The Venice Blog

This 19th century house in the Piscina San Samuele (San Marco 3427, half way between Campo San Stefano and the Traghetto) was recently renovated. After the removal of the scaffold some days ago, it appears in a lurid red without any respect for important neighbours such as the gothic Querini and Pisani palaces. Note especially the insane treatment of the round arches painted all over, while only the middle pillars and the loggia cornice were left white. The fettlers’ work is sleazy, and the plaster already has first signs of decay.

As always, there are, apart from the owner of the house, three culprits: the architect (responsible for the choice of plaster and colour, and for the lack of supervision), the Soprintendenza, which is responsible for the preservation of monuments (for accepting the architects’ choice, and for the lack of supervision as well) and the City of Venice (for approving the architect’s project, and for the lack of obligatory restoration guidelines).

(Reported by the Gazzettino on Oct. 21 and 22)

The German Richard Wagner, born in 1813, composer of great operas such as Tristan and Isolde, Parsifal and Siegfried, lived for several years in Venetian palaces, such as the Palazzo Giustinian, and died on February 13, 1883 in his apartment in the Palazzo Vendramin Calergi. A plaque on the garden wall commemorates the artist. Today, the palace is used by the Casino of Venice, which now plans to transfer its offices to a nearby 16th century house in order to install a museum in the mezzanine floor. According to the press release made during the 12th Giornate Wagneriane, the museum shall open in summer 2007 and be used for regular concerts as well.

Nine of the 13 buildings included in the so-called cartolarizzazione 2005 have now been auctioned. With the cartolarizzazione, the city of Venice intends to sell the family heirlooms in order to reconstruct their finances. The most important of the building was the 16th century Palazzo Nani with somptuous 17th and 18th century interior decoration, located near the train station and acquired by the Alfaveneta group for 18,5 million Euro. Lagunare S.p.A. acquired the palaces Zaguri (10,6 million €) and Costa (7,8 million €), while the Palazzo Bonfadini with its 19th century interior frescoes was bought by Vettore s.r.l. for 9,5 million €.
The Venice blog fears that most of the buildings share the fate of other palaces, being converted into hotels without respecting the exigences of preservation.