Venice Talks
- Folgen
- 125
- Erscheint
- wöchentlich
- Letzte Folge
- 5. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
🎙️ Venice Talks — Voices, stories, and secrets from the world’s most fascinating city. Hosted by Monica Cesarato, Venetian author, podcaster, and culinary guide, the show explores the real Venice through the people who shape it — artisans, chefs, historians, dreamers, and custodians of tradition. Each conversation reveals a side of Venice rarely seen: authentic, creative, and deeply human. Whether you are exploring the lagoon or simply dreaming from afar, Venice Talks invites you to listen, learn, and fall in love with Venice — one story at a time. 📍New episodes weekly. 🎧 Tune in and discover the soul of Venice through its voices.
Folgen 125
S4 Ep.21 - Rediscovering the Venetian Republic with Joseph Loconte
Venice: The Republic That Changed the World | Joseph LoconteWhat if Venice was much more than a beautiful city of canals, palaces and art? What if its extraordinary history helped shape some of the ideas about …
Shownotes
Venice: The Republic That Changed the World | Joseph LoconteWhat if Venice was much more than a beautiful city of canals, palaces and art? What if its extraordinary history helped shape some of the ideas about freedom, government and democracy that still influence our world today?
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato welcomes Joseph Loconte, New York Times bestselling author, historian, educator and filmmaker, to uncover a fascinating side of Venetian history that often gets overlooked.
Joseph is the director of the Rivendell Center in New York City and a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute. His work brings history to life through books and documentaries, including Benjamin Rush: The American Revolution's Indispensable Doctor, available on Amazon Prime.
He is currently working on a new documentary, Venice: The Freedom Republic, exploring the remarkable political history of the Serenissima, its institutions and its lasting influence on the modern world.
From the extraordinary longevity of the Venetian Republic to its surprising connections with America's Founding Fathers, Joseph takes us on a journey through centuries of political innovation, independence and ideas.
But was Venice really a republic of freedom? How did it manage to survive for over a thousand years? And what can its history teach us about the challenges facing democracies today?
Monica also shares her personal connection to the documentary, having been invited to participate in the filming, and talks with Joseph about the experience of bringing Venice's history to the screen.
It's a conversation about history, politics, storytelling and why Venice still has so much to teach us.
In This Episode – Key Show Notes- The inspiration behind Joseph Loconte's documentary Venice: The Freedom Republic.
- Why Venice was one of the most extraordinary political experiments in European history.
- How the Venetian Republic maintained its independence for more than a thousand years.
- The surprising connections between Venice and the American Founding Fathers.
- Venice's contribution to printing, publishing and the circulation of ideas.
- Freedom, censorship and power: the contradictions of the Venetian political system.
- The relationship between religion, politics and Venetian identity.
- Behind the scenes of filming a historical documentary in Venice and the importance of local voices.
- What modern democracies can learn from the successes and failures of the Venetian Republic.
Follow Venice Talks!If you love Venice, its history and the people who bring its stories to life, Venice Talks is the podcast for you!
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Vivace Media
Guest: Joseph Loconte from Joseph Loconte
Listen to the full episode, subscribe to Venice Talks on your favourite podcast platform and follow the show so you never miss a new conversation.
You can also visit www.monicacesarato.com for more stories, articles and insights into Venice.
And if you enjoy this episode, please share it with someone who loves history or Venice as much as we do!
Because Venice is so much more than what you see. It's the stories behind the city that make it truly extraordinary.
S4 Ep.20 - A Caccia con Filippo: The Ultimate Venice Treasure Hunt
What if the best way to experience Venice was to turn the entire city into a treasure hunt, while also making a difference for a good cause?In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato welcomes Simone …
Shownotes
What if the best way to experience Venice was to turn the entire city into a treasure hunt, while also making a difference for a good cause?
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato welcomes Simone Pavlovich, the creative mind behind A Caccia con Filippo, a project that transforms Venice's streets, bridges and hidden corners into an exciting adventure filled with clues, discoveries and unexpected stories.
Venice is a city where every detail has a story to tell, but how often do we actually stop to notice them?
Through their treasure hunts, Simone and Michele invite participants to look beyond the familiar landmarks, pay attention to the little things and experience Venice with a fresh sense of curiosity.
But there's another important side to A Caccia con Filippo: its connection to charity. The project supports CDKL5 – Insieme verso la Cura, an association dedicated to helping families affected by CDKL5 deficiency disorder, a rare genetic neurological condition, and supporting the search for treatments.
It's a wonderful example of how creativity, community spirit and a love for Venice can come together to support something much bigger than a game.
During our conversation, we talk about how the project began, the challenges of designing treasure hunts in a city as extraordinary as Venice and why getting lost can sometimes be the best way to find something special.
We also discuss the importance of giving back, the people who have embraced the initiative and the ambitious plans to make the experience accessible to an even wider audience through a multilingual web app.
From the stories behind the clues to the meaningful cause at the heart of the initiative, this conversation reminds us that sometimes the greatest treasure isn't something you find, but something you help create.
Key Notes from This Episode- How A Caccia con Filippo began and the story behind its unusual name.
- The creative process of turning Venice's history and hidden details into treasure hunt clues.
- How games can encourage visitors and residents to experience Venice differently.
- The funniest and most unexpected moments from previous treasure hunts.
- Why slowing down and paying attention can change the way we see Venice.
- The charitable mission behind the project and its support for CDKL5 – Insieme verso la Cura.
- How a treasure hunt can bring people together while raising awareness for an important cause.
- The challenges of transforming a creative idea into a growing community project.
- The plans for a multilingual web app and the role of technology in making the experience more accessible.
- What Simone and Michele hope participants will remember long after the game is over.
Follow Venice TalksIf you love Venice, its hidden stories and the people who are making a positive difference in the city, this episode is for you!
Listen to Venice Talks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and your favourite podcast platforms.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Vivace Media
Guest: Simone Pavlovich from A Caccia con Filippo,
Don't forget to follow the podcast, subscribe and share this episode with anyone who loves Venice, enjoys an adventure or believes in the power of community.
And if you've enjoyed listening, please leave a review. It really helps Venice Talks reach more people around the world.
Follow Venice Talks and join us for more conversations about the real Venice, one story at a time!
Learn more about A Caccia con Filippo: https://www.acacciaconfilippo.com/
S4 Ep.19 - How to Explore Art in Venice with Venice Art In
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Regina Maksimova and Alexandra Zagrebelnaia, the team behind Venice Art Insider, a platform created to help people discover and understand the …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Regina Maksimova and Alexandra Zagrebelnaia, the team behind Venice Art Insider, a platform created to help people discover and understand the extraordinary art world of Venice.
From historic masterpieces and museums to foundations, galleries, independent spaces and the Biennale, Venice Art Insider looks at the city as one vast cultural landscape. Regina and Alexandra explain how they select what to feature, how they build curated routes and how they help visitors navigate a city where art is quite literally everywhere.
The conversation also explores the relationship between art and place, the impact of the Biennale on Venice, the role of social media in the way we experience exhibitions and the challenge of making art accessible without oversimplifying it.
This is an episode about looking at Venice differently, slowing down and learning how to notice what is often hidden in plain sight.
Show Notes- Who Regina and Alexandra are and how Venice Art Insider began
- Why Venice needed a clearer way to navigate its immense art scene
- How they choose exhibitions, museums, galleries and cultural spaces to feature
- The importance of connecting art with the neighbourhoods and architecture of Venice
- How the Biennale changes the city and what remains once it is over
- Discovering Venice beyond the major museums and famous masterpieces
- The different perspectives Regina and Alexandra bring to the project
- How social media is changing the way people discover and experience art
- Making art more accessible without losing depth or context
- How to approach Venice as one enormous, layered art experience
A conversation about art, Venice, discovery and the many layers of a city where masterpieces, galleries, museums and unexpected cultural spaces are waiting around almost every corner.
If you enjoy Venice Talks, follow the podcast and subscribe on your favourite platform so you never miss a new episode. And if you enjoyed this conversation, share it with someone who loves Venice, books and a good mystery.
Remember to follow and subscribe to Venice Talks so you never miss a new conversation with the people who make Venice the extraordinary, complex and endlessly fascinating city it is.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Vivace Media
Guest: Regina Maksimova and Alexandra Zagrebelnaia from Venice Art Insider
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.18 - Inside Venice Noir: Crime Writing Comes to Venice
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Gregory Dowling, Philip Gwynne Jones and David Hewson, the three writers behind Venice Noir, Venice’s international festival dedicated to crime writing …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Gregory Dowling, Philip Gwynne Jones and David Hewson, the three writers behind Venice Noir, Venice’s international festival dedicated to crime writing, noir and the darker side of storytelling.
What began as an ambitious literary idea has grown into a distinctive festival bringing together Italian and international authors, historians, journalists and readers in the heart of Venice.
We talk about how Venice Noir has evolved, how the programme is shaped, the relationship between Italian crime writing and the international noir scene and what happens when three crime writers have to agree on what actually belongs in a noir festival.
There is also plenty of discussion about growth, identity, literary festivals, dream guests and, inevitably, a little friendly disagreement.
Key Notes from This Episode
- How Venice Noir has evolved from an idea into an international literary festival
- The role of Italian authors within an international programme
- The relationship between Italian giallo and English-language crime fiction
- How Gregory, Philip and David choose writers, themes and events
- How broad the definition of “noir” can really become
- The festival’s relationship with the international crime-writing world
- What organising a literary festival teaches writers about being guests themselves
- How the three founders balance different tastes and ideas
- The challenges of growing while keeping the festival intimate
- The authors they would love to invite in the future
A conversation about books, murder, Venice and the dark literary creature that Gregory Dowling, Philip Gwynne Jones and David Hewson continue to shape year after year.
If you enjoy Venice Talks, follow the podcast and subscribe on your favourite platform so you never miss a new episode. And if you enjoyed this conversation, share it with someone who loves Venice, books and a good mystery.
Remember to follow and subscribe to Venice Talks so you never miss a new conversation with the people who make Venice the extraordinary, complex and endlessly fascinating city it is.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Vivace Media
Guest: Gregory Dowling, Philip Gwynne Jones and David Hewson From Venice Noir
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.17 - The Forgotten Women of Venice with History of Venice Podcast
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Simon and Jess from The History of Venice Podcast about the women who lived, worked and helped shape Venice across the centuries.Moving beyond the …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Simon and Jess from The History of Venice Podcast about the women who lived, worked and helped shape Venice across the centuries.
Moving beyond the better-known stories of noblewomen and courtesans, the conversation explores what everyday life was really like for Venetian women from different levels of society. From work and family life to money, independence, marriage and social expectations, Simon and Jess bring to light the stories of women whose contribution to Venice has often remained in the background.
The episode also looks at lesser-known female figures, the kinds of jobs women carried out and what historical records can reveal about their lives. A fascinating journey into another side of Venetian history: the city seen through the experiences of its women.
Show Key Notes- Simon and Jess from The History of Venice Podcast on telling the story of Venice through the people who lived it.
- Lesser-known women whose stories deserve a place alongside Venice’s more famous female figures.
- What everyday life looked like for women from different social classes.
- The jobs and trades carried out by Venetian women.
- Women as artisans, shopkeepers, servants, market sellers and workers.
- Money, property and the economic independence available to women.
- Marriage, widowhood and the options open to women outside traditional family structures.
- The differences between the lives of noblewomen and working women.
- Women from Venice’s different communities and backgrounds.
- What archives, legal records and other historical sources can tell us about women’s lives.
- How women contributed to the economic and social life of the Venetian Republic.
- Why so many of these stories have remained less visible in traditional accounts of Venetian history.
Tune in for a journey beyond the familiar names and discover the women whose work, choices and everyday lives were part of the fabric of Venice.
Listen now and subscribe to Venice Talks for more stories about Venice, its history, its people and its culture.
And remember to follow and subscribe to Venice Talks so you never miss a new conversation with the people who make Venice the extraordinary, complex and endlessly fascinating city it is.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Simon & Jess from History of Venice Podcast
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.16 - The Drinking Culture of Venice - A chat with Susan L. Schwartz
n this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with drinks writer, podcaster and author Susan L. Schwartz about her new book, A Guide to Drinking in Venice.Venice is a city where drinking is never just about …
Shownotes
n this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with drinks writer, podcaster and author Susan L. Schwartz about her new book, A Guide to Drinking in Venice.
Venice is a city where drinking is never just about what is in the glass. It is about ritual, place, history and the people behind the bar. Susan takes us through the research and stories behind the book, from traditional bacari and Venetian drinking habits to cocktails, wine, coffee and the changing bar scene of the city.
We also talk about what surprised her while researching the book, how Venice’s drinking culture differs from what visitors often expect and why understanding where and how Venetians drink can reveal so much about the city itself.
Key Notes from This Episode- How the idea for A Guide to Drinking in Venice began
- What inspired Susan to dedicate an entire book to Venice’s drinking culture
- The research behind the book and the people she met along the way
- Why Venice is about much more than just Spritz
- Bacari, wine bars, cocktail bars and the different ways of drinking in the city
- The role of tradition in Venetian drinking culture
- How Venice’s bar and cocktail scene has evolved in recent years
- What visitors often misunderstand about drinking in Venice
- Some of Susan’s favourite discoveries while researching the book
- How a drink can become a way of understanding the history and identity of a place
If you love Venice, food, wine, cocktails and the stories hidden behind everyday Venetian rituals, this is an episode to listen to with a glass in hand.
Remember to follow and subscribe to Venice Talks so you never miss a new conversation with the people who make Venice the extraordinary, complex and endlessly fascinating city it is.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Vivace Media
Guest: Susan L. Schwartz from A Lush Life Manual
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.15 - Uncovering the Real History of Venice with Simon & Jess from History of Venice Podcast
What happens when two history lovers decide to tell the story of Venice from the very beginning?In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato is joined by Simon and Jess, the creators and hosts of The …
Shownotes
What happens when two history lovers decide to tell the story of Venice from the very beginning?
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato is joined by Simon and Jess, the creators and hosts of The History of Venice Podcast, a chronological journey through the people, politics, conflicts and extraordinary events that shaped the Venetian Republic.
Simon and Jess share how their mutual fascination with Venice inspired them to begin the podcast, and what it is like to research, write and present such an ambitious historical project together.
We talk about the challenge of separating historical fact from legend, especially in a city where myths have been repeated for centuries. They explain how they approach conflicting sources, complex political events and the colourful personalities who brought Venetian history to life.
The conversation also explores how studying Venice’s past changes the way we experience the city today. Behind every bridge, campo and palace lies a story—and the deeper we look, the more Venice reveals itself as far more than a beautiful destination.
From the origins of the lagoon settlements to the rise of one of Europe’s most powerful republics, Simon and Jess invite listeners to discover the real history behind the Serenissima.
Key Notes from This EpisodeIn this episode, we talk about:
- How Simon and Jess created The History of Venice Podcast
- Their personal connection with Venice and its history
- What it is like to produce a podcast together as a couple
- How they divide the research, writing and presenting
- The difficulties of separating Venetian history from legend
- How they make complex historical events accessible
- The personalities and stories that have surprised them most
- Common misconceptions about the Venetian Republic
- How historical research has changed the way they see Venice
- What Venice’s past can teach us about the city today
Listen to The History of Venice Podcast to follow Simon and Jess on their chronological journey through more than a thousand years of Venetian history.
And remember to follow and subscribe to Venice Talks so you never miss a new conversation with the people who make Venice the extraordinary, complex and endlessly fascinating city it is.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Simon & Jess from History of Venice Podcast
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.14 - Before Venice: Peggy Guggenheim in London - a chat with Gražina Subelytė
Before Peggy Guggenheim became one of the most influential collectors of modern art—and before Palazzo Venier dei Leoni became her Venetian home and museum—she opened a small but remarkably ambitious gallery in …
Shownotes
Before Peggy Guggenheim became one of the most influential collectors of modern art—and before Palazzo Venier dei Leoni became her Venetian home and museum—she opened a small but remarkably ambitious gallery in London.
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato speaks with Gražina Subelytė, curator at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, about the exhibition Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector.
The exhibition explores the crucial years of 1938 and 1939, when Peggy founded Guggenheim Jeune, her first London gallery. During its brief eighteen-month existence, the gallery presented more than twenty exhibitions, promoted abstraction and Surrealism, introduced London audiences to major European artists and helped Peggy develop the vision that would eventually shape her celebrated collection.
Gražina guides us through this formative period, revealing a Peggy Guggenheim who was still learning, experimenting and finding her place in the international art world. We discuss the artists, advisers and friendships that influenced her, the radical exhibitions she organised and the archival discoveries that offer a more complex understanding of her development as a collector.
The conversation also explores the role of women artists within Guggenheim Jeune, the gallery’s controversial contemporary sculpture exhibition and the first signs of Peggy’s dream of creating a museum of modern art.
Presented inside Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the exhibition allows visitors to look back at the moment when Peggy’s extraordinary story was only beginning—and to understand how her London years laid the foundations for the collection we know in Venice today.
Key Notes from This Episode- Gražina Subelytė’s journey into art history and curatorial work
- Peggy Guggenheim’s life before she became a legendary collector
- The opening of Guggenheim Jeune in London in 1938
- How Marcel Duchamp, Samuel Beckett and Mary Reynolds influenced Peggy’s artistic education
- The gallery’s extraordinary programme of more than twenty exhibitions in eighteen months
- Kandinsky’s first solo exhibition in London
- Peggy’s support for abstraction, Surrealism and experimental contemporary art
- The role of women artists
- The controversial contemporary sculpture exhibition
- Letters, photographs and archival documents that reveal a more personal side of Peggy
- The origins of Peggy’s ambition to establish a museum of modern art
- How the London years anticipated the collection now housed in Venice
🎧 Listen to the full episode of Venice Talks and discover the story of Peggy Guggenheim before Venice—when a small London gallery became the starting point for one of the most important collections of modern art in the world.
Follow Venice Talks on your favourite podcast platform so you never miss a new conversation about the people, history, art and culture shaping Venice.
Follow Monica Cesarato and Venice Talks for new episodes, behind-the-scenes stories and more voices from the lagoon.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Gražina Subelytė curator at Peggy Guggenheim Collection
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.13 - Stagin' Venice: Costumes, Theatre and New Dreams - A chat with Sara Cattani
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Sara Cattani, co-founder of Staging Alive, a new Venetian project created to bring fresh, joyful and high-quality live entertainment formats to the city.From …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Sara Cattani, co-founder of Staging Alive, a new Venetian project created to bring fresh, joyful and high-quality live entertainment formats to the city.
From musical theatre to live performance, from historical costumes to private productions, Sara’s work asks an important question: can Venice still be a place that creates culture, rather than only a place where culture is consumed?
Together, we talk about the need for more accessible, inclusive and entertaining cultural experiences in Venice — shows that can speak to residents, visitors and new audiences without losing quality or identity.
The conversation also takes us inside Atelier Le Boudoir, the new spin-off connected to the historic costumes of Atelier Pietro Longhi: not a large costume warehouse, but a hidden dressing room near Campo della Bragora, surrounded by artisans and Venetian life.
A conversation about theatre, costumes, creativity, courage, and the dream of seeing Venice once again as a port of departure for new ideas.
In this episode:
- How Staging Alive was born and what Sara felt was missing in Venice
- Why musical theatre and joyful entertainment deserve more space in the city
- The divide between “tourist product” and “local product”
- How to create cultural experiences that can speak to different audiences
- The role of fun, beauty and lightness in contemporary culture
- The story behind Atelier Le Boudoir
- The legacy of the historical costumes from Atelier Pietro Longhi
- What it means to build a creative company in Venice today
- Why Venice should not only be a destination, but a place that produces ideas
- The dream of bringing Venetian creativity beyond the lagoon
Follow Sara and her projects:
- Staging Alive
- Atelier Le Boudoir
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
- Guest: Sara Cattani for Staging Alive and Atelier Le Boudoir
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.12 - Due Fie Venexiane: Friendship, Food and the Real Venice
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Sara and Virginia, the two friends behind Due Fie Venexiane, a digital project sharing Venice through the voices, flavours and everyday experiences of two …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Sara and Virginia, the two friends behind Due Fie Venexiane, a digital project sharing Venice through the voices, flavours and everyday experiences of two Venetian women.
What began as a spontaneous collaboration between friends has grown into a lively online community, with videos, recommendations and downloadable guides helping visitors discover where Venetians really eat and how the city is experienced beyond its most famous landmarks.
Sara and Virginia talk about the friendship at the heart of the project, the different personalities they bring to their content and what it means to present their own city to a large online audience.
The conversation moves beyond food to explore Venetian identity, authenticity and the responsibility that comes with recommending small restaurants, bacari and local businesses in a city as delicate and intensely visited as Venice.
They also discuss how they select the places they feature, how they balance commercial collaborations with honest recommendations and why they decided to create detailed digital guides dedicated to bacari and seafood restaurants.
In this episode, we talk about:- The meaning behind the name Due Fie Venexiane
- How Sara and Virginia’s friendship became a shared digital project
- Their first videos and the growth of their online community
- How they divide the work and combine their different personalities
- What makes a restaurant or bacaro feel authentically Venetian
- How they choose the businesses and experiences they recommend
- The importance of remaining honest when working with local brands
- Showing a side of Venice that goes beyond postcard images
- Creating downloadable guides to bacari and seafood restaurants
- The responsibility of influencing where visitors spend their time and money
- Their hopes for the future of Venice and Due Fie Venexiane
This is a conversation about food, friendship and the power of telling a city’s story from the inside—with humour, affection and a deeply Venetian point of view.
Listen to the episode and discover Venice through the eyes of two women who live it, love it and are determined to share it with honesty.
Follow Due Fie Venexiane on social media to discover their latest recommendations, videos and guides.
And remember to follow and subscribe to Venice Talks so you never miss a new conversation with the people who make Venice the extraordinary, complex and endlessly fascinating city it is.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Sara & Virgina from Due Fie Venexiane
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.11 - Venice Beyond the Algorithm: Face to Face with Elena Bozza
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Elena Bozza, Head of Digital at Linkness and one of the voices of Face To Face, the program produced by a local television channel based in the …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Elena Bozza, Head of Digital at Linkness and one of the voices of Face To Face, the program produced by a local television channel based in the Venice area that tells stories from Venice and the Veneto region.
Together they explore how Venice is communicated today: not only as a beautiful postcard, but as a living, working, changing city made of people, businesses, creativity, innovation and local voices.
Elena brings her experience in digital strategy, social media, community management, video content and media communication to a conversation about what it really means to tell a place like Venice in the digital age. How can local businesses communicate online without losing their soul? How can technology, television, podcasts and social media work together? And how can AI become a tool without replacing the human voice behind every meaningful story?
This episode looks at Venice beyond clichés, beyond likes, beyond the algorithm: a Venice that still has many stories to tell, if we learn how to listen.
In this episode we talk about:- Who Elena Bozza is and her role as Head of Digital at Linkness
- Why local media still matters
- The idea behind Face To Face and the importance of public conversations
- How to tell a more real, modern and living Venice
- Why Venice must be communicated as more than a postcard
- What local entrepreneurs, creators and professionals reveal about the energy of Venice and the Veneto today
- The future of local storytelling across TV, podcasts, YouTube, Spotify and social media
- How Venetian businesses can use digital communication without losing authenticity
- The most common mistakes small businesses make online
- Why social media should not be the only place where a brand exists
- How AI can help communication without making it cold, fake or soulless
- Why community management, listening and human connection matter
- How to create content about Venice that still feels fresh and meaningful
- The importance of showing the people behind a brand
- What kind of communication Venice needs for the future
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Venice Talks, follow the podcast on your favourite platform, and leave a review. It helps more people discover the real Venice: not only the one seen in photographs, but the one made of voices, stories, work, creativity and everyday life.
You can also follow Monica Cesarato and Venice Talks for more conversations about Venice, its people, its food, its traditions, its artisans and the many stories that keep the city alive.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Elena Bozza for Linkness
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.10 - When Freedom Sounds Like Jazz in Venice. A chat with Women for Freedom
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato welcomes back the story of Women for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to supporting women, girls and children living in situations of poverty, violence …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato welcomes back the story of Women for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to supporting women, girls and children living in situations of poverty, violence, exploitation and fragility.
After the first conversation in 2023, this new episode takes the story forward with Sara Memo, part of Women for Freedom, to understand what has changed, what has grown, and what still needs to be done.
The conversation begins with the heart of the organisation itself: dignity, protection, freedom, and the concrete projects that help turn compassion into real action. From there, Monica and Sara move into one of the most powerful cultural expressions of this mission: Women for Freedom in Jazz, the Venetian festival founded by Elena Ferrarese, now celebrating 10 years of music, solidarity and women’s voices in Venice.
This is an episode about listening. Listening to stories that are difficult but necessary. Listening to women whose voices deserve space. Listening to jazz as a language of freedom, resilience and connection.
Because in Venice, sometimes freedom does not arrive as a speech. Sometimes, it arrives as a song.
Show keynotes
- What Women for Freedom does and who the organisation supports
- Sara Memo’s connection with the mission of Women for Freedom
- What has changed since the 2023 Venice Talks interview
- How to speak about poverty, violence and exploitation while protecting dignity
- The difference between charity and true solidarity
- How emotion can become concrete action
- The role of culture in raising awareness
- Women for Freedom in Jazz and the vision of its founder, Elena Ferrarese
- Why jazz is such a powerful language for women, freedom and resilience
- The 10th anniversary of Women for Freedom in Jazz in Venice
- Venice as more than a backdrop: a city that listens, hosts and amplifies stories
- The future of Women for Freedom and the next chapter of the festival
If this conversation moved you, please subscribe to Venice Talks, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who believes that culture can still make a difference.
You can follow Venice Talks for more stories about Venice, its people, its voices, its hidden layers, and the projects that keep the city alive in ways visitors do not always see.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Sara Memo for Women for Freedom
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.9 - Where Venetian Wardrobes Become Stories. A chat with Maranteghe Vintage Shop
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Laura from Maranteghe, a vintage and second-hand shop in Cannaregio where fashion becomes memory, identity and a small act of resistance.Founded by Miriam …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Laura from Maranteghe, a vintage and second-hand shop in Cannaregio where fashion becomes memory, identity and a small act of resistance.
Founded by Miriam, Sara and Laura, Maranteghe was born during the pandemic, among wardrobes to reinvent, forgotten clothes to rescue and the desire to create something with meaning. What began as a shared passion between friends became, in spring 2024, a physical shop in Venice: a “covo”, a little den, filled with pieces that carry stories, character and soul.
But Maranteghe is not just about vintage fashion. It is about giving clothes a second life, celebrating Made in Italy, listening to the stories hidden in Venetian wardrobes, and pushing back against fast consumption and the sameness of mass tourism. In a city too often reduced to souvenirs and quick visits, Maranteghe offers something slower, stranger, more personal, and beautifully Venetian.
Together Monica and Laura talk about friendship, style, sustainability, female energy, old clothes with new destinies, and the wonderfully ironic meaning of the word “marantega”, rooted in Venetian dialect and linked to witches, old women, sacred female figures and a touch of glorious mischief.
Show KeynotesIn this episode, Monica and Laura discuss:
- How Maranteghe was born during the pandemic from friendship, wine and wardrobe reinvention
- Why vintage fashion can be emotional, cultural and sustainable at the same time
- The meaning of the Venetian word “marantega” and why it became the perfect name
- How Miriam, Sara and Laura choose the pieces that enter the shop
- The stories hidden inside the wardrobes of Venetian women
- Why second-hand fashion can be a form of resistance against waste and mass-produced style
- How Venice inspires style, theatricality and personal expression
- Why Maranteghe stands against the “mordi e fuggi” tourist economy
- The playful Venetian detail behind their logo: a lion sticking out its tongue, inspired by a medieval bas-relief in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia
Listen to the new episode of Venice Talks and step inside a shop where clothes are never just clothes. They are fragments of lives, whispers from wardrobes, and tiny spells stitched into fabric.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Laura Gamba from Maranteghe
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.8 - The Hidden Life of Venice’s Public Transport. A chat with ACNL
Venice is a city that moves on water.Every day, thousands of residents, workers, students and visitors step onto a vaporetto without always thinking about what happens behind that simple act of getting from one …
Shownotes
Venice is a city that moves on water.
Every day, thousands of residents, workers, students and visitors step onto a vaporetto without always thinking about what happens behind that simple act of getting from one stop to another.
But in Venice, public transport is not a road, a bus lane or an underground line. It is the lagoon. It is the Grand Canal. It is tides, fog, wind, night shifts, crowded landing stages, sudden changes in weather, wave motion, and the constant responsibility of moving people safely through one of the most delicate cities in the world.
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Lorenzo Boscolo, President of the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare, and Agostino Benvegnù, Vice President of the association, to explore the world of Venice’s public water transport commanders.
Together, they discuss what it really means to command a vessel in the lagoon, the difference between a captain and a commander, the training and skills required for this profession, and the unique challenges of keeping Venice moving 24 hours a day.
This conversation also looks at some of the most important issues facing the city today: wave motion, overtourism, respect for public transport, safety on board, and the need to understand that a vaporetto is not just a scenic ride. It is an essential service for the people who live and work in Venice.
Through their words, we discover Venice from a different point of view: not from a postcard, not from a tourist map, but from the cabin of those who navigate its waters every day.
Key NotesIn this episode we talk about:
- What the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare is and why it matters in Venice today
- The difference between a captain and a commander
- The path and training needed to become a commander in Venice’s public water transport system
- Why navigating a public transport vessel in Venice requires far more than simply knowing how to steer a boat
- The most delicate areas of the lagoon and the city from a navigation point of view
- Why Venice’s public transport system is unlike buses, metros or trams in any other city
- What it means to be responsible for a vessel full of passengers in a city where the “road” is made of water
- The beauty and the hidden difficulties of life as a commander
- The importance of remembering that vaporetti are an essential service for residents, workers and students
- What it means to guarantee public transport 24 hours a day, through fog, rain, high tides, events and tourist peaks
- Why wave motion is such a serious issue for Venice
- The impact of wave motion on safety, boats, landing stages, embankments and the city itself
- How overtourism affects the daily work of commanders
- The future of this profession and whether young people are interested in becoming part of it
- Which tourist behaviours make the service more difficult, and which ones would help everyone
Listen and SubscribeThis episode is an invitation to look at Venice differently.
The next time you step onto a vaporetto, you may notice the city in another way: the movement of the water, the precision of an arrival, the patience behind a crowded stop, the responsibility carried by those who keep Venice moving every day.
Listen to the full episode of Venice Talks and subscribe to the podcast to discover more stories from the people, places and voices that make Venice extraordinary.
Because Venice is not only a city to visit.
It is a city to understand.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Lorenzo Boscolo & Agostino Benvegnù from ACNL
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.4 - The Perfume Legacy of Venice. A chat with Joan Giacomin
What does Venice smell like?In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Joan Giacomin, Brand Ambassador for The Merchant of Venice, for a journey into the fragrant history of Venice. Together they …
Shownotes
What does Venice smell like?
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Joan Giacomin, Brand Ambassador for The Merchant of Venice, for a journey into the fragrant history of Venice. Together they explore how the city became a crossroads for rare ingredients, refined beauty, and perfume culture, and how scent offers a unique way to understand Venice beyond what we see.
This conversation moves through history, trade, daily life, and memory, showing how perfume was woven into the story of the Serenissima and how that legacy still lives on today.
Show key notes
- Meet Joan Giacomin of The Merchant of Venice
- Venice and its historic role in the world of perfume
- The trade routes, spices, and precious raw materials that passed through the city
- Rare ingredients, trade, and the global reach of the Serenissima
- Fragrance in Venetian beauty, ritual, and daily life
- The scents that best capture historic Venice
- The Merchant of Venice and perfume heritage today
- Why scent is such a powerful storyteller
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Joan Giacomin Brand Ambassador for The Merchant of Venice
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.6 - Inside a Leather Workshop: Tools, Time, and Texture. A chat with Shanti Ganesha from Meracu
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica meets Shanti Ganesha, founder of Meracu, a contemporary leather workshop in Venice.We talk about the first moment leather felt like a language, the leap that led to …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica meets Shanti Ganesha, founder of Meracu, a contemporary leather workshop in Venice.
We talk about the first moment leather felt like a language, the leap that led to opening a workshop in 2022, and how living between Venice and India shapes a design identity that feels built into every piece, not added on.
From material to method, we explore how a hide is chosen, what certified vegetable tanned leather changes over time, and why some steps cannot be rushed. We also get into the unseen side of independent craft: refusing serial production, learning to say no, and answering the question every artisan hears sooner or later, “Can you make it exactly the same?”
A conversation about hands, time, and integrity, with Venice as a living backdrop where making still means something.
Show key notes- Shanti Ganesha, founder of Meracu, on building a leather workshop in Venice (2022)
- Between Venice and India: how heritage becomes structure, not decoration
- Choosing a hide, reading grain and scars, and working with certified vegetable tanned leather
- The slow step you cannot rush and the signature gesture that reveals the maker
- Refusing serial production, learning to say no, and answering “Can you make it identical?”
- Looking ahead: collaborations, apprentices, and a five year vision for the workshop
Call to action🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Shanti Ganesha from Meracu
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.5 - Thinking Venice, Teaching the World with Warwick Venice Centre
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Bryan Brazeau, Academic Director of the Warwick Venice Centre, to talk about what happens when a university and a city begin to think together.We explore …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Bryan Brazeau, Academic Director of the Warwick Venice Centre, to talk about what happens when a university and a city begin to think together.
We explore Venice not as a setting, but as a working intellectual environment, and Warwick not simply as an institution abroad, but as a way of approaching knowledge through place, daily life, and lived experience.
Episode key notes:
- What Warwick and Venice genuinely have in common beneath the surface
- Why Venice works as a living classroom rather than a historical backdrop
- How place shapes academic thinking, research, and teaching
- The experience of studying and teaching with the city, not around it
- The dual identity of the Warwick Venice Centre, both local and international
- What students carry with them after living and learning in Venice
- A shared love for Venetian cuisine, and how food becomes another way of understanding the city
- Why eating, cooking, and sharing meals are part of truly living Venice
- The value of intellectual distance, and why studying elsewhere matters
- Looking ahead: the future of the Warwick Venice Centre and place-based education
A conversation about learning, location, and culture, where ideas, flavours, and stories move slowly and stay longer.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Prof. Bryan Brazeau from Warwick Venice Centre
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.4- Where Lace Holds Time - A chat with Sergio Vidal
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Sergio Vidal of Atelier Martina Vidal Venezia, a family atelier that has safeguarded the art of Burano lace for four generations.They talk about patience as a …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Sergio Vidal of Atelier Martina Vidal Venezia, a family atelier that has safeguarded the art of Burano lace for four generations.
They talk about patience as a creative act, about heritage that does not live in museums but in the hands of artisans, and about the quiet strength required to carry an ancient craft into the present without losing its soul.
This conversation moves through memory, responsibility, beauty, and the fragile power of thread that, stitch after stitch, still tells the story of Venice.
Listen slowly. Venice is speaking softly.
Episode key notes- The Vidal family history and the roots of their lace tradition in Burano
- What it truly means to preserve a craft that cannot be rushed
- The balance between tradition and innovation inside the atelier
- The role of artisans in keeping Venice culturally alive
- Why Burano lace is far more than decoration or souvenir
- The human and emotional side of working with a centuries old technique
- The future of lace and why younger generations should care
If you love Venice, craftsmanship, and the stories behind the hands that make beauty possible, this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Sergio Vidal from Atelier Martina Vidal
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.3 - Not Just Churches, Not the Usual Venice with Monica Gambarotto
Beyond the Facade: Not Just ChurchesIn this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Monica Gambarotto for an informal conversation that drifts away from the usual itineraries and into a quieter …
Shownotes
Beyond the Facade: Not Just Churches
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Monica Gambarotto for an informal conversation that drifts away from the usual itineraries and into a quieter Venice.
Together, they explore five churches that rarely make it onto must see lists, yet reveal something essential about the city. These are not monuments to rush through, but places shaped by neighborhoods, communities, silence, and time.
This is a walk through Venice when the crowds thin out, where churches are not just places of worship, but mirrors of everyday life, forgotten histories, and layered identities.
Listen slowly. Venice is speaking softly.
Episode key notes- Why Venetian churches still matter beyond faith and tourism
- What it means to look past façades and guidebook highlights
- Madonna dell’Orto and the idea of the neighborhood church
- Tintoretto, daily life, and sacred spaces that feel lived in
- San Sebastiano and the power of a single artistic voice
- How Veronese transforms a church into a continuous visual story
- San Francesco della Vigna as a place of balance, silence, and authority
- Architecture as a language of power and restraint
- San Pietro di Castello, once Venice’s cathedral, now far from the spotlight
- Geography, distance, and the feeling of being outside the usual Venice
- San Giorgio dei Greci and Venice as a crossroads of cultures
- What lesser known churches reveal about identity, imperfection, and belonging
- How slowing down changes the way we see Venice
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Monica Gambarotto
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (2 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.2 - The Language of Engraved Glass. A chat with Matteo Seguso
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Matteo Seguso, Murano glass engraver, to explore the world of engraved glass, craftsmanship, and time.The conversation moves inside the workshop …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Matteo Seguso, Murano glass engraver, to explore the world of engraved glass, craftsmanship, and time.
The conversation moves inside the workshop and the gesture. We talk about engraving as a language, about the discipline of the hand, and about what it means to carry a centuries-old craft into the present without turning it into nostalgia.
From Murano to the international stage, this episode reflects on tradition as a living practice, on the responsibility of making by hand today, and on why glass, when worked slowly, still has stories to tell.
Key Notes- Murano glass engraving and its role today
- Working glass by hand: time, discipline, and precision
- Tradition as a living, evolving practice
- Craftsmanship versus mass production
- The relationship between material, gesture, and identity
- Teaching and passing on knowledge
- The future of handmade work in a fast, digital world
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Matteo Seguso
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (2 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S4 Ep.1 - What Is On in Venice in 2026: The Events You Should Know with RomInVenice
Venice never stands still. It simply changes rhythm.In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Romena Brugnerotto to walk through Venice’s 2026 cultural calendar, one month at a time. From …
Shownotes
Venice never stands still. It simply changes rhythm.
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Romena Brugnerotto to walk through Venice’s 2026 cultural calendar, one month at a time. From the first signs of Carnival to the quiet glow of Christmas, this conversation follows the city as it moves through exhibitions, festivals, celebrations, and shared rituals.
No lists to memorise, no pressure to see everything. Just a clear, human overview of what will shape Venice in 2026, told through events that matter and moments that define the year.
Whether you live in Venice, return to it often, or are planning your next visit, this episode is an invitation to listen closely and choose your own season.
Key Notes- How Carnival opens the cultural year in Venice
- The most anticipated exhibitions and art spaces of 2026
- The Biennale across art, dance, and music
- Summer concerts in Piazza San Marco
- Cinema, craftsmanship, and creativity in early autumn
- Fashion, glass, and design in the quieter months
- Christmas in Venice and the city’s winter mood
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Romena Brugnerotto from RomInVenice
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (2 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S3 Ep.20 - Not Just Canals — The Museums That Make Venice Breathe
Venice is a museum without walls — but behind her doors, each palace tells a different story.In this episode, Monica takes you through the city’s most fascinating museums — places where beauty, history, and …
Shownotes
Venice is a museum without walls — but behind her doors, each palace tells a different story.
In this episode, Monica takes you through the city’s most fascinating museums — places where beauty, history, and imagination still breathe.
In this episode:
- 🕯️ Ca’ Rezzonico — the Museum of Eighteenth-Century Venice, where frescoes, chandeliers, and candlelight revive the world of Tiepolo and Longhi.
- 🎭 Casa di Carlo Goldoni — the intimate home of Venice’s great playwright, filled with laughter, marionettes, and the rhythm of daily life.
- 💎 Palazzo Mocenigo — a sensual journey through silk, scent, and Venetian elegance.
- 🌙 Palazzo Fortuny — Mariano Fortuny’s poetic atelier, where fabric, light, and invention meet.
- 🏛️ Palazzo Grimani — a Renaissance collector’s dream, filled with myth, marble, and classical echoes.
- 📚 Fondazione Querini Stampalia — art, architecture, and reflection in perfect balance, with Carlo Scarpa’s serene touch.
- 🦴 Museo di Storia Naturale — fossils, skeletons, and the living science behind the lagoon.
- 🎨 Ca’ Pesaro — a Baroque palace reborn as a home for modern art, where Klimt, Rodin, and Boccioni share space with the shimmer of the Grand Canal.
- 🪞 Palazzo Cini Gallery — an elegant Dorsoduro haven of Renaissance treasures, from Botticelli to Piero di Cosimo.
- 🧵 Museo del Merletto, Burano — a hymn to patience and grace, where women turned thread and air into lace.
💬 A gentle walk through palaces, studios, and stories — discovering the many ways Venice keeps her art alive.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (2 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S3 Ep.19 - Venice in Leather: Stories of Craft and Renewal with Marco Cammozzo
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Marco Cammozzo, founder of MC Leather, to explore the fascinating world of Venetian leather craftsmanship — where ancient techniques meet sustainable …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Marco Cammozzo, founder of MC Leather, to explore the fascinating world of Venetian leather craftsmanship — where ancient techniques meet sustainable innovation.
From the scent of tanned hides to the rhythm of skilled hands, Marco shares how his work blends tradition, creativity, and environmental awareness in a modern Venice that still beats with artisan spirit.
✨ Key points from the conversation:
- The story of MC Leather and its deep Venetian roots
- How craftsmanship and sustainability can truly coexist
- The transformation of raw material into timeless design
- The role of artisans in preserving Venice’s identity
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Marco Cammozzo from Mc Leather
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.
💌 Want to share your own Venice?
Send me a short audio clip (2 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at [email protected].
S3 Ep.18 - Venice in Shadow: Inside the Venice Noir Festival
Venice wears many masks — some glittering, some dark.In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with David Hewson, Philip Gwynne Jones, and Gregory Dowling, the brilliant minds behind the Venice Noir …
Shownotes
Venice wears many masks — some glittering, some dark.
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with David Hewson, Philip Gwynne Jones, and Gregory Dowling, the brilliant minds behind the Venice Noir Festival. Together, they unravel how mystery, crime, and the haunting beauty of the lagoon intertwine to create a festival unlike any other.
From the secret alleys that whisper of centuries past to the logistical labyrinth of organising a noir event in the world’s most theatrical city, this conversation dives deep into the art of storytelling, the magic of place, and the pulse of Venice itself — elegant, elusive, eternal.
🗝️ Show Key Notes:- The origins and vision behind the Venice Noir Festival
- Why Venice is the ultimate noir city — beauty and danger intertwined
- How three celebrated authors became cultural curators
- The delicate balance between tourism, art, and authenticity
- Writing Venice: how the city itself becomes a living, breathing character
- The challenges of organising a festival on the water (and under the fog!)
- The future of noir in Venice — and beyond the lagoon
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: David Hewson, Gregory Dowling and Philip Gwynne Jones
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform — and do not forget to follow, rate, and share to keep the stories of Venice alive in every shadow and reflection.
S3 Ep.17 - Singing Venice to the World with Giada Valenti
🎙️ Episode DescriptionIn this episode of Venice Talks, Monica welcomes Giada Valenti, the Venetian-born singer whose career has brought the spirit of Venice and the language of love to audiences around the …
Shownotes
🎙️ Episode Description
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica welcomes Giada Valenti, the Venetian-born singer whose career has brought the spirit of Venice and the language of love to audiences around the world. Known for her romantic voice and elegant stage presence, Giada shares the journey that took her from the quiet canals of her childhood to the bright lights of international stages.
Together they talk about Venice as an endless source of inspiration, the universal power of music to connect people, and why romance continues to matter today more than ever.
This is a heartfelt conversation about music, passion, and carrying Venice in your soul no matter where life takes you.
✨ Show Key Notes
- Growing up in Venice and discovering music
- Giada’s path from the lagoon to international stages
- Love and romance as the heart of her artistry
- How audiences in America and Europe listen differently
- The importance of storytelling through music
- Venice as muse and constant companion
- Future dreams and projects inspired by her hometown
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Giada Valenti, singer
📌 Listen & Subscribe
Do not miss this intimate and inspiring episode with Giada Valenti.
👉 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and remember to subscribe, rate, and share Venice Talks so you will always be part of the stories that keep Venice alive.
S3 Ep.16 - Radio Across Borders: The First Russian Voice in Venice with Regina & Katerina
In this episode, Monica meets two extraordinary women who brought the rhythm of the East to the heart of the lagoon.Katerina, from Russia, and Regina, from Kazakhstan, met by chance in Venice — and chose to …
Shownotes
In this episode, Monica meets two extraordinary women who brought the rhythm of the East to the heart of the lagoon.
Katerina, from Russia, and Regina, from Kazakhstan, met by chance in Venice — and chose to stay.
Together, they created Venetians (By Choice and By Occasion), the very first Russian-language radio show on Radio Ca' Foscari.
Their story is one of identity, migration, and transformation — a testament to how Venice can welcome, inspire, and redefine belonging in the most unexpected ways.
🔑 Key Show Notes:
- Meet Katerina and Regina: their journey from Russia and Kazakhstan to Venice
- How a casual meeting in the lagoon turned into a life-changing friendship
- Behind the scenes of Venetians (By Choice and By Occasion) on RCF
- What it means to be "Venetian" without being born in Venice
- Finding a voice — and a purpose — in a new language and a new land
- Cultural integration, unexpected challenges, and proud moments
- Why Venice has a magnetic pull on those who come from far away
- The role of language, radio, and community in feeling at home
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Regina & Katerina from Venetians by Choice & by Occasion
🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform!
🌟 Follow and subscribe to Venice Talks to never miss an episode filled with voices, stories, and secrets of La Serenissima.
📩 And do not forget to share it with fellow lovers of Venice — wherever they may be.
S3 Ep.15 - The Whole Story, Saving Venice: A Conversation with Erica Hill from CNN
In this special episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with journalist and CNN anchor Erica Hill, who recently hosted the powerful documentary Saving Venice as part of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper …
Shownotes
In this special episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with journalist and CNN anchor Erica Hill, who recently hosted the powerful documentary Saving Venice as part of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. Together, they explore what it means to tell the story of a fragile, beloved city through an international lens.
What happens when a global media giant turns its cameras on Venice? How does storytelling impact preservation? And what was it like, for Erica, to walk through the calli and canals with a microphone in hand and a mission to share Venice’s truth?
Whether you love Venice, live in Venice, or dream of Venice — this conversation is a must-listen.
🔑 Key Show Notes:
• What inspired Erica Hill and CNN to create Saving Venice
• Behind-the-scenes moments from filming in the city
• Erica Hill’s personal impressions of Venice
• The challenge of balancing beauty with urgency in storytelling
• Reflections on overtourism, climate change, and local voices
• How media can be a force for cultural preservation
• Monica’s own perspective as a Venetian insider
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Erica Hill from CNN
✨ Listen now, subscribe to never miss a story, and follow Monica on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes of Venice’s soul.
S3 Ep.14 - Saving Il Nuovo Trionfo: A Boat, A City, A Dream - A chat with Martino Rizzi
In this new episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato steps aboard Il Nuovo Trionfo and speaks with Martino Rizzi, one of the founding members of the Compagnia della Marineria Tradizionale Il Nuovo Trionfo …
Shownotes
In this new episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato steps aboard Il Nuovo Trionfo and speaks with Martino Rizzi, one of the founding members of the Compagnia della Marineria Tradizionale Il Nuovo Trionfo. Together, they recount the extraordinary story of Venice’s last great trabaccolo — a sturdy cargo boat of the Adriatic, lovingly restored to sail once more thanks to passion, perseverance, and a deep love for the sea and the lagoon.
⚓ Key points you will discover in this episode:
- The inspiring journey of Il Nuovo Trionfo and how Martino Rizzi and the association helped bring it back to life
- The trabaccolo’s role in Venetian and Adriatic maritime history
- The challenges of restoring and maintaining such a historic vessel
- The mission and spirit of the Compagnia della Marineria Tradizionale
- Martino’s personal memories and magical moments aboard the Nuovo Trionfo
- How all of us can contribute to safeguarding this floating treasure
Set sail with Monica and Martino on a journey through wood, wind, and water — a living tribute to Venice’s seafaring soul.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Martino Rizzi from la Compagnia della marineria tradizionale Il Nuovo Trionfo
🎧 Listen now on your favourite podcast platform — and do not forget to subscribe, follow, and share this episode with fellow lovers of Venice’s history!
S3 Ep.13 - From Piazza San Marco: Designing Dreams in Precious Metal. A chat with Valeria Boncompagni
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Valeria Boncompagni, the creative force behind one of Venice’s most intimate and soulful jewelry ateliers. Nestled under the arcades of Piazza San …
Shownotes
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato sits down with Valeria Boncompagni, the creative force behind one of Venice’s most intimate and soulful jewelry ateliers. Nestled under the arcades of Piazza San Marco, Valeria's workshop is a sanctuary of emotion, craftsmanship, and timeless beauty.
A master of the ancient lost-wax casting technique, Valeria doesn't just design jewelry—she sculpts feelings, memories, and personal stories into bronze and silver. Her pieces are not made to follow trends but to follow emotions. Each creation is a wearable sculpture, infused with history, heritage, and heart.
🔑 Key Highlights of the Episode
- Valeria’s deep connection to the lost-wax tradition—and how she makes it contemporary
- The story of her family-run atelier and the legacy passed down her family
- The emotional process behind each unique piece
- How the rhythms and light of Venice shape her artistic vision
- The meaning of jewelry as personal storytelling and emotional memory
- Why Valeria views herself as both an artisan and a sculptor
- The challenges (and joys) of running a boutique art space in Piazza San Marco
- Her philosophy of slow, intentional creation in a world that rushes toward the disposable
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Valeria Boncompagni
📢 Listen & Subscribe
Love hearing stories of powerful women, Venetian artisans, and the quiet revolution of handmade art? This episode is for you.
🎧 Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, or wherever you listen.
❤️ Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review to keep Venice’s voices alive in the world!
S3 Ep.12 - When Art Pollinates a City. A chat with Judi Harvest
In this captivating episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with internationally renowned artist Judi Harvest to explore the luminous, layered world she has built between Murano’s glass furnaces and Venice’s …
Shownotes
In this captivating episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with internationally renowned artist Judi Harvest to explore the luminous, layered world she has built between Murano’s glass furnaces and Venice’s buzzing garden beehives.
Judi shares how a brief trip to Venice decades ago became a lifelong journey — one that has shaped her art, her activism, and her sense of belonging. From collaborating with Murano glassmasters to creating installations that highlight the fragility of both nature and culture, her work is a powerful blend of beauty and urgency.
This is not just a conversation about art — it’s about transformation, memory, and the deep emotional threads that connect people to place.
🔹 Key Notes from the Episode:
- How a brief visit to Venice became a lifelong artistic and personal journey
- The magic and heartbreak of working with Murano’s master glassmakers
- Why bees, gardens, and endangered ecosystems have taken center stage in her work
- The intersection of art, activism, and preservation in a city at risk
- Reflections on legacy, inspiration, and staying rooted through change
🎧 If you love Venice, art with meaning, and stories that shimmer with life, this episode is for you.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Judi Harvest
📢 Don’t forget to subscribe to Venice Talks on your favorite podcast platform — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
👉 And if this episode moved you, please leave a review and share it with fellow Venice lovers!
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