So it’s here again! Stars, starlets, films, documentaries, all ready to show off or to be shown off at the most exclusive Kermesse of year in one of the most amazing cities in the World. The festival will start off on 1st September 2010 with Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky which will be the opening [...]

HISTORIC REGATTA VENICE 2010 Sunday September 5th 2010 The Regata Storica is one of the most typical celebrations of Venice and it is the main event on the annual races calendar of Voga alla Veneta, a unique style of rowing practised for thousands of years on the lagoon. The Regatta is held on the water [...]

Sumptuous Homes on the Canal Grande The other day I was taking my son and a young friend around Venice and I decided to use the Vaporetto (water bus) line 1, even though it is August (hot and sticky) and the boat would be packed with tourists. I wanted to ride on the water slowly [...]

One of my young students, Erica Stefanini, has written this interesting short research on Venetian Emigration for a history exam. I translated it for you, because I found it very very interesting. ” Emigration in the last 19th Century: Veneto The first big migration of modern history has been the Italian one, starting with Venetian [...]

Save on average 41% on your weekend city break The weekend city break has become increasingly popular amongst holidaymakers. The attraction of romance in Paris, or the outstanding sites to Barcelona, a weekend visit is featuring more in holidaymaker’s things to do. With such a trip bearing a price tag, you can find comfort in [...]

Another year goes by, another hot and sticky summer strolls in through the canals of the lagoon and another major appointment for all Venetians is fast approaching. It is Festa del Redentore (The Redeemer’s Celebration) which this year will take place on July 17th and 18th. This event draws thousands of people to the City [...]

Burano, the Rainbow Island I have been away from my blog for few months now, been very busy (cannot moan about that, busy means work, so…) but it has also been very hard to get back into writing. The ideas were there, the post titles where ready, but the will to write was all gone. [...]

Today I would like to introduce you to a new book written by Susan Van Allen, the book is “100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go”. I am not a book critic, but I do love reading and above all I like when travel writers make sure to give up to date and thorough [...]

Polenta: why do we like it so much in Venice? The first memory of the taste of polenta in my mouth goes back to the age 3 or 4. I was sitting on the back of my mum “sit-up-&-beg” bike (this is the nice term my English husband calls the Graziella bikes, which used to [...]

My Top 10 Free things to do in Venice Unlike many other cities around the world which offer the tourists many free museums and exhibitions to visit, Venice unfortunately does not do that. It is a city which lives off tourism, therefore every possible site is exploited one way or another, by charging the tourist [...]

There are two words in the Italian language that have always bugged me. One I wish I could delete completely from the Italian dictionary, the second I really wish it was implemented by every Italian. The first word is MENEFREGHISMO and the second is AUTO-IRONIA. Before I start I would like to point out that [...]

XII Culture week in Italy (16th-25th April) The MiBAC (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali) will offer free entry for ten days, starting 16th April, to all state owned art buildings in Italy; monuments, museums, archaeological areas, archives, libraries and much more. This is called the Culture Week (Settimana della Cultura) The city [...]

25th April 2010 in Venice – Saint Mark’s and Blooming Rose day (Festa di San Marco e del Boccolo) For all Venetians 25th April is a celebration much older than the Italian National holiday which is celebrated on the same day. The 25th April is, as well as being National Liberation Day, the day of [...]

Treviso, water & history not far from Venice, Italy « Dove Sile e Cagnan s’accompagna » (Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia (Paradiso, IX, v.49)) [Where the River Sile and the River Cagnan meet – by Dante Alighieri, Divine Commedy (Paradiso, IX, v.49) ] Last Sunday I decided to take some friends of ours, who were here for [...]

A peaceful Oasis amidst the hordes of tourists in Venice! All I can hear when people talk about Venice is that the town is overcrowded, there are tourists everywhere, it is impossible to enjoy the city. Well, this is absolutely true if, like what 95% of people do when visiting Venice, you only stick to [...]

Love & Revenge on the Riviera del Brenta in 18th century. An old Venetian saying goes like this: “Chi se tol par amor, per rabia se lassa” that means “who ends up together for love, will leave each other in anger” (Proverbi Veneti Commentati by Mario Massari, Edizioni Milda S.rl.) As Baldasserre Castiglione used to [...]

Simple basic Italian cooking lessons. We did it: finally our video for CookInVenice.com is on line! Arianna and I are really pleased we managed to do this, we have been thinking about it for a while, but never really got around doing it. I would like to thank all our students who took part in [...]

First meet-up for Ex-pats in Venice:what a lovely evening! Since we have returned to live in Italy back in 2000, my British husband and I have been trying to get in contact with English speaking people living in Venice for a long time. Veneto is not Tuscany, we don’t have all the lovely rolling hills [...]

The minor islands of  Venice When tourists come to Venice in their 1 or 2 days tours (which I personally think it’s way too short a duration to see this beautiful city), they often speed through the main monuments areas of Saint Mark’s square and Rialto and if they got some time left they take [...]

Just a quick post with some beautiful pictures of Vlla Pisani In Strà, on the Riviera del Brenta near Venice. The author is a local photographer Franco Amormino, you can see all of his collection on fliker