When we walked by Chiesa San Vidal yesterday afternoon and saw that Interpreti Veneziana would again play their thrilling Four Seasons concert later that evening, I knew that Chris would just love it. And he did. I enjoyed it as much as when Marcia and I saw it last week. "Thrilling" really is the only word for it.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Le Forcole
In Italian a forcola is an oar lock, most specifically for a gondola or other long, narrow vessel that navigates the tiny canals of Venice. We are lucky enough to have Venice's master forcola sculptor, Saverio Pastor, on our very street. We have been admiring the forcole in his workshop and window displays as well as his young apprentice! We shall stop in and meet him this week. I've put up a link to his website - it's both beautiful and fascinating.
Three girls walk into a bar...
So we get to Harry's Bar and who should be sitting directly ahead of us at the very back table but Steven Tyler and a bunch of hangers-on (oh, I mean friends). He's holding court but the crowd at Harry's knows better than to stare. Moments after we've ordered our Bellinis, three adorable young women (see them in the photo at left) practically squeal with glee when they are seated directly to the left of the rock star and his entourage. How WILL they contain themselves, we wonder??!!
The Tyler train leaves the station shortly thereafter and we learn the three fans are from Miami, on their first visit to Venice, a respite after four tough and back-breaking years of high school. They are still glowing, saying all the things you'd expect teenagers to say after seeing a superstar in an other-than-concert-context, one immediately called her mother on her cell phone and exclaimed, "Mom, you are not going to BELIEVE what just happened..." Word soon spread. Two more young women - this pair looked to be in their 20s - sat down at the bar only to be told by one of the white-jacketed waiters that not only had they just missed seeing Steven Tyler but he (the waiter) taunted them with an autographed Harry's postcard. Then a table of four "mothers" came in and the tale was recounted to them by the two at the bar. Meanwhile, back at the Miami table, the girls - who had ordered that "famous drink from Harry's we've been hearing about from everyone everywhere" - are re-telling/re-living other celebrity sightings of their young lives. Ah, the days of innocence. So...the price of a Bellini at Harry's Bar? 15 Euros. The price of a Bellini glass from Harry's Bar? 25 Euros. Seeing three adorable young American women have a Venetian experience they'll tell their grandchildren about? priceless.
The Tyler train leaves the station shortly thereafter and we learn the three fans are from Miami, on their first visit to Venice, a respite after four tough and back-breaking years of high school. They are still glowing, saying all the things you'd expect teenagers to say after seeing a superstar in an other-than-concert-context, one immediately called her mother on her cell phone and exclaimed, "Mom, you are not going to BELIEVE what just happened..." Word soon spread. Two more young women - this pair looked to be in their 20s - sat down at the bar only to be told by one of the white-jacketed waiters that not only had they just missed seeing Steven Tyler but he (the waiter) taunted them with an autographed Harry's postcard. Then a table of four "mothers" came in and the tale was recounted to them by the two at the bar. Meanwhile, back at the Miami table, the girls - who had ordered that "famous drink from Harry's we've been hearing about from everyone everywhere" - are re-telling/re-living other celebrity sightings of their young lives. Ah, the days of innocence. So...the price of a Bellini at Harry's Bar? 15 Euros. The price of a Bellini glass from Harry's Bar? 25 Euros. Seeing three adorable young American women have a Venetian experience they'll tell their grandchildren about? priceless.
Art of the day
There are nation pavilions all over this city with "official" Biennale exhibits;there are also "collateral" exhibits and events. Yesterday, we took in two of the latter.
Robert de Niro, Sr. was as good an artist as his famous son is an actor. I had seen a bit of his work over the years in NYC, including menu covers he created for Tribeca Grill. There is a wonderful exhibit of right now in the Casa d'Aste in San Marco. A delicious assortment of bright, colorful paintings, pastels and charcoal drawings show his range and considerable talent. I've placed an example with the rest of the photos at the bottom of the posts.
We were so looking forward to Artempo,Where Time Becomes Art, an exhibit of ancient and modern treasures at the grand and gorgeous Palazzo Fortuny, also in San Marco. Most of the work is very interesting and quite thought-provoking and the idea of mixing ancient and modern in each individual installation is at least somewhat original. But the place is so dark you can hardly find your way let alone enjoy viewing works of art, the "art cops" are out in force here, and the air is thick with snobbery. Still, there are a couple of clean, well-lighted spaces along the way where the Marcel Duchamps, for example, can be enjoyed and a spectacular sculpture by Anish Kapoor which made it almost worth the price of admission.
Robert de Niro, Sr. was as good an artist as his famous son is an actor. I had seen a bit of his work over the years in NYC, including menu covers he created for Tribeca Grill. There is a wonderful exhibit of right now in the Casa d'Aste in San Marco. A delicious assortment of bright, colorful paintings, pastels and charcoal drawings show his range and considerable talent. I've placed an example with the rest of the photos at the bottom of the posts.
We were so looking forward to Artempo,Where Time Becomes Art, an exhibit of ancient and modern treasures at the grand and gorgeous Palazzo Fortuny, also in San Marco. Most of the work is very interesting and quite thought-provoking and the idea of mixing ancient and modern in each individual installation is at least somewhat original. But the place is so dark you can hardly find your way let alone enjoy viewing works of art, the "art cops" are out in force here, and the air is thick with snobbery. Still, there are a couple of clean, well-lighted spaces along the way where the Marcel Duchamps, for example, can be enjoyed and a spectacular sculpture by Anish Kapoor which made it almost worth the price of admission.
Like a kid in a candy store x 2
Those of you who know me well know I believe "you gotta have a wine guy, a bread guy, etc.," and I quickly found all of these in this lovely neighborhood including my favorite, Sergio, the cheese and meat guy. What has eluded me, if you can believe, is a pasta guy. After dinner Friday night, Chris spotted a market across the street from the restaurant with lots of pasta on display. When we returned Saturday morning, we found we had actually hit the mother lode. Rizzo Pane does indeed sell dozens of varieties of pasta - including Cipriani's signature brand! - and risottos. They also stock everything else you could possibly want/need for your palazzetto fridge, including GREAT FRESH BREAD - yippee!!! It's like a miniature Balducci's and it's my new favorite neighborhood place, except, of course, for Sergio's cheese and meat place. Home-cooked breakfasts and dinners in our little garden are downright delightful...
Chris is the "paper guy." So later in the afternoon, it was his turn when we found Il Papiro - three rooms filled with gorgeous papers, notebooks, notecards, calendars, bookmarks, diaries, and on and on.
Happy campers, both.
Chris is the "paper guy." So later in the afternoon, it was his turn when we found Il Papiro - three rooms filled with gorgeous papers, notebooks, notecards, calendars, bookmarks, diaries, and on and on.
Happy campers, both.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
