My Film Festival: when Venice becomes diva

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There is a time of the year when Venice changes face. It remains itself, of course, but it dresses with a different elegance: less mysterious and more like an absolute diva.

And I have used this term for a specific reason, because that moment is the Venice Film Festival, which every late summer transforms the Lido – but also the rest of the city – into a stage of glamour, art, encounters and dreams projected on the big screen.

A catwalk that is much more than a red carpet

When I first came to Venice as a girl, the Festival seemed to me something distant, an event for the few, made up of famous stars, flashes and evening gowns. Today, however, I know that the Festival is part of the beating heart of the city, an event that knows how to be popular and refined, accessible but never banal.

Of course, there is the red carpet, important actors and actresses, fashion and paparazzi… All wonderful, but what has always fascinated me is what happens away from the spotlight: the silent queues in front of the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido, the excited glances as soon as the lights go out, the passionate conversations between those who love the cinema beyond all recognition.

The magic of the Lido

The Lido, on those days, seems like another island. There is a sparkling calm, an atmosphere that mixes glamour and normality. It is still summer, but in some ways it is no longer summer: it is a season in itself, lasting only about ten days, in which anything and everything happens… Just like a film.

I like going there by vaporetto at sunset, breathing that air that is a bit salty and a bit electric. Seeing people arrive on bicycles, in evening dress but with Converse on their feet, is one of the images that most represents the light and free soul of the Festival.

And then there are the films. The international premieres, the emerging directors, the surprising documentaries, the stories that stick with you even after the end credits. And the unfailing icons of the film world, who for once in your life don’t seem so unattainable.

An atmosphere that can be felt everywhere

Although the heart of the Festival is on the Lido, the energy of the Festival can be felt throughout the city. The calli are filled with different languages, the bacari with chatter and toasts, the bookshops with programmes and catalogues to browse through.

Even if only for a couple of weeks, Venice adds to the various prestigious titles it can boast of that of Capital of World Cinema: a film-city that envelops you scene after scene, with its light, its reflections, its noisy silence.

Suite735: a silent retreat during the Mostra

On these busy days, Suite735 remains a perfect refuge. A corner of calm where you can find silence, beauty and intimacy after a day of screenings, meetings and walks.

And even for our guests, the Festival is always a wonderful surprise: it often happens that those who arrive in the city find themselves catapulted into a unique atmosphere, with the possibility of seeing a film in its world premiere, or meeting a director in the city’s calli.

If you are thinking of coming to Venice between the end of August and the beginning of September, my advice is simple: come with an open mind, a pair of comfortable shoes and the desire to be amazed. I will gladly help you with tickets for a movie, a dinner on the Lido or a special itinerary to discover the city in its most cinematic corners. Because Venice, after all, is like an extraordinary film. And not only during the Film Festival.

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