Hello Folks,
Well, "See Venice and Die." I've seen Venice now, but I hope that old saying does not mean "See Venice then die immediately."
Scott and I got on the train from Vicenza Saturday morning and traveled to the San Lucia train station in Venice. We crossed the grand canal right there and started walking, What a city. I have heard the saying, "Venice, the streets are full of water!". That's not quite correct, Venice has plenty of streets that are not full of water, however, it has a whole extra set of streets that do have water in them. As we walked along the streets of Venice, keeping track of where we were using the "Streetwise Venice" map, I was quite impressed with how many streets there are in Venice. And lots, and lots of bridges. Absolutely no cars, no motorcycles, and no bicycles, nothing but feet (and boats), there is also a law against running in the streets to which they had to get a special dispensation to hold a marathon there recently.
We zigged around the Santa Croce region of town and wound up re-crossing the grand canal at the Pointe de Rialto bridge from there it was a short walk to the Piazza San Marco. I know why so many tourist congregate there now, after all those little twisty, winding streets they are feeling claustrophobic and just sort of "stick" in the square (the largest open spot in the city).
We then walked along the grand canal and zigged our way to the Accademia bridge which we crossed, into the Dorsoduro region and, on our way toward Casa Artom, which is right beside the Peggy Gugggenheim Museum. We passed a shop that sold ice cream (il gelato) and chocolate bars that were imprinted with a scene that was quite astonishing. If given the opportunity, I do not know whether or not I could eat that candy bar. I think I remember from somewhere that ice cream was invented in Venice.
Once across the Accademia bridge and on the way to Casa Artom we walked along the street F. Venier and stopped at the store Lungharia, which is run by Stefano Grandesso and his father Franco and uncle Armando. Stafano and his girlfriend, Francescia became good friends of Ginny and her boyfriend Randy last spring.
Stafano was right there, and as we walked into the store he was wrapping up an order and then was on his way out to deliver it. I said, "Stafano?", he stopped looked around at me as if to say, "I do not know this person." I said, "I am Zach Cox, Ginny's father." Well, what look I got then. He said, "Just a moment, I'll be right back.". When he returned we had a good talk, he and his girlfriend had just returned from a vacation in Paris. He was very busy so I said, "I am going to Casa Artom, I'll be back soon."
Just down the street the way turns left and the little canal goes straight. To the left down the street is the entrance to the Guggenheim and just next to that the entrance to Casa Artom. At that corner was a fellow who was painting water colors. The one he was working on was of the scene looking back up the street toward Stafano's store. I looked at it and thought, "I wonder what he would charge for such a picture?" Well, the fellow noticed that I was looking at his work and away he went. He talked up a storm, all about his method of doing watercolors, all about how he used to be and engineer and had a degree in mathematics and was now painting for a living, and did not I want to purchase this painting? He spoke very good if heavily accented English, I said yes, how much? only 35,000L (twenty bucks). So I bought it and once I could get a word in edgewise, I said that my daughter was a student at Wake Forest and had spent the spring at Casa Artom. He said that he knew all the students at Casa Artom, I said did he know Ginny, he knew Ginny, of course. Here I was a block from Casa Artom and already I have met two people who remember Ginny.
I remember when I picked up Ginny at the end of her Freshman year at Wake Forest. We walked across campus for some reason and I think we would only average about 10 yards between someone yelling out "Hi Ginny!" At that time I said, "Is there anyone on this campus that you do not know?" She said, sure there were plenty of folks she did not know. I then asked, "Well when you are a senior will you know everyone?" She said, oh sure. Well Ginny's a senior now and I don't for a minute doubt that she will make her prediction. After learning that I was Ginny's father the artist immediately went through his paintings and produced another one as "A gift, for Ginny." He also wrote his address on the back of the piece of card board he put into the envelope with the paintings with instructions to please write him a letter when I returned to the United States. (Mauro Costantini S. Polo 3078/D Venezie, Italy 301251).
Once we left the artist and proceeded to the end where the street turns right again to parallel the grand canal behind Casa Artom, I wondered if we could get in to look around. I walked on down and Scott noticed two young people going in. He said, "Are you all students at Wake Forest?" They said that they were and I identified my self as the father of a student who was there last spring and asked if I could come in and look around. The young woman, Mary Lee, said sure come on in. The young man was named Ralph and, yes, he knows Ginny. Mary Lee, the student assistant, attended Casa Artom three years ago and now works for Wake Forest at their various European locations, and since she had apparently missed Ginny altogether she did not know her. Casa Artom is a grand place. I can not imagine a better way to spend a semester while in college. As we left we took a picture of Mary Lee at the entrance to the alleyway that goes between Casa Artom and the Guggenheim.
After leaving Casa Artom, with detailed instructions from Mary Lee on how to find various good places to eat we proceeded back past Mr. Costantini who was busily engaging a couple with a discussion of how his water colors worked. When we got back to the Lungharia, Stefano was as busy as ever but when a small break came in the customers he asked if we would like some ham. I said sure, not knowing how much I should purchase. Well, what he was saying was, that we should come to the back of the shop and have some with him. He also opened a bottle of sparkling white wine and some bread sticks. What a fellow, we ate the ham and drank the wine in between Stafano having to dash back out to the store and service customers. We finally said arrivederchi and made our way toward the Fondamenta Zattere. We had lunch, pasta, at the Zattere water-buss stop.
While eating Scott and I discussed where we wanted to go next. Since this was Scott's third visit to Venice and my first he allowed that I was to pick where to go. I said that I had instructions to buy some Venetian glass so we were off to Murano. This is an island in the lagoon near Venice that the glass makers were told they must move to after setting fire to Venice too many times. It is not nearly as crowded as Venice and immediately after getting off the number 52 Motoscafo (narrow sleek water-bus) at the Colonna stop we were escorted right into a glass factory where we saw a fellow take a piece of molten glass and fashion a beautiful horse. I saw many of those horses as we visited the shops and I suppose that that was the fellow who made them all. I found the piece I was instructed to find and we proceeded on.
Ginny also gave me a book called "Italy, an Eyewitness Travel Guide." and it is a grand book. While looking at the part about Venice my eye kept being drawn to the pages on Torcello. We found that we needed to catch the Motonavi (large three deck water-bus) from the Faro stop and off we went. The ride took about one half hour and I think Scott and I both took a short nap. Nothing like hiking a few miles, having a nice plate of ham and a bottle of wine followed by a big plate of pasta then sitting down with the salt air blowing in your face to put you to sleep. This is especially true since we had spent the previous week putting in 12-15 hour days at the bank, (mostly sitting on by butt in front of a compute).
Once at Torcello we found our way to a public toilet and, sure enough, you are given the privilege of going in a hole for the price of 500L. (I must point out the hole was flushable and quite sanitary). Also at Torcello is, the seat of the 5th century king of the Huns, Attila's Throne. A marble seat that fit Scott like it was made for him. We immediately produced a theory that only direct descendants of Attila were inexplicitly drawn to sit in that seat. Scott went right to it and sat down. Well not immediately, there was a man then a woman who sat in it before Scott did, I believe if he had a sword they would have moved out of that seat much quicker. I was not drawn to sit down there.
We took a Motonavi back to Venice via Burano, Treporti, Punta Sabbioni, San Nicolo Santa Maria, then San Zaccari. This route passes the entrance to the Adriatic Sea. As I looked out toward the breakwater I thought about the countries of the Balkans, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosina and Herzegovina and compared them in my mind to everything I have seen in Italy and Spain and what I know about the rest of Europe. What a shame that modern civilization had cut off so much of itself over the last 50 years. The challenge to Europe (and the US) is to allow the counties of Eastern Europe to become a part of what has happened in Western Europe in the past 50 years.
It was getting late and I was disappointed that we did not get the chance to actually go see the church, San Zaccari. (Hmm.. Let's see, Scott is probably directly descended from Attila the Hun and I from Saint Zach). We then took the #1 Vaporetto (the real water-bus) back up the Grand Canal from the San Zaccari stop to the Ferrovia (train station) stop. I took the last two shots on the roll of film of the front of Casa Artom as we passed by.
The number one vaporetto ride is a true bus trip. The fellow driving would rev-up when leaving a stop then throw it into reverse and rev-up to back down to the next stop. Folks got on and off just like any bus you would ever ride on in New York City. We passed many gondolas, at one place a few had gathered together and an Italian fellow was standing up in one of them singing away, I could not hear much over the diesel engine of the vaporetto. Most of the gondolas seemed to be full of Japanese tourists. Given the price of a gondola ride, and the yen/lira exchange rate I think it was a perfect fit. We also saw many "water-taxis" and lots and lots of skinny outboard motor boats, as well as numerous powered barges. In the lagoon on the way back from Torcello we saw many sail boats. Just before arriving at San Zaccari we saw a 110 foot private yatch from Britain tied up (they probably had their own gondola). I think the fellow with the Evenrud consession in Venice is doing quite well.
We were 20 minutes early for our train so we grabbed a quick sandwich. In places like train stations you go to a separate counter and first pay, then go to the food counter an get the food. Also in Italy you must stamp your ticket before you get on the train (or water buss). I will say this, however, they are pretty lax about checking for tickets on trains and we were never asked for our tickets on the water busses. I got a grand picture of the front of Casa Artom as our bus made it's way back to the station. When we arrived back in Vicenza there were no taxis at the station. Another thing about Italy, you do not wave down a taxi but you call it on the phone, we did and made it back to our hotel by 11:00pm.
Zach
zachcox@pobox.com
email me at home, or at hotmail, or at work. (Return To My Home Page)