Episodes

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 abou...

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 p...

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...

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, inclus...

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. Sar...

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 experien...

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 itse...

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, fille...

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 pe...

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 sto...

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 rush...

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 surf...

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 th...

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...

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 prac...

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 202...