As the statue of the old lady of the mortar shows, an entire city can be saved by one simple mortar. We are not talking about a trench mortar, but of the stone receptacle used for crushing and crumbling. This utensil is portrayed on the front of a city building and is being held in the hands of Giustina Rossi, a simple woman among the people, who rescued Venice from dictatorship.
Around 1300, a group of rebels was marching towards the Piazza San Marco to take over the government buildings. Attracted by the noise, the woman went to the window and casually let a mortar drop which killed the rebel leader and gave up the revolutionaries into the hands of the army.
Danger of falling mortar.
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