Wonderful Life of Venice, Italy in the 1980s Through Beautiful Found Photos

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is situated across a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers (more exactly between the Brenta and the Sile). Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork.

Venice is also known for its several important artistic movements, it has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The city is facing some major challenges, however, including financial difficulties, erosion, pollution, subsidence, an excessive number of tourists in peak periods and problems caused by oversized cruise ships sailing close to the banks of the historical city.

These beautiful photos were found by David Pirmann that captured everyday life of Venice in the 1980s.

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30 Stunning Color Pictures of Venice From the 1890s

These astonishing images offer a rare brightly-colored glimpse of the beautiful plazas and intricate architecture of Venice in the 19th century.

The pictures show the famed canals of the Italian beauty spot that are home to boats, gondolas and buildings recognised the world over - and could disappear much sooner than we think.

Venice’s delights, as well as its ordinary citizens, are seen in full colour thanks to a process known as photochrom.

These images were taken in the 1890s and show a city that only 30 years earlier had been taken into the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. Previously belonging to Austria, Venice was offered to Italy in exchange for Italian alliance in the Austro-Prussian war.

The Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge

Pesaro Palace

Da Mulla Palace

Vendramin Palace

The Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge

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43 Color Photos of the 1986 Venice Carnival That Make You Wish to Be There Right Now

The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world famous for its elaborate masks.

With masquerade masks, and fancy costumes, these amazing color photos of the 1986 Venice Carnival from Sophie that may haunt your mind forever.

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33 Photographs of Pink Floyd Concert in Venice on a Massive Floating Stage in 1989

A concert combined with Redentore, it was 15 July 1989 – the night was unforgettable, who can imagine a stage for a rock band in waters in front of San Marco and the festival of the Redentore together. The Venetians protest was largely unheard as the promotor Francesco (Fran) Tomasi, the Vice President of the Venetian Council, Gianni De Michelis and Nero Laroni (commissioner) railroaded and bribed their way to securing the venue. It was supported by RAI and was broadcast live on TV to over 20 countries with an estimated audience of almost 100 million.

The floating stage was towed an moored in front of San Marco Square. The concert was free to all who wanted to attend- what an invitation to the Floyd fans around Europe. You needed only a train or bus ticket to attend. There were no public toilets, insufficient housing (many of the fans did not have money for hotels even should they have been available) so the crowds slept in the open square of San Marco. The Venetian police protested as they had not the personnel to maintain the peace. Stores were barricaded to protect their goods from looting.

From all accounts it was a fantastic evening, even though the band agreed to lower the sound to avoid damaging ancient buildings. Certainly the setting could not have been more picturesque. Per the agreement with RAI, the concert lasted only 90 minutes and at the end of the last note, the acclaimed fireworks of the Redentore began.

Unfortunately the fans defaced the irreplaceable buildings of Venice, defacing what has been described as Europe’s drawing room. Ancient monuments were damaged and used as toilets.

And when it was over the fans left behind 300 tons of litter. After two days, the Army was brought to clean the mountains of trash. Lamp-posts were broken as fans climbed to get a better view and some building suffered damage.

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23 Color Found Photos Captured Venice in the 1960s

Here is a collection of 23 interesting color found photos that captured everyday life of Venice, Italy in the middle of 1960s.

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Venice in the Early Days of Photography – Rare Vintage Photos of the Queen of the Adriatic Before 1900

Here is a rare collection of amazing vintage photos that shows urban scenes of Venice, Italy before 1900.

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21 Stunning Color Snapshots of Venice in the Middle 1950s

These found slides taken by unknown photographer on his trip to Venice in 1954.

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A Coca Cola Advertisement Made by Pigeons in St. Mark's Square, Venice, ca. 1960s

In the late 1960s, Coca Cola spread out a huge amount of birdseed in St. Mark’s Square in the shape of their logo. It was immediately covered/consumed by 100’s of pigeons who clearly spelled out the Coca Cola logo, the aerial publicity photo was taken and it remains a very famous/infamous piece of advertising today.

It was not an original idea. Coca Cola had borrowed it from Assicurazioni Generali, a Venetian insurance company, which had its headquarters in the piazza. Assicurazioni Generali would regularly set out birdseed in such a way that the pigeons would form the letters A G.

A word of advice to any companies who might like to follow suit: since 2008 it has been against the law to feed the pigeons in Piazza San Marco.

Wonderful Color Photos of Venice in 1985

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35 Amazing Black and White Photographs of Everyday Life in Venice From the early 20th Century

Here is an amazing vintage photo collection that shows everyday life of Venice, Italy in the early 20th century.

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Carnival of Venice, 1979

The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is famed for its elaborate masks.

(Photos via Kurt Sadjina)