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Venice - Masks, Myths and Gondolas

February 12, 2015

Venice is a tourist mecca. But very few visitors catch a glimpse behind the scenes of the city on the lagoon. Our film visits connoisseurs and celebrities who talk about their work and life there.

https://p.dw.com/p/1ERzp
Image: picture alliance/Robert Harding World Imagery

When the Golden Lion roars, half of Hollywood pushes its way onto the red carpet. Film producer Lady Monika Bacardi is one of the VIPs at the international festival. The multi-millionairess, who married into the rum dynasty, loves Venice and supports the city wherever she can. Because not only buildings but also works of art are at risk of loss and decay, she is committed to the work of the “Venetian Heritage” organization, which tracks down artifacts that have disappeared from the city. Francesco Rossi Bergamo, the director, is a good friend of hers, and art treasures are restored in his palace, which features ceiling paintings from the 17th century.

28.01.2015 DW Feature Venedig FERD150217_001_7425Venedig_1
The Doge’s Ball is the most famous masked ball in Venice. A ticket costs1,500 Euros.

Only 60,000 people actually live in Venice’s historic center. Two of them are German actor Ulrich Tukur and his wife, the photographer Katharina John. After enduring years of a long-distance relationship, in 1999 the couple looked for a place where they wanted to live together. Because of her love of water and his love of Italy, they quickly opted for Venice. “Life here is just very, very nice," says the actor. Katharina John looks for her motifs off the beaten track, preferring to shoot portraits of local residents such as her 86-year-old neighbor, a former sea captain, or Geoffrey Humphries, an artist who lives just a few houses away.

Karneval in Venedig 2014
Carnival is absolute high season in Venice. Lasting two weeks, it attracts around 1.5 million visitors each year.Image: Marco Secchi/Getty Images

Venice’s image must of course always include gondolas. Around 500 of them ply its 175 canals. At 8am, when most tourists are still asleep, gondolier Alexandra Hai is already on the way to work. She’s German and the only female in a male-dominated profession. She came to Venice 18 years ago and discovered her talent as a gondolier, so she stayed.

28.01.2015 DW Feature Venedig FERD150217_001_7425Venedig_5
Alexandra Hai's working clothes, the uniform of a noble family, dates from the 18th century.




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