Fondazione Giorgio Cini. Hospitality, sharing and sustainable management

At the end of 2022, the Foundation obtained (ranked first) funding for the project ‘Removal of physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives to enable broader access to and participation in culture in private museums and cultural venues’- EU NextGenerationEU under the PNRR Mission 1 – Digitisation, Innovation, Competitiveness and Culture, Component 3 – Culture 4.0 (M1C3), Measure 1 ‘Cultural Heritage for the Next Generation’ Investment 1.2, enabling the design and implementation of multiple actions. The actions undertaken concern a general improvement of the accessibility of the Foundation, acting on different aspects, from physical accessibility (improving the paving of paths in the park, new ramps, signposting) to cognitive accessibility, designing support for on-site visits with the help of LIS translations, using Braille texts and tactile maps, ensuring IT accessibility through a new section of the Foundation’s website. Audiovisual aids for different audiences are available at this link. In addition, funding has enabled the extension of wifi, the creation of a web app, the awarding of scholarships, the organisation of workshops and conferences, and training courses for Fondazione Giorgio Cini staff on accessibility issues. The Foundation has also made a two-year commitment through a partnership with the ENS and UIC to organise dedicated guided tours.

Reducing the obstacles, inequalities and gaps that limit citizens’ participation in cultural life and heritage is the aim that the Fondazione Giorgio Cini has sought to pursue with the project “Accessibility to the Park of the Island of San Giorgio in Venice, seat of the Foundation” financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU within the framework of the PNRR, Mission 1 – Digitalisation, Innovation, Competitiveness and Culture, Component 3 – Culture 4.0 (M1C3) .

Between 2023 and the beginning of 2024, thanks to the funds of Investment 1.2 ‘Removing physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives to enable wider access to and participation in culture in private museums and cultural venues’, many actions were undertaken and concluded, on verse plans, to ensure freedom of use of the island’s spaces and in particular green spaces, both remotely and in presence. The project was also an opportunity for training and sharing, through courses, workshops and university collaborations. The Foundation is committed to pursuing the goal of widening accessibility to different audiences, signing agreements with the Ente Nazionale Sordi and the Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti (Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired) for the two-year period 2025-2026 to organise various types of activities and dedicated visits.

The Island of San Giorgio Maggiore is one of the largest green spaces in the historic centre of Venice, including the Borges labyrinth and a 4-hectare park with approximately 700 trees of 32 different species and 400 shrubs.

Over the years, the management and maintenance of the park have been progressively oriented towards favouring the perceptive and physical accessibility of the green areas in order to allow visitors to enjoy ever larger areas of the historic park, which was previously closed to the public. These actions include the extension and digital supervision of the irrigation system, the creation of a composting area to eliminate the disposal of foliage and branches, which are instead transformed into humus and reused in the park itself. At the Teatro Verde, all the hedges in the cavea were restored by replacing the old sprinkler irrigation system with a new drip-wing system, which drastically reduces water consumption. This restoration and cleaning of the stone allowed the Teatro Verde to also be opened to guided tours.

The Bosco delle Cappelle (Wood of Chapels) occupies an area of the island’s extension built during the 1950s restorations, with the use of waste materials from demolitions and earthworks.

In 2018, the forest was chosen to host the Vatican’s first pavilion at the Architecture Biennale: ten chapels, inspired by Gunnar Asplund’s emblematic Chapel of the Woods built in 1920 in the Stockholm cemetery, designed by 10 international architects and built with peculiar materials and technical solutions. Conceived as temporary, the chapels have been made permanent and, considering their unique architectural and cultural value, subjected to a restriction by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio (Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape Department) for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon.

In 2015, the Foundation restored the old squero, transforming it into a 200-seat auditorium with an extraordinary view of the Lagoon. The restoration included the installation of insulated interior walls as well as the roof, which was improved both acoustically with wooden structures and thermally. In early 2023, the old boiler that served the squero was replaced with a high-efficiency heat pump system, improving air conditioning and reducing consumption.

The Foundation welcomes organisations and associations working in the field of supporting people with disabilities free of charge for organised events, meetings and shows.

In 2018 ARCHiVe – Analysis and Recording of Cultural Heritage in Venice, the centre for the digitisation of documents, manuscripts, scores, drawings, photographs, old books, documents, letters, was established to guarantee a consultable copy of the most precious and delicate material even remotely, making it more usable and limiting the need to access the originals, which are thus preserved in optimal conditions and subjected to less stress (light, temperature, handling, dust and pollutants).

In Palazzo Cini, between 2014 and 2015, the Foundation renovated the rooms of the museum house and exhibition space by installing new high-tech LED projectors, replacing all the chandeliers with lights. The old boiler was also replaced with two new high-efficiency heat pumps, thus ensuring the usability of the Palazzo for a longer period of time even in the winter months. In 2019, a new lift with all the features for the movement of persons with motor disabilities was installed.

Among the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to improve everyone’s lives, both environmentally and socially in fifth place, is gender equality.

According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, no country has yet achieved full gender equality. Iceland is in first place, followed by Norway and Finland. In last place is Afghanistan. Italy ranks 79th out of 146 countries, after Georgia, Kenya and Uganda.

In recent years, the FGC has embarked on a path of inclusion and greater attention to the Gender Gap, in the following areas of intervention:

– Culture and strategy

– Governance

– Processes Human Resources

– Growth opportunities and inclusion of women

– Gender pay equity

– Protection of parenthood and work-life balance

On the subject of safety, great efforts were also made to improve the conditions of the buildings and outdoor areas. In 2013, a fire prevention certificate was obtained for the entire monumental area, unifying areas that previously had specific permits. In the following years, the certification was extended to all the buildings on the island, improving all plant equipment, staff training, maintenance, periodic inspections, and the number of prevention and protection service and first aid workers. In addition, workers were also trained in the use of the defibrillator, purchased in 2016 and now available to all people who work or visit the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in any capacity. In 2023, as part of the PEBA project, specific training in communication and assistance in emergencies for deaf people was implemented.

In the course of the island’s renovations, the Foundation has significantly improved accessibility for people with reduced mobility, for example with the creation of new, standardised bathrooms in the new library, in the residence, in the Squero, in the Napoleonic wing, in the Sala Arazzi, in the former swimming pool, in the Convitto, and others. Lifts were improved or newly installed to reach the upper floors. New ramps, improved visibility of steps, new handrails and numerous other improvements.

In 2009, the Manica Lunga library was enlarged to accommodate many more scholars and researchers with new catalogue consultation stations. Volumes were placed on open shelves, and reference, document delivery and on-site reproduction services were expanded and enhanced. In addition, opening hours were extended until 5 p.m. The library is equipped with wi-fi, air conditioning and LED lighting.

Since 2010, university students, PhDs and post-docs, professors, writers and artists of all ages interested in spending a period of study in Venice have been able to plan research residencies while living on the Island of San Giorgio and working in Fondazione Giorgio Cini and the city’s libraries, thanks to the Vittore Branca International Centre for the Study of Italian Civilisation: a residential humanities centre that hosts research projects on Italian civilisation, including art, history, literature, music, theatre and ancient books.

In 2010, the former mechanical workshops were restored and converted into a residence for scholars, enabling researchers, students and professors to stay on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore even for long periods at low cost to conduct their research on the Giorgio Cini Foundation’s enormous cultural heritage. The residence is equipped with several rooms for the disabled, two lifts, double-walled windows with high thermal efficiency, centralised air conditioning and domotic management of the rooms to optimise consumption and reduce waste.

Since January 2018, the monumental area, the Borges Labyrinth and then the Vatican Chapels and the Teatro Verde can be visited daily at various times of the day thanks to a system of audioguides with accompaniment in collaboration with D’Uva. The audioguide-accompanied tours are aimed at enhancing the artistic, architectural and environmental heritage for different audiences. Visits dedicated to the Cini Ambassadors are also planned, allowing visitors to discover with sector specialists part of the collections that for conservation reasons are not constantly accessible.

In 2018, the island was equipped with a refreshment area, with a capacity of about 90 seats, by restoring and expanding the café opened about 10 years earlier. Today it is possible to stop for lunch at the island during days spent visiting exhibitions, the park or other areas of the Foundation, or during a study period in the libraries or simply to enjoy the beauty of the place without having to leave the island for lunch.