Luca De Michelis' Venice picks

Venice during Biennale week can feel like one long art queue with a spritz attached. That is the problem Luca De Michelis is trying to solve. On May 1, the Marsilio Arte chief laid out his own Venice map — not the blockbuster-pavilion version, but the city he thinks people miss when they rush between openings. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Who is Luca De Michelis? He runs Marsilio Arte, the Venice-based company that publishes art books, manages museum bookshops, and helps organize exhibitions. So his recommendations are not random local tips — they come from someone whose day job sits right inside Venice’s cultural machinery. (marsilioarte.it)ng, and wandering outside the main Biennale circuit. The piece was published by The Art Newspaper on May 1 and framed as advice for people coming to Venice for the 2026 edition but wanting something slower and more local once they leave the Giardini and Arsenale. (theartnewspaper.com)ice-beyond-the-biennale)) ### Why does this land right now? Because the 61st Venice Biennale opens to the public on May 9, with preview days on May 6, 7, and 8. That means the city is about to fill with curators, collectors, artists, press, and tourists all at once. A guide to “what else to do” is not side content this week — it is survival gear. (([theartnewspaper.com)rd? Not the grand, checklist Venice. More the tucked-away version — artisan shops, neighborhood food stops, and museums that reward patience. The standout example in the published excerpt is Palazzo Grimani, which he calls a rare gem, especially for its Tribuna, a room packed with marbles and restored with support from Vene(labiennale.org)rist, but anti-rush. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why Palazzo Grimani? Because it fits the argument perfectly. The Biennale trains people to move fast — pavilion, vaporetto, collateral show, repeat. Palazzo Grimani asks for the opposite. It is a Renaissance palace where collecting itself becomes part of the architecture, and the reward is not scale or spectacle but concentration. Think of it as the palate cleanser after a day of art overload. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Is this part of a bigger Venice trend? Yes — and that is what makes the list useful beyond one executive’s taste. A lot of 2026 Biennale coverage is pushing outward from the official exhibition into the rest of the lagoon, including islands, foundations, and smaller venues. Artsy also just published a local-tips package(theartnewspaper.com)as a hallway between art events. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why does that matter for the Biennale itself? Because the Biennale is never only inside the Biennale. Even this year’s edition — “In Minor Keys,” the exhibition conceived by Koyo Kouoh before her death in 2025 — spreads across official venues and the wider city. The more Venice becomes part of the experience, the more valuable these side-door guides become. They help turn a prestige art trip into actual time in Venice. (theartnewspaper.com) ### So what is the real takeaway? De Michelis is selling a pace as much as a place. His Venice picks matter because they push against the usual Biennale reflex — consume, post, move on. A week before the crowds arrive, that is a pretty sharp reminder that the best part of Venice is often what happens after you stop chasing the main event.