Panorama dal Facciatone

My man, Gino, at the top of Panorama dal Facciatone. Siena’s Duomo Nuovo in the background.

Duomo Nuovo, Siena

SEPTEMBER 13, 2006 – VENICE

After a relaxing train ride, we arrived at Venice’s Santa Lucia train station ready to go. (Read Dad’s Words for his lovely description of the vision that greets you upon emerging from the station.) We bought our tickets for the vaporetto, making sure to get on the one that goes the long way down the Grand Canal. It’s a magic carpet ride.

Since Venice uses the waterways as highways and roads, the city “buses” are actually boats called vaporetti. You can sit inside on long benches during inclement weather, or you can stand outside and breathe in fresh air (mixed in with the fumes from the vaporetti). I like to be outside. I weasel my way to the very edge, lean against the metal bars of the sliding gates, and watch the procession of grand palazzi (palaces) which line the Grant Canal like architectural wedding cakes. The only drawback to this position is having to move out of the way every time we come into dock. But it beats having your nose pressed into the back of someone’s coat.

Venice is an island shaped like a fish, with the train station near the head, the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco in the body, and our stop, San Zaccaria, towards the tail. Ensconced on our vaporetto, we snaked our way down the Grand Canal, disembarking at San Zaccaria. From here it is just a few steps to Calle Vin, a hard-to-find little alley which leads us directly to Albergo Doni, our home away from home in Venezia.

Churches and Religious Imagery

Exterior apse of the 13th – 14th century Gothic church, S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Today holding art treasures by Titian, Bellini, and Donatello, it is Venice’s most important church after the Basilica di San Marco.

“Another Italian mind boggler: the churches. So many of them, but so beautiful, both inside and outside. Some of the interiors are so beautiful that upon entering, one involuntarily stops in awe at what one sees. So much beautiful tile and stone work everywhere — and not limited to floors, but on steps, up sides of walls — like everywhere else in Italy. The cathedral in Siena has a floor that can only be described as exotic. It fits the old axiom ‘must be seen to be believed.’ A truly unforgettable sight.” — Mario Brovelli, from Dad’s Words.

At the end of Calle del Paradiso, a narrow alley that spills you into Campo di Santa Maria Formosa, is a 15th century tympanum (triangular arch) depicting the Virgin Mary perched above the first floors of two corner buildings.

Chiesa dei Santi Martiri (Church of the Holy Martyrs), Arona (Lago Maggiore in Lombardia)

The impressive Duomo in the town of Como (at Lake Como) uniquely blends Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles.

A close look at an ornate architectural detail on the front of the Duomo in the town of Como.

In the town of Como.

A random wall in Locarno, Switzerland.

Portals of Italy

Venice

This Byzantine window and door could be found just as well in the Middle East as here in Venice.

Venice

Late again!  They always keep me waiting…  Cat in Angera (Lago Maggiore).

Angera

Gino reconsiders climbing over.  Angera

Sesto Calende (Lago Maggiore)

Sesto Calende (Lago Maggiore)

Come on in – the door is open.  Someone’s private palazzo facing Lago Maggiore in Angera.

What you find when you dare to explore.  (Venice)

Windows of Italy

Venice

Venice

Venice

Angera, Lago Maggiore. My cousin told me the symbol on this window belongs to the Borromeo family, but my research indicates the Visconti family.  A large snake devouring a boy, this symbol is also found on the Alfa Romeo. 

The town of Como at Lago Como. The iron work on the balcony was made without any welding, using only rivets to hold it together.

The town of Como.

Signora Gina – Albergo Doni

Just outside the door of Abergo Doni, our favorite hotel in Venice, proprietor Gina has given the run of the daily business over to her children. She is still always around to greet you with a ready smile and a witty quip.

Dad, just steps from our Hotel Doni, is intrigued by the intricate and graceful movements of the gondoliers as they deftly manuever their crafts through the narrow canals of Venice.

This canal is right outside our hotel window. Look closely on the left side about halfway down and you will see Gino hanging out the third floor window, waving to the gondoliers below. Look even more closely and you will see my mom directly above him, hanging out the fourth floor window. Best seats in town!

The Watery City

Venetian candy canes.

Hitchhiking on the Grand Canal has never been so fun!

This is one commute I would not mind.

I should have arrived earlier!  All the parking spaces are gone.

Mirror mirror on the wall…who is the most beautiful of all?  Venice.

A Grand Canal Ristorante

A sweet little place to dine along the Grand Canal in Venice, a short distance from the Rialto Bridge.

Mom and Dad

Ah! Finally a place to lean after hours of following that daughter of ours all over Venice! Doesn’t she ever stop?

Wake Up Italy!

Romano Prodi was recently elected as Italy’s new Prime Minister, unseating Berlusconi by a narrow margin of victory.  After his win, Prodi announced, “We want peace, we want unity, we want economic recovery and harmony,” and vowed to “wake up Italy.”  These signs were stenciled on walls and bridges all over Venice.