History of Venice Podcast

Bölümler

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  066. Beat It 24.07.2026 37dk

  In the autumn of 1260, a new fashion arrived in Venice from the continental European mainland. It had started just a few months earlier in the central Italian city of Perugia, and somehow it had caught the mood of a worried, uncertain population, concerned about the capricious nature of human existence and eager to atone for the evils of a fallen society. The flagellants were in town. Seemingly out of nowhere, ordinary people were going around in groups whipping themselves in a frenzy of piety. Suddenly, hurting yourself for Jesus was all the rage.  What in the name of all that is holy was going on? This week we’re looking at religious devotion in 13th century Venice, and tracing the social and cultural legacy that it left on the Republic, some of which you can still see today.   Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  Art and Culture 09. The Artisans of Venice 16.07.2026 1sa 10dk

  We're joined by Monica Cesarato this week to discuss the artisan tradition in the city of Venice. In our main narrative, we're reaching the mid-13th century, when dozens of professional guilds start to appear in the city, defining the working landscape for ordinary Venetians. Monica talks to us about the background to some of those crafts, and how that artisan legacy still persists in the city today.  You can find Monica's website here: https://www.monicacesarato.com/blog/ Her podcast, Venice Talks, is available wherever you get your podcasts, and you can also find it here: https://www.monicacesarato.com/blog/venice-talks-podcast/ Her book "Andar per Bacari" looks at some of the best locations and recipes for typical Venetian cicchetti, and is available in English here, (or probably at another well-known online bookseller near you): https://editorialeprogramma.it/shop/regioni/veneto/andar-per-bacari-english-version/ And as ever, you can Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Gloria, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  065. The Peace-Loving Doge of Many Wars 10.07.2026 47dk

  Today we’re looking at the life of Doge Pietro Ziani – the man who picked up the baton after the death of Enrico Dandolo and presided over the chaotic situation that we’ve been narrating over the past few episodes. Contemporary Venetian writers praise his wisdom, his fairness, and his desire for peace. Are they right, or are they just blowing smoke in our eyes? Join us as we examine the life of the wealthiest man in this increasingly wealthy city. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  064. Rivals 02.07.2026 37dk

  This week we're looking around the Mediterranean at the international political events that provide the wider context to the stories that we’ve been telling lately. We’ll be travelling to Genoa, Sicily, Nicaea, Epirus, Outremer, and, very briefly indeed, introducing a new threat from the East that’s about to burst into our story. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  063. The Castle of Love 25.06.2026 47dk

  Easter 1214. In Treviso, about 20 miles north of Venice, the city’s governors have decided to set up a week-long “court of solace and mirth”. There will be dancing and jousting, feasting and fine fooling. And the symbolic heart of the celebrations will be the splendid Castle of Love, which the area’s finest ladies, wearing their most ostentatious hats, will be defending against the symbolic assaults of teams of young men brandishing flowers, fruits, and spices. The whole game is an idiosyncratic fusion of ancient springtime celebrations of courtship, and the latest fashions of courtly love which have been taking hold in respectable societies across the chivalric states of western Europe.  It’s a welcome distraction from the trials and tribulations of high politics and foolish wars. Until things go wrong. Tune in to find out more. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  062. A Place in the Sun 11.06.2026 34dk

  1205. Venice wasn’t the only mercantile vulture who was looking at the carcass of the Eastern Roman Empire and realising that if she didn’t take advantage of this mess, someone else would. And if that someone else – most likely Genoa – turned out to be more effective at seizing the opportunities, then Venice’s hopes of commercial dominance would be severely dented. The Crusade had shaken the kaleidoscope and the pieces were still in flux. These were dangerous times for everyone, even for the apparent winners. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  Casanova Part 9. Giacomo in Paris 04.06.2026 56dk

  1750. The dream is over. The love of his life has gone. Casanova picks up the pieces and, after a pause to reflect, heads for Paris. But in sophisticated French high society, our smooth-tongued, charming Venetian will soon find out that he’s little more than a bumbling ingénue. Will he make a name for himself, or will he continue to flounder out of his depth in the capital of European culture?  Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Estate from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  Art and Culture 08. Pin Floi 22.05.2026 45dk

  It’s an unexpected change of direction for us this week. We’ll explain why in the episode. Stand by for a Venetian story of music, spectacle, and poor decision-making, as we explain what on earth “Pin Floi” is and why it's an indelible memory for anyone who was there. You can listen to Pitura Freska’s “Pin Floi” here, with the lyrics on screen in Venetian. Sing along with the chorus when you feel confident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dImVV5yQv9g There’s plenty of footage of the event available online. If you can make it through the adverts, this is a two and a half minute piece that aired on the TG2 news on the day after the concert. I don’t have the space for a full translation, but the pictures tell their own story for those who don’t understand the words. The “toilet” scene that we mention at the start of the episode is right at the end of the piece: https://www.ilgazzettino.it/video/nordest/pink_floyd_venezia_25_anni_dopo_tg_rai_raccontarono_evento_2-145557.html   Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is from Vivaldi’s Gloria, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  061. Booty Call 15.05.2026 56dk

  Today we want to try to understand what kind of place Venice was as the 13th century dawned; how much it had changed in the hundred years since we last took a close look at it, back in Episode 31; and how the arrival of fresh artworks and spoils of war from the east would fuel both its own ongoing beautification and the historical narratives and myths that the city’s public appearance was aiming to promote. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  060. Top Doge (12th Century) 06.05.2026 41dk

  Sebastiano Ziani and Enrico Dandolo battle it out for our vote as the Top Doge of the 12th Century. Find out who we pick and tell us whether you agree. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  059. Did that just happen? 29.04.2026 1sa

  We're away on holiday this week, so there's no time to research and write a normal episode. So we've quickly rounded up what eventually happened to most of the characters we've been following on the Crusade story, and then had a final broad chat about what on earth just happened. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  058. Putting Humpty Together Again 22.04.2026 40dk

  The Crusade was over. The Crusaders had won. They had pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall, and now they were the kings of all the broken pieces. If this had been their plan all along, then whoever was responsible for working out what came next had been asleep at the wheel. Once the celebrations of Easter Week 1204 brought an end to the initial rush of looting and vandalism, all semblance of this being a united force with a common goal vanished into the springtime air like dandelion seeds in the breeze. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  057. The View from Constantinople 15.04.2026 1sa 32dk

  We're joined by two very special guests this week to discuss what the Fourth Crusade looks like from the perspective of Constantinople. Marco Cappelli from Storia d'Italia podcast and Robin Pierson from the History of Byzantium podcast share their fascinating and well researched perspectives. You can find Marco's show at: https://italiastoria.com/ You can find Robin's show at: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ Both are highly recommended by much more discerning sources than us, and are well worth your time and support. You know where to find us, of course.  Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  056. Downfall 08.04.2026 44dk

  April 1204. Constantinople. The story of this ridiculous crusade finally reaches its climax. You probably know how it ends, but for the participants the peril is off the scale as both sides fight for their survival. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  055. Raising Eyebrows 01.04.2026 36dk

  The Crusaders’ stunning victory in July 1203 had resolved nothing. They had won, perhaps by default, but it can hardly have been a surprise that the people of Constantinople had never welcomed them. After a few months of phoney peace, by December the war was back on again. As the Crusaders overwintered in Galata, a new, more aggressive opponent emerged in Constantinople. Will the man known as Big Eyebrows save the Empire? Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  054. Out of the Frying Pan 25.03.2026 42dk

  There’s no more room left on the knife-edge that’s balancing everyone’s fortunes on the night of 17th July 1203. Daybreak will bring unexpected clarity, and a victory for one side or the other. But when you find yourself gratefully jumping out of the frying pan, where do you land? Nowhere good, that’s for sure. For all its apparent success, this Crusade has the reverse-Midas touch, rapidly transforming gold into dusty death. And it’s only getting worse. As one war ends, another one soon begins. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  053. Someone Else's Civil War 18.03.2026 59dk

  The “crusade” has finally reached Constantinople. This ragged coalition has agreed to stick together, at least for now. The proponents of this preposterous diversion have one shot at persuading the people of Constantinople to accept their puppet Emperor. With the shambolic history of this Crusade so far, it’s a plan that should stand almost no chance of success. Stand by for adrenaline-fuelled action as the Venetian navy and a ragtag band of French chivalric misfits attempt the impossible. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  052. Let's Make Poor Decisions 11.03.2026 32dk

  The crusading army has successfully captured a Christian town that was under the protection of a Christian King. The Pope is furious. But it’s only going to get worse from here. Because on New Year’s Day 1203, messengers arrive in the camp with a spectacular offer that will rid them of all their money troubles. The only catch is that it involves going to completely the wrong target. The diversion to Constantinople is on, and there’s every chance that it’s going to tear this crusade apart. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  Art and Culture 07. Legend of the Golden Ring 04.03.2026 20dk

  We got a bit sidetracked with all the work that we put into the Intelligent Speech conference last week, so this is a bonus episode telling the story of a Venetian legend, to give us a bit of breathing space to get back into the main research on the Fourth Crusade narrative, which will return next week. The story of the three saints and the gold ring is a curious tale which tells us something about how the medieval Venetians liked to view themselves. We hope you enjoy it. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is from Vivaldi’s Gloria, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
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  051. Excommunication? What Excommunication? 25.02.2026 43dk

  It’s four years since the Crusade was originally called, and the under-sized army is still stuck in Venice, hopelessly unable to pay their hosts for the magnificent navy that has been prepared for them. A very questionable deal has been agreed that the Holy Army will take a short diversion, to help Venice to recapture the nearby Dalmatian port of Zara. But with the Pope very definitely opposed to the plan, can this fractious and unstable coalition stay together long enough to avoid the entire venture collapsing into a chaos of bitter recriminations? Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org