The campaign to save the Cannaregio school continues. The building is on the market for €10 million, and the first deadline has expired.
March 22, 2026
By Maria Ducoli
Their names are Amelia, Giacomo, Camilla, Fatima, Francesco, and Barnaba. They are part of a long list of names written in cursive: 80 of them, the children enrolled in the Diedo primary school who, with blue pen and notebook paper in hand, wrote a letter to the Order of the Sisters of Reparation, who, two months ago, put the building their school is housed in on Fondamenta Grimani up for sale for €10 million. The school’s fate is increasingly hanging by a thread: in recent days, an eviction order was filed in court due to the termination of the lease.
The Children’s Letter
“Good morning, we are the children of the Diedo school in Venice”, they introduce themselves. “At school we learn many things: how to read, write, do math, but also how to help each other and grow together. Our school is very important to us,” they continue, “because it’s the place where we spend so many hours of the day, where we have our friends and our teachers. Our school also has something very special: one of the few large gardens in Venice. It’s a place where we feel happy and peaceful.”
The children also say that they felt “a little sad and worried” when they learned that the building had been put up for sale, “because we don’t want to lose the place where we grow every day”. Along with the letter, there are numerous drawings which show the Diedo school with a thousand colors: the students are small and smiling, and, in the sky, the sun smiles and illuminates the garden, the scene of many games during recess.
Mobilization and Back-and-Forth
The children’s appeal comes after two months of parent mobilization and political back-and-forth.
It was January when the religious order sent an ultimatum to the municipality, which they hold “guilty” of silence and delays. The nuns grew impatient with the city, deciding to sell the property once and for all.
The mothers and fathers wasted no time, making their voices heard immediately. Always nonpartisan and apolitical, they asserted the importance of the school complex for the Cannaregio district and placed the importance of the service it provides above all else.
Of course, politics certainly entered the Diedo affair: first and foremost, the mayor took a hard line, making it known that the school would not move from its current location, even if it meant expropriating it.
Negotiations then began, not without controversy, with the timetable looming over the parties involved: the Municipality had to accept the terms of sale by March 14th and then reach a preliminary agreement by April 30th. Last week, the real estate agent handling the matter explained, the Municipality signed the lease, but it had expired and was thus postponed until October.
“They procrastinated to avoid taking responsibility, so the task will fall to the new council,” commented the real estate agent, who, he reiterates, sees no other option than purchase.
Reassurances and the Election Campaign
In short, the families have been receiving reassurances for over two months, but the families themselves say they are tired of words and are demanding action. Meanwhile, the opposition and the Municipality are pointing fingers at each other and including the Diedo case in a list of examples of “mismanagement and disinterest” by the municipal administration.
But amidst the political back-and-forth, the parents – and kids – have been left high and dry, wondering what will happen to their school. One thing, however, they know for sure: in the midst of an election campaign, two months away, no one can afford to lose a school.
Source: La Nuova di Venezia e Mestre
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