This will be the first installment of my adventures of the past few weeks. Everyone at Santa Chiara journeyed to Venice on Tuesday, March 9 and we stayed there until Saturday, March 13. We were "blessed" with the opportunity to see Venice in a light that many tourists and even Italians have never seen. Forget the wonderful Tuscan sunshine, we were blinded by a blizzard!
Venice used to be a thriving port city and at its peak, a population of over 200,000 people. Unfortunately today, there are only about 60,000 residents. I think this is due to the inconvenience of transportation, as they are completely reliant on boats. Also, there are very few professions other than tourism, as over 6 million tourists a year flood the city. That is a flood that may do more damage to Venice herself than the waters that flood San Marco square. We had the pleasure of visiting the church of San Marco with Paolo Barucchieri, the founder of the school at Santa Chiara. Paolo's father was involved in the art world and on the threat of the invasion of the Nazi's, Paolo's father hid crates of priceless art in their home. There is a jeweled screen that is enormous behind the main altar. Paolo told us that was one of the pieces his father kept in their home!
Venice is unlike any city in the world and has attracted many unique characters throughout the years - from sailors to musicians and artists and a very special patron of Modern Art...Peggy Guggenheim. Tony's wife has been a curator and is a lover of art and especially loves Peggy Guggenheim. We were very lucky that she accompanied us to Venice and gave us a personal tour of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. We saw artwork by Max Ernst, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock and many other artists. Venice is the birthplace of Vivaldi and we were very lucky to be able to attend a concert of his Four Seasons and some other pieces by Mozart. The musicians were animated and provided almost a theatrical performance while playing their instruments.
Rather than a metro or bus system, Venice has "vaporettos"...slow moving ferries that make occaisonal stops along the banks of the Grand Canal and routes to the surrounding islands such as Lido (where our hotel was located), Murano (famous for its glass) and Burano (famous for its lace). Because of the blustery weather, I found myself dreading every time we had to take a jaunt on the vaporetto as I felt motion sick due the violent rocking and constant slamming into the piers at each stop.
Venice also has some touches of Modernism in a bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava. Also, we visited a gallery that was designed by Renzo Piano and took a rather unrewarding trip to the cemetery island to see a mausoleum built by a "famous" architect. As I have been discovering, great architecture isn't necessarily designed by "famous" architects. I find myself being amazed more by the vernacular architecture that came to fruition through necessity.
Venice is unlike any city in the world and has attracted many unique characters throughout the years - from sailors to musicians and artists and a very special patron of Modern Art...Peggy Guggenheim. Tony's wife has been a curator and is a lover of art and especially loves Peggy Guggenheim. We were very lucky that she accompanied us to Venice and gave us a personal tour of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. We saw artwork by Max Ernst, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock and many other artists. Venice is the birthplace of Vivaldi and we were very lucky to be able to attend a concert of his Four Seasons and some other pieces by Mozart. The musicians were animated and provided almost a theatrical performance while playing their instruments.
Rather than a metro or bus system, Venice has "vaporettos"...slow moving ferries that make occaisonal stops along the banks of the Grand Canal and routes to the surrounding islands such as Lido (where our hotel was located), Murano (famous for its glass) and Burano (famous for its lace). Because of the blustery weather, I found myself dreading every time we had to take a jaunt on the vaporetto as I felt motion sick due the violent rocking and constant slamming into the piers at each stop.
Venice also has some touches of Modernism in a bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava. Also, we visited a gallery that was designed by Renzo Piano and took a rather unrewarding trip to the cemetery island to see a mausoleum built by a "famous" architect. As I have been discovering, great architecture isn't necessarily designed by "famous" architects. I find myself being amazed more by the vernacular architecture that came to fruition through necessity.Overall, I have to say that I didn't really enjoy Venice. I feel that the weather had a significant impact on our perception of the city and hampered the need to wander the many alleys to get a true feel for the city. Luckily I will be heading back to Venice with my family, so I hope that I will have a better time once the weather cooperates.
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