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Post by questa on May 15, 2016 23:10:26 GMT
Gnomes are supposed to wear red pointy caps so it would seem that someone has dressed those dwarves up to look like gnomes.
[red caps relate to the mushrooms with red caps which are hallucinogenic]
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Post by questa on May 15, 2016 23:17:30 GMT
This report and pictures are just entrancing me. The misty early morning ones are beautiful and the squares and waterways are so natural. It looks like a place of dreams. Great report.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2016 5:58:57 GMT
The architecture is as amazing as ever and in spite of having become "museumized" Venice still presents a perfect balance between well-kept and slowly crumbling, which is what creates so much of its charm.
The water seems remarkably clean at this time of year. I know that summer visitors often claim that it is completely foul at that time, especially if there has been no rain at all.
My mind works in nasty ways sometimes, and since fumobici showed almost no shops in any of his pictures, I found myself googling "McDonald's Venezia San Marco" to break the perfect image. Yes, it indeed exists, but what I found much more horrifying was that the Google page that one pulls up in such a search is full of panicked travel forum queries about whether or not visitors are going to be able to eat if there isn't a Mcdonald's. And it's true that almost all of the images that one finds of Venice anywhere are of canals and the façades of churches. Even if people are not attracted to McDonald's it does tend to make one wonder where it is possible to eat or buy something in view of the paucity of photos of such places.
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Post by bjd on May 16, 2016 7:45:39 GMT
I'm glad to see some "real" Venetian life hiding in plain sight: laundry hanging and boats used for transport of goods, people walking. I guess having to walk everywhere and going up and down stairs to cross bridges must keep people in shape. I wonder when they will be forced to make it "handicapped-friendly" for wheelchairs and people with mobility issues?
Seeing the occasional garden and square with a few trees also makes me realize how little greenery there is. It's a beautiful city to visit but not one I would like to live in.
As mentioned in an earlier post, my last visit to Venice was in 1984. I think I just followed students to a local place where I had a sandwich. I was staying in Padua and went a couple of times to Venice for the day, so didn't have to worry about anything but lunch. I also sat down for a coffee one day near the Rialto bridge, figuring I should do something touristy, but I didn't really enjoy it because I felt so ripped-off. That's what happens when you are cheap!
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Post by fumobici on May 16, 2016 18:57:42 GMT
For my next walk I headed east from my lodging, a direction that became my favorite as I could take a nice long walk this direction while still mostly avoiding any of the more touristy areas of Venice. I start however in one of the more touristy and beautiful corners of Sestiere Castello, the Campo dei S.S. Giovanni e Paolo, or in the preferable Venetian, San Zanipolo. This includes the church that gives the square its name(s) and a remarkable adjacent building, the Gran Scuola di S. Marco, which was an important Venetian school dedicated to the study and teaching of the anatomical sciences and is today a museum. The Scuola is the building with the wonderful lions on its facade with the trompe l'oeilish perspective stonework. We'll be back here for another visit and more views. Next is another touristic site, but again very impressive and deserving, the main entrance to the Arsenale. This is the Southern public side of the complex and is very different from the obscure Northern side I showed early. More lions and very nice ones adorn the entrance, which is still signed as off-limits to the public as it is a military base to this day. Heading South from the Arsenale, in a few minutes you find yourself on the southern edge of the city looking either South towards Guidecca across the Guidecca Canal, or West, towards Piazza S. Marco. In the first shot here three locals are fishing. In the last, the tall bell tower is S. Giorgio a church and island across the large Guidecca canal. The next photos are of what was the original Duomo or cathedral of the city, San Pietro di Castello prior to the construction of the "new" basilica in Piazza S. Marco. It is a little sad and neglected looking by comparison, particularly the rather ramshackle cloisters. The next photos are just a ramble from the old cathedral to the Gardens of the Biennale looking South again across at Guidecca and S. Giorgio. The gardens contain some permanent pavillions for countries that exhibit at the fair. The rather hokey girl on a lion sculpture is outside the pictured Russian pavillion. Next we'll brave the Rialto and visit Sestieres S. Polo and S. Croce.
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Post by fumobici on May 16, 2016 19:16:35 GMT
From fall into spring, the Venice region can experience what is called Aqua Alta which are higher than normal tides due to surges in the Adriatic Sea from winds. I found out this information when I began planning our holiday for October 2016. From reading some trip reports most advised to be extra careful if the water is covering the pathways to watch your step carefully for missing cobbles, planks or debris. I did see some photos where people were buying "rain boots" which looked like surgical slippers (same bright blue color) but up to your knees where there was a draw string. I am enjoying your photos immensely. Particularly the one showing the Venetian chimneys, outstanding photo. Do you have photos coming of crossing any of the larger bridges such as the Ponti di Rialto? By April the danger of "acqua alta" tides are long past. There will be no photos from the Rialto bridge in this report, it was all plywooded up as it was being restored while I was there (still is I'm sure). Nothing to be seen from it, and not much to see looking at it either. I will have some views from the wonderful wooden Accademia bridge however.
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Post by fumobici on May 16, 2016 19:34:21 GMT
The architecture is as amazing as ever and in spite of having become "museumized" Venice still presents a perfect balance between well-kept and slowly crumbling, which is what creates so much of its charm. The water seems remarkably clean at this time of year. I know that summer visitors often claim that it is completely foul at that time, especially if there has been no rain at all. My mind works in nasty ways sometimes, and since fumobici showed almost no shops in any of his pictures, I found myself googling "McDonald's Venezia San Marco" to break the perfect image. Yes, it indeed exists, but what I found much more horrifying was that the Google page that one pulls up in such a search is full of panicked travel forum queries about whether or not visitors are going to be able to eat if there isn't a Mcdonald's. And it's true that almost all of the images that one finds of Venice anywhere are of canals and the façades of churches. Even if people are not attracted to McDonald's it does tend to make one wonder where it is possible to eat or buy something in view of the paucity of photos of such places. I saw the McDonald's not far from S. Marco. Horrific thing to behold. in Tuscany, outside of Florence I suppose, such monstrosities are simply not allowed. One thing I adore about Italy is the near utter lack of American/international fast food places. Well there are Autogrill on the big highways. But in all but the most direly touristic places, they simply don't exist. Eating in Venice is pretty easy and even can be done inexpensively if you don't require a meal with all the pomp and ceremony. Walk into any wine bar in the afternoon and they'll have cases stuffed with tapas for a euro or so and good wine by the glass for cheap. You can fill up on a nice pizza for six euro or so if you need to sit down and like anywhere else in Italy almost every bar has cheap sandwiches that are generally very nicely done. Plus there are grocery stores, albeit often hidden where only the locals know, that have the usual stuff to eat at reasonable cost. If you fall into one of the tourist trap restaurants with the ridiculous hidden charges and high prices, then well I guess that's what you had coming. Stupid *should* hurt. For being Italy Venice is not a great food city, but by the standards of anywhere else it really isn't bad at all. As for shops, I was traveling carry-on only for almost a month. I wasn't going to buy anything that I couldn't eat pretty much on the spot. There was no question of buying souvenirs or knick-knacks, so I walked right past all the shops without even a sidelong glance. No blown glass or masks for me, thank you.
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Post by mich64 on May 16, 2016 23:11:37 GMT
Thank you for confirming by April the Acqua alta tides are not an issue (sorry for the spelling mistake). Looking forward to seeing your photos of the Accademia bridge.
The last photo in reply #34 is another one of my favorites so far.
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Post by tod2 on May 17, 2016 7:19:57 GMT
So much more delightful photos Fumobici! You make it almost look as if you are the only one in the city...How did you know where to walk to avoid the hoards? Advice from your hotel or friends and family?? Guide book? - no that wouldn't be able to tell you. I find that doing a bit of research at home and making a few notes avoids the dilly-dallying around on where to walk.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2016 12:42:24 GMT
A very fine report Fumobici. I've enjoyed all of it very much.
Thank you for taking the time to create all this for us.
I cannot imagine being there with throngs of tourists. I would be very anxious and claustrophobic.
The water does look very clean. One always hears horror stories about the stench.
Your photos are stunning.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 17, 2016 14:38:21 GMT
Oh, Fumobici ~ your glorious thread will swell the tides of tourists! I wanted to see Venice before, but your absolutely lyrical photos have furiously fanned that desire. Not only are they beautiful, but they truly convey your pleasure in what you saw.
I notice that the all stonework and statues are quite clean and bright, but also notice the erosion on the Baptism bas-relief of the Scuola. Around 40(?) years ago there was a lot of publicity about the damage to historical sites from air pollution and the big push to clean the public art and buildings of some of the great cities of Italy. I seem to remember that student volunteers from around the world went to help, but don't remember if Venice was one of those cities. It would be interesting to know if the present clean state of Venice's works is a result of stricter pollution laws or of an ongoing regime of cleaning.
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Post by fumobici on May 17, 2016 15:28:30 GMT
A very fine report Fumobici. I've enjoyed all of it very much. Thank you for taking the time to create all this for us. I cannot imagine being there with throngs of tourists. I would be very anxious and claustrophobic. The water does look very clean. One always hears horror stories about the stench. Your photos are stunning. Thanks Casi, there'll be more to come. The water seemed quite clean to me, and despite being warned how stinky it would be I found it mostly just smelled like seawater. Maybe in the late Summer or something it gets stinky. I spent very little time there in crowds of tourists. Very little. The tourist areas are really a tiny part of the city and 95% of Venice isn't particularly touristy or phony at all. At least not in April. I wouldn't avoid Venice on account of either the water or the crowds, the former wasn't an issue and the latter can be pretty easily avoided most of the time unless perhaps you insist on visiting in high tourist season. But of course nobody looking to avoid crowds would do that anyway!
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Post by fumobici on May 17, 2016 18:41:06 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 17, 2016 18:54:42 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 17, 2016 19:25:15 GMT
Oh, Fumobici ~ your glorious thread will swell the tides of tourists! I wanted to see Venice before, but your absolutely lyrical photos have furiously fanned that desire. Not only are they beautiful, but they truly convey your pleasure in what you saw. I notice that the all stonework and statues are quite clean and bright, but also notice the erosion on the Baptism bas-relief of the Scuola. Around 40(?) years ago there was a lot of publicity about the damage to historical sites from air pollution and the big push to clean the public art and buildings of some of the great cities of Italy. I seem to remember that student volunteers from around the world went to help, but don't remember if Venice was one of those cities. It would be interesting to know if the present clean state of Venice's works is a result of stricter pollution laws or of an ongoing regime of cleaning. Thanks Bixa! Most of the city's architectural gems appear to be as you noticed in excellent state of preservation and cleanliness. There are obviously a lot of resources being directed towards preservation and upkeep all over. Make no mistake, there are plenty of buildings in Venice that aren't beautifully preserved by any means as well. I find the decay mostly charming as both a larger agridolce with the polished gems, and of course a beautifully preserved building shines all the more brightly contrasted with neighboring edifaces with more shall we say patina. Some of the deconsecrated churches used by the city to store documents and the like appear pretty shockingly run down to me. The baptism relief carving was actually behind a plexiglass/perspex shield which I stuck my little mini camera behind to take the photo. Maybe the kids continually hitting the stone faces with calcio pallone were doing the damage! Soccer balls are often flying about the squares of Venice--at least the real ones with children playing in them which is really almost all of them.
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Post by bjd on May 17, 2016 19:31:05 GMT
Oh, Fumobici ~ your glorious thread will swell the tides of tourists! I wanted to see Venice before, but your absolutely lyrical photos have furiously fanned that desire. Not only are they beautiful, but they truly convey your pleasure in what you saw. I notice that the all stonework and statues are quite clean and bright, but also notice the erosion on the Baptism bas-relief of the Scuola. Around 40(?) years ago there was a lot of publicity about the damage to historical sites from air pollution and the big push to clean the public art and buildings of some of the great cities of Italy. I seem to remember that student volunteers from around the world went to help, but don't remember if Venice was one of those cities. It would be interesting to know if the present clean state of Venice's works is a result of stricter pollution laws or of an ongoing regime of cleaning. Bixa, are you sure you are not confusing cleaning Venice with the cleanup of Florence after the Arno flooded in 1966, causing extensive damage? I remember seeing a reference to that in an Italian movie a few years ago. Fumobici, have you shown your pictures to your father? Does he still say Venice is not worth visiting?
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Post by fumobici on May 17, 2016 19:52:38 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 17, 2016 20:05:56 GMT
Bixa, are you sure you are not confusing cleaning Venice with the cleanup of Florence after the Arno flooded in 1966, causing extensive damage? I remember seeing a reference to that in an Italian movie a few years ago. Fumobici, have you shown your pictures to your father? Does he still say Venice is not worth visiting? I naturally forced my father to sit through all of these. Even ones I've edited out here (not enough you say?) He was quite sporting about it too. He didn't say Venice wasn't worth visiting, I'm sorry if I gave that impression. He said it wasn't worth only spending a day or two trying to see Venice--in fact better not to go at all! According to him there are only three must see cities in Italy: Venice, Genova and Palermo. I've just now visited one. I wish he'd told me sooner, I would have made a point of seeing the others. But now I have something to look forward to. Bixa's Palermo report certainly made it look like a must see.
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Post by htmb on May 17, 2016 22:24:19 GMT
Fumobici, your photos are wonderful, and I imagine you had a wonderful time exploring the city and enjoying it's charm.
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Post by questa on May 18, 2016 0:09:00 GMT
In reply # 23 about pic #20 is a statue of a fellow with an iron nose. Rather than a damaged statue it could have been like that from the start. In 16th century Venice many men had noses made from metals to replace noses lost to syphilis, duels and cancer. Venetian surgeons managed to make skin grafted noses but it was a 5 month series of operations so many of the victims chose 'iron noses'.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 18, 2016 2:23:48 GMT
Fascinating information, Questa!
Dang, Fumobici ~ you keep topping yourself with each new sequence of photos. Can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this. Thanks for the answers re: upkeep. Let me know if you ever go to Palermo, as I'd go back like a shot. It would be a fun place to meet.
Bjd, no, I am remembering something later than the flood clean-up and, as I said, not sure it encompassed Venice. The reason I remember it at all was because it was the first time I learned about the danger to world monuments from pollution, acid pitting, etc.
Fumobici, does the word "campo" on a street sign mean a square or little plaza?
And, ha ha ~ leave it to anyport's "door man" to find that totally charming crooked doorway.
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Post by bjd on May 18, 2016 5:42:42 GMT
Looking at the various house numbers (and such high numbers in tiny streets!), I realize how complicated it must be to be a mailman in Venice.
What I like best in all these pictures are the little details, like the balcony with the two little lions on each corner.
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Post by tod2 on May 18, 2016 7:06:33 GMT
I'm in awe! You have to reveal your secret Fumobici! Your photos are better than any tour guide could hope to show us. Really enjoying every angle, every detail...
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Post by fumobici on May 18, 2016 21:43:07 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 18, 2016 23:33:54 GMT
This is the view from the Accademia bridge facing East towards the La Salute church, And looking West from the same bridge, As it begins sheeting down I hustle over to the Zattere, which is the waterfront on the Southern side of the center facing South towards guidecca island. The big impressive church across the water is Il Redentore, every summer a barge bridge is built connecting it to the Zattere for a festival. At this point I've walked Eastward as far as is possible on this side of the main canal. This is called La Punta Dogana, here's a short video I took there. It would seem to be a wonderful panorama to take in on a nicer day. There are nice views of S. Marco, much of the city and Guidecca from here. Below are some shots of the really incredible La Salute church one of two major churches built as thanks for an end to a major plague episode. Two views of the Accademia bridge from between the bridge and the Salute church: A collection of pigments in an art supply shop's window. Two more views from the Accademia bridge showing different light, The bridge from the North bank looking East, A sculpted head looks out from the window of a sculptor's studio, Then as it rains yet harder still, I bolt for the barn, taking a couple of hurried snaps on the way. The next day, in the morning I make a trip to Padova, hoping to escape the rain here in Venice.
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Post by questa on May 18, 2016 23:58:21 GMT
The wide, open shots of the Grand Canal are lovely, Fumobici, as are the photos of the squares and old architecture. However what has blown me away with all this report is how you have led us, almost on tip-toe, into the nooks and crannies of Venice where tourists never go. We see the tiny backwaters with straight or curved passages (How do they manoeuvre those long boats around tight corners?) and little bridges, washing lines, gondoliers and vignettes so beautiful I want to go there. Thanks for your time and effort posting this here.
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Post by mossie on May 19, 2016 15:06:47 GMT
Some lovely architecture
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Post by bixaorellana on May 19, 2016 16:09:14 GMT
Yes, yes ~ what Questa said!
The water shots are wonderful, but the video really brings it home. It confirms my mental image of Venice beautifully.
You are right in saying that La Salute is "incredible". Those giant spirals are something I never saw on a building before. Other features, particularly the proportionately dinky statues, make the place look built by committee.
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Post by fumobici on May 19, 2016 21:31:23 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 19, 2016 22:03:48 GMT
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