Exploring Venice, Italy/ Gondoliers, Glass and Masks

Mac and I headed off from San Marco Square for a little window shopping.

My cousin Terry has her black belt in "shopping" but I have mine in WINDOW SHOPPING.

I have decorated many houses in my mind with all the wonderful things I've seen in display windows!

Let's talk about the Venetian masks.

The masks were worn during the carnevale in the medieval period in Venice. Imagine a society where all knew each other. Perhaps those of you living in small towns understand this idea.

At this time in Venice the peasants and the gentry would use the masks during carnevale to be anonymous from any prying eyes or judging neighbors. I suppose they might have been "acting out" if you know what I mean.

In any case, they say even the clergy were known to don a mask to go out dancing.

Whatever your opinion on Carnevale in Venice the masks are still quite extraordinary to look at.

 

You can't go to Venice without checking out the shops filled with Venetian glass.

In many stores you will find glass that are true works of art.

I simply love to go in and admire the handiwork,

although,  I'd be scared of spending money for a piece and it getting broken!

Aunt Ruthie, I wanted to buy you a glass chicken, but they were so expensive the picture will have to do.

Our explorations led us by charming places,

small alleys,

the Rialto Bridge (taken on our first visit)

This bridge was built between 1588 and 1591, and it was the only way to cross the Grand Canal by foot until 1854.

The Rialto on this visit.

Here's some trivia for you.  Did you know the bridge designer Antonio da Ponte went up against Palladio and Michelangelo to win this contract to be the architect of the Rialto Bridge?

This is the view from the atop the Rialto onto the Grand Canal.

Our investigations continued by the canals and,

  quaint, old bridges

and the HARD ROCK CAFE, VENICE.

Mac and I were hungry after we finished our window shopping and exploring.

We happened upon this charming, tiny little restaurant.

It was called Anima Bella which means, BEAUTIFUL SOUL in Italian.

This is a real "Italian Grandma in the kitchen" type restaurant.

It's located at Calle Fiubera

San Marco 956

Telephone: 014 522 7486

The place only has 4 tables and our owner explained that she had

fresh ingredients bought from the market that day and no set menu.

Mac and I have learned in these cases to take the "pasta of the day" the hostess recommends. I have heard of a disgruntled person who was angry because she asked for tap water and didn't get it in this establishment.

Folks, here's a hint.....when you travel, DRINK the bottled water....it's far safer for you.

We weren't disappointed with our meal and it's fresh ingredients.  It was lovely and tasted just like pasta from the Italian grandma I knew in Middletown, Conn.

Here I am getting ready for my food. Mac couldn't resist taking a picture.

We couldn't leave Venice without talking about what some consider to be the most romantic part of Venice.

The gondolas and the gondoliers.

You can haggle with some of the gondoliers on the canal as this woman did. However; you should know that the city of Venice does set official rates for the gondola rides.  It was about 80 Euro for 40 minutes when I checked. After 7 in the evening the rates will go up to about 100 Euro.

Another interesting piece of trivia is that after 900 years a woman, Giorgia Boscolo, has become the first woman gondolier.  She passed her exam in 2009.  This profession in Venice is organized like an old guild, with fathers passing on their rowing skills to their sons.  The only thing poor Giorgia has going for her in this all male dominated gondolier association is that her father was himself, a gondolier.

But, I say if you are in Venice....invest in the unforgettable ambience of a gondola ride.

  It is a once in a lifetime experience,

which, is quite simply MAGICAL!

Mac and I love Venice and give it three thumbs up.

We hope you enjoyed your tour of Venice with us.

Venice, Italy/ Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square

Have you ever been traveled some place and had it capture your heart?

That is how I feel about Venice. At first I avoided it because of all the "bad press" such as, "The water stinks of raw sewage." "There are too many tourists." and my favorite, "You can't get good food in Venice."

So I will state for the record, that I now have been to Venice twice.  The water didn't stink, both times we had great food but, there certainly are HORDES of tourists.

A water taxi waiting dock

Mac and I drove from Sirmione on Lake Garda to Venice.

It took one and a half hours and FYI, the road is a toll road. Have euros handy if you drive.

However; parking was no problem as they have a huge parking garage to leave the car. Here we bought our ticket for the water taxi.

This was our water taxi that took us to San Marco Square.

Our dear little traveling companion Jaxson.

He loved the water taxi.

First stop was in Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square which, Napoleon once spoke of as "the most beautiful drawing room in Europe".

Here in the square you find the Basilica of San Marco which is one of Europe's

finast examples of Byzantine architecture.  When Mark Twain saw the Basilica he proclaimed that "it looks like a vast warty bug taking a meditative walk."

We had toured this church on our last visit and Mac and I agree that it was well worth the long wait to go inside and see the Basilica.

The square also boasts the 323 foot tall Campanile (Bell tower)

which can be climbed for a view over Saint Marks Square.

Vendors sell  bird food and people enjoy feeding the pigeons in the square.

Since we had done all the touring of buildings before, we headed to our favorite place on the square for some music and refreshment.

If you'd like to hear the music ( Mac videoed a bit of Venice for you) go to Facebook and look for the page Cultural and Culinary Adventures.

Here in the halls of  the Procuratie Nuove

you find Caffè Florian. This place opened in 1720 and is one of my favorite haunts.

http://www.caffeflorian.com/

Do check out the history and recipes on their website.

We chose to sit outside the cafe to hear the live music.

Here we are attended by white-coated waiters

and served refreshment literally on a silver platter.

I sat back and imagined all the people who had had walked these halls and frequented Florian.

We know that Casanova, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron and Stravinsky were found on these premises.

The music, the wine, the complete romance of this place in the square always takes my breath away.

Don't forget to people watch because you sometimes see a beautiful moment that makes your heart smile.

Like this moment!

As the musicians played La Cumparista

this couple strolling by decided to Tango.

One of those heart-stopping "AHHH" moments.

Mac gives Piazza San Marco THREE thumbs up.

Tomorrow we'll blog on gondolas and food in Venice.

Sirmione on Lake Garda, Italy

Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

Mac and I had decided to stay within the castle walls of Sirmione instead of the outskirts.

You know.... we like to be where the action is.

Scaliger Castle

Mastino I della Scala began construction of the castle in 1259.  It was abandoned but restored in 1919.

You can tour inside the castle and climb the towers.

The castle is surrounded by a moat and then (because it is on a penninsula) again surrounded by the water of Garda. 

Inside the castle walls the town has

a labyrinth of narrow streets and medieval walkways.

Shops  like this wonderful ice cream shop.

Many of you know my first job was in an ice cream shop Pat Mullen and his wife ran called

THE BARN,  in Belfast Maine. With that background, I am naturally drawn to these shops.

That's my story and I am sticking to it! LOL

We both found the presentation of their ice cream amazing.

  The village contained beautiful preserved old houses.

 

It was enchanting, even with the bustle of people going to and fro.

The rain was abating so we decided to walk to the end of the penninsula toward the Grotte di Catullo.

Lovely silver green olive trees 

some with unusual formations lined the walk

on our way to the "Grotte Catullo" which really means Villa Catullo.  Some say the Roman poet Catullus lived here but, that cannot be proven.  What they do know is that this is the largest ruin of a villa discovered in Northern Italy.

It even had guard towers.

  While there is still the mystery of who lived in this amazing villa, the ruins are just fabulous to explore.

The ruins lie on the end of the penninsula.

We walked back from the villa and spotted this

   exclusive hotel called

 Palace Hotel Villa Cortine

It's gated-off and the grounds are private.

Probably just as well, if I had spotted someone famous, I would have blogged about it!

The Villa Cordine's private drive.

"You are taking me next year, right Mac?"

Our walk took us by the hydrotherapy pool at the spa.

You can book an entire day of pampering here.

and another lovely view.  If only it had been a better day.

We stopped at the Doc Pub which has a wireless internet connection to dump our pictures on to the laptop and check into our cyber world.

http://www.doc-pub.it/

Then it was off to feed the swans on the lake as we

meandered our way back to the Piazza Carducci where we stayed at

Le Rêve - Bed and Breakfast.

 

The Piazza was busy in the afternoon, but was teaming with people by 10 p.m. and we settled in for dinner and more people watching.

Goodnight Sirmione- what an amazing place!

 Alfred Lord Tenneyson was a keen reader of  the Roman Catullus's poetry.

Tennyson wrote a poem while visiting Sirmione in 1880 a year after his brother died.

This poem echos two poems of Catullus.

The latin phrase  Frater Ave Atque Vale

means

"Hail, Brother, and Farewell"

Frater Ave Atque Vale by Tennyson

Row us out from Desenzano, to your Sirmione row!

So they row’d, and there we landed—’O venusta Sirmio!’

There to me thro’ all the groves of olive in the summer glow,

There beneath the Roman ruin where the purple flowers grow,

Came that ‘Ave atque Vale’ of the Poet’s hopeless woe,

Tenderest of Roman poets nineteen-hundred years ago,

‘Frater Ave atque Vale’—as we wander’d to and fro

Gazing at the Lydian laughter of the Garda Lake below

Sweet Catullus’s all-but-island, olive-silvery Sirmio!

Mac gives Sirmione two thumbs up!

Tomorrow I will take you to Venice!