Venice, located in the Veneto region, is a unique city built on a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Famous for its canals, bridges, and Renaissance and Gothic architecture, Venice is a masterpiece of engineering and art. With a rich history of maritime trade and culture, Venice is an invaluable treasure of Italian and world heritage. Discover some of its wonders with the VCards of CHO.Earth!
Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
The Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, located opposite Piazza San Marco in Venice, is separated from the island of Giudecca by the small Canale della Grazia and is part of the San Marco district. Originally owned by the patrician Memmo family, in the 8th-9th centuries a small church dedicated to Saint George was built, giving the island its current name.
In 982, Doge Tribuno Memmo donated the island to the Benedictine monk Giovanni Morosini, who reclaimed the area to build the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore. The Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, with its façade designed by Andrea Palladio, testifies to the cultural importance of the monastery.
During the Napoleonic period, the monastery was suppressed and the island became a military garrison, a function it maintained under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. In 1951, the Italian government granted the use of the monastery to the Giorgio Cini Foundation, which restored the area and inaugurated the Teatro Verde in 1954. Currently, the island hosts the Excellence Sports Center of the Compagnia della Vela di Venezia.
Punta della Dogana
Punta della Dogana, also known as Punta della Salute or Punta da Már, is an area of Venice located at the triangular convergence between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, overlooking the San Marco Basin.
The 17th-century building, designed by Giuseppe Benoni, has a triangular plan with eight bays on two floors and a tower topped by the Palla d’Oro, a gilded bronze sphere supported by two atlases representing the world, with the statue “Occasio” on top.
After significant restoration work from January 2008 to March 2009, the building was transformed into a contemporary art center connected to Palazzo Grassi. The project was curated by Japanese minimalist architect Tadao Ando, commissioned by French fashion magnate François Pinault, owner of Palazzo Grassi and a renowned contemporary art collector.
Venier dei Leoni Palace – Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, located in the Dorsoduro district and overlooking the Grand Canal, is near the Madonna della Salute and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection contemporary art museum. This palace houses a prestigious art collection that includes significant works of American modernism, Italian futurism, cubism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism.
Notable artists exhibited include Picasso, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Brâncuși (with a sculpture from the Bird in Space series), William Congdon, Conrad Marca-Relli, and Jackson Pollock. The collection of informal Italian abstract art is particularly noteworthy, with works by Lucio Fontana, Afro Basaldella, Agostino Bonalumi, Toti Scialoja, Giuseppe Santomaso, Tancredi Parmeggiani, Emilio Vedova, Carla Accardi, and Rosalda Gilardi. One of the most famous works is the bronze sculpture L’Angelo della Città by Marino Marini, from 1948, positioned in front of the palace.
Venice Biennale
The pavilions of the Biennale are mainly located in the Giardini Napoleonici, situated in the Castello district of Venice. The Venice Biennale, founded in 1895, is the world’s first Art Biennale, established with the aim of stimulating artistic activity and the art market in Venice and Italy. Conceived by a group of Venetian intellectuals led by Mayor Riccardo Selvatico, the Biennale was officially proposed in 1893 and has since promoted new artistic trends and organized international contemporary art events.
The biennial events in the Giardini of Sant’Elena have given the term “biennale” a global significance, synonymous with a large recurring international event. In 1930, the Biennale became an autonomous state entity dedicated to promoting new European artistic trends. In addition to the Art Exhibition, the Biennale introduced the Contemporary Music Exhibition in 1930, the Venice International Film Festival in 1932, and the Theatre Festival in 1934. The Venice Art Biennale and the Venice Film Festival are the oldest and most important events of their kind still in existence.
Patriarchal Basilica of San Marco
The Basilica of San Marco in Venice is the city’s main church, metropolitan cathedral, and seat of the patriarch. Together with the campanile and Piazza San Marco, it constitutes the main architectural complex of Venice and is one of the most representative symbols of Venetian art and Christianity.
As early as the 11th century, the Basilica was nicknamed the Church of Gold, thanks to the treasure of San Marco, the ornate mosaics, and the majestic design elements that symbolized the power and wealth of the Serenissima. Until the fall of the Republic of Venice, it was the palatine church of the Doge’s Palace, overseen by a territorial prelature of the doge’s primicerius. It assumed the title of cathedral in 1807, when the seat was transferred from the ancient cathedral of San Pietro di Castello.
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