Latest news with #ArchitectureBiennale
Condé Nast Traveler
4 days ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Where to Eat, Stay, and Play in Venice—Italy's Haven for Art and Architecture Fans
When Claude Monet first arrived in Venice in 1908, he was 68 years old and deeply reluctant to visit what he considered an overcrowded destination that had been painted so many times by others. The Impressionist master had specifically avoided Venice, dismissing it as overhyped and too touristy—a statement that's still quite accurate in today's travel conversations. Yet after seeing the city, Monet was instantly captivated, stating it may be too beautiful to be painted. Though he tried to resist the urge, Monet ended up creating 37 luminous canvases that captured Venice perfectly. This tension between Venice's magnetic beauty and its tourism challenges reflects the thousand-year story of a city built on contradictions: Venice was the capital of a maritime republic for nearly a millennium (810–1797 CE), controlling territories across the Adriatic and Mediterranean while serving as Europe's first true international financial center. Constructed on over a hundred small islands connected by bridges and canals, Venice was originally established as a safe haven for people fleeing persecution after the Roman Empire's collapse, and evolved into one of the world's greatest cities for trading. Today, as Venice transforms into a living laboratory during the 2025 Architecture Biennale's exhibition of 'natural, artificial, and collective intelligence,' the city continues its long tradition of innovation. Like Monet, who overcame his hesitations to create some of his most beloved works, contemporary visitors who look beyond the crowds discover a Venice that remains what it has always been—118 islands connected by 400-plus bridges where canals replace streets and gondolas are your Uber. The city somehow works despite being built entirely on water, and what makes it irresistible to art and architecture lovers is that you're essentially wandering through a living museum. Byzantine churches house Tintoretto masterpieces and every palazzo tells the stories of Venetians who turned their improbable floating city into one of the world's greatest art collections. Here's where to find it all on your next visit. How to get around Venice's 100+ islands Venice's car-free streets mean water transportation is the way to go—the ACTV vaporetto (water bus) system is your most wallet-friendly option, with day passes starting around 25 euros and routes connecting all of the most frequented islands, the airport, and the train station. For a quick canal crossing, hop on a traghetto (shared gondola) for just 2 euros, while private water taxis offer luxury door-to-door service at premium prices (expect 100+ euros for even the shortest of trips). Gondola rides are purely romantic tourist activities, rather than practical transport, typically costing 80–100 euros for 30 minutes, but walking is the best way to discover Venice's magic, if time allows. For touring around, Classic Boats Venice offers many different types of boats and private lagoon tours for those itching to explore Venice's waterways beyond the standard routes. At Il Palazzo Experimental, modern Italian cuisine meets Venetian tradition through locally sourced ingredients and bold flavors. Karel Balas/Il Palazzo Experimental Chef Denis Begiqi brings Mediterranean flair to the Renaissance-era palace setting of Il Palazzo Experimental. Mr. Tripper/Il Palazzo Experimental What to eat and drink in Venice Ignore anyone who says there's no good food in Venice. The food scene is dialed in—you just have to know where to go and how to separate yourself from the tourists. The lagoon's unique ecosystem provides ingredients that make Venetian cuisine so distinctive: There's schie (tiny, local shrimp) and moeche (soft-shell crab) that appear seasonally, creating dishes you simply can't find anywhere else. These specialties shine in Venice's culture of cicchetti—small plates served at traditional bacari (wine bars) that let you sample multiple local flavors in one sitting. And don't overlook tramezzini: Venice's answer to tea sandwiches are triangular, crustless bread filled with everything from tuna and artichokes to prosciutto and figs and perfect for a quick lunch between museum visits (head to Bar Alla Toletta for some of the city's best). And when you order a spritz in Venice, you'll get the traditional Venetian version made with Select Aperitivo—the ruby-red, bitter liqueur created by the Pilla brothers in 1920 specifically for Venice with 30 botanicals including juniper and rhubarb. Served with prosecco, soda water, and garnished with a green olive, the original spritz predates the global Aperol phenomenon and delivers a more sophisticated, balanced, and bittersweet profile. Start your mornings at Rialto Market (mornings only, Monday to Saturday) for the freshest ingredients, then head to Algiubagio restaurant, where the prime over-the-water terrace and the striking Davide Penso vibrant green seaweed Murano glass statement piece signal you've arrived somewhere special. This is home to Venice's most iconic tiramisu, a tribute to Banksy, who allegedly dined here during a previous Biennale season. Chef Daniele Zennaro's commitment to sourcing everything from the lagoon makes this the epicenter of the city's zero-kilometer movement.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists created a ‘living' material that sucks CO2 out of the air
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new kind of material that doesn't just sit there. It actually lives, grows, and pulls carbon dioxide straight from the air. This living material was designed in collaboration across biology, chemistry, and engineering disciplines and could offer a new low-energy method for carbon capture in architecture and design. At its core, the material is a water-rich hydrogel filled with cyanobacteria, one of the oldest life forms on Earth. These microorganisms are experts at photosynthesis and can operate even under low light. Inside the gel, they absorb CO2, convert it into biomass, and trigger the formation of solid carbonates, which store carbon in a stable mineral form. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 This gives the material a second method of capturing CO2 that is longer-lasting than biological growth alone. The hydrogel has been carefully designed to support microbial life, too, as it transmits light and allows water and nutrients to flow, enabling the bacteria to remain active for over 400 days in lab tests. To enhance performance, the team used 3D printing to create high-surface-area shapes that allow deeper light penetration and efficient nutrient distribution. The overall result is a soft material that gradually hardens as minerals build up within it to form a literal living structure that strengthens over time. Beyond the lab, this material has already made its architectural debut. In Venice, structures printed from the hydrogel were assembled into three-meter-tall columns for the Architecture Biennale. These pieces can each capture up to 18 kilograms of CO2 per year, similar to a young pine tree. Another project in Milan looks at how the living material can be used as a coating on wood, turning microbial growth into a visible design feature. The reason this stands out from traditional carbon-capture approaches by being passive, scalable, and visually expressive. Instead of relying on large industrial systems or harsh chemicals, it harnesses biology itself to capture carbon quietly and continuously. Researchers say it could one day be integrated into buildings to reduce their environmental impact throughout their life cycle. A study on the material is published in Nature Communications. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-exterior-san-marco-arts-centre-venice-SMACVCEOPEN0525-055a18551df24c6c8e3b2ec81237baea.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
14-05-2025
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
This Historic Building in Venice Hasn't Been Open to the Public in 500 Years—Now You Can Visit
One of Venice's most historical buildings is getting a new lease on life as a modern arts center. The second floor of the Procuratie Vecchie, a building running along one side of St. Mark's Square, is now open to the public for the first time in 500 years in its new form as the San Marco Arts Centre (SMAC). Venice is already a hub for contemporary art with its international biennale, but SMAC aims to do something that doesn't exist in the city's arts landscape: be a kunsthalle , a space that mounts regular temporary exhibitions but isn't constrained by a specific curatorial focus or theme. 'We want to be flexible, dynamic and reactive to what's happening in the world,' co-founder David Gramazio told Travel + Leisure . That's why SMAC isn't limiting itself to modern art, but will also exhibit architecture, fashion, photography, and film. It's kicking off its program at the same time as this year's Architecture Biennale with two architecture-themed solo shows, one a retrospective of the Austrian-Australian architect Harry Seidler—dubbed 'the high priest of modernism'—and the other the first international exhibition of the pioneering landscape architect Jung Youngsun, known for being the first Korean woman to earn the title of land development engineer. The Procuratie were originally built as residences for the Venetian Republic's public prosecutors in the first half of the 16th century. The building ended up primarily being used as offices by the Italian insurance group Generali, before the company launched a massive restoration project with Pritzker Prize-winning architect David Chipperfield. The third floor opened to the public in 2022 and is occupied by the company's foundation, The Human Safety Net. The extensive redesign of the space preserves the building's Venetian touches such as Napoleon-era frescoes and Venetian terrazzo floors, while making it suitable for exhibiting art, with state-of-the-art temperature and humidity control in every room. The 16-gallery, 10,793-square-foot space lines the square's northern side, laid out along a light-filled corridor. From the windows, visitors have a panoramic view of the iconic piazza, with St. Mark's bell tower and basilica on one side and the ornate arcades of the Procuratie Nuove opposite, mirroring the Procuratie Vecchie. SMAC's opening is a sign of Venice's gradual transformation into a year-round arts capital—one that isn't just dependent on the Biennale sweeping in.
Bloomberg
12-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
A Visit to the Architecture Biennale: Robots, Roofs and a Porch
After two days of talks in Switzerland, trade negotiators for the US and China announced on Monday a major de-escalation in tariffs. You can follow Bloomberg News for developments as markets react. Meanwhile, over in Venice, the 2025 Architecture Biennale opened this weekend. Bloomberg Businessweek 's Europe editor David Rocks visited and gives his impression of a few highlights. Plus: In ICE towns, communities are convinced that financial survival depends on locking people up, and the CEO of Chomps talks about the popularity of meat sticks. If this email was forwarded to you, click here to sign up .
Morocco World
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Morocco Unveils Innovative Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale
Rabat — Morocco launched its pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia – on Friday in Venice. The pavilion reflects Morocco's commitment to promoting its creative talents on the world stage. Set to remain open from May-November, the Moroccan pavilion is the fruit of a partnership between the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication and the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Urbanism, Housing, and City Policy . This participation reflects Morocco's dedication to supporting its creative community under the leadership of King Mohammed VI. It marks a significant step in drawing attention to the country's artistic and architectural talents internationally. During the pavilion showcase, Morocco is presenting a groundbreaking project called 'Materiae Palimpsest,' designed by architects Khalil Morad El Ghilali and El Mehdi Belyasmine. The project explores 'earth architecture' by blending traditional Moroccan craftsmanship with modern digital technologies. Read also: 'L'Architecte': New Contest Empowers Morocco's Next Generation of Sustainable Architects 'Materiae Palimpsest' aims to redefine the understanding of collective intelligence in construction. It features the potential of Moroccan architecture to address today's environmental and social challenges. Visitors will experience an immersive journey into the art of earth construction, stressing its sustainability, flexibility, and inherent beauty. The exhibition takes a multi-scale approach to explore knowledge transmission and circular economy principles. The Moroccan pavilion stands as a testament to the country's rich architectural heritage while embracing forward-thinking approaches to design and construction. Tags: Moroccan architectureVenice Architecture Biennale
