Everyone who has been to Venice at least once must admit that it is a unique city: the labyrinth of canals, its narrow alleys, the beautiful palaces, the absence of cars. It can be wrapped in mist caused by damp, or covered by snow or flooded by hoards of tourists from all over the world,…
Among the most bizarre Venetian Carnival masks, the Plague Doctor is the most recognizable because of the long nose which resembles the beak of a stork. One of the major plagues in Venice was definitely the black plague that struck the city on several occasions. This disease killed half the population of Venice during the…
One of the most ancient and typical dishes in Venice is baccalà mantecato (creamed cod) often served on a slice of grilled white polenta, both in Venetian houses and in Venetian taverns (osterie). This post talks about the origins of this delicious dish (the source is an article by Sebastiano Giorgi in Guida alle Osterie…
A quick introduction on the origins of Venice as written by www.venicewiki.org and translated and adapted by me. The first mention about the lagoon of Venice dates back to the fourth century B.C., when an ancient Greek geographer, by the name of Scimno di Chio, mentions 50 small towns all located within and along the lagoon…
A place of worship and highly spiritual, the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta is located on the fascinating Torcello Island, one of the oldest settlements in the Venice lagoon and the cradle of Venice itself. The origins of this ancient church date back to the distant 7th century, built on behalf of the Ravenna Exarch…
San Pietro’s Church in Castello Positioned on the small island of Olivolo, in a strategic position towards the East and protected to the North and the South by two strips of land which forms a small bay, there is the beautiful church of San Pietro di Castello. This used to be the site of the…
Why is Venice the city of the Masks? First of all let’s define what is a Maschera (mask): in the Venetian culture the term “maschera” refers to “putting on a beard and mustache” and “maschera” was also the nickname given to women who disguised themselves as men and men who disguised themselves as women. Soon the…
The “Altane” are structures located above the rooftops of Venice characterizing the architecture of the city, a sort of wooden terraces supported by pillars. If you have the opportunity to stand on a church tower or rooftop of a building, or if you just look up while walking through the calli of Venice, for…
Dear me, I know the title sounds pretty tragic, but at the end of the beautiful ecological walk of Venice I took on Sunday 6th Feb organised by Context Travel and guided by Luca Zaggia, that is the way I felt! Professor Luca Zaggia is a geologist who works for the Science Marine Institute of…
Carnival: never before in this period, the proverb “Semel in anno Licet insane” seems to fit the reality of a city in celebration, not only with its masks, but also the sweet treats that are the delight of gourmets and also of those who would tend to avoid calories in excess. It is impossible…
Image via Wikipedia You cannot mention the Carnival of Venice without talking about all the shows and the theatres.The theatre season in Venice was the richest in Europe, thanks to the many theatres in town, often owned by noble families. Venice was one of the few cities in Europe to own a substantial number of…
Image via Wikipedia The Carnival is a festival that is celebrated in countries of Christian tradition (especially those of Catholic tradition). The celebrations are often held in public parades in which playful and imaginative elements dominate and, in particular, the distinctive feature of the carnival is the use of masks.One of the most popular etymologies…
Tomorrow will be another big celebration for Venice: Santa Maria della Salute or Madonna della Salute.Unfortunately I have been extremely busy for the last two week and I really did not have time to sit down and write a porper post about this, but I feel it is right to let you know a little…
San Martino – A Venetian Celebration Here in Venice every occasion is good to celebrate with either cakes, drinks or else. This time we celebrate San Martino and we do it tomorrow, 11th November. All over the province of Venice bakeries and cakes shops sell the traditional San Martino cake, a short-crust cake…
Venice: The Arsenal Back in May 2010 I was lucky enough to visit the Arsenale in Venice. The Arsenale is usually closed to the public; it is currently used only in small part as one of the venues of the Biennale di Venezia, but for a few days a year, thanks to an event called…
One of the most interesting, precious and enchanting places in Venice is the Ancient Jewish Ghetto. As I already said many times before, I always try to go there as much as I can, since it is one of the few places in Venice where really time stands still. I have talked about the Ghetto…
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…
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…
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