European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 23, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Island a slight Shadow of its previous glory torcello is a solitary Island populated chiefly by feral cats. By j. King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau these Days the Island of torcello is a forlorn place populated chiefly by feral cats and showing nary a sign of the glory with which it easily eclipsed its Lagoon and upstart neighbor Venice. Before there was a torcello or a Venice there were splendid cities in the coastal provinces of northeastern Italy the land of the Veneti a Region praised by Cicero As the Flower of Italy. Then around 452, Attila and his fearsome Hun warriors came to Pluck the Flower and strip its petals the Veneti abandoned their wondrous cities a Concordia Alti num and Aquileia a and desperately seeking Refuge arrived at the snores of the immense venetian Lagoon. According to legend the altinian hesitated to take to the water although there were a number of boats at hand until a voice from the skies told them in latin what else in those Days Quot to climb on a Tower and look to the guess what yep a Tower appeared that their Bishop climbed to spot a Large Island in the Lagoon. They rowed to the Island dubbed it Torric hum Quot Little Tower Quot in latin or torcello in italian and lived happily Ever after. Not really. Despite their fairy tale Start on the Lagoon the altinian like the rest of the Veneti longed to return to their sacked cities. But although the huns who knew nothing about boat building could not pursue them across the Lagoon the Veneti could not return to reconstruct their destroyed cities. So they made the Best out of a bad lot and started their lives anew in the marshes. In Little time torcello became the most powerful and prosperous Island in the Lagoon. Exploring it now it is difficult to conceive that this neglected Island overgrown with greenery was once was the Home of 20,000 people. Torcello flourished through farming fishing the Hunting of sea Birds and the gathering and trading of Salt while those people who had fled Padua struggled to sustain themselves on the Cluster of islands of Rivalto later known As Rialto and finally As Venezia or Venice. Malaria dealt the hand of death to torcello and according to Ernest Hemingway who wrote in one of the upstairs rooms of Tercel for a famed eatery Locanda Cipriani Quot the torcello boys were All great Boatmen. So they took the stones of All their houses in barges. And they built but Hemingway wrote Quot they never built any better than at the Start there in torcello Quot Hemingway s opinion can be checked out by viewing easily within an hour virtually All that lingers from the Start of civilization on the Lagoon. That legacy clusters around a sort of Village Green a 10-minute canal Side stroll from torcello s ferry landings dominating the Green is the huge bar like and airy Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta built in 639 and extensively restored in later centuries. The byzantine Church a Model of restraint and Harmony is adorned by some of the world s most Beautiful mosaics. Sadly a Lack of Light coming into the Church makes viewing them difficult. Next to the Basilica is the interesting circular Church of Santa Fosca. On the Village Green sits a museum displaying archaeological material from Alti num and the Lagoon and works from demolished churches on torcello plus the Silver altarpiece from the Basilica. Once you have seen those sights there is nothing More to do on torcello than to have lunch at one of its three restaurants. Better Stilt walk the lonely dirt paths of the near deserted Island and reflect on the transience of glory. 6 stripes Magazine december 23, 1993
