This is all that matters now And that was all that happened anyhow You can look back but don't stare Maybe I can love you out of there
And when I went away what I forgot to say Was all I had to say: Eight letters, three words, one meaning
And outside forces didn't make it easy So I thought I'd go before you leave me Self-preservation was no explanation for anything
(Gary Barlow)
When you walk in the winter fog, there seems to be no division between water and embankment, life and death, love and hate. You feel that you can walk through walls, through sky, through time.
My Venice is the Venice of winter, the Venice of Cannaregio, the Venice of fog. Walking down the Fte Nove in la nebbia, wearing rubber boots against the high water, it is hard to tell where terra firma leaves off and sky and water begin. The city seems to hang in the air like a mirage. Sounds bounce off the waters and deceive you with their closeness or farness. Figures appear and disappear around corners. The past beckons. It is quite possible to believe that it can take you and never give you back.
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Frittelle...Fritoe, or fritters, are the most famous dolci or sweets of Venice during the Carnival Season.
Frittelle begin showing up in pastry shops, Cafes and bakeries, mid Januaryand during the weeks leading up to il Carnevale di Venezia. When Carnival is over, frittelle disappear from the store windows almost as quickly as tourists in masks.
Frittelle come in a variety of styles, both filled and unfilled, the available choices usually include:
Frittelle veneziane. No filling, but with raisins and pine nuts mixed into the fairly heavy dough. After frying, the frittelle are rolled in granulated sugar.
Frittelle con crema chantilly. Filled with a light vanilla-flavored pastry cream and rolled in granulated sugar.
Frittelle con cioccolata. Filled with a mild chocolate-flavored pastry cream and rolled in granulated sugar.
Frittelle con zabaione. Filled with a Marsala-flavored pastry cream and rolled in granulated sugar.
The most famous and renowned places were to get the Frittelle and my vote
The worst Frittelle (IMHO Majer (San Giacomo dell'Orio) : just one word Terrible!!!
This year prices are around 1.10 and 1.30 Euro each but I have seen also a few outrageous 1.80
During your Photo Tour of Venice your professional photographic guide will point out details invisible to the untrained eye and reveal the best vantage-points on your chosen route. Learn to tell a story through images, take great shots of iconic monuments and capture atmospheric images off the beaten track.
So bring your walking shoes and be prepared to discover the mysteries of the city. Bring your camera and learn how to have more fun with your camera.
• Discover parts of Venice less traveled by tourists. • Hear interesting tales and stories • Take better photos • Turn your photos into exciting stories. • Have fun !
Let a Creative Italian Photographer walk you through the city of Venice in an unforgettable Photo Walk capturing real candid moments of your stay in beautiful pictures. Enjoy a relaxed vacation and bring home remarkable pictures of your visit.
Touring Venice can be a very exciting experience, but it can also be quite an adventure if you are unsure of which places to visit and how. Language barrier may also represent a curious obstacle but it can also be frustrating. We offer innovative and unforgettable Photographic Toursto welcome you in the most fascinating and romanitc place in the world. Experience Venice through the eyes of a native Italian Professional Photographer. He will guide you in an exclusive tour through the most interesting Venice landmarks and monuments.
All city excursions are exclusively custom-made to fit your needs. You can explore the sites whichever way you like and at your own pace.
Walking around Venice together with a professional photographer is an enlighten experience. He will show you all the tricks of the game but it is also a fun and new way to visit a city like Venice. You will be able to visit, see, experience and tour places, situations, people that would be otherwise difficult to come across. The Photo Tours will take you through off-the-beaten tracks to the most important monuments and landmarks. You will avoid the tourist pedestrian highways and will take more secluded, intimate and truly Italian passageways. Let it be romantic, creative, fun and friendly, the astounding imagery will do the rest. We will show you the right places to eat, where true Italian dwell and the hidden beauties of the wonderful city.
Paradise and Hell panels by Hieronymus Bosch on display in the Tribuna room at Palazzo Grimani on January 10, 2011 in Venice, Italy. The exhibition will stay open until 20th March 2011
Hieronymus Bosch born Jeroen Anthoniszoon van Aken c. 1450 – August 9, 1516 was an Early Netherlandish painter. His work is known for its use of fantastic imagery to illustrate moral and religious concepts and narratives
Regata della Befana with Arzana'
La Befana vien di notteCon le scarpe tutte rotteCol cappello alla romanaViva, Viva La Befana!
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In cases where every thing is understood, and measured, and reduced to rule, love is out of the question.William Godwin
William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was a British journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and the first modern proponent of anarchism.
If gondolas are the most famous boat in Venice, they are not the only one. All kind of crafts go tirelessly all over town. A large part of them are made out of modern materials, but many old and classical wooden hulls are still in use.
Everything is open Nothing is set in stone
.....
You're driftwood floating underwater Breaking into pieces, pieces, pieces Just driftwood, hollow and of no use Waterfalls will find you, bind you, grind you
.....
So I'm sorry that you've turned to driftwood But you've been drifting for a long, long time
Father Christmas wearing boots to cope with seasonal high water walks along Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice.
The Christmas of most of the old Italian writers as well as Dickens and even Hollywood movies is all about family, friendship, compassion and goodwill for all , it is about the “Christmas Spirit” that stands for core religious values. On the other side The Christmas that you see every day is about demanding or try to sell expensive gifts, selfishness, eat as much as you can, getting drunk.
I hope you belong to the first category but whatever you choose a Merry Christmas to all my Catholic friends!
A usage of one of my images in Vanity Fair Italy
Acqua Alta or the high tide in Venice is a way of life and people live with it....but few things still surprise me!
Here a grocer from St Erasmo sells his vegetables in Murano during the high tide.
Elena a glass artist in Murano blows glass next to a glass furnace on December 18, 2010 in Venice, Italy. There are only few female glass artists is Italy and they face continuous challenges in a traditionally male dominated field.
There are not many people (and things!) that I admire and that I could watch for hours while they work, without losing concentration after few seconds. I have seen them all...and often better. Elena is an exception, seeing her at work with glass is unreal....
On the Venice Lagoon between the white snow, the dark green of the water and heavy sky
Some of the images have been used by MSNBC photoblog
While searching for traces of the Templars, I found today in Venice the following inscription at La Maddalena church "Amor Vincit Omnia"
The Historic Regatta is the most exciting rowing race on the Gran Canal for the locals and one of the most spectacular.
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