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ArtViva » Essential Italy » Essential Venice » Events in Venice

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Events in Venice

Venice Biennale

Website: www.labiennale.org

51st International Art Exhibition will take place from June 12 through November 6, 2005. This year’s event will feature two main exhibits curated by Marìa de Corral and Rosa Martìnez.

 

The origins of Venice’s most acclaimed artistic event date back to 1895 when the first Biennale was held in honor of the 25th wedding anniversary of King Umberto and Margherita of Savoy. From that date on, every two years Venice hosts the worlds most avant-guard and famous art festival. Today, the Biennale combines visual arts, architecture, music, dance, theatre and cinema.

 

Each year, in September, filmmakers from across the globe gather in Venice for the oldest cinema festival.  The Venice International Film Festival, dating back to 1932, combines artistic and cinematic talent within nine different categories of cinematic achievement. Just as many of the films are in competition for the ‘Leone d’Oro’ or ‘Golden Lion’, other entries range from independent documentaries to short films to full-length feature films.

 

 

Carnevale

Website: www.carnivalofvenice.com

 

Carnevale, one of Venice’s most renowned and famous events has been enticing visitors and their masks to La Serenissima for centuries. The earliest document regarding the Carnevale in Venice is dated 1268 and since then, Venetians and foreigners have flocked the squares, canals, and bridges for true bacchanalia to celebrate the period before Lent. Carnevale broke societal norms and allowed people to enjoy the revelry while masked of their true identities, class, and sex. The whole city hosted parties, dinners and festivities in which all walks of life could participate regardless of their social standing.

 

Nowadays, Carnevale is still sought out by locals and visitors alike. Elaborate masks and costumes dot the city and its canals and bridges while festivities are held in the true Venetian manner. Local artisans specialize in mask making and creation in order to satisfy the needs and desires of those revelers who come to Venice in search of the fun that the yearly Carnevale provides. This year, Venice’s Carnevale will run from January 28 through February 8, 2005.

  

Vogalonga

Website: www.vongalonga.com

 

 

One of Venice’s biggest and most recent events is the Vogalonga, a boat race started only in 1975. Begun by a group of rowing enthusiasts, this race has created a large following and as a result, many different traditional types of sailing vessels are now being created specifically to participate in this yearly event.

 

Each year, the race takes place in early May near the Roman Catholic holiday of the Ascension. In Venice, this holy day is historically linked to the ceremony of the Doge’s symbolic union to the sea. The 30km (18mile) race begins in the Lagoon and goes to the outlying island of Burano in order to come back through the Cannergio, finishing on the Grand Canal. Each year, there are an increasing number of participants, including both local rowing clubs and foreign groups.

See also Dan Hostetler's Event Data Base for events in Italy

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I took the Cooking Class and Market tour (in San Lorenzo Market). It was awesome! The market had the most incredible fresh ingredients, and the most amazing seafood selection I have ever seen. The cooking class was extremely professional, and the lunch afterwards was great! I recommend this class for anyone.Mark

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Absolutely amazing.Words can hardly express how much we enjoyed our experience with ArtViva! From the minute we stepped in their lovely office, we felt attended, looked after and taken care of. The friendly staff advised us in detail of what would suit our tastes and knowledge best, and as they have so many beautiful tours to choose from, that help was very appreciated. Florence's cultural richness can be overwhelming, but relying on ArtViva made everything easy and utterly enjoyable for us.The small group walking tour of Florence exceeded all expectations. Our guide Paul was tremedous: a true Florence insider, with amazing knowledge of arts and culture, engaging story telling and great local tips you won't find in a guide book. The memories of the tour will stay with me and my sister for many many years. Booking with ArtViva is the best single thing you could do to have the ultimate Florence experience.Thank you, ArtViva.

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I did the uffizi tour and the guide was perfect in a way of comminicating with us and interestingly presenting the paintings....

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On 2011/11/24
Kathleen Marriott said:

Hightlight of Italian Trip

Thanks so much for the great walking tour we did in Florence in May. It was fun, informative and we were treated like VIPS! The guide made us feel welcome and got to know exactly what we were interested in seeing to make sure all was covered. If we had tried to do everything we did on the tour on our own, we would have spent days getting hopelessly lost! I highly recommend this tour if you are interested in the art, architecture, history and the culture of Florence.

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On 2011/11/22
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Feels like you have hired a first-class guide from a first-class outfit – at a fraction of the price.

If you are the type to shy away from “packaged” tours, preferring to go it alone in a brand new city, Art Viva might just be your new BFF (best friend forever) when on tour in Florence. Comfortably small groups - instead of large crowds moving en-masse. Personalized insights by well-educated guides – instead of canned presentations. ArtViva’s walking tours are the next best thing to hiring a private art historian to walk you around this fabulous city – at a fraction of the price. Their 3-hour walking introduction to Florence’s history and a follow-up tour of the Uffizi dispelled all my preconceptions that tour groups were not for me. Even if you’ve been to Florence before, start your vacation off right in 3 quick hours. It will set the stage for a perfect stay.

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On 2011/11/22
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Incredible!

My husband and I had the good fortune of taking ArtViva tours of Florence while on our honeymoon. We started with the walking tour, followed by the David tour. We were so impressed we immediately signed up for the Uffizi tour the next day. The guides we had (Sasha/Sylvia & Brenda) were all amazing; they were incredibly knowledgable, friendly and spoke perfect English. What was best was their genuine enthusiam and love of the arts and history of Florence; their excitment was contagious and inspired us to want to know and learn more! I couldn't have asked for a better experience.Brigitte Reynolds

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