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| Line to enter Cartier-Bresson exhibit in the lobby of Palazzo Grassi - Photo: Cat Bauer |
(Venice, Italy) What is life like inside Venice, Italy these days? It depends on which section of town you go to, and at what time of day. It depends on whether you talk to someone who owns an eatery, or rows a sandola, or works in a hotel, or someone whose livelihood does not depend on the tourist industry. It depends on what your interests are. Some people think Venice has never been more beautiful, while others are concerned that some gems might be gone forever.
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| Outside the line is even longer - Palazzo Grassi 2/19/2021 - Photo: Cat Bauer |
The pandemic regulations in Italy change constantly, so it is difficult to remember what rules we are under on what particular day at what particular time. Right now, Venice and the Veneto Region are in the yellow zone. We can travel freely within our own region, including between towns, but we can't leave the region except for work, health, emergencies or other essential reasons. Bars and restaurants can serve customers only until 6pm, so we have had
to move our spritz hour up to earlier in the afternoon -- however, just a short while ago we
could not even sit outside and have a drink, so this is a step towards normal life. We have a curfew from 10pm to 5am, so we must scuttle home like Cinderella before the clock strikes ten, not midnight. Theaters, cinemas, gyms and casinos are still closed, and the ski season
has been postponed until March 5. Masks are mandatory both indoors and
outside.
Schools are open for most students, so joyful jolts of youthful energy echo throughout the calli and campi when the kids burst free from their classrooms. Since the hordes of tourists are no longer blocking the local view, it is easy to see the colorful hues of the students, and hear the vibrant voices of the students -- from the tiny grade school foals to the university fillies and colts. I love to hear the students play and discuss and argue and flirt, shocking the system back into action just by being children. The children have taken back the campi.
When it comes to who is allowed to arrive in Italy from abroad, there are complicated lists, rules and restrictions, but basically most of Europe can come if you test negative for COVID -- except for Austria, who can come but must quarantine for 14 days. Visitors from the United States and the United Kingdom cannot come at all except for essential reasons.
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| Inside Henri Cariter Bresson - Photo: Cat Bauer |
However, if you are interested in art and culture, you will be pleased to know
that museums and galleries have been allowed to open during the weekdays -- not on weekends -- with visitors queuing
to get in the door. Palazzo Grassi announced that they would open on Thursdays and
Fridays from February 11 to 26, and that entrance would be free.
Yesterday I went by to revisit the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition
that I had initially seen with a handful of journalists before it opened
last year on July 11, then closed along with all museums in Italy on November 5th. As you can see by the images, the joint was jumpin'.
The title of the Palazzo Grassi exhibition is Le Grand Jeu -- The Great Game -- and it is a good title for those who are longing to return to Venice. It is a Great Game to get here, with ever-changing rules, but for those who can accomplish the feat, the magic of Venice permeates the air... Venice is waiting for you...
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer