How often do you travel? I wonder whether you have ever been to Venice in Italy? If you are thinking of travelling somewhere, make sure to brush up on the historical background and culture of your travel destination before you go as this will help make your time much more enjoyable. Venice is now known as a romantic tourist city where tourists can enjoy gondola rides along the beautiful canals, but it was once the wealthiest city in Europe. At that time, it was a thriving trade port and a merchant city as well. But now, it is hard to imagine how it was in the past. Venice once had the largest shipbuilding yards and the leading-edge blacksmiths developing the most powerful weapons in the world.

The history of Venice began after people fled from Veneto to islands located in the shallow lagoon (an area of water separated by a line of sand at the mouth of a river), escaping from Germanic people driven to the Plain of Lombardy by the invasion of the Huns. This region is situated at the end of the Adriatic Sea between the Italian Peninsula, to the north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered to the west by mainland Italy and to the east by Croatia and Albania. People set up villages near the bay and lived mostly by fishing. They soon became acquainted with boat rides and waterways. They started to build small ships and travelled far and wide to buy and sell goods. Furthermore, they floated rafts down the lagoon to widen their shelters, which were later connected to build houses. They also used wood piles in the water to construct buildings, which set up the Venice that we know today. There are about 118 islands spread over the lagoon and they are connected by more than 400 bridges. As all the forms of transportation use the waterways, it is truly a city built on the water. It feels as though the whole city is floating on water.

While strengthening its presence through trade, Venice had a turning point with the advent of the Crusades. Enrico Dandolo, the leader of Venice at that time fought in the Fourth Crusade, in spite of his great age. He was over 80 years old when he became the chief magistrate of Venice called the Doge and he was in fact nearly blind. Even though everyone dissuaded him from participating, he, as a citizen and the ruler of Venice, took up the Crusades. And the Crusades descended into campaigns of pillaging foreign lands with all the soldiers of the Cross acting entirely in their own interests after the First Crusade. Enrico Dandolo also sought to strengthen his own interest through the Fourth Crusade. He targeted Constantinople, the capital city of Byzantine Empire, and with strong mental strength that was almost superhuman, he led troops into the city instead of making their way into Egypt. Constantinople of the time was the end-point of the Silk Road through which luxuries were brought into the West from the East. Enrico Dandolo remained in Constantinople after his triumph there until his death. People normally want to return to their home after their death, but Dandolo wanted to be laid to rest there. Anyway, his conquer of Constantinople brought absolute hegemony over the Mediterranean Sea to Venice. And as a result, it dominated trade between the West and the East and grew into a trading empire.

However, the discovery of the New World in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, who was born in Genoa, the longtime rival for the control of the Mediterranean Sea, cast a gloom over Venice. Though he had a hard time convincing others of his plan about opening up a new trade route, Columbus eventually discovered the New World with the support of Queen Isabella of Spain and his discovery changed the structure of the world forever. The social-economic power shifted from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. With the advent of the new age of exploration, wealth was taken from the East to the West and Venice stood on the brink of ruin. Trade across the Mediterranean Sea declined as a result of the opening of new trade routes. Venice was ill-prepared for such a change. The galleys built by Venice were single-decked ships propelled mainly by rowing, but also fitted out with sails to be used in favorable winds and it was state of the art back then. But, such ships could survive out at sea for only a few weeks at a time. On the other hand, the galleons developed by Spain at the beginning of the Atlantic trade age supplemented the weaknesses of the Venetian galleys: they were able to sail across the sea by the wind with fewer sailors. This multi-decked ship was able to carry enough foods and water to sustain a voyage of months and even years. This was a huge paradigm shift.

In hindsight, success is achieved through the challenge of exploring something new. If we stop challenging ourselves and instead keep clinging to an outdated system because it is difficult to take up a new one, things will be much more difficult, no matter how hard we work. Venice is but the ruin of what's left after falling behind time. Though it prospered for nearly a thousand years, Venice failed to adapt itself to new changes of time sweeping across Europe and, eventually, its crown fell. As this example from history shows, continuous self-challenge and change for improvement are the most important keys to success. How do you see the power shift from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and the change from galley to galleon? It reminds me of how commerce today is moving from offline to online. In the midst of rapid changes around the world, we must stop the "exploitation" of what we are given such as natural resources, but start making by "exploring" what's unknown. Instead of following the old traditions, we must think in new ways and take up new challenges.