Venetian winter
Ancient stones, colonnades, marbles and friezes smoothed by time… A sumptuous portal bearing the symbols of an ancient power, linking
...segue
In copertina
The city… and its Christmas
An image of a festive Venice is opening this December issue: it is the end-of-year concert which the city, represented
...segue
From Flemish masterpieces to the Fête of Health
There are some paintings which vanish into the vicissitudes of history and then resurface after centuries. Often, however, research by
...segue
Peggy Guggenheim and… October in Venice
A palace in white Istrian stone nestling on the water… Its vertical development seems to have been disrupted, or rather, it has always been like this. It is Ca’ Venier dei Leoni, for everybody, Peggy Guggenheim’s palace. Its ever-unmistakeable image has become iconic by now, just like that of its last owner, the eccentric American collector, the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim (who died on the Titanic in 1912).
...segue
September in Venice
An extraordinary month, such as few cities worldwide are able to offer, to be wholly discovered and experienced: it is September in Venice. This is the most sought-after period of the year, not only due to the mildness of its climate, favouring a pleasant stay in the lagoon, but also to the important series of events traditionally featured now in town for its Guests. We shall begin as usual with the Venice international Film Festival or, more correctly, with the Mostra internazionale d’Arte cinematografica di Venezia, at the moment, one of the most awaited events within its ambit.
...segue
Islands, among the city treasures
Distinguished by a social fabric still full of the spontaneity often erased by extensive tourist footfall, Burano, like the other islands in the lagoon, is a pleasant and relaxing destination nowadays. Its throbbing heart is the Baldassare Galuppi Square (named after a well-known composer born on the is-land) where the church and characteristic leaning bell-tower may be found, and from where little crafts shops and enticing trattorias spread outwards. Once the visit is over, one may embark in the direction of another true gem of the lagoon, the island of Torcello, once the ancient capital of the lagoon. Here, one may admire the relics of what used to be a large town and of the last buildings that have withstood the brunt of history: the cathedral, the church of Santa Fosca, the mediaeval tower, the Devil’s bridge and finally, what legend has handed down to us as Attila’s throne. On Ferragosto day (15 August), the Assumption Fête, the most important event of the year, takes place in Torcello.
...segue
July, among traditions, art and entertainment…
Summer, the full season, has finally arrived. A festive, holidaying desire, is perceived in the air, just as that feeling
...segue
June with the Biennale, but not only…
“May you live in interesting times”… is how the Biennale is inviting us, or perhaps, even better, wishing us to
...segue
Days of Art…
…“So, along with the contemporaneity of what exists, there is the contemporaneity of what has existed and continues to live.”
...segue
Come April, the grand Venetian season
A stylised red rosebud on the paving in Saint Mark’s Square. It is the symbolic image we have chosen for
...segue
Carnival’s coming!
Two masks are posing on Saint Mark’s quay, with the basin and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in the background. Carnivals worldwide are many, but Venice’s is unique and unmistakeable. And there is no need to explain it, its history in the first place and then the scenery it takes place in, a city, quite simply, which time has not changed.
...segue
Venice in the winter
This too is Venice: a sprinkle of snow along the quay of Saint Mark, the reflection of a languid ray
...segue
Christmas Atmospheres
Venice, as we know, was born and lives on water, a symbiosis that makes her appear a unique city worldwide.
...segue
“The Salute”, a yet living rite
Veduta della Basilica della Salute di Venezia, un opera di Baldassarre Longhena voluta dal Doge Nicolò Contarini per intercedere con la Vergine Maria affinché ponesse fine al flagello della peste
...segue
Tintoretto, the event of the year
An absolute masterpiece – “Susanna and the elders” – is opening this issue in October. It is the tribute we
...segue
September, superstar!
It is well-known… a “Venetian September” is unmissable. So many occasions never present themselves around the year, for accompanying the
...segue
The Lido and its beach…
A small veranda sheltered from the glaring sun, a sun-bed on the golden sand, the sea for a refreshing swim.
...segue
Peggy Guggenheim and… modern Art
An iconic image is opening this issue of A Guest in Venice. A woman seems to be springing aloft to reach
...segue
The Biennale with Architecture and Dance, but not only
Indeed, everything or almost in town speaks of architecture, and Venice is truly, of course, the city of architecture, although
...segue
May with Ruskin, Albers, the Biennale and the Vogalonga
John Ruskin discovered Venice in one of the most difficult and tormented periods of its history, its downfall during the
...segue