Spring in Venice

Spring in Venice has the scent of the first warm rays of sunshine on the bottom, aperitifs enjoyed in the field and the color of mimosa trees that sprout from unsuspected hidden gardens, between a church and a palace of the sixteenth century.

These are the most difficult things to tell when talking about Venice. The beauty of this island is unquestionable: its most famous attractions, the famous foreshortenings, Piazza San Marco and the gondolas between the canals are well impressed in our minds. But Venice is much more than the sum of its individual wonders, and to miss it when you take a vacation right here is a real shame.

Let yourself be guided by instinct, relax and try to recognize the essence of this particular city. Take the details, dwell on the architecture of less known buildings (many buildings, even non-noble ones, are more than five hundred years old and are still regularly inhabited by Venetians); take advantage of the spring sun rays to stop and contemplate the tranquility of a secluded little square, of an unknown canal, without the anxiety of having to visit all the most famous attractions; plan your itinerary and feel free to modify it at every step without warning, giving up without worries instagrammatissime attractions to accidentally discover lesser-known little pearls in the sestieri less traveled.

Spring blooms will awaken your attention to the many secret gardens of Venice that you can enjoy even just through a fleeting glance through gates and railings. Observe the rising and falling tides, adapt to its rhythm and identify yourself with the "breath of Venice", in its millennial balance between sea and surface.

One thing is certain, you will not regret it.

Insta Photo Walk in Venice

Tour Venice with a trendy and expert Instagrammer, discovering hidden corners without forgetting famous landmarks!

Make your visit to Venice a memorable experience capturing the real and unexpected Venice and share it on your Instagram!

Book you 2h Insta Photo Walk here

Venice from the Campanile!

A visit to Venice is not complete unless you seize the opportunity to admire the city from above...

With its 99 metres of height, St Mark’s Campanile offers the best view over the city and its lagoon! However, many visitors often skip this fascinating landmark discouraged because of long queues at the entrance, and prefer spending more time sightseeing, but you can book online your St Mark's Campanile tickets: the price includes a privileged skip-the-line entrance to San Marco Bell Tower which permits you to avoid the wastage of your precious time.

The imposing structure of the St Mark’s Bell Tower in Venice - and especially its great height – gives the profile of Venice an unmistakable symbol of greatness: the St Mark’s Campanile in Venice overlooks the entire city and the surrounding lagoon, allowing those who climb it, particularly on clear days, to enjoy far-reaching views that extend almost as far as the Alps.

Built with the purpose of serving as a beacon for sailors of the lagoon, the original Piazza San Marco Bell Tower was built on Roman foundations - probably a watch tower - and completed in 1173. After various changes and transformations over the centuries, the current form of the Campanile of St. Mark's Square Venice is in line with the architecture of the 15th century, when it was renovated and designed by Giorgio Terror, under the direction of Bartolomeo Bon. The main differences can be seen in the marble belfry, the addition of the upper structure with four faces – on which the Lion of San Marco and Venice appear - and the slender spire of bronze bearing on the tip a golden statue of the Archangel Gabriel which, placed on a turntable, acts as a wind vane. The height of St Mark’s Campanile is almost 100 m.

Each of the five bells placed in the loggia of St Mark's Campanile has a role: the 'Marangona' - the only surviving original - announced the beginning and end of the working days of the 'cormorant' (carpenters Arsenal) and meetings of the Great Council; the 'Nona' marks the south and the 'Trottiera' warned the nobles who were attending the meetings of the Great Council, and the 'Mezza Terza' informed the meeting of the Senate, and finally the 'Malefico' informed of an execution.

In the history of science, the Campanile in St Mark’s Square in Venice reached its moment of glory in 1609 when Galileo proved right here the effectiveness of his telescope.

A special mention is deserved for the loggia of St Mark's Campanile - at the base of the tower - facing the basilica, which was built in the 16th century by Jacopo Sansovino. The marble structure of the loggia is decorated with statues and portraits of classical taste that represent allegories to celebrate the Venice Republic. The loggia was also the seat of the guard of Arsenalotti, the prestigious military-corporation of workers employed in the Arsenal of Venice, who stood guard at the meetings of the Great Council. Along with the bell tower, the work of Sansovino 'separates' St Mark’s Square from the smaller St Mark’s square.

On 14 July 1902 the St Mark’s Bell Tower Venice collapsed on the square: fortunately with no casualties or serious damage to the surrounding architectural treasures, but the tower and below the loggia were almost completely destroyed. Recovering what was left of the original fragments, the San Marco Campanile was rebuilt 'where it was and how it was' - the famous phrase given by the mayor Grimani in his speech after the incident – on 25 April 1912.

For those wishing to visit Venice, the majestic St Mark's Campanile admission and Sansovino loggia remain one of the attractions not-to-be-missed.

St Mark’s Campanile opening times for skip-the-line entrance

The service is only available from 1 April to 31 October. St Mark’s Campanile Venice tickets can be purchased online up to 10 minutes before the selected entrance time.

Please note that, during the daytime, there are at least two time options available per hour (12 places available for each option) according to the time slot you choose to access the Campanile di San Marco with skip-the-line service.

10.15 / 10.30 / 10.45 am

11.15 / 11.30 / 11.45 am

12.15 / 12.30 / 12.45 pm

1.15 / 1.30 / 1.45 pm

2.15 / 2.30 / 2.45 pm

3.00 / 3.30 / 3.45 pm

4.15 / 4.30 / 4.45 pm

5.00 / 5.15 / 5.30 / 5.45 pm

6.00 pm

Campanile di San Marco ticket price: €8.00 (this ticket can be purchased only on the spot and does not include the skip-the-line access)

Campanile San Marco tickets with skip-the-line access

Full: €13.00

Concessions

Children up to 5 years old: free

From 6 to 18 years old: €9.00

PLEASE NOTE: to enjoy free admission to the bell tower, children up to 5 years old have to be held in their parents' arms. Otherwise children need a reduced ticket 6-18 years old because, as a matter of fact, they take up one of the places available in the lift.

You can go up and down the bell tower exclusively via lift: it is not possible to walk up, therefore this visit is not recommended to those who suffer from claustrophobia.

The visit to St Mark’s Campanile in Venice, Italy, will be suspended in case of unfavourable weather conditions (fog, strong wind, intense cold temperatures, ...).

For ticket holders with skip-the-line access to St Mark’s Campanile, the entrance door is located on the side of the tower connected to St Mark’s Square: once you are in front of the Campanile main entrance, you will find the door for visitors with online booking on the right. The voucher you receive at the end of the booking process contains all the instructions to help you reach the meeting place.

The online reservation for Campanile San Marco in Venice (ticket + skip-the-line service) is non-refundable: once the payment has been made, the booking cannot be changed and/or cancelled.

For reasons of force majeure (e.g. high water level) or in days with high turnout, the waiting time to go up the bell tower could last longer than expected. If such were the case, please respect the instructions given by the staff on site.

Crossing Venice Grand Canal by Gondola

Crossing the Venice Grand Canal by Gondola is a very interesting experience. Do not miss it Discover the real Venice with one of our photo walk tour . Video by Simone Padovani

The word "traghetto" means "ferry." In Venice, it describes a large gondola rowed by two oarsmen.

Half a dozen traghetto lines cross the Grand Canal, and most of them have been operated by the same families for generations.

How to ride a traghetto:

As you're walking around Venice, look for yellow or white "Traghetto" signs, or find traghetto routes on your map.

Follow the signs down to the water, where you'll find a wooden boat pier.

Board the traghetto and hand €2,-- to an oarsman. (If you don't have exact change, use a small banknote.)

Find a place to sit. (Venetians traditionally stand during the crossing, but sitting is safer if you aren't used to bobbing boats.)

When the boat arrives on the other side of the Grand Canal, exit promptly.

Two of the most reliable are:

Pescaria (Rialto fish market) - Santa Sofia (near Ca' d'Oro):

San Tomà - Sant'Angelo:

Note: Traghetti operate during daylight hours only, often with a break for lunch. There are no official timetables: The boats travel back and forth almost continuously, taking two or three minutes to cross the Grand Canal.

VENICE COSTUMES - THE ORIGIN

Up to 3,000,000 visitors visit the Carnival of Venice, Italy every year. They come from around the world to see the splendors of Venice and enjoy a centuries old carnival tradition. The Carnival in Venice began only in 1296, when a decree of the Senate declared a public holiday the day before the beginning of Lent.

The Venice Carnival characters included jugglers, acrobats, musicians and dancers. They organized all kinds of events, including performances and exhibitions absorbing so much attention that Venetians business and production activities became less important. For many centuries, the celebration of the Carnival in Venice would last six weeks, from December 26 to Ash Wednesday.

Soon a close relationship started between theatre and carnival: in fact, as well as large outdoor parties, small performances and shows of various kinds were organized in private homes, theatres and cafes in Venice. In the eighteenth century the Venice Carnival became a real institution. Visited each year by thousands of visitors, the prestigious festival of Carnival in Venice at that time reached its zenith and international recognition: the effervescent and transgressive atmosphere, the comedy, masks, spectacular shows and the public gambling house made Venice 'The magnet of Europe'.

However, the intent of the Carnival in Venice, the origins and meaning of the festival, an opportunity to vent tensions and discontentment, caused the opposite effect: the ability to completely hide one’s identity in traditional Venice Carnival costumes and fancy masks increasingly became the perfect place for theft and harassment of various kinds.

These serious excesses forced the Venetian Republic to issue a series of decrees to limit abuses and fraudulent use of masks and costumes in Venice, measures that gradually went to undermine the very essence of the Carnival in Venice and the origins of freedom and equality. After sunset, under the cover of darkness, the Venetian Carnival transgressed into something more sinister, mysterious attackers could freely commit crimes of various kinds with the certainty of impunity thanks to the anonymity guaranteed by the mask. Since 1339 a ban was decreed on Venice Carnival masks and costumes at night.

Another abuse was the opportunity to wear women’s clothes or religious costumes to break into churches, monasteries or convents and commit indecent acts and libertines. During Venice Carnival in the 15th century therefore it was forbidden to enter holy places wearing masks. The threat to the safety of the inhabitants of Venice was due to the possibility for criminals to hide weapons and other dangerous objects under Venice Carnival costumes. Numerous official documents containing the prohibition to carry objects of a dangerous nature were therefore issued. Venice Carnival 18th century also forbade travelling to the casinos with masks and carnival costumes, due to the numerous incidents in which unknown gamblers were able to escape their creditors.

With the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, a permanent ban of Venice Carnival costumes arrived, with the exception of private parties in Venetian palaces and the Ballo della Cavalchina at the La Fenice Theatre: the Venice Carnival history was hard hit and a long period of decline ensued that led to the gradual shutdown of all parties connected to it. The last Carnival in Venice is dated at 1797. The fall of the Republic at the hands of Napoleon marked the end of the long independence of Venice and the abolition of the many traditions of the Venetian Carnival for about two centuries. Only from 1967 the first parties were reorganized with parades of masks and costumes, bringing back to life traditions and the Venice Carnival history. In 1979 a program to engage the inhabitants of Venice in the Venetian festivities was drafted for the first time to return the Carnival of Venice to its origins.

Forcola

To create a fórcola, the oarlock of the gondoliers, the artisans start from trunk quarters (walnut, cherry, pear, apple, maple).

A forcola is the result of manual skills and and vision, where touch play a key role. Every bend, every elbow must allow the numerous and different movements of the oar in the water

A Forcola ( Photo by Simone Padovani)

San Giorgio Maggiore (Long Exposure)

Black and White, long exposure view of San Giorgio Island . Photo by Simone Padovani

Details

Camera Nikon D500

Filters NiSi 10 Stop

Focal Length 12.0 mm

Aperture f22

Shutter Speed 87s

ISO 100

last week High Water in Venice

This is a picture taken by Stefano Mazzola, one of the photographer of Venice Photo Walk, for Getty Images that has been widely published during last week. Including The Guardian, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Newsweek,

View of the Grand Canal

A general view of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge, seen from the rooftop of the Fondeco dei Tedeschi. Photo by Marco Secchi

Details

Camera MakeLeica Camera AG

Camera ModelLEICA M10

Focal Length35.0mm

Aperture f8

Shutter Speed1/30s

ISO1600

70 percent of Venice covered in water by flooding

Around three-quarters of the Italian lagoon city of Venice has been flooded after strong winds raised the water level by 156 centimeters (nearly 61-1/2 inches) before receding, officials said Monday.

Venice frequently floods when high winds push in water from the lagoon, but Monday’s levels were exceptional. The peak level was the highest reached since December 2008, according to Venice statistics. The last time levels topped 160 centimeters, which had been forecast, was in December 1979.

The public transport company closed the water taxi service due to the emergency, with connections remaining active only to the outlying islands. The city, built on a series of islands, deals with the high water by erecting a series of risers that permit people to circulate by foot. Residents and businesses typically reinforce doors with metal or wooden panels to prevent water from entering bottom floors.

Doge Palace - Capitals

Doge Palace, Capital n23 People of the World "Ongari" Hungarians - Next to Tatars and Turks
During a photo walk in Venice this morning.

#venice #photowalk #tour #luxurytravel #slowtravel #discover #leica#marcosecchi #Magyar #Hungary

Venice Photo Tour On the Steps of Canaletto

Giovanni Antonio Canal, alias Canaletto, was a painter and engraver who lived in Venice in the 18th century; he is world-famous for his wonderful views of Venice.

Topography, architecture, nature, atmosphere and lights are all mingled in his masterpieces creating realistic scenarios and authentic testimonials of the life and architecture of his time.

This itinerary propose the same places that Canaletto depicted in his works taking the participant to look at each location from the same angulation as if he/she were looking through Canaletto’s own eyes, searching for the differences between the 18th century Venetian landscape and today’s landscape as well as for what has remained unvaried since Canaletto’s time.

Le grand guide de Venise - sur les pas de Guardi et Canaletto 

Guardi, Canaletto et autres artistes du XVIIIe siècle se sont attachés à peindre toutes les facettes de leur ville. Près de trois siècles plus tard, Alain Vircondelet, un des plus grands historiens de Venise,  avec photographe Marco Secchi  s'adonne à une comparaison passionnante entre les photos de la ville d'aujourd'hui et les tableaux de celle d'hier. Douze circuits sont ainsi proposés au lecteur et commentés par l'auteur.

Un guide de Venise passionnant en pleine actualité de l'exposition dédiée à Canaletto au Musée Maillol.

The book is for sale with Amazon

Bigoli in Salsa

For this dish, the pasta is all important. Originally made with duck eggs and buckwheat flour (these days, wholewheat flour and chicken eggs), Why is the pasta so important? Every pasta in Italy is shaped to serve a purpose, and in this case the pasta has a spaghetti-like length and shape, but with a coarse rather than smooth exterior. The texture of this pasta allows more sauce to ‘stick’ to the pasta, so the pasta is generally used when you have a pasta sauce with a gravy-like consistency.The following recipe come from Vini da Gigio ....but this is another story....

Ingredients (serves 2) 250g Bigoli pasta 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 8 anchovy fillets or Sarde 1 medium red onion, chopped finely 1 good bunch of Italian parsley, chopped finely Salt and pepper

Directions 1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta. Add a tablespoon of good salt. 2. In a large sauté pan over low-medium heat, add the olive oil, the anchovies and the onion. 3. Stir the mix, helping to break down the anchovies. This should take around 10 minutes. 4. When you have a thick gravy, the sauce is ready, so put your pasta on. 5. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce. Mix through most of the parsley and serve. Add a little parsley on top to make it pretty. Season and add more olive oil if you wish and enjoy with a medium to full bodied white wine.

S Maria della Pieta' o della Visitazione (XVIII sec.)

While on the trail of Canaletto I "discovered" la Pieta' .First foundation was of the fifteenth century but its actual aspect is due to architect Massari who completely rebuilt it in the 1745.The facade has a classical style, with a bas-relief above the main entrance representing the La Carità, a work by the sculptor Marsili (1800).

A few images from today shoot are here

The Church has a egg-shaped plan with a vaulted ceiling; sideways there're two choirs where once were played concerts by the woman whom used to live in the institute that stands from the side.Church has an absolute importance because of the presence of Gian Battista Tiepolo's works, the Fortezza e la Pace on the ceiling of the entry and the Trionfo delle Fede painted on the ceiling of the church, a real masterpiece by Tiepolo representing the crowning of Our Lady by the God's hand.

America's Cup in Venice

Finally today with few of my Venetians colleagues managed to get a glimpse of few of the boats of the America's Cup .

The AC45, a rigid wingsail catamaran, is the precursor of a new generation of America’s Cup boats.

Able to reach speeds of around 50 km per hour, the AC45 is also agile enough to guarantee tactical and competitive races, such as those to be “designed” by the America’s Cup Race Management.

Carpaccio at Scuola S. Giorgio degli Schiavoni

While working 24/7 on a book about Canaletto...and being only at the 2 chapter out of 9 and well behind schedule  I fell in love today with Carpaccio and in particular with this painting

The works dates to Carpaccio's mature period, when he was called by the "scuola" (guild or corporation) of the Schiavoni (Dalmatians) to executed a cycle of seven paintings on the stories of patron saints (George, Jerome and Tryphon) and evangelic episodes.

The work portrays the traditional episode of St. Jerome appearing to St. Augustine to announce his imminent death and departure to Heaven. Carpaccio portrayed the African saint in his studio, in the moment in which he is distracted from his reading by the voice of Jerome, coming as a luminous shape in the window near the desk. The room is that typical of an acculturated humanist of the painter's age, depicted with his usual attention to details.

The room is grossly rectangular, with a painted ceiling. Augustine sits on a bench over a pad, covered with green cloth and lined with studs; the desk is supported by a candelabrum. Some of the books show musical lines. Under the window is are a file and a hourglass. Other elements depicted include measurement instruments, precious caskets, a bell, a shell, an armillary sphere, vases, bottles and others.

In the center is a niche with an altar, where, as shown by the curtain moved aside, are Augustine's liturgic objects: a vest, a mitre, the crosier and a thurible which hands from two candelabra. At the side of the altars are two twin portals, with fine decorations in Renaissance style. The left one is open, and shows a small room with a window, according to the taste for different lightning sources inspired by the Flemish painting: this had become popular in Venice after its use by Antonello da Messina in paintings such as St. Jerome in His Study, which Carpaccio could perhaps observe and study. Here is a further number of details: a table with three couples of crossed legs and covered by a red tablecloth, further books, and, on a shelf running for the room's perimeter, several scientific and astronomical instruments, including Regiomontanus' astrolabe which, at the time, was owned only by John Bessarion, to who it is likely to have inspired Carpaccio for the saint's representation.

On the left two long shelves, housing more books with gaudy covers, a series of antiques (vases, bronze and others), a candle basement shaped as a lion paw (another is placed symmetrically on the opposite wall) and, below, large volumes, a seat and a prie-dieu. In the center of the room is a Maltese dog and, nearby, a cartouche with the artist's signature and the date.

Seeing this painting reminded me that I saw at the British Museum the preparatory work of the very same painting...and is here as you may see there was and ermelin!

Urs Fisher at Palazzo Grassi

It’s named after a mysterious Madame Fisscher the exhibition dedicated to Urs Fischer, which is set to open at Palazzo Grassi - François Pinault

Using his witty sense of humor, Zurich artist Urs Fischer invites us into his chaotic London studio which, ironically, has also got a name: Madame Fisscher. Clearly we are talking about a work of art and Madame Fisscher is simply a fictional character made up by the artist.

Curated by Fischer himself alongside Caroline Bourgeois and hosted at Palazzo Grassi between April 15th and July 15, the exhibition named after this mysterious lady is very likely to play tricks on our senses.

Risotto di bruscandoli - Hop Shoots Risotto

This is a very old recipe from the Venetian countryside!“Bruscandoli” are the end tips of the hop plants. This plant can be found easily in the Venetian countryside. This risotto can only be made during April since this is the time when the hop shoots. During the month of April the vegetable stalls of Rialto Bridge are full of these plants.

This is a very old recipe from the Venetian countryside (feel free to substitute the shoots with any other sort of root or shoot you like).

Ingredients: a big bunch of bruscandoli (hop shoots) about 300 gr, 300 gr. Rice Vialone Nano or Arborio, ½ an onion, 1 lt. Broth, a bit of butter, 1/2/ glass of wine, olive oil.

First of all rinse and chop in small pieces the hop shoots. Then sauté for few minutes in a large pan with a little bit of oil. Remove from eat.

Now place the butter in a sauce pan and melt it. Add the rice, sauté for a minute, add the wine and sauté then add the shoots and a bit of the broth. Stir and slowly start adding the the broth waiting every time for it to be absorbed by the rice. Keep stirring the rice until it is cooked through. Turn the heat off, add a little bit of butter and a good spoonful of parmisan.

Serve hot. This risotto must not be dry, but at the contrary quite smooth

Wax portraits at Fortuny

The world’s first exhibition on wax portraits will analyse a field that has been studied very little by art historians: that of life-size wax figures. This fascinating subject has recently attracted the attention of numerous contemporary artists, but has never had a specific exhibition devoted to it.

The project was inspired by two fortunate coincidences, the existence of a series of life- size wax portraits in Venice’s public collections and churches, and the centenary of the publication of Geschichte der Porträtbildnerei in Wachs (“History of Portraiture in Wax”), written by the famous Viennese art historian Julius von Schlosser and the first work devoted to the history of wax portraits. A superb Italian translation of Schlosser’s work by Andrea Daninos has recently been published, complete with an extensive and detailed critical commentary.

The Venetian exhibition is the outcome of more than three years of research and, for the first time, it brings together nearly all of the extant sculptures in Italy, most of which unpublished or never displayed before.

Volo dell'Angelo or Flight of the Angel

The Flight of the Angel is an event usually held on Shrove Thursday of Carnival (grasso) this has its roots due to an event that happened in the mid 16th century. In those years, during various exhibitions, a Turkish acrobat did something that stupefied the Venetians.With the only aid of a pole he walked on a rope from a boat tied in Riva degli Schiavoni to the top of St. Mark’s Tower and then from the tower to the Doges Palaces balcony, as a tribute to the doge.

A Venetian girl performs as 'Colombina' during the Volo dell'Angelo, as she flies down from San Marco Tower to the square during the official opening of Venice Carnival (Marco Secchi)

The exhibition changed its name and became “The Flight of the Turk”, it has been held every year with various changes, first it was made only by professional acrobats and lately by common people that wanted to show their ability and bravery.

The exhibition name changed into “The Flight of the Angel” when for the first time an acrobat dressed with angel wings tied to a rope was let down the tower, at the end of the descent the doge himself gave the angel impersonator a gift.

The event changed its name again into “Volo della Colombina” (“The Flight of the dove”) starting from 1759. In that year the acrobat dressed as the angel fell down over  the horrified crowd.Since then a wooden dove substitute the men.After the fall of the Republic the event was banned (as many other traditions) until recent times.

Starting from 2001 “The flight of the Dove” become again “The Flight of the Angel” with the reintroduction of a real person instead of the wooden dove, staging the old ritual of the homage of the  sceptre to the Doge. This announced the beginning of the Carnival of Venice with a triumph of confetti and coloured air balloons. The event is now held on the week-end previous to Shrove Thursday and marks the beginning of the festivities.