Gianni Berengo Gardin’s Tale of Two Cities

Venice, its history, glory, and vulnerability. Gianni Berengo-Gardin, one of Italy’s major contemporary photographers, guides us on a tour to discover the real Venice, far different from the mass tourism attraction it has become. Venetian by birth, Berengo-Gardin relates his own life and 60-year career in a series of touching images. The later ones show the invasion of cruise ships in the lagoon and the threat they pose to the city’s survival. This is a call for action to protect the city’s artistic heritage and to form a grassroots initiative against short-sighted commercial interests.