CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TURNED ON IN ST MARK’S SQUARE

On Saturday evening the Christmas lights in the Square were officially turned on with a ceremony at the Caffè Lavena in St Mark’s Square, a traditional appointment organised by the Associazione Piazza San Marco. It was attended by the deputy mayor of Venice Sandro Simionato, the councillor for public works Alessandro Maggioni, the director general of the city council Marco Agostini, the prefect Domenico Cuttaia, the chief of police Vincenzo Roca, the provincial commander of the carabinieri Colonel Massimo Masciulli and Monsignor Antonio Meneguolo representing the patriarchal curia. The event was made possible not only by the generosity of the Caffè Laverna owned by the Rey family, but also that of the Venice city council, Venezia Marketing & Eventi Spa and the sponsor Gemmo. So once again this year the most beautiful square in the world is lit with many colours, mainly red, white and blue, and the Christmas tree also glitters to remind us of the coming Christmas festivities. In his brief introduction thanking the institutions and sponsors for having managed to light up the Square even in this difficult time of economic crisis, Alberto Nardi, president of the Associazione Piazza San Marco, emphasised the problem of the high tides for the Square, recalling that even with medium-high tides the most beautiful drawing room in the world is flooded, that some areas, such as the Procuratie vecchie, have to live with this event on too many days of the year and the consequences, also economic, are being felt. The Association asks for help from the council administration in solving this serious problem and, in the meantime, is preparing a dossier on the question. Councillor Maggioni, speaking at the event, pointed out that the lights have