Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Remember that a League had been formed: the Cambrai League, headed by the Pope
and a series of big nations which wanted to get to battle against our Markesque Lion
How bad can it be to be envious?
You could have seen also Veneti farmers fighting against regular troops of foreign nations.
In fact, Veneti were very strong in naval battles, while some poorer in open-field ones. Even nowadays most Venice citizens cannot properly drive their car. They fought with billhooks, and pitchforks and throwing handy stones.
The fact is that they would have preferred to be killed than to repudiate Saint Mark.
At the very end, Veneti afforded to gain peace again, with no territorial losses.
But it was not the end of problems.
Whate happened next Dino?
As every story goes, someday it comes decline.
Europe's needs changed, and during the Seventeenth century maritime commerce wasn't such a business as it was in the past.
You know... when a business does well, competition is yet to come, and Turks were also good competitors in commerce.
Somehow like Japanese during '80s and '90 with electronics.
But Veneti were still on the run.
There still was largely enough money and the military fleet remained one of the most powerful of Europe.
What did Venice do?
They thought that as investments in naval commerce were not so profitful any more, why shouldn't they improve the mainlands?
Investments were set for countryside, for manifactoring, and these pre-capitalist enterpreneurs could build up their houses. Well ...“houses”...
Great Villas they were. Compared to them, Villa Certosa is just a servants shelter.
It's incredible how many things you know!
But history teaches several lessons to us, my friend...You could be very, very strong, but there will always be somebody stronger than you. "the one of the cheese" (as we use to say)!
In fact, in 1797 a dwarf-like invader came in Veneto, whose name was Napoleon, quite a snaky person.
The Republic of Venice wanted to keep its neutrality, minding its own business and asking the French to do the same.
It was a good compromise, but when Napoleon thought about what a treasure in money,
goods and pieces of art he could gain, he aimed to conquer and steal.
He has assessed a head-hit to Doge's chest by the end of the second half of the game,
and brought the Republic of Venice to its end.
You know, at those times there weren't penalty shootouts
The French are not happy if they don't bother somebody...
You know: as they aren't able to produce wine, they try to find something else to be happy of!
What a pity...
Then on May the 12th 1797...hey, you are interested, aren't you?
Yes, please go on!
On the 12th of May 1797, that we call the “tremendous day”, the Major Council of Veneto declared its resignation in front of the French illegal invaders, leaving place to a “temporary French government”, called “the Municipality”.
My friend, they did take away everything they could move.
Even braces! You could have seen people going around trailing their trousers.
They dastards. They rascals...
Their greed could have made them remove even the piles in Canal Grande.
They imposed such an heavy taxation that the Italian tax-module would pale at the comparison.
Well, it has to be said, actually, that it hadn't been easy as ABC for Napoleon. Veneti felt a deep devotion to their Nation, and the end of the Republic seemed to be nearly impossible to come
Every card was played then, but blood and cries made them resign.
Finally came the Vienna Congress of 1815, after Napoleon's arrest and decline
the Venet Republic was the only well-dimensioned State which was not set back again as it was before Napoleon
Scholars call it the period of “Restauration”, and I'm not talking about furniture or ships.
It was all about States and Nations put upside down by a 20-year-long period of wars.
Every State has been restaurated as it was, except for the Venet Republic, as Austria wanted to dominate it.
There it began a long period of hunger and poverty for Veneto, which lasted till the second half of the Twentieth Century
Yes, my friend. That's because after Austrians, Italians arrived, or, better saying, Savoia.
Veneti fought with the Austrians against Italians: they didn't want to be subdued to Savoia, they would have never preferred eating Piedmontese “bagnacauda” than their Venet “pearà”!
So they fought hard and won in 1866 in the naval battle of Lissa,
and also many Veneti fought and won in the Austrian Army, in the open field battle of Custoza.
Despite all these facts, Italians won the war and in 1866 a referendum has been
held between Veneti for the annexation of Veneto to Italy.
A useless plebiscite, in reality.
Even more absurd than an Emmenthal cheese without holes: a couple of days before the formal referendum a French
militari general - who was to be a referee for the whole affair - signed the assignation of Veneto to Italy.
It is not so difficult to win a lottery if you know which are the winning numbers. Don't you agree, my friend?
It's true Dino, I do not even play "superenalotto"...
And then here came the Italians. You'd probably say: "Oh, thank God! A good period is gonna begin for Veneti!"
Well, you are wrong. Such a poverty had never been seen here before. Skyscraper taxation. They even taxed the milling of cereals, perfeclty and particularly hitting the poorest families.
Then they instituted conscription, which brought to war the youngest and best shoulders and arms to maintain a farm.
A complete DISASTER.
That's why many Veneti began to get away from that poverty, emigrating all over the world
And we are not talking of a couple of families: two MILLIONS Veneti, all the estimations show. At those times it was a huge number, and especially for a 3 million People like Veneti
They set away towards other European Countries, to Americas, to Australia.
You have to wait the end of WWII to see Veneto being reborn.
This was all due to dedition to work and sacrifice for a better future, that Veneti always have.
And not only Veneto reached a different future, but also it has become a productive and commercial pole of global economy and, strange fate, Italy's best economic engine
Shouldn't we talk about tourism?
Americans tried their best to copy Venice, but if they want to see it, and to feel it, the have to come in Veneto.
Everybody admires and loves our culture in the world. Except for the envious, of course, but envy will never die
Our old men say: “It's better to arouse envy than sorrow!”
What a story, Dino!
I'm really happy to have heard it from you
Well enough...was everything clear?
Do you still believe that I'd better speak Italian because my dialect isn't worthful enough to be a language?
No, no, you're right! Taverner, please bring us a glass of wine, because me and Dino want to toast for Veneto and for our great history! How glad I know it now, Dino!
Taverner, please, a glass of “Amarone dela Valpolicella”!