From Lagoon to Empire: The Story of Venice

Join us for a special talk in partnership with UMAss Boston's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and learn how a floating city rose to rule the seas – and still fights to survive.

About the Talk

This talk traces the remarkable 1,500-year journey of Venice from a desperate refuge built on mudflats after the fall of the Roman Empire to a dominant maritime and commercial power that connected Europe with the riches of the East. Told in four acts, the program shows how geography, trade, naval innovation, and pragmatic politics created a tiny but global empire; how that wealth was transformed into unparalleled art, architecture, music, and civic culture; how shifting world trade and Napoleon’s conquest ended the republic; and how the city has continually reinvented itself to survive modern threats from mass tourism to rising seas. It is a story of resilience, ingenuity, and identity, revealing how a city with almost no natural advantages became one of history’s most influential and enduring places.

About the Presenter

Michael J. Ranieri graduated from St. Francis College in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in history and from St. John’s University in New York with a Masters in Chinese studies in 1974 where he also taught Chinese History and Mandarin. This valuable experience in academia was followed by 30 years as an international banker. He lived and worked in Taipei, Bangkok, and Hong Kong for more than 20 years. After his career as a banker, Michael shifted his focus from finance and began researching, writing, and lecturing on a variety of subjects. He wrote a column in an Oregonian newspaper, titled, “Asia Watch,” while working on cruise ships as a destination lecturer specializing on the history and development of cities in Asia.More recently, he has devoted his time to researching his family’s roots in Italy and has published a book titled, “Nonno and the History of Our Family.” Michael has also written five articles for Primo – a magazine for and about Italian Americans. They are: “Making Nonno Proud,” “Tribute to Michael S. Vaccaro (1931-2016): A Proud Italian, Great Teacher and Role Model,” “For God and Treasure: The Adventures of Two Pioneers: Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus,” “The Joys of La Famiglia Italiana: Sunday Dinner at Grandma’s,” and “Venice: Getting Immersed in its Charm and History.” Michael is currently president of the board directors of the Italian Cultural Society of Naples, Fl., Inc.

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