Post date: Oct 02, 2012 2:32:34 AM
Our team will be studying the negozi (shops) and alberghi (hotels) in Venice. We are compiling and organizing the data gathered in past years and will be gathering new data that will serve as the baseline for future projects. After we gather all of the data, we will analyze it and see how the changes in the stores and accommodations correlate with the changes in the population and number of tourists in Venice.
Our project has the potential to be very helpful to the city of Venice and to future studies of Venice. Venice has been suffering under several problems in recent years. Its population has been declining steadily while the number of tourists and the cost of living have been rising rapidly. One way to visualize this change is by looking at the changes in the negozi and alberghi. We will create a database with up-to-date information on all of the stores so the policy makers of Venice will be able to see the number of stores catering to the local population. If there is a lack in any part of the city (maybe with a supermercato), the government will be able to create a policy that will establish a supermarket in an area that is easily accessible. As a result, the aging residents of Venice will not have to walk long distances in order to get the food they need to survive. Our project can also benefit the residents of Venice by providing webpages for every store and business in Venice. If certain local businesses do not have any exposure, our website will put them on a map and help direct people to their store. All of these benefits hinge on our completing our fieldwork.
It is very important that we finish all of the fieldwork for our project while we are in Venice. For the fieldwork, we will catalogue each and every store and accommodation in Venice. This means that we will go through every street of every sestiere, collecting data on stores and accommodations from the panetterie (bakeries) to the alberghi. I am looking forward to this part of the project. Since we will be going throughout the entire city, we will be able to see and experience everything Venice has to offer. It is a chance to practice the Italian that we have picked up in the US and to get a real experience of the Venetian culture. I can’t wait to discover hidden gems in Venice, including beautiful edifici and giardini. Although it might be easy to get lost in Venice, I have read that the people there are very friendly and would be willing to help out someone in need. My goal isn’t to see all of the famous places in Venice. I want to help the Venetian people and to find places that are quiet and not crowded with tourists. In those quiet places, my team and I will be able to experience Venice like regular Venetians and understand what their life is really like. Although there will be obstacles to our project like acqua alta (high water) and crowds of tourists, I believe that becoming a part of Venice and its culture will overcome them. The outward environment of Venice might prove difficult, but the inner beauty, the Serenissima Repubblica itself, will encourage us and we will accomplish our goals.
Ben Bruso