Pierre Cardin, the famous French fashion designer has plans to build a billion-euro tower near Venice on an industrial site. Many of Venice's residents are up in arms wanting to protect the city's rich architectural heritage and historic skyline.
Cardin turned 90 in July and wants to honor San Bigio di Callalta a small town near Venice where he was born with the mammoth structure.
Venice's mayor Giorgio Orsoni has already given the go-ahead for the large towers called Palais Lumiere, which would include a contemporary complex that included luxury apartments, hotels, restaurants, sports facilities and education centers.
Some are concerned it will ruin the Venice skyline forever, that is famous for its architectural beauty and historic buildings overlooking romantic canals.
Alvise Benedetti, deputy head of the Venice section of Italia Nostra, a national association set up to defend the country's many monuments said to the AFP, "You cannot just turn up and decide to do something that makes no sense at all. Venice should be respected -- it is a city with more than a thousand years of history."
Defenders of the tower note that it is not being built in the historic area of Venice rather an abandoned port area. "Venice has always innovated over the centuries. It has always been able to make leaps ahead and innovate in architecture," said Venice's mayor, Orsoni to the AFP.
Some architects also believe the building will cause damage to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Venice. Well-known Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti, wrote in the newspaper Corriere della Sera. "Dear Pierre, if you want to do something for Venice, think of something else." He added, outside of New York, "skyscrapers have proved to be the negation of any city."
Pierre Cardin was born in Venice before moving to France. Cardin says that he wants the project to be done in time for the Milan Expo in 2015. Currently, the lot is full of abandoned warehouses that would have to be cleared.
The complex plans include being created out of six giant discs that are held up by three towers of different heights. With a budge of 1.5 billion and 2.0 euros part of the funds come from Cardin and part from pre-construction sale of luxury condows.
Cardin has said that the project will give work to a minimum of 5,000 workers and that the tower will not be visible from Vence.
Find out more about the tower plans here.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
