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Your Romantic Gondola Ride

If you visit Venice, you just must take a ride in a gondola.

Below, I will give you the why, when, where, how and who of putting together your romantic gondola ride. I will intersperse photos of our own romantic gondola rides throughout.

WHY

To visit Venice without taking a ride in a gondola is like not visiting Venice at all. A gondola ride in Venice is the quintessential experience, as the gondola is THE Venetian icon.

What

The gondola is a traditional flat-bottomed boat that is rowed by a gondolier. The rowing oar is not actually attached to the gondola, but is rested on the forcula like the one at right. The gondolier uses some elaborate sequence of strokes to propel the gondola. You can watch a gondolier for hours and not get a good feel for how they move and turn their gondola. It is one of those mysteries of Venetian life.

Every gondola is different, and each is a work of art. The embellishments are unique to the gondolier.

WHEN

My opinion: it makes a difference as to what time of day you take your gondola ride. Take your ride during the day, and it is a gondola ride. Take your ride in the evening, and it is a romantic gondola ride.

We have chosen our gondola ride times based on sunset times. Since a typical ride is about 50 minutes, plan the start of your time so that sunset occurs near the midpoint of your ride.

Another factor concerning the time of day is the amount of boat traffic and the crowds. It seems that the population of Venice during the day is close to twice that of the night. Many of the visitors to Venice are there just for the day...they stay on the mainland and arrive by tour bus. Boat traffic on the Grand Canal is more prolific due to these visitors, as well as needs to supply the town with goods. This means that after five o'clock, things get much, much quieter in Venice. Now Venice is yours to enjoy. Now, it is time for that gondola ride.

WHERE

There are numerous starting points for gondola rides within Venice, but here is our favorite: there is a gondola station at Campo Moise, near the entrance to the Hotel Bauer, just west of Piazza San Marco.

We’ve just settled into our ride with in-laws Leslie and Craig.

The benefit of this starting location is that you get to wander some very picturesque narrow canals before entering the Grand Canal.

And your entrance point to the Grand Canal soon brings you to the famous Rialto Bridge, under which you will pass.

Then your gondolier will take you through a maze of narrow canals to the essential Bridge of Sighs.

Since passing under the Bridge of Sighs is essential, be sure to confirm with your gondolier before your departure that you route will take you there.

Passing under this bridge is essential because it is a known fact that if you kiss your loved one as you pass under the Bridge of Sighs, you will be sure to return to Venice.

It looks as though Debbie and Scott really, really want to come back to Venice!

And Ellen is looking beautiful this fine evening as we enter onto the Grand Canal!

You will pop out onto the Grand Canal, where you will cruise past the Molo and then to the end your ride, right back where you started.

A side note: if you stay at the Hotel Flora (see my article on the Hotel Flora here), you will be just a few steps away from this gondola station.

HOW

Gondola rides in the evening are very popular. I would suggest that you drop by the gondola station during the day to make a reservation and to establish a starting time. The price? Does it really matter?

Do you need a singing gondolier? There aren’t many, if any at all. Usually, if you want singing with your ride, you arrange that in advance and a singer (and usually an accordionist) will ride along with you.

But hey, why not just sing yourself!

WHO

I would suggest taking your romantic gondola ride with the one you love. That’s what I do!

When you take your own romantic gondola ride, I would love to be your gondolier.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Index of Italy, Our Italy Blog Articles

I was asked recently to create an index of my past articles for Italy, Our Italy. So that's what I did!

In this index, you will find all 54 articles that I've published over the past year. That's right -- 54! I no idea that I had that much to say about Italy, but as I can't stop talking about it (according to friends), I guess I might as well be writing about it, too

The index is arranged into two columns.

The first column shows all articles arranged by date, with the most recent at the top of the list.
In the second column, you will find articles arranged by subject categories, with the most recent at the top of the list within category...and many of the articles can be found in more than one Subject category.

Some of the articles are obviously more favorite for me than others. It might be the subject, it might be the photos, or it might just be that I fell in love with my own words as I felt I was waxing poetic. Whatever, I have put the dates of my personal favorites in bold and italic.

All you have to do is click on the title for the article and you will be whisked away to the corresponding article -- as if by magic.

If you are new to my Italy, Our Italy blog articles, I hope that you will take a few moments to peruse the list to see if something strikes your fancy, and that you will then read on. If you are not new to by site, I hope that you will look through the list and revisit your own favorite articles. And, I love to get comments, so feel free to use the 'Comments' box to leave me (and the others who read my articles each week), your comments.

So, with no further adieu...[drum roll]...I give you 'The index'.....

Actually, I did come up with another adieu. I will update the index each week and I will have a link at the top of each article that will take you to the index. OK, now, having actually run out of adieus, here it is for you to click on...

>> Index for Italy, Our Italy Blog Articles <<

Ciao for now,

Steve

The Results are in -- Part 10

Just released and on your newsstand today!

If you visit your local Barnes & Noble, you will find the pictured Black & White magazine dubbed 'Special Issue 2016 Contest Winners'. If you turn to page 102, you will find the two-page spread of my photos. This contest is for 'portfolios' of like-subject photos. Five photos were selected to receive this Merit Award.

As often occurs, the photos selected were not ones that were taken in Italy. Might I need to go back to Italy to gather fresh material? I think so.

The selected portfolio of photos were taken in New Orleans. They are a part of a gallery that I title 'The Gritty City' on my non-Italy website at Steve Burkett Photography.

Here are the photos that were selected for recognition.

This first photo is oh, so typical of abandoned buildings in the French Quarter as one gets a bit off of Bourbon Street. I think the redeeming feature is the heart.

Here is one of the many mail boxes you find in the Quarter. And yes, this one is still operational.

And here are a couple more that I didn't submit...

You wouldn't believe the layout of pipes and wires in this city! My subtitle for this one is 'Searching for Code Violations'. Don't you just love the electrical connection wrapped in plastic? I'm thinking that a couple of wraps of duct tape might bring it up to code. Are there no building codes there?

Want to see more? Well here it is...

I took a number of 'slurred' photos whilst roaming New Orleans. By 'slurred' I mean that I held the shutter open for a second or two to...well, to slur the photo. This photo is of the neon sign for Gumbo Ya Ya.

You might like this color version...I certainly like it better. It was the vibrant colors that attracted me to the sign in the first place.

The final winner is one of my favorites. Let's say you are going to visit your friends Veronica and Sam. You know for a fact that they live in this building, so go ahead and ring their bell. Maybe it's the more modern ringer on the top row? This is not an abandoned building folks.

At least your chances are 1 of 2 and 1 of 3 for these two entrances.

But you know what? When all is said and done, I love this city. I mean, besides the fact that man was not meant to live ten feet below sea level, it's a fabulous place. The food is fabulous. The houses in the Quarter and Garden District are fabulous. The river, the boats, the history, all make it a fabulous place to visit. Even the cemeteries are a great place to hang out.

The whole atmosphere is a bit out there. Well, maybe a bit more than just a bit...at least he could have shaved his legs.

Next week it we'll be back to Italy, which is a long, long way from The Gritty City!

Ciao for now,

Steve

Go There: The Church of St Zachariah

Here is a church in Venice that houses saints and a plethora of famous art

The Church of Saint Zachariah (or Saint Zechariah, or San Zaccaria) is one of the very old churches of Venice. It dates from the 800s, but that original church has been built anew a couple of times. The present form took about 60 years to complete in 1515.

Here you can see the facade of this large church.

As you enter the church, you are assaulted by a cacophony of artwork.

View of Saint Zachariah from the entrance door

The church is named after Saint Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. Zachariah can be seen within the church, resting high on one of its art-adorned walls. In the photo at left, his body rests in the top crypt, held aloft by angels.

The body of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria can be seen in the lower crypt.

Here is a more detailed photo showing the crypt of St Athanasius. I tried to climb up to get a better photo of Zachariah, but alas, the church officials didn't cooperate.

You may remember that Zachariah was approached by the Angel Gabriel and told that he and his wife, Elizabeth, were to have a child, whom they were to name John. When Zachariah suggested that he and Elizabeth were too old, and that he must be mistaken, Gabriel struck him speechless until the blessed event of John's birth came about. When John was older, he became known as John the Baptizer, and it was he that baptized Christ, Himself.

A side altar with the bodies of St Zachariah and St Athanasius

The artworks within the church are many and profound. Those who created the art are a who's who of artists of the time and include: Vecchio, Tintoretto, Porta, Vassilacchi, van Dyck, Celesti, Zanchi, Balestra, Trevisani, and Tiepolo.

But the most famous of all the paintings was created by Giovanni Bellini.

While in his mid 70s and still very much the artist of his time, Belinni painted the church's most famous artwork, Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints, which you can see here.

Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints...and a Musician — *Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints*...and a Musician

This painting was executed in 1505. One source suggests that this is "Bellini's first work in which the influence of Giorgione is undeniable, starting the last phase in the artist's career, a tonalist one." If you understand that, use the comment box to enlighten the rest of us, please.

OK, I'm going to give you an insight into my artistic ignorance. I know I am supposed to really, reallty like the Bellini, above (which I do think is swell), but my favorite is the altar and dome at the front of the church. I am not really sure who executed these two works (maybe Tiepolo for the ceiling, as that was his specialty), but I found them to be most inspirational. Below is that of which I write.

This closeup shows the beautiful detail in the carvings, decorations, and painting of the altarpiece.

The beautiful altar in the church of Saint Zachariah

There is a bit of scandal associated with the church. Attached to the church was a convent. The nuns of this convent did not go voluntarily to serve Christ, but were thrust there by their parents -- the reason being that if one did not have the funds for a large dowry, then one had a problem when the daughter was of age to marry. The solution was to whisk the daughter away to a convent. The young girls of this convent were not at all happy and did a lot of 'entertaining' inside the convent walls. They had such raucous parties that on one occasion, city officials, trying to intervene to insist on decorum, were driven away with stones by the nuns.

Just a bit of a side note: I notice that in most Venetian churches, actual tapers are used for prayer candles, rather than the votive candles seen in many churches. I have no idea how God feels about that, but I find it pleasing.

I hope that you have enjoyed this glimpse into a fabulously decorated, and ancient church of Venice.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Eat Here: Il Flauto di Pan

In a followup to last week's article on the beautiful Villa Cimbrone, I present their fabulous restaurant, Il Flauto di Pan.

“Wow! I’m very excited about Villa Cimbrone gracing the walls of a new development in San Antonio, Texas. Be sure to read the late-breaking addition to this article at the very bottom. ”

“I have never lied to you, and I won’t start now — so when I say ‘we ate every bite’, trust me on that”

We have a general feeling in our family about the quality of a restaurant versus its height above its surroundings...you know, the meals in space-needle-like settings, tops of very tall buildings, etc...often it is the quality of the view that takes precedence over the quality of the food...not always, but often enough that we steer clear without a recommendation.

Here is a restaurant that sits high above the Amalfi Coast, which has both a quality view and quality food.

The remarkable gardens of the Villa Cimbrone extend to the entrance of Il Flauto di Pan, as you can see here with a wall of petite white flowers.

As you are seated, you will find a lovely welcome at your place setting, as shown in the first photo at the top of this article, complete with embroidery hoop. So striking, don't you think?

As we sat, we were treated to both a view of the Amalfi Coat and bread sticks -- two of our favorite things!

In addition, there were two varieties of butter from which to choose.

Il Flauto di Pan is a Michelin-starred restaurant. Having a star is of great significance, and it is extremely hard to get.

If you have watched 'Chopped' on the Food Network, you know that they judge the food on taste, presentation, and originality.

These, of course, are important to the Michelin folks, too. But beyond the food itself are the aesthetics of the restaurant and the ways in which the diner is pampered. Touches like the orchids on your table are taken into account.

As Italian wine lovers, we seldom have cocktails whilst in Italy...well maybe a Negroni or Campari & soda on occasion -- but the suggestion of a Bloody Mary made with fresh-squeezed tomato juice sounded too good to pass up...so we didn't. And man-o-man was it ever good!

We had course after course, some of which I'll show you here. I won't try to tell you exactly what each dish is, because frankly, I can't remember.

I think you can get the gist of a Michelin-starred restaurant from the photos...lots of garnish, debris, drops and plops on decorative substrates with well-placed and tasty sauces. Not only is it pretty to look at, but it is most excellent in taste!

Of course, right now you are asking, "But what about desserts?" My response would have to be, and is, "Yes, they have admirable desserts -- which we did indeed admire, right before we ate them." I have never lied to you, and I won't start now -- so when I say "we ate every bite", trust me on that. And, as unusual, we also enjoyed a dessert wine.

I have to say that we had a wonderful afternoon and evening at the far reaches of Ravello at Villa Cimbrone -- at the villa, the gardens, and the extraordinary restaurant. As I finish, we toast you and say 'thank you' to all of you who loyally read the articles of Italy, Our Italy.

Villa Cimbrone in San Antonio!

You can now find Villa Cimbrone in San Antonio, Texas...at least photos of the villa.

I'm pleased to announce that 210 Development Group, one of the premier property developers in San Antonio and beyond, has ordered eight of my photos of Villa Cimbrone as the wall art for a model in their recently completed Aviator project. This housing project is on the site of the old Brooks Field of World War II fame, now called Brooks City Base.

Here, you can see photos of the installation. My thanks to Alyson Callison, Director of Design for for 210DG, for putting her confidence in my work, and for creating the beautiful model that surrounds my photos.

I suspect you will recognize these photos from last weeks article, titled A Visit to Villa Cimbrone.

Ciao for now,

Steve

p.s You can see other Amalfi Coast blog articles here: