Descriptions of the Festivities Celebrated in Venice

Private: Italian Literary Patriotism: From the Enlightenment to the Risorgimento



Jacopo Morelli was a Venetian author and librarian. In this work, whose title may be translated as Descriptions of the Festivities Celebrated in Venice for the Arrival of the Emperor, Morelli records the lavish preparations undertaken by the Venetians in anticipation of the arrival of Napoleon, which for some Venetians was bittersweet because Napoleon had put an end to their thousand-year republic. This is a unique record, complete with illustrations, of an account of a significant city-wide celebration and of Venetians’ pride in their city.