Pigeons & Acqua Alta
On this page are fun facts, photos, stories and tidbits about Venetian people & others who love Venice, pigeons, high waters...oh, and lampwork beads!!!!
Please view ALL of my Italy travel photos at http://tonileefiore.smugmug.com/?preview=1
The following information taken in part from http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/pigeons_of_venice.htm
Pigeons Of Venice
Pigeons rival cats as the unofficial mascots of Venice. In A Venetian Bestiary, Jan Morris writes:
"The pigeon is, if not actually sacred, at least highly respected in Venice. You will never be offered him roasted in a Venetian restaurant.
Pigeon with a friend, San Marco Square
On the contrary, sometimes invalid pigeons, having lost a leg perhaps in a more than usually unseemly scramble for peanuts, become known individually to the waiters at the Piazza cafés, and are thereafter privileged for life, allowed to preen themselves on unoccupied tables, and fed wonderfully sustaining morsels of toasted sandwich. Pigeons can get away with almost anything in Venice, and sometimes you will see one, all puffed up with pride, swaggering into the narthex of the Basilica San Marco itself."
The following information taken in part fromhttp://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/06/08/animal_lovers_battle_venice_over_piazza_pigeons/
Pigeons Of Venice
They march single-mindedly, beaks thrust forward, across the stones of St. Mark's Square, dive-bombing at the first hint of a piece of bread or a chip. Soot-gray, with spindly coral-colored legs and claws, many just pace, pecking at stone in the hopes it will yield a crumb.
This fabled city's plan to starve away the pigeons seems to be working - unless Venetian pirates come to the rescue.
Tourist feeding corn to a Venetian pigeon
A band of animal lovers armed with skull-and-crossbones flags zips over the choppy Venice lagoon in speedboats. They dock at the palace-lined piazza, lug out 20-pound sacks of birdseed and scatter the food for all to eat.
The pirate pigeon-saviors have made three lightning raids into St. Mark's, the first two at the crack of dawn and now, at midday, to deliberately confront the police and their ban on feeding the birds.
So goes Venice's battle over its ever-multiplying pigeons. "Flying rats," in the view of the mayor - airborne menaces that poop all over precious, centuries-old marble statues. "Cool," in the view of many tourists - can you imagine a picture of St. Mark's without them?
The following information taken in part fromhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2478045.ece
Pigeons Threaten Venice
Throwing rice at newlyweds and feeding the pigeons of St. Mark's Square with bird seed will become illegal under new lasw designed to rid Venice of its unbearable flocks.
A threatening pigeon in Venice
Massimo Cacciari, the mayor, said that while throwing rice at weddings was a longstanding Italian tradition to wish newly married couples fertility and happiness, it also had the unfortunate side-effect of feeding pigeons. These pests were a threat to human health and were destroying the city’s Renaissance and Baroque architecture, he said.
The mayor was supported by Marco Agostini, the chief of police, who said: “Throwing rice at the bride and groom brings hordes of pigeons who then wait around until the next ceremony. The situation has become unbearable.”
An estimated 120,000 pigeons nest in colonies in Venice’s palazzos and churches, twice the resident human population. Feeding pigeons on St Mark’s Square has long been a tourist attraction. However, Venice officials say that the pigeons are damaging buildings with their corrosive droppings and are attacking the marble and stucco façades with their beaks, including the ornate St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace.
The following information taken in part fromhttp://www.gadling.com/2008/05/09/the-tradition-of-pigeon-feeding-in-venices-st-marks-square-is/
The Tradition Of Pigeon Feeding In St. Mark's Square Is Over
Venice's avian crackdown, which went into effect on Wednesday, joins the likes of London's and New York's, where it's been against the law to feed pigeons for some time now. But it's difficult to name a city that has a closer connection with the "winged rat" than Venice: Who hasn't imagined walking across St. Mark's early in the morning with no one around ("Yeah right!" you say of Venice) and scattering pigeons, which take flight in a rush of wings that do not quite drone out the chimes from a nearby bell tower.
Pigeons in St. Mark's Square
It is now illegal to feed the pigeons in Venice's St. Mark's Square, or anywhere else in the city for that matter.Of course, you can still scatter the pigeons, I guess -- there are an estimated 40,000 living in Venice. But feeding them is going to cost you a 50 euro fine (around $75)
Venetian Glass Mosaic Beads
The Murano Rooster...The Rooster symbolizes vigilance...the Fox on his back...astuteness...the Snake in his mouth...prudence.
Here is a scan of a neat card that I received with a 6/2008 shipment of Venetian beads from De Roma Venetian Bead Importers. De Roma's is one of only a handful of American companies that exclusively imports AUTHENTIC Venetian & Murano lampwork beads from the wonderful Veneto:
"Beads were the first glass objects. Our ancestors discovered them in the remains of their extinguished campfires where the heat had fused sand and ash into glass. Beads have been made continuously by man since the 3rd millenium (3,000 B.C.) and have been used for money, barter, ornaments and amulets. Actually, the word "bead" has no equivalent in Italian and comes from the ancient Saxon word "Biddan" to pray, originally associated with beads on a rosary.
The art of mosaic glass work reached its peak in the early roman Empire (25 B.C.) when the production of multi-flowered mosaic beads were very much in fashion. The glass-maker's art was lost to Europe during the Dark Ages, but was re-established by Venetian artisan/merchants before the year 1,000 A.D.
The most beautiful glass beads, still employing the ancient hand art, come from Murano (an island of Venice) Italy. This art is directly traceable to those 11th Century glass artisans who were forbidden to leave isolated Murano with their precious trade secrets under pain of death. For over 1,000 years, successive generations of glass artists have passed their knowledge down from master to apprentice. In Murano today, the hand work continues and the beautiful glass beads are known simply as Venetian beads.
Forever fashionable, these beads were used extensively by Europeans for trade with natives in colonial lands around the World. On October 12, 1492, upon first landing on the island of San Salvador, Christopher Columbus presented the startled natives with "strand of green glass beads" for trade and friendship. The Dutch leader Peter Minuit is said to have purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians in 1626 for about $24.00 worth of Venetian beads. And in Africa, Venetian beads in the form of large mille fiori cylinders were used in the slave trade; and today are commonly known as African trade or slave beads.
Every one of our glass beads is still completely hand-made by a glass artisan in Venice Italy.
Take a closer look...
Every single Venetian glass bead is meticulously formed by melting glass in an open flame onto hand-held copper wire; the molten glass forms a sphere (bead) as the artist delicately twirls the wire in his/her fore-fingers. The beads are constructed and decorated in strict traditional styles using colored "mille fiori" (a thousand flowers) glass cane, 24K gold and pure silver leaf (foil) and Adventurina (Goldstone, which is gold and copper dust imbedded in glass)...an ancient form of iridescence. Each bead is cooled in ashes for 24 hours and then immersed in an acid bath to dissolve the copper wire and create the stringing hole. No painting or machine work is ever employed and no two beads are ever exactly the same.
Each piece of our Venetian glass jewelry is distinct and outstanding in design and color. Each is a complete hand construction. Each is wearable, collectible piece of glass art. This ancient art, over 1,000 years old, comes direct to you, unblemished and pure...from Venice with Love."
The following information taken in part from http://visit-venice-italy.com
Acqua Alta-It Is Venice!
November, 1966: Imagine Venice immersed practically 100 % by more than 3 meters of water!This time everybody was very afraid, the end of Venice! Venice sank and at the same time the poetry of Lord Byron: “Ode on Venice” once again surfaced:
“Oh Venice! Venice! when thy marble wallsAre level with the waters, there shall beA cry of nations o'er thy sunken halls,A loud lament along the sweeping sea!If I, a northern wanderer, weep for thee”
St. Mark's Square during Aqua Alta, 2006
But truly, Acqua Alta has nothing to do with “the sinking” of Venice, which certainly is existent but in the amount of less than a millimeter a year. Certainly, over last century, Venice sank about 10 centimeters, due to industrial groundwater extraction but largely stopped when artesian wells on the mainland were capped in the 1960s.
Acqua Alta, What Is It?
Then it is what? Acqua Alta occurs when certain events coincide; the high tide forms an alliance with low pressures and that their windy friend, Sirocco, participates with our friend the Moon. These elements together trigger the across-the-board flood of waters of the lagoon in Venice.
But it would seem especially that the digging of fairways passing in front of Venice and linking up the sea with the industrial harbor of Marghera would interrupt business. In effect, in the pastn water was winding longer before arriving at Venice and being able to immerse it.
St. Mark's Square during Aqua Alta, 2006
And, by these new enlarged and in-depth ways of water, true "freeways" to Acqua Alta were so created. Indeed, where water would barely have had the time to touch lightly the edge of quays before leaving with the low tide, they attend more frequent phenomena of Acqua Alta today because water can arrive faster to Venice. Today, they can count up to fifty Acqua Alta a year!
When Acqua Alta Plays The Music
History is true and arrived at Igor Stravinsky the Acqua Alta had been then so high as the compositor could no longer return to his hotel.
Igor Stravinsky in Venice, 1925
The concierge of aforementioned hotel Bauer, took Igor Stravinsky in his arms and carried him indoors. It was after this Acqua Alta that Igor Stravinsky writes “The Flood”!
Our Advises To Live Well With Acqua Alta
The biggest problems Acqua Alta poses, at most some centimeters of water in calli which gives them a glistening aspect, is getting the cameras quickly!
Besides, you will be warned in case of serious Acqua Alta. Sirens (which still date to the last world war), will shout a warning signal. If you are surprised in city without boots, the dealers will be delighted to give you plastic bags for makeshift boots to make waiting better!The period at risk is from September 15th till April 15th every year. If you think to visit at this time of the year, it is best to be prepared with a pair of rubber boots and enjoy the pleasure, as the children, of walking in the puddles!
Mose Plan
It is a big “Pharaonic” plan of installation of seawalls to try to check the phenomena of Acqua Alta by installing in the entries of the lagoon (in the channels of Lido, Malamocco and Chiogga) 78 floating seawalls on about 1600 meters and divided in four chunks with huge hatches that can close up or open according to the whims of the tide.
The plan has just been called into question in June, 2006 by a negative vote of the Town council of Venice which asks the Italian State to review the copy of plan, that is estimated at the trifle of... 3,5 billion euro more about 35 million euro of expense of annual maintenance.