What happened on April 7 in Venice

According to the Venetian Liturgical Calendar, today is St. Epiphanius Bishop and Martyr’s Day.

- April 7, 1679: Bernardino Zendrini, one of the greatest Italian hydraulic engineers of the eighteenth century, is born in Saviore, in the Brescia area; around 1738 he plans the replacement of the precarious embankments that protect Venice from storm surges with the Murazzi, artificial Istrian stone barriers cemented with pozzolan hydraulic mortar, which were built between Lido, Chioggia and Pellestrina to defend the lagoon from sea erosion. The Venetian Senate installs a marble bust in his memory in the Doge's Palace with the inscription 'Bernardino Zendrini, mathematician of the Republic, Camuno by birth, Veneto by merit'.

- April 7, 1711: due to the disturbance and yelling of the fans, the Council of Ten forbids the game of football in Campo dei Gesuiti in Cannaregio, games are played again in Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio. These two places were designated for tournaments among the Nobles, while the people practiced this sport in smaller fields, such as at Chiovere or dei Nicoli in Castello. Football, of Florentine origin, was played in Venice as early as the sixteenth century, complete with champions from other cities and bets called 'pirie'.

- April 7, 1905: the Municipality of Venice purchases the area where the E. G. Neville & C. foundry (S. Rocco, 3073) was located to use it for the construction of public housing.

Taken from 'Almanacco di Venezia -1600 anni ab Urbe còndita' by Andrea Gersich and Edoardo Rubini

Venice, 7th April 2021