Sala Darsena

Today's Sala Darsena, once known as the PalaGalileo, was built on the base of the open-air Arena constructed during the expansion in the 1950s adjacent to the Palazzo del Cinema. When it was built, it provided seating for over 1500 people for the evening screenings of the Venice Film Festival. The laminated wood roof was built in less than 3 months in 1999, to a project by architect Enrico Valeriani, and was intended to be a temporary solution before a more radical renovation could begin. In 2014, the Sala Darsena was significantly renovated by the Biennale with the purpose of turning it into a screening room equal to the Sala Grande. The interiors and technology were updated and a foyer was built to receive the public.