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The Venice Multidisciplinary World Conference on Republics and Republicanism

VIU will hold the fourth edition of the Venice Multidisciplinary World Conference on Republics and Republicanism on May 24-26, 2024. This three-day edition will include research papers and multidisciplinary roundtables.

Download the conference programme

The conference will primarily reflect on armed conflicts in the republican tradition, with a special attention to four main areas:

- War and the Republic: from the role of war in providing conditions for class struggle in ancient republics, to the art of war of the Renaissance and the role of the military in the formation, dissolution, and maintenance of ancient, modern, and contemporary republics. Of special interest is the political economy of wars and its impact on republican orders.

- Republican Rebellion and the State: from modern revolutions invoking republican principles and rhetoric, to contemporary forms of republican-inspired movements and their relation to the State. Of special interest are the memorialization of republican leaders and events as well as the dismantling of imperial and oligarchic symbols.

- Empires and Republics: from wars between empires and republics and the different principles and objectives that emerge in conflict, to the international architecture necessary to foster republican government. Of special interest are historical accounts of clashes between empires and republics and their depiction in works of fiction and science fiction, as well as theoretical engagements with Pettit’s ‘republican law of peoples.’

- War and Peace: challenges to democratic republics coming from the negative effects of war, from debt and the increasing power of the financial-military complex to forced migration, the rise of nationalism, the restriction of rights, and environmental destruction. Of special interest are theories of republican transitional justice, historical accounts of forced migration into ancient and modern republics, and republican analyses of contemporary challenges within the EU and other regional and/or national systems.

Research papers might also reflect the main themes of the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedrosa: Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.

KEYNOTES

Richard Whatmore, Director Institute of Intellectual History, University of St. Andrews
Sophie Wahnich, CNRS-PACTE, Laboratoire des Sciences Sociales, Grenoble Alpes

HOW TO APPLY

Any scholar interested in participating in the Conference is invited to send a paper title with an abstract of approximately 250 words plus their CV and full contact address (including email) to luca.pes@univiu.org and in CC silvia.casalini@univiu.org. 

Deadline: December 30, 2023.

Notifications of paper acceptance/rejection will be sent by January 21, 2024.
 
Admitted fellows and auditors need to register online and pay the conference fee by February 29, 2024.

Conference fee: 50 Euro per person
Conference fee+Biennale ticket: 70 Euro per person
Please note that the Biennale ticket is non-refundable and non-transferable. 

ACCOMODATION

It is possible to book a room in the island where Venice International University and the conference are based.
If you wish to book a room, please fill out this form and send it to reception@servizimetropolitani.ve.it. 

The availability of rooms is limited. 
The deadline to book your accommodation on the island is February 29, 2024. 

THE AIM OF THE CONFERENCE SERIES

The aim is to meet every two years to discuss Republicanism in a broad, multidisciplinary and worldwide perspective.

During recent decades, Republicanism has become a central concern in political theory and history. This body of thought emerged as the main alternative to Liberalism, when Marxism lost this role after the fall of the Berlin Wall. There is a renewed interest today, while searching for solutions to mounting populism and personalization of power; the issue of inequality and the crisis of democracies. Republicanism - as a study of classical Athens and Rome and then Renaissance Florence, Venice and other self-governing units - has been branded as ‘a shared European heritage'. Its distinguishing feature has been to focus on the diverse political mechanisms to avert tyranny, on balancing power and attaining mixed government, and on ensuring forms of participation in the process of law-making, protecting from constraints and conceiving liberty as non-domination. Such practices have been key for experiments in democratic rule all over the world.

The conference wants to promote further theoretical and historical reflections on such experience, broadening the focus to non-European case-studies and perspectives, to late modern and contemporary times, opening to every possible discipline. Republicanism is not a dead body confined to the studies of the past: rather it is about rediscovering the past to offer novel solutions for the problems of today. The idea, hence, is to convert it into a frame in which to discuss and clarify contemporary issues and concerns and even, if possible, into a common background theory for existing empirical political practices, including eco- democracy, participatory budgets, the defense of the commons and public space, communal practices and rights, and resistance to domination.

Scholars from all disciplines, from the Venice International University consortium and beyond, are invited to join in. The aim is to consolidate a network of people interested in the project. The objective is to have biennial conferences in the field and convert this event into a permanent workshop. Given our commitment to gender, racial, ethnic, and territorial inclusion, we especially welcome submission from women and non-binary scholars as well as from underrepresented minority groups and academics from the Global South.

A WORLDWIDE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE

The main groups of themes we wish to cover:

1) Political theory and philosophy of Republicanism. This is an area of contributions which is most conceptual. It has to do with meta-historical considerations. Its main concern would be to define what the republican tradition is all about, and what are the republican aims and forms of life. If a coherent theory of republicanism is possible, then how does it differentiate itself from its rivals (including populism and liberalism)? Are there different regional or national models of the classical republican tradition? This section could include also issues like Feminism and Republicanism, and a discussion of Republican theory of private property/ownership and the commons.

2) The historical manifestations of Republicanism in ideas, movements, regimes, urban spaces, and the arts. This includes all the approaches which involve rigorous historicization and historical circumscribing: from Greek and Roman Republicanism to the Italian Republics in the Middle Ages and the Venetian, Florentine and Genoese polities and then on to the Dutch and English revolutions; free cities in medieval and early modern Europe – from the Hansa experience to Ragusa; from the American founding fathers and the generation before them to the French revolution and the French and Italian 19th century versions of Republicanism. The US context could be also crucial to understand how republicanism transformed itself into populism. Art forms of Republicanism fall in this area too; including Republican rituals in specific time and place; and manifestations of Republicanism in literature too. A major target is to consider also the manifestation of Republican forms and values in Asia and other parts of the world in specific periods.

3) The study of contemporary political and legal practices which are explicitly or implicitly republican and their future prospects. This area could include both institutional and social practices from below. It could include the study of EU as manifestation of a republic in making. It could involve the study of eco-republicanism, gender issues, participatory budgeting, citizens assemblies, participatory planning, welfare and workplaces, forms of co-management, urban and other commons, movements for the defense of public water, of internet accessibility, of a public space, practices in contemporary arts.

More on the theme of the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition: Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.

For the program of the 2023 edition, please see here. 
For the program of the 2021 edition, which took place virtually, please click here.
For the initial 2019 edition program and photo gallery please see here, and on Flickr.

Selected papers of the first edition were published in: Towards World Multidisciplinary Studies of Republics and Republicanism, Ian Hampsher-Monk and Luca Pes (ed.), “History of Political Thought”, special issue, Volume 43, Number 5, December 2022, 149 pages

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Sara De Vido (Ca' Foscari University of Venice), Oleg Kharkhordin (European University at St. Petersburg), Luca Pes (Venice International University), Camila Vergara (University of Essex), Giovanni Zanalda (Duke University)

ADVISORY BOARD

Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan (Sorbonne Université, Paris), Cécile Laborde (Oxford University), John Jeffries Martin (Duke University), Quentin Skinner (Queen Mary University of London), Ananya Vajpeyi (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi)

For any information about the conference please contact luca.pes@univiu.org
For information about logistics please contact silvia.casalini@univiu.org 

The Venice Multidisciplinary World Conference on Republics and Republicanism

VIU will hold the fifth edition of the Venice Multidisciplinary World Conference on Republics and Republicanism on June 26-28, 2026. This three-day edition will include research papers and multidisciplinary roundtables.

The conference will primarily reflect on Power, Freedom and Oligarchy from the point of view of political theory and philosophy, and law; of political, cultural, economic and social history; and of practices in the contemporary world.

Papers might also reflect the main themes of the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh : In Minor Keys.
Papers on other themes will also be considered.

Keynotes

Philip Pettit, Professor of Philosophy, Princeton and ANU
Camila Vergara, Senior Lecturer, University of Essex

Download the Conference Program

Abstracts

The Aim of the Conference Series

Republicanism has recently gained renewed prominence in political theory, history, and philosophy. It has become a vital language for thinking about freedom, power, and civic responsibility in an age marked by populism, the personalization of authority, rising inequality, and the crisis of democracy. At its core, republicanism is concerned with public affairs (res publica), sovereignty, and government by law as protection against arbitrary power and as a safeguard of liberty. The delicate balance between the exercise of power and authority and the preservation of liberty has long preoccupied republican thinkers.

Rooted in Roman political thought and the experience of the polis in classical Greece, yet continuously reinterpreted, republican traditions have taken diverse institutional forms, from civic humanist ideals of virtue to mixed constitutions combining participation, hierarchy, and law. Many republics, from Florence to Venice, embodied oligarchic or aristocratic features while still grounding legitimacy in law and the common good. Over time, republican ideals and practices have travelled, expanded, and taken root across different parts of the world, shaping debates about liberty, legitimacy, and collective self-government from the Mediterranean to Eurasia, South and East Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Despite being a historical idea, partly rooted in dominating practices such as slavery, republicanism remains a vital tool for confronting the challenges of the present, including democratic erosion, the concentration of power, ecological crisis, and the search for civic solidarity. It offers a conceptual vocabulary for rethinking modern institutions through participatory governance, eco-democracy, the defense of the commons and public space, and collective rights and responsibilities.

The conference aims to advance a broader and comparative understanding of republicanism, its categories and approaches (even when they are not explicitly framed within a republican theory) by examining how different societies have conceptualized and practiced them, and by exploring the dynamic relationship between power, authority, legitimacy, and liberty at the heart of republican political thought. Bringing together multiple disciplines and historical experiences, it seeks to illuminate how the idea of the republican ideas, past and present, continues to shape enduring struggles over law, justice, and the common good.

Scholars from all disciplines, from the Venice International University consortium and beyond, are invited to join in. The aim is to consolidate a network of people interested in the project. The objective is to have biennial conferences in the field and convert this event into a permanent workshop. Given our commitment to gender, racial, ethnic, and territorial inclusion, we especially welcome submission from women and non-binary scholars as well as from underrepresented minority groups and academics from the Global South.

 

A Worldwide and Multidisciplinary Perspective

The main groups of themes we wish to cover:

1) Political theory and philosophy of Republicanism. This is an area of contributions which is most conceptual. It has to do with meta-historical considerations. Its main concern would be to define what the republican tradition is all about, and what are the republican aims and forms of life. If a coherent theory of republicanism is possible, then how does it differentiate itself from its rivals (including populism and liberalism)? Are there different regional or national models of the classical republican tradition? This section could include also issues like Feminism and Republicanism, and a discussion of Republican theory of private property/ownership and the commons.

2) The historical manifestations of Republicanism in ideas, movements, regimes, urban spaces, and the arts. This includes all the approaches which involve rigorous historicization and historical circumscribing: from Greek and Roman Republicanism to the Italian Republics in the Middle Ages and the Venetian, Florentine and Genoese polities and then on to the Dutch and English revolutions; free cities in medieval and early modern Europe – from the Hansa experience to Ragusa; from the American founding fathers and the generation before them to the French revolution and the French and Italian 19th century versions of Republicanism. The US context could be also crucial to understand how republicanism transformed itself into populism. Art forms of Republicanism fall in this area too; including Republican rituals in specific time and place; and manifestations of Republicanism in literature too. A major target is to consider also the manifestation of Republican forms and values in Asia and other parts of the world in specific periods.

3) The study of contemporary political and legal practices which are explicitly or implicitly republican and their future prospects. This area could include both institutional and social practices from below. It could include the study of EU as manifestation of a republic in making. It could involve the study of eco-republicanism, gender issues, participatory budgeting, citizens assemblies, participatory planning, welfare and workplaces, forms of co-management, urban and other commons, movements for the defense of public water, of internet accessibility, of a public space, practices in contemporary arts.

Organizing Committee

Dario Castiglione (University of Exeter), Sara De Vido (Ca' Foscari University of Venice), Oleg Kharkhordin (European University at St. Petersburg), Luca Pes (Venice International University), Banu Turnaoğlu (Sabanci University / Cambridge University)

Advisory Board

Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan (Sorbonne Université, Paris), Cécile Laborde (Oxford University), John Jeffries Martin (Duke University), Quentin Skinner (Queen Mary University of London), Ananya Vajpeyi (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi), Camila Vergara (University of Essex), Sabrina Zucca-Soest (Helmut Schmidt Universität, Hamburg)

Contacts

For any information about the conference please contact luca.pes@univiu.org
For information about logistics please contact silvia.casalini@univiu.org  

How to Apply

Any scholar interested in participating in the Conference is invited to send a paper title with an abstract of approximately 250 words plus their CV and full contact address (including email) to luca.pes@univiu.org and in CC silvia.casalini@univiu.org.

New extended deadline: January 16, 2026.
Notifications of paper acceptance/rejection will be sent by February 3, 2026.

Admitted fellows and auditors need to register online and pay the conference fee by February 28, 2026.
If your paper has been accepted, click here to register. 

Conference fee: 70 Euro per person
Conference fee + Biennale ticket: 90 Euro per person
Please note that the Biennale ticket is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Accommodation

It is possible to book a room in the island where Venice International University and the conference are based.
Click here to download the form. 

The deadline to book your accommodation on the island is February 28, 2026.

Links

More on the theme of the 2026 Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition: In Minor Keys (excerpt from the declaration of intent by the curator: “The minor keys refuse orchestral bombast and goose-step military marches and come alive in the quiet tones, the lower frequencies, the hums, the consolations of poetry, all portals of improvisation to the elsewhere and the otherwise. The minor keys ask for listening that calls on the emotions and sustains them in return. / The minor keys are also the small islands, worlds amid oceans with distinct and endlessly rich ecosystems, social lives that are articulated, for better and worse, within much larger political forms and ecological stakes. Here, the evocation of the key and the island extends to an archipelago of oases: gardens, courtyards, compounds, lofts, dance floors — the other worlds that artists make, the intimate and convivial universes that refresh and sustain even in terrible times; indeed, especially in terrible times”).

2024 edition
2023 edition
2021 edition
2019 edition (first), and Photo Gallery on Flickr.

Selected papers of the first edition were published in:
Towards World Multidisciplinary Studies of Republics and Republicanism, Ian Hampsher-Monk and Luca Pes (ed.), “History of Political Thought”, special issue, Volume 43, Number 5, December 2022, 149 pages

The Venice Statement on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and Sustainability

May 27-28, 2022
 
VIU is organizing an important Conference to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea" - UNCLOS.

The Venice World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism

On June 11-13 2021 the second edition of the "Venice World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism" will take place online, via Zoom. 

Keynotes | Quentin Skinner | Cécile Laborde

The keynote speakers will be Quentin Skinner, professor at Queen Mary University of London, author of Liberty Before Liberalism (1998) and co-editor and contributor to Republicanism: A Shared European Heritage, 2 volumes (2002), a classic in the field and Cécile Laborde, professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford, and author of Critical Republicanism. The Hijab Controversy in Political Philosophy (2008).

Conference

Due to the restrictions imposed by the latest ministerial decree, the entire event will take place online, via Zoom. 
Keynote speakers, panelists and chairs will receive Zoom links to access the sessions. 

If you wish to take part in the conference as an auditor, please send your request to silvia.casalini@univiu.org. 

Download the program of the conference

Organizing Committee

Shaul Bassi (Ca' Foscari University of Venice), Oleg Kharkhordin (European University at St. Petersburg), Luca Pes (Venice International University), Camila Vergara (Columbia University), Giovanni Zanalda (Duke University)

Advisory Board

Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan (Sorbonne Université, Paris), Cécile Laborde (Oxford University), John Jeffries Martin (Duke University), Quentin Skinner (Queen Mary University of London), Ananya Vajpeyi (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi)

For any further information please contact: silvia.casalini@univiu.org. 

 

 

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The Venice World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism: Call for Papers

On June 11-13 2021 we are organizing the second edition of the "Venice World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism"

Keynotes | Quentin Skinner | Cécile Laborde

The keynote speakers will be Quentin Skinner, professor at Queen Mary University of London, author of Liberty Before Liberalism (1998) and co-editor and contributor to Republicanism: A Shared European Heritage, 2 volumes (2002), a classic in the field and Cécile Laborde, professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford, and author of Critical Republicanism. The Hijab Controversy in Political Philosophy (2008).

CALL FOR PAPERS

The call for panel themes has closed with great response. The call for papers is now open. We invite all the speakers suggested in the panel proposals and any other scholar interested in participating in the Conference to send a paper title with an abstract of approximately 250 words plus their CV and full contact address (including email) to luca.pes@univiu.org and in CC silvia.casalini@univiu.org. Deadline: November 30, 2020.

The Venice World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism: Third Edition

VIU will hold the third (limited) edition of the Venice World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism on May 27-28, 2022. This two-day edition will include research papers and an artistic performance. Research papers will reflect the main themes of the 59th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Bienniale: the representation of bodies and their metamorphoses; the relationship between individuals and technologies; the connection between bodies and the Earth. The exhibition's title The Milk of Dreamstakes its name from a book by Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington (1917-2011).

The conference call involved two main areas:
- art and revolution (visual and performative art as agent of change; the artistic representation of res publica historically, whether it was forged, consolidated or transformed with the help of the arts, or on whether arts right now is one of the main forces contributing to the flourishing of res publica as a mode of life)
- body politics and the earth (green and eco-republicanism; environmental humanities to save the planet; the technologies of res publica as a political body; feminism and republicanism)

Download the program of the conference

Keynotes

  • Serge Audier, Sorbonne Université Paris, On Eco-Republican Liberty
  • Vittorio Longhi, writer and journalist, The African Descendent, an "Invisible Man" in the Media
  • Ananya Vajpeyi, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, India's Second Republic

Theo Hughes and Hirofumi Kataoka | Exeter and Waseda University

from Great Britain and Japan

Theo and Hirofumi were in the VIU Globalization Program for one year. They became close friends during their time here, so we decided to interview them together. They share their experience about the academics and about the life in Venice in two interviews.

“I wanted to experience diversity, here everyone comes from different countries, and they have different experiences, different ideas, and cultural backgrounds. A lot of things to learn from them. I also had a lot of opportunities to get out of my comfort zone, try and learn new things.”

“The ability to do all these courses with different themes, it is always orienting around the professor’s interest so it is very specific and done passionately. Also the small size of the university helps, (…) you know the professors and all students on a first-name basis. You are part of a student community.”

“I feel a strong network of students and professors, not only on the campus, but also off the campus, we have a lot of co-curricular activities.”

Theo argued that: “Being in small classes you feel that you are learning more and in a better way. If you have a problem you can ask a question.” Hirofumi agrees with him adding that: “I found myself way more engaged in my courses.”

“I think VIU gives you the skills to do more adventurous things later in life, because you are not only learning a new language, but you’re also meeting people from all over the world and you’re learning to find common ground.”

Find out more about Theo and Hirofumi’s VIU experience and tips for your trip to Venice: one video about their academic experience, another about VIU life and their Venetian experience.

 

 

 

 

Towards Geo-Data Science: extracting knowledge from heterogeneous geoenvironmental data

May 20-24, 2024

Applications Closed

This Graduate Seminar will be led by:
- IUAV University of Venice, Italy
- University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

The adoption of data science in environmental and earth sciences, physical geography, humanities, and social sciences, has begun to emerge as self-contained discipline only recently, demonstrating exceptional efficiency in addressing the complexity of the investigated phenomena. This trend encourages contemporary scientists to collaborate with disciplines that may initially appear distant from their own expertise. Such an interdisciplinary openness is of growing significance as society struggles to respond to the implication of anthropogenic pressures on different issues, including natural hazards and climate change, or the harmful impacts of human activities on biodiversity, water and air quality, and human health. Therefore, there is a real need for the development of novel techniques that facilitate the extraction of insights from data and the subsequent transformation of this information into actionable knowledge

Faculty
Marj Tonini, University of Lausanne, Switzerland (Scientific Coordinator)
Sebastiano Trevisani, Iuav University of Venice, Italy (Co-coordinator)
Pietro Omodeo, University of Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy (Co-coordinator)
Mikhail Kanevski, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Francesco Luzzini, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy, and Johns Hopkins University, USA
Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Filippo Catani, University of Padua, Italy
Paolo Fabbri, University of Padua, Italy
Dario Camuffo, National Research Council of Italy
Donata Canu, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics OGS, Italy

Topics
- Theoretical prospective of the role of geoenvironmental data and other source of information for the characterization, analysis, and modelling of the geosphere and the anthroposphere, from historical times to present.
- The derivation of quantitative data from historical documents will also be introduced in this first part of the seminar, crucial for stimulating open discussions among the participants.
- Practical concepts and environmental applications of the main techniques of analysis in Geo-Data Science, in particular geostatistics and machine learning.

Learning outcomes
- To gain a good understanding of main theoretical and practical concepts of Geo-Data Science and its applications
- To learn about the quantitative analysis of geoenvironmental data in the context of sustainability and management of the environment in current and historical times, as well as the role of expert-knowledge on the application of geocomputational approaches.
- To promote a wide and holistic view on geoenvironmental and geoengineering issues.
- To handle different methods of Data Science, such as exploratory data analysis and data visualization; key concepts of Geostatistics with practical skills in the implementation of kriging algorithms, unsupervised and supervised machine-learning approaches for regression, classification, and prediction mapping.

Who can apply?
This Graduate Seminar is offered to advanced Master, early PhD students and junior researchers in Earth/Environmental Sciences, Biology and Spatial ecology, Physical geography, and equivalent disciplines. Students in Architecture, Humanities, Planning and Arts related disciplines can also apply. The participants should have a good knowledge of mathematics and statistics; skills in geographical information systems and notions in R programming language are also required. Students need their laptops for the practical parts of the seminar.

Fees & grant support
Students from the VIU member institutions will pay no participation fees. Grant support is also available to support, partially or fully, the costs of international travel and accommodation. The participation fee for students of non-member institutions is Euro 1.150 VAT included. The fee is inclusive of tuition, course materials, accommodation, lunches, social events and taxes. Students from non-member institutions are not eligible for VIU grant support. VIU Alumni are eligible for a reduced fee.

Applicants must submit the application form, a letter of motivation – which should include a brief description of the candidate’s research interests, a curriculum vitae and a photo.

For further information please download the Brochure and the Program or write to: summerschools@univiu.org 

 

 

 

Translation, Culture, and AI: New Frontiers for Promoting Italy Abroad

Venice International University is organizing a Residency for Translators from Italian from 26 July to 23 August 2026.

The project, carried out in collaboration with the Centro per il libro e la lettura of the Italian Ministry of Culture, will host eight foreign translators (working in German, English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic), selected through an open call spread through the network of Italian Cultural Institutes and Italian Embassies abroad.

During the first week of the residency, on 31 July, Venice International University will host the conference "Translation, Culture and AI: New Frontiers for the Promotion of Italy Abroad."

Registration form

Download the Conference Program

The Aim of the Conference

The conference "Translation, Culture and AI: New Frontiers for the Promotion of Italy Abroad" aims to explore the evolving role of translation as a strategic instrument for the international promotion of Italian culture, literature, and publishing.

Bringing together representatives of Italian institutions, academia, the publishing industry, and professional translators, the conference will examine current initiatives supporting the dissemination of Italian literature abroad, with particular attention to public policies, translation funding programmes, and international cultural cooperation.

A second focus of the conference will address the impact of artificial intelligence on literary translation and the publishing sector. Discussions will explore the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, its implications for translators' professional practice and training, and the new perspectives it opens for authors, publishers, readers, and cultural institutions.

The conference inaugurates the Residency for Translators from Italian, organized by Venice International University in collaboration with the Centro per il libro e la lettura of the Italian Ministry of Culture, fostering dialogue among translators, scholars, policymakers, and cultural professionals on the future of translation in an increasingly interconnected and technologically evolving world.

Scientific Committee

Prof. Carmelo Marabello, Dean VIU
Dott. Antonio Schina, Centro per il libro e la lettura
Dott. Giovanni Sciola, former Director of various Italian Cultural Institutes

Contacts

For any information about the conference please contact viu@univiu.org
For information about logistics please contact silvia.casalini@univiu.org  

 

 

Transportation in Venice

VIU students are eligible to apply for the Venezia Unica card, which allows them to obtain reduced fares for single tickets and monthly boat pass: a full-price single fare without ACTV-Venezia Unica card is 9.50 euro.

Applications for the Venezia Unica card can be submitted to ACTV public transportation company at their headquarter at Piazzale Roma or the ticket office in Rialto (Monday to Sunday 8 am -7 pm)

In order to apply for the reduced VIU student fare, students must provide a VIU enrolment certificate and fill out a form stamped by VIU.
Please refer to the GP office to get these documents. Exchange students will be assisted by the international offices of Ca' Foscari and IUAV instead.

Costs for students (under 26 years):
Venezia Unica card: 20 €
Monthly boat pass: 25 €
Single ticket: 1,50 € (valid 75 minutes)

Costs for people over 26 years (resident outside the Veneto region - full rate):
Venezia Unica card: 100 €
Monthly boat pass: 37 €
Single ticket: 1,50 € (valid 75 minutes)
No need for any specific form or document besides ID.
! For students over 26 yo: please refer to the GP office for more information.

 

The ordinary ticket (single ticket) is valid on all urban lines (vaporetto, bus in Mestre and Lido, tram and People Mover) but is not valid to get to Marco Polo Airport by bus (Aerobus) or Alilaguna lines.

Monthly passes allow travel on all urban lines (vaporetto, bus in Mestre and Lido, tram and People Mover) and also to reach the airport by bus (not valid on Alilaguna lines).

 

The timetable of ACTV line 20, which connects the island of San Servolo with the city center, is available on the VIU website, in the section Campus and Services / How to get to VIU.

Check for updates and consult current schedules for other routes on the ACTV website.

N.B Line 20 to San Servolo island is always guaranteed in case of strikes and the timetable is not affected by any changes. 

 

 

Applications for moving around in Venice

You can plan your route on public transport in Venice and consult the timetables using the app CheBateo (available for iOS and Android).

ACTV also has its own application AVM Venezia Official App (available for iOS and Android). Besides the trip planner, the app can be used to buy tickets and store them on the smartphone until needed. The tickets however cannot be transferred to the Venezia Unica card but can be used only through the smartphone.

 

For last-minute purchases at the bus/vaporetto stops, the new Chat&Go® ticketing system allows the sale of travel tickets directly through WhatsApp.

Currently available for sale are the following types of tickets:
_urban ticket valid for 75 minutes for buses, tram and the People Mover - €1.50 (not valid in navigation);
_Aerobus ticket - €10.00 (for travel to and from Venice Marco Polo Airport);
_standard rete unica ticket - €9.50 (valid for 75 minutes on the rete unica urban network of the municipality of Venice, which includes the navigation, bus, tram and People Mover network, excluding travel to and from Venice Marco Polo Airport).

 

From June 2024 it is also possible to make contactless payments using one's credit or debit card directly at the stops (for boats) or onboard the buses. For all all extra-urban fares it will be mandatory to tap in and tap out to be charged the correct fare. 

For more information please check this page on the ACTV website.

 

 

 

TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES

From April 17 to May 16, 2024, MoCA Shanghai in collaboration with Venice International University will present the exhibition "TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES" echoing the spirit of the 60th Venice Biennale’s theme "Foreigners Everywhere".

The exhibition, curated by Miriam Sun, Executive Director of MoCA Shanghai, and Giuliana Benassi, an Italian curator, will present the work of artists who are among the exponents of contemporary art scene in China and Italy including, Fu Tong, Gabriele Silli, Guo Fei, H.H. Lim, Jin Wang, Josè Angelino, Matteo Nasini, Oliviero Rainaldi, Qiu Anxiong, Rä di Martino, Shi Chengdong, Yang Yongliang.

Cities, as geographic, social, and cultural spaces, contain numerous layers of value that are not readily apparent.

This exhibition, centered around the theme of "TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES", is set within the context of Venice International University, a space dedicated to international exchange of knowledge.

The exhibition aims to ingeniously construct a conceptual art route of "The Traveler’s City – A Spiritual Mirror Image of One’s Self and the Foreigner", weaving a dynamic narrative with two threads, one apparent and the other concealed.

By employing the non-linear presentation of artworks by Chinese and Italian artists and in diverse artistic languages (i.e., the apparent thread), the exhibition intends to prompt travelers to keep raising questions to the city, awakening them at points of art and guiding them to seek the reflection of themselves in the mirror within the replies from the city (i.e., the concealed thread).

Thus, the purpose of the exhibition is not only for travelers to find answers to the city’s visual enigmas but also to outline their self-reflection and encourage their further contemplation on interpersonal relationships. As Calvino wrote in a dialogue between the Kublai Khan and Marco Polo in his novel, Invisible Cities, "As to the City of Utopia, even though we have not discovered it, we cannot abandon our efforts to seek for it."