One word is enough to describe Venicemarathon course: spectacular.

However, if you are running the Venicemarathon not to gaze at the landscape, but to improve your personal best, don’t worry: the race track is mainly flat and fast. Moreover, meteo conditions are usually perfect to perform at high level.

Start takes place in Stra, a small town a few kilometers east of Padova, in front of a magnificent mansion, Villa Pisani, built in the 18th century, which is the first and the largest of the beautiful mansions of the Brenta riverside.

Course follows National Road N.11, leaving the river on the right, and running through the small towns of the Riviera : Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Mira (10th km) and Oriago. Then, the road and the river turn right heading to Malcontenta (20th km).

Runners are now near Marghera industrial area, which is quickly passed to enter the center of Mestre (25th km). After running for 4 kilometers in the heart of the city, course enters San Giuliano’s Park, a vast green area located on the edge of the lagoon, between Venice and Mestre.

Venice skyline, with its countless bell towers, already appears on the horizon, at the end of the never-ending five-kilometer-long Ponte della Libertà (i.e. Bridge of Freedom). Probably, this is the most challenging section of the entire race, where athletes’ psychological strenght is heavily tested, and where leading runners usually make their moves to win.

At the end of the bridge there are 2 kilometers inside the port-area, then begins the most spectacular and exciting stage of the race. From here there is no more tar: you’ll be running over cobblestone, overpassing, one by one, the 14 bridges which created the Venicemarathon legend.

You face the long Zattere stretch, keeping the Giudecca Canal on the right and taking advantage of the slope of the bridges - there are 6 of them in this section - to speed up your run. All of a sudden, the course turns left, among the houses and in a moment you are in front of the Grand Canal, while going round S. Maria della Salute church. You head to Punta della Dogana and climb the short ramp leading on the pontoon bridge.

On the other side of the Grand Canal, new energy pushes you between two wings of crowd, as you take a quick look at St. Mark’s Square, on your left. At the end of Palazzo Ducale is time to climb the large steps of Ponte della Paglia - the only bridge without ramps - always spurred by the fans’ cheers.

There are only 5 bridges left, but nothing can stop you now. You follow the gentle bend rightwards of the Gran Canal, leaving Riva degli Schiavoni, Riva Ca’ di Dio - where the finish line was between 1991 and 1995 -, and Riva San Biagio behind you…

…then you run downhill the last bridge, trying to increase the pace, asking an ultimate effort to your body, your eyes stuck on the time under the finish banner, at the center of Riva dei Sette Martiri.

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66th Annual Venice Film Festival Line-Up Competition:

• “36 vues du Pic Saint Loup”, Jacques Rivette (France)
• “Accident”, Cheang Pou-Soi (China-Hong Kong)
• “Baaria”, Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy)
• “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans“, Werner Herzog (U.S.)
• “Between Two Worlds”, Vimukthi Jayasundara (Sri Lanka)
• “Capitalism: A Love Story”, Michael Moore (U.S.)
• “La Doppia Ora”, Giuseppe Capotondi (Italy)
• “Il Grande Sogno”, Michele Placido (Italy)
• “Lebanon”, Samuel Maoz (Israel)
• “Life During Wartime“, Todd Solondz (U.S.)
• “Lo Spazio Bianco”, Francesca Comencini (Italy)
• “Lourdes”, Jessica Hausner (Austria)
• “Mr. Nobody“, Jaco van Dormael (France)
• “Persecution”, Patrice Chereau (France)
• “Prince of Tears”, Yonfan (Hong Kong)
• “The Road“, John Hillcoat (U.S.)
• “A Single Man“, Tom Ford (U.S.)
• “Soul Kitchen”, Fatih Akin (Germany)
• “Survival of the Dead“, George Romero (U.S.)
• “Tetsuo The Bullet Man”, Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
• “The Traveller”, Ahmed Maher (Egypt)
• “White Material”, Claire Denis (France)
• “Women Without Men”, Shirin Neshat (Germany)

Out of Competition:

• “Anni Luce”, Francesco Maselli (Italy)
• “Chengdu, I Love You”, Fruit Chan, Cui Jian (China)
• “The Hole“, Joe Dante (U.S.)
• “The Informant!“, Steven Soderbergh (U.S.)
• “The Men Who Stare at Goats”, Grant Heslov (U.S.)
• “Napoli Napoli Napoli”, Abel Ferrara (Italy)
• “L’oro di Cuba”, Giuliano Montaldo (Italy)
• “Prove per una tragedia Siciliana”, John Turturro, Roman Paska (Italy)
• “REC 2″, Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza (Spain)
• “Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story”, Yousry Nasrallah (Egypt)
• “South of the Border”, Oliver Stone (U.S.)
• “Yona Yona Penguin”, Rintaro (Japan)

Midnight Movies:

• “Gulaal”, Anurag Kashyap (India)
• “Dev D”, Anurag Kashyap (India)
• “Brooklyn’s Finest“, Antoine Fuqua (U.S.)
• “Delhi-6″, Rakeysh Omprakash (India)
• “Valhalla Rising”, Nicolas Winding Refn (Denmark)

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 2009 - John Lasseter and the Disney/Pixar Directors:

• “Toy Story 3-D” (New Version), John Lasseter (U.S.)
• “Toy Story 2-D” (New Version), John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Ash Brannon (U.S.)

 Several film festivals top the list in terms of exposure and prestige, especially for indies. In North America, Toronto takes the prize. Overseas, Berlin and Venice are generally considered the cream of the crop. The Berlin Film Festival took place earlier this year. The 66th Venice International Film Festival will be unspooling from September 2-12, just prior to the Toronto International Film Festival (which opens on September 10).

“The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote all the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance,” according to their mission statement. “The Festival will include retrospectives and homages to major figures as a contribution towards raising awareness of the history of cinema.”

Sections include:

Venezia 66 - International competition of feature films, presented as world premieres
Out of Competition - Important works by directors already established in past editions of the Festival
Orizzonti - The new trends in world cinema
Controcampo Italiano - The new trends in Italian cinema
Corto Cortissimo - International competition of short films

The independent and parallel sections include:

International Critics’ Week - A series of 7 or 8 films, debut works, independently selected by a commission nominated by the National Syndicate of Italian Film Critics).
Giornate degli Autori - Venice Days - A series of 10-12 films independently organized by a commission nominated by the Italian Association of Film-makers (ANAC - Associazione Nazionale Autori Cinematografici) and by the Association of Independent Directors and Producers (API - Associazione Autori e Produttori Indipendenti).

SUMMER 2009: VENICE JAZZ FESTIVAL

The 2nd edition of the Venice Jazz Festival will take place  from 27^th July to 2^nd August 2009.

The excellent programme featuring the best of national and international jazz as well as the magnificence of the locations place the Venice Jazz Vestival among the best musical events in Italy.

The line-up consists of a series of concerts performed by artists of international fame as well as emerging talents in the prestigious La Fenice Theatre, in Piazza San Marco and in other charming areas around the city.

Location:

Saint Mark Square - La Fenice Theatre - Malibran Theatre - Goldoni Theatre - Peggy Guggenheim Collection - Campo dell’Erbaria, Rialto - Venice Casino - Island of San Servolo - Fondamente Nuove Theatre - Arsenale - Fondazione Querini Stampalia

The programme:

And from 18:30 to 22:00 in Campo dell’Erbaria, Rialto, COCKTAIL CONCERTS

From 18 Juli 2009 to 19 Juli 2009

Redentore Fireworks Festival 2009 - Venice

The Redentore festival is close to the hearts of Venetians, and is celebrated on the third Sunday of July, with a grandiose fireworks show on Saturday night as the main attraction. The Venetians take in the spectacle of the fireworks right from their boats which are usually decorated with balloons, festoons and lights. Starting before sunset, the boats make their way to the Saint’s Mark basin and to the Giudecca Canal. The waters sparkle with the reflection of boats and lights. On the boats, among song, dance and typical food, people wait for the fireworks that begin at 11.30pm and go on for almost an hour. Along the banks thousand of people also wait for the fireworks at long tables set up for the occasion. The origins of the festival dates back to the horrible plague that devastated Venice between 1575 and 1577. In three years the plague killed 50,000 people, more than a third of the population. In 1566 the Senate for the Republic decided to erect a church in honor of the Redeemer, hoping that a divine act put an end to the plague. On July 13, 1577 the plague was declared finally over and from then on Venice has been marking the event on the third Sunday of July with a religious celebration and a popular feast. During the days of the Redentore festival a bridge of boats, 330 meters in length, straddles the Giudecca Canal. The bridge allows Venetians to easily access the Redentore basilica, where the faithful take part in religious celebrations. The most important one is the Votive Mass presided by the Patriarch. When: July 18-19, 2009

Venice’s newest art gallery, the Museo Vedova, by celebrity architect Renzo Piano has put a 21st century twist on the art of picture hanging.

Dedicated entirely to the work of the Venetian abstract art pioneer Emilio Vedova (1919-1996), paintings at the Museo Vedova don’t hang at all - they float.

Suspended in the air by a fleet of robotic shuttles moving along a track fixed to the ceiling, the paintings glide through the exhibition space at various heights, periodically coming to rest at strategic points under the lights before floating away to a different position.

The paintings are brought out together in series according to their chronological or thematic contexts and then whisked away to a storage space at the back of the museum to be replaced by others.

The public can view the paintings from the floor or from an elevated wooden mezzanine along the wall.

Set to open on June 3 for the 53rd Venice Biennial art exhibition, the Museo Vedova is located in the artist’s former studio, a renovated warehouse at the historic Venetian salt docks.

Explaining how he came by the idea for the museum, Renzo Piano explained, ”the warehouses are narrow and long and so it made sense to imagine that down at the far end, a bit hidden in the shadow, would be the storage facility, and out of this, as if by magic, the works would appear in a certain order. From this came the idea of mobility, whereby it’s not the spectator who goes to the artwork, but the artwork that comes to the spectator”.

Piano was introduced to Vedova in the 1980s by the composer Luigi Nono, with whom the two collaborated in designing the set for the premiere of Nono’s opera ”Prometheus” at the 41st Venice Biennial in 1984.

A frequent visitor to Vedova’s studio, Piano said, ”there was always the feeling that one day that imposing warehouse, a rather magical place or kind of cavern, could be the home for his works. He had always imagined this…and it was obvious that it wasn’t a question of hanging works the way one normally does”.

Emilio Vedova was a seminal figure of the post-war avant garde, emerging from the anti-fascist art group ”Corrente” in Milan to co-found the ”Fronte Nuovo delle arti” in 1947, a short-lived but prominent movement which looked to the neocubism of Pablo Picasso as the model for a modern new aesthetic.

His career exploded in the 1950s with a solo show in the prestigious Catherine Viviano Gallery in New York followed by his inclusion in the landmark exhibition ”Gruppo degli otto pittori italiani” at the 26th Venice Biennial in 1952, which established him among the foremost abstract artists in Italy.

Vedova would return to the Biennial eight years later to claim the Grand Prize for painting.

From the dark geometries of his experiments with cubism, Vedova’s work from 1950 onward grew increasingly abstract, placing him in league with the European ”Art Informel” movement that paralleled the work of abstract expressionists in America like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

”My [works] are not creations, but earthquakes,” Vedova once said.

”They are not paintings, but breaths”.

Vedova’s experimenting would eventually carry his work off the canvas altogether into the groundbreaking new terrain of artificial light play and installation art, for which he was featured in the Italian pavilion at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal.

Vedova died in 1996 at the age of 87.

In addition to the cutting edge new Museo Vedova, his works are also on display at the nearby Peggy Guggenheim collection as well scores of other galleries and museums around the world.

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                                                                                 Vogalonga is a boat race that was first organised in 1974 by a group of rowing enthusiasts and has since grown into a hugely popular occasion.
The Vogalonga competition takes part in Venice history since its birth it is one on the main events, especially spring. Vogalonga’s birth is due to a few Venetians and has always been supported only by the participants.

The race course that was laid out has remained virtually unchanged over the years. It covers about 30 kilometers by way of canals and through the most beloved and picturesque parts of the Lagoon of Venice. The boats gather in St. Mark’s Basin in front of the Ducal Palace. 500 boats with nearly 1500 participants meet on the fated day and after singing hymns to San Marco and to Venice, the “start” is given. At the finish line each participant receives a commemorative medal and a certificate of participation, a souvenir of the day. Prizes were also awarded (which in later years were drawn by lots).
More Informations
Website: www.vogalonga.com

Address and phone:
Comitato Organizzatore Vogalonga
S.Marco, 951 - 30124 Venezia
tel. 0415210544 - fax 0415200771
info@vogalonga.it
www.vogalonga.it

                                                                                                                                                                                            SPRITZ
The typical aperitif in Venice is the spritz, made of carbonated
water, white wine, lemon peel or olive and as you prefer, bitter
Campari, Cynar or Aperol. This beverage is very common also
in Hungary, (frocs), Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and also in
Romania, all the territories of ex-Austro-Hungarian kingdom
(1867-1918).  The story tells us that the Austrians used to
drink the venetian wine with water, because it was too strong
for them, so the Venetians, added a bit of liquor to give to this
drink a new taste.
The  Austrians  called  it“spritz”  that  means  injection.  The
aperitif-time is from 5 p.m., but someone drink spritz in the
morning before lunch. Spritz is a very strong beverage, so you
take care when you drink it.

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                                                                                                      The secret itinerary of the Doges Palace begins on the upper floors of the Doges Palace. As you climb up the lavishly decorated Golden staircase that expresses the great wealth that the Venetians once possessed you come to a tall wooden sturdy door that’s always locked, except for those lucky enough to have reservations to enjoy a very different tour of the Doges Palace.

The secret itinerary of the Doges Palace literally takes you into the inner sanctums of the brain of Venice. Rooms and chambers that were previously off-limits to everyone, except the most trusted members of the Venetian government. Behind the vast expanses of the grand halls and chambers of the public-face of the Doges Palace lay a warren of offices, corridors and other rooms where the secret work of the Venetian Empire took place.

On the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace you will visit the Chancellor’s Office, a powerful position in the days of the Republic. Like the position of the Doges, was an appointment for life. All state processions were led by the Chancellor, and the Chancellor was the man responsible for writing all the secret documents of the state. Typical of the Venetians mentality, they ensured that all critical  members of  their government remained loyal to the state by paying them generous salaries. The Chancellor of the Republic was earning the equivalent of 600,000 € a year back in the 14^th Century! For such a powerful position you’ll note his office was extremely small.

Next you’ll visit the upper Chancellors Offices where over twenty secretaries worked assisting the Chancellor in the preparation & storage of secret documents. These workers also enjoyed privileged positions and high salaries. The interior of the Chancellors office has the form of a ship, and in fact most of the rooms on the secret itinerary were constructed of wood and built by workers from the Arsenale.

The famous ship-building yard of the Venetian Republic where they once boasted they construct a ship in just one-day. The office is split into two-levels like a ship with railings separating each part, and the doors that you see throughout the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace are again in the style of one’s you would find on a ship. Self closing doors, with special hinges that closed them air-tight to prevent any over hearing things from the corridor outside. The secret documents were stored in the cabinets that line the rooms and along the top of these cabinets you’ll see the family crests of previous Chancellors. The Venetians did such a good job of protecting their secret documents that Venice now possesses the 3^rd largest collection of documents of antiquity in the World.

The corridors between the rooms are of simple wooden construction, narrow and dimly-lit it feels as if you are walking through the confines of the hull of a great ship from ancient times. The next stop on the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace is the gruesome torture chamber. Here the three state inquisitors would torture prisoners with one simple device. The prisoner would have his hands tied behind his back and the rope would push-out and disjoint the poor prisoners shoulders and back-bones as he was propelled towards the ceiling. For added theatrics, prisoners awaiting to be tortured would be in cells either side of the ropes were they could see and hear their colleagues being tortured. The torture chamber is illuminated by a single window that would project light into the eyes of the person being tortured so that he wouldn’t be able to see his inquisitors.

Continuing on through a warren of rooms and corridors we arrive at the famous prison cells of the Doges Palace that are one of the highlights of the Secret Itinerary of the Doges Palace. The same prison cells in which Casanova was imprisoned and from where he later escaped. Casanova was a very popular man with the women of Venice, but unfortunately not-so popular with the powerful men whose wives Casanova had conquered. After several attempts to arrest Casanova on trumped up charges, his enemies finally got their way when books on magic were found in Casanovas rooms. Possession of such books could lead to the death penalty, but fortunately for Casanova the law had been changed just six-months earlier and so he received a prison sentence instead.

The cells with low ceilings were not very accommodating for a man some two-metres tall. But, having good connections Casanova was granted an armchair, exercise time in the attic of the Doges Palace, as well as food brought to him from good-wishers from outside the prison. The “I Piombi” prisons, were so called because they lay directly below the lead roofs of the Doges Palace. These wooden cells beneath the lead roofs would be intolerably hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter months.

Casanova attempted twice to escape from the prisons. The first attempt failed as he was transferred to another cell just before he had a chance to escape via a whole in the floor he had made with a piece of marble and iron that he found while taking exercise in the attic of the Doges Palace. His second attempt from another cell was more successful and after a meandering route through the Palace he actually walked through the main entrance of Doges Palace, “La Porta Della Carta” to his freedom. You’ll see both cells as well as the attic of the Doges Palace on the Secret Itinerary.

In fact, for some, the stroll along the narrow gangway directly beneath the roof to admire the incredible beams and structure of the timber framing that dates back to the 16^th century is the real highlight of the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace. The sheer weight of this timber construction would normally require supporting columns, but the Venetians found a way to have them self-supporting so that the vast expanses of the “Sala Maggiore” where up to 2,000 elected officials of the Venetian government would conduct their business is not cluttered with columns and pillars supporting the roof. The wooden beams with bathed in salt water for several months which fossilized them making them as hard as stone. And the residual salt prevented woodworm from destroying them!

The Last two rooms on the Secret itinerary of the Doges Palace are the offices of the state inquisitors and the offices of the judges of the infamous council of ten. Each chamber boasts works by a famous Venetian artist. The first with works by Tintoretto, and the second with works by Veronese. These are the only rooms on the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace with original decorations and furnishings. The chamber of the three judges shows another method of maintaining secrecy in that the cabinets that were used to store documents each had 3 locks. Each of the three judges had one key each and so it was impossible to open one without all three being present.

After the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace you re-enter the public areas of the Palace where you can take a tour of the other parts of the Palace including crossing the bridge of sighs and admire the works of other Venetian masters on display, as well as other works by Sansovino, Palladio, Antonio Da Ponte & many others. Combining a tour of the Doges Palace with the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace you can expect to spend around three-to-four hours to see everything!

09 April 2009 · All venice events, Events in Venice, Music, Theatre, Dance, Cinema
Ca’ Rezzonico – Museum of the Venetian Eighth century,
Dance Hall h. 6.30 p.m.
28th March – 9th May 2009

After the music review dedicated to Beethoven, proposed in relation to the Musical Autumn 2008 and to the review dedicated to the musical tradition of the Veneto which finished last 14th March, Ca’ Rezzonico is welcoming the concerts curated by the director Riccardo Parravicini, with the SPRING CONCERT SEASON 2009, Haydn: in the heart of the European Culture. It is a series of events not to be missed, on Saturdays, from 28th March to 9th May 2009 at 6.30 p.m.. This review, which has reached its fifteenth edition, is dedicated, this year, to Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 -1809) on the occasion of the bicentenary of his death. TD

PROGRAMME
Saturday 4th April: Music and Word
(Music by R. Schumann, C. Wieck, F.Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) Maria Pia Colonnello recitino voice, Roberta Paroletti at the piano.

Saturday 11th April: The popular element in the refined music.
(Musiche by F.J. Haydn, L. van Beethoven, C.M. Bellman, J.B. Vanhal) Swedish Feminine Chorus “Magpies” from Töreboda
Lars Forslund mandolin, Riccardo Alfaré violin,
Lorenzo Parravicini cello, Mario Parravicini harpsichord

Saturday 18th April: Piano Music and European dimension
(Music by F.J. Haydn, M. Clementi, W. A. Mozart) Alessandro Maffei, piano.
Saturday 25th APRIL: The quartet (Music by W.A. Mozart,  F. J. Haydn) Carlo Lazari, violin, Paola Carraro, violin, Francesca Levorato, viola, Alessandro Menegardi, cello.

Saturday 2nd May: From the corteous style to Classicism
(Music by G. Ph. Telemann, F. J. Haydn) Collegium Pro Musica: Stefano Bagliano flute, Werner Neugebauer violin, Erich Oskar Huetter cello, Andrea Cohen harpsichord

Saturday 9th May: Extraordinary Concert – International Year of Astronomy
(Music by F. J. Haydn, N. Rimskij-Korsakoff, C. Debussy, G. Rossigni, L.M. Gottschalk, M. Musorgskji, F. Liszt) Piano Duo  Giovanna Rita Buratti, Vincenzo Cerutti

Tickets: Full € 20; Residents in Venice Town € 15; Cheap ticket for the young (up to 25 years old) € 10; Full subscription € 70; Cheap Subscription for the young (up to 25 years old) € 40 -
Info and booking: 390415241143