Venice - the Fruit of determination

Everybody knows Venice, Everybody I Know loves it and to those who do not know Venice- let me tell you that it is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.The cathedral of St. Mark to the city with its beautiful architecture and its waterways
where people go rowing in the canals, to its traditions and the beautiful culture of  music and fashion, are things that
are appreciated and form part of a culturally enhanced society,beautiful and in all its splendour.
            
 But that is something that we all know- Venice excesl in the business of tourism as it excelled in the 16th century as a port for international maritime trade, being a worldwide name than as it is now. Many people see the beauty, the glamour and the splendid architecture of the city. However, I know many writerts have written about Venice and will continue doing so, because it's just so beautiful. However, I want to focus on the perils that were undertaken to build this paradise.

  Venice, in origin is a marshland, full of thick marshy areasand its actually an island, in fact an island among a group of
Islands.In fact, venice was a place where the Italian people used to hide away when they were attacked by the scourge of God,Attila the Hun.The island was a hideaway where the people of Italy went and would return when the enemy left.Surrounded on all sides by water, the enemy did not waste their time following them.Later, due to more
frequent attacks, the Venetians decided to stay on the island permanently.

Venice at the start did consist of the original inhabitants - hunters, fishermen and salt producers.It may have been very hard for the Italian mainlanders to adjust to this place at the start, but for them it was better than being on the mainland and suffering problems from the enemy.So the question here is- was Venice built from determination or a need to
survive as they were being pushed out of their home by the enemy - this is something igot dicey about, wondering what it could have been.Probably,it could have been the need to survive which changed to determination somewhere
down the line.

The Mainlanders had come on this island, a completely new place for settlement.Out here, they had to find ways to live as this was completely a different territory for them. They were faced with the task of making something from what they saw as absoluetely nothing.Nothing could be grown on the land,they could not drink sea water and they had to start by building houses as they wanted to settle down in the island,and wanted to build houses. But they could not do so, as they were facing trouble from nature.the soil was very soft, just like quicksand,and houses would sink if they were built out there.However,they had to settle down there. This is where i would see the need to survive turning into firm resolute determination. Think about this - the Italian mainlander stood between two choices- the land he had to leave,and on the other side, he had the water. He had already been driven from his land by the huns,onto this island and the next thing he would go to would be water.And here he was, in the middle - between this amalgamation of land and water, and this
being his only chance.

 So the Italian gets determined,so he starts to work on his place.Thing would definitely have not been good at the start.Finding out solutions, the usual problem, frustrations and tensions crop up.BUt through trial and error, they keep refining themselves and finally move to the solution.They start putting wood trunks in the soft sand, and the wood is pushed till it reaches a hard spot underground.This wood forms the base for the house which would prevent it from sinking,wooden beams were put above it to distribute the balance, then there was the layer of water-resistant marble and finally,the stones for the houses.Thus, they built their houseson a solid foundations. The efforts for what I have written in six to eight lines actually must have taken quite some time and the only thing that would keep a person going in this instance would be determination.The food he could get was fish and other things from the sea,the water could not be used for drinking, but he could dry it to makesalt which becomes edible currency for him. Also since the ground was soft, and it was not possible to travel to all the places on foot, canoes were built and canals were made to travel around the island, and usage.So, through their determination, they not only acheived their basic needs, but they also built churches and St.Marks Basilica which is a pride for the city.They built a city out of the ashes of their defeat, and converted it into a huge Imperial empire.They conquered nature's obstacles through constant persistence, and built palaces and big houses to create a grand city which would dominate western Europe.

Today, Venice still does well, but has a major problem. The city is slowly sinking, as nature has come back with its obstacle. Does that mean that we may one see today, which was built with a lot of hardwork go under the sea and disappear without leaving a trace? or does that mean that the Venetians will rise up to the challenge and innovate a new route to keep their beautiful city from leaving them. I'm sure they will , they have history to their credit. Someone once told me that it took 800 years for this city to be built. So imagine what has gone into making this city and how precious it is.