Greece Goes To Venice Architecture Biennale

1960 Xenia Hotel, Nafplio. Photo © Ioannis Triantafyllidis, Source: Photographic Archives of Benaki Museum

Greece will showcase its architectural heritage to the world at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition “La Biennale di Venezia,” which officially opens on 7 June in Venice, Italy.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni. Photo: ADDMA

The Greek participation at the La Biennale di Venezia is entitled “Tourism Landscapes: Remaking Greece” and explores the role of tourism as a vehicle of modernization through the development of constructed tourism landscapes: hotels and resorts, organized beaches, archaeological sites and museums, public space designs and infrastructure facilities.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni will inaugurate the Greek pavilion on Friday 6 June.

According to Mrs. Kefalogianni, the La Biennale di Venezia exhibition is an ideal opportunity to promote Greek tourism through its rich architectural heritage.

“We are interested in showcasing the cultural, architectural and natural features of each region. We aim to create a unique tourism identity for Greece,” the Greek tourism minister said.

The Greek pavilion will present the architectural production of tourism landscapes in Greece in the last 100 years. A section on the country’s renowned Xenia hotels will be included.

The pavilion will also showcase new projects/proposals of 15 Greek and foreign architects for a tourism inhabitation in a Greek sea-side landscape. The 14th International Architecture Exhibition will run until 23 November 2014.

While in Italy, Mrs. Kefalogianni will visit the Greek National Tourism Organization office in Milan and meet with Italian tourism professionals. Her agenda will also include interviews to the Italian media.