The Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture opens for ten days lots of monuments, museums, archaeological sites, archives, libraries with large popular events throughout the whole country.
Thousands of events: exhibitions, conferences, special openings, workshops, guided tours and concerts that will make more special the experience for all the visitors.
This year, the 12th edition of the “Culture Week” will take place from  April 16th to 25th.
The main purpose of this initiative is to promote culture awareness and to transmit the love of art to an ever wider audience of citizens that, for seven days, can choose from exhibitions, conferences, workshops, guided tours, concerts, shows , film showings and special openings in all regions of Italy.
Museums and Palaces in Venice will open their doors to experts and enthusiasts, through the organization of free guided tours and themed itineraries.

The main attractions that will open their doors free to the public are:
• The “Ca d’Oro” and the tour exhibition of Flemish tapestries of the 16th century.
• The Museum of Oriental Art and the opportunity to see some masks representative of traditional Japanese Noh theater.
• The  “Gallerie dell’Accademia”, where for the first time there will be organized the show of two drawings by Jacopo Tintoretto and Francesco Guardi, acquired in 2009.
• The “Palazzo Foscari”, last residence of the Doge Francesco Foscari and now seat of the Venice University, which hosted illustriouscharacters such as Henry III of Valois, King of France and Poland.
• The “Palazzo Grimani”, a noble residence in Venice of the sixteenth century.
• The “Libreria Sansoviniana”, with the inauguration of the exhibition ” Tesori della musica veneta del Cinquecento. La policolarità Giovanni Matteo Asola e Giovanni Croce”.
• The Provincial Museum of Torcello - Archaeological Section and Section Medieval and Modern, which includes ruins and artifacts related to the island and lagoon.
• The “Arsenale”, whose visit will be preceded by an introductory lesson by the architect Claudio Menichelli in cooperation with the Maritime Research Center.
• The house of the famous Venetian painter Jacopo Tintoretto.
• The National Archaeological Museum of Venice.

For more information or details regarding specific dates and opening hours, please visit the website: www.beniculturali.it

Mark the Evangelist is the patron of Venice: his feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the lion. Tradition identifies him with author of the Gospel of Mark, said to be the disciple and interpreter of Saint Peter, and the follower and Apostle of Jesus Christ. About 10 to 20 years after the ascension of Christ, Saint Mark traveled to Alexandria and formed what is now known as the Coptic Orthodox Church. Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Saint Mark. He became its first bishop and founder of Christianity in Africa.
What is the connection between St. Mark and Venice? We have to look for it in the Medieval history. Actually,  in 828, some relics believed to be the body of St. Mark were stolen from Alexandria by two Venetian merchants and taken to Venice, where the Byzantine Theodore of Amasea had previously been the patron saint. Therefore a basilica was built there to house the relics: the unique and famous St. Mark Basilica, which has become the symbol of Venice.

There is a mosaic on the basilica showing how the sailors covered the relics with a layer of pork. Since Muslims are not allowed to touch pork, this action was done to prevent Muslim intervention in the relics removal. Moreover, according to tradition, in 1094 the saint himself revealed the location of his remains by extending an arm from a pillar. The newfound remains were placed in a sarcophagus in the basilica.
Nevertheless, the destiny of  the relics of the Saint is vexed: copts believe that his head remained in Alexandria. Every year, on the 30th day of the month of Babah, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of St. Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, where the saint’s head is preserved.

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word ‘Shriven’ meaning to go to confession to say sorry for the wrong things you’ve done. Lent always starts on a Wednesday, so people went to confessions on the day before. This became known as Shriven Tuesday and then Shrove Tuesday.

In other countries, like Italy, Shrove Tuesday is known as ‘Martedì Grasso’, This means ‘Fat Tuesday’ in Italian and also comes from the idea of using up food before Lent.

Many countries round the world have ‘Martedì Grasso’ celebrations and carnivals. Some of the most famous are in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, New Orleans in the U.S.A., and Venice in Italy.
One of the most exquisite, unique and typical  Venice Carnival specialty is the home made ‘frittella’ (‘fritoleri’ in Venetian dialect) that you can find in every coffee and pastry shops of the city. These ‘frittelle’are one of the symbol of the Venetian Carnival.
Here you have the traditional recipe to make your own traditional sweets…

Ingredients for 4 people:

12 g of beer yeast
200 g of flour
40 g of raisans
40 g of pinoli nuts
40 g di candied fruits
ca. 350 g of seed oil
40 g of sugar
16 g of icing sugar
ca. 0,5  of grappa or rum

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast with a little warm water and sugar.  Add grappa and then flour adding water when needed.  Mix well until there are no air bubbles on the surface.  Cover and leave to rise in a warm place.  When the mix has doubled in size, add raisans, candied fruits and pinoli.  Heat oil and cook draining each doughnut on paper towels.  Arrange in a pyramid form and sprinkle with icing sugar.  Serve hot and enjoy your “frittelle”.

Dating back to the second half of the 13th Century, the Venice Historical Regatta, that takes place on the first Sunday of September, is a spectacular competition whose origins are firmly entrenched in the history of Venice. Although the other islands and communities of the Venetian lagoon also hold their own regatta’s The Venice historical regatta is the main regatta of the year.

It begins with a ceremonial parade along the Grand Canal of historical boats manned by Venetians in period costume.

Like the celebrated Palio of Siena, the most important races are between the various neighborhoods of the city centre.  The fans and followers of each neighborhood boat and crew encourage and incite their rowers from the streets next to the Grand Canal. The traditional points of reference for the Venice historical regata are the *spagheto, a rope stretched across the starting point in front of the public gardens (Sant’Elena Area) in the Castello sestiere of Venice; the Paleto, a pole driven into the centre of the Grand Canal in front of the Church of Sant’Andrea de la Zirada, around which the boats must turn before going back up the Grand Canal to cross the finishing line. The finishing line is indicated by the Machina, a construction erected on a wooden raft richly carved, painted and gilded, and where the prize-giving ceremony is held.

The Historical Regatta is one of the most important event of the Serenissima’s recent history, but the origins of the procession are unknown.

According to some historians, the first testimony of the Historical Regatta is dated 10^th January 1315, during the government of the Doge Giovanni Soranzo. This event was organized to celebrate the war victories of the Serenissima Republic.

According to other historians, the water procession re-evokes the triumphant welcome accorded by the Serenissima yo the Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro, who had donated her kingdom to Venice in 1489. of the 16th Century when Caterina Cornaro, a native Venetian who was later crowned Queen of Cyprus returned to Venice to deliver the island of Cyprus into the hands of the Venetians.

The Venice Regatta was also immortalized in one of the masterpieces of the famous Venetian painter Canaletto who painted the Regatta’s processions in honour of the visit of the King of Denmark ,Friederich IX ,in 1709.

In other circumstances, foreign dignitaries were honoured in this way during the Historical Regatta included Beatrice d’Este in 1493, Anna de Foix, Queen of Hungary in 1502, Henry III of France in 1574, and the Crown Prince and Princess of Russia in 1782.Not infrequently they were also organized and financed by foreign princes, like the regata of 1686, arranged at the wish of Duke Ernest August of Brunswick, a general who had fought bravely in the service of the Serenissima.

It’s Friday, I am thinking about what to do after work and the idea is… “bacari tour” in Venice!

The “giro per bacari” is a sure-fire way of experiencing the real Venice; the locals do that as perfect prelude to a meal and a funny way to meet with friends for a ful-fledged bacaro crawl “Bacari” and “Osterie”, simply furnished with wooden tables and benches are the local down-to-earth version of wine-bar. A bar with a false neglected look to remind the old Venetian shabby osteria, nowadays very researched and frequented meeting point for younger and adults.

In a “bacaro” you can drink a wine glass named from local “ombretta” and I suggest to order the local most famous drink “Spriz” (mixture of white wine, Campari and soda water) for aperitif form 6 p.m. to 21 p.m. and more. Together with spriz it’s impossible resist the tempting “cicheti”; tipical are the tasty barcounter snacks and the fried fish.

Absolutely try:

Sarde in saòr (Marinated sardines)
Baccalà mantecato (creamy dried cod)
Folpetti (baby octopus)

The most famous Bacari are concentrated in Rialto Bridge zone, all around the fruit and vegetable market. Here there is the famous “Cantina Do Mori“. Then “I Assasini” near “La Fenice” theatre and “Alla Vedova” in Canareggio sestriere.