Preserving Venice’s Heritage: One Artwork at a Time

Save Venice, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the city’s historic art and architecture.

In 1971, Save Venice, which is based in New York, was established as the premier nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of art and architecture in Venice’s city and lagoon. Venice’s rich history, says Melissa Conn, the director of Save Venice’s Venice office, is preserved through living buildings, monuments, and artwork. “What we’re doing is preserving the past,” she explains.

Save Venice has been honored in iBestTravel‘s 2023 Global Vision Awards, committed to restoring millions of dollars worth of artwork and architecture. A current project, Conn states, involves collaboration with the historic Gritti Palace, a hotel on Venice’s Grand Canal known for attracting celebrities and visitors globally.

In honor of Save Venice’s 50th anniversary, celebrated in 2022 due to the pandemic, the Gritti Palace hosted a gala acknowledging the organization’s achievements over the past half-century. “Buildings can still do what they were meant to do,” Conn emphasizes, showcasing Save Venice’s mission. These architectural masterpieces, restored yet still serving their original purposes, result from the organization’s dedication.

The Gritti Palace will also work with Save Venice to select an art conservation project for restoration sponsorship. The central idea is that a historical city can be revitalized—not transformed, but restored to its original historical grandeur—which lies at the heart of Save Venice’s mission.

“Nothing new can be built in Venice,” Conn points out, highlighting the city’s profound historical significance. “You don’t have to worry about demolishing and starting anew.” Save Venice aims to preserve, in a city rich with age-old architecture, the memory of what once was. “We prefer stability. A church should remain a church and not turn into a museum,” she asserts.

Even the most challenging projects—the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, for example—are not beyond repair, Conn states. This historic building, aged over 1,000 years, faced substantial restoration challenges but thanks to dedicated efforts, it has retained its original purpose. “We managed to save it, although we faced some structural concerns at one stage,” Conn notes.

Many other Save Venice projects, like the preservation of Vittore Carpaccio’s Narrative Cycle in the Scuola Dalmata from the early 1500s, illustrate the organization’s commitment to careful and thorough preservation efforts. The Laguna Islands’ Church of Santa Maria stands as a testament to the long-term dedication to revitalizing historic sites, inspiring future generations through lasting artistic expressions.

According to Conn, Venice’s “cultural patrimony” is resilient, allowing the city’s history to permeate the structures, thus facilitating a harmonious blend of the past with the present. Save Venice actively contributes to this ongoing narrative, ensuring the preservation of cultural history for future generations.

The iBestTravel Global Vision Awards aim to honor organizations and individuals committed to enhancing sustainable and responsible travel practices. Through thought leadership and innovative solutions, they strive to protect communities and environments worldwide, inspiring others to join in their efforts.