Venice art attack

Not just an "Art City" par excellence, Venice is a place where every form of art is freely expressed. With permanent exhibitions and annual and biannual art reviews, Venice is an immense showroom where artists from every corner of the globe and of every artistic persuasion are able to make their mark.

It was for this reason that the American Peggy Guggenheim chose to reside in the city between 1946 and 1979, thus bringing to Venice her quite spectacular collection of contemporary art, now a museum.

Peggy and the unfinished palace

Situated in a bizarre edifice on the banks of the Grand Canal, in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (also called the "Nonfinito" or "unfinished" palazzo in that construction was interrupted after only the first of the four floors planned was completed), the Peggy Guggenheim Museum houses a staggering number of exceptional Cubist, Futurist, and Surrealist works.
Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio De Chirico, Piet Mondrian, Vasilij Kandinskij: the names of just some of the artists whose works are part of the Guggenheim collection.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection: Fast Track
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In addition to the permanent exhibition, a number of temporary shows are organized each year by the Guggenheim Foundation.

Creative crowd-pullers

Debuting back in 1895, the Venice Biennale is another of the city's most important artistic institutions. Art, architecture, film, dance, music, theatre: these are the various disciplines represented. The International Art Exhibition alternates with the International Architecture Exhibition.

The Film Festival, held in Venice Lido, in the historic Palazzo del Cinema, attracts a stream of directors and actors of international fame to the lagoon, all hopeful of being awarded a much coveted Golden Lion (best film) or Coppa Volpi (best interpretation).

A fiery business

Following the devastating fire which, on January 29th 1996, destroyed one of Italy's most important theatres, the Gran Teatro la Fenice was entirely rebuilt according to the plans of the 18th century original.

The theatre reopened to the public in 2003, sporting five tiers of boxes, 511 square meters of stage and unbeatable acoustics: the very same characteristics which astounded the Venetian aristocracy when the Fenice first opened back in 1792

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Flying angels

Another important event held in Venice is the Carnival, occasion when for ten days the streets and piazzas of the city are animated by Venetians (and non), dressed in the most elaborate costumes and masks.

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The most important appointments are Fat Thursday and Fat Tuesday although, inevitably, it is the weekend when the crowds are at their greatest. At midday on the first Saturday, visitors witness the "Volo dell'Angelo".

Since 2001, the role of "angel" is performed by an artist who "flies" from St Mark's Bell tower towards the Palazzo Ducale thus announcing the start of the Carnival celebrations.