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| Teatro Italia in Venice - Photo: Cat Bauer |
"How long how this been open?" I asked the fellow at the door.
"An hour and a half," he grinned. "Go on in and have a look."
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| Teatro Italia interior - now Despar supermarket |
Back then, motion pictures were toddling to their feet. Both the Italian film industry and Hollywood were still in their infancy, and Europe was smack in the middle of its first World War. The films were silent; talkies would not arrive until the late 1920s. We can only imagine what excitement the opening of such a superb venue caused in the hearts of the Venetians in 1916.
Needless to say, turning such a structure into a supermarket did not go down without a fight.
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| The Bread Section at Teatro Italia - Photo: Cat Bauer |
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| Balcony at Teatro Italia |
But if it has to be a supermarket, I think they should give the residents of Venice a discount. Since there are about 25 million tourists and about 53 thousand residents, I think the goodwill it would generate might help offset the shock of the transformation.
A spoonful of sugar would help the medicine go down.
Click to read Part Two:
The Most Beautiful Supermarket in the World? Teatro Italia - Part Two: The Balcony
Click to read Part Three:
The Most Beautiful Supermarket in the World - Teatro Italia in Venice Part 3 - The Story Continues
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
This morning I happened to be passing by the Teatro Italia on Strada Nuova, and I noticed that the beautiful little building, which has been closed for ages, was bustling. Curious, I went inside, and saw that it was now a Despars supermarket.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it is a supermarket! Thanks for sharing the info.
ReplyDeleteOh, it is a supermarket, Theresa, a very nice supermarket, but a supermarket all the same. It's surreal.
ReplyDeleteNext time I go to Venice (only 1hour by train from my home), I will surely visit this supermarket!
ReplyDeleteHi, Cristina - Did you read the second post I wrote? Eventually the balcony will open for cultural events, so it will really be The Most Beautiful Supermarket in the World:-)
ReplyDeleteThis is horrific and a disgrace for the city and its inhabitants who - across different generations - went to watch movies (like my father), studied (there used to be a big lecture theatre and other teaching spaces of Ca' Foscari University) and taught there (like in my case) and now will buy prosciutto... it might be worth adding up some of this infos, Cat, before tourists pour into ex Cinema Italia to see the surreal, rather than imagining/guessing the beauty it had before, as well as the cultural, social, artistic and educational spell it casted for generations of Venetians and non Venetians...
ReplyDeleteGiovanna, it is already DONE. The first day I went, there were mostly Venetians. The second day, the tourists were already in there. So, the question is, now that it is done -- it cannot be undone, it is most definitely a supermarket -- is there a way to keep its dignity? Please give it some serious thought because I would especially love to have your input. One thing I would suggest is to switch the Muzak over to Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Mozart, Marcello, etc., and I am not joking.
ReplyDelete