The Hamlet of Malamocco has been one of the first populated areas of the lagoon. The name firstly was Metamauco and it was a little part of territory where started to live settlers coming from Padua which was destroyed by the Longobard people in 600 a.C.
In 742, thanks to its strategic position, Metamauco became the Venetian episcopal seat, where stayed also the Doge. Some years later, due to the fight with the French Pipino, the seat has been moved in a safer area of the lagoon, choosing the Rivo Alto island (where today there is the Rialto Bridge): in this way born Venice.
The Metamauco history was interrupted because of an extraordinary high tide that destroyed all the town, as legend tells us.
Around the year 1000 venetians started to build the current Hamlet of Malamocco, characterized by a Medieval style, like the Venetian one.
Between the ancient and valuable buildings there is the Santa Maria Assunta Church, erected on the old foundations of the previous Metamauco Cathedral. The Church is characterized by Gothic entrances and has a Romanesque bell tower, inspired by the Saint Mark’s one because has four bells. Another Malamocco old building is the Podestà Palace, the seat of the most important government body of the city, until 1339. Today it hosts a permanent exposition of archeological finds discovered in a recent campaign of excavations made in the proximities (the visits are by appointment, call 347.4144035 or 041.2760506).
In the Hamlet, there is the Locanda da Scarso, born in 1929, famous for its typical local cuisine. Its history is unusual, because it appears in one of Hugo Pratt’s comic strips: his character Corto Maltese ate in this restaurant and it’s famous the expression “Scarso, scarso, it’s ready for Corto Maltese!”.
The hamlet of Malamocco relates to Hugo Pratt and Corto Maltese because both loved the Lido Isle and Venice. The cartoonist also bought – in the proximity of Malamocco – a house immersed in the nature. Pratt was usually watching the sea and the lagoon through the windows of his Malamocco home which helped the inspiration for Corto Maltese’s stories. The City of Venice Lido dedicated to Hugo Pratt the library of the island, called Hugo Pratt Library (if you’re interested in, the library is open on Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 09am to 02.30pm, Tuesday-Thursday from 09am to 06pm; it is in Sandro Gallo Street, 136/B) and in this way, it confirmed his connection with the cartoonist.
The famous character Corto Maltese, considered as a modern Ulisse, loved travelling in the most fascinating places of the world, and between these obviously, there was Venice. There are a lot of glimpses told and drawn in the comic strips for example “Calle dell’amor degli amici”, “Ponte delle meraviglie” and “Corte Sconta detta Arcana”.
In this way, Pratt discovered what Venice and Lido inspire, explaining with his ideas the most hidden and suggestive places of the city.
Photo: www.cortomaltese.com
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