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This is the blog of Steve Burkett of Italy, Our Italy

Transforming a Venetian Glassblower's Door

We recently visited one of the Venetian glassblowing businesses located on the lagoon’s island of Murano.

I’ll tell you more about that visit to Fornace Estevan Rossetto in a future article.

“How did I do this, you ask? It’s simple…magic”

In the meantime, there was a door to the furnace room that I found to be of interest. At first sight, I wasn’t sure whether I could transform what I was about to capture with my camera into anything of substance artistically. But, as usual, I decided to go ahead and capture the image, to be worked on later upon returning home.

So, just below, you can see the journey from snapshot in the Venetian lagoon, to my artistic interpretation created in the comfort of my home.

Here is a snapshot of the door at issue.

As you can see, in the present state of the photo, there is a lot of distraction…and I noticed this at the time when I took the photo. But, I saw something in the muted colors and textures that I liked. That drove me to go ahead and take a photo of this dismal scene.

Notice the tub on the right. Notice the chain. Notice the gas lines and other piping. Notice the light fixture. I felt that I could deal with these things…see if I was right.

My first task is the removal of items mentioned above. So that’s what I did, but with the exception of the gas piping, which I felt was an essential part of a glass furnace operation. Right below is the photo version without these distractions. How did I do this, you ask? It’s simple…magic. This includes potions, incantations, eye of newt, eye of the needle, warts, boils (I have no idea where I’m going with this!), the occult…and of course, just a small dose of Photoshop.

Now that it’s cleaned up a bit, it is time to work on the color and contrast and such. Here we are now…

We’re really close now. But, I’m not satisfied with the still-dull colors and lighting. So, here is my final version.

So, was I right? Was there a hidden gem lurking there somewhere? You be the judge.

That’s it for today’s transformation. I’ll be working on some other things for you over the next few weeks, so stay tuned! And please, stay safe!

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Shrines of Venice

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Venice is a sanctuary for religious shrines. They are in the open, in closed spaces, large, small, stone, wood, enamel, metal, and what-have-you. Today, I present to you several shrines that I’ve come across in Venice.

I have grouped the shrines below into five categories:

Mary as the star;
Mary with a baby Jesus;
Mary with Jesus as a man;
A grown Jesus by himself; and,
Shrines with what appear to be saints of some note — some identified and some not.

Several of the shrines have an added adoring, worshiping crowd around the central figure.

“If only our own society prized such monumental reminders”

I am captivated by the effort that went into many of these works of adoration. Some are grandiose works sponsored by a patron or the Church, and they are large and ornate. Others are more obviously created by lay individuals, and these are more meaningful to me personally.

Many of the shrines are accompanied by flowers — mostly artificial. I’m not too much into artificial flowers, and I don’t see as much adoration in the one-time placement of artificial flowers as I do where fresh flowers have been periodically left by the faithful. In one shrine, flowers are part of the art work itself, painted on the substrate, along with Mary and a baby Jesus.

One shrine has a memorial (placed on a field of blue) that celebrates a family member for whom they are ‘Riconoscenti’, or Grateful, and which recognizes that he was in the war dated 1940-1945. I assume that Armando died in the war.

The oldest dated shrine has the date of 1702.

One of my favorite shrines is dedicated to Saint Antonio. This shrine is appreciated by me not only because the town of San Antonio is my birthplace, but because of the convenient slot for alms, which is labeled ‘Pani per I Poveri’ or “Bread for the Poor” (several other shrines have a less obvious slot, or place for a former slot, for donations). Saint Antonio (or Saint Anthony) is known for his devotion to the poor and the sick, and he was one of the most quickly canonized saints in church history. More importantly for those of us who can’t ever seem to find the car keys, he is the patron saint of lost things…and I’m not sure whether that means that he has found and has these things, or that he can help us find them.

For each shrine, I provide two photos — first will be the ‘snapshot’ as captured in my camera (often from quite a distance), and second will the the snapshot transformed into what I hope you would consider to be more of a work of art. So, this article has both historic content and photo transformation…a duet, of sorts.

Mary as the Star

Mary with a Baby Jesus

In a couple of these shrines, the baby Jesus is a bit obscure, in that He is shown as a medallion at Mary’s breast.

Mary with a Grown Jesus

Mary is a bit more obvious, but grown Jesus is there in the background.

Jesus as a Man

Only one in this category. A well-placed light which illuminates Jesus has been removed in the transformed version.

Shrines with What Appear to be Saints of Some Note

Here are three bonus shrines — not found in Venice, but along the Amalfi Coast and in Tuscany.

I find these shrines to be a gentle reminder: a reminder of my faith; a reminder to stop and reflect when I see them; a reminder to treat others as I want to be treated; and to love and pray for one another - especially our enemies. If only our own society prized such monumental reminders.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Visiting the Beautiful Island

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It’s called Isola Bella, or Beautiful Island. It sits in Lago Maggiore, just off the shore from the town of Stresa. Is the name a misnomer? No, it isn’t.

The island had only a small fishing village until 1632, when Carlo III, of the house of Borromeo, contracted to have a palazzo built in honor of his wife, Isabella. The Borromeos were of Milano fame and had cardinals and such within the family. Poor Carolo III didn’t get to see the completion of the palazzo, because an episode of the plague shut down construction for a good while.

“...what was it like to live on the lake, with views like this one from every window of the palazzo?”

When all was said and done, a beautiful palazzo sat at the northern end of the island. On the southern 10 acres, an Italian-style garden was completed in 1671.

But, enough of boring history…right? I know. Let’s take a tour of both the palazzo and the gardens. But first, we need to get there.

Getting There

Once again, as when we visited Isola dei Pescatori for lunch at Ristorante Verbano, we boarded a boat to take us the quarter-mile or so to the island.

Sister- and brother-in-law Leslie and Craig make instant friends on the short journey from the boat docks at Stresa.

As we approach Isola Bella, we are treated to a view of the back-side of the verdant gardens. The upper story of the round building houses the gift shop, which we visited, of course.

The Palazzo

As we near the dock, we get a full view of the beautiful palazzo that the Borromeos built on this small island.

An iconic Lago Maggiore boat is moored at the palazzo.

Here are a few views of the interior of the palazzo, including two chandeliers from the Venetian island of Murano. Remember, you can click on any image to get a larger view.

Here, wife Ellen contemplates what was it like to live on the lake, with views like this one from every window of the palazzo?

The main room…I don’t know what else to call it…is beautifully finished with…with…this and that.

From this great room, we get a view of Ristorante Verbano, the site of yesterday’s lunch.

As we headed through the other rooms of the palazzo, we passed through the library, loaded with many very rare books. One wonders whether any of these books would be of interest to us in our current times…assuming we could read the language in which they were published.

We found art works adorning the walls, like these two mosaic bird pieces, each about 10” in diameter…

…and this table, which is also a mosaic, as you can tell from the detailed closeup photo.

I have no idea what this is about and I really don’t want to talk about it!

Really, don’t ask.

In the lower levels there is a crypt-like room with some historical artifacts within. It looked to me like a mad baker went absolutely berserk with his pastry bag.

There was this stoned beauty though, sleeping it off as we passed by.

OK, I’m not much of one for tapestries…I’ve seen them in many palaces and museums. But these? I found them fascinating. The detail was exquisite.

So, here is the whimsical scene on one of the tapestries. Can’t say much for the subject matter, but the detail?

And, here is more detail of the thread work. These tapestries were not created on a modern machine loom — the work was all done by hand many, many years ago.

Check out this lion-like-thingie with the chagrined look. The hours and hours that were invested in these artworks is amazing.

The Gardens

Ellen has this thing for hydrangeas, and there were many to admire here.

Here are a few garden variety views.

Below are our new friends from the Ghisalba class of 1958. Ghisalba is about 30 miles east of Milano.

As I look at the photo and apply a bit of logic, I have concluded that this is not a celebration of a high school class. If these folks were graduating from high school in 1958, they would be close to 80 when this photo was taken, and they look no where close to 80. Must have been elementary school…right? At any rate, they were a friendly group, and they gladly sat for this class portrait. A 5x7 and 12 wallet-sized, please.

This group inspired us to have our own group portrait made.

From the top of the gardens, Craig is able to point out our hotel in the lakeside town of Stresa.

Well, that’s about it for our visit to Isola Bella, and yes, it is a beautiful, and well manicured, island.

What we need to do now is find our way back to the boat dock…we are hungry, and we know that there is great food awaiting in Stresa.

That’s it for our visit to Isola Bella and Palazzo Boromeo. It was a pleasant way to spend the morning.

I’m thinking of getting my maritime captain’s license, so that when you’re boating your way to Isola Bella, I’ll turn from the captain’s chair and say…

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Transforming an Abandoned Watergate

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A short transformation today. Very little verbiage.

Today’s transformation subject is what used to be a Venetian watergate. Wategates were explained recently on the article here.

There is something afoot with this watergate, though. It has been partially sealed up with stone to leave just a window. But, that won’t stop me in my efforts to transform it from snapshot to fine-art print.

Here is that initial snapshot.

I’m embarrassed to even share this snapshot with you! It is absolutely horrible…horrible timing in catching the rear end of that gondola…horrible window to the left with women’s fashion…horrible window with signage to the right, though the wording is sort of inspirational and encouraging as I begin to transform the photo. But, that segment of gondola does give me an idea though…more on that later.

About that Moncler signage. I did an internet search, and I find it is a fashion company. And, ohhhh what fashion it is ladies. I mean, who isn’t into puffy winter coats these days? You will probably want to grab one of these whilst they are still available. Click on the thumbnails if you have the stomach for it…

So, my first task is to remove that piece of gondola. And, as I didn’t like that window to the right - even though if was oh, so encouraging — I will make it vanish. Cropping will take care of the shiny window to the left. There is a bit of electrical conduit to remove, too.

Wallah…done. And straightening? Yes, I took care of that, too.

It’s a good bit washed out so I need to add some of that old Venetian patina.

Seeing that passing gondola gives me an idea. I think I’ll put a gondola into the photo, but not the one that was there originally. I’ve got a lot of gondola photos, so I’ll just row one of those into the photo. The prow instead of the rear, I think.

Ouch, the water? There is a bit of a wake from the oar of that original passing gondola. So, I’m going to smooth out that disturbance in this tranquil universe.

That’s it. I’m thinking though that some reflection would make the water a bit more realistic, so I’ve taken care of that, too. And, of course the gondola should have a reflection…and a bit of shadow under it…so there it is!

If there is a lesson to be learned here, and if you are a photographer with digital resources yourself, just shoot away and work on those photos in post. It is often catch-as-catch-can as you are passing by something that you feel might become of interest in the future.

AN OFFER: if you have a photo that you like, except for some distractions that need to be removed, colors adjusted, etc., send one to me in an email and I’ll work on it a bit to see if we can give it more life.

That’s it for today. I’m going to row on off to another canal, as there might be something to catch my eye just around the bend.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Eat Here: Ristorante Verbano

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Ahhh…Lago Maggiore. And, how about sitting on a pleasant veranda enjoying a scrumptious lunch on the Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s Island). So pleasant. That’s exactly what we experienced on our visit to Stresa on the shore of Lago Maggiore.

In my last article, I shared our experiences in the town of Stresa, which sits on the western shores of Lago Maggiore. Clicking on the map thumbnail to the right will familiarize you with the location of Lago Maggiore in comparison to the other lakes making up the Italian Lake District.

Today, we will relax a bit as we dine at Ristorante Verbano. That’s the restaurant in the photo, below. It is part of the Albergo Vergano. ‘Albergo’ is another way to say ‘hotel’ in Italian.

The dining terrace sits just behind the wall with “Albergo Ristorante” painted on it

We had hoped to stay here at this exquisite hotel on the island, but alas, we waited a bit too long to book a room. See my suggestion at the end of this article for a view of this charming albergo.

Getting There

As Ristorante Verbano sits on an island, we must arrive by boat.

Here comes our ride to Isola dei Pescatori.

This boat dock is situated just in front of our hotel, as explained in last week’s article.

Watch your head Ellen as you descend to the passenger area.

That’s a boat much like ours racing beside us.

See the two white car ferries in the background? We will be riding on one of those in a couple of days as we make our way east through the Lake District to Lago di Garda.

We are getting closer to lunch time as we approach our island dock.

Of course, there is more than just dining on the island.

Eating There

As the menu suggests, we are at Ristorante Verbano, the ‘restaurant on the island’.

But, first things first. It is time for our customary wine toast!

Hmmm…so many choices for just one meal. As we are on an island in a lake, seafood seems appropriate. On the left are the fish dishes, and on the right, the meat dishes. Today’s menu is presented in four languages.

I’ve made my lunch selection. And that is none-other than I, your scribe, enjoying my wine.

As I turn to look at the lake, this is what I see. A beautiful day on a beautiful lake of clear water.

Our food has arrived! And here it is.

Ellen’s selection is whitefish with lemon and capers. The fish is just-caught-that-morning fresh and comes right from the Lago Maggiore.

Notice how the fish has been shaped into a cylinder to form a base for the zucchini…a nice presentation.

Here are our other selections, including risotto and a tasty cheese course.

As we leave Ristorante Verbano, we can see our destination for tomorrow…but that’s another story.

Here are just a few photos from our walk back to our boat that will take us back to Stresa.

Our assurance of a safe boat ride back to Stresa!

A Suggestion for Right Now

I have a suggestion that I think you will appreciate. Take a quick look at the short introductory video on the home page of Albergo Ristorante Verbano’s web site. It presents you with a most pleasant way to start your day…and it will most assuredly give you cause to head to Isola di Pesciatore.

Just click right here and enjoy: Albergo Ristorante Verbano

That was an excellent meal. The location, the nice sunny day, the ambiance, the service, the food, the drink…all worked together to provide us with a memorable experience. An experience that I hope you can enjoy someday for yourself.

Ciao for now,

Steve