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| san servolo servizi
SAN SERVOLO ISLAND. HISTORY AND TRANSFORMATION San Servolo is currently the only island in the lagoon to have been recovered by a local Authority, the Provincial Authority of Venice, owner of the island. The transformation of the island - which was once a place of reclusion - into a place for training and dialogue between culture and experience, an island open to the city and designed to host cultural events, scholarly conferences and educational seminars, constitutes a unique initiative in a city where projects of recovery are often times linked to local tourism and private interests. The company San Servolo Servizi srl was established by the Provincial Authority of Venice in order to create a unified and integrated management system of all the services on the Island, in particular those of the convention centre. Its main goals include improving the space and facilities, increasing the number of users, and essentially opening the Island to the city.
It was certainly not easy to convince the city that San Servolo could be, in its new form, an important resource. It was initially a military hospital at the beginning of the 18th century, then it became an asylum for the mentally ill until 1978 when a law was passed which closed all psychiatric hospitals. Considering the Island's long history, it is clear that it was not easy to make the city of Venice believe that such a place of closure and suffering could transform itself into an open, living place, rich with cultural initiatives. Today San Servolo is dedicated to training, research and dialogue among different cultures. For some time now, two particularly interesting institutions have existed on the Island: the I.R.S.E.S.C. Foundation and the Venice International University, the latter of which draws in students from all over the world every year. Therefore a new phase in the life the Island has begun, a phase in which a wide variety of international events and conventions are hosted, and activities specifically geared for young people are promoted in order to facilitate the circulation of ideas, projects, and new professionals. San Servolo has the intention of participating in dialogue with other Venetian institutions, in order to create a virtuous web of understanding and cooperation, as well as to support and give sense and content to the integration of the Island into the urban context and the national and international setting.
The island is astonishingly beautiful. The buildings are located in a large and luxuriant park, the training and convention spaces are provided with appropriate technological and functional services, and the Study Residence Centre provides over 300 beds and adequate food services. The monumental complex, restored and excellently preserved, houses the Church of San Servolo, completed in the 18th century, an ancient pharmacy, and a medical library. The medical library and the San Servolo Madness Museum, inaugurated in 2006, are open to public visits. The library houses volumes and documents regarding the Island's history as a psychiatric hospital. Visitors coming to San Servolo, whether to participate in a conference or event, or just to visit the location, are struck by the beauty of this treasure of the Venetian lagoon.
San Servolo Servizi srl - societą unipersonale | 
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