Institute for the History of the Venetian State and Society
The Institute, since its establishment in 1955, has aimed to be a national and international reference for the study of the history of Venice. Due to its exceptional length and complexity, the history of Venice encompasses several other histories: Byzantine history, the history of Italy, the history of the Mediterranean, and European history. Venice is of significant importance for all areas surrounding the Mediterranean, from its origins to its demise in 1797. In many respects, it represents a unique history on a global scale. Venice was a state situated at the crossroads of civilisations, constantly in confrontation with the Byzantine Empire and, later, the Ottoman Empire and Islam in general, in a way no other European state experienced. For centuries, Venice was an Italian state free from foreign subjugation, a diplomatic hub in Europe, and an essential artistic and cultural reference point.
The Institute for the History of the Venetian State and Society was founded in 1955. In addition to organising conferences, seminars, and study days, often in collaboration with national and international universities and research centres, the Institute publishes the scientific journal Studi Veneziani. Originally founded in 1959 as the Institute’s Bulletin, it changed its name in 1965. The Institute also houses an important Microfilm Library, which, in addition to reproducing documents and manuscripts from Italian and foreign libraries and archives, includes significant diplomatic series: the dispatches of the Este, French, Genoese, English, Savoy, Sforza, Medici, Parma, Papal, and Imperial ambassadors.
Since 2021, the Institute has been directed by Egidio Ivetic.
Canaletto, The Return of the Bucintoro to the Wharf on Ascension Day, 1732.
The Institute is a centre for historical research, but it also embodies a distinctive culture of engagement with the past, continuously striving to reconstruct, interpret, and reflect upon a place — Venice — that is unique in both history and the collective imagination of the world.
STUDI VENEZIANI
Studi Veneziani is an interdisciplinary study journal dedicated to the history of Venice and the Venetian state, as well as the expressions of Venetian civilisation in the realms of politics, institutions, society, culture, art, and literature. It publishes articles, documents, notes, and reviews. Founded as the Institute’s Bulletin in 1959, it has been published under its current name since 1965. The journal has been directed by Gian Piero Bognetti, Agostino Pertusi, Gaetano Cozzi, and Gino Benzoni. It is currently directed by Egidio Ivetic, the director of the Institute for the History of the Venetian State and Society.
MICROFILM LIBRARY
In addition to microfilms of individual documents and manuscripts of direct or indirect Venetian interest held in Italian and foreign libraries and archives, the microfilm library possesses entire and impressive diplomatic series, including the dispatches of the Este, French, Genoese, English, Savoy, Sforza, Medici, Parma, Papal, and Imperial ambassadors.
