6. Losing Ourselves in Venice
06 October 2009 | Venice, Italy
Venice is wonderful place to walk and wander and, if you are willing to put away the trusty guide, to lose yourself amongst the calles (small lanes) and fondementas (canal-side walkways), up and down the tiny canal bridges and strolling through the 'campi' or squares which open out from narrow alleys. We found magic around most every corner when we set out with Pat and Keith to explore the backstreets of the Dorsoduro district. Beginning at the Zatterre vaporetto station, we meandered west to the Rio San Trovaso and came upon the gondola boatyard, local markets and cichetti bars serving interesting tapas-like munchies. The streets were surprisingly free of tourists and we knew we were where real people lived, shopped and hung out their laundry. What a delight!
On a nearby corner we heard music and went in the parish church to hear a local orchestra practicing Schubert for an evening concert in a neighborhood. Next we turned around and we were at a famous carnival mask workshop. Just a few shops down, a very pretty glass gallery and shop beckoned ... gifts galore!
And then we found my angel, well, OK, "Miss Garnet's Angel". Keith and Pat had brought a couple of very special books for us: one was a novel that features one Miss Garnet, along with the Archangel Raphael and a collection of local Venetian and ancient biblical characters. The Sangaris crew, like 'Miss G', were enchanted having discovered the Chiesa dell' Angelo Raffaele and, once inside, its treasures of art. Lucky for us the church door was still open, even after its appointed closing time, and the organist interrupted his practice to light the parapet and reveal GianAntonio Guardi's lovely paintings representing scenes from the book of Tobit. ... you'll have to read the book to find out the rest of the story!
On the lookout for a lunch stop, we came upon the Palazzo Zenobia, one of the "in town" venues for "La Bienniale Venezia", an international, contemporary art show. Though we were not overly enthused by the very modern painting and photography exhibits, our self-guided tour through the old palace was fabulous. After lunch at a festive trattoria in the Campo San Margherita, we sampled some gelati and then went on to explore the areas around the San Rocco and San Toma campos. Well-traveled feet call for another respite, so we choose to take a vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal with its most impressive palaces ... but we'll save that for the next blog post!