History of Venice Podcast

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

1205. Venice wasn’t the only mercantile vulture who was looking at the carcass of the Eastern Roman Empire and realising that if she didn’t take advantage of this mess, someone else would. And if that someone else – most likely Genoa – turned out to be more effective at seizing the opportunities, then Venice’s hopes of commercial dominance would be severely dented. The Crusade had shaken the kaleidoscope and the pieces were still in flux. These were dangerous times for everyone, even for the apparent winners.

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

1750. The dream is over. The love of his life has gone. Casanova picks up the pieces and, after a pause to reflect, heads for Paris. But in sophisticated French high society, our smooth-tongued, charming Venetian will soon find out that he’s little more than a bumbling ingénue. Will he make a name for himself, or will he continue to flounder out of his depth in the capital of European culture? 

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

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

It’s an unexpected change of direction for us this week. We’ll explain why in the episode. Stand by for a Venetian story of music, spectacle, and poor decision-making, as we explain what on earth “Pin Floi” is and why it's an indelible memory for anyone who was there.

You can listen to Pitura Freska’s “Pin Floi” here, with the lyrics on screen in Venetian. Sing along with the chorus when you feel confident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dImVV5yQv9g

There’s plenty of footage of the event available online. If you can make it through the adverts, this is a two and a half minute piece that aired on the TG2 news on the day after the concert. I don’t have the space for a full translation, but the pictures tell their own story for those who don’t understand the words. The “toilet” scene that we mention at the start of the episode is right at the end of the piece:

https://www.ilgazzettino.it/video/nordest/pink_floyd_venezia_25_anni_dopo_tg_rai_raccontarono_evento_2-145557.html

 

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

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

Today we want to try to understand what kind of place Venice was as the 13th century dawned; how much it had changed in the hundred years since we last took a close look at it, back in Episode 31; and how the arrival of fresh artworks and spoils of war from the east would fuel both its own ongoing beautification and the historical narratives and myths that the city’s public appearance was aiming to promote.

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