Silver Springs

"blue green colors flashing"

Venice: Then and Now
It was a rainy, windy and wild night on Friday the 13th, November of 1992, when my oldest daughter was born at a naval hospital in Naples, Italy. We weren't stationed there, but San Vito Air Station only had an outpatient clinic so I had the choice of flying up to Naples one or two weeks prior to my due date or staying in southern Italy and delivering in the local Italian hospital in Brindisi.

Most women stationed at a military base in southern Italy chose to deliver at the naval hospital because of the horror stories we'd heard about the local hospital, i.e., your husband might not be able to be with you during delivery if there were another woman delivering at the same time because there was no privacy; it was possible you may not have an interpreter with you; hospital practices were equivalent to the stateside medical profession during the 70's; you were still shaved; nurses pressed on your fundus to help deliver the baby; there was no option for pain medication; smoking was allowed in the hospital. Considering the fact that this was my first baby and I was far from home, this naïve and scared little lady chose the road not less travelled.

We left Italy when my daughter was a year and a half old, so she doesn't remember anything about it. She's always been interested in it though and has asked about dual citizenship, visiting Italy, and possibly living there again someday. I asked each of my three older children to choose one place they would really want to go if they could go anywhere in Europe before we move back to the States. She picked Italy, so we started checking out the special airfares at Ryanair. At first she wanted to go to Naples, but I managed to convince her that Venice, Rome, or Florence might be a better introduction to Italy.

I didn't want to tell her that Naples has been called the armpit of the Mediterranean. I can still remember the smell of sulfur or rotten eggs when I stayed at the Stork's Nest in Naples waiting past my due date for this little baby to arrive. And when she and I had to stay in the hospital for a week afterwards because of her pneumothorax and jaundice, my husband, my mother, and my grandmother did some shopping in Naples and even found a shirt that said, "I survived driving in Naples" or something to that effect. Italians are the most aggressive drivers I've ever seen! You know how when you want to pass someone on the road, you wait until the oncoming traffic is far enough away? Not so the larger-than-life Italians! Their national anthem could be, "I feel the need for speed."

Anyway, we decided upon Venice. Hubby and I had gone there in 1994 for Carnevale while we were still stationed in Italy. I dug through my pictures of that trip and realized I'd hardly taken any. Inconceivable! I planned not to make the same mistake again. Armed with my new digital camera, a willing-and-able model, and good walking shoes, I was ready for an adventure.

Ryanair doesn't fly directly into Venice, so we flew into Treviso Airport and then took the shuttle bus to Piazzale Roma (Venice's gateway for land transportation). We were both tired because we'd gotten up so early for the flight. It was also extremely hot in Italy, so we were feeling sluggish on the bus ride. I started perking up when I found I could read the Italian signs and saw so many familiar sights. I didn't think I'd remember much, but I almost felt like I was coming home.

From Piazzale Roma it was either on foot or by boat, so we took the vaporetto (the water bus -- similar to the subway) to the station closest to our hotel. I'd read that water taxis were too expensive, and I knew that Venice wasn't that big so I'd planned to do a lot of walking.

We got lost trying to find our hotel. Up and down all those bridges, and I was so glad we didn't bring too much luggage.


When we finally found the hotel, we were too early to check in. So we left our luggage and headed off for an early lunch at one of the places in Campo San Polo that the clerk recommended. We knew that there was a cover charge just to sit down and eat at most of these places, but we thought it'd be worth it.



My daughter had a delicious margherita pizza, and I helped her eat it. Pizza in Italy is so much better than what passes as pizza today. I also ordered bruschetta because it's one of my favorites. Hubby is amazed that I love it, because I don't like tomatoes.

The best bruschetta I've ever had was in Taormina, Sicily. I would so love to go back to Taormina. The scenery there was absolutely beautiful, and I can remember the sharp, hairpin turns on the drive up the hill to get there. I remember the Woody Allen movie "Mighty Aphrodite" had a scene filmed at an outdoor amphitheatre in Taormina. Stupid movie, beautiful scenery.

I even asked the waitress the correct way to pronounce bruschetta, because I was saying it one way and when we got to England I kept hearing it pronounced another way. I found out I was right! Yee-haw!













It's broo-skay-tah (but I can't roll my r's). The Brits like to pronounce it broo-shet-ah. Reminds me of shed-ule instead of sked-ule. And, just in case, I asked her if it's sometimes pronounced the other way but she said nope.

After rejuvenating ourselves, we were ready for our first foray around Venice. We headed towards Piazza San Marco, stopping to check out the shops on the way. We loved the mask shops and even saw a lady painting a Pulcinella at La Bottega di Pantalone. She let me take a picture of her. Many times the shops have signs saying "No Photos."

If you've seen the children's movie The Thief Lord, you may be interested in the history of the mask that the thief lord wears.

The line was too long for St. Mark's Basilica, so we thought we'd try to get there early the next morning. It was incredibly hot, so my daughter had a gelato (ice cream) and then put her feet in the San Marco Bay.













We walked around some more and tried to get an idea of what gifts we'd like to get for friends and family before heading back to our hotel room for a quick, cool shower.



My daughter thought the room was small, but I thought it was pretty big for European standards. It had a balcony, too, no less. I was impressed. I was also glad we'd found a good deal for it online. It was the Locanda Sant'Agostin.





We headed back out for some more pictures, sightseeing, shopping, and dinner. My daughter saw a Chinese restaurant that she wanted to try, so we braved the cover charge and service charge again for dinner. It was actually pretty good, and my daughter found she liked the lemon soda with the pulp.



She also found her favorite gelato flavors were nocciola (hazelnut), Nutella, and cioccolato (chocolate). We frequently made stops for a scoop or two of gelato for her.








We didn't try the coconuts though, and I wish we had. There were several fruit stands that had a fountain-type stand with sliced coconuts and other fruits like watermelon and grapes on display. Water was kept running over the fruit to keep them cool, and it looked so good!



The next morning we had a nice little breakfast at the hotel before heading out into the growing heat of the day. This time we took the vaporetto from St. Mark's Square to San Giorgio Maggiore Island. I'd been hoping to go up in the bell tower for a view of St. Mark's Square, but it was closed for renovations. We did see the pretty little church though, and it was a little more quiet and peaceful than the hustle and bustle of St. Mark's Square. My daughter was once again mesmerized by the steps to the water and kept making me nervous by how far down the steps she went. Sometimes the vaporetto would slam into the dock and send waves crashing, along with people waiting on the little dock! The algae on the steps was very slippery, so I couldn't relax until she was away from the steps. (If you look closely, you can see mussels on the steps, too.)

After we got back to St. Mark's Square, we grabbed some lunch on the way to the Bridge Accademia. They weren't very good calzones, but we weren't interested in sitting down in a trattoria or ristorante. We saw one guy who'd set up a temporary display for selling his wares running away when the carabinieri walked by. It was funny listening to him yell back to them. It must've been something like, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. I'll take care of it right away." And then it was funny watching the carabinieri decide whether or not it was worth it to chase him up across a crowded bridge in the heat of the afternoon. I think not!

I remember something about vendors having to pay a fee for their space to sell, so the people who haven't rented a space have to be ready to pick up and go when they see the carabinieri. They're usually selling purses and bags, but this guy was selling something that had been hand-made, like birds made from sticks or something. I didn't get a chance to look closely.

Another thing we saw was a lot of was begging. We saw the same people over and over again each day. A lot of the women beggars would come up to you asking for money and talking about their babies. Many people turned away, but I did see some people drop coins into their cups. One lady pressed a 20 Euro note into a woman's hands. The woman beggar said thank you, the note disappeared into a pocket, and she went right on begging again.


Anyway, we visited the Accademia Gallery and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. I preferred the latter. My favorite was Mercury Passing Before the Sun. I had to laugh because when I saw Men in the City, the song "Hot Child in the City" popped into my head.













When we went out to see Peggy Guggenheim's grave, I noticed a tree given to her by Yoko Ono. I pointed it out to my daughter, said she was John Lennon's wife, and then she asked who John Lennon was. That was cause for another laugh, and I told her I'd have to let Grandpa know about that one. (He's a big Beatles fan.)


My daughter had a cola slushee which was much better than the mint slushee she'd had the day before. We headed back to the hotel room for a quick, cooling shower and then headed back out again. We'd gotten tickets for a Vivaldi concert that night so we planned to eat dinner and then feed the birds in St. Mark's Square before going to the concert.


I love this picture and call it "Bird lady in training."






We almost ate at one of those places on the Grand Canal by the Rialto Bridge, but when we found out you had to have at least two courses per person we decided to take our business elsewhere. The clerk at the hotel had suggested we stay away from places near the Rialto Bridge, and now we knew why.

My daughter says Vivaldi's Four Seasons concert at Scuola Grande di San Teodoro was her favorite part of our trip to Venice. The musicians were dressed in period costume, and we felt sorry for them because it was so terribly hot. They had fans, but had to turn one off because it was messing up the sheet music on the stand. They played very well, but when this one man came to join the rest we were blown away. It was lovely to listen to them playing, but he was so wonderful to watch, too. The other musicians seemed like they were just going through the motions, but he really seemed to be enjoying the music all over again. His emotion spoke to us, and we felt it. I imagine it's very hard to do that when you have to play the same pieces over and over again. We were very impressed, and I think that night will stay with us for a very long time.

The next morning we finally went to St. Mark's Basilica. I found it amusing that you couldn't wear shorts into the church even if they were long, but it was okay to wear really, really short skirts.

I also found the sensation of walking along the floor very appealing. The floor had some dips and valleys in places, but they weren't short drops. They were more like waves and lulls, and I found it really fit into the life of this city on water.



Then we went up into the bell tower at St. Mark's Square. My daughter didn't really want to go because of her fear of heights, but she decided to try it. I'm so glad she did, because I really enjoyed it.





We tried to find the Vivaldi Museum in the rear of the Pieta Church, but it was closed both times we checked. We also really wanted to try the Secret Itinerary tour at the Doge's Palace, but we didn't book it the first time we went and the second time we went there was nothing available. We wandered around and happened to find the rear of the Bridge of Sighs. Not as crowded as the front! There we found a little place to eat lunch. My daughter had a margherita pizza and I had gnocchi with a tomato sauce. They were like dumplings which I normally don't like, but these were yummy!

We decided to walk to the New Ghetto, which was the first Jewish Ghetto in history. It was late in the afternoon, so a lot of places were closed.





(In Italy many shops close during lunch and then re-open for the evening hours.)

I did find it interesting that there seemed to be a higher number of security guards walking around the area. It was quiet and empty, so it kind of added to the somberness of the memorial we saw in the square.

On our final day in Venice, there was a vaporetto strike. I'd been thinking about heading out to one of the outer islands or lagoons, but I wasn't sure about taking a water taxi out there and not knowing how much time it would take. I was worried that the strike might affect our transportation prospects back to the airport. The hotel desk kept trying to call and find out, but there was no answer.



So we spent our last few hours walking around and shopping for final gifts for friends and family. I was excited to find a Murano glass puzzle that I'd seen in a window a few days before. I'd been looking for it again and couldn't find it until then.







We ate at the Chinese restaurant my daughter liked so much. Funny how we went to an Italian country and ate Chinese food! I guess it's because we'd lived in Japan and found many favorite foods there.





When we finally walked to Piazzale Roma, we found out the shuttle was working and had no trouble catching our flight home. It was wonderful to re-visit this fascinating city. I think I was most amazed by how little things had changed in the 11 years since I'd been there last.

I believe I'd even found a pizzeria that we'd eaten at before.





I can still hear the gondoliers calling after us,


"Gondola!"




"Gondola!"






Unfortunately, that's one treat we didn't get to experience. The one time we thought about it, the gondolier said it was 100 Euros. After we'd said, "Thanks, but no thanks," he offered it for 80 Euros. I almost wish we had. It was a beautiful night, but c'est la vie!



Hopefully my daughter will be able to go back to Italy someday. She's said that she's thinking about living there, and I told her I'd definitely visit ... maybe even twice a year!

Venice Monuments

written in 2005 and modified in 2006

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