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Jan 1, 2009
vita venexiàn
Last year, the Piazza for New Year’s was a bit triste. There was no live band, no fireworks, and the big event was kissing at midnight — something which from my experience pretty much happens anyway. Even though they had promised fireworks this year, with as cold as it has been recently, I had no desire to gelare il culo hanging around the square hoping for a more lavish celebration.
After a wonderful in-home New Year’s Eve dinner with friends however, the out-of-town contingency convinced us to meander to the center just in case the Comune decided to out-do itself. We conceded, and the choice turned out to be ideal.
As we exited the apartment, you could hear the light rain tick-tick-ticking on our outerwear, making its first spitty attempt at snow. “It’s not snowing.” “Sì, che nevica.” “No, piove,” it’s raining. By the time we reached Campo San Margherita, there was no more argument. They were real flakes, and numerosi, and we rejoiced that we without a doubt would be having a white New Year.
As we shuffled and sauntered toward the center, marveling at our good fortune, we realized we’d never make it to San Marco, or even San Giglio before midnight, and so we instead decided to camp out the Ponte Accademia, arriving just a few minutes before midnight. There were other folks who’d had the same idea, although the crowd was not at all massive or at all unruly.
When the clock struck midnight, we, along with everyone else on the bridge, ci siamo baciati ed augurati tutti. We popped the prosecco, toasting ourselves and everyone else in the world, then turned toward the Salute in anticipation of the fireworks.
Nothing. We kept hearing pop-pop, pop-pop-pop in indeterminate directions, and there were some Roman candles lighting up an altana somewhere above the Ca’ Rezzonico, but other than that, niente. “They won’t light them in the snow, maybe,” somebody wondered. We were still marveling at the size and frequency of the flakes that were floating and now coating surfaces in earnest, and frankly, it was still pretty magical. Then, suddenly, a big BOME whipped us around in unison toward the lower canal, where a flower of light unfurled above the bacino, soaring from the campanile to the Punto della dogana. By golly, they’ve pulled it off. Flakes and fireworks for capodanno a Venezia.
The onlookers cheered and applauded, oohed and ahhhed, as the spettacolo continued for 10? 15? 20 minutes? I’m not sure. But they were mesmerizing, a magnified, multicolored mirror of the bollicine that continued to swirl on the surface of my prosecco, intermittently illuminating the famous palazzo-lined Canal.
My mistake was not taking my camera, so these are only cellphone photos. Hopefully, though, they are clear enough to help me wish everyone a New Year as luminous and expansive as the fuochi over the Grand Canal.
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Dec 24, 2008 vita venexiàn
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My very best wishes to you for the holiday season… Auguri calorosi di buone feste
Nan
Dec 18, 2008 Instructions for Use, vita venexiàn
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Along with acqua alta, roasted chestnuts, and ladies bundled in furs that arrive with the onset of winter in Venice, you’ll also find Vin Brulé in abundance: offered by bars, vendors along light-strung calli, and at holiday gatherings. It’s also the perfect thing to combat steely gray skies by filling your home with the scents of the season.
There are infinite variations, but here’s a recipe I was given, served up a recent holiday gathering, where everyone arrived with umbrellas and stivali (boots), and where the mulled wine really hit the spot. It can be adjusted according to your own taste:
To a liter of dry red wine (choose one with a bit of body - corposo) and even a bit of Port if you like, add:
- half-dozen cloves
- couple of cinnamon sticks
- a bit nutmeg
- tart apple slices, such as granny smith
- perhaps some orange, or orange peel (avoid lemon peel, which can turn bitter)
- sugar to taste (I’m going to try it with raw sugar)
Combine all the ingredients and stir till the sugar is melted; bring it to a boil. Light the alcohol that rises from the top to burn it off; lower the temp to keep it warm. Serve to appreciative guests.
Making another batch this evening…if I come up with any insights, I’ll pass them along.
Or if you have some, feel free to share!
Dec 10, 2008 vita venexiàn
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This is such a forlorn sound, especially recorded in my quiet calle, and hearing it echo beyond. I didn’t make it to the window in time to record the one air-raid siren preceded these, but the tones here indicate how high a water level you can anticipate, and are erie enough to give you pause. There is a sensation of being under seige…
The pops you hear throughout the short recording are raindrops spitting on the microphone. I’ll use a windscreen next time.
You hear only two of the four tones, any more mean higher water. I expect to hear all four of them later tonight, as the SMS notification I just received predicts 140 cm by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. The water didn’t completely subside from the earlier tide, you see, and there’s a full moon, which only increases the effects.
Was heading out for pizza this evening with friends…l’abbiamo rinviato, needless to say…
Dec 10, 2008 vita venexiàn
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High water is already forecast for the next several days, take a look for yourself.
They’re not history-making levels, but high enough to complicate things for plenty of people. The worst seems to be working up to midnight on Thursday. (Stay apprised of the forecast by checking the Weather & High Water links under Friends & Favorites on the right.)
If you’re already in the city, just check on your lodging’s supply of boots, or grab any pair that appeals to you for yourself while you’re in giro. Do get the sturdier gear: the wimpy, gelatinous things are cheap, but slide easily (and that water’s cold, I assure you).
I just registered to be alerted by SMS in advance of acqua alta, and I’ll be listening for the new, science-fiction sirens. Looks like I may have need for those waders I managed to acquire, manco mal…
Tieni dura, Venezia. Hang tough, Venice.
Dec 5, 2008 vita venexiàn
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Not that we expect another historic flood tomorrow, but as a result of not being able to get out of the house on Monday because the water was higher than my Wellie-height boots, I am now on the hunt for a pair of waders. These will also come in handy in case I ever want to masquerade as a fly fisherman, or, should I ever have the opportunity to scavenge for peoci (much more likely).
Stopped in yesterday at the hardware store (as they’d be more likely to stock waders than a shoe store), expecting them to be sold out as of Monday, and of course, they were. They gave me suggestions as to other places to check that would also be sold out. Arrivano ancora? I asked. “No, we won’t get anymore.” Fine. OK, we’re in the first month of high-water season, and we are out of boot stock with none on the way. Another customer, an older gentleman, chuckled.
There’s a saying in Venetian, he said, and translated it into Italian for me, just in case. “Fanno come vogliano: il tempo, i cani, e i padroni.” They do as they please: the weather, dogs, and proprietors.
If you’re in giro and you spot any waders, would you let me know? Sarei molto grata…I’d be very grateful!
[Found 'em: Al Botegon on Via Garibaldi, on the right just before the park entrance.]
Dec 2, 2008 vita venexiàn
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Somebody said that somebody said that Mayor Cacciari said that people should stay away from Venice, “for some incomprehensible reason tied to some presumed danger.”
He intended it, evidently, for those few hours when we were up to our earlobes in the marea, and the city was just struggling to address the situation. He didn’t really mean it as a long-term sort of command, and is calling for some sort of companion press releases in English to help avoid the situation in the future.
“Far be it from me and any intention I have to invite who-knows-who not to come to Venice; and even worse, to over-drammatize the situation.”
I translated his comments, of course.
Dec 1, 2008 vita venexiàn
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I had heard the forecast in giro, and the howling scirocco winds as I lay in bed on Sunday night, but the new sirens confirmed it when all four pitches of tones were sounded this morning to indicate that, by 11:00, the water would be up over 140 cm…over 4 1/2 feet higher than normal. The northern bora had turned to southern scirocco, and acqua exceptionally alta was the result. [In fact, the maximum height eventually rose to 156 cm, the fourth highest high-water level in the last 135 years.]
I live one floor up…thank heaven, because when I went down to check, the water was already at the height of the realzata portion of the entrata, about 6 inches. By 9:00, it was four inches above that. At 10:15, there is a boat in the calle and bags of garbage that couldn’t get picked up were bobbing toward the fondamenta.
I am grateful I don’t have to go out this morning, and feel for the folks with two young children on the ground level below who, although they’ve installed the barriera at their door, have been hauling stuff off the floor since the wee hours, just in case.
[The response when I later asked them "how was it?" "A disaster," he repled, skaking his head. "Disaster."]
I leaned out the window to get a comprehensive look, and found my neighbors across and to my left doing the same. The couple across set their cocker spaniel (Marilyn, named after Ms. Monroe) on the window sill to consider the water below. “She hasn’t been out since last night, poor thing. I put some newspaper on the floor, but she can’t quite understand why she can’t go out.” The woman doesn’t like the new sirens, they sound to her like something from a science fiction movie. [Many I spoke to later never even heard them.]
There have also been loud-speaker annoucements all morning, most of which bounced off so many walls they were incomprehensible, but the last of which broadcast that the marea peaked at one meter and 56 cm…the higher than I have experienced since I moved here four years ago, and which I have now heard in fact, since over twenty years. “Avete finito coi messaggi?” I hear from somewhere down the calle. “Enough with the messages!”
I looked out onto the calle before noon and sure enough, the garbage sacks were bobbing in the other direction. Se ne va.
Acqua alta is so hard on the city. This is definitely one of the times that if we had the Mose in place, it would have been put through its paces. I am not a Mose proponent, but I do hope they finish it at some point, and when it’s in place, that it gives the poor Venetian infrastructure some relief from these high tides.
I have to head out this evening, and know that there will be some recurrence at the next tide, on my return. Boots are in the tote…
Nov 24, 2008 eat, drink, food, yum, vita venexiàn
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After a group from our remiera rowed three caorline and one sandolo to the Basilica della Salute last Friday morning, we gathered for lunch at the trattoria Palazzina, located at the foot fo the Guglie Bridge. The owner is a member of our rowing club, and had the idea to offer a traditional dish associated with the Festa della Madonna della Salute, the castradina.
There were several of us — Venetian and otherwise — who’d never tasted a castradina, which made it all the more attractive, of course; I’ll try anything once. The description is daunting: a stew that’s days in preparation, consisting of a rich meat, normally obtained from Dalmatia, from an adult castrato, usually beef, in this case mutton, that’s been smoked, salted, and dried in the sun, and verze (a type of cabbage), and maybe potatoes. Sounds more German than Italian…
It was a chilly day, and the caorlina is not a light boat to propel from the north side of the city, down the Cannaregio and Grande canals to the Salute, and back. So when we arrived at the Palazzina, we brought plenty of hunger with us. A hearty meat antipasto was served up in short order: salami feline (from near Parma, all pork, few spices, no cats), sopressa (the fattier, longer-aged Veneto salame), prosciutto, and mortadella con pistacchi…just what the doctor ordered, and frankly, what would have been enough for me.
The antipasto interchange was lively, fueled by the requisite prosecco. Once relieved of its consumed contents, the large wooden platter was whisked away, and the bowls of castradina began to appear. We peered at the first ones, and a German (married to an Italian and here for 28 years ormai) rowing companion and I made a pact that we’d take a stab at it, but if it wasn’t to our liking, say we had overdone the antipasto and leave it there. Oh, please let me like it…
My terra cotta bowl of castradina arrived, along with a basket of buttered crocanti for crunching over the top. Encouraged by the positive reactions issuing from those who’d already dug in, I did the same. The rich aroma belied nothing about the marvelous flavor: che bon! No trace of stringy, salty, smokey meat, just a flavorful stew with the vegetable and meat flavors that just hit the spot. I felt my toes warm as the rich concoction began to take effect, like some nutritious banned substance. No reactions to fake here…whew. I glanced just in time to my rowing companion polishing off the last spoonful of hers.
A grappa for the more robust among us, a caffè topped off this Salute lunch, and we all headed off back to work, restored and renewed.
Another successful research project completed.
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The glorious Basilica is never more luminous than during the annual Festa della Madonna della Salute (salute means health in Italian), celebrated every November 21. Hourly masses are held, and long, white candles a blaze as prayers for health are offered. The ropes that protect the center area of the church are removed, and the front doors are open for the only time during the year.
A votive bridge is constructed across the Grand Canal at San Giglio from the night of the 20th til when it’s taken down on the following Monday. (The bridge was once supported by lashing large boats together, as the Ponte Accademia was not in place until the mid-1800s.) There are also booths with fritelle and balloons for kids, adding to the festival atmosphere.
Venice was hit by a devastating plague in 1630 that ended in 1631, following an equally devastating one just over fifty years prior (which corresponds to the Redentore festival). The Longhena Salute basilica was built in thanks to the Madonna of Good Health for ending the plague in 1631. Read Alvise Zen’s historic recount on the Comune site.
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Nov 19, 2008 events & offerings
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Associazione Culturale Musica Venezia
is proud to present a:
Renaissance Concert Celebrating 500 Years of Fondaco dei Tedeschi
Thursday, November 20
Musica Venezia proudly presents a ITALIAN & GERMAN RENAISSANCE CONCERT on Thursday, November 20, celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Venice’s German cultural and commercial center.
The original “fondaco”, or warehouse building, was used as a commercial center, a palace, and the restricted living quarters of German merchants from the 13th century through the Napoleonic and Austrian rules. During that time, Venice fostered the Renaissance and became a city where the business of the world was transacted, and the German merchants played an important role. As savvy traders, they had their own fleet of ships laden with wine and oil lining the Grand Canal to fill the “fondaco” with their wares, and aided greatly in building a flourishing economy to sustain cultural endeavours. Currently, the building houses the Venice headquarters of the “Poste Italiane.â€
The concert is a tribute to the history and heritage of Germans in Venice, and the independence represented by this true Italian Renaissance landmark. The performance will feature beautiful pieces by Italian, German and Flemish Renaissance composers before 1550 including Jacob Obrecht, Andrea Gabrieli, Hans Judenkuenig, Jacob Obrecht, Adrian Willaert, and Marco Cara. The instrumental ensemble includes a talented specialist in early keyboard music, Marija Jovanovic on spinet, accomplished artist Pier Paolo Ciurlia on lute, and flautist, Carolina Putica performing preferred selections.
The concert will be at 6 p.m. at the Chiesa Luterana at Campo SS. Apostoli, and it is free and open to the public.
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Concert location: Chiesa Luterana at Campo SS. Apostoli
Concert time: 6 pm / 18:00
Tickets: Free admission, open to the public
Information: 041.528.1631
Detailed information:
www.musicavenezia.org
Last year, the Piazza for New Year’s was a bit triste. There was no live band, no fireworks, and the big event was kissing at midnight — something which from my experience pretty much happens anyway. Even though they had promised fireworks this year, with as cold as it has been recently, I had no desire to gelare il culo hanging around the square hoping for a more lavish celebration.
