‘OK FOR THE HOT AIR BALLOON, BUT WITH FUNDS FOR THE SQUARE’

St Mark’s Square will for three days be the centre of filming an advertising spot for the well-known Vuitton brand. The ad will then be shown around the world to mark the opening of the new shop on three floors in the former San Marco Cinema building. The ad will feature a hot air balloon suspended above the Square at a height of ten metres with the famous brand clearly visible. The filming, which will also involve other parts of the city, will take place between 22 and 24 April 2013 with a troupe of 120 people. It will be coordinated, as noted in the Gazzettino, by the Venice city council’s Venezia Marketing & Eventi, so it can be assumed that all the necessary permits have been given by the council administration, which will thus make the first exception to the absolute prohibition of using the Square for advertising. So the Venice city council will gain income from this prestigious advertising operation, although how much this amounts to has not been made public, writes the Gazzettino. The Associazione Piazza San Marco has acted on this and, through its president Alberto Nardi, has not expressed preliminary opinions on the ad or the presence of the hot air balloon above the Square, but has emphasised the need for the proceeds from the use of the ground to be reinvested, such as in maintenance of the Square. The Association has for some time been asking that at least part of the income from such events be used to upgrade the Square, which has been awaiting specific and important works for years. These include ‘freeing’ the Napoleonic Wing of the horrendous scaffolding that has become no more than a support for advertising, removing the horrible metal grating covering the stuccoes under the porticoes of the Procuratie Nuove, taking action on the disconnected paving slabs, installing high quality signage in the Square and upgrading the former Giardinetti Reali area, all necessary works in the St Mark’s area that should be financed, according to the Association, also and especially by this ‘advertising’ income. A response on this from the city council administration is now awaited.