Social Program

July 10 — Welcome Reception

The Welcome reception will take place in S. Servolo. on the patio facing the park. The park is an integral part of the Island of San Servolo which developed over the centuries. It is characterised not so much by the form of the garden, but by the presence of some quite ancient trees. From the Canary Island palm that welcomes visitors to the Island, to the large American agave plants and the tall palm of Chusan from Japan, from the European linden to stone- hackberry, from the hybrid plane tree and the large Aleppo pines bent over almost to ground level by the wind, to the centuries-old olive tree and the ailanthus tree and the large butterbush. The Park of San Servolo also contains the traces of a rustic orchard, a living testimony to its past as a convent garden cultivated by monks, nuns and the priests who ran the hospital.

You will have the chance to enjoy the park and the other buildings located on the island. Among these is the Church. When San Servolo was founded its first church was probably made of wood. Over the years, this holy site was restructured and redecorated until 1753 when Gaetano Brunello Murer was appointed to rebuild the church entirely. On 29th October 1758, the Blessed Sacrament was moved into a room on the island which had been converted into an oratory. On 9th March 1759 the first stone of the new building was laid. In 1761, the exterior of the church was finished; from October to November the same year Jacopo Marieschi frescoed the ceiling of the nave and the presbytery The glory of St. John of God before the The Three Theological . The church was also renovated on a number of other occasions. A Nacchini organ, which came from the suppressed church of Santa Maria del Pianto, was purchased in 1810. In 1839, Paoletti called the building elegant church with three altar.

July 12 — Excursion: The Islands of the Lagoon

This excursion will take you to explore the three most famous islands of the Venetian Lagoon. An extremely relaxing tour, which combines many different characteristics of Venice: the natural beauty, craftsmanship, a genuine fisherman village atmosphere and the history of the earliest days.

MURANO
Murano is the famous island of glassblowing, a traditional activity that still preserves the ancient techniques of the past. You will admire the glass masters at work while producing the beautiful objects which have made them famous all over the world.

Walking along the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, you will see the famous kilns lined up one after the other. Some of these are open to the public: our guides will take you to watch the expert master glass blowers creating an object in glass. You can also buy blown glass things at the kilns directly. One of the oldest glassworks is Venini, a company that exhibits its own work in many Museums of Modern Art around the world. Just before the Vivarini Bridge you will see the Church of San Pietro Martire on your left, where there are some frescoes by Bellini, Tintoretto and del Veronese. Crossing over the bridge and walking along the Fondamenta Cavour, you will reach the lass Museum, housing 4000 pieces that shown the development of glass blowing techniques over the centuries. One of the items on shown is the wonderful Barovier cup, made from enamel-painted blown glass and decorated with allegorical figures. Just a short walk from the museum there is also the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato, which was built in the 8th century. Here you can admire the Vergine Orante, a splendid mosaic that depicts the Virgin Mary. The Basilica also has a curious fact: the apse in Venetian Byzantine style is facing the Canal.

BURANO
Burano is the most cheerful and one of the most populous of the lagoon islands. Its brightly painted houses give it the air of an Italian opera set, while the success of its most important industries, lace making, fishing and boat building, accounts for the well-being of its people.

A short walk along Via Marcello and then right to the Fondamenta di San Mauro will take you to Via Baldassare Galuppi that opens onto the square with the same name. Here you will find the Lace Museum, where you can see old pieces of lace and can watch the various stages of work carried out by the experts. In the square there is also the Church of San Marino, which houses painting by Tiepolo and also Palazzo del PodestCrocefissionethe. Dropping by a cake shop on the island will give you a chance to taste the famous bussolai buranelli.

TORCELLO
Torcello can be considered Mother of and was settled between the 5th and 7thC by the fist waves of refugees from the Barbarian invasion on the Mainland. Today the island is nearly uninhabited (residents being reduced to 12). Covered by a rich typical vegetation, the island preserves the most ancient monument of the lagoon: the solemn Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 639 and rebuilt in 1008, decorated with impressive Byzantine mosaics.

From the wharf, walk along the pleasant Fondamenta dei Borgognoni where you will immediately see the famous Ponte del Diavolo (the s Bridge). Further on there is Piazza Torcello, with its original grass flooring where you can see the wonderful, ancient Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. A whole part of the interior of the church is a wonderful mosaic showing the Universal Judgement. There is also a pretty church, the Church of Santa Fosca in the square, and in front of it there is the famous sedia di Attila, the throne on which the tribunes once sat to administer justice. A short distance away we find the Estuario Museum that contains some interesting archeological finds from the Roman, Byzantine and Medieval periods.

July 13 — ICALP Banquet

Information about the banquet will be available soon.

July 15 — The Redentore Celebrations

The Redentore is one of the most treasured festivities, and is a tourist attraction thanks to the spectacular firework display in the evening. It falls on the third Sunday in July, when Holy Mass is held in the presence of the Patriarch, followed by a religious procession. But the special moment of the festivity takes place on Saturday night: with the unbeatable backdrop of Saint s Basin, a play of lights and reflections produce a kaleidoscope of colours with the silhouetted spires, domes and bell towers of the city behind.

A bit of History

The plague. In the three years between 1575 and 1577 the Serenissima was tormented by the plague: aided by the high density of the population, the disease spread through the city, causing terrible losses. Almost 50,000 died, which was more than a third of the inhabitants.
The wow. On September 4, 1576, the Senate decided that the Doge should announce the vow to erect a church dedicated to the Redentore (Redeemer), in return for help in ending the plague.
The end of the plague. On July 13, 1577, the plague was declared definitively over and it was decided that the s liberation from the terrible disease should be celebrated on the third Sunday in July.
The Redentore today. At sunset the well illuminated boats, decorated with boughs and coloured balloons, begin congregating in Saint s Basin and the Giudecca Canal. In the boats people eat traditional food, waiting for the firework display, which begins at 11.30pm and lasts until after midnight.