What did you bring back from Venice

What did you bring back from Venice: memories of Venice keep flooding in (just like acqua alta).

This time it is my new Facebook friend Raleigh McDonald Hussung who tells us how she feels about the City of Dreams. Raleigh owns LovefromItalia.com, where you can find all the Italian products you can ask for! Thank you very much Raleigh for sharing this with all of us!

Venice… Mysterious, Beguiling, Bewitching, Alluring,…La Serenissima

 

OH! She draws you in with her serenity and beauty. She is the master of seduction…I am hers. My relationship with Venice is very intense…    even complicated…I am completely under her control when I’m there…

When Monica Cesarato asked me to write about my best memory-memories of Venice, I thought it would be easy! Not very! After starting to write many times, I decided the only way to write about them was to list some favorites that embrace my senses each time I’m there …

To begin, a few delicious ones that always tempt my taste buds…

Sgroppino – the most amazing concoction made with Limoncello;

Prime Uve – a Grappa that is drinkable – a “gift” from Vinicio, our friend at the Flora;

Moeche – delicate, sweet, small, addictive lightly battered soft shell crabs – available only in the early Spring

Torrone from Marchini – I could devour everything in that wonderful pasticceria!

Next, beauty for my eyes to see…

Piazza San Marco in all its splendor… watching the façade of the Basilica San Marco as the sunsets…glittering and golden…amazing – it is heartstopping… stunning!

The bridges that cross the Grand Canal…

The Ponte dell’ Accademia – from the top, looking south, I can see magnificent church of Santa Maria della Salute at the entrance to the Grand Canal – breathtaking!

The Rialto – always teeming with people…I love walking over it to see the abundant wonders of the Rialto Market!

The Ponte degli Scalzi – part of the breathtaking first view of Venice as you exit the Santa Lucia Train station – I cry every time I see it!

The Bridge of Sighs, Ponte Lungo, Ponte dei Tre Archi…

I simply love walking through the districts and seeing all the hidden treasures, seeing families and children playing, seeing the everyday life. And, I love getting lost!

I love Venice!

****An extra note about the first time we visited Venice…

 

 

Beautiful Music…

The first time we visited Venice we stayed at the Pensione Accademia in Dorsoduro. We were in what I referred to as “Rapunzel’s Tower “– one of two rooms on the very top floor of the hotel. Trying to settle in, I opened the shutters and gazed down on the small canal below our window which ran along the side of the hotel and emptied into the Grand Canal. It was almost dusk and we were hurrying to change and go out for dinner. I was trying to decide on what to wear and getting frustrated with the choices I had packed! All of a sudden, I heard the most beautiful tenor voice coming from the window…it was a gondolier singing as he guided his gondola by our hotel. It was as if he was singing to me alone…I sat down on the bed and began to smile and then, laugh! I WAS IN VENICE!!! What I wore to dinner simply didn’t matter…at all! I will never forget that moment and I can still hear that voice in my heart!

Raleigh McDonald Hussung is a cookbook writer, caterer and owner of Lovefromitalia.com. Her passion for all things Italian is apparent to all who read the blogs on her site. She loves importing artisanal and organic Olive Oils, seasonings, honey and pasta for sell on her site. She and her husband travel to Italy every 18 months and Venice is ALWAYS the first stop…You can follow her on: twitter – @lovefromitalia; on facebook: Raleigh McDonald Hussung and Love from Italia.