Antenor (13th century BC)
Mythical progenitor of the Venetian people. He fought during the Trojan War (1250 BC), led the Eneti (or Weneti) in the Po Valley, expelled the Euganeans and founded Padua.
Reitia (14th century BC)
Pre-Christian Mother-Goddess adored by the ancient Veneti was the female divinity linked to the cult of fertility, trade and life after death.
St. Mark (20 BC-50 AD)
An evangelist originally from Cyrene (current city of Shahat, in eastern Libya) iconographically associated with the lion with the Gospel, he is the patron saint of all Venetians.
Lion of San Marco
Symbol of the millennial Republic of Venice (Lat .: Venetiarum Respublica) is the main element of the flag of the current Veneto Region.
Titus Livius (59 BC-17 AD)
Born in Padua, he was a Venetian historian with Roman citizenship, author of Ab Urbe condita, a history of Rome from its foundation until 9 BC.
Gaius Valerius Catullus (84 BC-54 BC)
He was a Veronese poet and Roman citizen known for the intensity of the amorous passions expressed in his Catulli Veronensis Liber.
Marco Polo (1254-1324)
Among the greatest and most adventurous travelers of all time, in the mid-1200s he left the city of Venice and arrived in Beijing, opening the Silk Road to Europe.
Antonio Pigafetta (1492-1531)
Navigator, geographer and writer from Vicenza, he is the famous “reporter” of man’s first journey around the world (Magellan’s Expedition 1519-1522).
John Cabot (1445-1498)
Navigator and explorer, citizen of the Republic of Venice, on June 24, 1497 he discovered Canada.
Titian Vecellio (1488-1576)
Painter originally from Pieve di Cadore (BL) was the guiding personality of the “Tonal Figurative Art” of the Renaissance.
Andrea Palladio (1508-1580)
Paduan architect creator of the Venetian Villas is considered one of the most influential personalities in the history of Western Architecture.
Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
Sculptor born in Possagno (TV), nicknamed the “New Fidia”, he is the greatest exponent of late 18th century neoclassical sculpture.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Venetian violinist and composer, he is the great representative of the Musical Baroque and eternally famous for his “Four Seasons”.
Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798)
Venetian writer, poet, intellectual, diplomat, philosopher and secret agent, but above all one of the most famous seducers and womanizers in the world.
Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793)
Venetian playwright of the 18th century, he was a brilliant theatrical renovator and one of the fathers of Modern Comedy.
Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827)
He was a restless adventurer and romantic writer. The “Venetian Goethe” is famous for his “Last letters by Jacopo Ortis”.
Ippolito Pindemonte (1753-1828)
Veronese, translator of the Odyssey and author of restless poetic verses of pre-Romantic inspiration.
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684)
Venetian patrician scholar recognized as the “first female graduate in the world” in 1678.
Cristina da Pizzano (1364-1430)
Writer, poet, philosopher originally from the city of Venice, who then moved to France, she was the first professional writer in Europe.
Ezzelino III da Romano (1194-1259)
Mentioned in Dante's Inferno, he was the undisputed Ghibelline leader of Northern Italy. A crusade was launched against him by Pope Alexander IV.
Daniele Manin (1804-1857)
Patriot Veneto president for a year and a half of the reborn Venetian Republic of 1848-1849 (Republic of San Marco)
Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1732)
Born in Padua in 1655, he was the brilliant inventor of the piano.
Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778-1823)
Paduan explorer and father of Modern Egyptology, with his exploits and his grandiose archaeological finds he inspired the character of Indiana Jones.
Enrico Bernardi (1841-1919)
Originally from Verona and graduated in Padua, in 1884 he created the first petrol engine in history.
Federico Faggin (1941)
Physicist from Vicenza born in 1941, he is the innovative inventor of the Microchip and the Touch Screen.
Venetian Popes
Over the centuries there have been ten Venetian popes: Pius I (Aquileia) Benedict XI (TV), Gregory XII (VE), Eugene IV (VE), Paul II (VE), Alexander VIII (VE), Clement XII (VE) , Gregory XVII (BL), Pius X (TV) and JOHN PAUL I (BL).
