2017
THE GIUDECCA ISLAND IN VENICE
Sometimes, even the ordinary quarters of e glamorous place propagate the same fascination – if not more of it – as their more titled and more popular neighbors do. They just do it in a more subtle and humble way.
The island of Giudecca, used to be ground for growing the vegetable gardens of the nobles and the rich merchants of Venice. Today, the island is base to the most improbable kind of affiliation: the labourers of Venice, living in a few house projects hidden behind brick walls, and the glittering jet set, who spend the night far from the crowd, when they are on the Lagoon, in three of the most luxury five stars hotels: Hotel Cipriani, Bauer Palladio Hotel and Hilton Molino Stucky.
The Giudecca hosts three monumental churches that are better viewed actually from across the water: Redentore, Zitelle – both works by renowned Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio – and IX century church of Sant’Eufemia.
At the Zitelle ferry stop, the Casa dei Tre Oci (Three Eyes, so called due to the shape of its three large windows) is home to a foundation whose main purpose – other than providing a location for cultural events – is the conservation of a historic photographic archive. I was there for the opening of an important show of the works of David Lachapelle (more about that here) which was the reason for my coming to Venice in the first place.
