Ah, Italia!

Musicians played Vivaldi atop the artist Livio De Marchi’s floating violin in the Grand Canal in Venice. Credit…Susan Wright for The New York Times

I’m so glad my friend sent me a link to this article about a giant violin floating down the Grand Canal in Venice. I mean, talk about thinking outside the box!

The entire article is well worth reading, but I was particularly touched by these paragraphs…

De Marchi named the work “Noah’s Violin,” because like the ark, it was meant to bring a message of hope after a storm, in this case a message that promoted “art, culture and music,” he said.

And…

Leone Zannovello, the president of the consortium, said that the project had revived enthusiasm at the shipyard on the island of Giudecca, where it was made, after the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic. Companies and individuals who weren’t part of the group even offered to help out, he said. “It was something that united us even more,” he said. “We worked with our hearts.”

This reminds me of stories I’ve read about how Swamiji would respond to a community crisis by launching a big expansive project. Something to raise energy, generate enthusiasm, and bring people together.