The fortress town
During the XI century, the patriarchal state of Aquileia, including Marano, made the most of its strategic qualities and became an important harbour. This is why the patriarch Popone, having obtained jurisdiction over this part of the lagoon, had a fortified structure built in 1031 to protect the town.
For the patriarchy, the Marano fortress represented a stronghold to defend against enemies coming from the sea, especially Venetians, whose aim was to reign supreme over the entire northern Adriatic.
16th century documents and floor plans allow us to understand certain aspects of the town-fortress, which was fought over between Austrians and Venetians due to its strategic importance. The fortified structure, surrounded by water, seemed to be an unconquerable island. No more than 600-700 civilians lived there, whereas the defence force was made up of 100-400 men, depending on the military requirements at the time. The Austrians considered it “…one of Italy’s best fortresses and so near to Venice that you can get from one place to the other in six hours…”.
At the end of the 18th century, when the Republic of Venice fell, the fortress began to fall into disrepair due to a lack of maintenance and the surrounding canal being neglected. The unhealthy environment, which encouraged the spread of epidemics, was brought to an end in 1890, when the walls were knocked down in order to allow air to circulate properly inside the town.
Daily life between the 17th and 19th centuries
Although “from the outside” Marano appeared to be one of the Adriatic’s most important fortresses, the people inside led simple lives, isolated from the mainland, and survived almost exclusively from fishing. Everything went on inside the walls, “inside the ancient circle”: ceremonies, trade, hardship, illness, death…
Between the 18th century and the mid-19th century, between 400 and 700 people lived here, with the number varying not only due to economic and social factors, but mainly due to famine and horrifying epidemics (cholera, smallpox, typhus, malaria), caused by very poor standards of hygiene. At the end of the 19th century, a significant increase in the population meant there were around 1,000 inhabitants after many diseases were eradicated and food shortages began to dwindle.
As the inhabitants were busy fishing, there was barely any scope for other occupations. Fishing was governed by a regulation issued by the Venetian authorities, which regulated how the lagoon waters should be exploited. These were the waters where the fishermen from Marano would bring their fishing boats, without going out to sea, and with a working pattern that would depend on the climatic changes from season to season, so much so that, during the summer, they would spend long periods away from home, sleeping in the “casoni” (traditional huts) on the islands.
The Serenissima Republic closely controlled the sale of the fish caught, passing legislation that banned the production of fish preserved in salt using the local salt works and allowing only for the sale of fresh fish.