Submitted by Bija Knowles on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 11:31
Next Saturday Venice will be holding its own funeral. As far as publicity stunts go, it's quite an unequivocal message that the city is on the brink. Only this time the threat is not from the rising tides and the island city's subsiding foundations; the danger comes in the form of the rapidly shrinking population – it seems that the Venetians are migrating to the mainland faster than you can say 'just one cornetto'.
According to one group of locals – members of the online community venessia.com - the population has now fallen below the threshold of 60,000 people (down from about 150,000 in 1960) and the city's inhabitants are being driven out of their ancestral homes by property, food and transport prices far higher than those on the mainland. The main reason for the soaring cost of living is the relentless flow of tourists to the small city. As a result the local Venetians are being priced out of their historical island city.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Sat, 08/01/2009 - 12:40
Scientists from the University of Padua have, for the first time, been able to decipher the streets and buildings of a lost Roman town called Altinum, just north of Venice. They did this by flying over the site near the modern-day village of Altino, which is today no more than a few cornfields to the naked eye. They then took aerial photos with cameras using near-infrared and other light wavelengths. The result is an image of the Altinum that lies half a metre or more below ground level, and clearly shows streets, a basilica, an amphitheatre and a canal. Historians believe the site is unique, in that it is the only Roman city in northern Italy not to have been built upon in subsequent centuries.
Altinum is thought to date back to the late Bronze Age and was on the strategic trade route between Rome and its eastern provinces around the Danube. It started to thrive under Roman occupation, although the inhabitants were from the Adriatic-Veneti tribe. At the beginning of the empire, the Via Claudia Augusta was built, which began at Altinum and reached the German limes of the northeast at the Danube, a distance of 350 miles. Due to its strategic and commercial importance, and also its sheltered location and mild climate (compared to the rest of northern Italy) Altinum became a favoured centre for the rich, and many luxurious villas were built.
The town was sacked by the Huns in 452 AD and much of its was burned beyond recognition. However, it wasn't until 568 that the Lombards invaded, finally pushing the inhabitants out onto the Venetian Lagoon. Altinum was abandoned, while the Veneti established new centres on the islands of the Lagoon - forming the modern city of Venice. The mainland site of Altinum is little more than a few corn fields these days - although there is a small village called Altino, just north of Marco Polo airport, which has 100 inhabitants.
Aquileia was an important city and geographical crossroads during the imperial period of the Roman Empire, linking the Roman heartland with central and eastern Europe. It was founded around 180 BC, and quickly gained fame for its important road, linking the city with Altinum. It once held a population of around 200,000. It was also a prominent glass-making centre, a feature it enjoyed until it was sacked in 452 AD by Attila's rampaging Huns - after which many of the glass making professionals moved to the Venetian lagoon.
Today the ancient city remains as an archaeological park, with two museums chronicling the area's history. Of the ruins, buildings of particular note are the Roman forum, the harbour, a necropolis and two residential areas. A large focal point remains the 3rd century basilica - which was too destroyed by Attila, before being rebuilt upon in 1031.
