ENTERTAINMENT VENUES
1. Teatro La Fenice
Tickets from Venezia Unica offices at the theatre (041 2424) or online • www.teatrolafenice.it
World-famous opera and concert performances are held at this glorious theatre, re-inaugurated in December 2003. Productions range from Verdi and Rossini to contemporary composers.
Stunning interior of Teatro La Fenice
2. Teatro Malibran
Corte del Teatro Malibran, Cannaregio • Tickets from Venezia Unica offices at the theatre (041 2424)
In a quiet square near Rialto stands the Malibran Theatre, re-inaugurated in 2001 to take on part of the Fenice’s productions. Dating back to 1678 as Teatro Grimani, it was renamed after the 19th-century Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran.
Teatro Malibran
3. Films in English
Videoteca Pasinetti: Salizzada San Stae, Santa Croce 1991 • 041 274 71 40 • www.comune.venezia.it • Venice Film Festival: 041 521 87 11 • www.labiennale.org
The Venice Film Library occasionally shows films in English during the winter. In late summer the local cinemas screen some of the high-lights from the Venice Film Festival.
4. Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto
Fondamenta Duodo o Barbarigo, San Marco 2504 • 340 971 72 72 • www.musicapalazzo.com
A great way to experience grand operas, Musica a Palazzo performs each act of an opera in a different hall of the grand Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto. The travelling opera is a revival of a tradition that began at the end of the 19th century.
5. Vivaldi Concerts
Ateneo San Basso, Piazzetta dei Leoncini, San Marco • 041 528 28 25 • www.virtuosidivenezia.com
Inspiring, atmospheric performances of Vivaldi’s music can be enjoyed in the intimate setting of Ateneo San Basso, which is just off Piazza San Marco. Tickets are available at agencies, hotels or directly from the palace.
6. Chamber Music
Campo S Vidal, S Marco 2862 • 041 277 05 61 • www.interpretiveneziani.com
While listening to the uplifting notes of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons or a masterpiece from Bach or Benedetto Marcello, this is the perfect spot to take a moment to unwind and relax from the day’s hectic sightseeing. The Church of San Vidal was rebuilt around 1700 and has a spacious interior.
7. Concerts in Costume
Scuola Grande dei Carmini, Campo S Margherita, Dorsoduro • 041 528 • www.musicainmaschera.it
Talented young singers and musicians perform comic operas at the Scuola Grande dei Carmini. It makes for a memorable evening.
8. Palazzetto Bru Zane
S Polo 2368 • 041 521 10 05 • www.bru-zane.com
Housed in the ornate 17th-century Palazzetto Bru Zane, the Centre for French Romantic Music hosts concerts of French chamber music and symphonic and choral works dating between 1780 and 1920. It also organizes lectures and educational activities.
9. Auditorium Santa Margherita
Campo S Margherita, Dorsoduro 3689
This converted church (see Ex Chiesa di Santa Margherita) sometimes stages world and other music performances for free. Details are generally posted on the door.
10. Teatro Goldoni
Calle del Teatro, S Marco 4650/B • Ticket sales: 041 240 20 11 • www.teatrostabileveneto.it
Teatro Goldoni is one of the oldest theatres in the city, dating from the 17th century. It acquired its present name in 1875 in honour of the 18th-century playwright Carlo Goldoni. An excellent range of international plays is performed in Italian between November and May.
A performance at Teatro Goldoni
TOP 10 FILMS SET IN VENICE
1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Hero Harrison Ford heaves up the floor in the church of San Barnaba.
Indiana Jones in Venice
2. Summertime (1955)
Single American woman Katharine Hepburn meets an Italian man in Piazza San Marco and falls in love.
3. Death in Venice (1971)
Visconti’s film starring Dirk Bogarde is now as classic as the Thomas Mann novel on which it is based.
4. Don’t Look Now (1973)
This thriller, directed by Nicolas Roeg, with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, will keep you awake at night.
5. The Merchant of Venice (2004)
Shakespeare adaptation starring Al Pacino as a brilliant Shylock.
6. Eve (1962)
Joseph Losey’s black-and-white classic starring “temptress” Jeanne Moreau.
7. Senso (1954)
Alida Valli betrays family and country for an Austrian officer in another Visconti film.
8. Fellini’s Casanova (1976)
Donald Sutherland walks around a fantasized version of Venice in this Fellini film.
9. The Wings of the Dove (1997)
Helena Bonham Carter stars in the film version of Henry James’s Venetian story.
10. Casino Royale (2006)
In his first outing as James Bond, Daniel Craig runs the city’s alleys and makes a splash in the waterways.
