Venice, September 29-October 5, 2013

Our "taxi" from the airport to "downtown" Venice.

Direct air service from Cagliari to Venice made the next stage of our trip easy.  We left behind sunny Sardinia and our good friend Rosa to fly to Venice’s Marco Polo International Airport, which as most of you know, is on the mainland, then found our pre-paid vaporetto, a motor boat taxi, which took us across the choppy Laguna Veneta into Venice.  The drizzly, grey weather was Joan's idea of perfect weather for romantic Venice. 

Fire department boat on the Grand Canal in Venice

She had been to Venice in the 1970s, but this was the first time for Dane.  We all know that Venice is about water.  There are gondolas that take tourists for a ride, and of course there is the question about how rising water levels will affect the historic structures.   Because he had never really thought it through, it never occurred to Dane that everything had to use the water to get around.  Dirty hotel laundry – there was a boat for that.  Trash hauling, either construction or household debris – there were boats for that.

The "UPS Truck" boat on the Grand Canal

 Package deliveries, shop deliveries – there were boats for that.  Police, fire, ambulances – there were boats for everything!

The only way to get around, especially with any load, is by some sort of boat, and we were not prepared for the delightful variety of working boats. 

Mind you, Venice also has streets, or rather pedestrian lanes, of course with a lot of little bridges to span the many canals.  The delivery men were adroit at using special hand trucks that had extra wheels in front to master the stairs of the small bridges.

Package delivery boat with adapted cart on the right.

The weather was just a little damp and rainy.  We had left the sun behind in Sardinia where it was still keeping the beaches company, but Venice is all about water, so why should we complain if some of it was airborne?   We did get some nice sunny days, so don’t feel badly for us, but our initial view of Venice was quite soggy.

San Salute Church on our rainy arrival day in Venice.

We stayed at the Hotel Campo Stefano, a small hotel beautifully located on Campo Santo Stefano, a piazza not far from the Academia Bridge.  If you look at the largest land mass of Venice, it looks a bit like a mitten grabbing a knob, the two separated by the Grand Canal.

Map of Venice thanks to Lonely Planet

Campo Santo Stefano is about the middle of the mitten’s thumb, near the Ponte dell'Accademia and a very short walk to many sights. For longer ventures, we only had to walk a short distance to a vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal.  Of course, it is very very easy to get lost in Venice.  We did, often.  Luckily, there are useful signs pointing to main areas like San Marco and Rialto, which were lifesavers for us!

Helpful signs directed us towards the Rialto and San Marco areas of Venice.  

There is very little modern building in Venice.  We often thought of that phrase we learned in New Orleans: faded grandeur. 

"Faded Grandeur" in Venice

Note water barrier on the door in this passageway.

Not only the Grand Canal, but also lots of tiny canals segment the city and enable people and commerce to get around.  We could see the preservation issues about the encroaching water.  At high tide many of the pedestrian sidewalks bordering canals were awash in water. 

Some buildings even had special gates at their doors to keep the water out.

We also saw stacked table-like equipment in piazzas and soon realized that in times of acqua alta (high water) these are deployed to make dry walkways. 

High water in front of  San Marco Cathedral in Venice.

A bridge over a small canal in Venice.

 We noticed that there were no railings or other barriers to keep people from falling into the canals which were 6 feet and over deep.

Apparently it was not much of a problem; we could see that boat access to the canal banks was a vital part of day-to-day life.  The bridges come in all sorts of designs and sizes.  Using steps, they all rise up to give clearance for the boats.

On the bridges there are walls or decorative fences to deter stumbling into the drink.  It seemed there was always an OMG view from atop the bridges. Venice is a photographer’s dream; we tried to sort through our large quantity of “bridge shots” to select a few for the best.

A view from a bridge over one of the small canals of Venice.

We are told that it was in Venice that the phrase “spritz-o-clock” came into being, for the Aperol Spritz is certainly the most popular drink around 6 pm.  We were sitting outside a little bar on a small street one afternoon enjoying our spritzers when a couple walked by, and the man asked his companion in English, “I wonder what are those orange drinks we see everywhere?”  Joan piped up and said, “Well just come over here and we’ll tell you all about them.” They did, and she did!  It occurred to us that we haven't given a recipe for Aperol Spritz.  Here's one we are enjoying now that we have returned:
In a large stemmed glass pour over ice cubes 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and top with a splash of soda or seltzer water.  Garnish with half a slice of orange and maybe on  a skewer a large green olive.  Salute!

Bottles of Aperol glowing from a bar window in Venice.

The site of this pleasant encounter was in an establishment, unique to Venice, called a bacaro.  Perhaps bacari are the closest thing to English pubs in Venice.  They are usually small local gathering places to drink and chat, and the food is a collection of cicchetti.  The term cicchetti comes from a Latin word meaning the smallest piece, and in this case is a small snack: a meat ball, some olives or a deviled egg, displayed in a case by the bar.  For the Italian language impaired like us, these displays are handy, because we could just point to the plate that amused us.  We often made a decent meal out of a collection of cicchetti, especially in the evening after an earlier big lunch.

A selection of cichetti at a bacaro in Venice

For foodies, the guidebook to have in Italy is Slow Food Osterie & Locande d'Italia. The latest edition in English is 2007, but many of the restaurants have been and will be around for years, not the flash-in-the-pan tourist spots, but established purveyors of locally-sourced artisanally prepared real food. One such place we discovered canal-side in a residential district was Ostaria da Rioba.

Aperitivo of four Venetian fish at Ostaria da Rioba, Venice

For apertivo we enjoyed a Venetian sampler of four fish: salt cod on soft polenta, octopus slices and potato cubes in EVOO, slices of smoked salmon and Venetian sweet and sour sardines.

Monkfish secondi at Ostaria da Rioba, Venice

Primi were pappardelle with guinea fowl and plums and tagliatelle with fish, red pepper and squash blossom chiffonade.   For secondi we had monkfish on a bed of fresh spinach topped with walnuts and pine nuts and duck breast with figs and a wine sauce.  And for dessert, mango mousse with lime.  Delizioso!

Duck breast with figs and a wine sauce at Ostaria da Rioba, Venice

Another restaurant we enjoyed was recommended to us by Venetian author and tour guide, Tudy Sammartini was Osteria alla Bifora on Campo Santa Margherita. 

Lit by beautiful Venetian glass chandeliers, the menu featured a wide variety of cicchetti which made for a delicious dinner. 

Patrons enjoying ciccheti a Osteria al Bifora under Venetian glass chandeliers.

 Of course we had Spritz Aperols to accompany our feast!

Baccala (cod) with polenta, spada (swordfish) carpaccio, and sarda en sour (sweet & sour sardines)

Dane with Tudy Sammartini in the carriageway of her family's home on the Grand Canal

Tudy Sammartini is a delightful character Joan stumbled upon when she was searching for a guide to show us some gardens in Venice. Tudy has been an official guide in Venice since 1969, and is author of the trilogy of books about Venice’s secret gardens, decorative floors and views from its bell towers.  She comes from an established Venetian family and has designed and installed both public and private gardens.  Her English is excellent (though she smokes like a chimney).  She gave us an incredible private tour, including places to which visitors do not have access, but Tudy knew the owners and designed these spaces. 

One of the gardens Tudy Sammartini designed in Venice

Land is scarce in Venice, so having a private garden is quite a luxury; it was a luxury for us to have Tudy spend a beautiful morning showing us her secret gardens in Venice.

We were extremely fortunate to be in Venice during the 55th Biennale.  Venice offers a visual overload, great art and intriguing architecture at every turn, but the Biennale tops it off with a large array of contemporary art, often in unusual locations throughout the city worth seeing in their own right but generally not open to the public.

A Biennale exhibit in a nearby Venetian villa not usually open to the public.

The Venice Biennale  has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world.  The history of the Venice Biennale dates to 1895 when the first International Art Exhibition was organized. In the 1930s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre.  The Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first organized film festival.  In 1980 the first International Architecture Exhibition took place, and in 1999 Dance made its debut at the Venice Biennale.  

A huge crane at the Arsenale.

One of the most interesting and extensive venues of the Biennale was at the Arsenale – the historic boat yard and factory complex where the ships for the once mighty Venetian navy were built.

This year the theme of the Arsenale Biennale exhibit was based on an Italian-American’s dream of constructing a Palazzo Enciclopedico, a museum where all knowledge could be displayed.  This Biennale show brought together artworks to found objects from the early 20th century to the present, and the factory buildings and machinery were just as interesting. 

Find the real people in this Biennale exhibit at the Arsenale! 

Of course there were other art museums to visit – trust Joan to find art museums to, desperately, enlighten Dane.  The Peggy Guggenheim Museum was nearby our hotel, over little bridges and through charming lanes, and certainly worth a visit.

There was a very good selection of contemporary art, particularly of Peggy's favorite cubists.

The Angel of the City by Marino Marini, 1948

We particularly enjoyed the show The Avant Gardes of Fin-de-Siecle Paris. Of course we had to check out the notorious sculpture in the canal-side courtyard!

Venice is full of beautiful buildings.   Perhaps most spectacular is the Grand Teatro La Fenice (The Phoenix), a famous opera house which burned down in 1774. To make things interesting, a legal dispute broke out between the owners, and when the dust settled, it was called it La Fenice in honor of having risen from the ashes and legal tangles.  In 1836 it was again stuck by fire and again rebuilt.  Then in 1996, you guessed it, yet another fire.  A €90 million restoration lasted from 2001 to 2004.  There was some controversy as to whether they should build a modern theater or follow the 1836 plan – the older version won, and now, wow!

Stage Door of La Fenice with boats loading equipment canalside.

 With 1000 seats, La Fenice is one of the most famous opera theaters in Europe.  We arrived as the theater opened in the morning for self-guided tours, so enjoyed it almost to ourselves, a special treat in crowded Venice. And yes, there are even special boats to deliver the equipment to the theater!

Though we didn’t get to hear any opera, just a block away from our hotel, the Chiesa di San Vidal hosts evening concerts.  We heard Interpreti Veneziani, a string quintet, play Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Interpreti Veneziana string quintet, playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

The music was wonderful and the cello player was so dramatic we were almost in giggles by the end of the performance.  Here's a video of the wonderful music.

After the concert we repaired to a local outdoor café for drinks and met an English couple who had also been at the concert.  It was a great evening.  In fact, we enjoyed evenings best in Venice, after the day trippers and cruise boat folks had left the city in peace and quiet for us.

Museo della Musica display of historic instruments in a beautiful old church. 

 Nearby was also the Museo della Musica, Campo San Maurizio 2761,  a collection of 17th to 19th Century instruments and also the life history of Venetian Antonio Vivaldi.  

Pigeons, water and crowds, three ever present things on Piazza San Marco

A visit to Venice is not complete without a trip to the famous Piazza San Marco and its arcade with fancy shops and restaurants, called the "Drawing Room of Europe" according to an unproven attribution to Napoleon.  If all the crowds we saw were any indication, most of Europe was there while we visited!

Dressy waiters at Caffe Florian on Piazza San Marco, Venice.

One of the highlights of the arcades of Piazza San Marco is Caffe Florian, an historic cafe with live music both day and night. The musicians and waiters are in black tie, so you don’t have to dress-up.  In the evening a couple strolling by might just break out into a waltz.

Torre dell'Orologio, clock tower on Piazza San Marco, Venice.

The Basilica San Marco, at the head of the square, is flanked by the Torre dell’Orologio, a clock tower topped by two bronze figures striking a large bell on the hour, and on the other side by the tall bell tower of San Marco.

Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore as seen from across the lagoon.

Just around the corner from the Piazza are the Palazzo Ducale and a famous Piazetta view looking across the Canale della Giudecca to the Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore, "Big George's Church", the magnificent church across the lagoon.

View of the Piazetta between the Doge's Palace and Sansovino's Libreria looking towards the Lagoon.

Illuminated interior of the Basilica San Marco, Venice, Italy.

Of course we toured the Basilica San Marco, enduring the long line and crowds.  We were lucky to arrive just as the floodlights were turned on to illuminate the golden interior.  A fee of a few euros was well worth it to get to see the Pala d'Oro behind the altar, a fabulous Byzantine work of art.

Crowds examining the jewel-encrusted Byzantine Pala d'Oro behind the altar at Basilica San Marco, Venice.

The lion of Venice statue on the Doges Palace in Venice.

Entrance to the dungeons of the Doge's Palace, Venice.

            The other, surprisingly less crowded, "must do" is the Palazzo Ducale or Doges' Palace, with its fabulous meeting rooms and scary dungeons and of course the famous “Bridge of Sighs”.

Cuba's entry in the Venice Biennale, cages of twittering videos.

At the other end of the Piazza from the Basilica is Museo Correr, the city museum of Venice which we also enjoyed, along with its special exhibit on the English sculptor Coro and the Cuban exhibit for the Biennale.

Dane taking a photo of the Grand Canal from the Ca' d'Oro.

 Joan also dragged Dane to the Ca' d’Oro (Golden House – so named for the gilt and polychrome once on its walls) on the Grand Canal, one of the oldest palazzi in Venice, built in 1430.  The last owner (1894) was an avid art collector, and left his collection for the formation of the museum.  We struggled, but finally found the Ca' Pessaro, a wonderful gallery of international modern art, in another waterfront palazzo.

Ca' Pessaro art museum entrance.

One of our most interesting dining experiences we owed to our good friends and long-time Queen Victoria guests, Michael and Martha Liscano.  They told us of a great restaurant on an out-of-the-way street.  We went to find it, scouring the area but came up blank.  Joan was inspired to ask at a little hotel in the neighborhood, and not only did the clerk speak good English, but he knew all about the restaurant, “Oh, they’ve changed their name and moved, same folks same food,” and he gave us directions; it was nearby.  Well, the Trattoria Antico Calice was charming, and when our eyes adjusted, we noticed that it was full of gondoliers!

Joan felt right a home since she was wearing her black and white striped shirt.   The food was worth the hunt.  We had a simple insalata mista, house-made pasta with fish, olives, capers and tomatoes, but the most interesting dish was the fish lasagna, which Dane hopes to replicate someday.

Insalata mista, seafood lasagna and pasta with fish at Trattoria Antico Calice, Venice.

As we were having our meal, in walked Cella, a friend from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and we had a nice chat with her, proving once again that it is a small world!

Tiramisu at Ai Cugnai restaurant in Venice, Italy.

We enjoyed several traditional Venetian specialties besides the cicchetti.  Joan enjoyed fegato alla Veneziana (calves liver) at a nearby little café Ai Cugnai on our first night, a rainy windy grey day when something warm appealed.  Dane enjoyed squid with black ink sauce.  We sipped limoncello while we shared a tiramisu for dessert.

Another time we opted for a Martini Rouge and a Cinzano Spritzer instead of our usual Spritz Aperol.

Tagliatelle with scallops and pistachio pesto in Venice. 

We found yet another gelateria artisanal where we enjoyed conos of special chocolate, fig/walnut and dulce de leche gelati.  And let’s not forget pasta!  Dane enjoyed tagliatelle with scallops and pistachio pesto while Joan had ravioli with shrimp at Osteria Al Ponte “La Patatina”.

Another restaurant Martha & Michael recommended was Ristorante Cantionone where we had fabulous gnocchi with gorgonzola and walnut sauce and a great little fennel seed cracker, taralli al finocchio.

Dane sharing his pizza with pigeons.

Our food experience was not just about trattoria and osteria, though.  One day we were planning a nice evening meal so we joined the touristy crowds and had a slice of pizza at a streetside stand, joined by the ever-present pigeons!

Venice has a very well-known mercato del pesce, fish market, near the Rialto bridge.  It is an open air market, under tents, unlike the market in Sardinia, where the displays were awesome. We had seen the names and words on menus, but it was more fun to see the fish at the market thus be able to put a name to a (fish) face.

Fresh Live Squid at the Rialto Market in Venice.

Dane has the opinion that prior to the 1800s, wherever in Europe there were wealthy merchants, there were indulgences being paid to atone for their “sins of finance and commerce” and thus a wealth of fine churches.  Well, Venice had a lot of wealthy merchants and it has a fine stock of magnificent churches. Travelling with Joan, Dane got to see a few of them.  The Basilica de Santi Giovanni e Paolo was one example.

Interior of the Basilica de Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, Italy.

Bell tower and east front of the Friari Church and Campo dei Friari, Venice.

Of course Joan had to drag Dane to the Scula Grande di San Rocco to see all the Tintorettos.  Dane enjoyed walking around with one of the provided mirrors to comfortably see the beautiful ceiling paintings.  We saw the tombs of Venetian sculptor Canova and artist Tintoretto at the brick Italian Gothic Friari church which also had a Bellini triptych in the sacristy and a Donatello on a side altar.

Dane has a “rule” of no more than one museum and one church a day in Italy, but there was such wonderful richness to see that we broke the rule regularly and he hardly ever complained. 

One nice afternoon we took a vaporetto over to the island of Murano enjoying the outside front seats on the nearly empty boat.

Chiesa de Santi Maria e Santo Donato, Murano.

There was a charming Romanesque church, Chiesa de Santi Maria e San Donato, and we visited the Museo del Vetro or Glass Museum of Murano and several shops selling beautiful hand-blown glass, though we resisted buying any when we realized how risky it would be to travel home with it.

It was hard to choose from among Eleni's beautiful earrings!

Because of the threat of fire, Venice’s glass works were moved to Murano centuries ago, but another afternoon we walked to the Canareggio neighborhood of Venice, where we found Miani, a little shop where the owner Elena Miani was making jewelry by vetro a lume or lamp work, melting glass rods into glass “pearls”.   We stocked up on Christmas gifts, liking the idea of being able to talk to the craftsperson--it was not an Amazon experience.

 Campo del Ghetto Nuovo in Venice.

We also visited the Ghetto, the old Jewish quarter of Venice, where there was a sobering monument.   We were sorry we had already eaten because there were some delicious looking cafes and bakeries in the neighborhood. 

Holocaust memorial sculptures by Arbit Blatas in Venice.

Rooftop synagogue in the Ghetto of Venice.

The Ghetto area included some of the "tallest" buildings in Venice, up to six stories, all apartment buildings of small units, sometimes topped by synagogues, because they could not be separate buildings in old Venice.

On our last night in Venice, we broke with our tradition of a late lunch and had dinner at a highly recommended osteria near our hotel in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, La Bitta, which we had been trying to get into for several days, but found it was only open for dinner, and we needed reservations well in advance.  Finally, success!

La Bitta was so small it was easy to miss.

Arugula salad covered with thin slices of pear at La Bitta, Venice.

One of the blessings of the restaurants we visited in Italy is that they are generally quiet-you can actually carry on a conversation-and La Bitta was just such a place.  We shared a salad of arugula, cheese, figs and raisins covered with thin pear slices as an antipasto.

Gnocchi with pumpkin and smoked cheese at La Bitta.

For primi we had gnocchi with pumpkin and smoked cheese on top and tagliatelle with a chicken ragout.  Rather unusual for a Venetian restaurant, La Bitta does not offer any fish dishes on its menu, but instead specializes in meats and vegetables.

Tagliatelle with chicken ragout at La Bitta, Venice.

Secondi were stewed rabbit with mashed potatoes and a pork fillet sautéed in aromatic herbs.

Stewed rabbit and herbed pork fillet were our secondi at La Bitta.

Torta de chocolate with homemade marmalade at La Bitta.

For dessert we shared a torta de chocolate with homemade marmalade.  It was a fine finale to our week in Venice.  We waddled home to our hotel!