The Uffizi artists visit Venezia, through May 6.
Feb 28, 2007 Instructions for Use, Worth Noting
Because I live a normal life here (i.e., I’m not on vacation), it sometimes takes supreme effort stop doing what pays the rent, and go visit many of the wonderful temporary exhibitions before they slip away. This is one of those, now an Entourage pop-up that will bug me until I manage to stop, drop everything, and head for Palazzo Franchetti. If you’re visiting the city before May, you may want to put it on your to-do list as well.
The works that comprise this Faces of Art exhibition span 500 years, and are all by artists we’re familiar with. There’s a unique theme, though: each work is an autoritratto, or self-portrait. What’s more, although they’re part of the Uffizi permanent collection, you won’t see them on a normal gallery tour. Read all about here:
SELF PORTRAITS. FACES OF ART FROM THE UFFIZI COLLECTION
The Palazzo Franchetti, by the way, is that stunningly-renovated Venetian gothic on the Grand Canal (just off Campo Santo Stefano) that houses the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti.
What a treat this is going to be.
New VeniceCard rates as of February 21, 2007
Feb 28, 2007 Instructions for Use
The best thing about this announcement is the one-page, almost comprehensible price summary that you can download and keep on hand: here. (English is below the chart).
For complete Venicecard info (in English) is at www.venicecard.com.
Al Mercà : New Rialto Mercato Vaporetto Stop
Feb 28, 2007 Instructions for Use
It’s still unenclosed, and is only operational around market hours, but they’ve finally ceduto and added a new fermata on the Grand Canal at the Rialto Market, appropriatly named Rialto Mercato.
Venetians ladies of a certain age always preferred meandering from the San Silvestro stop (stopping for a caffè and brioche along the way) to walking across the Rialto Bridge in order to shop the famous market. Now, the vaporetto will deliver them quasi quasi to their favorite frutariol.
Line 1 makes the stop, located halfway between the Rialto and Ca d’Oro on the opposite side of the Canal, below the market and the Santa Sofia traghetto. The pontile jutts out from the porticoes of the Tribunale, halfway between Campo Pescaria and the Erbaria. Line 1 times for other stops are adjusted up and down the Canal when the Mercato stop is operational - I can’t imagine how this is going to be compensated for on the timetables themselves. I do wish they’d leave it running after the market closes, though; it would come in handy more than a few times a week.
I won’t hold my breath. Took us long enough to get the fermata itself…
Waiting for summer: Venetian Sgroppino Recipe
Feb 13, 2007 Instructions for Use, vita venexiàn
A sgroppino is the famous Venetian after-dinner (of fish, traditinoally) disgestivo, although Giovanni says (a phrase which could frankly be the title of its very own blog) it’s too strong and tart, wipes out the delicate fish flavors, and in no way contributes to successful digestion.
I enjoy a sgroppino in the summer, which is about the only thing that can keep you cool around here when AC is scarce. I would think it would be a great addition to a beach party or relaxing on any given veranda, so just in case you might be looking for a recipe to try on your own. So while we’re waiting patiently for a change of seasons…
The classic recipe is 1 part lemon vodka, 1 part soft lemon sorbet, whipped. I think this comes out too watery and too vodka-y. So, try
- 2 c lemon sorbet, softened
- 1 oz vodka (lemon vodka, if you want)
- 2.5 oz prosecco
Have some sorbet in reserve if it starts to get watery. I would use a hand mixer as opposed to a blender, which will instead pulverize it and make it too watery.
Tcin-tcin!
