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The Origins of the Venice Lido
A dive into its history to discover a whole other reality
The Origins of the Venice Lido
What does the Lido mean to Venetians? Let’s take a dive into its history to discover an entirely different reality.
The Lido, from the Latin litus (coastline), can be defined as the most advanced bastion of Venice and its lagoon, which has always defended it from the fury of the sea waves and the incursions of its enemies. 1202, on the eve of the Fourth Crusade, which gave Venice complete control over the Adriatic and the Aegean, the 30,000 French crusaders who had come to Venice to embark on the great adventure were hosted on the Lido. This coastline was also the scene of battles against the Genoese in 1378-79, during the long conflict that went down in history as the War of Chioggia.
The Lido, however, was also a place for relaxation and celebration: the famous Luni del Lio, i.e. Mondays on the Lido, a day traditionally dedicated to a boat trip to the Lido to relax, rest and have fun, which were very fashionable throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, have gone down in history. There were also beautiful villas, such as the now defunct “Vigna Pisani”, which Andrea Palladio also helped to build.
In the nineteenth century, the century of great Venetian decadence, it was the alternative destination of many artists and romantic writers, who found great inspiration along its beaches and who dedicated extensive pages of literature to the Lido.
Now that you know a little about the history of the Lido, come and discover how it is today!
