Russian culture and arts centre to be opened in Venice

VENICE (Itar-Tass) - The Apennines' first centre for the
study of the Russian culture opens on Sunday at the Ca Foscari University
of Venice, which has one of Italy's oldest and most influential
departments of Russian studies.
The opening ceremony will be attended by Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev's wife, Svetlana, Russian Minster of Culture Alexander Avdeyev,
and Italian government officials. During the ceremony, the Italian side
will hand over a certificate on the transfer of books from various
libraries in northern Italy and Papal universities of Rome to the library
of the Moscow Theological Academy.
An exhibition of the Sergei Andriaka School of Watercolours will be
opened at the university's building, the Ca Foscari Palace.
The Russian president's wife announced the decision to open the Centre
for the Study of Russian Culture and Arts in Venice early on February 16,
when she was accompanying her husband on his official visit to Italy,
which kicked off the Year of the Russian Language and Russian Culture in
Italy and the Year of the Italian Language and Italian Culture in Russia.
"I would like to specially mention the initiative providing for the
creation of the Centre for the Study of Russian Culture and Arts on the
basis of Ca Foscari University of Venice," Ms. Medvedev said at a meeting
with Italian Minister of Education Maria Stella Gelmini. In her opinion,
"the city, connected inseparably with the names of Igor Stravinsky and
Iosif Brodsky, which are of special importance for Russian culture, will
now have a permanent outpost of Russian culture."
The Centre is being created with the participation of the Fund of
Social and Cultural Initiatives headed by the wife of President Dmitry
Medvedev.
Every year the Fund of Social and Cultural Initiatives holds festivals
of Russian culture in the city of Bari, Italy, in May and December. It
organises festivals, entitled "Young Russian culture in Italy," in the
Lazio Region in summer, and the festival "Russian evenings" - in Milan in
September. The leading Russian musicians, painters and fashion designers
take part in the Milan festivals.
Over the past six years, Venice has been hosting annual Days of
Russian Culture sponsored by the Foundation entitled "Cultural Mission.
St. Petersburg - Venice." The project enjoys support of the Russian
ministries of culture and of foreign affairs, the Fund of Socio-Cultural
Initiatives, the administration of international programs, the
Venice-Russia Association, the government of St. Petersburg, and Venice's
mayoralty.
The program of this year's Days of Russian Culture, traditionally
timed to coincide with the final days of the Venice carnival, features
concerts of the chamber ensemble of St. Petersburg's Rimsky-Korsakov
musical college, St. Petersburg's Young Soloists, the State Dance Group of
the Peoples of the Caucasus, the Dagestan Youth, and the St. Petersburg's
puppet show
Along with the exhibition of the Sergei Andriaka School of
Watercolours, a photo exhibition of Darya Dostal's works will be opened in
the Palazzo delle Prigioni.
On March 7, St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre led by Boris
Eifman will perform at Venice's Malibran Theatre.