Venice has been described by ancient thinkers and Romantics, as well as contemporaries who keep telling us about the melancholy and inexorable decline of a city populated by ghosts and swarming with hordes of hit-and-run tourists. But Venice can also be revealed in a different way: all one needs to do is look at the crowd of workers that pour into the city every day and are committed to building a new Venice, grounded in art and knowledge. Young people are engaged in economic sectors related to contemporary art and new technologies; cultural tourism is drawn to innovative exhibitions and performances; a new stream of intellectuals visit Venice and stay there for extended periods. The author sheds light on a Venice that is experiencing non-stop renovation and experimentation, thus attracting investors willing to restore the Sea Customs House, the Rialto Bridge or the Accademia Bridge. This is a non-conformist Venice where contemporary art culture, fostered by the Biennale, is the key to the future.

Angela Vettese heads the Visual Arts degree programme at the IUAV University in Venice and, since 2016, the annual ArteFiera art fair in Bologna.