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From 26th February until 8th March 2011
From 26th February until 8th March 2011
A dramatic new event at this year’s Carnival of Venice 2011 will be the special theatrical tours designed by Alberto Toso Fei. Actors in costume will lead you through a magical and secret Venice in “The Secrets of Venice“.
Visitors will be drawn into a real touring show that will reveal the many mysteries and tales linked to evocative and little-known places in the city. Why does Ca ‘Soranzo have a hole in its façade with an angel looking through it? How did Elena Priuli’s lovers’ flee without her powerful procurer husband noticing? What sort of phantom resides in the well of Corte Lucatello and what secret lies behind the construction of the Rialto Bridge? These are among the mysteries to be revealed.
There are two scheduled tours, both in English and Italian (both of which can be booked on the official website).
The first tour, titled “Angels and Demons. Love and Seduction“, assembles in Piazza San Marco, before movig immediately to the Castello district, and then proceeding in a labyrinth of stories and places, some of which are named directly from legends.
The second tour, “Ghosts and grisly murders. Secrets and clandestine love affairs“, will begin in Piazza San Marco with an extraordinary tale: that of a dramatic uprising of 1310 and the birth of the formidable Council of Ten, and the introduction of a gracious white lady, whose body might be concealed in a well. Then you will move onto the Bridge of Bareteri, the ex-theatre of forbidden love and adventurous escapes. Meanwhile, the facade of the church of Fava conceals the story of a corpse bride. In the court of the Milion you can still hear the song of the princess without empire, unfortunate wife of Marco Polo, and overlooking the Grand Canal from the court of Remer you can occasionally see the corpse of Fosco Loredan that emerges holding the head of his wife.
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Carnival 2012: “LA VITA E’ TEATRO. TUTTI IN MASCHERA” (Life is theatre. Everybody dress up)
From 11th to 21st February 2012
"LIFE IS A THEATER. IT’S TIME TO GET MASKED" - The Carnival of Venice 2012, renews the city’s ancient ‘liaison’ with its spectacular performances- the staging of the Commedia- which had its own unique historical relationship to the famous masks of the Carnival.
From the 11th to 21st of February, and with a colourful preview on February 4th and 5th, we are going to celebrate and remember Venice as the ancient capital of modern theater - with over 25 active theaters throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Furthermore we are going to recall the sense of disguising: the discovery of a new "character" of our personality through the wearing of a costume.
We want the festival to turn into a major event of performing arts, in which each visitor of the city becomes a protagonist of this famous Festival that is a fundamental part of our country’s cultural heritage.
The city of Venice will be the host of different scenic shows and events in main Campos and on the Grand Canal featuring concerts, live performances by international artists and mask parades. The Carnival offers a daily and diverse artistic program in the Grand Theatre of St. Mark's Square and in dozens of other public art spaces from early in the morning until late at night.
Put on your mask and we will see you in Venice, where life is a theater!
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DISCOVER VENICE - Open Churches,Itineraries between faith and beauty
» THEATRE - The Carnival 2012 at Teatro La Fenice
» THEATRE - Teatro Goldoni
» THEATRE - Teatro Toniolo
» THEATRE - Teatro Momo
» MUSIC - Carnival Concerts at Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello di Venezia
» MUSIC - The sounds of Carnival
» MUSIC - Balkan Music Festival Dimitrie Cantemir
» DISCOVER VENICE -"A Venezia, la vita è teatro"- A walking theatre show ideated by Alberto Toso Fei
» DISCOVER VENICE - Open Churches,Itineraries between faith and beauty
» DISCOVER VENICE - Discover the Archivio di Stato di Venezia
» MUSEUMS - Carnival 2012 at Palazzo Grassi
» MUSEUMS - Carnival 2012 at Peggy Guggenheim Collection
» Carnival Culture Night
» Carnival in Palazzetto Bru Zane
» THEATRE - Junghans Theatre, Nozze da Favola by Accademia Teatrale Veneta
Appuntamenti da non perdere
The Festa delle Marie 2012 - Award Ceremony
The "crowning ceremony" of the Maria 2012
Marie dei Nicoloti
This year’s “Marias” bid farewell to the square and leave on a lavish water parade for Piazza San Marco.
The silent water parade
A water parade of traditional boats and gondolas floats along the Canal Grande, lit only with candels
Follow Carnevale also on:
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DISCOVER VENICE - Open Churches,Itineraries between faith and beauty
Itineraries between Faith and Beauty
Guided tours in the holy places of the town
A project by Venezia Marketing & Eventi in collaboration with Chorus, Associazione delle Chiese del Patriarcato di Venezia and with Fondazione del Duomo di Mestre.
Free admission.
WEDNESDAY 15TH FEBRUARY
Starting from 7.00 pm until 9.00 pm: guided tours at the churches San Giacomo dell'Orio, San Giovanni Elemosinario and San Polo.
The tours start at: 7.00 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.00 pm, 8.30 pm.
Extraordinary opening and guided tours made by Chorus, Associazione delle Chiese del Patriarcato di Venezia.
THURSDAY 16TH FEBRUARY
Starting from 8.30 until 11.00 pm: opening of the church of San Rocco and San Girolamo at Mestre.
Extraordinary Opening of the churches and brief tours made by the Fondazione del Duomo di Mestre.
FRIDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
Starting from 7.00 pm until 9.00 pm: guided tours at the churches Gesuati, San Sebastiano and Santa Maria del Giglio.
The tours start at: 7.00 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.00 pm, 8.30 pm.
Extraordinary opening and guided tours made by Chorus, Associazione delle Chiese del Patriarcato di Venezia.
MONDAY 20TH FEBRUARY - CARNIVAL CULTURE NIGHT
Starting from 7.00 pm until 9.00 pm: guided tours at the churches Sant'Alvise, Madonna dell'Orto and Miracoli.
The tours start at: 7.00 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.00 pm, 8.30 pm.
Extraordinary opening and guided tours made by Chorus, Associazione delle Chiese del Patriarcato di Venezia.
TUESDAY 21ST FEBRUARY
Starting from 8.30 until 11.00 pm: opening of the church of San Rocco and San Girolamo at Mestre.
Extraordinary Opening of the churches and brief tours made by the Fondazione del Duomo di Mestre.
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from 15/12/2011 ARMENIA. Imprints of a civilization. Important exhibition dedicated to the Armenian civilization
Description
Inauguration (by invitation) Thursday 15 December.
Open to the public from Friday 16; until 10 April 2012.
Important exhibition dedicated to the Armenian civilization on the occasion of the fifth centenary of the printing of the first Armenian language book in Venice (1512), as the opening event of a celebration programme in Yerevan, the city declared book world capital by Unesco for the year 2012.
The exhibition, by curators Gabriella Uluhogian, Boghos Levon Zekiyan and Vartan Karapetian, presents over two hundred works from the main museums and libraries in Armenia and Europe, among them some exceedingly rare manuscripts and miniatures, works collected exceptionally for the occasion of the Venetian exhibition, in a rich and fascinating chronological and thematic trip.
Particular attention is given to the Armenian world's long and fruitful relations with diverse cultures, from Europe to the Far East, within this display, conceived as an extraordinary itinerary in Armenian civilization, over a time span going from the dawn of Christianity to the 19th century. In this context the special relations with the Serene Republic are illustrated by historical documents, manuscripts and works of art.
Important sections are dedicated to manuscript texts with glimpses into science, theology, philosophy, historiography and literature and concerning Armenian printing practices dating back to 1512. Skira catalogue.
Info:
www.visitmuve.it
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September 16-17-18 ANTIQUES MARKET in Campo SAN MAURIZIO
info@
www.mercatinocamposanmaurizio.it
tel 0039 333 9659994
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Discover the Venice lagoon with LagunaFla
www.lagunafla.ittel 0039-041-730238
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Starting August 24: the new room occupancy tax will support Venice
As NEW York, Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Florence, Venice will ask you to support the welcoming service.This new tax will cost 2 Euro more per day, per person.Children up to 10 years old will not pay.Children between 10 and 16 years old will pay 50%.During the low season you will pay 1 Euro.
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Cà Corner Della Regina Fur Prada Grundlage
alle Informationen:
http://www.prada.com/fondazione/cacorner/index.html#en/home_page
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Wir empfehlen Ihnen, besuchen Sie das Staatsarchiv Venedig
Alle Informationen finden Sie online unter:
http://www.archiviodistatovenezia.it
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Geschmacksweg des tradirionellen venezianischen Tramezzino
Birreria Forst - Calle delle Rasse 4540 - Castello
Pasticceria Rosa Salva - San Salvador 5020 - San Marco (mercerie); Ponte dei Ferai 950 San Marco; Campo SS Givanni e Paolo 6779 - Castello;
Elio Re del Tramezzino - San Lio 5354 - Castello
Tiziano Restaurant & Café - San G. Grisostomo 5747 - Cannaregio (fronte Teatro Malibran)
Bar Filovia - Piazzale Roma 521 - Santa Croce - (imbarcadero ACTV)
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54th International Art Exhibition
ILLUMInations
Opening to the public: 4 June > 27 November 2011
http://www.labiennale.org
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Antiques Market at Rialto Bridge to remember jede monate zweite Sonntag und Montag
Infohttp://www.rialtovenezia.com/it
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to better enjoy Venice's churches enter in www.chorusvenezia.org
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The Venice Jazz club Live
Description
VJC quartet the "Blue Note sound": every Monday at 9pm.
Special Night Jazz Aperitif. Bossa Nova, Latin Jazz, Lounge: every Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm.
VJC quartet Duke Ellington & Charles Mingus: every Wednesday at 9pm.
VJC quartet Tribute to A.C. Jobim Bossa Nova & Latin Jazz: every Friday at 9pm.
Place VENICE JAZZ CLUB
Address Dorsoduro 3102 - Ponte dei Pugni, S. Margherita
Boat stop Boat line 1 to Ca' Rezzonico
Next dates 01/11/2010 - 02/11/2010
03/11/2010 - 04/11/2010
05/11/2010 - 06/11/2010
Times 9pm
Price Tickets € 20.00 (the ticket price includes the first drink and table booking)
Info including first drink at table. Please call to reserve a day ahead of concert day
Info, Venice Jazz Club, tel. 340.150.49.85.
e-mail
web site info@venicejazzclub.com
www.myspace.com/thevenicejazzclub
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Kommen in Venig und essen im OSTERIA DA RIOBA!!!!!!!
Osteria Rioba, Fondamenta della Misericordia, tel: 00 39 041 524 4379This is real venice!!!!!
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Frari kirche und Ihre Conzerten
info@http://www.basilicadeifrari.it/italiano/basilica_dei_frari_concerti.html
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Restaurants and trattorias
Ristoranti e Trattorie consigliate a Venezia:
Nous vous conseillons ces restaurants et trattorie:
We do suggest you these restaurants and trattorie:
trattoria e pizzeria “CASA MIA” Calle dell’Oca
Tel. 0039-041-5285590;
Trattoria “ALLA MADONNA”
Tel 0039-041-5223824
“AE TRE SOREE”
tel: 0039-041 5238052
“TIZIANO”
tel: 0039-041-5235544
“trattoria STORICA”Tel 0039-041-5285266
“PARADISO PERDUTO”
Tel 0039-041-720581
“ANICE STELLATO”
Tel 0039- 041-720744
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If you are in Venice don't miss "OSTERIA LA ZUCCA"
La Zucca isn’t a vegetarian restaurant, but it can satisfy people looking for a place where to eat fresh vegetables courses made with natural ingredients.
Opening hours:
form monday to saturday
lunch: from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm
dinner: from 7.00 pm to 10.30 pm
Phone: +39 041 52 41 570
Address: Santa Croce 1762, 30135 Venice (Italy)
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Cà d'Oro Museum
The Ca’ d'Oro, an ancient patrician residence of the fifteenth-century, gethers the art collection which Baron Giorgio Franchetti, who bought the building in 1894, gave the State.
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http://www.arteorientale.org/sito/ita_servizi.html
The Oriental Art Museum is located in the ancient palace owned by the Pesaro family at San Stae, facing the Grand Canal. The building, wanted by Leonardo Pesaro, legal representative for Saint Marc, was designed by Baldassare Longhena.
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Historycal Navy Museum
Castello 2148, Arsenale
waterbus line 1 Actv, Castello
info at tel 0039-041-5200276
www.marina.difesa.it
Collection of relics of the Venetian serenissima Republic era and of Italian Navy.
Closed holydays and sundays
everyday open bwetween 845.13.30
admission 1,55 Euro
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Natural History Museum
Museum reopens with 11 exhibition hallsand a new extraordinary display. Sections dedicated to paleontology, explorations and nature.
FOndaco dei Turchi Santa Croce, 1730
water bus line 1 Actv stop called Riva di Biasio
info at 0039-041-2750206
www.museiciviciveneziani.com
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VENICE PLANETARIUM
Lido di Venezia, Lungomare d'Annunzio, area ex Luna Park
tel 041-731518 - cell.3388749717
Opening times: From October 1st to May 31 open every sunday at 4 pm. Open for schools and groups upon reservation tel 0039-041-731518.
INFO at: www.astrovenezia.net
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PuntoLaguna
San Marco 2949 Santo stefano
info at 0039-041-5293582
www.salve.it
Opening: Monday to Friday
from 2.30 pm till 17.30 pm
morning opening by reservation
THE ANIMATED ATLAS SHOWING MORE OF VENICE AND ITS LAGOON.
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CHURCH OF ZITELLE
The church was built between 1581 and 1588. Andrea Palladio is the supposed architect, because of style and typical features present in the church’s structure, but there is no documentation attesting to it.
In fact the church, which is part of a greater group of religious buildings, was begun after Palladio’s death. The land on the Giudecca Island was bought in 1561 but building didn’t begin until 1581 and the church was consecrated in 1588.
The complex was created by the Jesuit Benedetto Palmi to help girls living in poverty
Documentation from1575-1576 does show the purchase of building materials perhaps destined toward the building of the church.
The original idea could have been that of a central dome like a memorial temple but which then got changed through lack of finances. Limited space was another problem because the church needed to be built within the walls of the ‘casa delle zitelle’ i.e. the unmarried womens’ home. The home was begun in 1561 by Venetian noble women for young girls who had been used for prostitution.
Useful information:
Address: Fondamenta delle Zitelle, 32 Giudecca cap 30133 -Venezia
Telephone: tel.041.2719012
Boat line Actv: boat stop Zitelle
Per further information:
Monuments owned by ’IRE are run by Società Servizi Socio Culturali Venice.
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Not to be missed in Cannaregio
Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth o dei Carmelitani Scalzi (Barefoot Carmelites)
This church was built in 1660 from a design by Baldassarre Longhena. The grandiose façade was created by Giuseppe Sardi. After an Austrian bomb exploded on 27 October 1915, the frescoed vault by Tiepolo collapsed. Today, only a few fragments remain in the Galleries of the Accademia di Belle Arti. In 1934 the ceiling was replaced, and it was adorned with a fresco by Ettore Tito. The first chapel of the right-hand nave has a vault frescoed by G.B.Tiepolo.
Square and Church of San Geremia
The church houses the relics of Saint Lucy. The relics were previously housed in the church of Santa Lucia which has since been demolished.
Palazzo Labia
This palace was built at the end of the seventeenth century by the Labias, a family of rich Catalan merchants. The inside is decorated with frescoes by Tiepolo. It is now headquarters of the Italian State Television.
Church of San Giobbe (1450-70)
This church has a Renaissance portal by Pietro Lombardo. Inside it is decorated with the works of Tuscan artists such as Luca della Robbia.
Ghetto
The term 'ghetto' derives from the foundries that were found in the area in which the metal was 'gettato' or smelted. In 1509 it became the part of the city that was reserved for the Jews. They built their 'schole' or synagogues here. the first one was the Schola Tedesca (German Synagogue), which was built in 1528. It was followed by the Schola Canton and the Schola Italiana. The Schola Spagnola was rebuilt by Baldassarre Longhena. The German synagogue houses the museum of Jewish art and contains many fine religious exhibits
Church of the Madonna dell'Orto
Built towards the middle of the fourteenth centuryand first dedicated to Saint Christopher , it was later dedicated to the Virgin Mary after miraculously finding
On the left, the Ghetto square with its typical high buildings. Below, an engraving depicting Rioba, one of three brothers arabian merchants called Mastelli
a statue of the Virgin in a nearby garden. The church is a beautiful example of Venetian Gothic and hosts wotks by Tintoretto and Cima da Conegliano.
Ca' d'Oro
It was built by Marino Contarini in 1441, who used the best stonemasons of his time. It is considered the most striking example of Venetian Gothic. It has a façade with polychrome marble moulding and certain elements were overlaid with gold, which was why it was called the ca' d'Oro. The palace at one point became the property of Baron Giorgio Franchetti who donated it to the State in 1916 and is now a museum, with works by Mantegna, paintings of Tuscan school and a beautiful collection of Renaissance bronzes
Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Built around 1482 from a design by Pietro Lombardo. It is a fine example of Reinassance architecture, decorated with polychrome marble and bas-reliefs of sirens and tritons , which are unusual decorations for a church. It still has the small altar-piece painted by Nicolò di Pietro.
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The sestiere of Cannargio
Venice has 6 differents areas: San Marco; Castello; San Polo; Santa Croce;Dorsoduro and Cannaregio
Our Hotel is located in the one called Cannaregio:
The name has two possible origins: it may derive from Canal regio, i.e. the main canal for communicating with the mainland or else it may refer to extensive reed beds found there in the past. The railway station is named after Santa Lucia because it was built in the area of the church of Santa Lucia, destroyed following napoleon's edit in 1806. The building is number 1 of the district.
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San Lazzaro Degli Arneni
SAN LAZZARO MUSEUM (Museum)
Isola di S.Lazzaro degli Armeni, 30100 Venezia
Venezia - centro storico
Tel: (+39) 041/5260104 -
web: www.mekhitar.org
Visiting time 15.00-17.00.
Description
In 1717 the Republic of Venice granted the small Armenian community led by the abbot Mechitar permission to settle in the Island where the leper hospital was. There, a convent was established together with a cultural centre still fully active. In the public spaces, several paintings of the Veneto School (Palma il Giovane and Sebastiano Ricci), ceramics and an Egyptian mummy are diplayed. The library, the real heart of the community, treasures several manuscripts in Armenian, and works printed in the near-by printing works. Finally, there are several objects which belonged to poet Lord Byron, who soujourned at length on the Island.
How to get there
From piazzale Roma and railway station, steamboat no. 1, 41, 51, 82; disembark at S. Zaccaria and take ferry no. 20 to S. Lazzaro degli Armeni (low frequency). On foot, go to Piazza San Marco, proceed along the bank, turn around palazzo Ducale and cross two bridges until getting to embarcadero S. Zaccaria.
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Chiesa dei Miracoli
A jewel of the Renaissance by Pietro Lombardo, erected between 1481 and 1489 to contain a precious icon of the Virgin which was held to be miraculous and was already being venerated in 1477. Covered both inside and out with multicoloured marble, which legend has it is material recovered from the building of the Basilica of St. Mark, it has been recently restored to its former glory.
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Cà D'Oro to visit near us
It is one of the most famous buildings in Venice, and is, along with the Ducal Palace, the greatest expression of the full flower of Venetian Gothic. The facade was erected by Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon, father and son, at the order of the Contarini family between 1424 and 1430, but at the beginning the work was directed by Matteo Raventi and successively completed by the Bons. In 1780 a theatrical accademy named the “Accademia degli Ardenti” with the motto “Flamma nos Ardet” was founded in the “Ca’ D’Oro” by the marquess Francesco Albergati Capacelli, count Alessandro Ercole Pepoli and other gentlemen, who every now and then allowed the inhabitants of Venice, and also educated tourists, to enjoy plays which were sometimes written by themselves and sometimes chosen from some of the best authors of the time. This accademy only lasted for around four years. The Ca’ D’Oro was made into a museum in 1927: the collection, apart from furnishings, hangings, and coins, also includes some reliefs by Titian, Carpaccio, Mantegna, Giorgione, Cima and others.
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http://www.teatrofondamentanuove.it/
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TEATRO SAN GALLO THE HISTORY OF VENICE
SHOW PERFORMED IN ENGLISH - AUDIO GUIDES IN 7 LANGUGES
Tickets and info
www.venice-tickets.com
0039-041-2412002
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www.museoebraico.it
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THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN VENICE
Visits only by reservation
Ticket 5,00 Euro
info at Palazzo Zenobio
0039-041-5228770
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http://www.chorusvenezia.org/
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LA FENICE THEATRE
http://www.teatrolafenice.it/index.php
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www.bru-zane.com
Neue Music in VENEDIG!!!!
Palazzetto BRU ZANE
Centre de Musique Romantique française
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DOGE's PALACE - Secret TRAILS
Daily guided Tour, booking required:
information and booking at 041-2715911
www.museiciviciveneziani.it
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ST. Mark's Basilica
FREE guided tour with Biblical reading of the mosaics:
daily by appointment (exept Sunday and holidays) in Italian, French, English, German and spanish.
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Opening Juni 6
http://www.palazzograssi.it/
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Cà Foscari tour
Es moglich das Universitat Cà Foscari besuchen
info www.unive.it/visita
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CA’ VENDRAMIN CALERGI Wagnerian RoomsSan Marcuola Boat lines 1-2 to S. Marcuola Guided tours at Richard Wagner’s apartment.Offered by the Richard Wagner Association of Venice on Tuesday and Saturday at 10.30am and Thursday at 2.30pm. Booking required.To book, call the Richard Wager Association of Venice, no later than a day preceding the tour, tel. 338.416.417.4 - fax 041.524.52.75.
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The hidden Venice of Sherlock Holmes
"The hidden Venice of Sherlock Holmes.”Tour of the places described in the novel “Sherlock Holmes in Venice.” Sunday 11am, booking required.Additional Information at Trattoria Antica Sacrestia, tel. 041.523.07.49 or 349/15.83.278 (Ivo Lombardo).
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Peggy Guggenheim Collection
And Then Peggy arrived...Peggy Guggenheim collection is a museum of modern art to visit: it is dedicated primarily to the collection Of Peggy Guggenheim. For information click here www.guggenheim-venice.it
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Torcello
Santa Maria AssuntaThe old lagoon cathedral A romantic photograph takes us back in time. Nature seems to hide, as if to give shelter to, an old monument, perhaps the oldest in Venice’s millenary history. This is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta on the Island of Torcello.It is a genuine jewel, a fundamental example of Venetian art. And the reason we focus on it now is truly unique: the millennium celebration of its construction, which took place in the year 1008. As a tribute to this special anniversary, here are a few notes about the church and the place where it stands, the Island of Torcello. The Church. It is arguably the oldest monument around Venice. A cornerstone set in the wall on the left-hand side of the presbytery dates to 639, which a number of scholars claim is the earliest documented date in Venetian history. Hence, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta may had been built a good two centuries before the St. Mark’s Basilica. Our use of the conditional is required. Another theory argues that the cornerstone actually came from a different church which no longer exists today. Nonetheless, the building is very old, made evident also by the “reading” of the exterior. The terracotta façade with evenly spaced pilasters and divided to three blocks follows the interior division of three naves of the basilica floor plan. The colonnade that leads to it and that since 1300 forms a unified block with the nearby Church of Santa Fosca, rises up to mid height, wholly incorporating in the entrance what has remained of a baptistery. The religious building complex reveals its most ancient origins and, symbolically, the course of life of any of the faithful: The baptistery, symbolizing a new life, is set as a prelude to the cathedral, which proceeds as an expression of life in progress, ending with Santa Fosca, a martyrial chapel (where martyr saints are buried), symbolizing death and subsequent celestial living. The style of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is Venetian-Byzantine. Like the nearby Basilica of San Donato on Murano, it belongs to the period when these Adriatic areas dominated Byzantine architecture. The Byzantine taste and style were influenced then by the Lagoon-area tradition and its austere and unadorned exteriors, but with glittering interiors including polychromatic mosaics and ostentatious decorations.From the time it was first built it has undergone some massive reconstructions, including the main project of the 11th century under Bishop Orso, son of Doge Pietro Orseolo II and grandson of Saint Pietro Orseolo. Work during that period defined the current, typical exarchal architectural form and structure. Datable to that exact period is also the erection of the imposing bell-tower. Torcello and its history. Isolated by deserted shallows, the island rises just ten-minutes away by boat from the Island of Burano, and few miles away in a straight line from the place where the famous Roman city of Altino used to stand at the edge of the Venice Lagoon. The Altino inhabitants were indeed the first to settle on this island, seeking a place to hide from the Barbarian hordes that were the harbingers of the invasions of Italy in the 5th to 7th centuries.The place-name Torcello comes according to legend from the name of one of the gates of the ancient Roman city of Altino, or, according to another, from the Latin word Dorceum, meaning small marshland island (or barena in Italian). Almost certainly, the island had been already inhabited back in the Imperial era, most probably with a population that lived on hunting, fishing and salt gathering, and it is likely that beside the fishermen’s houses there were also several suburban villas. Those early settlements had to deal however with tough climatic and environmental conditions during the fifth and sixth centuries (phenomena of eustatism and subsidence).In 639, following the fall of the city in Lombard hands, most of the Altino residents found shelter on the Lagoon islands. And so, around the marshes life began to get reorganized. Besides Torcello, also other minor islands were inhabited. The new settlers gave their islands names that recalled the gates of their mainland native city: such place-names as Mazzorbo, Burano, Murano, and so on. All islands that over time would stand out for their splendid churches and convents.The Island of Torcello welcomed treasurers and worship materials from Altino, specifically the remains of Sant’Eliodoro, the first Bishop of Altino. This way the Episcopal seat of Torcello could claim in the coming centuries its direct affiliation with that of Altino and, regardless of the translation of the remains approved by Pope Severino in 640, the Bishop of Torcello would keep for centuries the juridical title Episcopus of Altino. Yet during the fifteenth century came the early signs of a crisis that would push the whole Torcello area to a slow inexorable decline, a prolonged agony almost, caused by many concurrent factors. In a matter of few decades the flourishing lagoon islands would be taken over by cane thickets and swamps, the leading families would abandon Torcello and move to Venice, where business was by then booming.Island like Ammiana and Costanziaco, north-east from Torcello, lost their vitality and became for a while hosts of convents, until even those religious congregations left for Venice or other places that were healthier and less isolated.One of the causes of this depopulation phenomenon around the Upper Lagoon was no doubt the landfilling of rivers, and specifically of the Sile, which turned Torcello and surrounding islands into marshland, systematically infested by malaria mosquitoes and snakes. Fever and the unhealthy air, combined with the probable lack of interest in proper urban maintenance – no longer considered necessary, perhaps – led to the population drop in Torcello and other north-eastern islands. Tide water would flood the land, which was left uncultivated, with few rare exceptions in areas around monasteries that were rented out; stones were sold as construction material to build new houses in Venice – as in the case of marble stones from the Church of Sant’Andrea di Ammiana used for the building of St. Mark’s Basilica. The bishops, too, were now staying at their family residences in Venice, up until the time, in the second half of the seventeenth century, when a bishop’s palace was built on Murano to serve as their residence.In 1797 the Venice Republic fell and the Serenissima civic institutions, which for centuries had governed the territory, were abolished, the monasteries and the secular scuole were closed down by order of Napoleon, through laws in 1806 and 1810 that deprived the island even of the little that had remained of their religious vitality. On May 1, 1818, Pope Pius VII abolished the Torcello Episcopate and the territory was annexed to that of the Patriarchate of Venice. In recent times the Pope has reintroduced the honorary title of Bishop, or rather Archbishop, of Torcello. Now during the millennium celebrations, in June, the archbishop took possession of the church and celebrated there a High Mass. Torcello today. Today the island is practically uninhabited, but its isolation, its monuments and its historical finds make it one of the most charming and popular Lagoon islands. Besides its millenary cathedral and the Church of Santa Fosca you should also visit the Estuary Museum (with remarkable archeological finds), the ancient Devil’s Bridge, the legendary Attila’s throne and the austere medieval tower, from atop which you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the Lagoon. Unavoidable, also, is a walk to the famous Locanda Cipriani where Ernest Hemingway, the great American writer who was in love with Venice, often stayed. We note, finally, that on August 15 the island will celebrate Assumption Day in a sober, but surely fascinating, way with a High Mass at the cathedral preceded by a choral concert. Torcello in practice. You can get to the Island of Torcello aboard the ACTV public transportation boats from Venice: boat line LN leaves from Fondamenta Nuove 10 and 40 minutes after the hour, then change at Burano for Torcello. Tickets sell for 6.50 euro (1.10 euro if you are a Venice Card holder). Traveling time is around 40 minutes. For a detailed transportation timetable of service to the main Torcello monuments, please turn to the following pages dedicated to boat service (ACTV) timetables and those containing museum listings. Torcello Study Center. This is an association founded by young scholars with the aim of offering a new popular cultural program that nonetheless would be based on a thoroughly scientific foundation regarding Torcello and the Lagoon. Founded for the 2008 millennium celebrations – officially on June 8 with a visit of msgr. Gianfranco Agostino Gardin, Archbishop of Torcello – it offers visitors a tour of the main sites on the island along with a brief background introduction of lagoon history. You may contact it writing to email address associazione@studitorcellani.it. Sources:Torcello Study Center (Web: www.studitorcellani.it) and “The Churches of Venice” (published by Electa).
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