The Lido: Famous for an
Erotic Novel and Kidnapped Crusaders
by Bob Bruno
The Lido is a narrow sandbar
approximately 15 km long and 2km wide which virtually separates the
eastern side of the Venetian lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. It has been
formed by the tidal accumulation of sand and silt and so not
unsurprisingly is largely covered by sandy beaches making it a popular
destination for tourists. Most of the beaches are owned by the hotels
lining the Adriatic coast and so are exclusively reserved for the use of
their guests although two large public beaches are situated on the
northern and southern tips of the island.
The Lido is famous as the setting for the
novel Death in Venice: Thomas Mann's famous tale of homosexual
infatuation. An elderly novelist develops a crush on an adolescent boy
while holidaying on the Lido. Despite an outbreak of cholera in nearby
Venice he is so fascinated by the boy that he can not leave. Having
spent his entire lifetime denying his own sexuality, the old man is
finally confronted with the truth about himself only to become infected
and die on the beach as he finally makes eye contact with the
unattainable object of his affections.
The Lido is intersected by the Viale di
Santa Maria Elisabeth: a broad avenue barely 2 kilometres long which
connects the side of the island facing Venice and the beaches lining the
Adriatic coast. The commercial heart of the Lido, where the fashionable
shops, restaurants and bars are located, is centred upon this avenue.
Venice is barely a kilometre from its western end and ferries depart
from this point for St.Marks Square, the mainland and the airport.
The Lido has an interesting past. In
1202, an army of crusaders were left stranded on the sandbank by the
Venetian navy after they had failed to pay the sum requested for their
transportation to the Holy Land. The wily doge Enrico Dandolo had made a
grand show of joining the crusade, encouraging the army to assemble and
set sail from Venice, but had then increased the price required for his
support leaving his allies with no alternative but to attack one of
Venice's rivals, the port of Zara in Dalmatia, in order to raise the
necessary additional funds.
Dandolo was also instrumental in
persuading the crusaders to attack the Christian city of Constantinople
en route to the Holy Land. Many of the marbles, columns and friezes
which now decorate the exterior of St. Mark's Cathedral and the palazzi
which line the Grand Canal were plundered during the sacking of this
city.
About the Author
Bob Bruno is a frequent visitor to Venice
and a regular contributor to the Venice Sights Blog at http://www.venice-sights.co.uk
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Copyright 2006
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