From 1 June 2012

ART HERITAGE WATERBUS SERVICE ALONG THE

Venice and Milan, 16 February 2012 – It will start on 1 June 2012 and will go along one of the most fascinating waterways in the world, Venice’s Grand Canal: the new waterbus service operated by Actv SpA , conceived for the 24 million people that visit the lagoon city each year.

The Vaporetto dell'Arte , a waterbus line serving the main artistic and cultural institutions of the city, will take visitors on a journey among historic palaces while it seeks out the finest Venetian museums. Venice City Council, Actv SpA (the Venice public transport company) and the city’s major cultural institutions, in fact, have given life to a project with an ambitious twofold target: to promote cultural tourism and improve tourist flow management .

Not only, therefore, does the Vaporetto dell’Arte provide visitors with new opportunities for moving about in the historic centre, but brings the city’s main cultural institutions together in a network, making a contribution to the enrichment and simplification of information regarding Venice’s extraordinary range of tourist and cultural attractions.

This is the main reasoning behind the project, as agreed upon by the eleven cultural institutions that have given it their immediate and full-hearted support: the Cini, Emilio and Annabianca Vedova, , Venice Civic Museums, Venice Museum Network, Prada and Querini Stampalia Foundations, the Jewish Museum, and Punta della Dogana, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Fenice Theatre.

These institutions have decided to join in the Vaporetto dell’Arte project because they consider it an outstanding innovation in that it optimises the management of visitor flows while having the potential to concentrate communication and multiply the possibilities for visitors to come into contact with the extraordinary artistic and cultural delights that Venice has to offer.

Eight stops are planned: Ferrovia Santa Lucia (Jewish Museum), San Stae (Ca’ Pesaro, Palazzo Mocenigo, Prada Foundation, Oriental Art Museum), Ca’ d’Oro (Franchetti Gallery in the Ca’ d’Oro), S. Samuele (Palazzo Grassi, La Fenice Theatre), Accademia (Accademia Galleries, Ca’Rezzonico, Peggy Guggenheim Collection), Salute (Punta della Dogana), S. Marco Giardinetti (Doges’ Palace, Correr Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Marciana Library, Clock Tower, Palazza Grimani

Museum) and S. Giorgio (Cini Foundation) with the addition of Arsenale and Giardini in high season for visitors to the Biennale Art and Architecture Exhibitions.

More than 20 prestigious Venetian artistic and cultural heritage venues can be visited along the route: waterbus passengers will be able to hop on and hop off to see museums, monuments, theatres and exhibitions.

Actv has selected three waterbuses, two of which hybrid drive, to operate this service, each with seating for an average of 80 passengers and distinguished by a special logo in the colours of the City of Venice.

The service will run every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from the Ferrovia stop outside the railway station with its terminus at the island of San Giorgio, or Arsenale and Giardini when the Biennale Art or Architecture Exhibition is open.

Each waterbus will be equipped with a screen and earphone for a route commentary and passengers will also be presented with guide maps to increase their appreciation of the city’s artistic and cultural beauties while they are comfortably seated on the Vaporetto dell’Arte.

Tickets will be purchasable both on site and on line for individuals and parties (at least 20 people), either for the Vaporetto dell’Arte service alone or combined with a valid time-based Venice travelcard. Passengers will be given a complimentary Welcome Kit containing a tourist map of the city and the main information on the service.

Actv’s partners have also agreed to allow some special concessions to all visitors to the collections that present Vaporetto dell’Arte tickets:

 Peggy Guggenheim Collection , priority access and discounts on catalogues and audio guide and at museum shop;  Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana , priority access, discounts at shop and café, on guided tours and for teaching workshops and free audio guide;  Emilio and Annabianca Vedova Foundation, priority access, discounts at bookshop and free exhibition brochures;  Cini Foundation , reduced rates for guided tours and paying exhibitions;  Civic Museums , priority access and discounts at bookshop and café;  Prada Foundation , priority access and discounts on catalogues;  Querini Stampalia , reduced admission and discounts at bookshop and café.

PER INFORMAZIONI Community – Consulenza nella comunicazione Ufficio stampa Gruppo Actv Giuliano Pasini – 0422 416103 Ufficio stampa Comune di Venezia [email protected] [email protected] Giovanna Benvenuti – 346 9702981 Tel. 041 2748290 [email protected]