Venice or Expo: It is Up to You

The International heritage community conducted a vigorous campaign to oppose selection of Venice or the Veneto region as the site for Expo 2000, a four-month celebration planned for the turn of the millennium. The UNESCO office in Venice produced a booklet, for distribution throughout Italy and Europe, which documented the negative ecological, social, and physical impact of holding Expo in Venice. World Monuments Fund and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation funded an English-language edition of the booklet. After severe criticism from the European Parliament on the selection of Venice as the site of Expo 2000, a special session of the Italian Parliament condemned the nomination and the nomination of Venice was withdrawn on the eve of the final choice of the location for Expo 2000.