Translation by: Paolo Nelli
Year of publication: 2025


Synopsis:
In January 1520, due to heavy rains, waste abandoned in the calli of Venice spills into the canals, endangering the health of the inhabitants and the city's reputation. Venetian authorities must intervene and charge the town crier Pasqualin Durazin with proclaiming directives to address the problem in as many as 80 different locations.
This is the narrative device from which the book departs, following in the crier's footsteps to observe and describe Venice of the time in real time. A densely populated, cosmopolitan city, animated by a multitude of languages and customs. Seeking to understand how a community is formed at the end of the Middle Ages, Claire Judde de Larivière stages its inhabitants: from Rialto bankers to German merchants, from sex workers to the nobility in government. And then nuns, innkeepers, boatmen, fishermen, pilgrims… Exploring their ecological sensitivity, trust in justice, or sense of belonging, Notice to the people! reveals the vitality of Venice's people. A reality as unique as it is representative of medieval urban societies.


Other information:
Series: Fondamenta
Pages: 304
Language: Italian
ISBN: 9791280930378
Original title: Vénitiens! Vénitiennes! La traversée d’une ville (Venise, 1520)