Surviving the Heatwave in Venice

Venice has temporarily traded its reputation as an open-air museum for that of an open-air oven. Yet the city’s artistic and cultural offerings remain irresistible, especially for those who planned their Venetian escape months ago and now find themselves caught in an uncomfortable dilemma: Venice is still waiting to be explored through its extraordinary cultural offer, but at what cost?

That’s why My Art Guides has put together a selection of art spaces and exhibitions designed with survival in mind—a low-pressure, heat-conscious selection of museums, exhibitions, and pavilions where you can immerse yourself in art without dissolving in the summer heat.

Every stop has been personally tested by our team for its ability to offer some relief, whether thanks to efficient climate control, the presence of some nature or to the thick walls of Venice’s historic buildings, which naturally stay cooler and more comfortable inside.

Let’s start with the easy wins. Most of Venice’s major museums and institutions are air-conditioned—not only because visitors have come to expect a certain level of comfort, but also because many artworks require carefully controlled temperature and humidity levels to ensure their long-term preservation.

Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, the Venetian venues of the Pinault Collection, need little introduction. Chances are you’ve already heard plenty about their current exhibitions, featuring artists including Lorna Simpson, Paulo Nazareth, Michael Armitage, and Amar Kanwar. Besides offering some of the city’s most compelling contemporary art, they’re also among the safest places to escape the heat.

Another institution that needs no introduction is the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Alongside its current exhibition exploring key moments in Peggy Guggenheim’s remarkable life, the museum’s world-renowned permanent collection is preserved under carefully monitored climate conditions. Fortunately, those same conditions also provide relief for visitors—particularly the Americans still trying to understand how air conditioning can possibly be considered optional in Europe.

Staying in Dorsoduro, the Gallerie dell’Accademia are, unsurprisingly, fully climate-controlled. They also host one of the season’s most talked-about exhibitions, dedicated to Marina Abramović. Just a short walk away, Palazzo Franchetti also stays pleasantly cool. Its modern system has been carefully integrated to ensure visitors’ comfort while respecting the building’s historic architecture. Here, however, the greatest pleasure may well be the palace itself, together with the collateral exhibition “Instruments of the Mind” by pioneering conceptual artist Vyacheslav Akhunov.

Now let’s move on to another form of heat mitigation: nature. Admittedly, greenery is a rare commodity in Venice, but wherever trees and gardens manage to survive, they do their best to soften the summer temperatures—even if, on particularly scorching days, they can only do so much.

The Giardini della Biennale remain one of the city’s most pleasant outdoor refuges, thanks to their shaded areas. The pavilions themselves are something of a gamble, but we can confidently report that the Anglo-Saxon countries continue to live up to their reputation when it comes to climate control. The newly renovated Central Pavilion is also fully air-conditioned, making it one of the most reliable places to cool down during a Biennale visit.

The Holy See Pavilion, set within the Giardino Mistico dei Carmelitani Scalzi in Cannaregio, offers a different kind of respite. If you book an early morning or late afternoon time slot, you can avoid the harsh midday sun while enjoying the exhibition’s immersive sound installations in a remarkably peaceful setting.

To finish, consider heading to the recently reopened Borges Labyrinth on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. While the boxwood hedges are hardly tall enough to provide meaningful shade, the island itself often benefits from a pleasant breeze that is surprisingly rare elsewhere in the city. Better still, the labyrinth is only one of several green spaces there. And should the heat become too much, the nearby Le Stanze del Vetro and Le Stanze della Fotografia are both well air-conditioned—an ideal refuge for anyone whose energy, or blood pressure, starts to wilt before the day is over.

Another distinctly Venetian way to cool down? Churches. Built centuries ago with walls often more than a metre thick and designed to stay naturally cool, these historic spaces offer an escape from the relentless summer heat.

If you’re already on San Giorgio Maggiore, step inside the Basilica, where American sculptor Barry X Ball presents “The Shape of Time“. Set within Palladio’s architectural masterpiece, the exhibition creates a compelling dialogue between contemporary sculpture and sacred space—and the naturally cool interiors are an added bonus.

You can also seek refuge at the Kyrgyzstan Pavilion, housed in the former Church of Santa Caterina in Cannaregio, where the historic architecture provides a break from the blazing streets outside.
Finally, if you’re visiting before the end of July, don’t miss South African artist Gabrielle Goliath’s acclaimed project “Elegy“, presented at the historic Church of Sant’Antonin in Castello. The contemplative atmosphere of the church, combined with Goliath’s sound installation, offers one of the city’s most moving—and coolest—art experiences.

Speaking of churches, Lu Yang Doku’s “The Illusion” offers a rather unconventional alternative. Presented at Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia, the exhibition transforms the gallery into the setting of a fictional church, complete with a theatrical, immersive installation. The sacred atmosphere may be entirely simulated, but one thing is undeniably real: Espace Louis Vuitton is widely regarded as one of the best-cooled spaces in Venice—making it a sanctuary in more ways than one.

The newly renovated 17th-century building that now houses Scuola Piccola Zattere, on the eponymous fondamenta, is another good stop. Following its recent restoration by Fosbury Architecture, the interiors maintain a pleasantly comfortable temperature, making it an ideal place to pause during the hottest hours of the day.
The current exhibition by Rachel Youn, even hints at its own form of climate control: a series of plants animated by ingenious mechanical devices that may—or may not—produce the faintest breeze. You’ll have to visit and decide for yourself whether the effect is more poetic than meteorological.
For those seeking a more dependable cooling system, Palazzo Diedo, home to the Berggruen Arts & Culture programme, delivers with excellent air conditioning. Beyond the drop in temperature, the palace hosts an ambitious programme of contemporary exhibitions, while its upper-floor windows offer privileged views across Cannaregio from a perspective that few visitors ever experience.