12 eric r. dursteler
the terraferma.32 His history was not purely derivative; on the contrary, it
was innovative in moving beyond the traditional 19th-century narratives
of politics, war, and institutions and in approaching venice from a socio-
logical and cultural perspective.33 Thus, Molmenti treats a broad spec-
trum of themes, including costume, festival, furniture, jewelry, sanitation,
housing, industry, family, and economy. To penetrate the everyday life of
venetians, he was also original in his use of sources not widely accessed
by scholars of his day, including notarial and private archives, as well as
art and material culture, which he considered of equal value to manu-
script and printed documents. Molmenti was also groundbreaking in his
use of photography to provide a visual backdrop to his study: beginning
with the 1905 edition, which Molmenti considered an entirely “new work,”
given his extensive revisions and expansion, he introduced a rich array of
illustrations, “a kaleidoscope” to accompany the documentary appendi-
ces present since the first edition. Molmenti was never satisfied with his
youthful effort, and he tinkered incessantly with the Storia, rewriting and
adding layer upon layer of new evidence and insights. A constant com-
panion throughout its author’s life (he corrected proofs of the final edition
on his deathbed), it went through seven editions over 50 years, as well as
translations into German, french, Croatian, and english.34
Twentieth-Century TransformationsMolmenti’s Storia both bridged and loomed over turn-of-the-century
venetian scholarship, and it remained the most well known and respected
work on the city’s history, in Italy and abroad, up to the Second World
War. During this period, foreign scholars’ fascination with venice also
continued apace. In france, Charles Diehl’s 1915 Une république patrici-
enne: Venise was the most significant addition. While primarily a political
narrative, Diehl is clearly influenced by Molmenti’s treatment of the life
and culture of venice; he is “post-romantic” and very traditional in his
32 John Jeffries Martin and Dennis Romano, “Introduction,” in John Jeffries Martin and
Dennis Romano, eds, Venice Reconsidered: The History and Civilization of an Italian City-
State, 1297–1797 (Baltimore, 2000), pp. 13–14; elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan, Venice Triumphant:
The Horizons of a Myth (Baltimore, 1999), pp. 100–01.
33 Pompeo Molmenti, La storia di Venezia nella vita privata dalle origini alla caduta
della repubblica (Turin, 1880), p. ix.
34 Margaret Plant, Venice Fragile City 1797–1997 (New Haven, 2002), p. 190; Giandomen-
ico Romanelli, “venezia nella vita privata,” pp. 21–23.