Venice

Venice was so crowded today that we took the ferry over to Murano. During a much earlier period the forces that rule Venice tossed all the glass makers out because of fire dangers. Those wooden bridges were too important to risk. Most of the glass makers went to Murano, a 5 minute ferry ride from the north side of Venice. I was interested in seeing the glass making workshops. Our timing was terrible. We arrived during the two hour lunch. The only thing working were the furnaces. We also couldn’t even find a restaurant or an information booth. The ferry ride over passes by the island that houses the cemetary. It appears as if the entire island is walled in red brick. The return ferry circled around Venice and returned to Saint Mark's. So the trip was worth it because we got to see Venice from the “owner’s” entrance. It was a sunny and beautiful day. The remainder of the day was spent walking through the less traveled streets. It was also laundry day again. A much easier task than In Milan since we found a laundromat one block from our hotel. That evening we spent some time oggling at the revelers. If I could have been in that celebration when I was 20, I would think I had found heaven. 

Venice Le Quattro Stagioni

We walked to a different district today. It was warm and sunny and very pleasant to stroll the narrow, shop filled streets. The streets are quite busy probably caused by Carnevale. These crowds during winter make me think high season is one human mass. I can’t imagine being here during high season and being able to pause at shops or on bridges to enjoy the views. Dorsoduro, the district of today, is home to art colleges and the University. One can see the artisans working in the back of their shops: sewing, painting, jewelry & mask making. There are shops here that actually sell functional goods such as irons & coffee makers, unlike the San Marco district which has one glass, purse, glove & scarf shop after another. The city’s oldest squero, a boatyard for building gondolas, sits where two canals merge. Robert Browning and Peggy Guggenheim lived here; David Lean filmed “Summertime” with Katherine Hepburn here. We came for the Galleria del’Accademia in order to see some more Bellini’s and Carpaccios. The Academia was another of those museums thst needs a good curator. Poorly arranged & labeled pieces made it difficult to enjoy the works. The best was Carpaccio’s cycle of the St Ursula story. As with his St George, one room was dedicated to showing the series. Unlike the St George, they weren’t in situ. Urusula became a saint after she took off to Rome with 11,000 virgins and was subsequently killed by the Huns. The miracle today would be finding 11,000 virgins.

From tne Academia we went to the Frari Church, mainly to see a Donatello sculpture of John the Baptist. The Frari is the gothic church in Venice. The lack of solid ground was a deterent to the soaring gothic. This church is built of red brick, too. The inside is open and in a T shape rather than a cross shape. Mainly visual are the monumental monuments. Titian is buried here in one of the monuments. Conova’s heart is in his monument, his bones in southern Italy.
The highlight of the day was an evening Vilvaldi concert in Santa Maria della Visitazone. Vilvaldi was born here, and yesterday was his birthday. They performed The Four Seasons beneath a ceiling fresco by Tiepolo. Zowie! 

1. kathrynlima | March 5, 2011 at 7:53 pm | Reply

   When we were there in August – really high season – we found that away from St. Mark’s square the streets were not all that crowded. Wandering those back streets on our own, away from the crowds, was our favorite part of that visit. You are bringing back some wonderful memories and presenting so many things that we missed. We must return!

   • Christy | March 5, 2011 at 11:57 pm | Reply

     We’ve found that to be the most delIgbtful, too. And just as beautiful. We have fun for about 15 minutes with the crowds just to see the costumes & be a part of the festivities. Everyone is congenial and convivial so it’s not unpleasant, just not all that romantic. Much better off the beaten track. I think of you two often and how much fun we would have with you on this trip.

2. kathrynlima | March 5, 2011 at 7:54 pm | Reply

   Oh, and you know that Venice is where Gabriel Alon, from the Daniel Silva books, worked and met his wife!

3. Christy | March 5, 2011 at 11:58 pm | Reply

   Did you read John Irving’s early book, Setting the Bears Free?

Venice Nome

There were snow showers today, but it actually felt warmer because the wind had died. It was fortunate that we followed Rick Steves’ advice and got our tickets for the Ducale Palace yesterday at the Correr Museum. The line to buy tickets snaked out of sight; we walked right in. The snow moved everyone to indoor venues. The palace embraces a courtyard from 3 sides. The architecture is a mixture of gothic & renaissance due to fires, rebuilding, decorating with plunder. But it all seems to work. The exterior has a nice blend of Gothic and Moorish design which is referred to as Venetian Renaissance. The Palace housed the Doge & family as well as all the governmental offices and halls. The Doge was elected for life and was really a figure head unless he could secure power separate from his office. The rooms in the apartment, the senate, the collegio, etc. were very oppulent; walls were covered in paintings by Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto, Carpaccio, Bellini; ceilings were a mass of gold leaf and more paintings. It’s the closest I’ve come to feeling literally absorbed into painting No photos were allowed. You’ll just have to come see for yourselves! The palace leads to and over the Bridge of Sighs given its name because of the lamentations of prisoners being led over it to their executions. I was lamenting over my hunger so we had a nice lunch and then went to search for the Scuola Schianveni. In this small school is the Carpaccio pictorial cycle St George and the Dragon. The paintings, in situ, fill the sides and front of the space. There are 8 canvases which depict the myth in narrative format. The first canvas depicts the slaying. The princess is praying, George is slaying, & victim remains are decaying. It’s great!!!

Heard on the street from a reveler when her lover dropped his hat and had difficulty retrieving it, “He’s not really old. He’s just ruined”. Followed by gales of laughter.

Venice Carnevale

We went out late last night and discovered that the revelers had disappeared. We decided they probably all go to private parties. There was a band playing in St Mark’s Sq, but not many people were there. It was bitterly cold snd windy We also discovered water everywhere in the Square. This morning there was even more water forcing people to form long lines along high ground in order to get from one point in the Square to another. The wind has been really high. It must be forcing the water up through drainage. The revelers were back out, posing for photos. They are fabulous in both dress and attitude. It’s like a dance.

We visited the Correr Museum. It’s not visitor friendly. There is no floor plan, artifacts are dirty. There is a salon devoted to the Bellini family and a Bosch that made it worthwhile. The Doge’s Palace, our other destination for the day was closed for a meeting. So after a bit of window shopping we returned to the hotel to warm up.

Better than Vegas

The Milan train station was built during Mussolini’s rule (1931). It is a monument to the power of government: soaring, massive, muscular. But we’ve discovered the bigger the station the easier to maneuver and get the right train. They understand how to handle big and diverse crowds. We arrived in Venice at the San Lucia station and followed our hotel’s directions to take the #1 vaporetti (ferry) down the Grand Canal to San Zacarria. This stop is near San Marco. From here we walked to the hotel where our room is the only one on the 3rd floor. We have a little balcony. But today feels very cold because the wind is 23 mph. So no balcony fun. We walked around without caring about our direction. We were so surprised and pleased to find that it is Carnevale here (Mardi Gras). People are wondering around in period costumes. It is SO beautiful here. We spent a short time in St Mark’s. It’s smaller than some of the other basilica’s but very rich with gold mosaics in the domes.

Funny thing of the day. The Venice EMTs use a wheelbarrow to transport persons. We witnessed this today as they carried out a woman.

“So he again set eyes on the most astounding landing, that blinding composition of fantastic architecture, which the Republic has to offer the awestruck looks of the approaching seafarers: the light grandeur of the Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, the columns topped with the lion and the saint close to the shore, the flaunting projecting flank of St Mark’s, the view of St Mark’s Clock, and thus contemplating he thought that arriving in Venice from the train station was like entering a palace through the servants’ entrance and that one should always, like himself, travel across the ocean to the most improbable of cities.” Thomas Mann, Death in Venice

1. kathrynlima | March 2, 2011 at 4:59 pm | Reply

   We entered and exited Venice via cruise ship, so I identify with your quote. It is beautiful, isn’t it!

2. Christy | March 2, 2011 at 5:12 pm | Reply

   Si, molto.

Oh, My Beautiful Launderette

Today was a day you don’t write home about. We needed to do laundry, but discovered that Italy in general, & Milan in particular, don’t have laundromats or, as they call them, launderia automatica. They mostly have drop off service. We found one on the Internet we considered closer to the hotel than the desk clerk’s recommendation. We loaded the clothes in a suitcase & took off for the “short” .7 mile walk. Two hours later having gotten lost & then finally having found the place, we discovered it boarded & closed for renovation. At that point we hopped a tram & headed to the hotel recommended place. We were lucky an attendant who spoke zero English & was quite bossy was there to sell us tokens & soap. While things washed we ate at a local place, Woodstock 3. Yep. That Woodstock. Dozens of workers came in, ate, & left in what seemed like 10 minute shifts. The waitresses were lightening fast & effecient The portions were huge. We each had a slice of pizza that was @ 12×14″. The crust was devine.

Oh. I forgot to mention that it was raining all day while we were traipsing around. To reward ourselves for both cleanliness and virtue, we bought beautiful, sumptuous pastries, a couple of sandwiches, a bottle of local, & settled in for the night. My dogs were barking & we have an early train for Venice tomorrow.

A pictorial look at our stay in Milan.

kathrynlima | March 2, 2011 at 4:57 pm | Reply

Woodstock Cafe sounds very American – especially the part about the large portions!

Milan Galleries

Today was entirely spent in two galleries, the Gallery Poldi-Pizzoli and the Pinatoceta Brera. The Poldi-Puzzoli was a private residence and holds the family’s furnishings, art, personal effects. Only one original room remains from the WWII bombings. It is beautifully appointed with mosaics & murals. There are photographs in each reconstructed room which show the original. The paintings, sculptures and other personal effects were surely safely stored during the war as they are all on display. It is a museunzm in the likeness of the Isabella Stewart Gardner and the Frick. There was a special Botticelli show with the Madonna of the Book, which they own and had just been cleaned. Also, one of the 3 Giullano Medici portraits and others.

The Pinacoteca Brera Museum is the repository of Napolean’s conquests. It’s a large and grand place with the majority of the paintings from the Renaissance. (I’ve seen more Madonnas in the last 3 weeks than a human can comprehend) particularly impressive were Mantegna’s Dead Christ, Raphael’s Berhrol of the Virgin, Carravaggio’s Supper at Emaus, Tintorettos, tons of Bellinis. An artist whom I wasn’t familiar with but both of us were greatly impressed by was Crivelli. His color was highly chromatic, the textures complex & myriad, and the faces less flat. There was a painting by Francisco Hayze, The Kiss, that was reproduced on everything imaginable for sale in the bookstore. I am unformiliar with this painting, & don’t know the importance. Can anyone tell me this?
We had dinner at a Greek/Italian restaurant which specialized in fish: oysters on the 1/2, linguini & mussels, & spaghetti & squid. All was delicious. We’ve also now determined that we were not being charged for the bread all this time. We finally questioned the charge & were informed it is a “table” charge. In other words a tip. 

Milan: Eat, Pray, Love

It is fashion week in Milan. Exciting to see the catwalk set ups and photographers waiting around for shows. The shop windows have the most adorable, smart dresses, bags, coats, etc. One shop window had layers upon layers of wool for men to choose from to have suits made. All the people are chic; no sweats or team logo t-shirts.

Our little boutique hotel, Antica Locando Leonardo, is around the corner from Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Leonardo’s Last Supper. We didn’t even realize this until we took a tour and found ourselves there sitting in our backyard.
The hotel is almost walking distance to other major sites, the Duomo, la Scala, and the Galleria. Almost meaning for most reasonable people. Us? We’ve walked the 3 miles twice a day. I just figure it’s a good way to work off the pasta and chianti.
I wish I could find new words to describe places and sights we are seeing other than amazing, beautiful, unprecedented, etc. I’ll use Gasp to explain the Duomo. It is the 8th largest Cathedral in the world. It holds 40,000 people and is made entirely of marble. There are 3 very large stained glass windows in the nave that illustrate the bible. But, more than the interior, the roof exemplifies the craftman’s magic. It is pure eye candy. Every inch of marble carved. The photos don’t do it justice.
The Galleria, a covered glass-vaulted arcade connects the Duomo with Teatro Alla Scala. It is filled with luxury shops and restaurants.
la Scala is quite plain and small. Our guide said that opening night tickets go as high as $2000. The interior looks a lot like Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, oval with boxes set into the walls. There is a small museum with paintings and sculptures of performers, conductors and composers. They have Verdi’s cast death mask and hand.
Lastly today we saw The Last Supper. Visits are very controlled; 25 persons are allowed every 15 minutes. The painting has survived many poor and misguided restorations as well as a WWII bombing. Gazing upon it, the context of it’s history is more thought provoking and moving than the work itself.
Tonight we walked to the Brera district for dinner. This is an area of narrow streets, bars, shops and galleries. Our meal was average. But the atmosphere was lively and nice.
What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems …a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!… The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures– and the figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest…everywhere that a niche or a perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself…Away above, on the lofty roof, rank on rank of carved and fretted spires spring high in the air, and through their rich tracery one sees the sky beyond. … (Up on) the roof…springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance…We could see, now, that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street… They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter’s at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands. Mark Twain

Lyon to Milan

What a day! What a day! We got on the wrong train in Chambery. You know, once a train is under way there is nothing to be done. You might as well accept your fate and go with it. So, on the advice of a very nice and sympathetic porter, we got off at the first stop, waited 3 hours for the return train to Chambery, then another 5 hours for the train to Milan. Our eta for Milan is 10:30 pm, some 8 hours over due. But we had a nice 2 hour lunch of salad, crepes & wine and got to see the French Alps.

All this waiting around gives me time to note things I forgot.
1. The Real Madrid football team stayed in our Lyon hotel one night for a game against Lyon. We happened upon them in the lobby where screaming young females and flashing cameras were waiting outside. The females literally chased down the street after their limousines (in their stiletto heals no less).
2. All the young people here still chain smoke. But it seems no smoking is allowed indoors any longer. Well, at least in Spain and France. We will see about Italy.
3. We have seen maybe a half dozen over weight people. And they weren’t really obese. Must be all that smoking. 🙂
4. Julia. Do you remember the embroidered olive scarf you gave me? I’m wearing it all across Europe. Thanks.
5. In France all tbe shops close at 2 for lunch. And some of the restaurants close for lunch, too. We never quite figured that out.
I hope for more telling news tomorrow when we see DaVinci’s Last Supper and the Duomo.

Lyon Croix-Rousse

During the Renaissance Lyon prospered as a printing and silk weaving industry. Half the inhabitants were silk workers (canuts). Crux-Rousse district was home to many small silk workshops. There is very little remaining of the industry today due to technology (Jacquard loom), an illness that wiped out the French silk worm, and the building of the Suez Canal that led to easier access to Chinese silks. We visited one of the remaining silk workshops, L’Atelier de Soierie. This shop only prints and paints the silk. The weaving takes place in other shops. And all the silk now comes from Brazil. The entire district sits on a very steep hill with a lot of graffiti covered buildings.

We had lunch at a Rick Steves’ recommended spot, Les Lyonaisse. The best part was sharing a table with a French couple who were also retired and loved art, music, travel. They gave us good advice for Vienna & on which desert to have.

Lyon Beaux-Arts

The Beaux-Arts Museum of Lyon is located in a former 17th century Benedictine abbey on the presque ‘ile. On the plaza facing the museum is a formidable sculpture by Botholdi, he of the Statue of Liberty. Four horses pulling a chariot rise up out of a fountain in an allegory to the Garonne & it’s tributaries. The core of the museum is a sculpture garden surrounded by a cloister.

The chapel of the museum holds the majority of the sculpture collection. It was this exhibition that had the most lasting impression on me with beautifully executed and powerfully emotive pieces by Rodin, Etex, Pradier & Maillol. There was also an excellen holding of Egyptian mummies and canopic jars, which seemed untouched by time. Of all the paintings, I most enjoyed Gericault’s The Monomaniac of Envy. Wayne liked Picasso’s Woman Seated on the Beach and Zubaran’s St. Francis. We spent about 4 hours there, had lunch & then took the funicular back up to Fourviere to see the Gallo-Roman ruins. The Romans settled Lyon in 43 AD and were present for about 350 years. Lugdunum was the Roman name of the city. Evidence of the Romans is everywhere and discoveries are still made. The amphitheater is not as beautiful as Taormina’s but certainly as impressive. The accompanying museum held complete floor mosaics as large as 25′ x 50’ which one could walk on. Many of these were discovered in Lyon homes as late as the 1900’s.

We intended to go to the Museum of contemporaey art after dinner. But there was an event (the type of which eluded us) in the lobby with a speaker.

Les Beaux-Arts