Lo Squero Auditorium
Lo Squero is an auditorium on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, created within a former squero — the traditional Venetian workshop where boats were built and repaired. Converted by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini into a concert hall, it hosts chamber music and recitals in a setting whose great window opens directly onto the lagoon, framing the water as a backdrop to the stage.
At a glance
- Type
- Auditorium and concert hall in a former boatyard
- Period
- Historic squero; converted and opened 2016
- Style
- Adaptive reuse of a Venetian boatbuilding workshop
- Location
- Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.4291° N, 12.3457° E
Overview
Lo Squero stands on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, part of the cultural complex of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini facing the basin of San Marco. A squero was the type of shed in which Venetian rowing boats and gondolas were built; this one was adapted into an intimate auditorium. Concerts here are distinguished by the panorama of the lagoon visible behind the performers.
History
The Cini Foundation has restored the former Benedictine monastery on San Giorgio Maggiore as a centre of culture since the mid-twentieth century. The disused boatyard on the island was reborn as a concert venue, opening as Lo Squero in 2016. Its musical programme is associated with the foundation’s chamber-music seasons.
What you see
The hall retains the simple, timber-framed character of a working boat shed, with raked seating facing a stage set before a large window onto the water. As ensembles perform, passing boats and the changing light of the lagoon become part of the experience. The intimate scale suits string quartets and small chamber groups.
Cultural significance
Lo Squero is a notable example of adaptive reuse, returning a vanishing type of Venetian working building to active life. It extends the Cini Foundation’s role as a centre for music and the arts on the lagoon.
Practical information
The auditorium operates on a seasonal concert programme. Check the official Fondazione Giorgio Cini website for the current calendar, tickets and access information.
Getting there
The island of San Giorgio Maggiore is reached by the Venice public waterbus (vaporetto), a short crossing from San Marco. Lo Squero lies within the Cini Foundation complex on the island.
Sources & resources
Further reading: San Giorgio Maggiore on Wikipedia. More cultural heritage destinations at culturalheritageonline.com.