Page 53 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

This job often passed from father to son.
Has a ribbed surface.
Sit low near the waterline.
Balances the weight of the gondolier.
The traditional way of travelling around Venice is in boats called gondolas. The boat is steered by
a gondolier using a single oar to push the boat along. The boat’s slim shape and flat underside are perfect for travelling through the narrow canals of the city.
With maritime travellers arriving from all over the known world, accidentally importing diseases was a real problem. The plague had hit the population of Venice very badly several times. To help stop disease spreading, quarantine stations were set up where ships had to wait for 40 days before people were allowed on shore.
Population in 1450:
Rich Venetians were not shy about displaying their wealth. They loved festivals and carnivals, spending their money on the finest clothes and on making their homes look like royal palaces. They were so good at showing off that laws were passed to try and stop people wearing clothes of gold and silver material so the city appeared more modest. Not all people
were rich, of course, and as ever the poor lived in terrible conditions.
Venice’s trading empire lasted hundreds of years, but it eventually came to an end. Believing Venice was too powerful, many of its enemies and rivals formed an alliance called the ‘League of Cambrai’ and fought against Venice together. Around the same time, other cities and ports started trading directly with the spice merchants of the Far East and were able to cut the merchants of Venice out of their deals altogether.
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Population today:
49