According to a new journal just released by Edizioni Ca’ Foscari, Venice - and its lagoon - is a privileged location for sensing and interrogating the effects of human activity and climate change regarding the biological, cultural, and social dynamics of local ecosystems. And its title - Lagoonscapes: The Venice Journal of Environmental Humanities - reflects exactly this position.

In its inaugural issue I ask: How does shopping at Venice’s famous market - Mercato di Rialto - help Venetians and visitors alike feel connected to the lagoon? And to the foods they eat?

Visitors consume Venice’s Mercato di Rialto most often with their eyes and cameras. Venetians, in contrast, consume it with their mouths. During the week they voice their orders gently, but on Saturday mornings shopping lists become full-volume announcements that compete against the market noise. By analysing the history and role of the Pescheria at Rialto Market and its culinary and cultural representations, this article considers the entanglement between seafood and people, ice and freshness, and life and lunch. Read “On Ice” here.