In the sixteenth century the N.H. Marin Sanudo said that the Venetian Republic would last forever, forever and ever. His opinion was not isolated, but a widespread belief. Even this shows how our fathers were distant from the common mentality of today. Who would ever say, these days, that a state will last forever?
La Serenissima lasted fourteen centuries, but the self-government of the Venetian people since time immemorial. The objective fact is impressive. Even more s...