The event, February 4 to 21, will take place mainly in the Piazza S. Marco and will be rich with shows, concerts, recitals and performances in several historic buildings that have joined the initiative, along squares, streets and, of course, in theatres.
Below you will find the detailed program of events and theme days at the Gran Teatro in Saint Mark’ s square.

Saturday, 11 February
The inauguration is held on the first Carnival day, by the square, with the participations of all the street artists and the company’s “Bus di Carnevale“, to inaugurate the opening of the biggest social event in Venice.
Then follow, at approximately 14:00, from San Pietro di Castello, the “ Tre Marie” parade along “Riva degli Schiavoni” , the “12  Marie” dressed with historical costumes, accompanied by bands and jugglers, will parade to  St. Mark’ s square , there the “most beautiful Maria.”wil be prized.
In the evening there will be a Happy Hour with music, entertainment by masked Dancers and musical challenges for the public, to follow the delivery of prizes and gifts.
At 21:00, with live music space: a great concert to open the Carnival Celebrations.
 
Sunday, February 12
Historical re-enactments by the C.E.R.S. and, following “The flight of the Angel” (il volo dell’angelo) with historical parade.
At 21:00, the Night of the Angel which will be presented to the patrons of the Carnival.
live music follows.
 
Monday, February 13
Throughout the day there will be parades of masks with entertainment on the theme “Who find and who refuse love”.” (chi cerca e chi rifiuta l’amore)
In the evening there is the “Feast of non-love.”
To anticipate the Valentine’s Day, we celebrate those who are not in love for the moment or are looking for soul mate or have been  left and need to forget.
 
Tuesday, February 14
Throughout the day there will be parades of masks with entertainment on the theme “Love”
In the evening there is the “Feast of Love”
A romantic evening in the Piazza San Marco with live music on the theme of love. There will be the possibility to dedicate own love messages, those will be projected on large screens in the Piazza San Marco and get on stage to dedicate a song to the partner.
 
Wednesday, February 15
Throughout the day there will be parades of masks with entertainment on the theme “Food and Love”.
In the evening is held an event in honour of food and love, traditional songs interpreted traditional songs under the theme of love, food, gluttony, and erotism.
Then the participants will be guests of a banquet tocelebrates the triumph of love.

Thursday, February 16
along the day there will be a “semi-final of the competition for the best mask”
the night on “Cuccagna” ( a sort of goliardic happening) .land
During the evening there will be a party with the theme “The night of Cuccagna”.

Friday, February 17
Throughout the day there will be a semi-final contest of the best mask on the theme “Let’s face on bad luck” (Facciamo una smorfia alla sfortuna)
During the evening there will be a feast in honour of “luck”, a way for pessimist to kick off misfortune, dancing and singing together.

Saturday, February 18
Throughout the day there will be a “semi-final of the competition of the best mask”
During the evening there will be the Grand Carnival Ball, Piazza San Marco turns into a ballroom of a 700 palace.

Sunday, February 19
Throughout the day there will be a “semi-final of the competition of the best mask”
Afterwards, during the evening concert will be held on the Grand Carnival. Afterwards an evening of classical music.

Monday, February 20
Throughout the day there will be parades of masks with entertainment on the theme “Life is theater“(La vita è un teatro)
During the evening, St. Mark’s Square will be transformed into an open-air theater with performances by actors Road and Commedia dell’Arte, rekindling the bond between Venice and the Teatro

Tuesday, February 21
during the day there will be parades of masks with animation on “The Madness” ( La follia)
In the evening we will honour Maria, winner of the Carnival of 2012, to follow there will be a big final concert, with performances and art shows, ending the Carnival in its purest form: the madness!

Carnival 2012
From the 11th to  the 21st of  February 2012
St. Mark Square
Venice

Also in this city, during the night between 5th and 6th January  is tradition to hang stockings out the window or on the fireplace, waiting for the old witch riding her mop to fill it with sweets for good children and coal for bad children .

Epiphany is a national holiday and various events are going on, such fairs, festivals, concerts, , fireworks, exhibitions and markets, or the traditional concert which takes place in different municipalities. But several are also the Epiphany party or the election of Miss modern witch.

The best way to celebrate the Epiphany in Venice is a rowing regatta race,
On Jan. 6, 50 athletes, members of the oldest rowing club of Venice the “ Bucintoro”  disguised as old witches, race from S. Tomà to the Rialto Bridge.
The finish line consist on an enormous sock hanging down from  Rialto Bridge.
The Befana is one of the most popular traditions in the collective imagination of the Italians. Its legend dates back to pre-Christian traditions.

 Today, in popular Christian culture, the Befana brings gifts in memory of those offered by the Magi to the Christ Child. This charming old lady in the night between 5 and 6 January, flies on a broom carrying a bag stuffed with toys and candy. Then, sliding down the chimneys of the houses, fills stockings left hanging by the children.

The exhibition, organized and supervised by Gabriella Uluhogian, Boghos Levon Zekiyan and Vartan Karapetian, count on over two hundred works coming from major museums, Armenian and European libraries  and the Holy Site of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Echmiadzin.

The exhibition includes some rare manuscripts, miniatures, stones, architectural documents, relics, which explain the goals and objectives achieved by the Armenian civilization in the scientific, spiritual, artistic, architectural, economic, philosophical and literary field.

A part of the exhibition will focused on the relations between the Armenians and European cultures, emphasizing the relationships lasted for centuries, between the Armenians and the Venetian Republic, documented by manuscripts and artworks, explaining also the developments of the Armenian presence in Venice and what were the political, economic and cultural relations with Venice.

A special sector  will be dedicated to the art of the Armenian press, whose first steps are dated back to 1512: there will be exposed the best results of printing products from numerous Armenian settlements, scattered all overtheworld.
in This section an important role is taken by a  particularly important documentation of the glorious tradition of Armenian –Venetian printing, brought the height of its quality by the laborious and enlightened devotion of the Fathers Mekhitarist.

Armenia. Footprints of a Civilization
16/12/11 – 10/04/12
Civic Museums of Venice – Island of San Lazzaro – Museum of the Armenian Congregation Mekhitarist
Venice

This years the factory celebrates its 100th Anniversary of activities.
In the museum on the 1st floor is it possible to admire some stunning works, such the Pearl Rosette (the most famous in the world), the Mosaic pearl, the “Millefiori” and the “Murrina”.
Here you can read a brief biography of “Ercole Moretti” and the history of the Venetians Beads.

The refined production of glass bead is an unbelievable and unexpected form of creativity: yesterday an object of exchange, today an original  decorative jewel.
The venetian beads trade left finds its origins  1338, when Venice sell a “paternosters di vitro” glass grain to Rosary crowns.

With the introduction of the “lume”  (oxyhydrogen ) technique the productions had an important increase, In  1672 a new corporation was born: “Arte dei Perleri” (Glass beads art) called “ supialume “  that literally means: producer of mouth blown empty objects.

After this increase, the venetian beads see a great season between the end of the 19th century and 1960,  during this period the  “conterie” and the Rosette beads are required in the colonies of the West Africa, America and India as goods of trade.

The activity of Ercole Moretti start in in 1911 in Murano with the productions of the “ Rosette Pearl” , the company, co founded by brothers Ercole and Norberto Moretti, after the great success of the “ Rosetta”, start the production of pearls “ millefiori”.

In the 1930 they introduced on the market necklaces made  with the grindstone  beads lately comes the Venetian pearls, shirt button or so called “ facked pearls” .

In 1960 they started the production of  hard stone imitations, mostly turquoises, rose quartz, topaz, and others.

1968 saw the birth of a little big invention: the “murrina”, made by a complex glass pearl composition into a copper flat profile.
This production become a flagship for the factory.

Ercole Moretti, a century of Venetians Beans
Until the 6th of January 2012
Glass Museum
Fondamenta Giustinian 8
30121 Murano
Phone: +39 041 739586
Fax: +39 041 739586
Info: museo.vetro@fmcvenezia.it
Web site : http://museovetro.visitmuve.it

The idea of this initiative, proposed by the Artisan association, was born not only to offer a sampling of quality artisan products, but also to create a meeting place where tourists and Venetians can taste local cuisine specialties , and celebrating the festivity.

From the 7th until the 22nd of November, at the Slovenian’s Exposition Centre of Venice, is it possible to assist at the personal exhibition of the Slovenian artist Ibro Hasanović (winner of the 5th edition of “Arte Laguna of Venice Award” with the video clip: “The title of this film is…I cannot remember the name”).

The inedited and original exposition of Stories  will be  explained by the installation “Instructions for gold hunter”, the photographic exhibition “Conditioned Air” and with the short film “A short story”.

“A short story” is a narrative of a prophecy by Hasanović himself (the protagonist) to a group of children.
The prophecy written in far 1941 about Sejfo in a little Bosnian village, based on the magical text of “Kasida”.  The book foresee  the tragedies occurred during the 20th centuries in the former Jugoslavia.
The film is based on the artist remembrance about an uncle who told him  these stories narrated from generation to generation in the artist birthplace.

Hasanović want to explain the important of narrative tradition and enhanced the fatalism and superstitions of Balkan people, their traditions and historical memory.

The photographic exhibition “Conditioned Air” reflects about the prejudices associated with Albania.
Few photo in black&white that explain the reality of a “Country in transition”, characterized by essential of welfare civilization that no longer exists, leaving poverty, degradation, underdevelopment.

Some info about the artist:
Hasanović was born in the 1918, in the Ex-Jugoslavia, and graduated at the Academy of fine arts in Sarajevo. At the moment he lives and works in France.
He belongs to the generation of artists born during the War between Bosnia and Erzegovina (1992-1995). These fact have influenced his growth and training and has determined the artist practice.
The artwork isn’t the final objective, but the help to tell and share the personal experiences through the remembers, search the lost identify in a destroyed past.

A+A – Slovenian’s Exposition Centre
San Marco 3073
30124 Venice – ITALY
Phone & Fax: +39 041 2770466
Info: info@aplusa.it
Web site: www.aplusa.it

His works are characterized by the everyday life and the old episodes which are becoming relevant again. Through the use of specific subjects, places, crumbling colours and the less important events, he makes come back to “life” the history of his works, in a mixture of amazement and wonder.

Here below you can find some more information about our artist:

Nicola Aramu was born in Venice in 1972. From his father, a collector of coins and stamps, he earns the passion for miniatures.
He has studied at the National Institute of Art (specialized in art print). With the help of a “torchio” (an old type of printer), he opened a studio and started printing.
He graduated the “Accademia delle Belle Arti di Venezia” (Fine Arts Academy of Venice) with thesis on the “engraving works”, and he’s currently experimenting with new printing techniques.
Aramu is an amazing painter who is focusing on the extraordinarily small and extraordinarily large details of the everyday life, being like this able to find always the fantastic fiber of the reality.

Nicola Aramu’s personal exhibition
27th of November – 10 th of December 2011
Bistrot de Venise
San Marco, 4685 Calle dei Fabbri
30100 Venice

Begin for the 4^th time at Lido, in San Servolo Island, the 14^th edition of Open, the International Exhibition of Sculpture and Installations, from 1^st of September to the 2^nd of October 2011.

Whit this exhibition, the directors Paolo de Grandis and Carlotta Scarpa, want to explain as that “the art as a tool, art in play between the artist and the spectator”.

With this message they want to explain also that will be make in space open air and aslo, art is available for all.

All the works are of the contemporary age and they are exposing in a new context, giving space to creativity of all artist, transforming their creativity in sculpture, installations, happening and other various performance.

The participants of Open, coming form all over the world, created a mix of culture and thoughts about art.

Also, in this edition of Open we can find a lot of important people, like Gloria Vallese, Nevia Capello e Chang Tsong-Zung. In this edition will be also a new entry, an artist from Bangladesh (Ebadur Rahman) and another from Iraq (Mahdiyar Arab). Mahdiyar is the youngest artist, he began his carrer at the age of 7!!!

The attentions at a new thoughts about art will be take into consideration the collaboration of the “Lagoon Art Award”, which of they will be give for the second time the “Special Lagoon Art Award” at one artist of the “Finnish Academy of fine Arts”.

With this prize, the artist has the possibility to be one of the finalist of the “Lagoon Art Award 2011” and expose their works in this circuit.

Sponsored by “Arte e Comunicazione” association, Department of Cultural Activities of the Municipality of Venice, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Veneto Region, Province of Venice and the Embassies of all participating Countries.

Open 14, 1^st of September – 2^nd of October 2011, Lido, San Servolo Island.
INFO:
Arte Communications
ph. +39 041 5264546
pressoffice@artecommunications.com
www.artecommunications.com

The subject of this exhibit is, certainly , the black, where we can se in all his works, which of we find sculptures, photography and video performance.

Whit this masterpiece, the artist want to transmit to the audience that the interested sensorial for the shape there isn’t from the symbol that we use, so show as the terrible events that we are living in this period.

The tittle can we translate as a metaphor of “come in back until the black periods”, try to reflect as if  is already how we are living now.

Back in Black – 2^nd September – 23^rd October 2011

Ca’ Pesaro – Santa Croce 2076, 30135 Venice

Tel. ++39 041721127 – info: info@fmcvenezia.it

web site: http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it/

The tax, which will not be charged on residents, will be levied on the first five consecutive nights of any overnight stay. Tariffs will vary according to season (there will be two fares, one for low and on for high season), location (three areas have been identified: Venice old town, the islands and the mainland) and to the type of accommodation (hotels, b&b, campsites, holiday village, etc).

In fact, there is a series of tax reductions foreseen for accommodation facilities located on the islands in the Lagoon (30%) or on the mainland (40%) and during low season (up to 50%). Children aged between 10 and 16 will pay half the tax fare, whereas those under 10 will not be charged at all.

But not only small children will be exempted from tourist taxation: no tax will be paid by those staying in youth hostels or other facilities owned by the City of Venice; by those assisting people admitted to local hospitals; by tourist bus drives and tour leaders of larger groups (25 people at least); by volunteer and security forces on duty.
Reductions will be cumulative: each discount percentage will be applied to the full tax fare one after another.