Pellestrina
| Pellestrina | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Waters | Venice lagoon | |
| Geographical location | 45 ° 16 ' N , 12 ° 18' E | |
|
||
| length | 11.2 km | |
| width | 1 km | |
| surface | 2 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 3 m | |
| Residents | 4471 (2001) 2236 inhabitants / km² |
|
| main place | Pellestrina | |
 |
||
Pellestrina is an island in the Adriatic Sea and forms part of the end of the Venice lagoon towards the open sea. Politically, it is part of the city of Venice . Its population is 4,500.
geography
Pellestrina extends south of the Lido (separated from it by the Malamoccokanal) in a southerly direction until shortly before Chioggia . Despite the length of 11 km, the area of the island is only 2 km² because it is very narrow - at no point is it wider than a few 100 meters.
The island is protected from the force of the waves by breakwaters made of large stones and an accessible wall ( murazzi ) made of Istrian marble blocks, which are held together by means of pozzolana cement (see: pozzolana ). The height of the wall is up to 10 meters. It drops steeply on the lagoon side. The width at the base is approx. 14 meters, the length 15 kilometers.
For the 2001 census, 4,471 permanent residents were recorded on the island, 3,016 of them in the capital of the same name in the south and 1,184 in San Pietro in Volta in the north. The third place is the Santa Maria del Mare hospital complex at the northern end with 151 inhabitants. Other places listed on maps such as Sant'Antonio and Porto Secco were not identified separately, but only under the sum category Case Sparse (for example: scattered residential buildings).
Work on the murazzi began in April 1744 under the rule of Doge Pietro Grimani and lasted until 1781. The idea and plans came from Padre Vincenzo Coronelli (1716), the executive architect was Bernardo Zendrini. The construction cost was around 20 million franchi . An inscription on the wall proudly reports: “Ansu romano, aere Veneto” - with Roman boldness, at the expense of Venice. Before the “murazzi” were erected, the island was only reasonably protected by simple heaps of earth, sand and gravel between wooden stakes.
Name and story
The name Pellestrina is derived from the old name Pristene (Latin: Portus Prestenae). As a result of the hostilities between Venice and Chioggia, neither the residents nor the houses were left intact. Four families (Busetto, Vianello, Zennari, Scarpa) managed to make the island habitable again, and not even the plague epidemic of 1630 and two major floods could drive away the new residents. By not always voluntary settlement, attempts were made to revive the island.
The poor conditions of the past and the recurring storm surges did not allow the Pellestrinotti to leave behind great buildings, so that there are no noteworthy sights.
The flood disaster of 1966 not only wreaked havoc on a large scale in the city of Venice, but Pellestrina also seemed doomed at the time.
economy
Today's inhabitants live from fish and mussel fishing and tourism. Good money is now being made especially in mussel fishing. Illegal fishing also makes it a breeding ground for criminal practices which, through their aggressiveness, also destroy the subsoil of the lagoon. This is also the subject of one of Donna Leon's Venice crime novels ( The Law of the Lagoon ) , which is mainly set on Pellestrina Island.
In recent years, cycle tourism in particular has increased significantly. A cycle path leads from Chioggia via Pellestrina, then via the Lido and the island of Sant'Erasmo to Punta Sabbioni on the mainland. There is a ferry connection to Chioggia and a bus line connects the island with the Lido.
literature
- Mario De Biasi: Pellestrina. Storia di un'isola tra mare e laguna , 1982.
