It's common knowledge that the Venetians weren't exactly the most somber lot. Yet in tour groups of more than two people, the questions that many visitors to Venice secretly long to ask are rarely discussed.
We're not giving away any secrets: Who doesn't dream of getting married in Venice? In the City of Love! Yes, that's what it was back then, too. But mostly the kind of love that could be bought: Around 23,000 officially registered ••••• performed their services here.
And it's no coincidence that they were considered the queens of their profession.
Is it any wonder that during Carnival season, the influx of visitors from all over the world swelled many times over?
Where else but Venice?
Ponte delle Tette
In the 16th century, the government established a red-light district near Rialto, where one could occasionally see women sitting topless at the windows.
Today, that wouldn't raise an eyebrow, but back then you can bet it surely did!
The epitome of this spectacle eventually became the Ponte delle Tette - which could be translated quite succinctly as "Breast Bridge" - spanning the Rio Terà delle Carampane. This went on until baring one's breasts became mandatory!
Indeed, a rather unconventional measure that failed to fulfill its intended purpose:
namely, to put a stop to rampant homosexuality. The punishment meted out to those "guilty" of same-sex acts was likely more effective:
they were hung between the columns of the Piazetta and burned. But that did nothing to dampen the spirit of love:
People continued to stroll with all their might along the Ponte delle Tette - Venetians and tourists alike who had followed the siren call of sin to Venice from all over the world.
Venereal sores
in all shapes and severities
Given all this, it is hardly surprising that Carnival - like so much else in life when left unchecked - quickly gained momentum and grew in sophistication:
While in the early days of Carnival the Venetians still wrapped themselves in animal skins and paraded noisily through the streets singing sensual songs such as "Drink, eat, good cheese, good fruit, good meat, good pasta, good chicken, good capon, drink and eat until you can't take any more!" , a different picture emerges in the late Carnival period, starting around 1786:
Alongside Turks, Moors, Dalmatians, various earthly and heavenly vermin, even young girls who have swaddled their poodles like babies, victims of alcohol of every strength with oversized, disfigured •••••••, murderers, executioners, condemned men with and without heads, libertines and debauched souls; wits dressing up as Germans (funny!), spendthrifts as Swiss, women as bearded athletes, men as women, men with women, women with women, men with... well. Simply the broad spectrum of a pre-modern society of revelry, which we can only imagine as limited by our own imagination.
[?] "Lustschaukel"
A Definition
"Venetian women are certainly charming creatures, made entirely for sensual pleasure...
As soon as they so much as glance at a young man, a blushing smile seems to spread around their mouths in a sensual grin, as if one were already standing before them, half-undressed, in front of the bed. Everything about them is geared toward the main purpose, sensual pleasure, except for their gondolas, which offer the most perfect setting for the most comfortable enjoyment: a soft cushion for the buttocks that leaves the sensual parts complete freedom and all the space they need, and two benches beside it on which to stretch out one's legs. Every stroke of the gondolier's oar is a thrust of sensual pleasure."
(Wilhelm Heinse, "Ardinghello")
We certainly do a lot for you, dear readers, but please understand that we have not thoroughly investigated the suitability of Venetian gondolas as pleasure swingsin situ. We'll just leave it at that and hope you'll forgive us for this pun as well.
Michel de Montaigne, philosopher
Issued in Venice
Michel de Montaigne
Around the same time, Michel de Montaigne remarked in his travel journal that he was surprised "to encounter so many prostitutes - about one hundred and fifty - who, in terms of furniture and clothing, lived like princesses." However, he stayed in Venice for only a week. Whether his travel funds ran out early or for some other reason, who can say for sure?
Thou
shall not wear false beards
Genre paintings tend to depict their subject matter almost of their own accord, but not through a description of prevailing customs, but rather through their prohibitions and regulations:
- On February 12, 1339, the wearing of masks was banned altogether. About 100 years later,
- in 1458, the Council of Ten issued a decree prohibiting men disguised as women from entering nunneries. This proved largely ineffective, as the total ban on masks was renewed at ever-shorter intervals.
- In 1502, the Council of Ten banned "the wearing of false beards, artificial hair, masks, and any form of disguise whatsoever."
- In 1504, a verbatim repetition followed. Over the course of the century, further bans were enacted, which now also included the carrying of weapons.