Buongiorno Venezia

this week’s issue of Buongiorno Venezia talks of:

• Redeeming the Redeemer: feast: fireworks, and controversial music
• Yesterday, today, and tomorrow at the film festival
•  Deadly cargo: three bodies discovered in a truck
• The ongoing curse of Ca’ Dario
• Death in Venice: an old friend is remembered

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maybe it’s because i am such a last minute traveller and a fast planner when i travel for leisure: i am always delighted when people asking me about snow and rain and acqua alta when we are all sweating to death in july. or when i’m ask for the 2009 or 2010 pricing list for our services (isn’t is like mortgaging future?)  but you are the right one, you must plan well in advance. just remember that venice is spiteful: not all can be planned, and surprise is part of the show.
one thing that you cannot plan - and not even forecast, my dear - is the weather. you cannot forecast acqua alta year by year whatever they say: a general trend can be observed, but forget to know today what the weather will be like on November 1st, say. ACCEPT THIS! for instancw, in years we experienced acqua alta some days in september october november december january february march april may.. did i forget something?
anyway: high tide lasts only for some hours a day. if you avoid the lower areas (around st mark’s) it’s nearly ok. do not get impressed when  reading “tide = 100 cms”, this is from the sea level. high tide  very rarely comes up over the knee in most areas (if it does come higher, we all may be in very serious trouble).

there are rubber boots sold here in winter which solve the problem. so: be prepared for possible rainy and windy days, and possible tide, but remember this is not alaska.  and there’s a wonderful webpage where you can read more: http://www.veniceword.com/weather.com

this week’s issue of Buongiorno Venezia talks of:

• Mose System experiences a financial low tide.
• The new Redeemer’s Feast
• A jury of film directors at the festival
• Sansovino’s precious panels return to St.Mark’s
• Venice to Rome by… gondola

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Many loyal subscribers have told us over the years that they save their Buongiorno Venezia newsletters for future reference. We are curious: who among you has saved the most? Count the issues and let us know via our good old contact form http://www.veniceword.com/form2.html We’ll ask the winner to submit proof before awarding them one night in Venice for two :-). [Our English-language editor at Wordsworth & Company has graciously withdrawn from competition, since he has kept a copy of every newsletter since May 2003. I wonder how he can sleep at night ]

Thirty-nine “brand new” apartments are for sale in Venice. In the historical centre of Venice over the course of the last three years, 800 apartments have been turned into tourist accommodation: hotels, bed & breakfasts, and rooms to let. Now the trend seems reversed: old palazzi and humble houses in the most popular areas of Venice are being restored and sold as apartments, ranging in size from 50 to 120 square metres. Prices are not for all buyers, and small studios are, obviously, more affordable — especially for foreigners. Thirty-nine apartments (which are being called “new” though they are located in ancient palazzi that have been totally renovated) are about to be completed and can now be viewed. Restoration work will be complete by late 2007 - early 2008. Customer assistance is available in foreign languages, and information can be obtained using our contact form at http://www.veniceword.com/form2.html

Peter Gabriel’s charity concert (in support of the non-profit, independent, non-partisan association Emergency) took place last Friday in St. Mark’s Square. Earlier, on 5 July, Italian artist Franco Battiato had also performed to benefit Emergency. Read Gabriel’s tour diary about th e Venice concert at http://www.petergabriel.com/live/tourdiary/
Unfortunately, Venetians never miss a chance to show the world how shameless they are. During Gabriel’s and Battiato’s concerts, whose profits will be used to build hospitals for war victims, the cafes in St. Mark’s Square seized the opportunity to charge an average of 30 euros for a drink (including the show… and “what a show”), obviously saving on cost of their own performers yet without making a contribution of their own to Emergency. Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Battiato will be glad to know that they also contributed to such “needy” people’s wellbeing.

Tourism costs the city of Venice 20-25 million euro per year. So the mayor has asked for government permission to re-introduce the tax on accommodations. It’s an old battle which, until now, has been won by the hoteliers. Mayor Cacciari is betting on professional marketing and management for the most traditional events, so that money is obtained… professionally (”We are not begging for money”). Even the upcoming Redeemer’s Feast will have an artistic director. The celebration will last for several days and conclude on the evening of Saturday, 14 July. The traditional and noisy fireworks will be replaced by a light and music show presented to admiring spectators who will watch from onboard well-coordinated boats in the basin. Apparently, it will be vastly different than the traditional feast, which has consisted of a colourful hodge podge of activities.

this week’s issue of Buongiorno Venezia talks of:

• The Redeemer’s Feast, full of sound and no fury 
• The battle for control of the Biennale
• Peter Gabriel and the greedy needy of St. Mark’s Square
• The oldest “brand new” apartments in Venice
• VeniceWord’s SUMMER CONTEST: count the issues, win a prize

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the strange story of a new santa claus delivering a present to Venice, Italy by mistake - instead of Venice, Florida. misunderstandings and odd situation, invented characters that do not look so invented: this builds up the plot of “Robert star in Venice”, illustrated story by Daniele Scarpa Kos on exhibit in Venice (ITALY!), Fondamenta Rio Marin 2427/a (Ponte delle Latte) from 6 to 22 July (open 9.30-11.30 PM monday to saturday). Very creative painter and illustrator, in the writer’s humble opinion.

the messy (santa) Robert Claus is able to communicate with Venetians using the only words he knows in italian, that is the lyrics of the song “Con te partirò” (remember it? by Andrea Bocelli). The best part of the story, for the gossipy and humor people, is maybe the one where a strange “El Barba” (The Beard in an unlikely  spanish-italian) builds bridges everywhere because “there’s a bridge for every problem”, and creates “Bridge and Breakfast” accommodations. (Does this guy remind us of someone? :-))

this week’s issue of Buongiorno Venezia talks of:

• Mayor Cacciari says “go away”
• Venice, the crossroads of pseudo, neo, mock, quasi fashion
• Ca’ Foscari greets Harvard… in English
• Hostesses work their magic in the square
• Books that are worth their weight
   

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For our readers’ convenience, here’s what our mayor declared:

NEWS: During a conference which took place last week at Lake Garda, Mayor Cacciari made some remarkable suggestions about his city. “Please say that Venice smells, that merchants are expensive; please do adverse  publicity. In Venice, we have to thin crowds, not attract them. The tourists who arrive every year already number 20,000,000, and we are  preparing for the Chinese tourist boom, which is a frightening prospect. In China, new tourist agencies have been opened by the dozen, and everyone  includes tours to Venice. The municipality doesn’t get any benefit from this surge, and there are absurd costs for controlling trash and
providing transportation. Tourism, beyond certain levels, becomes
dangerous.” It was a very clear speech, leaving no doubt about the municipality’s dilemma.

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