VENICE, ITALY

BUONGIORNO 
January 6, 2012  

Welcome back, family and friends...and Happy New Year. So pleased that you're continuing to journey with me... Here's my current  SIX-WORD MEMOIR: 

What six words describe YOUR current thoughts or feelings? 

"Lazy lagoons and ancient pride...VENICE..."

  

 "A REVERIE.

Beneath the portals of St. Mark I stood-

That wondrous relic of a perished art-

And watched the sun set like a crimson wave

Bathe all the ruins of this noiseless mart

With a new splendor..."  

From Robert Loudoun's "Songs of Venice.And other poems"

The flavour of Venice...old world in the 21st century... a taste that permeates every aspect of Venetian life. In  past visits, my husband and I experienced a Convention of Santas...

as well as Acqua Alta...high water or flooding that occurs in this city of islands, periodically. But after a few days and a quick clean-up, life continued normally...amazing spirit in this city!!

VENICE, ITALY, whose beginnings date back to the 7th century, is a magical, romantic mosaic of about 117 islands, all linked by more than 400 bridges spanning the canals between them.

Here, water, stone and art combine to form a dazzling backdrop to a very unique way of life... and an extraordinary place to visit! 

Venice is known for it's very extravagant celebration called CARNIVALE.  It occurs each winter (40 days before Easter) and is a time when people from all over the world don their best and most favorite costumes and masks to parade throughout the city...parties, dances, dinners and contests are planned to show them off!! CARNIVALE historically started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes. Today, approximately 30,000 visitors come to Venice each day for the celebration! Mask and costume makers throughout Venice are busy all year long making beautiful clothing and unusual masks for visitors and residents to wear.  What fun!!

Venice has many nicknames..."city of water," "city of masks," "city of bridges," "the floating city," as well as "the city of canals..." pick one, but they're ALL TRUE!! We find every conceivable sort of watercraft gliding along the canals and waterways of Venice: 

 the gondolas- the city's symbol; 

 vaporetti- water buses;

traghetti- gondola ferries used by those crossing Venice's main "street," the Grand Canal; grimy barges and refuse collectors; motor boats used for delivering everyday goods;

police and fire boats; water taxis; ambulances... even hearses, carrying those who have passed, to their final resting place.

Water dictates the pace of life and the Venetian existence, governed by boats and tides, is unlike any other city in the world!  WHAT STARDUST has the city sprinkled on us to keep Venice sealed in our hearts forever? Having traveled pretty extensively, Venice is a place to which my husband and I return time after time...a comfort zone for us. I can't say exactly what it is  that lures us back...the warmth of the people, the marvelous food, the outstanding, world class eye candy, the music, the colors, the light or the mystery of the city's labyrinthian, cobbled streets and alleyways.

The lack of vehicular traffic allows for the magnification of all other sounds, adding to the mystery and the magic that IS Venice. We can hear the gentle clinking of wine glasses, a dog's paw skittering over uneven cobblestones, sellers in the marketplace chattering with their customers, the lapping of the water against the sides of the buildings, the gentle rocking of the many, many small docked boats,

the swish of a gondolier's oar in a canal... the sound of his singing,  or the insistent peal of church bells.

It's a world of harmonics that we haven't found anywhere else in the world...it feeds our imaginations and nourishes our souls. Venice was our 2011 holiday feast and once gain, we're grateful for having had the opportunity!

Fino alla prossima volta...(Until the next time...)
xox,
abbyj