Final thoughts

This has been an amazing stay in Venice.  I have met new people, made wonderful friends, invited out, been a guest at the opera, the opening of the local bar, had drinks paid for by shop owners and had lots of hugs and kisses today as I have said my farewells.

Earlier I again visited the apartment I am going to rent next year and met the owners and had lunch with them.  It is great and was wonderful to see with the shutters open.  The view of the lagoon across to the Lido is fabulous.  I was so privileged to have two amazing places to choose from.

Thanks to everyone who has read my ramblings and sent me comments.  I hope you've enjoyed reading them.  I've certainly enjoyed sharing my experiences.  Unfortunately I haven't had time to put them all down or show you all the wonderful photographs but you will hear more when I see you again.

It snowed here yesterday & the forecast is snow in Hebden Bridge tomorrow.  I left in the snow and it seems I'm returning to it!

Prossima visite.

Kathryn

My last day! Leaving tomorrow.

I have treated myself to a Fortuny standard lamp.  I have been drooling over these all they years I have come to Venice.  Just before I left I found the perfect place for one in my living room, so I plunged!  It is being delivered by DHL in a couple of weeks.

The other day sat at the cabin on the Zattere two guys ordered a bottle of prosecco.  All the tables were full so they sat on two odd chairs and used a public seat as a table.  It was beautifully served by the waitress including sniffing the cork then replacing the cork into the wire holder and placing it next to the ice bucket.  Only the Italians could do this so well.

A few shop windows.

First visit to a Venetian family

Sunday I went to lunch with Juliana, Alessandro and Tania at their home in Canarreggio.  This was my first invitation to visit a Venetian family.  Juliana made a wonderful lunch, Tania practised English words, I practised Italian with her and she gave me a wonderful picture she had drawn of the pantomime.  They are a wonderful family & I feel very privileged that I was able to share Sunday lunch with them.

Tania and the Easter bunny I gave her.

The Columina, Easter cake.

Juliana, Myself & Alessandro.

Renate - the butcher

The butchers shop on La Giudecca has a new owner this year.  Renate's display of meat is wonderful and she takes such care preparing the cuts for her customers.

Here she is preparing osso buco for me.

The display counter.

The osso buco, it had sage & rosemary on top for cooking with it.  You always get the herb to cook with the meat.

The rain came again...in Florence

Wednesday we went off on the frecciargenta train, first class, to Florence for the day.  When we arrived the day was mild but grey.  First we looked at the Baptistry & Donatello’s bronze doors, looked inside the duomo then I persuaded them to climb to the top of the cupola.  463 steps.  Carolyn wasn’t well & retired at the second gallery looking down into the church.  Robert & I carried on through the middle of the dome where you can see how it was constructed to appear on the terrace at the top.  The views of Florence and the surrounding hills are amazing.  Unfortunately just as we were about to begin the decent it started to rain.  The rest of the day was spent in bars drinking tea.  Me recovering, I came down the spiral staircase too quickly & became very trembly.  The prosecco on the return train journey sorted me out!

We did try to get into the Uffizzi Gallery but the queue was so long that not all would have got in before closing time.

R & C did look around the market, famous for its leather goods & each bought coats.  Back in Venice we found out it had only begun raining two hours earlier!  Typical.

The facade of the duomo

Looking up into the cupola

We were heading for the top of the dome!

Fom the window on the way uo

Climbing between the layers of the dome

Emerging onto the terrace.

Views from the top.  Towards the Palazzo Vecchio

Looking down on the roof of the church & the bell tower

Michelangelo's David (a copy) in the Piazza Signori

The rooftops of Florence

and the market

On the top of the dome

The Ponte Vecchio

After the rain... the sun

From the vaporetto on the way to Murano, a gorgeous day after the rain.

Faro - the lighthouse.

Bar Palanca

Monday was torrential rain all day.  We visited Ca Rezzonico in the morning, the nearest museum.  There was also aqua alta so the water was coming up as well as coming down!  We had lunch at the newly re-opened Bar Palanca.  Oh how I have missed it for a cafe on my way out in a morning, to sit with the Giudeccan mama’s in an afternoon or for a delicious lunch.  We did pop into the opening evening Sunday night & had an ombra to say congratulations to Andrea.  The place looks great, is just a bit bigger but hasn’t lost it’s local, traditional feel.

In the evening the Circolo speaker was from Kuwait.  A former Kuwait ambassador to the UN in Rome & she gave us a concise history of the region.  How it came into being, where the two tribes of Muslims came from, how the region was changed by outside nations and the discovery of oil.  

The Sunday  private reception at bar Palanca

The Cini Foundation

Sunday I took the tour of the Cini Foundation on Isol San Giorgio.  The foundation was set up in 1951 by Vittorio Cini in memory of his son Giorgio who died in a car crash in 1951.  The monastery was looted by Napoleon he cut into six pieces & took the amazing painting of Veronese’s Wedding at Cana to Paris where is remains in the Louvre.  A benefactor has had the painting scanned and a replica made for the wall of the refectory.  The damage from Napoleon has been rectified and Paladdio’s design for the building restored.

There are two inner cloisters, and you can look through from one to the other.  Upstairs the library has been returned and anyone can study here.  The new art library was opened five years ago and again is open to the public.  It is wood with grey metal stairs and railings, very pleasant.  The light in both rooms, even on a grey day is perfect for reading with very little shadow.

Two years ago a maze was created to form a third courtyard.  There are the initials of the designer, a ? and other words you can read in the hedge.

Can you make out the ?

Here is M, the first initial is B

Another day in Padova

Friday I went off to Padova again.  I wanted to revisit the Pietro Bembo exhibition.  Since my first visit I have done a little research & read about him so I thought it would make more sense to me.  On my way up there I called at the Emitari Museum supposedly there was a Tiepolo exhibition, but I didn’t find it.  But in the museum there was a wonderful Mantegna Madonna & child.  It was only tine but Mary was looking down at the baby with such love it was amazing & worth the visit for that painting alone.

Of course there was another walk through the market.  It’s three weeks since I was last there and the vegetables had changed.  There were wonderful Italian strawberries and asparagus just come into season.  Also a smaller version of asparagus called bruscadoli  I asked a lady next to me how to cook it - use it in risotto with sage or in scrambled egg.  I bought some.

I met Daniela & Lily for lunch at a place they wanted to check out for lunch when visiting Padova with the language school.  I had lamb from the mountains roasted with radiccio & fennel.  I can’t tell you how delicious it was.  I showed Lily my purchases & the waitress was very impressed with my purchase of the bruscadoli.  

Later I visited the Bembo again & when I was collecting my coat & shopping from the guardaroba the lady said - you’ve been here before.  How wonderful she remembered me.

                                                                                            Lily & Me

My delicious mountain lamb.

Daniela & I

Before getting the train home I sat in the sunshine at Piazza Duomo and enjoyed a spritz.

Dinner last night was scrambled eggs with bruscadoli.