Get lost in a labyrinth located in the heart of a city that is also a labyrinth. AND be accompanied on that magical journey that is the Borges Labyrinth on the island of San Giorgio, in Venice, by a suite in four movements performed by the orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice. Suite that will be heard in the multilingual audio guides of visitors along the walk through the winding of the labyrinth. Amplifying the beauty and charm of its paths. Ten years after its construction, which took place in 2011, the enchanting Borges Labyrinth of the Giorgio Cini Foundation opens to visitors for the first time. Accompanied by new and evocative music by Antonio Fresa. Think ad hoc for this experience and performed and recorded by the Orchestra della Fenice.
The maze, built by the Cini Foundation based on a project by the English architect Randoll Coate for the widow Borges, Maria Kodama, was a way to remember the writer's great love for Venice. “This labyrinth is a wonderful project - writes Maria Kodama - a magical gift that gave me… Randoll Coate, an English architect of labyrinths who met Borges many years ago in Argentina. This labyrinth was created here in Venice because Venice was one of the most loved cities or one of the most loved by Borges. It is a labyrinth city, a unique city of subtle and wonderful delicacy and complexity, with an equally wonderful history ”.
Ten years after its construction, the Borges Labyrinth opens to the public. It is made up of over 3200 boxwood plants
The Labyrinth is inspired by the story of Jorge Luis Borges The garden of the forking paths, and is composed of more than 3200 boxwood plants ninety centimeters high. It winds for a kilometer behind the two cloisters of the Foundation. The first designed by Andrea Palladio and the second designed by the Buora brothers. The Labyrinth is one of the places of'Island of San Giorgio which exerts more fascination on visitors. Until now it had only been possible to admire it from above, from the terrace of the Branca Center.
An unmissable experience, however, because it allows you to discover all the symbols that pay homage to Borges. Seen from above, it looks like an open book, dotted with references to the works of the Argentine writer. A stick, mirrors, two hourglasses, a huge question mark, the tiger, the name Jorge Luis and the initials of his wife Maria Kodama. The name Borges can also be read by looking at the arrangement of the hedges as if it were ideally written on the pages of this book.
Three anniversaries are celebrated with the opening of this fascinating open-air museum
The opening to the public is symbolically linked to three anniversaries. The tenth anniversary of its creation, the 35th anniversary of the death of Borges, and the 70th anniversary of the Giorgio Cini Foundation. The Labyrinth represents a fascinating open-air museum place, with the idea of walking along it almost losing one's orientation. But it is only an idea, the result of the sensation of vertigo that these places inspire. In reality we get lost but then we find ourselves, we get disoriented but then here is the way out not far away. The opening of the Labyrinth is part of the enhancement of the many museum areas that distinguish the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, home of the Cini Foundation. An arm of the lagoon divides it from San Marco, yet this short distance is enough to make it a reserved, quiet, almost mystical place. With a truly unique and extraordinary view of San Marco. In San Giorgio one is in a certain sense out of that world and yet very close.
The idea ofmusical accompaniment, Walking The Labirint, is part of the overall project of the D'Uva company which already manages the reception activities and guided tours of the Cini Foundation, the wood with the Vatican Chapels and the Labyrinth. And who is also responsible for the San Giorgio Café, the island's bistro. The musician Antonio Fresa, known for many film and TV soundtracks, recorded the suite at the Malibran Theater in Venice conducting the Fenice Orchestra. From this experience a record was born, The Borges Labyrint & Vatican Chapels Live, a Soundtrack Experience, just released in stores and on all digital platforms.
The Borges Labyrinth, with its incredible immersive atmosphere, can be visited every day, except Wednesdays. Visits can be booked on visitcini.com, where in addition to timetables, tours of the Giorgio Cini Foundation and the Vatican Chapels are available, with proposals for experiences that also include a stop at the San Giorgio Café. For information or communications: [email protected]
(ph credit: Matteo De Fina Courtesy of Cini Foundation)
