Crossing waters
Boats and ferries
The paintings of Gentile Bellini and Vittore Carpaccio give a very detailed description of the magnificence of the ancient capital of the Serenissima Republic, one of the most populous cities in preindustrial Europe, definitely the richest, than in the late Middle Ages reached the height of its power and splendour. In these paintings, hundreds if not thousands of elegant boats -the ancestors of modern gondolas- cross the Basin of San Marco, the Grand Canal and the dense network of intersecting canals in the city, linking even the most remote districts, mixed with ships and boats of every shape and size: means that ensured a quick, safe and efficient transport of goods and passengers.
They attest that every aspect of daily life of the city took place on the water, as, in some way, also happens today, though between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries -in spite of the recurring pestilence- Venice was inhabited by at least twice as many as the current number of residents.
Italian versionapprofondimenti
Crossing waters
tematiche
