Raised by the Lagoon: An Interview with Giorgia Fazzini

On the occasion of Earth Day, Venice by Venezia met with Giorgia Fazzini – a Venetian geographer – for a conversation that weaves through the lagoon, collective vision, and a sporting approach to life and the future.

The opportunity for dialogue arose during the shoot for the 24/25 Third Jersey, which was partially set along the Sentiero delle Barene on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo — a site rich in biodiversity and memory, protected by the associations Archeoclub di Venezia and Ekos Club, the latter of which Fazzini serves as president.

From the lagoon to projects across Italy, Fazzini today works in management, communication, and creativity, collaborating with the third sector, businesses, and public institutions. Through the Ecomuseo dei Lazzaretti Veneziani, she leads a participatory urban regeneration project that has brought life, meaning, and shared purpose back to an island of the Venetian Lagoon with significant historical value — now also a symbol of care, environmental education, and active citizenship.

Venice by Venezia: Venetian, geographer, passionate about sport and landscapes – can you tell us about your earliest memories of the lagoon and of the “campo,” both as a space for play and as physical ground in the unique context of Venice?

Giorgia Fazzini: Being born and raised in the lagoon is a privilege. Venice can be a magical planet for children, and in the '80s and '90s it was a city full of space and a nurturing social fabric: we left the house with a key, a phone token, and a return time. We moved freely, simply, and responsibly, walked to school alone, and played in the square with friends until evening. The urban architecture was incredible – perfect for inventing adventures and figuring out how to retrieve the ball when it fell into the canal. According to environmental psychology, Venetian children show greater movement autonomy and spatial memory compared to peers, thanks to their pedestrian independence: it’s true.

Another adventure was growing up alongside the non-profit revitalization project of the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, which we helped transform from an overgrown wilderness into a participatory ecomuseum, now animated by thousands of people, initiatives, and organizations from around the world. Perched in trees, peeking at 16th-century graffiti that map Mediterranean ports in a massive building, hauling buckets full of archaeological stories… Recovering the island has been an incredible story – not always easy, but full of learning. I wish everyone could experience it. A third snapshot goes to Penzo: I’ve loved going to the stadium since I was little and for me, our waterfront stadium is the most beautiful in the world.

Venice is made of islands, but its strength lies in the archipelago. In your work and vision, how important is the sense of community in a fragmented territory like the lagoon? And how can Lazzaretto Nuovo become a model – or a laboratory – for imagining new connections between places, people, and shared practices?

I’ve never felt isolated or separated – on the contrary, for me the Venetian archipelago is an acquapelago: the lagoon connects, it doesn’t divide. It’s a living, osmotic space, more fluidly inhabitable than the mainland. I was in a boat at one week old, and my soul sits somewhere between Marco Polo and Salgari. In elementary school, I proudly rowed around canals with my oar and forcola. It’s natural for us to consider Lazzaretto Nuovo the home base of the Ecomuseo dei Lazzaretti Veneziani, which stitches together island identities – our archive is called the “Library of Islands,” our festival “Civilizations on Water.”

Alongside local relationships, we’ve built a wide-reaching network of loyal and curious supporters who follow everything we do, always surprising us with their presence and participation. The Serenissima Republic, multicultural and forward-thinking, embraced brackish logistics and made it a strength, becoming La Dominante. “Venice is its lagoon” is our existential concept – intelligent and visionary by its very nature.

What role has sport played in your personal development and in building a sense of community? And how do you bring that experience into your work today?

Being an athlete is a life approach – to me, the healthiest and most motivating one. It's a constant exercise in confronting yourself and others, your limits and strengths, your body and technique, age and opportunity. Timing means patient readiness, rushing gets you nowhere. Team sports teach, between discipline and forgiveness, that no one makes it alone, that everyone is unique but no one is irreplaceable, that respect and difference are key to the process – and fun is the fuel. It’s a beautiful mix of mind and heart, effort and luck, preparation and instinct. And of defeats and victories – bragging or complaining makes you look foolish.

I’ve always practiced various sports. Today, I’m a manager because I was a playmaker, and a leader because I had a youth coach who taught me how to manage people. I balance courage and caution because when you're a thoroughbred, they feel everything – and if you’re arrogant, they’ll throw you off. I’m not intimidated or underestimated easily because I was the only girl playing soccer with boys on the street – last to be picked at first, but not for long…

The Sentiero delle Barene is a unique space where nature, history, and participation meet. How did this path come to be, and what does environmental education mean today in such a living, breathing place?

It’s a one-kilometer walk between water, animals, and plants, where we reopened the old military patrol route along the walls of Lazzaretto Nuovo. It tells the story of the lagoon – from its formation to its risk of destruction, from the complexity of life in a meter of tide to the complementary balance between living beings. It’s incredible how everyone falls in love with it – so rich in depth, so wild. It invites silence and constantly changes.

You’ve often described the Lazzaretto as a place of “care,” even psychological care. What does caring for a place mean to you, and what can such a place give back to those who walk through it, live it, and respect it? What reflections did the experience of Covid-19 bring, lived in a place that – both symbolically and historically – was created for isolation?

Telling the story of public health and the invention of quarantine during our 2020 guided tours showed us the civic role of the project – as a key to understanding the present. People arrived on the island afraid of the pandemic and left relieved, because they had gained insight into what was happening and why we needed to follow certain rules together. It was powerful.

The island is a living example of the mutual care that can bond people and places: because caring for something heals you, history expands your perspective, nature rebalances you, and through collective effort, the world can change for the better. I’ve witnessed this reciprocal well-being for decades – in myself and in others – and it has become a university lab, too.

Sport teaches us ambition, commitment, and the desire to constantly improve. Looking to the future of Lazzaretto Nuovo and the Ecomuseum, what still needs to be built, strengthened, or imagined? What goals are you setting for the 50th anniversary of the association in 2027, and what contribution can this place make to the future of the lagoon and its community?

The beauty of the future is that it begins every day – and it's willpower and imagination that make the difference. The Ekos Club and Archeoclub of Venice have created, pushed, and connected. The potential is enormous. We’ve weathered different eras and administrations, reactivating a public asset and turning it into one of the top 20 most-visited cultural and natural heritage sites in Italy, studied internationally and generated real opportunities for the local area.

It’s a highly symbolic and timely space – as well as simply a beautiful one. Heritage preservation, environmental protection, and civic participation are powerful, undeniable values. I also run a government foundation – it’s like playing for the national team – and I believe serving your country is both a serious duty and a magnificent privilege.

In my childhood mythology of superheroes, between Batman and Tex Willer, was Margherita Asso, the Superintendent who believed in the island project and financed its first restorations. I remember her – elegant, in charge – sitting on the ground with us, listening and guiding. An unforgettable lesson in (female) leadership.
By 2027, it would be reasonable – and right – for the Ecomuseo dei Lazzaretti Veneziani to no longer rely solely on the dedication of its citizens, but to become a solid commitment from institutions as well.

To mark Earth Day, Venezia FC is launching a special promotion: on shop.veneziafc.it and in official retail stores, the 24/25 Third Jersey will be available at 20% off at checkout.

As previously announced with the launch of the collaboration, the Club will donate €5 for every Third Jersey sold among the first 1,500 units online to support local projects promoted by Ocean Space, an international cultural initiative based in Venice and led by TBA21–Academy, Cultural Partner of Venezia FC since 2023. Among the supported activities are also initiatives connected to the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo.

For more info visit www.lazzarettiveneziani.it and follow @lazzarettiveneziani