Piazza San Marco

Protest in the Piazza

“…Just as the processions projected the ideal of an ordered state, so too did the authorities communicate, through the punishments and executions, that justice would be served. 41 These processions and public punishments were intended to remind onlookers of their social and religious obligations, yet how they actually perceived and experienced such rituals is still very much an open question. 42 Most of the descriptions, paintings, printed festival books, and financial records were produced by the authorities themselves or with their explicit approval, which makes it difficult to reconstruct other perceptions, experiences, and interpretations.…”