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Spirale (1965)
by Roberto Crippa

Greetings from Venice!

Here is the online edition of  our weekly newsletter Buongiorno Venezia which, gradually, will be improved and enriched with photos, additional news, and links to interesting and useful sites.  Suggestions are welcome!

Have a great week,

Rosalba

FEATURED IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

• NEWS. Line 3: leaving so soon?
• NEWS. Jesolo's vendor-repellent
• NEWS. St. Francesco's oil
• NEWS. Frank Gehry gets lionised
• SERVICES. The Venice Card delivered: don't visit Venice without it
• UPCOMING EVENTS: MUSIC, THEATRE, and EXHIBITS
• DINING. Suggested restaurants

NEWS. Shifting from paper to electronic transit tickets known as Imob seems to be a good idea completely lacking in organisation, which is not a real surprise. This "revolution" in local transportation is about to be revolutionised again with the demise of the new waterbus line number 3. It is reserved exclusively for residents of Venice, but the mayor made an announcement alerting residents that the CartaVenezia programme which, according to the Municipality was the cause of a rise in the cost of tickets, will be cancelled in November because it is scarcely used by Venetians. Whether the price of a ticket will be lowered remains to be seen.

NEWS. Jesolo, which is 30 km from Venice, has a recipe for combating the continuous parade of illegal vendors who walk along the beach and try to sell bags and souvenirs. The beach will have perpendicular barriers at various points so that the vendors will be noticeable when passing alongside. Mayor Calzavara doesn't expect the barriers to pose an obstacle for tourists and even expects them to enhance visitors' safety. More policemen on bicycles and motorcycles will enhance control, as well.

NEWS. The Veneto region is donating 1,000 litres of oil to provide a year's worth of fuel for the votive lamp of San Francesco's tomb in Assisi. In a tradition that began in 1939, the oil is donated, in rotation, by different regions of the country, and it is an honour for the donors for several reasons. St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Italy (together with Santa Caterina da Cascia) and is one of the church's most popular saints. His teachings led to the creation of the Franciscan order whose monasteries are spread all over the world, and his native town of Assisi has become a destination for international meetings between people of different religions and cultures who engage in non-partisan dialogue and work for a world at peace. When Francesco was a very rich young cavalier, he gave up all his possessions after killing a man and resigning himself to follow a spiritual path of the truest Christian inspiration. He worked on behalf of the poor, living a life of poverty together with his monks, and spreading a very powerful message of faith and peace. This year the 1,000 litres will be offered in equal parts by the five areas which produce oil in Veneto: Garda, Valpolicella, Grappa, Colli Euganei, and Colli Berici, areas renowned for their limited production and excellent quality. The lamp will be lit on 4 October during San Francesco's feast. The official website of the convent in Assisi (for those of you who can read Italian)

NEWS. Frank Gehry will be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 11th International Architecture Exhibition. "Frank Gehry has transformed modern architecture," said the exhibition's director, Aaron Betsky. "He has liberated it from the confines of the 'box' and the constraints of common building practices. As experimental as the art practises that have been his inspiration, Frank Gehry's architecture is the very modern model for an architecture beyond building." The 11th International Architecture Exhibition "Out there: Architecture Beyond Building" will run Sept. 14 to Nov. 23 in Venice.

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UPCOMING EVENTS IN VENICE

(more details and suggestions)

MUSIC & THEATRE

• Until 12 October 2008. "Coming of Age. American Art, 1850s to 1950s", Peggy Guggenheim Foundation.
• 11 and 12 July 2008, concert at Teatro La Fenice. Music by Mahler. Director: Eliahu Inbal
• July shows and concerts in St. Mark's Square: 8 July, Momix; 9 July, Elton John; 14 July, Giovanni Allevi; 15 July, Gilberto Gil; 22 July, Joan Baez and Vinicio Capossela for Emergency
• 23 to 27 July 2008, "La Bohème" by Puccini, Teatro La Fenice, Director: G. Bisanti 1st August 2008, "Jazz allaFenice", Teatro La Fenice, Mc Ferrin-Bollani
• 14 to 23 September 2008, "Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky, Teatro La Fenice. Director: Eliahu Inbal

EXHIBITS

• "Coming of Age. American Art, 1850s to 1950s" until 12 October 2008, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
• "Giuseppe Santomaso and the Abstract Option" until 13 July 2008, Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, Fondazione Cini
• "I Macchiaioli", masterpieces from the Mario Taragoni Collection until 27 July 2008, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti
• "Rome and the Barbarians" at Palazzo Grassi until 20 July
• "Colori in viaggio - Travelling colours", paintings by various Artists including Ugo Nespolo and Roberto Crippa. 5 July - 31 August 2008, vernissage 5 July at 6.30 pm. Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 3:30 pm - 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday 11 am - 8:30 pm. Closed on Monday. Free admission. Fondamenta S. Biagio 795, Giudecca. Actv waterbus 41-42-2, Palanca. - Info (+39) 3408798327. More info upcoming at www.giudecca795.com

DINING

"Harry's Dolci", Giudecca 773, tel. 041.5224844. Open from 10:30 am to 11 pm. Closed on Monday evening and Tuesday all day. This restaurant and patisserie, owned and managed by Arrigo Cipriani, features outdoor tables that offer a peaceful view of the Giudecca Canal. Discover Giudecca Island before or after. Disembark from the ACTV boat at S. Eufemia.
See also http://www.veniceword.com/restaurants.html

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