…or Venezia, from London’s early morning rains by various conveyances; car to
train to the Gatwick Aerodrome,
Airbus
[not our plane]
to Venice,
by water taxi
to the Grand Canal and,
thanks to Mr. Watson’s considerable expertise, our palazzo in sestiere San Polo –
grand indeed.
It was warmishly humid the first night and with mosquitoes, tiny mosquitoes, throughout
but the weather immediately settled in to perfection for the intensive art touristing Rick and
Sandra had in mind. After an initial trip to San Marco which, flooded, they said was the least
crowded ever [seemed pretty crowded to us, but still…], the goal was to visit as many
Tintorettos as humanly possible within the time [a week] allotted. First, though, S. Marco;
All this was to be accompanied by a parallel passion of Rick’s, the Restaurants of Venice, which rewarded us with ample and usually excellent food [generally not shown] each afternoon and evening. Our first experience in this regard came soon after our Sunday arrival at Estro, dinner for seven [the others being a colleague of his from New York, her husband and an interesting friend of theirs who divides her time and fabric business between Venice and Thailand].
Next, after San Marco’s Byzantine and other delights [as above],
came il Ridotto, anomalously sited deep in the tourist zone immediately behind the basilica
from which, after a sumptuous lunch, we subsequently fled to S. Tomá, our local vaporetto
stop, and home, for resting.
That evening it was tripping by boat and afoot to the Canareggio for a look into the
Chiesa di San Marcuola [the Tintoretto, on loan to the Accademia, had been replaced by a “bruta copia”], the ghetto and yet another dazzling dinner, this one beside one of the sestiere’s
interior canals at Osteria Anice Stellato. [Ah all these memorable meals about which I somehow managed to forget further specifics, alas…] Under the first of seemingly three full moons we
returned [afoot and a-boat] to the palazzo where I persisted in my semi-sleeplessness.
Only the beginning…far from the ongoing mockeries of Demockery across the sea, some of which hadn’t even happened yet.
More to come, indubitably.
Wowwie, I all looks incredible, even with the seasonal floods of water and tourists. MORE PLEASE!
Can’t wait to see the Tintorettos and Caravagios.
Stephen
Fantastic trip! Food, Art, Photos; you really scored!
Lions on rooftops, wonderful wallscapes and racy vaporettos all make excellent imagery. Wish I’d been there with you, can’t wait to see more and I may have to bust out my DVD of “The Italian Job” just to get a fix!
The arial view of the city and it’s watery site is one I have never seen before and it shows it SO CLEARLY. Looks almost like you were shooting the rapids on the Grand Canal. More decades ago than I like to own up to I was in Venice for Easter week. It was mobbed with various Northern Europeans (Huns and barbarian invaders all over again) but on Sunday they all miraculously disappeared (returning to Monday morning jobs surely) and the big holiday there is actually Easter Monday and there is or was a tradition of visiting one’s nearest cathedral city on that day. The city filled up with Italians from the neighboring towns and countryside and suddenly it ceased to be a museum and was just a genuine living city for the people who have always been there. Marvelous. I think we had all better go now before the oceans rise any further. So lucky of you to miss the Kavanaugh Kapers.
A luscious city…sensuous…kudos to Rick for travel expertise!
You can’t imagine how I restrained myself from going on and on about Venice, giving advice etc! So glad you are in good hands because you do have to work to find those restaurants and all of the art work that is spread around in churches and Scuole……Tintoretto was my big “discovery” on my introductory trip to Venice. I was astonished by the ceiling in Scuola San Rocco and came back early in the morning when no one was there and the guard let me lie on the floor and look at it. Eagerly await more of your chronicles!
For floor-lying await [not in the Scuola San Rocco, alas…though we did make use of the Mirrors] a further chronicle…there are several [three or four I think] in the queue but, last day in London tomorrow…more anon.
Canaletto
by
vaporetto
(why sleep in Venice?)
vaporetto2canaletto
(sleep in Venice?)
We slept, sporadically…but no Canalettos were apprehended. Sad, but true; more will ensue.