CHRISTMAS ILLUMINATIONS: GUARANTEED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN ST MARK’S SQUARE
All the difficulties of finding the funds and relative sponsors to light up the old city during the forthcoming Christmas festivities in this year of crisis were pointed out at a meeting between the mayor of Venice, Giorgio Orsoni, and representatives of the city’s business sectors. Orsoni assured that the sponsors will be able to cover the cost of lighting St Mark’s Square and Piazza Ferretto in Mestre, the two symbol squares of the sea and mainland cities, but serious problems remain for the other parts of the city. There will be Christmas trees in Venice, thanks to the sponsorship of two traders’ associations. In any case, apart from the problem of the ‘illuminations’, the Associazione Piazza San Marco is getting ready for the Christmas festivities. The association, with the Venice institute for the history of the Resistance and contemporary society (IVESER) and the city council’s communications archive, is proposing a dispersed photography exhibition on historic events relating to St Mark’s Square between the 19th and 20th centuries for this Christmas. These period photos show the Square as a vibrant centre of identity and collective imagination and the tangible place of belonging for an entire community. The photos will be on display in the cafes and shops of the Square. An excellent initiative and an original way to celebrate Christmas and the coming New Year.