At the beginning of the twentieth century, Venice was a very different city from today: overcrowded and popular, it was inhabited mainly by poor people forced to live in terrible hygienic conditions and suffer from hunger.

In this book, thanks to an extraordinary archival excavation into the documents of the time, Paola Somma offers us a completely new portrait of the society of the time. In fact, it was in those years that the policy of purging the popular classes began, which is the basis of today's city, whose places have now become a destination for tourists from everywhere.

A story not yet told, but fundamental to understanding the Venice of the present and to answering the questions it raises.

Foreword by Clara Zanardi.