A project to photograph and write about one hundred picturesque bridges in Venice, all in one day!

(TRAVPR.COM) ITALY - February 19th, 2013 -

Cross one hundred bridges in Venice in one day??

As all Venetophiles – lovers of Venice - know, this beautiful and historic city consists of myriad of small islands connected by hundreds of picturesque bridges, most of which are centuries old. Each bridge has a story to tell about its neighbourhood, its history, the people it was named after, and its architecture.

Yet surprisingly little information about the bridges exist in English, apart from the well-known ones such as the Rialto and Accademia bridges across the Grand Canal. A tourist who stays in Venice for a few days may cross dozens of the bridges while wandering through the city, yet miss a great deal of the heritage of Venice if they’re unaware of the stories of the bridges they cross.

On 24 April 2013 Charl Durand, a photographer and writer who has visited and photographed the city on numerous occasions in the past will visiting one hundred of the most scenic bridges in Venice, photographing each and documenting its surroundings and features. The photographs will be special as he’ll be making use of special lenses, photographing them at night with the reflections in the canals, and adding special post-processing effects. He’ll be making notes on the character of the bridges such as its method of construction and the number of steps it has – something of interest to all foot-weary Venice visitors!

Charl will be documenting his Challenge day – which will start around dawn and end well into the night – through a Facebook page and Twitter updates live as he walks from bridge to bridge. This will allow people interested in the Venice to learn more about it on the spot and participate in the Challenge in a virtual way.

The result of the 100 Venice Bridges Challenge will be initially a limited edition coffee table book that will be a worthy addition to any travel enthusiast’s or lover of Venice’s book collection. Later on the book will be released on Amazon in a tourist guide format.

To raise funds for the publishing of the 100 Venice Bridges collector’s book an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign has been launched in which supporters can pledge $10, $25, $40 or $150 and receive a number of benefits once the Challenge is complete. Supporters will receive any combination of a special, one-off bridge postcard sent from Venice; a wall poster featuring photos of the bridges, e-travel guide or a signed and numbered copy of the coffee table book.

Supporting the project will help create awareness of the need to protect and take care of this unique and fragile UNESCO World Heritage Site which is being threatened by rising oceans and mass tourism.

Follow the 100 Venice Bridges Challenge on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/100VeniceBridgesChallenge, on Twitter on @100venicebridge or support the Indiegogo campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/100-venice-bridges-challenge. The project also has a blog where updates on preparations for the project will be posted – have a look at www.venice100bridges.blogspot.com.

For more information contact Charl Durand at charldurand@gmail.com.

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