Seductive Venice: In Casanova's Footsteps

By Kathleen Ann Gonzalez

“Here. Here is the house of Casanova, the Italian sex machine,” a gondolier claims as he points to a crumbling building. But some gondoliers are lying—or telling a different kind of truth. “Casanova, he was with many women in Venice, so he has many houses.”
It turns out they’re right after all.
Seductive Venice: In Casanova's Footsteps will take readers on seven walking tours of Venice to find the real houses of Giacomo Casanova: his birthplace; the street where he beat up a thief; the canal where Casanova saved Senator Bragadin from a fatal stroke; the scene of a courtesan’s party where the two traded clothes; the inn where Casanova and seven friends pleasured a wife. Then there are the churches—where Casanova met the woman who would lead him to his new lover, a cloistered nun; or the church steps where he was dumped after being kicked out of the seminary; and the theaters—where Casanova brought his fourteen-year-old lover, masked; or where he was accused of clipping coins. Of course, the walks include Casanova’s best-known haunts as well: the ridotto where he gambled away fortunes and the prison where he schemed for a year before his daring escape. Statues, alleys, bridges, canals—so many more sites hold the spirit of the famous lover.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kathleen Ann Gonzalez
• Release date: Sep 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301134762

Kathleen Ann Gonzalez

Kathleen Ann Gonzalez has published with various periodicals and on the Internet and has stories in three anthologies. She has independently published four books, First Spritz Is Free, A Beautiful Woman in Venice, A Living Memory: Immortality for Sarra Copia Sulam, Seductive Venice: In Casanova's Footsteps, Free Gondola Ride, and A Small Candle. She contributed to a collaborative book about teaching English, published by Pearson in 2013. Gonzalez is an English teacher and has won various awards and recognition for her work. Passionate about travel, Gonzalez finds any excuse to hop on an airplane, particularly to Venice.

Book preview

Seductive Venice:

In Casanova’s Footsteps

By Kathleen Ann González

Photos for Seductive Venice: In Casanova’s Footsteps are available at

seductivevenice.com

Contact: KathleenAnnGonzá[e-mail]

kathleenannGonzález.com

Blog: seductivevenice.wordpress.com

Cover art: photo by Kathleen Ann González

Design by Margie Kelly, RJ Wofford, Laura Rice, and Kathleen Ann González

Copyright 2012 by Kathleen Ann González

Second edition 2019

Published on Smashwords

Formatted by eBooksMade4You

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All Rights Reserved.

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Table of Contents

Preface

Quiz

Walk #1

Sidebars on

sestieri

Carnevale,

theater and opera,

traghetti

Walk #2

Sidebars on

gondolas and gondoliers

ridotti and casini

convents,

condoms,

eighteenth century porn

Walk #3

Sidebar on

masks and costumes

Walk #4

Walk #5

Sidebars on

magic and the cabala

courtesans

drinking establishments

Walk #6

Sidebar on

money and coins

Walk #7

Glossary of Italian Terms

Chronology of the Venetian Years

Quiz Answers

Acknowledgements

Bibliography

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Preface

Here, here is the house of Casanova, the Italian sex machine, my gondolier said, as we coasted through Cannaregio. He pointed to a crumbling white palazzo. Casanova had many lovers, so he had many houses. I stared at the windows of the house, wondering at the exploits of the man whose own hedonism, romance, and refinement seem to personify this city, which he called his home.

But after several gondola rides, I noticed that every gondolier was pointing to a different house, whether we were starting at Piazza San Marco, perusing San Polo, or gliding down the Grand Canal, claiming this was Casanova’s birthplace or house or trysting spot. A survey of YouTube videos featuring other tourists on gondola rides only confirmed my experience. I did not know what to think. I was baffled, then incredulous, then amused by this phenomenon—until I was inspired to investigate on my own. After researching over ninety sites associated with Casanova, I can tell you that only a few corresponded with the gondoliers’ pointing fingers. Are the gondoliers all fooling us? What would Casanova, himself a masterful manipulator, have said about these falsehoods? Where are the real houses of Casanova? And what really went on in them? Now you can discover for yourself!

Did you know that Casanova lost his virginity to a pair of sisters? Or that he met his greatest benefactor after playing fiddle at a wedding? Casanova’s memoir History of My Life takes us through his many exploits in Venice: committing pranks at night, saving a duped beauty, frequenting the ridotto to win and lose fortunes, meeting a nun at his casino, escaping from prison, exacting revenge on an enemy. Sadly, Casanova isn’t remembered so much for his translation of the Iliad, his mathematical calculations, or his conversations with scholars and monarchs. Few know that he made millions founding the French lottery (or that he spent those millions on a team of pliant seamstresses) or the irony that after he was spied on, arrested, and imprisoned by the Venetian State Inquisitors, he returned to Venice only to be hired as a spy himself. No, Casanova is best known as the great lover of women. His friend the Prince de Ligne once described him thus: He would be a good-looking man if he were not ugly; he is tall and built like Hercules, but of an African tint; eyes full of life and fire, but touchy, wary, rancorous—and this gives him a ferocious air (qtd. in Masters 257). Apparently it wasn’t merely Casanova’s looks that lured his lovers.

You can skulk or meander or saunter or cavort in Casanova’s footsteps with this walking guide in your hands—or perhaps read while sipping a spritz! These pages are peppered with Casanova’s own words, culled from his reports and mostly from his memoirs; originally in French, quotations here come from the 1966 translation by Willard R. Trask, with citations showing volume and page number. Casanova wrote his memoirs in the last thirteen years of his life when he lived as librarian in a castle in Dux, near Prague. Of course, many readers are skeptical when they hear his stories; the wide range of experiences, the hyperbole, the audacity of his exploits certainly defy belief. Yet Casanovists—those who have devoted years to studying the man—have combed the archives, letters, and documents in numerous cities to find proof supporting most of Casanova’s claims. Perhaps some details are exaggerated and some dates are off—Casanova did change names to protect the identities of many of his lovers and he played with some facts in order to create a better story—but the substance of each story is true.

Casanova’s memoirs comprise one of the greatest historical documents of eighteenth century Europe, detailing daily life across countries and social strata. He was a gifted writer and storyteller, and his skill as an adept conversationalist, much prized in his era, was his ticket into the courts, salons, and palaces of the wealthy and well-connected. Never published in his lifetime, these twelve volumes survived atrocious translations and censorship, consignment to a basement, and a tricky truck ride during WWII, finally to be purchased in 2010 by the French National Library. Their 2011-2012 exhibit was the single largest collection of Casanoviana yet shown.

Many of his letters survive as well, along with others’ letters to or about him, copiously documenting his life. The Venetian archives, too, contain reports he wrote plus papers about him, as well as information about his contemporaries. It took some digging and a lot of reading, but the traces of Casanova’s sojourns in Venice were just waiting to be found. I’ve done the research so you can see the sites and enjoy the stories.

Casanova’s memoirs are rather confessional; in fact, he often tells us the unflattering truth. While he prized honor and trust, abhorred stealing and taking a woman by force, he also had no scruples about using trickery in the name of magic or convincing a lovely woman to give herself to him with the promise of marriage to come. He was a scoundrel and an egoist, a seducer and addicted gambler, a libertine and a prankster. Yet he was also a protector and a gentleman, a loyal friend and a generous spender, a writer and a master storyteller. He’s endlessly fascinating. While he lived and traveled all around Europe, Venice was his birthplace and the home of his heart. Giacomo Casanova never actually owned a house in Venice, but he did frequent a number of the houses that the gondoliers like to point out. His adventures in this city of canals, alleys, and palaces include exploits of every color. Don’t rely on a gondolier—launch out on your own to discover the houses of Casanova. This is the place to find him, still seducing us after 250 years.

How to Use this Guide

These seven walks are arranged geographically rather than chronologically. Giacomo Casanova had most of his adventures in the Cannaregio and San Marco districts, all on the east side of the Grand Canal. So I begin at the farthest point away from that, in the San Polo sestiere, and lead you toward the Piazza San Marco, where you can end your walking tour by gazing at the place where Casanova left his beloved city. Or you may wish to read the walks out of order, based on where you are that day; however, reading a walk from the beginning works best since much background information is provided to connect the stories behind the locations you will be visiting. In case the timeline of events becomes confusing, I listed a chronology at the back of this guide.

Furthermore, this book is nearly as much about Venice as it is about Casanova, so there are times when I may send you on the less direct route in order to show off a hidden architectural detail or disclose a little-known historical aside. Please be mindful of other pedestrians and step to the side when you are reading text or pondering maps. I followed the spelling used on the walls of Venice at the time of my initial research; this spelling may have been repainted or changed in the interim and can be inconsistent between the Venetian and Italian spelling but should be close enough for you to find your way. If you’re tired or the weather turns, there are worse ways to spend your time than to stop for a drink, rest your feet, and let Casanova entertain you for a few moments. Anyone who completes all seven sojourns will indeed have accomplished a feat—not only traversing scores of Venice’s back alleys, but also learning in-depth about more famous Venetian sites—and this famous seducer.

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Quiz

Besides being a Venetophile (or is that a Venetianist? Venezianista?), I’m also a teacher. What teacher can resist giving a quiz? Try these out before you read through the walks, and then compare your results afterwards. Answers are given after the Chronology.

1. What character did Casanova dress as when he visited the convent to entertain the nuns?

2. True or False: Casanova once tricked a woman into having sex with him by telling her it would induce an abortion.

3. When working as a spy, why did Casanova condemn people for attending the art studio near the Ridotto?

4. One of Casanova’s longest and most stable affairs was with Francesca Buschini. What was her profession?

5. What instrument did Casanova play at the theater or weddings?

6. Casanova had an affair with the nun M.M., believed to be Marina Morosini, but who were her other lovers?

7. True or False: Casanova lost his virginity to a pair of sisters.

8. The first time Casanova had to leave Venice, he escaped from prison. Why did he have to leave the second time?

9. How did Casanova like to eat oysters?

10. What type of very fast dance did Casanova excel at?

11. Why did Casanova get kicked out of the seminary at Murano?

12. When Casanova spent the night with his lover Marina, but then had his boat stolen, how did he bring her back to her convent without getting caught?

13. Where did Casanova meet with the mother of his lover Caterina, in order to deliver a ring?

14. Though he was officially charged with atheism, there were a number of reasons why people wanted Casanova arrested. Name two reasons.

15. When Antonio Razzetta tried to take the Casanova family furniture, what did Casanova do for revenge?

16. True or False: Casanova practiced some of Aretino’s sexual positions, including one called the crooked tree.

17. What did Venetians call their gambling establishments? And what did they call their apartments where they met for trysts and other pleasures?

18. How many sermons did Casanova deliver when he was studying to be a priest?

19. Which of Casanova’s lovers may also have been his half sister?

20. From what affliction did Casanova suffer when he was a child?

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Walk #1

or

Aiding, Cudgeling, Acting, Hoodwinking, Promising, Denouncing, Carousing, Heeding, and Sauntering

Our starting point for Walk #1 is an important site in Casanova’s life—the place where he met his patron, Signor Moneybags, the Senator Matteo Bragadin, on April 21, 1746. The bachelor senator was attending a wedding at the Palazzo Soranzo (Site A) in Campo San Polo (1).

Stand in the middle of the campo with your back to the church of San Polo, originally founded in the 800s, and look at the longest expanse of buildings in front of you. The four-story Palazzo Soranzo, numbers 2169-71, is colored a soft red with white stone wainscotting halfway up the door, and has pointed Byzantine windows framed in white and medallions depicting a strange bestiary of lions and birds. It’s actually two palaces together—the one on the left from the fourteenth century and the one on the right from the fifteenth—and it’s still inhabited by members of the Soranzo family, though the plaques on the walls also show various offices. The canal just to the left used to run in front of the palace here but was filled in and shortened in 1761; entrances to palazzi generally let onto canals rather than land. Look for the white stone on the ground running parallel to the palazzo, which probably denotes the former canal line.

The 1746 Soranzo-Cornaro wedding went on for three days, and twenty-one-year-old Casanova had been hired as a fiddler. He had learned to play the violin from his teacher in Padua, Abate Gozzi. Having recently returned from a trip abroad to Naples, Rome, Corfu, and Constantinople, Casanova needed the money from this wedding gig, although he generally considered being a musician as beneath him. The campo was likely teeming with sumptuously dressed senators in reddish-purple robes, women in trailing low-cut gowns decorated with pearls and Burano laces, men in jewel-tone silk breeches and ruffled coats, buckles on their shoes and watches on their waistcoats. Gondolas lined the canals, with their black cloth or wooden cabins called felze and attentive gondoliers in striped shirts sporting the colors of the houses they served. Stringed music probably poured from the windows, where could be seen tables laden with fine seafood dishes under candlelit Murano glass chandeliers.

Casanova left the building at four a.m., the same time as Senator Bragadin, and the young man saw the elder drop a letter. When Casanova returned it to Bragadin, the Senator invited the honest musician to a ride home in his private gondola. (Biographer John Masters questions if Bragadin dropped this note on purpose as an invitation to the young man to accompany him to his bedroom, and while there is evidence that Casanova had some homosexual encounters during his life, it’s unclear if that is what initiated this meeting between the two [Masters 226]).

Within a few minutes of entering the gondola, Bragadin suffered a stroke, complaining of terrible numbness. Casanova recalled, Greatly alarmed, I open the curtain, take the lantern, look at his face, and am terrified to see that his mouth was drawn up toward his left ear and his eyes were losing their luster (2:191). Casanova ordered the gondoliers to stop at Calle Bernardo (which we will visit in a moment), jumped off the vessel, and found a surgeon to bleed the fainting man, tearing off his own shirt to bandage the Senator.

They quickly rowed on to Palazzo Bragadin, where Casanova stayed by Bragadin’s side for days and personally oversaw his care. In fact, Casanova had desired to study medicine, read widely, and had taken numerous chemistry courses, so he actually had some knowledge of the care he was providing, including preventing Bragadin’s surgeon, Ludovico Ferro, from bleeding Bragadin to death. However, Casanova was either superstitious or conniving, as he wrote, I answer that I will sleep in the chair in which I was, since I felt certain that if I left, the patient would die, just as I felt certain that he could not die so long as I remained there (2:192). The friendship that grew from this accident was to be the most important one in Casanova’s life. Bragadin virtually adopted Casanova, saying, I have come to know you; if you wish to be my son, you have only to recognize me as your father and from thenceforth I will treat you as such in my house until I die (2:200). Bragadin kept his word.

This story is one of Casanova’s best, with its elements of high drama, exceptional timing, and vital consequences. Some contend that it is more fiction than fact, that it follows a prescribed storytelling pattern (see Detailleur’s essay The Bragadin Encounter). All of this may be true, and yet it still remains an example of the kind of storytelling that opened doors and cemented friendships for Casanova.

Campo San Polo, which was a popular site for bullfights, festivals, and a bonfire of the vanities in 1450, is also near the site of an entirely different event in Casanova’s life, one that shows his penchant for vengeance. If you’re facing Palazzo Soranzo, exit the campo to your left. Pass the restaurant La Corte on your left, and in front of you will be the end of the street, resulting in the canal. You can imagine when this canal used to run though Campo San Polo, and in fact, the sign on your right for Rio Terá S. Antonio gives it away. Rio Terá means a filled-in canal, and you’ll see these around the city and on our walks. On the building before you you’ll see the sign for Calle Ca’ Bernardo (2); follow it as it turns to the right and then left and you’ll come upon the Ponte Bernardo (B), a pretty spot to watch for a gondola gliding by (and you can gaze at the lucky people who have gotten the one terrace table at Da Fiore, one of the city’s top restaurants). Somewhere on the Calle Ca’ Bernardo is where Casanova beat his enemy Razzetta, who supposedly lived at the last house before the campo, though it’s unclear which one this was.

Casanova’s mother Zanetta had left Venice to pursue her acting career when he was just nine, leaving Casanova and his three younger brothers and two sisters with Marzia Farussi, their maternal grandmother. When Marzia died on March 18, 1743, the family home and its contents were to be sold, but Casanova felt that he had a right to take and sell the furnishings himself. I knew that I should be taken to task, Casanova wrote, but it was my father’s inheritance, upon which my mother had no claim; I considered myself within my rights (1:157). One of the Casanova family’s benefactors, Alvise Grimani, had taken on the task of disposing of the household and finding places for the children. Grimani hired Antonio Razzetta as confidential agent, a sort of gopher-cum-spy who had the locks changed to keep out Casanova, which just infuriated the destitute young man.

At the order of Grimani, who was peeved with Casanova for selling the family furnishings, Casanova was being held at the fortress at Sant’Andrea on a nearby island. Apparently Razzetta wanted to keep the furniture profits for himself and trumped up accusations against Casanova. So