April 18, 2012

5:00pm

Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice

Venice, April xx, 2012 – For the fourth year in a row, the Hotel Bauer’s cultural and hospitality vocations are crossing paths with “Incroci di Civilta’,” the International Literary Festival in Venice, which is presented by the City of Venice and Ca’ Foscari University, and will run from April 18^th to April 21^st, 2012.

The International Literary Festival’s opening night will take place at Scuola Grande di San Rocco on April 18^th at 5.00pm. During this event Francesca Bortolotto Possati, CEO and President of the BAUERs, will be presenting the Bauer – Ca’ Foscari Award to a prestigious representative of the international literary scene and to a promising young writer.

Francesca Bortolotto Possati will give this award to the famous Portuguese Neuroscientist and writer, Antonio Damasio, whose new book “Self comes to Mind” will soon be published in Italian by Adelphi Publishing. The second award will go to Ghada Abdel Aal, a young Egyptian writer whose blog has been a very powerful and supportive tool during the recent protests in the Middle East.

“The BAUERs group is very pleased to have created this award, which represents an alliance of Venice’s commercial, cultural and philanthropic aspects,” says Francesca Bortolotto Possati. “Through my involvement as spokesperson for a variety of cultural collaborations it is my hope that we will create another opportunity for Venice to be highly visible in the international community.”

Over the past years The Bauer – Ca’ Foscari award has become a highlight of the Literary Festival. In 2009 the prize was awarded to the French poet Ives Bonnefoy; in 2010 to Ludmila Ulitskaya, one of the most admired writers in the contemporary Russian scene; and in 2011 to the Nobel Prize winner V.s. Naipaul and to the promising young writer Igiana Scego.

Antonio Damasio, Portuguese: represents one of the leading figures in neuroscience today. Antonio Damasio is author of acclaimed books on memory, the phisiology of emotions and on Alzheimer desease. Together with his wife Hanna, Damasio built several research facilities in Iowa that are nowadays considered a point of reference for studies of the neural system, which are the core of the cognitive process. Antonio Damasio is also a member of various prestigious associations, such as the European Academy of Science and Arts and the American Neurological Association. He is also a member of many research associations and sits on the committes of many scientific  periodical dedicated to the study of neuroscience.

Ghada Abdel Aal was born in Mahalla al-Kubra and currently lives in Cairo. Gahda works as a pharmacist and is the founder – editor of a blog called “Wanna be a bride (http://wanna-b-a-bride.blogspot.com). This blog has received such a great amount of attention and success that an important Egyptian publishing company called Dar El Shorouk asked her to write a book about it. The novel “I want to be a bride! “ offers insight into Egyptian society. It became an immediate best seller and led to the creation of a very popular Tv series in the Arab world. Ghada’s successful blog has been a very powerful and supportive tool the recent protests in the Middle East.

The BAUERs celebrates the Gustav Klimt exhibit that is being dedicated to this renowned Viennese painter and his muse   Adele Bloch-Bauer. Klimt was first invited to Venice for the 1910 Biennial of Arts, and now his genius returns to the lagoon for a major exposition to honor the 150 anniversary of the artist's birth. The Hotel BAUER invites its guests to enjoy this unique event taking place from March 24-July 8, 2012.

Adele Bloch-Bauer was the beautiful and determined daughter of one of the most important bankers of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. She had voluminous black hair, huge dark eyes and was well known in the Twenties in Vienna for her passion for art and for Gustav Klimt, who painted her covered in gold at least four times. 

Now, Venice—its visitors and its citizens—will have the opportunity to admire Klimt's beautiful muse Adele along with other famous paintings, drawings, furniture and jewels that comprise the exhibit called “Klimt in the sign of Hoffmann and the Secession," at Museo Correr in Piazza San Marco, organized by the Civic Venetian Museums.

To celebrate this show and the coincidence of names with Adele, the Hotel Bauer in Venice will host a dinner on March 23, the opening night of the exhibit. Guests, to include the curator of the show Alfred Weidinger and new director of Muve Foundation Gabriella Belli, among others, will be feted at Hotel Bauer's restaurant De Pisis facing the Grand Canal—it will be as if Adele Bloch-Bauer and Klimt beautiful painting of her will be the real guests of honor. And for the length of the exhibit at Museo Correr, it will be as if the memory of Adele permeates the rooms of the hotel. 

These paintings had an unfortunate destiny. Adele, who was a big supporter of public museums, requested that after the death of her husband, the industrialist Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, the paintings of her by Gustav Klimt be donated to the Museum of Belvedere in Vienna. Unfortunately, the Nazi regime confiscated these in 1938, along with many other works of art. It was not until 2006 that the Klimt paintings were returned to the heirs of Adele and Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Now, Venice is pleased to give its public the chance to see these masterpieces.

This year Carnival in Venice will be more special than ever as the BAUERs Hotel in Venice will play the cards of seduction, love and surprise. From February 4th to February 21st, throughout the days of Carnival, the BBAR Lounge will transform into "The Golden Box." Special events will occur nightly, presenting vaudeville treats for late-night lovers.  On the first night, February 10th, guests will delight in an unique performance especially created for The BAUERs known as "Bauerlesque" . Lucky lovers on Valentine’s Day will be entertained by a special "San (Rodolfo) Valentino" gala dinner on February 14.

The history of the Venice Carnival tradition began after 1162. The Republic defeated Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia in that year, and began a tradition

of slaughtering a bull and 12 pigs in the Piazza San Marco around Shrove Tuesday to commemorate the victory.  The first document mentioning the use of masks dates back to 1268, and now masks have become a staple of the celebration.  One can see decorative masks all over Venice during Carnevale.

Carnival takes place in Venice during the twelve days before Ash Wednesday with many events all over the city, from improvised street shows to performances put on by the organizers.  Every year the City chooses a central idea taken from various cultural or show-biz themes. Several events take place throughout the city, from Carnival feasts and masked balls in private palaces to people in masks who happily take to the streets and squares in search of fun... It's possible to see every kind of costume, from 18th century noblewomen to the most inventive and creative modern costumes.

The heart of Carnival is Saint Mark's Square, with its huge stage for concerts and shows, but also the city's other main squares act as perfect stages for masqueraders who wish to become, at least for a few hours a year, the protagonists of another life.

The culminating moments of Venice Carnival include the Flight of the Angel, which marks the beginning of Carnival celebrations, the Water Procession, with decorated boats and masked rowers, and the final Grand Ball on Shrove Tuesday in Saint Mark's Square, with the traditional fireworks show in front of the Duke's palace (the Palazzo Ducale)

I usually spend the New Year’s Eve at THE BAUERs.
The beautiful dinner our Chef Giovanni Ciresa prepares at the DE PISIS Restaurant is not to be missed this year. He outbeat himself. There were many guests all dressed up for the occasion! and the fireworks perfect beginning of 2012!