(1) Looking up the canal (in the right of photo #1) is Palazzo Pisani-Gritti. The biggest building (with the crane above it) is the Palazzo della Ca Grande. In between these is the Palazzo Barbarigo. (2) Directly across from our stop (right 1/3 of photo #1), is the Palazzo Contarini-Fasan. To the left of that (right 1/2 of the photo) is the Palazzo Ferro-Fini. (3) In the middle of the photo is Palazzo Tiepolo, the tower is the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco
Frari and Scuola della san Rocco
After breakfast we set out to tour the Frari and the Scuola della san Rocco. Our tour guide was Juliana, very knowledgeable and lots of fun. Whenever we encountered a stronzo (dog turd) she pointed down and said "danger". Frari is a corrupted name of Friars Minor (Franciscans) - huge church, beautiful interiors (which we weren't allowed to photograph). Scuola di San Rocco - a secular guild/club housing many Tintarettos, other artwork (not photographable).
inside pilot's cabin |
Accademia Bridge |
s. Vidal |
s. samuele, Pal. Grassi |
San Marco, Harry's Bar
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After lunch we went to the Piazza and Basilica San Marco. The place defies description (as does much of Venice). I, of course, fed the pigeons. Unfortunately I stepped on one's tail, pulling out a feather; but it didn't seem to mind as long as the food kept coming. We enjoyed the Basilica but left the tour because the guide (Rosanna Gianotti) went on and on and on. We were tired even before we went in. We went to the Piazetta to look at the great columns with the winged lion on one and St. Theodoro and his victim reptile on the other.
Then we walked along Grand Canal to Harry's Bar where we enjoyed Bellinis (peach nectar and prosecco) - 16 Euro each. We saw two sets of tourists turned away because the men were wearing shorts (at the Basilica they just wrapped a sort of skirt around men's waists). Later we saw a group of ladies (looked like English teachers) come in, sit down, examine the menus, then get up to leave (probably the prices).
We also took a walk along the Zattere and sat on the steps of the bridge over the Rio della Fornace, "our" Canal (in front of our room). Spent more time just stilling at a table at the Ponte Accademia just watching the vaporetti go by.
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Bellini |
Ed & Karen at Harry's Bar |
bridge over "our" canal |
fermata Accademia |
tables at Ponte Accademia |
Messner Dining, Pre-prandial Spritz, Roberto, Diego, etc. |
Diego, Roberto, Katie, Antonio (Desk Concierge), Laura
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To Concoct a Spritz:
1/3 dry white wine, ideally a little bubbly prosecco (nothing fancy)
2/3 an aperitif (Aperol, Campari, or Cynar)
-- note: I use equal amounts --
splash of mineral water (fizzy or naturale)
With Campari or Cynar add little slice of lemon. (Some bars drop in a green olive.)
With Aperol, add a slice of orange (to that I add two large green olives - yum!). Cin cin! |
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Dinners were excellent. We usually had a large bowl of creamed soup (yummy), salad, main dish, and dessert (often fruit -- we agreed that if it wasn't chocolate it wasn't dessert). Often there was pasta after the soup, and there wasn't one pasta dish that wasn't delicious. Fellow-traveler & professional chef Peggy gave the restaurant a B+. A drinking pattern began. We'd arrive in the lounge about 15 minutes before lunch or dinner and most of us would order Spritzes. It is the best aperitif. It had just recently become the rage all over northern Italy. The Mooneys and Karen and I started this trend among our group after raving about the Spritzes we had with our dinner out in Padua. We all agreed that the morning coffee was wonderful. It had a hint of a chocolate flavor; not like the flavored coffee we have in the U.S. ... subtle. Diego, a hotel staff member made our spritzes for us. He was young, handsome, and a show-off; we all loved him. Roberto was very professional, a real romeo, and lots of fun. The hotel was family run and a real pleasure. Here's a brief movie about the Hotel. |
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