What it means to be a "Venetian"
Does the term "Venetian" have any sense today?
The city of Venice is no longer what it was less than fifty years ago, let alone two hundred . The population was 150,000 back in 1956; today this has dropped to just 60,000. Most Venetians have now left the city, either due to unemployment (the Arsenale factory has closed down and the insurance giant "Assicurazioni Generali" has moved its offices to the mainland) or because they grew fed up with the difficult living conditions in dilapidated or dark housing , inappropriate to their needs and without proper plumbing. Many have found better accommodation elsewhere (especially young couples and new families), while owners prefer to rent out properties in Venice to students and non-EU citizens at astronomical rates. Others wanted more comfortable living conditions that Venice cannot offer, such as being able to park their car or motorbike outside their front-door.
Is there any sense, therefore, to talk about being a Venetian today when more than two hundred thousand “citizens” of Venice live in Mestre, Marghera, Zellarino, Chirignago, Martellago and other districts on the mainland?
Now that there is almost no real business in Venice apart from tourism?
Now that more than twenty thousand people commute to work in the Venice tourism industry every day . Tourism invades everything : up to a hundred, two hundred thousand people arrive in the city for major events (Carnevale, Notte del Redentore, Regata Storica). Crowds that leave behind a city looking like there has been a flood.
There was, however, sense in talking about being a Venetian long before the fall of the Serenissima, when patriotism was a sentiment that united all social classes thanks to a great shared affection for the Venetian Republic, "la nostra bona Mare" (our good mother). It made sense in 1848-49, when Venice held out against the siege by the Austrian army (when the first-ever air bombardment in history took place: bombs dropped from balloons) and only surrendered when exhausted by hunger and disease.
But now?
To be a Venetian today is, for many, the feeling of belonging to a species threatened with extinction, to be the last heirs of a past civilization, gradually slipping away, even from human memory. Nevertheless, many others – the young, but not only – are fully aware of living in a "different" city and enjoy the diversity Venice offers.
For many, including those who are not actually Venetian by birth, but by adoption, there is a joy in living in the midst of such beauty. Joy in the thought that a simple walk from home to the office, to school, to the cinema or the gym, may pose problems, one bridge after another, full boats (teeming with tourists), umbrellas if it rains (to be wielded like swords) and sloshing about in the water or balancing on gangplanks during acqua alta (flooding caused by high tides). Yet Venice guarantees constantly changing and increasingly beautiful scenery: the fantastic facades of its churches and palaces, amazing views, dawns and sunsets that seem to have been created by the great Masters.
Extraordinary sights that are all part of everyday life in Venice.
An “aware” Venetian digests the differences and difficulties, seeing them as mere trifles, largely made up for by the good fortune to enjoy something so unique on a permanent basis. He enjoys the admiration that so many often over-enthusiastic visitors show, he bears the emptiness of so many others who fail to see or do not want to see; he suffers and becomes offended by the stupidity of vandals, the greed of those wanting to make a quick profit, the vulgarity of the ignorant happy to be just that. He sees another side of Venice: that of everyday life, not just the grand occasions.
A simple existence that is not linked to mechanical and alienating factors, and that each individual can tailor to his own needs.
There is no need to know the history of Venice to enjoy this city built piece by piece over a thousand and five hundreds or more. Venice is an amazing jigsaw, not the result of any urban development (unless when absolutely necessary), a spontaneous creation that has withstood the challenge of the centuries and the weather. Character and traditions disappear with time, as a result of globalisation and the inevitable turn-over, but the real Venice continues to exist, off the beaten track , away from the floods of weary tourists who only see the same identical sights.
In relatively recent times, the Italian State passed a special law on Venice and this has led to several obvious benefits by promoting important works in the Laguna area and the city. These include major engineering works aimed at safeguarding the city and Laguna from high tides coming in from the Adriatic and at protecting and recovering some valuable buildings at risk, such as the Arsenale, a real city within the city. However, as we speak (November 2007), there appears to be a problem with the funding for the projects foreseen by this law.
And so much still needs to be done...
The mayor, Massimo Cacciari, has recently said that Venice needs extraordinary daily upkeep. And not just Venice and its Laguna, but also the immediate suburbs: industrial wasteland that once created jobs, but now poses a health risk for the population and is a potential source of pollution and destruction. All that we can do now is to hope for a brighter future for the city.
Alvise Zorzi
