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

The mosaic in question “The Dome of Creation”, located in the west and north sides of the atrium of the basilica, show a cycle of 26 mosaics from the Old Testament, representing, the creation of the world, the first men, original sin and the expulsion from paradise.

This unique masterpiece (dated around 1210 to 1235), is at risk of fall from the layer of mortar that keep it glued. The cause could be the high saline concentration in the air and the many flooding  suffered in the past, present and future that damaged the concrete holding the tiles.

Actually are visible many areas of detachment between the tiles themselves and, after an estimation  by Procuratoria of San Marco, supported by the Patriarch of Venice, the Venice Civic Museums Foundation, to verify the damage and early intervention , which at the moment are not enough to safe the cultural and artistic heritage.

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

To date, thousands of people goes on a procession on November 21 to the high altar of the massive Salute Church to honour the age-old bond of gratitude that binds the city to the Virgin Mary.

Around the mid-seventeenth century, northern Italy suffered one of the most serious epidemics of plague. Particularly affected the city of Mantova.
The Dukes of Gonzaga, in a desperate attempt to save the city, asked the help of Venice (which is linked by Mantova town with a brotherhood of water and art), with the request to send food and  aids by river.
The Serenissima sudden decided to offer its aid , and hosted some plague affected nobles on the island of San Servolo, then uninhabited. One of the carpenters who worked  to built the recover become a vehicle of the infection through which the epidemic spread  over Venice.

The infection hits Venice rapidly and uncontrolled, after the death of the artisan and his family, after only two week the death were hundreds and hundreds throughout the city.
On the end of winter is the same city that faces the danger of being completely deleted.
The only way left seemed to be the faith in god and in particular Mother Mary there where organized procession attended by survivors: about 10,000 souls running around St. Mark Square for three days and three nights with torches and votive statues.
Its then pronounced a solemn vow that once the city is saved a temple of unseen dimension and beauty will be built in honour of  Madonna.
And once again the sky seems to come to the aid of the Republic.

The following weeks  a slow  regression of the infection was notice and on the following two weeks the plague was finally defeated.
In respect of the vow, a public competition amongst architect and engineer prized young Architect flagship of the new Baroque style.

The building has been completed in about twenty years of work and consecrated on November 21, 1687, the day become the official day of Madonna della Salute.
This day thousands of people walk over the floating bridge to peregrinate and pay homage to mother mary, the tradition wants that they light up a candle and pray for their health.

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.

That will be held from the 24th of November 2011 to the 26th of February 2012.

Lorenzo Lotte was born in Venice in 1480 and, died in 1556 in Loreto.

One of the main exponents of 16th Venetian century, although because of his principle and  his nonconformism, finds a lot of obstacles  in “being successful”, so leaving the scene to Titian and Giorgione.
According to the Vasari, Lorenzo was formed in the school of Bellini.

Not much appreciate by Venetian critic, lotto begins to travel around Italy, moving  to Treviso, Rome, Recanati, Bergamo and Loreto. During his travel he tried return to Venice many times, however he couldn’t find a definitive establishment.
He had an hard life ,  his fame and reputation a were rediscovered only at the end of the 1800’s from the great art critic Bernard Berenson that covered the  peregrinating routes of Lotto over again revealing step by step an excellent Renaissance artist, that he then reintroduced to the great public.

In the exhibition we can admire the Double portrait of weds, Mother mary with the Child and Angels (kindly lend from the Russian collectors), a portrait of young gentleman (gentleman of Treviso – 1530 approximately), Giuditta with the head of Oloferne ( 1512) and altarpice of the Shovel of Saint Bartolomeo (1516).

Lorenzo Lotto: the paintings of the Ermitage at the Accademia Gallery
24th of November 2011 – 26th of February 2012
Gallerie dell’Accademia,
Campo della Carità,
Dorsoduro 1050
30100 Venice

Phone: 39 (0)41 5222247
Fax: 39 (0)41 5212709
Info: sspsae-ve.accademia@beniculturali.it
Web site http://www.polomuseale.venezia.beniculturali.it/index.php?it/1/home

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

The opening of the Museum is exceptionally extended until 22:30, and during the whole evening are available some exclusive guided tours.

In collaboration with Maria Luisa Trevisan and the artist Tobia Ravà, is possible to follow the explanation of the meaning of secret codes and engraving numbers, all in relation of Qabbalah (we can translate this as “receive, receive the word of the Lord from the Torah”).

The speakers will give us all the information in the exhibition “Elevazioni and Permutazioni” (Elevations and Permutations), in the typical “giro di ronda” (guard duty at night, made from a policeman around the Jewish Quarter) and a little tour with the gondola in and around the Ghetto.

A special evening in the first ghetto of  Europe, where we can relive the atmosphere of the old times in “Serenissima”, when after the sunset the quarter was closed.

During the evening is possible to visit the museum and its shop, take an aperitif with “kasher’s food” and, only on reservation, have a dinner in a great and charming location as the ghetto.

The mystery of Ghetto and of the Qabbalah
Jewish museum
Canareggio 2902/b
30100 Venice
Phone +39 041 715359
www.museoebraico.it