City of Venice (1950s)

a great empire the head of the venetian government was called the doge he lived in this palace with its many arches this Gothic style originated in Central Europe behind the Doge's Palace is st. Mark's Cathedral this is a type of architecture called Byzantine which came from Constantinople this great clock tower is a venoms design a style which originated in Italy because the people of Venice traded with so many other parts of the world they could select from a wide variety of styles in building and art this group of buildings is the Arsenal it is a factory where the Venetians built their ships and more materials it was so well managed that during a war with the Turks centuries ago Venice built 100 fully armed warships here in only 100 days the largest waterway was called the Grand Canal it is the main street of Venice on the Rialto Bridge crossing the Grand Canal the jewelers and silversmiths had shops these fine palaces were the homes of wealthy merchants who operated the trading ships the lower floor of the palace was usually a warehouse for storing cargoes the merchant and his family lived on the floors above ships were moored to these pilings their colors showed which family owned them the wealth and importance of Venice lasted for centuries but finally about 400 years ago ships found a way to sail around Africa to reach the wealth of India and China entirely by sea the Mediterranean trade routes lost much of their traffic and Venice requests important wars with her neighbors reduced venetian territory until she was no longer a large Empire and finally less than a hundred years ago Venice became a part of a new nation being created on the peninsula the nation of Italy today life in Venice is stiff at the city is strange location the many small streets are extremely narrow one must often climb steps to cross the city's 400 bridges such narrow streets and bridges cannot easily be used for wagons or trucks and so heavy cargo still travel by barge through the many miles of canals although these loads are modern products they are carried in barges like those used a thousand years ago steam launches carry passengers along the Grand Canal they do the work of street cars or buses in other cities food is sold in markets like this one some food comes from the mainland in ancient times however when the mainland was occupied by enemies Venetians raised their food on the islands many of these islands were set aside as farms with canals taking the place of country lanes these farms still supply much of the food for Venice in the early days fish were also a major food source fishing is still an important industry of the region today as in ancient times the people of Venice make ornamental glass Venetian glass is world-famous for its beauty another important industry is the making of lace making glassware and lace are very practical occupations here since they do not require much raw material or storage space and that is a great advantage in this crowded community in modern Venice shipping is still important but now her cargoes travel mainly to and from inland cities of Italy although in the past shipping was the greatest source of income for Venetians today the tourist trade is the most important every year thousands of visitors come to Venice by rail or highway crossing this bridge or causeway from the mainland on the island end of the causeway is a modern garage where tourists may store their cars beyond this point one may travel by gondola centuries ago of such crafts were for private transportation but now almost all gondolas are used for taxi service many famous old palaces have been made over for the use of visitors this old residence has become a Museum of Venetian eyes still others are now luxurious hotels with Ross grants and gardens overlooking the canals many tourists as well as Venetians enjoy feeding the thousands of pigeons of st. Mark's Square in front of the old