Mani d’Oro – Martina Vidal
The Londra Palace Venezia is hosting series of presentations dedicated to Venice’s rich artisanal traditions and those who uphold them today, supported by The Place of Wonders Foundation, which exists to support traditional crafts, connect visitors and train young artisans. This fifth talk focuses on the atelier of Martina Vidal, which has been devoted to preserving the art of Burano lace since 1900.
The Making of a Collector, Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Among a raft of tasty looking exhibitions opening to coincide with the Art Biennale is this show dedicated to the formative art-collecting years of the woman who did so much to associate her adopted home of Venice with the art of the present. Peggy’s London gallery Guggenheim Jeune may have existed for only 18 months in 1938 and 1939, but its influence was wide-ranging. She had unerring taste and an instinct for the next big thing – as works on display here by Duchamp, Kandinsky, Dalí and some of the other artists she made space for in London amply demonstrate.
Venice Art Biennale 2026, various venues
The 61st edition of the Venice Art Biennale opens to the public on May 9 after a three-day vernissage reserved for journalists, gallerists, collectors, curators, and the well-connected. Titled ‘In Minor Keys’, the sprawling event pairs a curated central exhibition that aims to take the pulse of the current art scene with national pavilions and collateral events scattered across the city. The Londra Palace Venezia is a short stroll from the Biennale’s two main venues, the former naval boatyards of the Arsenale and the Giardini park, where many of the most important national pavilions are clustered. Allow at least three days to take in the full range of offerings, and consider a fall visit, when the shows are generally less crowded.
Festa del Redentore
It’s the holiday that is closest to the heart of every true Venetian. To celebrate the city’s deliverance from plague in 1577, a bridge of boasts is stretched across the Giudecca Canal to the Redentore church, while on the Saturday evening after dark, a firework display illuminates the sky and the lagoon. Locals watch from the shore or from an armada of small boats. It’s one of those magical experiences you need to see at least once in your life – and at the Londra Palace, we can help you craft a Redentore experience to remember.
