Saturday, April 28, 2012

ON THE VENETIAN BOATS – The Gondola





The Gondola

The Venetian boat par excellence, whose origin remains a mystery in spite of extensive research into the subject.

Once, gondolas were extravagantly decorated by their wealthy and titled owners, whose fondness for ostentation was curbed by a sumptuary edict dictating that henceforth they should all be painted black.

The rules for construction are extremely strict: the right side must be 24 millimetres narrower than the left (this assymetry is know as lai); the boat must measure 10.75 metres in length and have an internal breadth of 1.38 metres. The gondola is used exclusively for ferrying persons and for boat races. Eight different types of wood are used in its construction and it is made up of over 280 different parts. The only parts in metal are the characteristic "ferro" of the prow and the "risso" of the stern.

The "ferro" characterises the gondola's prow and guarantees the boat's longitudinal stability, acting as a counterbalance to the gondolier's weight.

Popular tradition has it that the anterior "pettini" represent the six neighbourhoods of the city and the posterior one represents the island of Giudecca; the double "S" curve is the Grand Canal and the lunette, positioned under a stylised doge's cap, is Rialto Bridge.





Enrico (info@casadelmiele.com) - Casa del Miele - Bed and Breakfast Venezia Venice Venedig Venise Venecia (agriturismo, albergo, hotel, affittacamere, camere, alloggio, soggiorno, guesthouse, hostel, rooms)

www.casadelmiele.com

http://www.facebook.com/casadelmiele

Friday, April 13, 2012

La Biennale in Venice - The Calendar


ART
27th November > 21st December 2011and from 9th January 2012 onwards
Video Medium Intermedium
Open until 21st December 2011 (reopens on 9th January 2012), an exhibition of artists’ videos realized between 1969 and 1977, along with photographs and other documents from the Collections of the ASAC - Historical Archives of the Biennale, selected by Bice Curiger.



DANCE
30th January > 17th June 2012
4th Arsenale della Danza
From 30th January to 17th June 2012, the fourth edition of the Arsenale della Danza, the training center in contemporary dance directed by Ismael Ivo and comprising a series of master classes.Demonstrations for the public in the Open Doors cycle from 11th February to 12th May 2012.




DANCE
8th > 24th June 2012
8th International Festival of Contemporary Dance
From 8th to 24th June 2012, the 8th International Festival of Contemporary Dance, directed by Ismael Ivo.




CINEMA
29th August > 8th September 2012
69th Venice International Film Festival
The festival will run 29th August to 8th September 2012, directed by Alberto Barbera.
READ MORE

ARCHITECTURE Common Ground
29th August > 25th November 2012
13th International Architecture Exhibition
From 29th August to 25th November 2012, in the venues of the Giardini, the Arsenale, and in other locations in Venice. The exhibition will be directed by David Chipperfield and titled Common Ground.




MUSIC
6th > 13th October 2012
56th International Festival of Contemporary Music
From 6th to 13th October 2012, the 56th International Festival of Contemporary Music, directed by Ivan Fedele.




THEATRE
August > December 2012
International Theatre Workshop
The new edition of the International Theatre Workshop, directed by Àlex Rigola, runs August through December 2012.


Enrico (info@casadelmiele.com) - Casa del Miele - Bed and Breakfast Venezia Venice Venedig Venise Venecia (agriturismo, albergo, hotel, affittacamere, camere, alloggio, soggiorno, guesthouse, hostel, rooms)www.casadelmiele.com

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The "Art Vaporetto" to discover Venice

One of the goals set by the present City Council of Venice is to foster policies aimed at attracting qualified tourism, that is, visitors interested in experiencing art in all its forms and in discovering Venice beyond its most famous highlights, such as St. Mark's Square and Rialto Bridge. It is exactely in order to promote this kind of tourism that the City has decided to launch the "Art Vaporetto", a new waterbus line which will connect the main cultural sites in town along the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Basin. Visitors will receive on board multimedia information about the attractions to be seen and will be able to hop-on hop-off at any time to focus on their specific interests. The new service, to be run by the City's public transport company Actv, is set to start on June 1st 2012. With the 'Art Vaporetto' Venice especially chose to enrich its cultural offer for those who are curious to discover the City's immense cultural heritage. The other very important outcome of this project is that we have been able, as a public administration, to create a network among the many cultural institutions in town. I'm absolutely confindent that this initiative will contribute to reinforce the nomination of Venice with the NorthEst as European Capital of Culture 2019".
Eight stops are planned:
Ferrovia Santa Lucia (Jewish Museum)
San Stae (Ca’ Pesaro, Palazzo Mocenigo, Prada Foundation, Oriental Art Museum)
Ca’ d’Oro (Franchetti Gallery at the Ca’ d’Oro)
S. Samuele (Palazzo Grassi, La Fenice Theatre)
Accademia (Accademia Galleries, Ca’Rezzonico, The Peggy Guggenheim Collection)
Salute (Punta della Dogana)
S. Marco Giardinetti (Doges’ Palace, Correr Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Marciana Library, Clock Tower, Palazza Grimani Museum)
S. Giorgio (Cini Foundation)
with the addition of Arsenale and Giardini in high season for visitors to the Biennale.

Enrico (info@casadelmiele.com) - Casa del Miele - Bed and Breakfast Venezia Venice Venedig Venise Venecia (agriturismo, albergo, hotel, affittacamere, camere, alloggio, soggiorno, guesthouse, hostel, rooms)www.casadelmiele.com