Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

My Italian adventure continues

@brittarnhild

Leaving Santa Maria is always sad, but hopefully I will be back again next year for another retreat.
Deo Volente.

On the picture you see the new church bell, given to Santa Maria by friends in Norway (the group to which I belong)

We left after breakfast, to go in different directions. Thoms drove me, and two of the others, to the train station in a nearby town. While waiting for the train to Firenze, I spotted these cute little chics, swallows I presume, up under the roof.

In Firenze I found another train which took me directly up to Venezia. And from the train station Santa Lucia a boat out to Murano and the small, family owned hotel where we always stay.

There I hardly had time to leave my suitcase before going out again.
To breath my beloved city.

A dinner, a water taxi and then goodbye Venezia

@brittarnhild

Last night Mauro and Barbara invited us for dinner.

Mauro is a great chef, and it is always a highlight to be invited to share some of his meals. And it looks like he loves having me watching him cook, and I love watching of course.

This time the primi piatti was risotto with fresh asparagus.
Delicious

Today we've spent hours on the train. First from Venezia to Roma, then on a local train further south, ending up with our good friends in Terracina. We did have some challenges along the way though. There is a national transport strike in Italy today, which meant that there would be no boat/vaporetta from Murano to the train station. We had to book a water taxi, which is extremely expensive. 

I have had a secret dream for years tough, to travel the canals by water taxi, and today this dream came true :-)

Unfortunately the taxi took us too Santa Lucia station way too fast.......but then there was time for a cappuccino and some travel journal writing.

 

A Rose Garden like a Vivaldi concerto

@brittarnhild

The Venezia Biennale was our goal today. We decided to walk from Fondamente Nuove and bought some lunch along the way to eat in a park not far from the Biennale area. I have been to this park many times, but coming there today I realised I've never before been there exactly at this time of the year. The time of the roses.

The park, Giardini Marinaresia, is not far from the church and Ospedale della Pieta, where Vivaldi worked (and composed so much of his music). May be that's why walking around felt like walking inside Vivaldi´s Summer, from Four Season.

         

          

Vivaldi worked in the Ospedale for 30 years, and composed most of his major works while working there.The orphaned girls in the ospedale received a musical education, and the most talented among them stayed and became members of the Ospedale's renowned orchestra and choir.

The Four Seasons, Le Quattro Stagioni, was not composed while Vivaldi were at the Ospedale, but over the centuries it must have been played in the church hundreds of times, and some of the music finding its way out the church doors and over the rose park.

Can you imagine a better fertiliser?
I might start to play Vivaldi to my own roses to get a better growth.

Cappuccino, traghetto and secret gardens

@brittarnhild

In the beginning, when we started to visit Venezia, almost 20 years ago, we used to stay in an apartment in Cannaregio, a long way from  the tourist crowds. Ponte dei Tre Archi was not far from where we stayed, and I don't know how many pictures I have taken of this bridge and the surrounding houses.

Walking towards the next bridge, Ponte delle Guglie, you pass a tine little, though charmingly busy, fish market. Here you find a small café, and just as often as I have sketched the bridge, I've had cappuccino here. So we did again today. Two cappuccino, two small pastries , drinking the coffee slowly, slowly, enjoying the everyday life going on just in from of our eyes. Like watching a Fellini film on the spot.

To reach our next goal we needed to cross the canal, and the most charming way to do this is by a traghetto, a kind of big gondola, which take you from one side of the canal to the other for 2 euros. 

A traghetto is a kind of miniature ferry, rowed by two oarsmen. The boat takes up to ten passengers, and you can stand in the boat or just sit down if you find a placer to sit. The ride takes just a few minutes, but is well worth the money.

Reaching the other side of the canal, it took us just a few minutes to walk to our goal, Mauro´s studio. Good luck for us, new found Mauro there and had a long chat with him. He suggested a place where we could have lunch and then the told us about two great gardens in Venezia.

To say no to the possibility to visit a garden is no option of course, so we went to both of them.......something I will write about in my Norwegian blog.

 

The beach and the sea all by ourselves, almost

@brittarnhild

Nine years ago Terje and I visited the small island of Pellestrina, and have wanted to come back ever since. And today, finally, it happened.

To come to Pellestrina you go by vaporetta/boat to Lido, there you change to bus 11 which takes you to the island. You do have to take a very short ferry ride also, but you are still on the bus when you do.

The island is tiny and slim like a pencil, with the fishing boats and the village on one side, a lovely beach on the other.
Just like last time we strolled through the village and along the harbour, where a long line of fishing boats where resting peacefully. I guess they had all been out from the wee hours of the morning. After a while we came up to the restaurant where we had lunch last time. Most of the tables were empty. One of the waiters greeted us: "Do you have a reservation?" We looked at each other, no, we did not, but we could not see many people around the tables. "Sorry, we are full!" was the waiter´s reply.

Luckily we had passed another restaurant on our walk, where a woman was sitting outside, smiling very friendly to me. We walked back, the woman was still there and smiled even broader. We went in, and never regretted it.

A started to share, with polenta and baccala (trout).
And the my Venetian favourite, spaghetti vongole. Spiced with a little crocheting, haha (I bring my crocheting along every day, make at least one square of the granny square blanket and post pictures on my creative instagram account, @brittarnhildskreativedagbok 

After a long and delicious lunch it was time to relax, and of course the very best thing to do then was to walk the few meters over to the other side of the island, where we had miles and miles of beautiful, sandy beach all to ourselves.

 

Eating green

@brittarnhild

I have been eating green today.
First a white pizza with asparagus for lunch, then for dinner, when we sat outdoors on the fondamente along one of Murano´s canals tonight, I had tagliolini gratinati con scampi e asparagus.

It is asparagus time in Italy just now. Many villages have their own asparagus festivals and on the local restaurant menus you are almost sure to find one or more dishes with asparagus. 

The Italians are following the seasons in their kitchen. Eat what you find in nature just, now seems to be their motto. I love that, and I try, the best I can, to make it the motto of my kitchen as well. We all want to save the planet, don't we, and very often the steps we can and have to take are simple. Go out, find out what is growing around you just now, check if it is edible. Eat it!

It could be simple. Unfortunately it is not. It is so easy to go to the supermarket and buy what is at hand, what is on sale, forgetting to check where it comes from and what costs Mother Earth has to pay.

Let us make it simple, shall we?

 

The garden lots on Murano

@brittarnhild

We arrived just in time for pizza for lunch, leaving Trondheim airport at 6am, flying first to Copenhagen, then continuing to Venezia ans Murano.

After the lunch and a little rest at the hotel, we went out walking. And walking, and walking.
We know this island in the Venetian lagoon quite well now after many visits, and as always our best feet forward took us beyond the tourist areas.

I already knew about the garden lots on the island, but never have I seen them so lush and beautiful as today.

Back in our own garden we put the peas (possum) into the soil yesterday, the potatoes a week ago and the cherry tree has just started to bloom . Here you could already dig up the potatoes, eat the peas and the blackbirds feasted on some remaining cherries.

Somewhere along our walks we met this lovely donna. She had been out in her garden and showed us the rosemary she had picked. If I knew Italian I would have asked her what was on her menu today.......

 

Making plans for a month in Italy

@brittarnhild

For many years I've had a dream to spend spring in Venice/Italy as soon as I retired.
I did retire three years ago, just when the pandemic hit us, so my dream was obviously out of the question.

Now, three years later, it is possible to travel, but a whole spring away from home is not possible for me just now. Instead I am doing a second best, going to Italy for a month (almost), starting and ending the month in Venice, or Venezia as I prefer to say.

We are leaving in three weeks, and Terje will go with me the first two weeks.

To make myself ready for the month I have been treasure hunting in my bookshelves today, in the area where I keep my Venezia-books. I wish I could reread them all, which is impossible of course, but slow reading bits and pieces will be a perfect way of getting me in the mood.

I have gone back though my blog posts and realise that there are several Italian trips I've never blogged about. I will really make sure to take you along this time.

Are you ready to follow along?

 

RE-COVERED BOOKS

@brittarnhild

During one of my many walks in Venezia I passed by Scuola Grande di San Teodoro, its door open and a huge poster as you can see in the above picture. Re-covered books.......what is that? Curiosity got me and I walked in.......and was sold, transferred directly into another universe, the universe of re-covered books :-)

Title: Entering the Path of Enlightenment

A posted near there entrance wrote:

Artist statement:
With technology, a new way of life has emerged at an astonishing speed. While many remarkably improvements are taking place, I feel we are plowing full speed ahead without considering what is at risk of being lost. I use books to symbolise the change occurring in the world today.
To many people, books are sacred and evoke warm, nostalgic feeling. They are a reminder of times past. The devoted and contemplative act of reading is losing its meaning in today's fast paced world, along with other human endeavours that require thoughts and care. Are we evolved enough to handle our own creations?
In most cases, my ideas are driven by the books´titles. They inspire me to comment on many social issues, using humor to engage the viewer. For me, the most challenging and rewarding part of the process is creating imagery that transforms the title into a new meaning - other than the one intended by the book´s author. Regarding technique, I prefer using vintage books because their linen covers mimic fine canvas and provide an ideal surface to paint. Creating art with repurposed materials attempts to realise the untapped potential in the world and offers up the idea of looking at things in a different way.
Mary Jean Canziani

Title: My Self and I

Title: Everyday Ethics

I walked slowly along the wall of the church. Stopping for a long time in front of every book.

Title: Where There is Vision

Smiling. Nodding my head. Looking closer.

Title: Here to stay
(my favourite)

Sometimes looking even more close. Is this really hand painted on a vintage book? Amazing.

Title: Meltdown

Title: The Outsider

Title: Our Sex Life

Title: Let's Believe
Oil on Assembled Book Covers. 2018

Based on Icarus Myth, this iteration explores the possibility of different outcome. Rather than plunging into the sea, there is hope that Icarus will be caught in time to survive. Will humanity learn from its mistake and adopt the changes necessary for its future survival?
The female figures were inspired by a Veronese painting, "Juno Showering Gifts on Venetia" (1554-56) located at the Palzzo Ducale. It is among the magnificent panels on the ceiling of the Sala del Consiglio dei Dieci.

 

I am deciding not to add too many of my own words to talk about these pieces of art. They stand much better on their own. Look closely, pretend you are in Venezia. Enjoy.

 

After the two rather sat artisan meetings I wrote about yesterday, this was truly a highlight of my wanderings. Thank you so much Mary Jean. For your art and for the lovely chat we had after I had seen the exhibition.

 

 
Title: The Origin

Here you find Mary Jane Canziani´s website

Go over and take a look. You will not regret it.
And I especially love the photo of her sitting in the Alta Acqua Libreria :-)

 

Hard times for artisans

@brittarnhild

I passed her little workshop while walking around. Looking in through the window I was drawn in by the bright colours and soon I found myself in deep conversation with the artist, a young woman named Ketty.

Ketty told me she was in the process of closing down her shop. "It has become too hard for artisans here" she said, continuing to talk about how the city has changed from a place where people appreciated and paid for art, to a place where cheap souvenir shops pops up everywhere and tourists not wanting to pay for the real stuff.

We had a long and interesting talk, while I admired Katty´s work,

ending up buying one of her pieces, though I had no intentions to do so when I walked into the shop :-)

 

 

The next artist I met was Davide at Pagine e Cuoio, where I for years have bought my journal. Every time I come to Venezia I go to his shop to buy a new journal, which I use the coming year. The first thing which met me was a sign on Davide´s door; "Sale. Shop is closing down!"

"Why? What is happening?" I asked.

"Venezia is getting too expensive" Davide replied, "and people don't want to pay for real handwork!"

I bought two journals, not just one as usual, feeling really sad for his closing down.

 

 

The third artist I met that same day was Mauro, my dear friend for so many years now. He invited me home, he cooked dinner for me, and while eating, together with his wife and daughters, we discussed the problems for artisans in Venezia.

 

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I am afraid that part of the problem is the tourists, like me and you. We love the city, we come here to enjoy but in many ways we look upon it as a Disney Land, like it is made for us, to enjoy. And we don't want to spend our money, the city is there anyway.

 

I am not sure this post is understandable, but I had to air my frustrations somehow, for the city I love so deeply.

 

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By the way, typepad is acting up tonight, refusing one picture after another, telling me they are not valid....... I have struggled with this post for ages, now I want to do something else!