Capo

...is falling mainly on us. <BR><BR>We met a couple from Ontario at dinner last night who have been here for a week and they told us it's been raining almost non-stop. Fortunately, we've only had rain for two days and today, Saturday, was sunny and gorgeous (although we had another downpour this evening.) <BR><BR>Venice is every bit as captivating as I remember it from my first and only brief visit here in 1987. In fact, so far, aside from the rain, I'm enjoying this visit far more because of where we're staying -- the Dorsoduro sestiere -- and the place we're staying in -- the funky, but charming, Antica Locanda Montin. We had a room filled with all kinds of artwork that overlooks the picturesque Rio Eremite and the locanda has quite a nice breakfast. <BR><BR>On Friday we visited the Accademia (I could appreciate the talent but didn't care for the nearly-ubiquitious religious imagery so I had mixed feelings about it), found a wonderful place for lunch near the Accademia run by three delightfully gruff sisters -- Al Cugnai -- and had a great time last night at what's become our neighborhood hangout, on a corner of the very cool Campo Santa Margherita, the Duchamp pub. The pub was playing some great music -- everything from Ray Charles to Dusty Springfield -- and we'd noticed three women singing along to the songs. My girlfriend gave them a thumbs-up and before long, they had come over to where we were sitting to introduce themselves: a guy of Indian descent from Leeds, his female cousin, a female friend of theirs from Madrid, and another female friend of theirs from Istanbul (the three women knew each other from school in London.) We had a great time talking to all of them; I especially enjoyed talking to the woman from Istanbul about Turkish politics and religion. We were eventually joined by four Italian guys and ended up closing the place down at 2:00 after a lot of laughter. <BR><BR>This morning, when it was gloriously sunny, we sat in the Campo Santa Margherita, ate blood oranges from one of the produce vendors, and watched little children zooming around on their bicycles, a wonderful change of pace from the crush of tourists in Piazza San Marco. From there, we walked to the train station where we caught the #1 vaporetto for a beautiful ride down the Grand Canal to the Rialto bridge, where we had a canalside lunch and had fun talking to a charming older British couple. <BR><BR>Four more days left before we leave for Rome and I'm sure glad we extended our stay in Venice to seven days from our original four. The place I am really looking forward to seeing is Burano and wonder if the colors will meet my expectations. <BR><BR>(By the way, if anyone knows of a camera repair shop in Venice, I'd appreciate it, as -- curses! -- part of my film advance lever broke today. I jury-rigged it so it still works, but I'd love to get it fixed correctly.)<BR><BR>Ciao!

SBP

Capo, lovely report!<BR><BR>tell us more!<BR><BR>C you later...<BR><BR>SBP

ja

Capo,<BR> Very nice trip report - almost too nice, as I'm now feeling very sorry for myself because I don't get to travel again until October! Enjoy! Can't wait for the next installment.<BR>ja

JOdy

sorry about the rain..hope it clears before you get to Rome! Love the report so far and looking for more! <BR>Don't forget the the "quarttro capi" ..you could do a picture and label it "cinque capi" ! Any sign of Stac??

Betsy

Capo, thanks for checking in with your great trip report. My husband and I ate at Ai Gugnai also--delightfully gruff sisters is minimizing them, I think. These women rule! <BR><BR>Can sympathize with your broken camera because mine has broken during each of my last two trips to Europe. Once the film advance didn't, just like yours, and on another trip, the camera just jumped out of my hands in Gubbio and crashed to the sidewalk. Repair shops professed not to know how to repair them both times, so on one trip I bought a cheap replacement and it worked pretty well. Had a hand crank to advance the film.<BR><BR>Could you somehow flag your message titles, so those of us who are interested in following your travels won't miss an episode? Maybe you could put your name in the header. I just stumbled on this one.<BR><BR>Buona viaggio<BR>

nancy

So glad you guys are enjoying yourselves, regardless of the rain.<BR>Please make it all go away before the end of May!<BR>I don't think i could be as "tolerant" of it as you guys are.<BR>I always look forward to HOT and SUNNY!<BR>the p[lace you found to stay sounds interesting.<BR><BR>Of course you will have a blast in Rome!<BR>Look forward to more reporting!!

marla

Thanks you ..this has been a great help

scarlett

Hey~So good to hear from you and So glad that you are enjoying Venice! <BR>I bet it is still so beautiful even in rain.You make me long to go there, I am sure it is on our agenda for next trip ... Italy is calling to us<BR>Take care and keep these reports coming! Scarlett

Diane

Some of the nicest pictures we have from Venice were in the rain...what a totally picturesque place! Have a fabulous rest of the trip!

Annette

Hi, Capo!<BR><BR>So you guys like the Dorsoduro section? My only experience of Venice is from reading and movies, but that IS where Kate Hepburn stayed in Summertime and I've READ it is charming, so good to get your first hand report about the district and the hotel. <BR><BR>Happy to hear you are enjoying music there and sharing laughter and talk with others! <BR><BR><BR>

Capo

We're back at TheNetGate internet place (a bit north of Campo San Pantalon) again. They have "happy hour", twice the time for the same price from 6-9 pm, on Saturday & Sunday. <BR><BR>Had a wonderful dinner last night at a trattoria that the couple from Ontario recommended. Called Trattoria San Basilio, it's a very small place on the Zattere near the San Basilio vaporetto stop run by a very friendly English-speaking guy named Stefano (sp?) who was playing jazz on his CD player. Unfortunately, they were out of tuna, but we had delicious broiled sole and a mixed seafood plate, and an equally delicious bottle of their house red wine. <BR><BR>Then, after dinner, we headed back to our local hangout, the Margaret Duchamp pub. We've gotten to know a bartender, Danielle, and the owner, Luciano, and spent quite a bit of time talking with Luciano last night. I assumed the name Duchamp was taken from Marcel Duchamp but I was puzzled by the Margaret so I asked him about it. As it turns out, it's a double play on words, inspired by both the Campo Santa Margherita, and Rene Magritte. And, since we told Luciano how much we've been enjoying the music he's been playing, and since we've become "regulars", he promised to burn a CD of his favorite music for us before we leave...very nice! If you venture over to Campo Santa Margherita and feel like a drink, I'd highly recommend Luciano's pub. <BR><BR>I also had a funny small world experience there last night. We met about five guys from the landscape architecture program at the U. of Minnesota who are studying in Venice for six weeks, and one of them, a professor, was familiar with the thesis by the guy I knew from Minnesota (who was also a landscape architecture student) who had originally been my inspiration to move to the West Coast. How funny. <BR><BR>The prof also showed me where a hardware store is so, hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to find the necessary stuff to fix my film advance lever (sorry to hear about your camera disasters, Betsy.) <BR><BR>Today we went to Burano, and I had mixed feelings. One one hand, some of the brightly painted houses were amazing, and the overall effect -- especially along one of the canals -- was very cool. On the other hand, I'd expected more very brightly painted houses; instead, I thought most of the houses were painted in more muted tones. My favorite composition was a vivid yellow boat in front of side-by-side bright purple and blue houses and I also took another shot of a lone local woman dressed entirely in black, standing near a row of brightly colored houses. <BR><BR>On the way back to the vaporetto, we had a bite to eat on the main street and ended up talking to a very gregarious artist from Chicago who visits Venice about twice a year. He commended us for staying in the Dorsoduro sestiere and was very surprised to hear that we were familiar with the Campo Santa Margherita, which he said was one of his favorite places in Venice. He said "You must have done your homework", and I said "Si." <BR><BR>The other thing we did was visit the Miracoli church which was, unfortunately, closed, but, on the outside, it's every bit as gorgeous as the photos. The small campo that's to the west of it is also very charming.<BR><BR>I love this city. <BR><BR>

kavey

Capo<BR>So pleased to hear your wonderful accounts of Venice... making me wish to be back there and we only got home a couple weeks ago...<BR>If you are able to, try a restaurant called La Rivista, in the Dorsoduro area, in basement of Ca Pisani hotel.... it was one of our favourites and a little different to the standard restaurants aroundabout...<BR>Kavey

c

Capo,that wasn't a "local woman all dressed in black"---that was me!!<BR>lol, <BR>this is so interesting and enjoyable,I am taking copious notes for our trip ~ Have fun!<BR>Candice

Carla

Wonderful to hear from you, Capo! We're following your story with delight -- it sounds like you're both having a wonderful time! <BR><BR>Hope we'll get to see some pictures at the next NW GTG.

loveVenice

A Chicagoan complimented you on staying in Campo Santa Margherita??? Oh please, Capo, give us real Venice lovers a break!

Steve James

Hi Capo,<BR><BR>Hope you're having a wonderful time, - despite the weather! Have you had a Bellini or 3 yet? What did you think of Burano? I love it there - it seems like a toy-town, and so much colour ...<BR><BR>I hope your plans are unaffected by the strike tomorrow. Good planning you're not in Rome!! Enjoy the rest of your trip!<BR><BR>Steve<BR><BR>

Capo

Today is the general strike we heard about. The only real effect on us, so far anyway, is that the vaporettos aren't running until 5:00 pm. I'm sure glad that today wasn't the day we planned to take the train to Rome. <BR><BR>Steve, we LOVED Burano (and I took a ton of photos) but, like I noted above, I expected even *more* color than was there. There weren't nearly as many vividly-colored houses as I expected but the ones that were there were gorgeous. Yes, a toy-town is an apt description. Haven't had any Bellinis yet but we drank a couple of Titians. <BR><BR>loveVenice, we're staying in Dorsoduro, but not IN Campo Santa Margherita. Instead, we're on the Rio Eremite about 3-4 blocks south of the campo, but we've really been enjoying the campo. Pray tell, where does a "real" Venice lover like you stay?<BR><BR>Yesterday, we finally saw the Basilica of San Marco and were fortunate to be there when they turned the lights on inside, brilliantly illuminating the golden mosaics on the ceiling. I was fascinated by the undulations of the floor (and, of course, the amazing mosaics) and we loved the views from the loggia. Also went to the top of the campanile for some breathtaking views. <BR><BR>After that, we took the vaporetto down to the Sant Elena stop, walking through Sant Elena and the eastern district of Castello. We stopped into a tiny little osteria, the Osteria Al Ponte, for some red wine and seafood snacks, just before yet another cloudburst. The propierteress of this osteria was so sweet, smiling as she brought us our wine, and probably wondering what we were doing way down there. When we left the osteria we walked along the Via Garibaldi, supposedly the largest street in Venice (and, from what I've seen, I'd agree), and all the way back to San Marco, Rialto, and then south to our hotel. It was a lot of walking for the day and we were exhausted. In the evening we didn't want a lot to eat so we found a cool-looking cafe a bit north of the Campo San Pantalon called the Cafe Noir and had more red wine and a couple of delicious paninis served by a waitress who was stunningly gorgeous. Then back to our neighborhood pub for a nightcap. <BR><BR>Still no luck with getting my camera fixed though, after repeated requests, I now will never forget the Italian word for screw, "vite." Funny thing, every hardware store I've tried tells me they don't have a screw that small, and every eyeglass store I've tried tells me they don't have a screw that large. And camera stores just tell me they don't do any repairs. In the meantime, my tape seems to be working OK, so I'll just stick with that until I can hopefully find my "la dolce vite" in Rome. <BR><BR>It's going to be hard to leave Venice -- even after seven days -- but we're also looking forward to Rome, Tuscany, Cinqueterre, and Nice. <BR><BR>Ciao!

Steve James

Buon divertimento!!

Capo

Yesterday was the "Great Guiseppe Gondola Gouge Day." Ironic too, since I'd read in my Rough Guide that one should only hire a gondola from one of the official stands, with the guide noting that individual gondoliers who park themselves at bridges can rip you off. I noted that but wondered how they could rip you off if you agreed on a price beforehand. Well, we found out. They -- or at least our gondolier -- cheats on the time. <BR><BR>We came across a gondolier who seemed nice, asked him how much and he said 100 euros for 45 minutes. We told him we'd be willing to pay 80, told him specifically that we wanted to go in the area north of Rialto, pointing it out on our map, and he agreed to both. But then he didn't go in the area he'd agreed to, and only gave us 30 minutes. I was ready to argue with him but then figured it was his word against ours and things could get ugly. So, if I ever did this next time -- especially from one of these lone gondoliers -- I'd at least have him write the time and sign it, so I could have something to point to. <BR><BR>I guess the reason this was so disheartening, more than anything, was that, after we agreed on a price, I wanted to trust this guy, to not feel like we had to have something written down. But it's obvious you can't trust these guys, at least the guys who aren't at the official stands. Anyway, I can't say we weren't warned by our Rough Guide and I learned a good lesson. And we actually got a bit of a laugh out of it because this sleazy gondolier, Guiseppe, looked like a skinny Fabio, with long blond hair. <BR><BR>Of course, this also wasn't a complete rip-off, since we did get a 30 minute ride through some very picturesque rios and the part of the Grand Canal under the Rialto Bridge. And since the vaporettos weren't running -- due to the one-day general strike -- it was quite peaceful on the Grand Canal. The ride itself was very nice, very soothing, and quite romantic. I just wish we'd thought to bring a bottle of wine, so we could have drank it...and then bonked Guiseppe on the head with the empty bottle afterwards. <BR><BR>

Capo

More...<BR><BR>Earlier in the day we just walked around the San Polo sestiere, enjoying getting lost, and saw one of the most impressive sculptures I've ever seen, in the Frari (which was a very impressive basilica itself.) The sculpture, which is the tomb of one of the Pesaro family members (I think), has four large black men -- Moors, according to my Rough Guide, but weren't Moors Arabs? -- in ripped clothing supporting a large beam. And the looks on the faces of these men are riveting, especially the one of the right who is glaring down at you. Very, very powerful; as I said, one of the most impressive sculptures I've ever seen.<BR><BR>We wanted to have dinner at our locanda on our final evening in Venice, tonight, but they're closed so we ate there last night and had our best meal of the trip so far. My girlfriend had steak in a olive & artichoke sauce and I had a salmon steak which was cooked to perfection. Absolutely delicious. We sat across from two older couples from Boston who were also staying at the locanda and who were enjoying it as much as we are.<BR><BR>This morning at breakfast (Marcella makes dynamite cappucinos) we met a great couple from San Francisco who just got married in Tuscany a few weeks ago and are ending their honeymoon in Venice. They found out about the locanda from the wonderful little "City Secrets" book (a book in which one of the contributors also extols the virtues of the Campo Santa Margherita) and are also enjoying it tremendously. They have one of the two rooms with balconies overlooking the Rio Eremite (ours is in between these two, with no balcony but two windows) and, next time, I think I'd opt for one of these two rooms. Coincidentally, this couple mentioned a great place for pizza near our locanda and it turned out to be the same place we've been stopping at almost every day for a slice or two. <BR><BR>Two other comments about our locanda. It has a gorgeous giardino in back used for dining which, unfortunately is not in use quite yet and the man we met from Chicago in Burano a few days ago told us that an older movie called The Unknown Venetian was partially filmed at the locanda. <BR><BR>This morning, our final morning in Venice, I got up early and walked around while the city was waking. Saw the cool old wooden squero (where they build gondolas) on the Rio di San Trovaso, had a cappucino at Gelateria Nico, and took some great photos of geraniums and the curve of the Accademia bridge framing some pastel-colored buildings in the background. <BR><BR>I'm beginning to think I could visit Venice for a week each year and never get tired of it. As with Paris and Rome, I have fallen in deeply and madly in love with yet another beautiful European city.