Tintoretto in Madrid

Today's NY Times has an interesting article about the Tintoretto exhibit in Madrid's Prado. "The Jacopo Tintoretto show at the Prado here [Madrid], through May 13, is the first full-dress retrospective since the one in Venice in 1937. Tintoretto painted too much, too unevenly, and too many of his pictures are too huge to be moved."

If you can't get to Madrid, you can see some of the paintings, and read the article in the NY Times Arts section.

The Last Supper, shown here, is included in the exhibition. According to the Web Gallery of Art:
The church of San Giorgio Maggiore was built on the San Giorgio Island between 1566 and 1600 using the design of Palladio. After 1590 the workshop of Tintoretto was commissioned to paint big canvases for decorating it. Due the large number of commissions, Tintoretto in his late years increasingly relied on his coworkers. However, three surviving paintings placed in a chapel consacrated in 1592 - The Harvest of Manna, The Last Supper and Entombment - were certainly painted by Tintoretto himself.

Tintoretto painted the Last Supper several times in his life. This version can be described as the fest of the poors, in which the figure of Christ mingles with the crowds of apostles. However, a supernatural scene with winged figures comes into sight by the light around his head. This endows the painting with a visional character clearly differentiating it from paintings of the same subject made by earlier painters like Leonardo.

New Gadget: Currency Convertor

There's a new gadget in the links sidebar: a currency convertor. Check it out--although you may not be happy to see that the dollar doesn't buy many euros. However, it's a great reason for our Venetian friends to visit the US.

Record Crowds at Carnival

It's all over for this year's carnival. From experience, I know the drunken roar of the crowds has instantly and mysteriously ended. Venice is probably very silent now that Lent has begun. I could almost hear the city sigh... According to news reports, carnival was a great success this year. Here's an article about the record-breaking crowds:


"A record 140,000 people crowded St Mark's Square and the narrow streets of Venice over the weekend as the city's carnival prepared to draw to a close with Tuesday's traditional Mardi Gras celebrations.

Organizers said the attendance rate, aided by sunshine, was the highest in recent years and spoke of this year's edition as 'a great success.'

'We hadn't seen these kind of crowds since the early 1990s,' a spokesman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Monday.

During the weekend, organizers awarded the Best Mask of 2007 to a German woman, Tanja Schulz, who paraded through the streets of Venice dressed up in an 18th century hot-air balloon costume.

The Venice Carnival ends on Tuesday with La Mascherata, a masked pageant in St Mark's Square, and a Marching Bands Collision, in which Latin American bands will play on the go, bumping into Scottish bagpipe players in the process.

Celebrations are due to be wrapped up with a high-tech pyrotechnic display, in which the bangs of fireworks will be replaced by synchronized music controlled by a computer.

The opening song of the show is to be John Lennon's pacifist hit Imagine.

This year's edition of the carnival was dedicated to Carlo Goldoni, a popular Venice-born 18th century playwright."

© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Last Day of Carnevale

Closing Fireworks for the last day of the 2007 Carnevale start tomorrow night at 23:00
Place: Riva degli Schiavoni
Grand Fireworks Display and Music from the 2007 Carnival
Partcipation costs: Free

Send photos if you go!

Springsteen, Sting and Others in San Marco Concert

First seen on the web on VeniceWord.com

Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, and maybe Andrea Bocelli. These are the stars that in June could be in St. Mark's Square for two very special concerts for "Emergency", an humanitarian association directed by Gino Strada. The days are already fixed: Friday June 29th and Saturday June 30th. But the cast of the shows isn't completed. Lots of rumours about two others events: Sir Elton John that could play in St. Mark's Square in June and Maestro Ennio Morricone that will be in front of the Basilica on September 10. No tickets are available at the moment but soon we'll inform you about this marvellous Venetian Summer.

10,393 Miles Away!

If you look at the bottom of the page, you may see a little icon for Sitemeter, which counts visits to Weird Venice. I love looking at it to see where visitors live.

Tonight my longest long-distance visitor comes from Melbourne, Victoria! 10,393 miles away from my desk. Thank you. I am thrilled to have someone from so far away drop in to read my blog. One of these days I'll skip a trip to Venice and come visit you! Thanks.

Updates: Renting an Apartment

The photo is taken from the window of Ca' Gondola, which is mentioned below.


Recently, I’ve been looking at some of my older posts and decided it was time to follow up on a few of them. Tonight, I'm starting with Views on Venice.

A number of years ago, I read about "self catering" or rental apartments. I'd been to Venice twice and was anxious to be more than a tourist on my next visit. So, I turned to the internet, which was still in its early days. No TripAdvisor, no Expedia, no SlowTravel. I was pretty much on my own.


After some searching, I found Views on Venice and Ca' Giulia --the best apartment I have ever rented. I've had the pleasure of staying there twice and dream about renting it again.

Since then, I've rented Ca' Vidal (directly across from the Academia), Ca' Belle Arti, Ca' Gondola (you'll never find a better view!), and others. I have never been disappointed.

Why the update? Because I've been meaning to write about something that happened to me in December. I left work late and missed my train. I usually have a book to keep me company, but that night I was bookless. So I went to the newsstand to find something to read. I picked up the December 2006/January 2007 issued of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel because on the cover they were advertising: "Renting an apartment in Venice." Sold!

I got on the train and settled down to read about apartments in Venice. Imagine my surprise when the first thing I saw was a photo of "my" bedroom in Ca' Belle Arti! It's a nice article--check it out. The online version is interesting, but the magazine version has more pictures.

Congratulations, Filippo and everyone else at Views on Venice. And thanks for all you've done to make our visits to Venice memorable!

Carnevale!!!

Carnevale Starts! February 9 to 20, 2007

A few years ago, I finally made my way to Venice for Carnevale. What I remember most is that the noise from the drunks in Campo San Stefano that kept us awake all night (we were renting this great apartment), the car in the campo and the snow. We didn’t attend many of the events, but had a great time exploring the deserted parts of the city.

Being in Venice on Ash Wednesday, the day after Carnevale, was amazing. A snowy hush quieted the city. The crowds had instantly disappeared, as if Harry Potter had waved a magic wand and spirited them away. We were treated to a sleepy (hungover?) city. We were accepted as people who were in Venice because they loved Venice—not because they wanted to join the drunken hordes.

So if you’re going to Carnevale, have a great time! Please quiet down in the wee hours of the morning so the other folks can sleep. Pick up your trash. Don’t clog the bridges. And stay over for a day or two after the party ends. You’ll be glad you did!

I took the photo from the window of my apartment. It's the car that had been displayed in Campo San Stefano. I took the photo on the day after, when they were loading the car to take it away.


To see the program of events, go to www.carnevale.venezia.it. You'll also find the following story about Carnevale:

The Carnival is Venice!
It is going to be like a gigantic chariot drawn by a thousand horses, accompanying guests and Venetians through the streets of Carlo Goldoni and his company, now three centuries old.

Its name? Carnival!

It will be a voyage of discovery in a fantastic world, made of music, theatre, games and magic. A whirling universe where people from every country can experience the jokes, the masks, and the make-up. Where you can play hide and seek, then reveal yourself and...amaze.

You will return to the truth of “Carnovàl,” magic and enchanting, to forget what you don’t like, don’t need, or don't want.

The Queen will be disguised. She will astonish her people and make men and women from all countries fall in love with her, through colour and coyness.

History, tradition, emotion, will be offered with mock modesty and immense allure.

Venice, Carnival, a single soul, a single idea ...undivided.

“Is Venice the Carnival ? No gentlemen, pardon me: Carnival is Venice!”


If you go, have a great time. Send photos and stories to me.

A Little Foggy Tonight

It's a bit foggy tonight (this is from the San Marco webcam). Can you spot any pigeons?

Can't Find a Good Meal in Venice?

<
My first restaurant experience in Venice was not a good one. When we got to Venice after a week in Rome and Florence, we were tired and unprepared for Venice. A bit overwhelmed by the beauty and the maze of street, we didn’t wander too far from our hotel (Monaco & Grand Canal—pre-makeover) in search of our first lunch. That means we were at the mercy of the restaurants surrounding the San Marco area. And that’s not a good place to be.

Still, we were happy to be lured in by the waiter shilling outside his restaurant. The fish was fresher than anything we’d ever tasted (although looking back, I'm not so sure about the quality--I think we were overcome by Venice), and I’ve never looked for the receipt to see what we were charged because I’m sure it was too much. All I remember is that the waiter cheerfully took my credit card. After the bill was settled, he told us he’d made a mistake and didn’t put our wine on the bill. Could we pay in lira so the boss wouldn’t notice his mistake?, he asked. Of course, we were happy to help out.

Now if you’re going to Venice for the first time, or the 1,000 time, you can avoid mishaps such as mine (given the exchange rate, every penny counts!) by taking along Chow! Venice, Savoring the Food and Wine of La Serenissima, A guide to restaurants and bars in Venice by Shannon Essa and Ruth Edenbaum. The second edition was recently released and I highly recommend it for anyone searching for a good meal (or drink) in Venice.

As the intro to the book says, you may not find your favorite restaurant in this book, but you will find “places that we go back to again and again, that are consistently good and that treat tourists well.” In addition to reviews, Chow! Venice includes some handy tips (like the different ways to order a spritz) and the always-vital directions, as well as the usual opening hours.

Order autographed copies through the authors’ website (www.chowbellabooks.com). If you order an autographed copy, the autograph--and postage!--are included. The website also has updates on restaurants in the guide.

Dreams Do Comes True

I love this story from our friends at BUONGIORNO VENEZIA - The News from Venice (published weekly by VENICEWORD INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SERVICES). I took the photo in May 2004. Click on the photo to enlarge it and check out the broom the sweeper is using. They're handmade (I once got lost and came across a place where a sweeper was putting his broom together) and have probably had the same design for centuries.

The story reminds me of the Jimmy Buffett song, "It's my job..."*

Here's the article:

The dream of Federico Bastianelli, a street cleaner in Falconara Marittima (a little town in the Marches region in the centre of Italy) came true at dawn on 6 January. Last September, he made a wish, hoping to be able to clean St. Mark's Square, and the councillor responsible for the environment granted it. At 5:30 a.m. on 6 January, together with a team of Venetian colleagues, he began his work shift in front of the timeless splendour of the Basilica and of the Doge's Palace. "I love my job in Falconara," Federico says, "but to do it in Venice is beyond comparison." At 10:30 a.m., the end of his work shift, AIPE (Association of Commercial Businesses) offered him a toast, and Federico, beaming with joy for having accomplished his greatest wish, was only able to say: "I am very happy."

Congratulations to Federico.


* "In the middle of late last night I was sittin' on a curb
I didn't know what about but I was feeling quite disturbed
A street sweeper came whistlin' by
He was bouncin' every step
It seemed strange how good he felt
So I asked him while he swept

He said 'It's my job to be cleaning up this mess
And that's enough reason to go for me
It's my job to be better than the rest
And that makes the day for me.'

"It's My Job," by Jimmy Buffett, from his album Coconut Telegraph (1981)

YouTube in Venice

Given my weakness for webcams (I like to watch), I'm not sure exploring YouTube was a good idea. but, it's fun nonetheless! Go watch a bunch of homemovies about trips to Venice....

"Venice Italy 'In a Nutshell,'" is my favorite so far. Got a favorite Venice video? Let us know.

John Singer Sargent's Venice Paintings Coming to NYC

The painting is John Singer Sargent's Gondoliers' Siesta, c. 1904. Next week, an extensive exhibit of Singer's Venice paintings opens in NYC. From there, it goes to Venice. Here's an excuse to visit Manhattan (as if you should need an excuse!).


From the Adelson Gallery website:

SARGENT’S VENICE, A SPECTACULAR ARTIST’S VIEW OF THE FABLED CITY, TO BE SHOWCASED IN A TRAVELING EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN JANUARY 2007 AT ADELSON GALLERIES IN NEW YORK CITY

New York, NY (Autumn 2006)—John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), one of a few truly international artists of the 19th century, had a love affair with Venice: He traveled there numerous times over 40 years. Adelson Galleries in New York, noted for its expertise in American art and the work of John Singer Sargent in particular, has organized an exceptional loan exhibition, Sargent’s Venice, comprising approximately 60 oils and watercolors painted by the artist from the 1880s until 1913. The exhibition will be on view at the gallery from January 19 through March 3, 2007 and then will travel to the Museo Correr in Venice—marking the artist’s first-ever solo exhibition in that city—where it will be on view from March 24 through July 22, 2007.

Sargent’s Venice will be organized as a journey down the Grand Canal, following the artist’s route from a gondola perspective and examining his choice of viewpoints and compositions. A majority of the paintings to be shown are on loan from private collections and have rarely been on public view; several institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, are loaning important works as well.

Inspired by the idea of idea of retracing Sargent’s routes down the Venetian waterways, Warren Adelson, president of Adelson Galleries and the sponsor of the Sargent catalogue raisonné, saw this approach as a means to gather together the Venice pictures that appear throughout several volumes of John Singer Sargent: The Complete Paintings (Yale University Press). “We had decided to write about John Singer Sargent's years of painting in the city that he most loved, and realized that in his long career and in the intervening years after his death in 1925 that there had never been a one-man exhibition of his work in Venice,” Mr. Adelson said. “Sargent's Venice will showcase the range of his painting in oil and watercolor over a span of forty years. It will be the first such exhibition in New York (Adelson Galleries) and, remarkably, the venue at the Museo Correr in St. Mark's Square in Venice will be the first exhibition of Sargent ever held in that magical place.”

John Singer Sargent was born in Florence to American parents and lived most of his adult life in England. Widely recognized as the preeminent portrait painter of his generation, he felt equally at home in Europe and the United States where he painted many of the most notable social and political figures of his day. When Sargent felt the need to escape the demands of his portrait commissions, he traveled to Italy and Switzerland with friends and family to paint (usually out-of-doors) whatever appealed to him. Of the many places he visited over the course of his long career, the allure of Venice surpassed all other destinations and it is where he produced some of his most evocative and masterful oils and watercolors—many painted while sitting in a gondola.

Featured in Sargent’s Venice will be not only pictures of beloved Venetian scenes, such as the Rialto Bridge, the Doges Palace and Santa Maria della Salute, but also scenes of traditional Venetian life including intimate glimpses captured of the interiors of wine shops, residents strolling along the streets, women at work stringing beads, café settings, and more. Among the most recognizable works to be seen will be The Sulfur Match (1882), Gondolier’s Siesta (1905) and Street in Venice (ca. 1882).

Adelson Galleries is uniquely qualified to present the artist’s work in this context. In 1980, Warren Adelson, an internationally recognized authority on Sargent, initiated scholarship on the John Singer Sargent Catalogue Raissoné in partnership with the artist’s great-nephew, Richard Ormond. To date, four volumes of the Catalogue Raisonné have been published by Yale University Press; Volume IV was released in October 2006. The gallery has also made significant contributions to the study of American art through critically acclaimed loan exhibitions and accompanying publications including Art in a Mirror: The Counterproofs of Mary Cassatt (2004-2005), Sargent’s Women (2003), Maurice Prendergast: Paintings of America (2003), From the Artist’s Studio: Unknown Prints and Drawings by Mary Cassatt (2000), Childe Hassam: An American Impressionist (1999) and Sargent Abroad: Figures and Landscapes (1997).

Assisting Mr. Adelson in organizing Sargent’s Venice is Elizabeth Oustinoff, director of Adelson Galleries and co-author of Sargent Abroad. A fully illustrated accompanying book of the same title will be published by Yale University Press in January, 2007, with essays by Mr. Adelson and Ms. Oustinoff as well as by Richard Ormond, co-author of The Complete Paintings of John Singer Sargent (Yale University Press) and former director of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England; Elaine Kilmurray, research director of the Sargent catalogue raisonné project and co-author of The Complete Paintings of John Singer Sargent; William H. Gerdts, professor emeritus of art history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and author of highly respected articles and books on many aspects of American Impressionism; and Rosella Mamoli Zorzi, professor of Anglo-American literature at the Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice, and co-curator of the exhibition Gondola Days: Isabella Stewart Gardner and the Palazzo Barbaro Circle, organized by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 2004 as well as the author and editor of several publications.

On January 17, a gala benefit evening will be held from at Adelson Galleries for Venetian Heritage, Inc., a not-for-profit organization based in the United States whose mission is to encourage and support artistic and intellectual initiatives and cultural exchange between the United States and Italy; to safeguard the Venetian cultural heritage as manifested in architecture, music and fine arts, in Venice and its former dominion; to sponsor exhibitions, lectures and conferences intended to stimulate interest in the urgent and never-ending needs of Venice; and to familiarize people all over the world with the problems of the city. Patron tickets are $150 per person/$300 per couple and Benefactor tickets are $250 per person/$500 per couple. For more information about this special evening, please call 212.439.6800.

Adelson Galleries is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:30-5:30, and will be open on Saturdays during this exhibition from 10-5. The galleries are located 19 East 82nd Street, New York, NY. Tel: 212.439-6800. Fax 212.439.6870.

When Murano Beads Ruled the World

Visitors to Venice often succumb to the lure of Murano glass. Few of us realize that the shiny glass beads once were of vital interest all over the world. I was rooting around in the New York Times archives and stumbled upon an article which was originally published on November 30, 1917.

Bead Supply Is Menaced.
Invasion of Italy Affects the World-wide Monopoly of Venice.

Washington, Nov. 27.--The menace to Venice from the Austro-German campaign [of World War I] in Northern Italy strikes sharply at one line of trade in which the whole world is interested. It is the trade of glass beads. Venice is the bead capital of the world. In the South Sea Islands, the heart of Africa, under the North Pole, Tibet, Patagonia, at the uttermost corners of the earth will the handiwork of the Venetian artisan be found. In this country tons of beads from Venice find their way into the handiwork of our Sioux, Chippewa, and Five Tribe Indians.

Harvey Carroll, American Consul at Venice, in a dispatch just received by the Department of Commerce, says that the Venetian bead-making industry is a monopoly and controls a world-wide exporting business, shipping to Africa, India, Oceania, Asiatic countries, Europe, and the Americas. It makes the beads that are used as money by certain tribes in the Congo and in German West Africa, and ships many thousands of tons of bead ornaments to the savage as well as the civilized nations of the world.

The offices of the company are in a magnificent old palace at Murano, the Palazzo Trevisan, which boasts frescoes by Tiepolo. The foundries and factories cover many acres of ground. Before the outbreak of the European war this company kept in storage more than 4,409,245 pounds of manufactured beads. At the present time less than one-fourth this quantity is in stock, and production has greatly decreased, owing to difficulty in securing fuel and raw material.

While exploring, I found the Venetian Bead Shop, which has some interesting information on blowing glass beads and other information. I know nothing about them, but if you're interested in Murano
beads, this could be a place to start.

A friend (thanks, Marie) sent me a link to Prairie Edge, which claims to have the " last and the largest collection of Italian glass beads (over 2,600 different styles and colors) from the same Venetian guild that supplied fur traders in the 19th century. The Societa' Veneziana Conterie closed its doors in 1992 and Prairie Edge acquired all the remaining inventory, over 70 tons in all. View exquisite examples of finished Plains Indian beadwork. Most of the beads on display are offered for sale in Sioux Trading Post." How the collection wound up in South Dakota is not explained.

Sad News to Start the Year

<span style="font-weight:bold;">This has nothing to do with Venice, but I wanted to post it anyway.


Our house and our hearts are empty tonight. Gretel, the retired Seeing Eye dog who lived with us for the past two and a half years, died suddenly today (she would have been 12 next month). Last month, she passed her physical with flying colors. This morning, after her walk and morning treat, she collapsed. Never losing consciousness, she remained fully aware. We rushed her to the animal hospital and learned she had massive abdominal bleeding brought on by cancer. Instead of prolonging her life with painful treatments, we let nature take its course and, tearfully, let her go.

We didn’t have Gretel for long, but each moment was wonderful. She was a great ambassador for the Seeing Eye organization. She was a beautiful girl and strangers would often stop us to ask about her. When we told people about her working life as a Seeing Eye dog, people were fascinated.

At first, Gretel was serious, no doubt trying to figure out what her new “job” was supposed to be. Soon, she figured it out. Her job was to get petted whenever possible! She turned into a slightly goofy dog, who was always happy, always happy to see us.

True to her training, Gretel didn’t bark much–but she did quack! On her first day with us, my sister gave Gretel a stuffed, plush duck that quacked when you pressed it in the right place. Gretel soon used her ducks (her brood grew to six) to let us know she was happy. She ran around the house, duck in mouth, quacking at us. She’d also move her ducks around when we weren’t watching. Sometimes they’d be scattered around the house; sometimes they’d be in a pile; this week she had them in a semi-circle around her bed. I’ll remember Gretel quacking!

Gretel was a good girl, who really enjoyed her retirement. Thanks to the Seeing Eye Organization for giving us the opportunity to have Gretel become part of our lives. We hope to adopt another Seeing Eye dog as soon as possible.

Cross-Dressing Cop Sacked

I couldn't ask for a better story to end the year, Weird Venice at its best....

From ANSA.it:

Man wore mini- skirt, skimpy top off duty around Venice
(ANSA) - Venice, December 28 - An Italian police officer has been sacked for cross-dressing when not on duty.

The unidentified officer, a deputy superintendent, was fired after he was seen on several occasions in Venice city centre wearing a mini-skirt, long earrings and a skimpy T-shirt aimed at showing off his navel.

The man tried to get his job back by appealing to a local court, arguing that his off-duty apparel was his own business.

But the judges upheld the dismissal.

In announcing its decision to sack the officer, the local police chief said the man had shown "total disrespect for the force and no sense of honour or moral values".

The officer's neighbours had also complained about his habit of washing his car in his swimming trunks, which he sometimes removed, the police said.

The photo is from ANSA.it news and accompanies the story on their website.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Elton John in Venice for Christmas

Elton John's Christmas.

Silent Nights in St. Mark's

"It's odd that so few tourists go to Venice for Christmas. But their absence - and with them the proprietors of a thousand souvenir stalls - is the winter visitor's gain."

That's how "Silent Night in St. Mark's," which was published last year in the UK's Guardian begins.

It's a nice article--check it out. (I'm repeating the photo because I took it--you can see me in the reflection--and I like it!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

What are you doing reading this blog? You should be decorating the tree, wrapping the presents, or (if you're a procrastinator) shopping!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Weird Venice will return in January.

Rare Collection--of Mushroom DNA--in Venice

Yes, mushrooms. Fungi, which according to my dictionary includes mushrooms, toadstools and moulds. "28,000 samples of fungi that represent 6,000 species - many of which are quite rare - are housed at the Venice Museum of Natural History [part of the Musei Civici Veneziani], a partner with UC Berkeley for this ambitious project. The collection also is one of the largest in Europe." The samples are going to be used to build a huge DNA database, which will be used for research into plant diseases, forests, etc. The project is expected to be finished by the end of next year.

Here's a link to an article about the collection.

Do You Dream of Spending the Holidays in Venice?

If you dream of spending the holidays in Venice, check out these tips. It's on Dream of Italy, a great blog/newsletter, which is an "insider's guide to undiscovered Italy." Lots of good reading and excellent tips. Check out their holiday gift subscriptions. Sometimes you have to realize there is a lot more to Italy than Venice....

Too Crowded?

I love webcams and can't understand why there aren't more of them in Venice. This is from one of my favorites. It's in Piazza San Marco and, as you can see, the piazza is deserted! So if you want to have San Marco all to yourself, go there very late on a Sunday night/early Monday morning (I've done it and it's an experience you'll remember forever).

Love the Pigeons?

Many people, including me (here on this blog) have denigrated pigeons, especially the pigeons in Piazza San Marco. After reading this column at Salon.com, I may have to change my mind.

"If you're like most people -- and especially if you're like most city dwellers -- you probably get a bit skeeved out just hearing the word. Pigeons? They might not be vermin -- not exactly -- but they aren't too far up the ladder, either. They eat trash. They crap everywhere. Stupid. Filthy. Rats with wings. Right? Sorry, but not quite. In fact, not even close. And thanks to Andrew Blechman's consistently engaging and surprising new book, 'Pigeons,' the seemingly dull, unlovely members of the Columbidae family -- or, rather, their idiosyncratic and intensely loyal human proponents -- now have a handy arsenal of lively anecdotes and plain old facts (heads up, wisenheimers: Pigeons are doves) with which to defend their long-maligned feathered friends."

Maybe pigeons are more than "rats with wings." Let us know if you read the book--and change your mind about pigeons!

Photo of the Day

I took this photo on the 22nd of November 2002.

I went to Venice to experience the Feast of Santa Maria della Salute. It's a unique Venetian holiday which celebrates/honors the Mary for saving Venice from the plague in 1630. If you remember your guidebooks, Salute was built to commemorate Mary's intervention.

A temporary bridge is placed over the Grand Canal (I'll have to post a photo of in) and a procession goes from San Marco, across the bridge and to the cathedral. In 2002, I was in the middle of the procession. After I got to the church, it took another 10 minutes for the rest of the procession to arrive--that's how many people were marching! A very moving evening.

Venice in the NY Times This Weekend

This has been quite a Venetian weekend in the New York Times. Three articles:

1. In the Travel Section, Venice in 36 Hours (with one mistake about flying from New York. Despite what the article says, you can fly direct. Delta has one flight a day that goes non-stop, direct to Venice.)

2. The Curator, about Nancy Spector who is

not only responsible for curating contemporary art at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, but it was also her controversial decision to select the artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres for the American Pavilion at the 2007 Venice Biennale.

3. Holiday Books: Venice--

The story of Palladio’s conquest of Venice and his promotion by a coterie of aristocratic patrons is the story of Tracy E. Cooper’s massively documented and beautifully illustrated book, PALLADIO’S VENICE: Architecture and Society in a Renaissance Republic (Yale University, $65).

4. Naked in the Marketplace: The Lives of George Sand (in the Book Review section):

Sand did help Musset through a serious illness when they were together in Venice, and although she also managed to have an affair with his doctor, the episode demonstrates the degree to which, as Eisler puts it, 'the maternal and the erotic were one' for her.

Enjoy! You may have to register for access to the site.

"Prehistoric Venice" Uncovered Near Pompeii

This comes from ANSA.it news:

2006-11-28 18:05
Mythical canal city emerges
'Prehistoric Venice' comes to light near Pompeii
NAPLES (ANSA) An ancient canal city is emerging outside Pompeii, Italian archaeologists say.

Recent digs have unearthed traces of the mythical Sarrasti people, previously known only from Etruscan descriptions.

A large dock has been found, anchored by huge poles and linked to a series of canals dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC).

Huts and other wooden structures have been uncovered, perfectly preserved in the age-old mud - making the site unique in Italy.

"We like to call this settlement Italy's 'prehistoric Venice'," said Pompeii archeological superintendent Pietro Giovanni Guzzo.

Archeologists have also found some of the artefacts that made the site at Longola near Pompeii famous in the ancient world, Guzzo said.

"We have oak canoes. We have countless objects carved out of animal horn and bone, as well as bronze and ceramic pieces," Guzzo said, predicting that Longola would "soon have a tourist site all of its own".

The latest object taken out of the soil was a long, strong, tapered pickaxe-like tool.

"This looks like it did a lot of the donkey work at this hard-working, prosperous city," Guzzo said.

"It symbolizes the strength of the Sarrasti," he said, showing the pick to reporters.

The Sarrasti are believed to have dominated the area around the Sarno river until the arrival of the Greeks and Etruscans.

Historians say the city at Longola survived until the foundation of Pompeii in the Sixth Century BC.

The photo comes from the article on ANSA.it

Holiday Presents

Since here in the US, the holiday shopping season has officially started, I thought I'd offer a few suggestions.

The first is a great present for anyone headed to Italy, especially those going for the first time. Italy: Instructions for Use: The Personal, On-site Assistant for the Enthusiastic but Inexperienced Traveler by Nan McElroy. Nan, according to the book jacket, "has been traveling, eating and living in Italy as often as possible since 1995." (Nan now lives in Venice.)

I have Instructions for Use in front of me as I type this. It's 110 pages of useful information from how do you pronounce things in Italian to shopping and eating. It also has ten tips for the American traveler. My favorite? "Sometimes there's nothing to be done." You can buy the book at Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com.

Nan, an American living in Venice, also has a great blog (her latest post describes a pasta-making session).

Can't get enough Venice? Do you really miss it when you're gone? If so, take a look at the photography of Andrea Zanatta (thanks to Nan for turning me onto his work). I agree with the blurb in his book that says he is "one of the most interesting photographers of the young generation in Italy." Put Andrea's book on your Christmas list, or it to your favorite Venice fan. You can buy Andrea's book at Amazon.com.

Who says you can't get good food in Venice? That's a common (misguided) complaint I hear about Venice. Chow Venice: Savoring the Food and Wine of La Serenissima, (Second Edition) makes a great gift for people hunting for good meals in Venice. Co-authors Shannon Essa and Ruth Edenbaum only print reviews of restaurants/bars they've eaten in--and enjoyed. The second edition is due on December 15th--plenty of time to wrap. Order from Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com .

Finally, this isn't Venetian, but it's a great taste of Italy. Olio Nuovo, or just crushed olive oil. I can safely post this because my order is already in! If you have never tasted just-crushed olive oil, you're in for a treat. It's like nothing you get in a supermarket! If you'd like to treat yourself or give a really nice gift, check out Casa de Case's website and get your order in fast. [Dec. 13 NOTE: Too late--the olive oil is sold out. And too bad if you missed out because it's wonderful. I've been enjoying mine and I'm not sharing!]



Note: I'm not getting paid by any of these people. I know them (but they don't know I'm posting this) and have enjoyed these things (before I knew them!). I'd be happy to get any of them as a gift and think the Italy/Venice fans in your life would enjoy them too.

Government Says No to Tourist Tax

From WantedInRome.com:

Government scraps proposed tourist tax.
The government has scrapped plans for a tourist tax, which would have allowed Italian towns and cities to add €5 per day to foreign visitors' hotel bills.

The withdrawal of the levy from the 2007 budget was met with relief by both the national and international tourism associations and operators, particularly smaller local companies, who feared that this would have dissuaded foreigners from visiting Italy. Culture and tourism Minister Francesco Rutelli has expressed his support for the U-turn, commenting on the government's “wise decision”.

Italy's most popular tourist destinations, Rome, Florence and Venice, had previously shown support for the proposed tourist tax as a means for improving and maintaining monuments, tourist facilities and services and keeping the cities clean and orderly.

Clock Tower Opens to Visitors!

VENICE: THE CLOCK TOWER REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC
(from AGI) - Venice, Oct. 31 - The Clock Tower reopens to the public and offers - on reservation and with a specialised guide - an extraordinary visit of one hour including a close observation of the complex mechanisms of the clock a splendid view from the balcony on St. Mark square and on the whole city. Upon reservation, the entrance is free of charge for Venetians from 4 to 12 November 2006 at all working hours; from 13 November 2006 to 31 March 2007, upon request, from 4.00 pm. There can be a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 12 visitors. Visits are possible every day (besides 25 December and 1 January) with a fixed schedule. The visit is available only on reservation and with a specialised guide and it covers the five floors of the tower. After the first stairs made of stone the visitor approaches a small room that illustrates the history of the tower. From here it is interesting to observe the interplay of pulleys, weights and counterweights that rise and fall silently at regular intervals. After a winding metal staircase, the visitor approaches the complex Clock Machine. It can be closely observed and an explanation of its principal functions is provided. Another staircase leads to an upper floor where there are wooden statues of the Magi and the Angel, as well as two precious doors from which, on the occasion of Epiphany and Ascension Day, the statues join the procession. From here it is also possible to see the internal mechanism of 'Ta'mbure' of the nineteenth century with the digital indication of hours and minutes. One floor up and the visitor arrives in a room full of ancient objects belonging to the machine, which was made in the 15th century. From here the visitor accedes to two lateral balconies and through yet another winding staircase, to the terrace of the Mori where one can admire huge statues, as well as a splendid vista of Venice and the lagoon."

I'll be in Venice next week for a few days--I hope I'm successful in getting a tour!

The photo is from FlickR.

40th Anniversary of Great Flood Coming Up

November 4th will be the 40th anniversary of the flood that made people pay attention.

"The trouble began on November 4, 1966, when an extremely high tide swept into Venice and refused to leave. For 15 hours, Venice was inundated by the sea. In historic Saint Mark's Square the water was four feet deep. Luckily, no one was killed. But the place was a disaster zone.

"In a single day, the city and the world were forced to face a harsh reality: Venice was sinking into the sea.

"Today flooding has become a fact of life. Instead of floating above the water, the 15th and 16th century buildings are often filled with it, and the ancient bricks are gradually dissolving away." (From Nova, "The Sinking City of Venice)

I took this photo in November 2002. When I took it, the water in San Marco was knee deep. I couldn't imagine what it looked like under 4 feet of water!

The Nova website, Sinking City of Venice, has lots of information on the flooding problem. You can also read the transcript to their show, "The Sinking City of Venice."

The VENETO INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, LETTERS AND ART in Campo Santo Stefano is going to hold a conference called, "Is There a Future for Venice? Reflections 40 years after the 1966 flood." It will be on Nov. 2 at 10 AM. Contributors include Ignazio Musu, Gherardo Ortalli, Andrea Rinaldo and Wolfgang Wolters.

Sorry for the late notice, but I just found out about it. If anyone attends, please give us a report.

Information, Veneto Institute of Science, Letters and Art, tel. 041.240.77.11. Web site: www.istitutoveneto.it.

Florence will be remembering a different, deadly flood on November 3. "At 5am on November 3, 1966 the skies over Tuscany opened and poured non-stop for 18 hours, causing an unprecedented artistic, economic and human disaster. The River Arno burst its banks, flooded the city and claimed 29 lives.

Mud and water swamped the museums, churches and libraries of the birthplace of the Renaissance, ruining many great works.

The damage caused was incalculable. But it was a fraction of the devastation the city would have suffered without the efforts of thousands of young volunteers who came from all over Italy and from abroad to save the art treasures and help Florence off its knees." (From ANSA.it)

More than 2,000 of those volunteers are scheduled to return to Florence for 100 different events focusing on the flood.

Let's hope these two great cities never face such disasters again!

Three Dimensional Map Being Made

From AGI Online--an interesting story about a tri-dimensional map of Venice is being made. Can't wait to see it!

VENICE: LASER AND SATELLITE FOR CITY TRIDIMENSIONAL MAP
(AGI) - Venice, Oct. 17 - Satellite and laser techniques will be used to provide a complete and through scanning of Venice calli, campielli and fondamente, an unusual tri-dimensional map soon available on the internet and available for everyone. The Ramses project organised by Insula, the Venitian company dealing with the recovery and the safety of the city, has now started: it is an original project that will carry out the complete tri-dimensional representation of the pavements of Venice historical centre. The planimetry and the altimetry of the various parts of Venice will be surveyed with thorough precision (single centimetre after centimetre, and not every 10 centimetres like they used to do in the past). A precise knowledge concerning the pavements will allow the municipality to predict the extension of areas that can be affected by high waters, to calculate the distance between houses and to optimise the utilisation of trestle bridges for permitting the transfer of people and goods. The administration will also be able to use a photographic and planimetric survey for its maintenance works of water, sewer, electric and telephone networks present in the delicate underground of the historical centre.
-
COPYRIGHTS 2002-2006 AGI S.p.A.

Photo: 42-16491185 Corbis Royalty Free Photograph
====================================================================================
And...a few weeks ago, I wrote about the 10,000th visit being made to Weird Venice. Well, we've blown through that and are closing in on 12,000! Thanks to all who've been visiting!

Crowds

Lately I've been reading about crowds in Venice, in all of Italy actually. If this photo from the webcam is any indication, there are some crowds.

Anybody in Venice today? Did you run into crowds?

Get Ready to Pay to Play in Venice

As the following article says, a tourist tax may be coming to visitors to Venice. It's fine with me; I don't mind paying for the privilege of spending time in Venice. I think people who come in for the day should be charged 10 euro!

Venice prepares to tax tourists--Mayor says it's the only way city can stay afloat (ANSA) - Venice, October 2, 2006

Venice Mayor Massimo Cacciari said on Monday that a tax on tourists visiting the lagoon city was definitely on the cards.

Cacciari said that 2007 budget plans approved in Rome this weekend by the centre-left government appeared to contain practically no funds for Venice, either for routine work or special projects such as the Moses flood barriers.

But it does contain a provision for 'city taxes', allowing municipal authorities to impose a levy of up to five euros a night on tourists.

This could prove a useful way of lessening Venice's cash problems, Cacciari said.

"We'll see what form to give it but it was inevitable that we would move in this direction. We'd already decided on something like this anyway," Cacciari said.

The mayor said his administration has already discussed such a toll with representatives of the tourism sector, who agreed that it was necessary if the city was to deal with the volume of tourism it now attracts.

Some 15 million people visit Italy's most romantic city every year, bringing in cash but also stretching its infrastructure and resources to the limit.

"The money from this tax must be used to improve services, for example transport or street cleaning," Cacciari said, adding that on Saturday the council would discuss possible approaches.

Venice receives special funding from the Italian government partly because of its status as an important city of culture and tourism, but also because of the specific problems connected to the fact that it is gradually sinking into the lagoon. Certain important restoration initiatives are also paid for by Save Venice, a New York-based organisation which collects funds from people who love the city and want to preserve it.

Cacciari complained that the government's new budget seemed to have ignored projects which had already been approved in the area of restoration work and home building for Venice's inhabitants.

"To keep the current projects going we need at least 100 million euros," he said.

He also said the government had "gone silent" on the matter of the Moses flood barrier system devised to protect the city from increasingly frequent high tides.

Part of the costly system is already in place and, in the wake of recent opposition to it, urgent decisions need to be taken on whether it should continue, the mayor said.

These decisions could only be made if the government organised meetings immediately with experts and local administrators, he said.


© Copyright ANSA. All rights reserved

Happy 10,000!

I must confess--I'm late to my own party!!! Sometime in the early hours of September 12, Weird Venice had its 10,00th visitor! Since then, the sitemeter's been clicking and we're closing in to 11,000. Thanks everyone--I love having you visit.

Special thanks to the photographer, Peter Fox Harrison, for use of this great fireworks photo. Here's Peter's story about the photo: "The photo is a composite of two shots. The first was taken in Venice in April 2005 on a Wednesday at dusk. The camera was a Nikon D70, exposure was about 15 seconds at f16. The fireworks are in the UK on November 5, 2005 in a dark cold muddy field at my local pub. I was standing on my own on top of a hill while my friends huddled around a warm bonfire, exposure probably a couple of seconds f8. The Venetian sky was ok but nothing special, so I had the idea of putting a firework behind the campanile in Photoshop, to make it more striking. I dropped a few firework shots in until I found one that worked."

It works--and I think it's the perfect photo to celebate 10,000! Now I'm gong to sit back and enjoy the fireworkds. To see more of Peter's work, go to www.fiatluxphotos.com.

Pigeon Problems (Again)

I can't ignore it any longer. The story posted below is showing up in papers all over the world. So I figured I'd join in and post it here. I've never been able to understand why people what to have pigeons climb all over them. What about pigeon poop on your clothes or in your hair? Yuck.


September 14, 2006
Tourists love them, but Venice wants to clean up lagoon city's pigeons
By COLLEEN BARRY

VENICE, Italy (AP) - Just a handful of corn and the pigeons of St. Mark's Square swoop.

Nothing says "I've been to Venice" better than a photo snapped with pigeons perched on arms, shoulders, head, breast. Multiply that by, perhaps, a million times a year.

The constant feeding has created a pigeon problem in the lagoon city and feathers are flying. The pigeons are dirty. They carry disease. They are ruining the city's glorious facades and spreading filth in the piazzas. And the mayor wants action.

"In Venice we have a difficult problem, because the birds find food everywhere, and there are millions of tourists who want to take pictures with them," said Mario Scattolin, the top environmental official for the city of 800,000. "We're a small city with a huge influx of tourists."

No one knows for sure how many pigeons live in Venice's 6.4 square kilometres but the city estimates 40,000. About one-third of them pass through St. Mark's Square on any given day, Scattolin said.

Five of them perched one sunny afternoon on Constanta Aurel's outstretched arms, three on the right and two on the left. Then another settled snugly on her breast. The tourist from Romania squealed as her husband, Nicolae, shot pictures.

"It's a marvellous picture," he said. "Tourists come here to see the birds and the church. I think it's a big part of the attraction."

Venice already rounds up pigeons regularly and kills the sick ones but that doesn't seem to stem their numbers. Other attempts have included introducing contraceptives to their food supply and birds that eat their eggs.

The animal rights group LAV says the most effective method is to feed them less. But that would mean shutting down the corn vendors at St. Mark's. "They're a powerful lobby," said Massimo Vitturi, an LAV spokesman.

Still, nothing's impossible. London managed to curtail pigeon-feeding at Trafalgar Square, over strenuous public objections, and Venice Mayor Massimo Cacciari is also determined to project a cleaner image of his city. A new pigeon census is planned, with recommendations on population control due by year's end, Scattolin said.

But two separate ordinances appear to be at odds with each other. One forbids the feeding of pigeons. The other grants concessions to sell bags of corn to tourists - 100 grams for US$1.30).

"There have been pigeons in St. Mark's Square for a thousand years," said vendor Gianni Favin. "To see the piazza without pigeons is like seeing a tree without its leaves."

"It's not true that the pigeons are ruining the buildings," he said, motioning to a grimy arcade front. "That black is caused by smog."

Nineteen families live off the corn sales, Favin says, working two shifts a day at nine stands, with one vendor off each day. On a nice day he makes more than US$10, he says, on a rainy day, a tenth of that.

"I understand there are too many birds and that they are dirty," he said. "The city makes us pick up the bags. We do it for inconsiderate people but we can't keep on top of all the trash," he said, walking into the piazza to pick up a discarded paper sack. "Where are the city sweepers?"

Favin says if the city revokes their licences, the vendors will do what the sellers of counterfeit purses do - throw out a blanket with their wares and grab them up whenever a police officer appears.

Geoffrey Humphries, a British-born artist, sat in the piazza painting a watercolour of St. Mark's Basilica for an exhibit next month in Washington, D.C. "I first came here 40 years ago, and at 2 p.m., the bells would ring and a city employee would come with a bucket and feed the birds," Humphries said. "So my canvas would all be covered in feathers."

He's all for diminishing the pigeon population. "They are flying vermin."

Dreary Day

It looks like a rainy day in Venice today. This is from the Citta de Venezia webcam. Anyone in San Marco this morning?

Biennale Features Ideas to Rebuild New Orleans

From the Turkish Daily News:

"After the flood: Building on higher ground" shows 10 projects designed by nine Americans and a Turkish architect to reconstruct New Orleans which was flooded when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the city on Aug. 29, 2005, overpowering protective barriers that buckled under the huge weight of water.

"A year ago, just after the hurricane, the city was devastated and there were (rebuilding) initiatives in every which direction. We launched this competition to make people work together on a post-Katrina architecture," the exhibition's curator Christian Bruun told AFP.

"This is not just about a basic reconstruction. The whole relationship between architecture and the environment must be reconsidered," he said.

"New Orleans is condemned to flooding and hurricanes so we should explore new ideas and use new technologies so that for once and for all we find a solution to allow people to live there," Bruun said.

Among the projects displayed on the pavilion's walls is an adaptable house on stilts sitting three meters (yards) above ground.

Another architect imagined a house that would rise above the ground only when a weather alert had been issued.

Follow the link at the top of this post to read the entire story.

To find out more about the Biennale, go to its website.

No Posts Today

9/11 rememberance.

Chinese Film, Affleck and Mirren Win at the Film Festival

Chinese Movie, Affleck Win Venice Prizes
Sep 9, 6:27 PM (ET) By LUCA BRUNO

VENICE, Italy (AP) - The Chinese movie "Still Life," a surprise entry set against the backdrop of China's gigantic Three Gorges Dam project, on Saturday won this year's Golden Lion - the top award at the Venice Film Festival. Helen Mirren and Ben Affleck took the top acting awards.

Mirren was named best actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears' "The Queen." Affleck won best actor for his role in Allen Coulter's "Hollywoodland," which dramatizes an investigation into the death of George Reeves, star of the 1950s TV show "Adventures of Superman."

To read the full story, go to My Way News.

Photo of the Golden Lion comes from the La Biennale website.

Closing in on 10,000!

On July 25, 2005, I added Site Meter to Weird Venice to keep track visits. After all, I wanted to see if anyone was reading this blog. (Site Meter tracks page views and visits. It doesn't give any personal information or e-mail addresses of visitors. I don't know who's visiting. I just know how many and where their servers are located.)

I was gratified to see that other people shared my interest in Venice. It's been fun watching the number of visitors and which country they're located in. I like to see how far Weird Venice is traveling. Today, Highett, Victoria in Australia wins--it's 10,392 miles away!

Lately I've been very excited when I look at Site Meter because in the next week or two Weird Venice will receive its 10,000th visitor! Keep coming back--you could be number 10,000 (or 10,001).

Thanks to each and every one of you!

Translation Tool

I just found a really useful google feature--you can use it to translate text from English to Italian (other languages are available, too). I've only tried a few translations of short phrases, so I'm not sure how it works on newspaper articles or longer length text. Check it out!

Another Crazy Boat Story

Every so often a story about a boat run amuck crosses my desk. This one come from Buongiorno Venezia (a great source for Venice stories and info).

CURIO. An event that might have ended in tragedy had, everyone admitted, its funny aspects. Because of improper rigging during an unloading operation, the pilot of a boat was tossed overboard. That is quite normal in Venice. But, since the engine was running and the boat wasn't moored properly either, it began to spin in a circle with the propeller coming dangerously close to the pilot and another person who tried to board the boat but... missed. Acting as if it were "frightened", the boat knocked against the banks and the other boats, creating confusion among the gondolas moored nearby in Bacino Orseolo, the most crowded "stazio" (gondola mooring) in Venice. The scene continued for half an hour under the curious gaze of hundreds of tourists until the fire department arrived and secured the craft.

Venice Regatta

Today was Regatta day in Venice. I've always wanted to witness one. Instead, I watched it via webcam today (there's a link to this Grand Canal webcam on the right). Not quite the same as being there. The photo is one that I took from the webcam. Any eyewitnesses?

For more of a discussion about the location of the webcam, go to the Slow Travel forum.

New Look--Like It?

I've been making a few changes in the way Weird Venice looks. Do you like it? Let me know what you think!

Caffe Florian Goes Worldwide

Want a good cup of coffee? No need to go to Venice anymore. As our friends from Buongiorno Venezia report in the following article, Caffe Florian has expanded far beyond Piazza San Marco. They're now serving coffee in Florence--and soon to open in Abu Dubai, Moscow, Beijing, and Toyko. No word if the prices will be the same...

"Starting a few days ago, the Caffé Florian, while not the only historic coffee house that has made an impression in St. Mark's Square for 280 years, became a brand name. About a month ago, a Caffé Florian opened in Florence and yet another in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and the next will be located in Dubai. Others are expected in Moscow, Beijing, and Tokyo, where the trademark was just registered. The cities are the most varied in the world, but the ambience inside each cafe will be the same, and the products for sale -- coffee, tea, and chocolate, as well as crystals and perfume -- will rigorously adhere to the Florian brand's standards. The fittings of each cafe will re-create the famous calm and elegant Venetian way of life."

Venice to Become the First City in the World to Charge Admission?

When talking about the impact tourism has on Venice, many people compare it to Disneyland. Well, you pay to get into Disneyland, why not pay to get into Venice? The following from the NZHerald online, says there's been some serious discussion about an "entrance charge." How much would you pay for admission to Venice? Gee, maybe they should read Venezia Due (see my August 13th posting).


Venice may be first city to charge entrance fee

1.00pm Friday August 18, 2006
By Peter Popham

Venice may soon become the first city in Italy to charge tourists for the pleasure of visiting it as authorities look to the introduction of an 'entrance charge' to offset the damage done to the unique architecture by hordes of holidaymakers.

The idea of a compulsory fee for the city that receives some 16 million visitors per year has been in the air for months now.

But this week the city's mayor, Massimo Cacciari, indicated for the first time that it is under serious consideration.

"The great tourist centres have the problem of sustaining the costs of maintenance and conservation caused by the massive presence of guests," Mr. Cacciari told Panorama, a news weekly.

With nearly 50,000 tourists pouring through the city every day, he went on, "people who use the city's services and make it dirty...Venice is in difficulties. If a subsidy from the state is out of the question, we will be obliged to think of a new entrance tax or something of the sort."

Mr. Cacciari presented the idea of a visitor tax as a last resort.

But when the idea was first mooted earlier this year by the British economist John Kay, it was envisaged as a prudent way of managing tourism in a city which far more people may want to visit in the near future.

"If we regard Venice as one of the crown jewels of Western European civilisation," he told a conference in June, "and we should, we want as many tourists as possible to go there. The issue is how to accommodate, indeed to promote, such cultural tourism without letting tourists destroy what it is that people go to visit."

With "2.5 billion people in China and India alone whose incomes might within 50 years be comparable with ours," he pointed out, "...the number of people who will want to see Venice, and who will be able to afford to see it, might very plausibly expand by a factor of three or more over the next few decades."

Pointing out that "12 million people a year pay 50 euros a year to visit Eurodisney," he said, "If the Disney Corporation owned Venice, Venice would no longer be in peril."

While Professor Kay floats the figure of 50 euros (NZ$100) per visitor, and Anna Somers Cocks of the Venice in Peril Fund suggests 10 euros ($20), the Venetian authorities will not be drawn.

The admission that a scheme to charge visitors is on the table comes in the context of a wave of enthusiasm for admission charges to major cities, the idea pioneered on a large scale by London's Ken Livingstone.

Milan's new centre-right mayor Letizia Moratti this week announced that Italy's biggest city will impose a "pollution charge" on all vehicles entering the city from next year, which will be more than the 3 euros proposed by her predecessor but less than London's £8 ($23).

Since 19 June Bologna, home town of prime minister Romano Prodi, has been charging 5 euros ($10) per day for vehicles entering the historic centre.

Another Italian tourist trap, the Aeolian islands off the coast of Tuscany which include the isle of Elba, has decided to try to reduce the number of summer visitors from the unsustainable number of 150,000 by imposing a 5 euro ($10) charge from next year.

While a consensus on charging tourists to visit Venice seems close, the arguments are likely to rage over what to do with the money.

Mr Cacciari implies that he would expect the money to offset the cost of providing municipal services like rubbish collection.

But Professor Kay and Anna Somers Cocks would like the money to be funneled into the troubled "Moses" flood barrier system.

The barriers, now under construction, will rise to block the high tides that frequently inundate the city.

But earlier this month the Prodi government indicated that there was a 3 billion euro ($6b) shortfall in the budget to build them.

As Professor Kay put it, "The gates let the tourists in could pay for the gates that keep the waters out."

Book Report: Venezia Due

I thought that in the coming months, I might do a weird-book report or two. I'm going to start with The Second Venice (Venezia Due) by Askin Ozcan.

I am taking down the original post because Prof. Ozcan protested. I am also deleting his comments about my review. The gist of my post was: I didn't think the book was very good, although I really liked the premise (two huge American corporations build a "second Venice" near the real one). In return, Prof Ozcan said I was, among other things, a "poor reviewer."

I'm sorry if I offended Prof. Ozcan and, to avoid further bad feelings, I took it down. I am not chaning my opinion of the book, however. But, I did break one of my rules: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In the future, to avoid unintentionally hurting the author, I won't write about a book that I don't like. (hey, I know how it feels--I've had some bad reviews...)

I'm sorry, Prof. Ozcan.

A housekeeping note: I'm not going to be able to visit Weird Venice for the next week. So, in order to prevent spammers from flooding the site, I'm disabling the comments function. So save your comments for September! Enjoy the rest of the summer.

63rd Venice Film Festival

The 63rd International Venice Film Festival, organized by the Venice Biennale, starts soon. It runs from August 30 to September 9th, on the Lido.

According to the Biennale's website, "The aim of the Festival is to encourage the awareness and the promotion of all the various aspects of international cinema as art, entertainment and industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance. The Festival will include retrospectives and homages to major figures as a contribution towards a better awareness of the history of cinema."

The Festival includes three major section: In Competition, Out of Competition, and Horizons.

In Competition
A maximum of 20 feature films in 35mm and digital format

Out of Competition
Works by directors already established in past editions of the Festival, and films deemed appropriate for a midnight screening

Horizons
New trends in cinema

To see the films that are going to be shown in the competition, check out the lineup.

Gilmour's Concert Rescheduled for This Weekend

David Gilmour reschedules Venice gigs
David Gilmour had to make some last-minute changes to his itinerary over the weekend, because of unsafe staging. Gilmour was supposed to play in the legendary Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy on Friday and Saturday (August 4th and 5th), but a support column on the stage buckled on Friday afternoon, and both shows were postponed for the safety of the performers and the audience. The Pink Floyd legend, his promoter, and the local Venice government were able to reschedule the shows for this coming weekend (Friday, August 11th, and Saturday, August 12th), and fans will be able to choose which concert they want to attend, with no added fees or surcharges.

Gilmour is quite familiar with the area. In July 1989, Pink Floyd played a concert nearby on a floating stage, and drew a crowd of about 200,000. Local leaders were said to be less than thrilled by the behavior of that audience, especially with their drug use, littering, and vandalism.

The Rock Radio online

Pink Floyd Member's Concert Cancelled

David Gilmour, of Pink Floyd fame, cancelled two shows he was due to perform at San Marco. As the press release below (from pr-inside.com)says, cracks were discovered, making the stage unsafe.

GILMOUR CONCERTS CANCELLED OVER SAFETY FEARS

2006-08-06 16:38:09 -

PINK FLOYD star DAVID GILMOUR has been forced to axe two concerts in Italy over fears the historic venue's stage would collapse.

Gilmour was due to perform in Venice's St Mark's Square this weekend (04-05AUG06) but cancelled the shows hours before after a sound check revealed a structural defect.

The rocker has rescheduled the gigs for next weekend (11-12AUG06) and adds, "Our most sincere apologies to all those who were supposed to attend these shows this weekend.

"A structural defect was discovered in the scaffolding just before the sound check this evening, which has rendered the whole stage structure unsafe." It is the second time Gilmour has courted controversy in the city. In 1989 a televised Pink Floyd concert drew twice as many fans as planned and saw damage caused to columns of the Basilica and the Ducal Palace. Two Venice councillors were later ordered to stand trial for the costs incurred by the show.


Press release: www.pr-inside.com

Torcello's Population Increases by 1!

From our friends at Buongiorno Venezia: news of a new baby on Torcello!

"There's good news for Torcello, the little island near Burano in the northern lagoon. On 18 July, after 26 barren years, there was a new birth. The newborn is named Federica, and she is the daughter of a young married couple who, just a few months ago, moved from the nearby island of Mazzorbo after being assigned as caretakers of the church of Torcello. It may require a certain dedication to live and to raise their children on an island like Torcello, where the (now) fifteen inhabitants lack any modern conveniences. There isn't a single shop, not to mention pharmacy or doctor, and for every necessity they have to travel to Burano. Buona fortuna, Federica!" 

Great Gondola Site

I got curious about "Ente Gondola" mentioned in the article in the previous posting. So I did a bit of googling and found the Ente Gondola website. It has great photos of gondoliers and info on renting gondolas, why they're black, gondola weddings and funerals, and advice on selecting your gondolier (and lots more).

Gondolas Going Back to the Basic Look

Wow! Where did the month go? Sorry I haven't been keeping Weird Venice up-to-date. I got a new job and, while I really like it, is keeping me busy. I hope this article about gondolas going back to the basics (from our friends at ANSA) makes up for the lag. Anyone been to Venice lately? Got any stories to share?


New rules will cut tacky tourist trappings (ANSA) - Venice, July 25 - Venice's gondolas are set to go back to basics, shedding the glitzy trappings recently tacked on to lure tourists.

The city's gondola association has drawn up guidelines aimed at eliminating "a tasteless and tacky free-for-all."

The body is poised to bar "the garish cushions, multi-coloured seating and flashy decorations which have appeared in recent years."

The question of gondola styling has been on the agenda since last summer, when traditionalists rebelled against a growing trend to glam up the historic boats. "I'm glad tradition has prevailed," association chief Roberto Puppi said Tuesday.

"It shows gondoliers are serious about keeping up the high standards of their calling.

"Clients often prefer a flamboyant craft but the boat has a history and characteristics that must be upheld."

Under the new rules, statuettes on prows and sterns will be cut in number and size and stripped of the gold leaf that has crept in over the last decade.

Seat backs and cushions will have to be made of plain leather, outlawing fancier materials.

Colour-wise, gondoliers will have a choice of black, dark blue or purple for their interiors.

All other parts of the boat must be black.

The drive to apply traditional standards will not cover ceremonial boats used for romantic occasions, which may still carry the ornate and colourful wooden cabins - called 'felze' - that have always kept riverborne Venetians away from prying eyes.

"But the common-or-garden gondola has to recover characteristics in keeping with its history and iconography," Puppi stressed. The proposed return to sobriety will be put to the city council shortly.

Once the new norms are approved, the city's 400 or so gondoliers will have to stick to them under threat of losing their licenses.

In another move, Venice's gondola agency, Ente Gondola, is bringing in new apprenticeships for aspiring gondoliers.

The courses are "aimed at making sure new generations aren't just skilled boatsmen but also know their culture," said Ente Gondola President Antonio Iannotta. The six-month apprencticeships will ensure youngsters are well versed in gondola history and secrets as well as Venetian history and art, he said.

Until now, the main focus of gondolier schools has been making sure apprentices could handle the fine art of gondola-steering.

Black, banana-shaped gondolas have been used to ferry people and goods about the lagoon city for at least a millennium.

They developed over the centuries in response to the Venetians' need for a light, manoeuvrable transport vessel which could be steered around islands and canals by a single person

� Copyright ANSA. All rights reserved 

THE CANALS ARE CLOGGED! CHINESE SEAWEED INVADES VENICE! (even though it's a serious problem, I had to chuckle when I saw the seaweed described as a "tagliatelle-like weed.")

From BBC NEWS:
Venice battles seaweed invasion
Venice is bracing itself for its summer tourist invasion, but an unwelcome newcomer has joined the thousands of visitors filling the Italian city.

This unwanted guest is a huge seaweed, originally from China, that grows up to three metres long.

The advent of summer means it is thriving in the warm shallow waters of the lagoon, near the city.

Scientists are warning that if left to its own devices it could clog up the city's famous canals.

Locals ousted

Researchers say the voracious weed, undaria pinnatifidaea, it was probably brought to the Adriatic accidentally by a ship that dumped bilge water into the sea.

From the Adriatic it spread into the nearby lagoon and has now reached as far as the city itself.

The tagliatelle-like weed is so big and invasive that it leaves little space for local species.

Biologists at Venice's Natural History Museum say that while the seaweed is unlikely to damage the city's historic buildings because it does not have roots, it is almost impossible to destroy and the only answer may be to find another foreign predator to eat it.

The seaweed is the second invader to make Venice its home in recent years. Filipino clams have already virtually wiped out local species in the lagoon.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/5112980.stm

Published: 2006/06/24 13:23:20 GMT

� BBC MMVI 

Who Took My Sidebar???

You may notice that the left side of the page is blank. My sidebar has disappeared. i'm trying to find out why and to get it back. If you took it, please return!

Wow! That's fast service. I posted the message and went to look at the blog. What'da you know? My sidebar came back. Thanks!

Non-Stop Flights from Atlanta to Venice

I hate going to JFK airport. But I'll do it to take the non-stop Delta flight to Venice. I can leave on a Friday night and be in my apartment in Venice in time for lunch the next day. Now, if you live in Atlanta, you can enjoy a non-top. From our friends at Buongiorno Venezia:

Americans are arriving in Venice in ever greater numbers. As confirmation of this two weeks ago, a third non-stop flight was inaugurated between the U.S. and Venice. As of Wednesday 7 June, there has been a daily link between Venice and Atlanta, adding to the daily flights from New York and Philadelphia. Delta is the carrier on the Atlanta and New York routes, while U.S. Air flies from Philadelphia. For the occasion, the new American ambassador to Italy, Ronald P. Spogli, arrived in Venice for the first time and, during his inaugural address, underlined the fondness of Americans for Venice and Veneto. He supported his assertion by pointing out that the new flight, originally scheduled only for the summer months, was extended year 'round.

Venice Looks for an Alternative to MOSES

From our friends at ANSA.it:

Venice considers its options
Push for alternatives to costly flood barrier system (ANSA) - Venice, June 6 -
The city of Venice has asked the government to consider alternatives to the expensive mobile flood barriers that are currently being constructed at the entrances to the lagoon.

After 30 years of debate and testing, work began on the 'Moses' flood barriers in 2003. The massive construction project, due to be completed in 2012, is expected to cost 3.5 billion euros.

But in the wake of widespread concern among Venetians and environmentalists over the impact of Moses on the lagoon, Mayor Massimo Cacciari called on Monday for a "review" of the project.

A measure approved later by the city council called for a pause for thought and "the possibility to test simpler and less costly solutions" to Venice's perennial flooding problems.

Cacciari pointed out that ultimately the government - which is footing most of the bill - will have the final say on whether Moses continues to be built and, if so, in what form.

He argued that first of all studies should be carried out to gauge whether the environmental impact of Moses is sustainable and whether it can be reduced in any way.

An assessment on the impact of Moses in 1998 came to negative conclusions, he noted.

At the same time alternatives to the metal barriers could be looked at to see whether they offered a better - and possibly cheaper - solution.

Work done until now was "not to be thrown away", he said, adding: "It's a question of continuing in a way which is compatible with whatever comes out of the review."

Supporters of Moses saw the mayor's move as a strategy to stop construction work and eventually block the project altogether.

"This is senseless. Its environmental bigotry against the defence of Venice and its monuments," said art critic and former culture undersecretary Vittorio Sgarbi.

Moses consists of 79 barriers, which would lie on the seabed at the three entrances to the Venice lagoon for most of the time. Thanks to compressed air pumped into them, they would rise up when high tides were forecast and so stop seawater entering the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea.

Flooding is a constant problem for Venice and the picturesque St Mark's Square is covered with water dozens of times every year.

The previous centre-right government in Rome adopted Moses as one of the jewels in its nationwide crown of major infrastructural projects but the attitude of the new centre-left government - of which the Greens are a member - has still to emerge.

According to experts, Venice is increasingly subject to flooding for three reasons: the lagoon floor is rising because of incoming silt; the extraction of methane gas in the sea off Venice causes its islands to sink; and sea levels are rising in general because of global warming.

Moses is opposed by environmentalists worried about the impact of the system on the lagoon's ecosystem and by many Venetians who argue that the money could be spent on cheaper, less damaging solutions.

The European Commission opened infringement procedures against Italy earlier this year in connection with the environmental impact of the flood barriers.

The European Court of Justice has already found Italy guilty of breaking a 2000 EU nature directive by failing to set aside protected areas for the birds who live around the lagoon.

The mayor is in an awkward position because he was voted into office last year partly on the back of promises to 'review' the flood barrier project. But not all his allies in city hall agree with the idea of slowing down or halting construction.

With Cacciari's supporters divided and opposition councillors keen to continue building, it was unclear what the outcome of Monday's concil meeting would be.

Cacciari said he wasn't proposing dropping the Moses project altogether, but doing a series of tests and studies to see whether its environmental impact could be lessened and its effectiveness improved.


© Copyright ANSA. All rights reserved 2006-06-06 12:34