In November, Venice continues its intense program of cultural events and festivals: from historic venues to new additions, all in the Venezia da Vivere guide
November events in Venice
- Grand Tour
Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16
Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi and Palazzo Grassi
education@palazzograssi.it
The Grand Tour returns to Venice for its eighth edition, featuring the Mucem of Marseille as a special guest:
On Friday, November 15, the Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi hosts a meeting for cultural education professionals, where Nelly Odin and Lucile Bresson from Mucem share the experiences of the French museum: from ties with the local territory to the importance of well-being in audience engagement. Moderated by Céline Mechain.
On Saturday, November 16, Palazzo Grassi opens the writing workshop Sensitive Captions to the public, linked to the exhibition Ensemble by Julie Mehretu — open to the public until January 6, 2025. Led by writer Lucile Bordes, the workshop invites participants to explore a new way of interacting with the works, creating captions that capture their essence.
Two sessions: from 3 PM to 4:30 PM and from 5 PM to 6:30 PM, with free and mandatory registration via the form.
- Pietro Torta Prize
Friday, November 15 at 2:15 PM
Ateneo Veneto Aula Magna
Celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Pietro Torta Prize: the Ateneo Veneto presents the book The Pietro Torta Prize for restoration in a changing Venice and hosts a conference on the future of built heritage. Topics include the role of restoration in a city facing ecological transition, new housing needs, and environmental challenges, with experts ready to share perspectives and expertise to modernize conservation in Venice.
- Venezia League
From November 16
Organized by: Associazione Sant’Elena Calcetto
Much more than an amateur five-a-side football league: Venezia League is an event of sport, culture, and inclusion. Every match, played on the pitch behind the Basilica della Salute, brings together young people from all over the world in an environment where football serves as a bridge between cultures.
Starting from the opening day, spectators can follow the matches and foreign language lessons with group training sessions and music.
The football pitch is located in the incredible space of the monastery of the Basilica della Madonna della Salute, now part of the Istituto Turistico Sportivo Marinelli Fonte, Dorsoduro 18/M
- Much Ado About Nothing
From November 15 to 17
Teatro Goldoni, San Marco 4650/B
Lodo Guenzi and Sara Putignano are the stars of Shakespeare’s comedy, directed by Veronica Cruciani, in a pop version with beat nuances.
- Festa della Salute
From Saturday, November 16 to Thursday, November 21
Basilica della Salute
info@patriarcatovenezia.it
The Festa della Salute is one of the most deeply felt religious moments for Venetians, a celebration that every November 21 renews the vow made to the Virgin Mary during the plague of 1630.
Thousands of citizens go on pilgrimage to the Basilica della Salute to honor this ancient bond, crossing a temporary votive bridge that spans the Grand Canal, connecting the San Marco district to the basilica in the Dorsoduro district.
The day is a blend of religious celebrations, prayers, and acts of devotion, in a special atmosphere between the sacred and the profane. A tradition that mixes faith and the history of Venice, creating intense civic participation.
The Basilica remains open from the first light of dawn until evening, welcoming anyone who wishes to participate in this expression of profound Venetian identity.
- L’integrale selvatico
Tuesday, November 19 at 6:30 PM
Sullaluna, Cannaregio, Fondamenta de la Misericordia 2535
Diletta Sereni and Sandro Frizziero with Anna Toscano present L’integrale selvatico, a volume exploring the relationship between cultivated food and wild plants. Edited by Sereni and illustrated by Gianluca Cannizzo, the book investigates foraging, natural instincts, and agriculture that embraces the wild, inviting a rediscovery of the link between culture and nature beyond conventional boundaries.
- Forum of Possibilities
From November 19 to 20
The Home of The Human Safety Net, Procuratie Vecchie in Piazza San Marco
Registration via form
The Intelligence of Water Regenerates Venice is the title of the second forum organized by the SUMUS association, proposed as a dialogue on the enhancement of water and the environmental and cultural regeneration of Venice.
Experts, researchers, and Venetian associations are invited to panels, workshops, and moments of sharing on themes such as biomimicry, the resilience of the Lagoon, and regenerative inspiration linked to water.
- Otello
From November 20 to December 1
Teatro La Fenice
The opening night will be broadcast on Rai Radio3
The 2024-2025 Opera and Ballet season of Teatro La Fenice opens with Otello by Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. A new production by director Fabio Ceresa brings the Shakespearean tragedy to the stage, with sets by Massimo Checchetto, costumes by Claudia Pernigotti, and light design by Fabio Barettin.
Among the protagonists: Francesco Meli debuts in the role of Otello, joined by Karah Son as Desdemona and Luca Micheletti in the role of Iago.
- The Queen of the Dolomites
Thursday, November 21, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore
Chalets, cabins, and residences that weave together tradition and modern design: the private interiors of Cortina d’Ampezzo are revealed in a volume edited by Servane Giol through the photographs of Mattia Aquila.
The book guides the reader through the intimate spaces of Ampezzo homes: wooden lounges, retro-style kitchens, and bedrooms meticulously detailed with precious objects and traditional fabrics.
The presentation event will feature the author and Stefano Gris, offering the opportunity to visit the exhibitions Helmut Newton. Legacy and Whispers — A Julian Lennon Retrospective, concluding the evening with an aperitif offered by Distilleria Nardini.
- Murano Illumina il Mondo 2024
From November 22 to March 4, 2025
Evening lighting
Procuratie Vecchie in Piazza San Marco
The second edition of the project promoted by The Venice Glass Week in collaboration with the City of Venice returns, celebrating Murano glass with works created by eleven international artists in collaboration with master glassmakers from the most important Murano furnaces, illuminating the Procuratie Vecchie in Piazza San Marco and transforming the Square into an open-air art exhibition.
Read the list of participating artists and works for Murano Illumina il Mondo 2024.
Palazzo Diedo will temporarily close from November 24 for restoration work, with reopening scheduled for spring 2025. In the preceding days, the palace will host two key events organized by the Berggruen Institute.
- Pale Fluo Dot
Friday, 22 November, from 6 PM to 8 PM (with registration)
Palazzo Diedo, Fondamenta Trapolin 2386
Sounds, lights, and atmospheres form the artistic performance by Jenna Sutela and Amnesia Scanner at the boundaries of human and extra-human perception.
Jenna, a Finnish artist, works with the interaction between artificial intelligence, sounds, and biological organisms, exploring the boundaries between human and non-human. Amnesia Scanner is a German artistic duo that creates immersive audio-visual experiences, playing with digital and sonic aesthetics. The performance, free and accessible via registration, offers a sensory experience that blends these elements.
- Planetary Summit
From November 23 to 24 (by invitation)
Palazzo Diedo, Fondamenta Trapolin 2386
Dialogues, talks, and speculative scenarios between scientists and philosophers, the event proposes a discussion on how to rethink politics and science for the future of the planet. With guests such as Rosi Braidotti, Frank Biermann and Pascal Lamy, the summit explores a planetary vision of Earth as an interconnected system, addressing global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
- Invitation to the Voyage
Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, San Polo 2033
From November 22 to 24
info@fondazionealberodoro.org
The second edition of the series of meetings with travel authors, in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, on the theme of meeting the stranger, in dialogue with the exhibition season at Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, So as Not to Lose the Thread, curated by Daniela Ferretti and featuring works by Karine N’guyen Van Tham and Parul Thacker. The theme aligns with the title of the 2024 Art Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, creating a weave of visions on the encounter between different cultures.
Among the guests are international authors such as Elena Dak, Katell Faria, Erika Fatland, Loïc Finaz, Olivier Frébourg, Guido Fuga, Emilienne Malfatto, Karina Sainz Borgo, Sylvain Tesson, Ingrid Thobois, Catherine Van Offelen, Lele Vianello, Guillaume Villeneuve, Olivier Weber and Matthias Zschokke, ready to share travel experiences and reflections on meeting the other.
- Double Meaning
From November 23 until May 2025 (once a month)
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Dorsoduro 701
doppiosenso@guggenheim-venice.it
The accessibility project designed for blind, visually impaired, and sighted audiences restarts, making the artistic heritage of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection accessible and inclusive.
Tactile paths of selected works with descriptive sheets in Braille and high-legibility characters, sculptures, and three-dimensional forms will guide participants in discovering the human figure in the twentieth century.
Available works include Surface 236 by Giuseppe Capogrossi, Upward by Vasily Kandinsky, Men in the City by Fernand Léger, and The Voice of the Air by René Magritte. Upon request, it is also possible to explore some sculptures by Max Ernst and Alberto Giacometti (depending on their conservation status and tactile legibility).
The museum provides a free kit that includes tactile reproductions of various works, accompanied by their respective descriptive sheets in Italian and English.
- Blue Friday 2024 – Blue Aperitif
From November 29 to 30
Villa Hériot and Hotel Ca’ di Dio
oceandecademed.org
November concludes with Blue Friday, the conscious alternative to Black Friday organized by UNESCO, two days of events dedicated to knowledge of the sea and the ocean.
Reflecting and encouraging reflection on the impact our consumption has on the ocean is the commitment made by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC), which for the occasion — on November 29 at Villa Hériot — launches, in collaboration with the Prada Group, the Blue Guide to Venetian Artisan Ateliers written with Venezia da Vivere, and organizes a series of events to promote a responsible lifestyle — in line with the goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Among the protagonists is actress Bianca Nappi, who will interview navigator and science communicator Paola Catapano to inspire everyone’s commitment to join a collective project: becoming part of the OCEAN GENERATION.
“Venezia da Vivere is a project for the enhancement and communication of Venice’s vast heritage of culture, design, and art, committed to bringing Venetian craftsmanship into the future. With the Blue Guide and events like Atelier Aperti, we give a voice and a face to artisan talents,” says Laura Scarpa of Venezia da Vivere. “Craftsmanship is an intrinsically sustainable production model: artisans invest in quality, limit material waste, and ensure a short supply chain and healthy working practices,” concludes Lorenzo Cinotti.
Full program coming soon!
- Don’t Be A Square!
From November 30
Akka Project, Ca’ del Duca 3052
This is the new project from the Venetian art gallery AKKA Project, bringing together over 70 emerging and established African artists in an exhibition that presents the continent’s creativity in a compact format: each artist has created 30×30 cm works as a window into the diversity of African cultural styles and narratives.
Cover photo: Carsten Höller, Scala del dubbio-Doubt Staircase, 2024, installation view, ph. Massimo Pistore, courtesy Berggruen Arts & Culture.
Basilica della Salute with aerial view of the football pitch ph. Stefano Termanini. Murano Illumina il Mondo: Aristide Najean, Cristiano Rossetto, Giorgio Valentini, Massimiliano Schiavon, Nason Moretti, Nicolas Fiedler and Giulia Mastrangelo, Sorelle Sent, Seguso ph. Giorgio Bombieri. Photo from the book The Queen of the Dolomites ph. Mattia Aquila. Palazzo Diedo Ph. Massimo Pistore. Houston Maludi, Street of Kinshasa, 2024 and Abdias Ngateu, Le Chaud Gars, 2024, Copyright the Artist, Courtesy of AKKA Project. All other images courtesy of the respective press office.
