An official visit by San Marino’s Captains Regent, Gerardo Giovagnoli and William Casali, took place at the 61st Venice Art Biennale. The Heads of State, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Education and Culture, Teodoro Lonfernini, visited the Sammarinese national Pavilion on Wednesday, November 11, housed within the Tana Art Space.
The delegation also included the Pavilion’s National Commissioner, Valentina Garavini, along with several institutional representatives. They were welcomed in Venice by the Consul of the Republic of San Marino, Lorenza Mel.
At the heart of the visit was the project “Sea of Sound” by Northern Irish artist Mark Francis, curated by Luca Tommasi and produced by FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea with the support of the Secretariat of State for Education and Culture.
The Captains Regent expressed their appreciation for the works on display and for the efforts made to promote Sammarinese identity through contemporary art. The itinerary also included a visit to the exhibition spaces at the Arsenale, where part of the Biennale—titled this year “In Minor Keys”—is staged.
During the day, the Captains Regent also visited St Mark’s Basilica, where, welcomed by Professor Alberto Peratoner, they paid homage to the mosaic depicting Saint Marinus, founder and patron saint of the Republic—a work testifying to the historic and cultural ties between the Titano and Venice.
The delegation also visited the Institute of Maritime Military Studies, housed within the complex of the Old Arsenale, where military authorities illustrated the history of the facility and its current training activities.
Commenting on the visit, Secretary of State Teodoro Lonfernini underlined the significance of San Marino’s participation in the Venetian event.
“The presence today in Venice of our highest institutional authorities powerfully demonstrates the central importance this cultural project holds for the entire Country System.
I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to Their Excellencies, the Captains Regent Gerardo Giovagnoli and William Casali, for honoring our exhibition with their visit.
I am proud of the path we have taken together with FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea, whose excellence Their Excellencies were able to witness firsthand.
Their presence is, for all of us, a source of deep pride, and the numbers bear this out: our Pavilion has recorded an extraordinary turnout of visitors, confirming that we have succeeded in offering a project of the highest credibility, quality and appeal.”
Valentina Garavini, National Commissioner of the Pavilion, also highlighted the results achieved by the exhibition and the collaborations launched during the months of the Biennale.
“The project by the celebrated Northern Irish artist Mark Francis, the centerpiece of the National Pavilion, has been warmly praised by critics, who have commended San Marino for bringing painting back to the Biennale. A particularly significant figure has been the vast number of visitors who have passed through this space.”
Garavini also recalled several initiatives connected to Sammarinese participation, including a visit by fifth-year students from the Scuola Secondaria Superiore and the collaboration launched between Venetian glassmakers and San Marino’s stonemasons.
“This is the beauty of art: it has the power to regenerate and reinvent itself. I wish to extend my sincere recognition to Secretary of State Lonfernini for giving substance and value to all of this, made possible thanks to the organization of FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea and the dedication of Consul Lorenza Mel.”
Also commenting on the outcome of the Biennale participation were Alessandro Bianchini, Roberto Felicetti and Vincenzo Rotondo of FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea, which financed and organized the project.
“Today’s visit by San Marino’s highest institutions to the national Pavilion, featuring the Sea of Sound project that we financed and organized, is a source of pride and a recognition of the professionalism behind a quality project that carries San Marino’s name into the foremost international dialogue on contemporary art—the Venice Biennale.”
Representatives of the Institute went on to highlight the visitor figures, noting that attendance had doubled compared to the previous edition.
“Today’s visit underscores the success of this exhibition, which has seen the number of visitors to the national Pavilion double compared to the previous edition.”
The project will also continue on Sammarinese soil. “Sea of Sound” will in fact be staged again in San Marino from December 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027, as part of the ongoing collaboration between FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea and the Secretariat of State for Education and Culture.
