Venice is a place rich in opportunities, so there will still be lots for you to do beyond the conference. Here are some pointers.
First of all, you will be in Venice during the 2022 Art Biennale. The Biennale is one of the world’s great contemporary visual art exhibitions. More information about this year’s exhibition is online at https://www.labiennale.org/en. You can buy tickets to visit the main exhibition sites at Arsenale or Giardini, or just visit many of free-to-access pavilions scattered throughout the city.
If you want to engage more with Venice’s culture and past, there are different activities to consider. Much of them happen on water.
Of course, you can take a gondola tour through the city’s canals.
But why sit when you can row? There are a number of initiatives that enable visitors to learn to voga – to row Venetian-style, standing up and looking forward, like the gondoliers. We recommend Row Venice. They care passionately about the city, and their instructors speak multiple languages. For more information, go to https://rowvenice.org.
If you want to be even more ambitious, and hire a boat to tour the Venetian lagoon, then reach out to Classic Boats Venice at https://www.classicboatsvenice.com. As the name suggests, they provide you with traditional wooden boats made for the lagoon, powered by state-of-the-art electric motors. The folks at Classic Boat Venice suggest different routes to follow, with an onboard GPS to guide you.
On the other hand, if you still want to see the lagoon but be taken there, consider using bragozzi, traditional wooden boats with flat keels that allow them to navigate the shallow waters of the lagoon. Several operators provide these kinds of tours, but we recommend Terra & Acqua at https://www.terraeacqua.com/?lang=en.
Back on land, you can explore the hidden corners of Venice with a guided tour. It is best to use a licensed tour guide. Many are available in Venice. Three that we can recommend are Susanne Kunz-Saponaro https://www.
The island of Murano is renowned for its glassware. It houses many retail outlets and factories where the glass is made. Some of these factories also provide demonstrations of Venetian glassblowing. One to consider is Vetreria Murano Arte (VMA) https://www.facebook.com/VMA.Murano.Glass/, a family-run business. Take the ACTV vaporetto to Murano, and walk across to their factory. We recommend avoiding the hotel-organised visits to Murano.
For general tourism information go to Venezia Unica, the official site for the City’s tourist and travel information. The Venezia Unica City Pass enables you to purchase single and combined travel and access tickets to visit key landmarks such as the Basilica San Marco, Palazzo Ducale and the key museums and galleries. Everything you need to know is online at https://www.veneziaunica.it.
Not many people know that, behind their tall garden walls, Venetians are still cultivating grapes and making local wines. If enough people from the conference sign up, it will be possible to arrange a visit and tasting to one of these small vineyards on La Isola San Michele – the cemetery island – on the morning of Friday 24th June – the day after the conference. The vineyard is run by a local association called Laguna Nel Bicchiere https://www.lagunanelbicchiere.it/en/. The estimated cost, which will include wine tasting and some Venetian snacks, will be €20 per person. If you are interested contact Jutta Palmen via email at juttapalmen@me.com