PLANNING FIRST VISIT
VENICE DIARY
VENICE BY BOAT
CRISTINA DELLA TOFFOLA
Terra Acqua captain and lagoon naturalist
FEBRUARY
CARNEVALE
TOP FIVE WAYS TO CELEBRATE CARNEVALE
APRIL
FESTA DI SAN MARCO
Citizen Kane would appreciate the celebration ov Venice`s patron saint on 25 April - the recurring motif is a bocolo (rosebud). Venetian men carry roses in processions through Piazza San Marco, and give them to the women they love best. ALISON BING
MAY
VOGALONGA
FESTA DELLA SENSA
JUNE
VENEZIA SUONA
LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA
JULY
FESTA DEL REDENTORE
AUGUST
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
The only thing hotter than Lido beaches in August is the red carpet at this star-studded event, which runs from the last weekend in August through the first week of September. ALISON BING
SEPTEMBER
VENICE VIDEO ART FAIR
REGATA STORICA
REGATA DI BURANO
OCTOBER
VENICE MARATHON
NOVEMBER
FESTA DELLA MADONNA DELLA SALUTE
BEST WAYS TO STAY WARM:
BEST SEASONAL SPECIALITIES:
Why bother with time machines? Awalk across Venice takes you from golden Byzantium to the Titian red Renaissance, from Vivaldi
to video art. Immerse yourself in Venice`s historical splendours, then
step into the future with musical performances, contemporary art and
artisanal handicrafts.
FORWARD PLANNING
Three weeks before you go: Book tickets online for opera at Teatro La Fenice, movie premieres at the Venice Film Festival and the Itinerari Segreti (Secret Passageways) tour of the Ducal Palace.
One week before you go: Get your ticket online to the Art or Architecture Biennale, call ahead for ticket to see Interpreti Veneziani in concert at the splendid Scuola Grande di San Rocco, and skip the queues by booking tickets to the Gallerie dell`Accademia and various concerts at THIS LINK!
One day before you go: Find out what live music, art openings and festivals are happening tomorrow in Venice at THIS LINK, AND THIS, AND THIS, call to reserve a spot on Museo Ebraico di Venezia`s tour of three to five of the historic synagogues in the Ghetto; call to book a restaurant for tomorrow; and pack your umbrella, swimsuit and powdered wig to cover all Venetian possibilities. ALISON BING
DAY ONE
Begin
your day in prison on the Itinerari Segreti (Secret Passageways) tour
of the Ducal Palace, then make a break for Piazza San Marco. Lunch at Cava Tappi will get you ready to take on the
Gallerie dell`Accademia, after which it`s time for aperitivi and
people-watching in Campo Santa Margherita. Grab a bite at Osteria alla Bifora before your Interpreti Veneziani concert, held among Tintoretto
masterpieces at Scuola Grande di San Rocco. End the night gliding down
the Grand Canal on a vaporetto (city ferry) or gondola. ALISON BING
DAY TWO
The
Basilica di San Marco starts your day with a dazzle, and the art attack
continues with modern art at Palazzo Grassi, and Tintorettos and
Canovas at Santo Stefano. Your growling stomach will lead you across the
Rialto to All`Arco for Francesco and Matteo`s latest cicheti (Venetian
tapas) creations, and to Gelateria San Stae for an ice cream. Make a
cameo appearance in the costume drama of the museum of textiles at
Palazzo Mocenigo, then get lost in the former red-light district near
Ponte delle Tette en route to titian`s masterpiece at I Frari. Dine at
Enoteca ai Artisti, but chase that amarone with an espresso - tonight`s
entertainment is a performance at Teatro La Fenice. ALISON BING
DAY THREE
Andrea Palladio`s white Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore is beautifully blinding as you approach by vaporetto. Check out the Tintorettos by the altar, then nip around the back to see contemporary art at Fondazione Giorgio Cini. Catch another vaporetto to lunch at I Figli delle Stelle then gallery-hop your way to Il Redentore and Fortuny Tessuti Artistici. Ride the vaporetto to Zattere for ice cream at Da Nico and wall-to-wall Paolo Veronese paintings in Chiesa di San Sebastiano. Pay your respects to Peggy Guggenheim, then head back to San Marco for dinner at Aciugheta, jailhouse jazz by Jazz in Venice, and a toast to San Marco at Aurora Caffe. ALISON BING
RAINY DAY
Skip the long, wet lines at the Gallerie dell`Accademia and Basilica di San Marco, and head to I Frari to bask in the glow of Titian`s Madonna of theAssumption. Duck into the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, where Tintoretto`s stormy canvases make Venetian weather seem balmy, then warm up afterwards with prosecco and polenta at ImprontaCafe. At the nearby Scuola Grande dei Carmini, pass cloudy grey paintings downstairs and head up Baldassare Longhena`s stairway to heaven to find the silver lining: Giambattista Tiepolo`s Virtues ceiling. Blue skies are ahead at Ca`Rezzonico, where Tiepolo`s trompe l`ceil sunlight brightens salon ceilings. Afterwards, pasta at Ristoteca Oniga will warm you from the inside out. ALISON BING
BEACH DAY
Hop on a vaporetto to the Lido and loll the day away on a beach chair, watching celebrities and ships drift past. Restless types can rent a bike at Lido on Bike and pedal 1.5 km north towards the Antico Cimitero Israelitico, or cruise 6 km down pine-shaded beachfront to the canal-lined town of Malamocco. Unwind with happy-hour cocktails at the Colony Bar, set on the verandah of historic Hotel des Bains, then grab dinner in the breezy garden at Trattoria La Favorita. At night, catch a movie at the Venice Film Festival or Multisala Astra, live music at Aurora Beach Club, or beach DJ sets at Ultima Spiaggia di Pachuka. ALISON BING
ON THE CHEAP
Wander past pavilions representing countless architectural styles in the gardens of the Biennale Internazionale d`Arte, from the secessionist Austro-Hungarian Pavilion to the postindustrial Korea Pavilion. Stroll up the boardwalk to Basilica di San Marco to see priceless mosaics, gratis. Window-shop your way to the Rialto produce markets for fresh food and maybe even a free sample, then have a picnic at Campo San Giacometto. Head back across the Rialto to the Ghetto to spot rooftop synagogues and reflect on Venice`s Jewish history before heading to Osteria agli Ormesini to see who`ll by you a drink. In summer, check out Campo San Polo for free outdoor music, movies and theatre. ALISON BING
- literature: Bing Alison. Venice Encounter: Itineraries. ISBN 9781741049978. London: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ABN36005607983, 2009., 33. - 35.pg.
VENICE DIARY
Three rules for revellers are posted at vaporetto (city - ferry) stops: no littering in the canals, no defacing historic buildings and no strutting about bare breasted. The fact that Venice feels obliged to post that last regulation shows that opportunities for, erm, self-expression don`t begin and end with Carnevale. Whether you like to spend your downtime getting arty, sweaty, mystical or all of the above, Venice has you covered, with Biennales, marathons and weddings to the sea. A warning, though: this town seems determined to see you dunked.
Many festivals entail crossing makeshift pontoon bridges or rowing while standing up - and boozing canalside has obvious risks. ALISON BING
- literature: Bing Alison. Venice Encounter: Venice diary. ISBN 9781741049978. London: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ABN36005607983, 2009., 27.pg.
Viewing the city and its lagoon by
boat is an essential Venetian experience. A trip on a gondola or a
vaporetto (city ferry) are two options, but if you want something a bit
different try one of the following options.
Sail away into the
lagoon blue in a Venetian sampierota, an elegant twin-sailed boat that`s
small enough to slip into canals but sturdy enough to glide across open
water. The boats run by Laguna Eco Adventures (www.lagunaecoadventures.com
, tour € 30 - 120) accommodate a maximum of five people, so it`s just
you, the lagoon birds and the wind at your backs. Customised itineraries
range from a circuit of outlying lagoon islands to an easy drift along
the backstreets of Venice at sunset. Reserve ahead and, since all trips
are subject to weather conditions, check weather forecasts.
The skipper at Terra e Acqua (www.terraeacqua.com; tour include lunch € 70 - 120),Cristina della Toffola, is a wealth of information about rare lagoon
wildlife, and has all sorts of juicy his torical titbits, including
stories of scandalous nunneries in Venice`s notorious baroque party era.
Itineraries are customised, and can cover abandoned plague quarantine
islands, fishing and bird-watching hot spots, Burano, Torcello and other
lagoon architectural gems. Cristina makes a mean fish stew and spritz
(prosecco-based cocktail), which are served on board at picturesque
island mooring spots, she also takes the utmost care to preserve the
fragile lagoon ecosystem en route.Up to 10 people can be accommodated on
Cristina`s sturdy bragosso (Venetian barge), which makes the trip both
sociable and easier going for those not accustomed to boats. Reserve
well ahead and bring your sunscreen.ALISON BING
Terra Acqua captain and lagoon naturalist
Seafaring DNA. "My family has boats in common - one brother is a gondolamaker (at Squero di San Trovaso) and the other is a gondolier. We collaborate, but anyway, they`re my younger brothers, so they can`t boss me around."
"How many times she`s fallen into canals?" "Venetians never fall into canals! OK, maybe once, when I slipped helping someone on board. No big deal, just unpleasant. A canal isn`t a swimming pool, and it doesn`t smell like one either - so watch your step, especially after a spritz" (prosecco-based cocktail).
Lagoon birds to spot. "Storks, cormorants, kingfishers and black terns, which Venetians call cocal after the sound they make."
Yours, mine, ours. "Unesco is right. Venice doesn`t belong just to Venetians; it`s a treasure that belongs to the whole world. Looking after it is easy if everyone does their part. Don`t litter, don`t speed in boats, and proceed carefully in fragile lagoon wildlife areas. ALISON BING
FEBRUARY
CARNEVALE
Even Napoleon couldn`t stop Venice`s signature event. Before Lent begins, masqueraders party in the streets - and occasionally fall into canals - in long-nosed masks and commedia dell`arte costumes. If your liver hurts and wig itches after 10 days, just imagine how you`d have felt in the 18th century, when the party lasted up to three months. ALISON BING
- Slide tackle in knee britches at Calcio Storico, a fancy-dress football match in Piazza San Marco.
- Binge on frittele, the rum-raisn doughnuts that are best eaten when still warm.
- Quadrille the night away at Teatro La Fenice`s masked ball on the second Saturday of Carnevale (tickets start at € 200; costume and dance classes not included).
- Watch the Grand Canal parade, wher the floats actually float.
- Have a historically accurate blast, or DIY trying, by making your own costume and mastering the art of mask acting at Teatro Junghans. ALISON BING
APRIL
FESTA DI SAN MARCO
Citizen Kane would appreciate the celebration ov Venice`s patron saint on 25 April - the recurring motif is a bocolo (rosebud). Venetian men carry roses in processions through Piazza San Marco, and give them to the women they love best. ALISON BING
MAY
VOGALONGA
Not so much a race as a test of endurance, this 32 km `Long Row` starts with 1000 boats in front of the Ducal Palace, loops past Burano and Murano, and ends several boats shy of the starting number at Punta della Dogana. ALISON BING
Venice loves its lagoon so much that it has renewed its vows to the water every year since AD 998. In the Sposalizio del Mar (Wedding to the Sea), the mayor tosses a gold ring in the waters near San Nicolo on the Lido. ALISON BING
JUNE
VENEZIA SUONA
Hear medieval campi (squares) and baroque palazzi (palaces or mansions) echo with the latest sounds from around the world. ALISON BING
In odd-numbered years the Art Biennale usually runs from June to November, and in even years the Architecture Biennale kick off in September - but every summer there`s also avant-garde dance, theatre, cinema and music. ALISON BING
 |
| LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA |
JULY
FESTA DEL REDENTORE
Walk on water across the Canal della Giudecca to Il Redentore via a wobbly pontoon bridge on the third Saturday and Sunday in July. Join the floating picnic along the Zattere, and don`t miss the fireworks. ALISON BING
AUGUST
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
The only thing hotter than Lido beaches in August is the red carpet at this star-studded event, which runs from the last weekend in August through the first week of September. ALISON BING
 |
| VENICE FILM FESTIVAL |
SEPTEMBER
VENICE VIDEO ART FAIR
Often poetic, preetty and quite weird all at once, Italy`s premier video-art fair features 25 booths of new-media art in the anachronistic island setting of San Srevolo, located a ferry ride away from the Biennale Internazionale d`Arte pavilions. ALISON BING
 |
| VENICE VIDEO ART FAIR |
Never mind who`s winning, check out all the cool gear. At the Historical Regatta, 16th-century costumes, eight-oared gondolas and ceremonial barques all feature in a procession reenacting the arrival of the queen of Cyprus. Kids, women and gondolieri compete for boating bragging rights. ALISON BING
The final grudge match of the regatta season, the Regata di Burano is the race where rowers either gloat over their definitive win or take consolation in plenty of local fish, polenta and white wine. ALISON BING
OCTOBER
VENICE MARATHON
Six thousand runners work up a sweat over 42 km of spectacular scenery, dashing along the River Brenta past Palladian villas before crossing into Venice and heading to Piazza San Marco via a 160 m floating bridge. Mind your step... ALISON BING
NOVEMBER
FESTA DELLA MADONNA DELLA SALUTE
If you`d survived plague and Austrian invasion, you`d throw a party too. Every 21 November since the 17th century, Venetians have crossed a pontoon bridge across the Grand Canal to give thanks at Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute and splurge on sweets. ALISON BING
OFF-SEASON VENICE
Winter is the most stirring movement of Vivaldi`s Four Seasons for a reason - the composer had great source material. Just think of footsteps muffled by snow, icicles dripping from Venetian Gothic windows, and boots being stamped at the doorsteps of buzzing bacari. This is the season when Venetians let down their guard, bored chefs sit and chat over lunch, and artisans in their studios are glad of any interruption. Interpid travellers may have Piazza San Marco to themselves as they skid across patches of ice in their rush to get to gooey hot chocolate.
There are also practical advantages to visiting Venice between November and March. Except at Christmas and Carnevale, prices are slashed on everything from accommodation and excursions to dinners and drinks. Museums have fewer visitors, and restaurants offer limited menus to mostly local crowds - which has a definite upside. Finally you can skip the queues and take in Titians at the Accademia and futurists at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection without meekly following the tour-group herds, then strike up conversation about Venetian colour over drinks afterwards. ALISON BING
BEST OFF-SEASON THINGS TO DO:
BEST OFF-SEASON TRAVEL ADVANTAGES:
Winter is the most stirring movement of Vivaldi`s Four Seasons for a reason - the composer had great source material. Just think of footsteps muffled by snow, icicles dripping from Venetian Gothic windows, and boots being stamped at the doorsteps of buzzing bacari. This is the season when Venetians let down their guard, bored chefs sit and chat over lunch, and artisans in their studios are glad of any interruption. Interpid travellers may have Piazza San Marco to themselves as they skid across patches of ice in their rush to get to gooey hot chocolate.
There are also practical advantages to visiting Venice between November and March. Except at Christmas and Carnevale, prices are slashed on everything from accommodation and excursions to dinners and drinks. Museums have fewer visitors, and restaurants offer limited menus to mostly local crowds - which has a definite upside. Finally you can skip the queues and take in Titians at the Accademia and futurists at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection without meekly following the tour-group herds, then strike up conversation about Venetian colour over drinks afterwards. ALISON BING
- Learn Italian at Istituto Venezia
- Attend Biennale closing parties
- Cross the Grand Canal at Festa della Madonna della Salute
- Learn to cook Italian feasts with the Friends of Venice Club
- Celebrate Carnevale in costume at Teatro La Fenice
BEST OFF-SEASON TRAVEL ADVANTAGES:
BEST WAYS TO STAY WARM:
- Venetian hot chocolate
- Brodo di pesce (saffron-scented fish stew)
- Pasta e fasioi (pasta with beans)
- Caffe corretto (coffee `corrected` with brandy)
- Polenta umida (soft polenta)
BEST SEASONAL SPECIALITIES:
- Anatra (lagoon duck)
- Moscardini (baby octopus)
- Granseola (spider crab)
- Radicchio di Treviso
- Fritole (sweet fritters)
- literature: Bing Alison. Venice Encounter: Snapshots - Off-season Venice. ISBN 9781741049978. London: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ABN36005607983, 2009., 162.pg.
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar