Published on Friday, March 20, 2020 by Kathy McCabe An archaeology graduate student at Venice’s University Ca’ Foscari found a rare 5,000-year-old sword made of copper and tin, common materials used prior to the Bronze Age. The PhD student, Vittoria Dall’Armellina, found the sword in a monastery on San Lazzaro degli Armeni, an island in the Venetian lagoon. Prior to Dall’Armellina’s discovery, the sword, disp...

Published on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 by Kathy McCabe A researcher at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews has found the oldest known city drawing of Venice, a sketch from the 14th century. The scholar, Dr. Sandra Toffolo, specializes in Venetian Renaissance history and was conducting research at the National Central Library of Florence when she stumbled upon the drawing in May 2019. The drawing is by Niccolò da Po...

Published on Sunday, November 24, 2019 by Kathy McCabe To the delight of art lovers, Italy’s popular free museum Sundays are back. This popular program, which offers free entry on the first Sunday of the month for both Italian and foreign visitors at state-run museums around the country, was introduced in 2014 by Culture Minister Dario Franceschini. About 15 million visitors took advantage of the offering in total Ho...

Published on Sunday, October 6, 2019 by Kathy McCabe On December 1, Venetians will vote on a referendum to split the historic city center from its residential suburbs. If approved by a majority of voters, the floating island center of Venice – where the tourist attractions are – will become a separate city from most of Mestre, the area encompassing Venice’s suburbs on the mainland. Proponents argue that dividin...

Published on Thursday, August 15, 2019 by Kathy McCabe If you haven’t gone to a film festival, you’re missing out. Some of the best movies aren’t seen at commercial theaters, but instead are independent films competing at film festivals around the world. If you’re in Italy, consider snagging tickets to The 76th Venice Film Festival, which takes place later this month with films that include some of the biggest nam...

Published on Saturday, August 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe If you’re planning on visiting Italy’s Saonara any time soon, you may want to practice curbing your language before you get there and take time to learn what other new laws have been passed. One slip of the tongue and you might find yourself, well...fined. Saonara is a municipality located south of Venice, and its mayor, Walter Stefan, has had enough with peopl...

Published on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The Venitian beach resort of Bibione  will ban cigarettes beginning at the end of May, in time for the summer crowds. The beach is the first to ban smoking in Italy, and intends to eliminate cigarette butt pollution and the exposure of visitors to secondhand smoke. Italy banned smoking in enclosed public places, such as offices and restaurants, in 2005, but so far ha...

Published on Sunday, September 30, 2018 by Kathy McCabe The latest in a series of bans aimed at tourists comes from Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who has proposed a fine of up to €500 for sitting down in undesignated spots throughout the city. According to CNN Travel, the Venice city council is currently discussing the text of the proposed ban. There is already a ban in place preventing people from sitting down in St. Mar...

Published on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 by Kathy McCabe As of August 1, small recreational watercrafts such as kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and pedal boats are no longer allowed on the main waterways of Venice. The ban does not apply to Venetian residents who own these boats, gondolas or tour companies that are regulated by local authorities. Previously, small recreational boats could not travel on the main waterways fr...

Published on Saturday, April 28, 2018 by Kathy McCabe From now until May 1, Venice is prohibiting tourist access into the main parts of the city. The restrictions are intended to ease crowds during the Festa del Lavoro holiday, Italy’s Labor Day and a popular traveling time for Italians. Tourists traveling to popular places such as Rialto or Piazza San Marco will be redirected along alternate routes. The Strada Nuov...