Venice 2017

 

I was to meet my friends, Coco and Christian, by the Rialto bridge. I emerged from the Venezia Santa Lucia Station, squinting in the sunlight as I gazed ahead at the large piazza that led to the water’s edge. This was one of the many canals that wove its way around Venice’s tapestry of islands. I was to catch vaporetto #1 or #2, which would take me to my destination. The little ferry boat rocked as I boarded with my small suitcase, prompting courteous assistance from the skipper. Once he had resumed his role as helmsman, we made our way to the Rialto bridge. My friends were there at the appointed time, their beaming smiles lighting up their faces. This was not their first time in Venice, they were thus seasoned aficionados relative to my novice status. 

 

After dropping off my suitcase in the rental apartment – unimaginatively furnished, yet conveniently located – we ambled around the winding streets lined with charming boutiques. Their brightly lit windows were bursting with memorabilia of Venice, from tapestry bags woven with gondolas to statuettes of St Mark’s basilica. Our senses were aroused by the rich aromas coming from the delicatessens, serving generous portions of parmigiana topped with melting mozzarella. While sugary scents of baked dough drifted from the panetteria, where we chose a selection of biscotti to savour with our morning espressos.

We walked over many an arched bridge, crossing inky black water where reflections of the street lamps glistened like stars. The cold temperature emanating from the water made us tighten our scarves around our necks. For a warming respite we stopped at a terrace café where we cupped our hands around steaming mugs of hot chocolate whilst silently people-watching. We later dined on slices of pizza whose forest mushrooms were covered with peppery rocket and parmesan shavings.

 

 

The following day started at the Doge’s Palace, built in the early 14^th century for the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice. I was most impressed by the size and opulence of its Venetian Gothic architecture, from its grand golden staircase to the vast chamber of the great council with its magnificent gild-edged painted ceiling. The Doge’s Palace is also where the Bridge of Sighs can be seen, so-called as it was the former prisoners’ final glimpse of Venice before going to their death – no doubt via the Chamber of Torment with all its torturing devices. This and the Armoury Room were the more brutal elements of the palace, counteracted by its fine collection of jewellery, gold and silver pieces embellished with diamonds, rubies, jade, pearls and emeralds.

We then caught a private water taxi to the Hotel Cipriani on the island of Giudecca. It was splendid to cross the Grand Canal in the highly polished stream-lined boat, which afforded a panoramic view of Venice and its outlying islands, where basilicas were crowned with domes and palaces were decorated with a multitude of ornate pointed arched windows. We were greeted by the hotel concierge who led us through the ornamental gardens, skirting past sculpted hedges and walking under rose entwined arches. Once escorted to the dining room, we were seated at a round table covered in a white linen tablecloth and adorned with silver cutlery set alongside fine porcelain plates and crystal glassware. The menu was neatly inscribed in calligraphy, poetically detailing the creative cuisine on offer. I chose vongole spaghetti, whose fresh clams in their open shells were complemented by a white wine sauce combining piquant peppers, flat parsley and garlic. This was accompanied by a flute of chilled prosecco, an apt choice to honour the occasion.

The afternoon was spent at the Peggy Guggenheim museum, housed in her former home, the neo-classical Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal in Venice. The museum presents a fine collection of art by great masters of the 20^th century, including Pollock, Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Mondrian, Modigliani, Magritte, Miro and Kandinsky. There is also a sculpture garden featuring a naked rider on horseback by the Italian sculptor Marino Marini. Sculpted in bronze, the bold simplicity of this statue conveys strength and sexual potency.

 

 

 

We later toured the prestigious Fenice Theatre, aptly named as it has been rebuilt twice after two fires, just as the mythological phoenix rose from the ashes in a continuous cycle of life and death. Throughout the year the theatre hosts operas and classical music concerts. It is a grandiose setting with its golden tiers of seating topped by a decorative ceiling depicting Aurora (the Roman goddess of dawn), the Three Graces, and the personifications of music and dance. In the centre of this celestial scene hangs an elaborate Murano glass chandelier. 

 

It was time to return to Santa Lucia Station to meet my Italian friends, Chiara and daughter Maria Vittoria. They were also familiar with Venice yet keen to explore it again, particularly during the Art Biennale, pertinent to architecture student Maria Vittoria. The three of us were going to stay in the district of Castello in the apartment of Venetian friends. The area was a lot more authentic than the central areas of San Marco and San Paolo. Each street in Castello was decorated with lines of colourful washing hanging above our heads. Furthermore, we were just a bridge away from where the Biennale exhibits were displayed in the Arsenale – formerly a complex of shipyards and armouries. Held every year since 1895, Venice’s Art Biennale is an international cultural exhibition that features contemporary art, dance, architecture, cinema and theatre. ‘Biennale’ refers to the fact that the main exhibition alternates between art and architecture. We witnessed an eclectic mélange of artwork, from geometric cubes precariously stacked on top of one another to old tennis shoes re-purposed as plant pots. There were additional exhibits to be found in unexpected places, notably a large pair of hands emerging from the canal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That evening we met up with Christian and Coco at a lagoon-side bar. We sipped camparis and apérol spritz whilst watching the maritime traffic criss-crossing like dancers in a Viennese waltz. We later strolled arm in arm through narrow streets that led to a grand palazzo where we dined in its elegant surroundings, admiring its wooden ceilings intricately carved, papered walls embossed with gold, and scalloped furnishings clad in heavy silk. It was a perfect setting for a farewell dinner, as Christian and Coco were leaving the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following night Chiara, Maria Vittoria and I explored the Venetian canals during a nocturnal boat ride. There was an icy chill in the air as we skirted past dungeons of historic buildings, glided under arched bridges and created shadows in the yellow light cast from windows, behind which piano keys resounded to a chorus of vibrating strings. We buttoned up our coats and rubbed our hands together in an attempt to stay warm … but numbed extremities were a small price to pay for this lasting impression of Venice at nightfall.