Workshops

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Venezia Redux


We woke up on Saturday to a bright, sunny day and after yesterday’s constant rain, it was a nice change. We were so intrigued with Venezia, that we decided to spend another day in the city. Since we’re staying in Padova, a 30-minute train ride away, we bought our round trip tickets for Venezia and were on board by 9:00 a.m. Our plan for today? Nothing. We decided to forgo any more museums or cultural sites and just spend the day in the alleys and along the waterways.

When we arrived in Venezia, we discovered that the water level was quite elevated – much more than yesterday. In fact, there were many alleyways that were impassable due to water. People were wearing boots, hip waders, and plastic bags (one couple had even rolled their pants up and were dragging their suitcases while barefoot!). The wooden benches were set up and not just in St. Mark’s Square. Here are some photos of the waterlogged city:







One of my missions for the day was to purchase another mask, one with a beak. We found the perfect little shop and the woman, the mask artist, helped me select a mask representative of the Commedia dell 'Arte.


We found our way over to the Dorsoduro District, near the Accademia. We steered clear of the Accademia, but did allow ourselves the pleasure of visiting the Santa Maria della Salute (La Salute Church). This church was built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary by survivors of the 1630 plague.



One of our greatest joys today was walking along the alleyways and waterways. . . .














And then back to Padova via the train.




Erratica:

A shop with a sign that says it is "sometimes open." Unfortunately, not open today!



Thanks to a comment left by Peshe, she sparked the idea to snap a few photos of me in an ALLEY of all things. Here's one (I'll spare you the rest!):


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm agreeing with pesche that you needed some pictures of you in the alley. our alleyart woman! love the picture that you posted by the way! very cool! and to pesche: i'd love to get you some dirt in buenos aires. let's email so i can find out where exactly you'd like me to go. vicki

gl. said...

neat! i love that mask. and i envision a whole series of "alley" photos of you in different cities both here & abroad that are in rotation on your website. ;)

gl. said...

neat! i love that mask. and i envision a whole series of "alley" photos of you in different cities both here & abroad that are in rotation on your website. ;)

Destree said...

I know you were bummed the "sometimes open" store was closed...I saw the creepy doll torso hanging in the window :0) The alley pic is so cute...you look great in purple!

Deirdra Doan said...

Such beautiful photo's. Thanks for the wonderful views of Venice and all your fun together.

So funny, John and I stayed in Padova as well. We have friends there, they teach at the University, Lute and the woman is an Art Historian. But we fell so in love with Venice we went home got our bags and moved to a hotel with a view so John could compose. Can't really do that on the streets with everbody looking at you!! He he.
Wow how long are you gone for? Hope you got some great stencils!
lol

Dayna Collins said...

Deirdra, I understand why you and John moved over to Venice from Padova - it is really a magical and surreal city. Unfortunately, I did not get any stencils. The day before I got your post, I had seen several hardware stores, then the next day, not a one! Oh well - a reason to return! Dayna