Anima: si vis amari ama

“The social promotion association “ANIMA, SI VIS AMARI AMA” (If you want to be loved, love), non-partisan and non-denominational, is promoted and directed by Stefano Gorghetto Pavan. The initiative was realized together with and thanks to the fundamental and indispensable presence of several authoritative friends without whom the “ship would never have set sail.”

The founding members, in addition to Stefano Gorghetto Pavan, are: Vito Toso, Ferdinando Cendon, Stefano Freguja, Maurizio Pavanello, Vittorio Selle, and Giorgio Vescovo (see CV). All of them were born in Venice and are convinced supporters of the culture and values linked to Venetian tradition. The human and professional depth of each of them illuminates the prestigious project.

The original core quickly found new members from other highly esteemed Venetians: Fabiano Amadi, Bruno De Michelis, Manolo Guadagnino, Maria Grazia Magagnato, Maurizio Rosso, Aiace Rusciano, Roberto Tagliapietra, Lucia Tito, Lele Vianello. Others will follow.

In the name of “Venetian-ness,” the association’s goal is: to extend a respectful and gentle hand to those children and adolescents whose health is going through a difficult time. If they wish to spend a day in Venice, we will be at their disposal. They will be welcomed and accompanied by real Venetians and will see the city from a special point of view. Our city has a heart and a soul that have always been sensitive and willing to offer their embrace. The Association wishes to emphasize that healthy “Venetian-ness” fights to resist the violent wave of consumerism and the malign charm of egotism, classism, narcissism, and the very vulgar virus of, not at all Venetian, “scarseare” (seeking profit in an amoral way).

Venice has always been a reality that welcomes, accepts, integrates, and supports. Every culture has always received consideration and respect. In the social sphere, moreover, as early as the 11th century, there were powerful secular confraternities (Art and Craft Associations, Scuole Grandi, and other entities) whose principles were listed in the MARIEGOLE (mother rules), statutes created to give body, rule, and method to the concept of brotherhood and support in every field of community life. These associations were responsible for implementing social policies and assisting citizens in times of difficulty and deprivation.

Not to be forgotten is the reality of the CASSE PEOTE, which had their roots in the most popular strata of the city: they constituted a form of mutual aid, similar to an informal bank, and aimed to collect small voluntary savings to finance individual, family, or work needs.

It is this human support, this tradition, this closeness between human beings that we would like to resurface powerfully in Venice. We do this by trying to offer, within our means, moments of joyful happiness to those children and adolescents who, as previously written, are going through times of discomfort and health difficulties.

The Association plans to embrace one guest per month for the first year. After directly experiencing the difficulties of the endeavor, objectives will be recalibrated. The association will host the child or adolescent and their companion from the moment they arrive in the city. It will cover accommodation, meals, and all other expenses related to the stay.

From time to time, the guest can choose from the proposals offered by the association: see Venice from the water and stroll in a gondola through its canals, move by water taxi, visit a master glassmaker, visit some of the most prestigious museums and art galleries, visit some of the most famous churches, visit the La Fenice theater and/or the Goldoni theater, visit the Jewish ghetto and its museum, visit the Rialto Market, the church of San Marco and the Doge’s Palace, we can visit Burano, some houses on the Grand Canal, we will show how the daily life of a child unfolds, show where rowing champions train in the lagoon, the places where banks were born, we will visit at least one squero (the places where gondolas are built and repaired), we will describe what Napoleon Bonaparte did, we will try to explain the reasons for the last decline of Venice. We will show the Marciana Library, the seat of the patriarchate, emphasizing that in the 20th century Venice gave three Popes to the Catholic Church (Pius X, John XXIII, and John Paul I). We will talk about the health organization of the Serenissima in which each island had a specific function. We will show the places and home of some important people who visited, lived, and loved Venice. We mention only a few: Lord Byron, Amadeus Mozart, Giordano Bruno, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Mann, Joseph Brodsky, Richard Wagner, John Ruskin, Igor Stravinsky, William Turner, etc. Many other things could be mentioned, but we stop here. With our guests, we will establish the itinerary to follow by mutual agreement.
Our guests will receive a watercolor by the famous illustrator and cartoonist Lele Vianello and a glass artwork by master Fabiano Amadi.
When the time comes, we will take our guests to the Venice Film Festival and show them the Historical Regatta from an extremely qualified and prestigious vantage point. Naturally, our guest will be adequately accompanied and assisted.

The Association also has a sporting heart because it believes in the values that sport expresses. Athletes are the models to which young people aspire, but they often seem unattainable. Seeing them up close, getting to know them, represents one of the most frequent desires, the strongest emotion, an experience that can change a struggling young person’s life for the better. The Association will invite a sports Champion who will accompany our guest, sharing with them not only the passion for sports but also life experiences and the curiosity to discover Venice differently, together. Champions of rowing, basketball (of which Venice is one of the oldest and most glorious realities), football, and all disciplines, to fulfill a desire and allow unforgettable moments.

We believe that this contact can instill feelings of joy, curiosity, and wonder in our guests. Every Champion, in fact, represents in the human unconscious the myth of the hero who is allowed to successfully complete enterprises considered impossible, fraught with extraordinary difficulties and deadly dangers. We firmly believe that this contact can transmit great energy and instill in the young people a gladiatorial desire to fight against the difficulties they are facing.

Here are the first sports champions who enthusiastically support our initiative:

Caglieris Carlo

Former Italian basketball player, won: Gold at the Military World Championship Udine 1972, Bronze at the Mediterranean Games, Gold at the European Championships France 1983.

Fullin Mara

Former basketball player and coach, won 15 Championships, 7 European Cups, 4 Italian Cups, an Adidas Supercup, a Club World Cup, and 3 Youth Championships.

Zanette Beniamino

Freelance architect, played rugby in the first team with Metalcrom Treviso from 1964 to 1969, reaching national selections and the Italian National Team; later held managerial positions.

The Association also organizes meetings and debates on scientific and humanistic themes.

We already have scheduled for the second half of January 2026 the presentation of an essay by Prof. Aiace Rusciano. For more information, consult the events page. We will update you as soon as possible!

All those who honor Venice and its values (secularism, humanity, desire for freedom, love for beauty in all its forms… and an unbridled joy of living) have always been considered full-fledged Venetians by us. Venetian-ness is not a physical place but rather a Weltanschauung, a worldview. All those who make it their own are, for us born in Venice, brothers and fellow citizens. Venice (and Venetian-ness) does not belong to us but to all those who love and respect it through consistent actions and behaviors…

Many foreigners also live in Venice, who fight for it with enthusiasm and determination. They are and will be warmly and gratefully welcomed in Anima.