The iconic building that runs from the Torre dell’Orologio to the Museo Correr has been opened by its owner, insurance giant Assicurazioni Generali, which has funded a restoration of the 12,400 square metres of the three-storey complex. The project, led by English architect David Chipperfield, took five years to complete. The palazzo of the Procuratie will now become the home of the Human Safety Net foundation, devoted to inclusion, innovation and sustainability via partnerships with NGOs in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At the inauguration ceremony Friday, all of the building’s 100 windows were adorned with coloured tapestries.
Visits are open to Venetians from Friday to Monday and to all from Wednesday April 13. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said: “It is an extraordinary restoration, in such a symbolic place, which shows how full the collaboration between the public and private sectors can be”. Generali Chairman Gabriele Galateri said “for us, sustainability is not an empty word” while CEO Philippe Donnet said the project would bring jobs to Venice and The Human Safety Net was a “great project started five years ago, which has now become a reality and is doing so much in many countries, helping many people around the world”.
Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia said digital technology would be able to help cut over-tourism in Venice. Civil Service Minister Renato Brunetta said the Procuratie were “a sign of the metamorphosis of time” and that Generali’s sponsorship was a sign of “the capitalism of inclusiveness”. Chipperfield, the architect who led the restoration project, said “we had been waiting for this moment for some time. This square is among the most famous in the world and we didn’t know what was behind the facade. Now we know”.
