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Russian donors contribute one mln euro to rescue flood-stricken Venice

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio earlier issued an appeal to the country’s embassies abroad

© EPA-EFE/Andrea Merola

ROME, November 18. /TASS/. The Italian Embassy in Russia has raised one million euro in donations to deal with the aftermath of a long stretch of floods inundating Venice with some of the highest peak tides since records began about a century and a half ago, Italian Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano told the ANSA (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata) wire service on Monday.

According to the news agency, the donations came from Russian nationals. In addition, on Tuesday, the diplomatic mission will launch the "Venice solidarity" campaign, which will kick off with a concert by renowned Russian conductor, Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev.

Read also

Russia ready to help Venice after record flooding

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio earlier issued an appeal to the country’s embassies abroad. According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, the assistance does not have to be financial.

Last week, Venice found itself submerged under some of the worst flooding in over 50 years, with the exceptional tide peaks, otherwise known as acqua alta, hitting nearly 1.9 meters on November 13. St. Mark’s Basilica and other key tourist sites were under water. Schools, museums and theaters, including La Fenice, were closed for almost a week. Local authorities estimate the damage at around 1 bln euro. The government earmarked 20 mln euro to deal with the aftermath of the floods.

At the same time, the Mayor’s Office of Venice, the Ministry of Culture and some other institutions announced a fundraising campaign. The La Scala and Arena Di Verona theaters transferred the proceeds from ticket sales for their performances held over the weekend to La Fenice.

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