Venice. Under the energetic leadership of the Neapolitan Girolamo Ulloa, the Venetians put up tenacious resistance to the Austrians. It was decided to cut the bridge connecting the city to the coast: the Ponte di Sant’Antonio. A large artillery battery, the Batteria di Sant’Antonio, was placed on the bridge’s section. The Austrian cannons failed to hit the city, but the Batteria di Sant’Antonio was far enough advanced to strike the Austrians. The Austrians tried everything: they mounted the cannons on special supports to fire at 45 degrees, heated cannonballs to start fires, attempted bombing from hot air balloons, and even attempted a swimming attack on the Batteria di Sant’Antonio, but all their efforts were in vain. A city in the middle of the sea had little to fear.
