Genoa, located on the gulf of the same name, possessed a
safe and spacious harbor. During the era of the crusades the city carried on a
flourishing trade in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. After the fall of
the Latin Empire of Constantinople the Genoese almost monopolized Oriental
commerce along the Black Sea route. The closing of this route by the Ottoman
Turks was a heavy blow to their prosperity, which also suffered from the active
competition of Venice.
SITUATION OF VENICE
Almost alone among Italian cities Venice was not of Roman
origin. Its beginning is traced back to the period of barbarian inroads, when
fugitives from the mainland sought a new home on the islands at the head of the
Adriatic. These islands, which lie about five miles from the coast, are
protected from the outer sea by a long sand bar. They are little more than
mud-banks, barely rising above the shallow water of the lagoons. The oozy soil
afforded no support for buildings, except when strengthened by piles; there was
scarcely any land fit for farming or cattle-raising; and the only drinking
water had to be stored from the rainfall. Yet on this unpromising site arose
one of the most splendid of European cities.
