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Torcello
If it is
easy to reconstruct the history of Torcello from the 7th century to today, the
same cannot be said for ancient times. The results of the archaeological inquiries testify
connections with nearby Altino which was at that time situated on the coast. The
principal roads (via Annia and via Claudia Augusta) were
connected with maritime routes through equipped ports; consequently the islands of the
lagoon became intermediate landing-places and this lead to a growth in population.The
history of Torcello is confirmed by the new findings of Roman-age structures that Plinio,
in his descriptions of "Decima Regio" , called "Venetia" before
the whole region had assumed this name. Besides, findings in the 70s have shown evidence
of Roman-age settlements; so we can conclude that the island was populated well before the
arrival the refugees from Altino who apparently chose well-known and populated places of
refuge.
In 638 the Catholic bishop of Altino moved to Torcello (perhaps a large part of the city
moved there) and in 639 the Basilica of Santa Maria was
founded. Torcello developed between the 7th and 10th centuries,
thanks to commerce, at first fostered by the salt-mines and then by an ever-widening
commercial sphere. During the following centuries the centralisation of all the main
productive activities in Venice caused the slow but
uncontrollable economical and demographic decadence of Torcello, stressed in 11th
century by the growth of marshlands in the lagoon that compromised the healthiness of the
area. After this period we find Torcello all but deserted, seat of some convents conserved
in part until Napoleons suppression, and of few inhabitants, about a hundred, only
interested in fishing and farming. The same bishop moved to Murano in the mid 17th
century, and remained there until 1818.
The depopulation of Torcello started in 15th century and has continued up to
today: in fact today the population can be counted in tens of residents. Thanks to them
the Basilica and the church of S. Fosca were conserved in
their medieval form which otherwise would have been reconstructed in renaissance or
baroque style as happened with almost all the churches in Venice with the lucky exclusion
of S.Mark's. In the little square it is possible to see a beautiful ring-well and the
so-called "Attilas Throne"
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