor in
the east Adriatic. The sea-going community
in Dalmatia therefore looked on Venice as
the Mistress of the Adriatic and in exchange
for protection the cities often provided
a contingent for their protector's army
or navy and sometimes paid a tribute in
money or kind.
Without doubt, the presence of the Republic
of the Serenissima had a particularly strong
influence on urban development in Croatia
in terms of town planning, architecture
and figurative art, mosaics and floors in
particular. This effect can be seen all
along the coast from Rovinj and Pore_ on
the nearby Istrian peninsula, but also Zadar,
Sibenik and Trogir whose structure perfectly
simulates Venice, down to the delightful
Dubrovnik still today known as Ragusa.
ITINERARIES:
Lagoon
Silent
Venice
Croatia
|
