History of Venice Podcast

In the autumn of 1260, a new fashion arrived in Venice from the continental European mainland. It had started just a few months earlier in the central Italian city of Perugia, and somehow it had caught the mood of a worried, uncertain population, concerned about the capricious nature of human existence and eager to atone for the evils of a fallen society. The flagellants were in town. Seemingly out of nowhere, ordinary people were going around in groups whipping themselves in a frenzy of piety. Suddenly, hurting yourself for Jesus was all the rage.  What in the name of all that is holy was going on?

This week we’re looking at religious devotion in 13th century Venice, and tracing the social and cultural legacy that it left on the Republic, some of which you can still see today.

 

Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We're joined by Monica Cesarato this week to discuss the artisan tradition in the city of Venice. In our main narrative, we're reaching the mid-13th century, when dozens of professional guilds start to appear in the city, defining the working landscape for ordinary Venetians. Monica talks to us about the background to some of those crafts, and how that artisan legacy still persists in the city today. 

You can find Monica's website here: https://www.monicacesarato.com/blog/

Her podcast, Venice Talks, is available wherever you get your podcasts, and you can also find it here: https://www.monicacesarato.com/blog/venice-talks-podcast/

Her book "Andar per Bacari" looks at some of the best locations and recipes for typical Venetian cicchetti, and is available in English here, (or probably at another well-known online bookseller near you): https://editorialeprogramma.it/shop/regioni/veneto/andar-per-bacari-english-version/

And as ever, you can Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Gloria, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Today we’re looking at the life of Doge Pietro Ziani – the man who picked up the baton after the death of Enrico Dandolo and presided over the chaotic situation that we’ve been narrating over the past few episodes. Contemporary Venetian writers praise his wisdom, his fairness, and his desire for peace. Are they right, or are they just blowing smoke in our eyes? Join us as we examine the life of the wealthiest man in this increasingly wealthy city.

Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

This week we're looking around the Mediterranean at the international political events that provide the wider context to the stories that we’ve been telling lately. We’ll be travelling to Genoa, Sicily, Nicaea, Epirus, Outremer, and, very briefly indeed, introducing a new threat from the East that’s about to burst into our story.

Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Easter 1214. In Treviso, about 20 miles north of Venice, the city’s governors have decided to set up a week-long “court of solace and mirth”. There will be dancing and jousting, feasting and fine fooling. And the symbolic heart of the celebrations will be the splendid Castle of Love, which the area’s finest ladies, wearing their most ostentatious hats, will be defending against the symbolic assaults of teams of young men brandishing flowers, fruits, and spices. The whole game is an idiosyncratic fusion of ancient springtime celebrations of courtship, and the latest fashions of courtly love which have been taking hold in respectable societies across the chivalric states of western Europe. 

It’s a welcome distraction from the trials and tribulations of high politics and foolish wars. Until things go wrong. Tune in to find out more.

Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org