Re-visiting Magical Venice

Entering this city just takes my breath away. There is just nothing like a city with the “sea for it‘s floor, the sky for it’s roof and the flow of water for it’s walls” (not sure where I heard this, but pretty sure it’s a quote). We were met with an amazing transfer…a lovely guide to welcome us and a porter right outside of our train car who unloaded all of our luggage (which was appreciated given that Gary’s neck is giving out on him from all of the lifting!). And a water taxi transfer to the steps of our hotel, with someone to greet us with an offer of cappuccino! Venice is a welcoming and friendly city.

Approaching the Venezia Palazzo Barocci, our stay while in Venice.
The entrance to our hotel, right on the Grand Canal.

We were called back to Venice with the thought of looking for some special glass from the island of Murano to work into our new home. Alas, we did not find anything (other than a lovely wine carafe that Gary is now lugging around, with ample bubble wrap, in his backpack) but we sure had fun trying!

What do you think of this chandelier for our new foyer?!

I love walking the streets of Venice and taking in the views. Here’s just a sampling of the sights during our visit.

A little boat action from the Ponte dell’Accademia
A small gondola station.
Walking the small canals.
Riding a ferry to the islands.
Mandatory aperitifs on St. Mark’s Square. This is where it all began for us in Italy only 5 short years ago!
Some beautiful shots of the sun going down in St. Mark’s Square…
…lighting up Saint Mark’s Basilica.

Romantic Dining

Venice is definitely the place for some lovely food experiences and we took advantage of that!

Nothing like canal-side dining to bring the romance of the city.
ANOTHER perfect pasta!
And delightful freshly caught fish.
Accompanied by roasted potatoes and zucchini on the side. The perfect meal!
I went back TWICE to the same spot for some chocolate gelato after dinner. The BEST!

We took the opportunity on this short trip to visit two places we were not able to make it to on our last visit. Below are some highlights.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Venetian home of this wealthy heiress and avid art collector now houses a really lovely collection of primarily modern art. Not usually my favorite, I would have to say that there were many pieces that I thought were lovely. And the home is…well…phenomenal. Highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in Venice with some time on your hands. Here’s a few of my favorites.

If you follow this blog, you know how I feel about pottery! Aren’t these spectacular?!
Another lovely collection framed by the beautiful windows and ironwork of the home.
I’d hang either this, or the next piece, in my future home. Love the colors.
The view from her terrace. No wonder she is quoted as saying “It is always assumed that Venice is the ideal place for a honeymoon. This is a grave error. To live in Venice or even to visit it means that you fall in love with the city itself. There is nothing left over in your heart for anyone else.”
OBSESSED with these terrazzo floors! They were stunning.

Gallerie dell’Accademia

This gallery contains many masterpieces of Venetian painting up through the 18th century, as well as special exhibits, and is set in a beautiful historic building. The scale of both the spaces and some of these works of art is compelling.

Did they cut the painting or build the wall around it?

Ok, I became a little obsessed by the portrayals of baby Jesus. Why do they ALL look so weird?! Could no one paint a cute baby face?

Man or baby?

We then took in the special exhibit by an artist by the name of Amish Kapoor. Disturbing. But we’re trying to expand our horizons!

This one is called “The Unremembered”.
What the hell happened here?!
Gary’s face reveals how he is feeling about this exhibit.

jilliansking

2 responses to “Re-visiting Magical Venice”

  1. Tom Neary Avatar
    Tom Neary

    Thanks for the videos! I think the chandelier might capture all the attention in your new home. You might need a security guard for it. I loved the art and the food shots. Yes, the baby Jesus would frighten new parents and its likely they’d do anything the baby said.

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  2. Vanessa Avatar
    Vanessa

    Hahah Gary’s face! That second to last exhibit is a bit scary. Very Halloween themed.

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