Bridge Cafe in NYC needs your help

Every so often, events outside of Venice demand our attention. Back in the day when we were all still innocent, the Bridge Cafe in NYC was the site of many a happy lunch, drinks or dinner. Many, many fond memories. Now, the Bridge Cafe needs our help. This is from their website:

Bridge Café is the oldest continuously serving bar & restaurant in NYC, since 1794.  On October 29^, 2012 Sandy put us under, literally! Three feet of water in the dining room, four feet in the kitchen, and our basement was filled to the top. The building, New York City’s oldest commercial wood frame, needs 85% of its wood support in the basement replaced; in addition all of our mechanicals were destroyed. We are in need of new ovens, stoves, all refrigeration, and all electric, new floors in dining room and in the kitchen. Unfortunately, we are located in flood zone A, no insurance!

There are very fair loans, but more over-head will truly put us in danger of a permanent close. All of this work will cost about three hundred to four hundred thousand dollars.

Please contribute to help save this landmark restaurant that never disappointed. (The photo is from the Bridge Cafe website)

View AvventureBellissime tours before you sign up

Over the years, I have taken many a delightful tour with AvventureBellissime. Each one has introduced me to a part of Venice that I might never have discovered on my own. Recently they have updated their website and added a great feature. You can go to their YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/AvventureBellissime/videos?view=0) and see a brief video of their tours. A great way to spend a day when you're dreaming about being in Venice!

This photo is from a private Venice Secret Gardens walking tour. Highly recommended!

Harry's Bar in Danger of Closing

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye and made me feel sad. Harry's Bar is, "Drowning in debt, struggling with a decline in American patrons and battling to cut labor costs, Harry's Bar—inventor of the Prosecco-and-peach purée cocktail known as the Bellini—has turned to a distressed-debt fund to revive its business."

I have some fond memories of Harry's. The first time we went, we were shown to the stairs to the upstairs dining room. As we climbed the stairs, we heard feet running on another staircase. When we arrived at the top, our slightly out of breath host was waiting for us. He'd run up the back stairs!

Another time, we were sitting near a table of an American family. Mom, Dad, a teenaged son and a pre-teen son. The men were all wearing khaki pants, navy blue blazers and blue shirts. In the middle of the meal, they started to argue about something. They were very proper. No raised voices. No scene. But we could tell they were fighting. The teenager got red in the face; he clenched his fists and his eyes were wild. Then, the fight went out of him and the meal resumed.

Harry's always provided us with great people watching. One time an older gentleman came in with a much younger and very attractive woman. What I would call an "uncle" out with his "niece." She was swaddled from head to toe in a gray wrap. They sat and talked. He ordered wine. It came and the woman must have approved of the choice because she excused herself to go to the restroom. When she returned, the wrap was gone revealing a short cocktail dress....

We  used to enjoy our dinners at Harry's, but prices went up and the service and food declined. We don't go to Harry's any more, but have fond memories. It would be a shame if it closed. Click here to read the article.

The photo is not mine. I got it from Harry's Bar website. I suggest reading Harry's Bar: The Life and Times of the Legendary Venice Landmark.

Buon anno

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2013 bring us all many opportunities to visit Venice. I'm starting the new year off right--I booked tickets for a May/June trip to Venice. Much more to follow on that...... Thanks to an Amazon gift card from my sister, I am reading a great history of Venice called Venice: A New History> by Thomas F. Madden. I don't know how many histories of Venice I have read, but Madden's book is special. From the opening words of the first chapter, I was hooked:

"No one forgets a first glimpse of Venice. Whether arriving by plane, boat, train, or car, there is that startling moment when one looks across the waves and finds what should not be there—stone towers, rich churches, and packed buildings rising up out of the sea. The extraordinary beauty of Venice only adds to its improbability. How does such a city exist? Who were the people who built it and why did they think it worth such unyielding efforts?"

The writing is excellent and entertaining. Madden really makes the history come alive. The author's page on Amazon.com says, "Thomas F. Madden is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. He has appeared in such venues as The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The History Channel." P.S. I don't know Madden and didn't receive any compensation for this post. I am simply enjoying this book and wanted to tell you about it.

Venice continues to amaze me--some things are still weird. From ANSA.it

Venice poet fined for selling writings on the street Poems confiscated 19 September, 14:49

Venice poet fined for selling writings on the street (ANSA) - Venice, September 19 - Police in Venice have charged a poet and confiscated his writings for selling them on the streets. Antonio Melis faces a fine of up to 60 euros for setting up a folding table and asking for money in exchange for his verse written on rolled-up scrolls of paper. "He's not being charged for the sale itself," said Marco Agostini, the director general of the Venice municipality. "It's because he was on public ground. If (the charges) concerned the actual sale, it would be a matter of vending without a permit, which carries a fine of at least 5,000 euros". Agostini said Melis should be held accountable to the same rules as street artisans, such as landscape painters common around all Italian art attractions who must have a permit. Agostini added that the street bard was using his poetry "as a way to beg for money".

I can't believe it's been so long since I updated my blog. Venice has been in my mind--if not on my pages. I will work on updates and be back shortly! Please come back and see what's new.

Funeral for Venice to be Held on November 14

From the Voice of America News: Declining Venice Population Leads to City's 'Funeral'
By Sabina Castelfranco Venice 27 October 2009

A group in Italy's canal city, Venice, is planning to hold a "funeral" for their hometown, which is rapidly losing its permanent residents. The group says the city is being drained of its normal life.

Venetians have been concerned about the declining population of the canal city for decades. The population stood at more than 145,000 in 1960. Thirty years later, it had dropped to about 78,000.  Now it has hit an all time low, dipping below the 60,000 mark.

Many residents are concerned and feel something needs to be done about this steady demographic decline. They say the population is getting older, the buildings are in a state of degradation, and more and more shops are being opened for the millions of tourists that visit the city.

But they say the traditions and crafts of the canal city are fast disappearing.

Mario Secchi says he was born in Venice, his dad and grand dad were Venetians, but he was forced to emigrate to the mainland because the rents were too high in the historic center.

His son, Matteo Secchi, a local businessman who runs a hotel, is one of the organizers of the upcoming funeral for the city. On November 14, a group of Venetians will carry a coffin symbolizing the death of the city down the Grand Canal in a procession of three boats and anyone else who wants to join in.

Matteo Secchi says the high property prices and rental costs are forcing ordinary residents to leave the city.

"Venice is under attack from the business," he said. "The rich people think they are at the stock exchange with the houses of Venice. For example they buy at 100 an empty house and they sell after 5 years at 150, like the stock exchange. Venice stock exchange."

Secchi and his friends are also responsible for a population counter that has been placed in the shop-window of a pharmacy in the city center.

Doctor Andrea Morelli explains why he decided to host the counter in the shop.

The doctor says it was installed in March 2008. He decided to do this out of his love for the city of Venice and because he thought it was important to put on display the real decline of the population, to raise public awareness.

The more pessimistic Venetian residents say the countdown has begun and that if the exodus continues at this rhythm, in 2030 Venice will have become a ghost city with no more citizens, just hordes of tourists. Today 18 million tourists visit Venice every year, but in 20 years this number risks doubling.

Send photos if you attend!

It's time to order the new olive oil!

I just received my Casa de Case newsletter and, now that my order has been placed, I want to let you know that they are now accepting orders for olio nuovo. (Olio nuovo is bottled directly as it comes from the spigot when crushe.) As their newsletter says the olive oil's "intense fresh fruit taste that makes it so special." Casa de Case is one of the only sources in the United States of true Italian olio nuovo -- and I love it.

Four More Days!

Four more days till I leave for Venice! How excited do you think I am.... If you say VERY, you'd be close. One thing I'm looking forward to: eating at Ristoranti Riviera. IMHO it's the BEST restaurant in Venice. A nice mix of traditional and new, Riviera has never, ever disappointed me. And, Luca and Pietro Fra Diavolo (my name for the red-headed waiter) are a unique mixture of crazy sense of humor and desire to give every diner a fantastic meal. For those of you in need of a place to stay, Riveria has a fantastic B&B above the restaurant. I think the aromas from the kitchen would drive me insane....

I rook this photo in April 2007. It's the view from Riviera's terrace. As you can see, we're waiting for the main course!

Ciao!

Safety in Venice

I don't think the swine flu has made its way to Venice, but there are a few things you should do to stay safe.

1. Venice is a very safe city. There isn't a lot of crime and you can wander around at all times of day and night without feeling threatened.

2. Pickpockets are a big problem, as you might guess. If you're in crowded San Marco or an unbelievably crowded vaporetto, keep you hands on your wallet/pocketbooks. If you're a backpacker, don't keep your pack on your back on the vaporetto. First, it's rude (you're taking up too much space). Second, a pickpocket will have a lot of fun dipping into your belongings.

3. If someone "spills" mustard or something on you, don't worry about that. Worry about your wallet.

4. Ignore the fake bag sellers on the main walkways. If you buy a fake, you're liable for a big fine. The sellers and buyers are both guilty in Venice. Don't even acknowledge the sellers--they will hound you if you do.

5. Buy the vaporetto pass. They don't often check tickets, but if they do--and you get caught--it's a fine, payable on the spot.

6. Make copies of your passport and keep them with you. When you check into the hotel and apartment, the info will be recorded for the police to check. If you go to an internet cafe, you'll have to show it, too. It's better to have a few copies than leave the real thing with a clerk.

If you don't follow my advice, you may pay for it--or get strung up where the old-timers met their fate!

After 75 Years, the Temporary Accademia Bridge to Be Replaced?

The wooden Accademia Bridge was erected in 1933 as a temporary structure until a permanent bridge could be built. 75 years later, Venice may be finally getting around to building that permanent bridge.

News reports say that Venice's city council on Thursday opened the bidding to design a replacement for one of the city's key bridges, the Ponte dell'Accademia.

The council itself doesn't plan to spend a penny and is instead in search of a sponsor to fork out five million euros, an architect and a building company to present a joint offer by the end of August. The council plans say that the iron arches supporting the bridge will remain, but the wooden section will be replaced with a new design, either in stone or a metal alloy, and the entire structure given an overhaul.

ANSA.it quotes public works councillor Maria Rumiz as saying that Venetians had become fond of the bridge, and that she expected there would be some polemics.

She said it was necessary to ''overcome'' the idea that Venice was ''made of postcards'' without any structures that ''need to be eliminated''.

I took the photo of the bridge in May 2003.

Coke is It -- In Venice

ANSA.it brings us the news that Venice is not selling out -- even as it agrees to a "partnership" with Coca-Cola
» 2009-02-23 14:13
Coca- Cola not 'buying' Venice
Mayor says partnership with drinks giant 'indispensable'
"(ANSA) - Venice, February 23 - Coca-Cola is not ''buying'' Venice, its city council said Monday, reacting to polemics over a planned million-dollar partnership between the drinks giant and the lagoon city.

Italian daily La Stampa reported Monday that the city was ''selling itself'' to Coca-Cola in a 2.1 million-dollar deal that will involve ''vending machines in every corner of the city'', including St Mark's Square, where tourists are forbidden from picnicking under strict council rules on urban decorum.

But Maurizio Calligaro, the council's chief of staff, said the 60 vending machines would not be placed on public soil, let alone near landmarks such as St Mark's.

''Fifteen distributors will be placed on the principal vaporetti landing stages, the others will be inside council car parks and in the limited traffic zone of the mainland. Where's the invasion?'' Calligaro said.

He also stressed that the vending machines would not bear the Coca-Cola logo, quashing rumours that the brand name would be plastered all over the city.

Venice Mayor Massimo Cacciari, who has long bemoaned a lack of state funds for the upkeep of city monuments and churches, said he was ''astounded'' by the polemics over the deal, adding that it was no different from others adopted in the past.

''This is a financial strategy that today is simply indispensable for safeguarding our monuments and artistic heritage and is in line with culture ministry guidelines,'' Cacciari said.

''It follows a strategy we've adopted with other equally prestigious collaborators - Lancia for the restoration of the Ducal Palace, Swatch for the Biblioteca Marciana, Replay for Ca' Rezzonico and Bulgari for the Scala d'Oro''.

The mayor added that the idea that Venice could be safeguarded ''by philanthropy alone'' was unrealistic.

''These idealists who protest against strategies such as (the Coca Cola deal), which by now have been adopted in all the cities of the world, should have the good taste to indicate an alternative, or, even better, provide for the needs of the city from their own pockets,'' he said.

Cacciari last month warned that Venice's monuments and churches risked falling into ruin because too much state aid is being directed into a controversial project to protect the lagoon city from sinking.

The experimental 4.3 billion-euro Moses scheme is scheduled to come into action in 2014 and involves moveable flood barriers that rise from the seabed to block the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea when high tides are forecast.

A longstanding opponent of the costly scheme, Cacciari has warned that there are no guarantees that it will work."


This photo shows one of my preferred drinks in Venice.

AMEX Gone From Venice

According to the excellent newsletter/blog/travel service, Dream of Italy:

American Express has closed its offices in Venice's Piazza San Marco and near the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, but blame the closings on high rents rather than fewer travelers.

I took the photo in 2007. It's one of the thousands of photos I have of San Marco! Be sure to click on the photo to see it in its full digital glory. I'm always amazed--it makes me feel like I'm standing in San Marco. If you can't be there in person, be there in digital...

Cheap Eats Near San Marco

From ANSA news:

Venice 'pilgrim restaurant' opens
New eatery driving prices down around St Mark's
(ANSA) - Venice, January 30 - A new 'restaurant for pilgrims' is driving Venice prices down by offering cheap, quality lunches to visitors to St Mark's Basilica.

The eatery, which advertises three-course lunches for a tidy 13 euros ($17), has yet to open but has already caused a flutter around the famously pricey square.

Three days before it threw its doors open to the public on Monday, reporters had already spotted ''new, competitive'' menus on sandwich boards in the area.

The La Basilica restaurant is run by a local catering company, SGS, on behalf of the St Mark's Procurators, the board that manages the famed Byzantine cathedral.

Since the Procurators are a non-profit outfit, SGS has been able to come up with a large menu for the lowest of costs, catering firm chief chief Augusto Piscella said.

''I was amazed,'' he said at the restaurant's unveiling Thursday night.

''Since all we have to do is break even, we can afford a choice of eight first courses, seven second courses and six side-dishes''.

''The Procurators' aim is to give a medium-high class meal to all those who visit the Basilica, expressing the Venetian Church's desire to welcome people''.

I took the photo in November 2008. It's not the best photo, but it was a nice November day and we had been sitting in San Marco, drinking expensive coffee and watching the crowds--worth the price of admission!

Book Venice Online -- Discounts, Too

Venice to start online bookings
Tourism will be more sustainable, officials say
(ANSA) - Venice, January 21 - Venice is set to open an online booking service that will give tourists discounts if they plan their holidays in advance.

The system will help keep flows into the often overrun lagoon city manageable, officials say.

From Sunday, February 1, visitors will be able to book tickets at the Correr Museum and the Ducal Palace as well as city-edge parking space and bus and vaporetto rides.

At the website, www.veniceconnected.com, they'll be able to choose from 'green' days (city virtually empty), 'blue' days (medium full) and 'red' days (crowded), Deputy Mayor Michele Vianello told a press conference.

''This is a major step in making tourism in Venice more sustainable,'' he said, calling the colour coded system ''a thermometer of sustainability''.

''Tourists will be able to create their own holiday package including hotels, public services and tickets for museums and other events. And they can pay for this at one time after which they will be given an entry password''.

The city council will also throw in a free ticket to the city's famed casino and a free wi-fi connection along with its three-day packages.

On green days, a typical three-day package for two people will cost 209.30 euros online compared to 247 if paid after arrival - a saving of 31.70 euros.

Blue packages offer savings of 31.10 euros while three red days will cost 20.10 less online, Vianello said. The new system has allowed the city to ditch plans to impose entry quotas or charge high-season entry fees, Vianello said.

For now only two city-owned museums are included but talks are going ahead to add the city's array of state-run sites as well as its churches, led by St Mark's Basilica. In the wake of recent hotel wellies-and-all discounts to lure back tourists put off by pictures of St Mark's under water, the city is also putting up a video entitled Venice, A Livable City Even With Acqua Alta.


I took the photo in May 2007. Unfortunately, the statues are gone,but the feelings remain.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Venice Kiss-In greats the New Year Let us know if you participate!

VENICE, Italy, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Venice, Italy, is reinforcing its image as a city of romance by holding a mass "kiss-in" Wednesday night to welcome the new year.

City officials are hoping this year's kiss-in will surpass last year's version, in which an estimated 60,000 people locked lips at midnight to earn Venice an international prize for best New Year's event, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported Monday.

Couples are expected to gather about 10 p.m. under the square's bell tower and practice their kissing before the main event at midnight when fireworks will light up the sky, ANSA reported.

The event in St. Mark's Square will be preceded with detailed lessons about how to perfect a kiss, the news agency said.

Last chance for olio nuovo - "new" olive oil

This is not a Venice post, but a warning that you have a chance to order olio nuovo or "new" olive oil. If you've never tasted just-crushed olive oil, you missed one of the world's best taste treats. Now that my order has been placed, I don't mind telling the rest of you to get your order into Casa de Case. Order your olive oil now! I've been ordering this olive oil for years--and I can't wait to try this year's crush.

Here's the best way to enjoy olio nuovo: bake or buy a good loaf of bread. Toast one or a dozen slices. Sprinkle a great sea salt on each slice. Drizzle olio nuovo on each slice. Enjoy with a strong cafe, blood orange juice, prosecco, or whatever you prefer for a morning beverage!

Acqua Alta Brings Hotel Bargins

High water. Hotel discounts. Free boots. Maybe you should get to Venice before the floods go down. This is from ANSA.it. I took the photo during a November 2002 acqua alta.

Venice offers 'high- water package'
Free thigh boots, discounts after flood of cancellations
(ANSA) - Venice, December 2 - Venice hotels responded to a raft of flood-induced cancellations Tuesday by unveiling a 'high-water package' including discounts and a free pair of fishermen-style thigh boots.

''After all, tourists seem to like having their picture taken while wading around,'' said the head of the local hoteliers' association, Franco Maschiello.

Maschiello said his association had had ''1,000 cancellations today alone'' and took issue with the ''alarmist'' coverage of the high tide in the media, ''which appeared to give the impression the city was sinking''.

He pointed out that the acqua alta (high tide) - the fourth-highest in the city's history - had ''only reached its maximum point in certain zones''.

Perspective on Today's Floods

Today's acqua alta is second only to the November 1966 flood. Check out this YouTube video from 1966 to gain some perspective on the amount of destruction the high waters cause.

I have been distressed by some videos of tourists splashing in San Marco like it's a water park amusement. This is not a game. WE NEED TO SAVE VENICE NOW.

Deepest acqua alta in 22 years -- Mayor tells people to stay out

The story is from ANSA.it. I took the photos in October 2002. The first is behind the Rialto stalls; the second is shows San Marco under water.
(ANSA) - Venice, December 1 - Venice was swamped Monday by one of the highest tides in its history.

St Mark's square was submerged under almost a metre of water and the rest of the historic centre was swimming too, with many pontoon bridges floating off to leave residents stranded in their homes.

The only Venetians getting about were those equipped with thigh-high boots of the kind fishermen wear.

Many elderly people had to be carried to safety, and the bottom floors of homes and shops started operating their bailout pumps.

City Mayor Massimo Cacciari advised local people to stay at home and anyone thinking of coming to Venice to ''think again''.

To cap things off, the city was hit by a transport strike which prompted Veneto Governor Giancarlo Galan to say sarcastically: ''I'd like to give them (the strikers) a medal for their sense of responsibility''.

Pushed by relentless winds, the sea level rose to 156 centimetres above normal - the highest 'acqua alta' (high water) since 1.58m in 1986 and 1.66m in December 1979.

The record 'acqua alta' was in the great flood of 1966, at 1.94m. Levels of 100-130 cm above sea level are fairly common in the lagoon city and Venice is well-equipped to cope with its rafts of pontoon walkways.

But anything much above 140cm risks swamping the city and washing the walkways away.

The high-water threat has been increasing in recent years as heavier rains have hit northern Italy, weather experts say.

Scientists have conceived various ways of warding off the waters since the catastrophic 1966 flood, and a system of moveable flood barriers called MOSE is being installed after years of polemics.

Experts say there are three main reasons for high water in the city: the rising floor in the lagoon caused by incoming silt; the undermining of the islands by the extraction of methane gas in the sea off Venice; and the overall increase in sea levels caused by global warming.