Hugo Pratt and Malamocco
Malamocco, an ancient and charming town, is in its own way also a place of art: indeed, the cartoonist Hugo Pratt (1927-1995) lived and worked in Venice.
The author set some of the adventures of his character Corto Maltese, a traveller par excellence, who is linked to Venice just like his creator, in the lagoon city and in this village of the Lido.
In fact, Pratt was born in Rimini but spent his childhood in Venice, with which he maintained a very strong emotional bond and where he returned and worked for a long time after spending his life, just like Corto, travelling between South America, Africa, Switzerland, Paris, London… In Malamocco, he also bought a house immersed in nature, which allowed him to see both the sea and the lagoon from the windows. His mother also lived here, whom he continued to visit even when shuttling back and forth between Venice and abroad.
In his Venetian period, Pratt became friends with other authors, in particular Lele Vianello, with whom he formed the group of “Malamocco cartoonists”, which Guido Fuga also joined.
The Locanda da Scarso, also located in Malamocco, also has its links to Hugo Pratt. The cartoonist was very attached to this place: indeed, his Corto Maltese stopped for a bite to eat in this restaurant, and the story contains a famous line: “Scarso, Scarso, the show is ready for Corto Maltese!”, taken from The Angel at the Eastern Window, one of the artist’s Venetian stories.
The Lido has confirmed its connection with the author by dedicating its library to him as well as the Hugo Pratt Cultural Centre, opened in 2014 and now home to events, meetings and exhibitions.
