Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

The Carnival of Venice is one of the most historic and well-known festivals in Italy and in the entire world

Via Mariano Pallottini

What to know about Christmas in Venice, from the best Christmas markets to gift shopping to midnight Mass at St. Mark's Basilica!

Via Mariano Pallottini

Venetian streets are filled with historic mementos that are a  testament to its status as one of Italy’s most remarkable cities.  Each artistic wonder and long-standing tradition comes with a  story imbued with the triumph and passion that continue to  entice tourists to this maritime republic.  - 

 

Venetian masks

 

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own  person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the  truth.” – Oscar Wilde.  From the thirteenth century until 1797, the tradition  of Venetian masks reflected Wilde’s notion of  concealed identity. During this period, the Veneto  Republic upheld its reputation as one of the wealthiest  regions in Italy. Venetian masks were luxuries that  allowed citizens to choose their own identities, despite  their social standings.      

                

The Horses of St. Mark 

 

Made of gilded copper, the Horses of St. Mark, also  called the Quadriga, stand tall atop San Marco  Basilica. Acquired by the Republic of Venice in 1204  after Western European armies ransacked Constantinople,  the four life-sized horses are constant  reminders of Venice’s global connections. “To me, the  horses are both a symbol of Venice and of the violence  of history,” says Pietro Giordan, Chair of the  Department of Languages, Literature and Linguistics  at York University. “Since Venice played the role of  cultural bridge between Europe and the Middle East,  the horses represent that kind of (close) otherness  that played such an important role in the construction  of Venetian culture.”        

          

And part of this culture remains within the transient  history of the Quadriga; the horses were taken to  Paris from Venice under Napoleon’s reign, and then  repatriated to Italy in 1815. From the First World War  to the next, the horses were protected in various parts  of Italy until they were permanently placed in the  museum of San Marco Basilica for conservation.  Since 1977, replicas of the Quadriga have replaced the  originals atop the Basilica. 

 

The Winged Lion of Venice 

 

The Winged Lion of Venice honours the city’s Patron  Saint, Mark the Evangelist. Legend holds that  Venetian merchants stole the body of the apostle  Mark from Egypt, and on their return home, St. Mark  himself appeared to the captain and saved the merchants  from a vicious storm. In thanks for this miraculous  rescue, the city bestowed St. Mark as Venice’s  patron saint. An alternative legend tells of an angel  who appeared in one of St. Mark’s dreams, indicating  that one day, Venice would become his resting  place. Despite contentious beliefs, the emblematic  Winged Lion is a ubiquitous reminder of St. Mark’s  role as protector of Venice.                               

Beyond the legends ass iated with religion,  there are also other societal and political motivations  for the famous statue, according to Dr. Sarah Rolfe  Prodan, Fellow at the Centre for Renaissance and  Restoration at the University of Toronto. “The lion  came to symbolize authority and the political ascendancy  of Venice’s expanding dominion over the  Italian mainland. By the fourteenth century, Venice  had grown to be a powerful maritime republic.”

Via Venice-etc

One of Venetian artist Canaletto’s finest works, L’Entrata nel Canal Grande e la Basilica della Salute (The entrance to the Grand Canal and the Basilica of Health) will go on display in November in the Medieval Abbazia di San Gregorio in Venice, where the work was originally conceived and painted.
Organized by the Fondaco Venezia, the exhibition, entitled Gero Qua (I was there), will be open 24 hours a day between November 10th and December 27th, in the exact spot where the 18th century landscape artist painted it.
There, viewers will be able to compare the painting with the original view of the Basilica that inspired Canaletto centuries ago.
Painted between 1740 and 1745, the work offers a view towards the Baroque white marble Basilica di Salute, created by architect Baldassarre Longhena as an offering for the city following the end of an outbreak of the plague.
Also visible are the Doge’s Palace, the Magazzini del Sale and the Punta della Dogana as well as a scattering of noblemen, merchants, boatmen and local gondoliers of the day. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

From fancy Art Deco to one of Amsterdam's oldest brown cafes here are 15 of the best historic cafes in Europe:

 

La Closerie des Lilas, Paris – best for literary history

Café New York, Budapest – best for most beautiful

Café Central, Vienna – best for classical music

Majestic Café, Porto – best for Art Noveau

Cafe Chris, Amsterdam – best for interesting locals

 

Caffe Torino, Turin – best for glamorous past- 

Turin is actually the first place in Europe where coffee fever first took hold and the Italian city is still home to a thriving cafe culture. Another café that can claim a Belle Epoque atmosphere is the attractive Caffe Torino, Turin first opened in 1903. Clustured amongst the other coffee houses on Piazza San Carlo, Caffe Torino certainly stands out with its rich velvet furnishings, expanses of wood and homely fireplaces. The café has welcomed a whole host of famous names including Ava Gardner, Alcide De Gaspari and pianist Ludovico Einaudi. Boasting a heated terrace since the 1950s, it also has a refined restaurant which adds to its charm.

 Piazza San Carlo, 204, 10121 Turin, Italy

 

The Antico Caffe Greco, Rome – oldest cafe in Rome - 

Anyone who has visited Rome knows it’s filled with many excellent cafes, but the one that really stands out is The Antico Caffe Greco. It is the second oldest café in Italy, and the oldest bar and café in the whole of Rome. Since opening its doors on Via dei Condotti in 1760 it has hosted such historical figures as Stendhal, Goethe, Byron, Franz Liszt, Henrik Ibsen, Hans Christian Andersen, Keats, Wagner, David Reynolds, Felix Mendelssohn, Maria Zambrano, Levi and Casanova. More contemporary visitors include artists, politicians and writers.

Via Condotti 86 | Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Italy

 

Ultieme Hallucinatie, Brussels – best for stained glass decor

Café Slavia, Prague – best for understated

Jama Michalika, Krakow – best for quirky decor

 

Caffe Florian, Venice – oldest cafe in Italy - 

Caffe Florian in Venice - first opened in  1720 – is considered to be the oldest café in Italy, if not the world. Famous patrons of the two room café include Goethe and the legendary  lothario Casanova. Today Caffe Florian has huge displays of diverse artwork that grace the walls, ranging from comic strips to classical oil paintings. Hosting the world-renowned La Bienniale de Venezia art festival, this café is the perfect place to indulge in some Italian culture as well as enjoying some of the finest coffee in Europe.

Piazza San Marco, 56, 30124 Venice, Italy

 

Café de l’Opera, Barcelona – best for Opera fans

A Brasileira, Lisbon – best for old school elegance

Cafe Buchwald, Berlin – best for sweet tooth’s

Cafe Odeon, Zurich – best for famous past

FULL ARTICLE

 

Via Mariano Pallottini

Religious Art of the Venetian Renaissance

A comprehensive timeline with the lives and principle religious works of the great Venetian masters and their Italian contemporaries along with the Venetian doges and wars, the popes, emperors, rulers of Milan, Florence, Mantua, and Ferrara, and the religious and humanistic milestones of the Renaissance.

From the later part of the 15th century, Venice had a distinctive, thriving and influential art scene. Beginning with the work of Giorgione (c. 1477–1510), and the workshop of Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430–1516), major artists of the this Venetian school included Titian (1489–1576), Tintoretto (1518–1594), Veronese (1528–1588) and the Bassano (1510–1592). Considered to bring a primacy of colour over line, this tradition was seen to contrast with the Mannerism then prevalent in the rest of Italy, and the Venetian style is viewed as having had a great influence on the subsequent development of painting
Via Venice-etc

Pasticceria Cioccolateria Dal Mas a Venezia: storica pasticceria di produzione propria che dal 1906 vizia veneziani e passanti, ha di recente annesso una cioccolateria.

Via Cibando

Venice, one of the most romantic city in the world is just few km away from Emilia Romagna region.

Actually with the high speed train is only 1h15min far from Bologna, but today we would like to present you a very special itinerary, perfect for the cycling lovers and ad hoc to enjoy the spring time.

Reaching Ferrara in the Po river delta from Venice is not that difficult, and suitable for almost everyone as the level route is mainly along minor roads.[...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

[...] Murano, the famed glass-blowing island, was like a livingm art gallery with only a bit of “made in China tourist flash” thrown in. So, for the most part, truly inspiring and enchanting.

My favorite part however was a stop for cappuccino, where a group of long-retired local men were drinking spritzer and playing cards at 10 a.m., a great source of entertainment.

Moving on to Burano, the most colorful little island I have ever seen, I had to restrain myself from wandering every corner to fill my belly’s needs. It’s a meal I may dream of for some time to come: fresh crab salad and seafood soup, washed down with a local dry sparkling wine.

A few hours later I finally got those pics and exploration I wanted. An eventful journey back to Rome followed, but that’s another story for another day! In the meantime, here are a few photos of our grand adventures today.

Via Mariano Pallottini

You predict to take a trip to Venice, and you would like to immortalize these unique moments. Instead of encumbering you with a heavy camera, and taking the risk of returning with blurry images, we have thought about you.

 

Call one of our professional photographers in Venice. Let yourself be guided and abandon yourself to this Photo-shooting session where you will have the feeling of being the centre of attention, the star of the day.

 

The city is an open-air museum. Our partner photographers are aware to lead you to the heart of small streets to discover hundreds of bridges, dozens of churches, Palaces and museums, and capture these moment with an expert eye: hundreds of photos of your couple, your friends, your family, the spirit of the location, the architecture and the town. A unique experience to return with a suitcase full of memories!

Via Venice-etc

Loriblu recently opened its newest, 1,000-sq.-ft. flagship in Venice, Italy, making it the brand’s 16th boutique. The shop features a sleek, minimalist design, with materials meant to spotlight the footwear. “We are proud of this opening,” owner Annarita Pilotti said in a statement. “This is such a prestigious location, perfect for the image of our brand. This is our 16th store, and [it] allows us to be present in one of the most important and iconic Italian cities.” Next up, the brand plans to debut a location in Kuwait City, Kuwait, later this spring. 

Via Mariano Pallottini

Today I am going to take you to Venice, though I am saving the visit to its Guggenheim until next time (it was so cool it gets its own post).  If you have never been to Venice, it is definitely one of those “must see” kinda places.  It’s an incredible city, actually made up of 118 tiny islands, linked by canals and bridges.  There are no cars, so the only means of public transportation is by “vaporetti” (boat-buses) – definitely the most fun type of public transportation ever!  The main focus of the city is the Grand Canal, lined with tons of gorgeous palazzos built between the 13th and 18th centuries.  There are only a few bridges which cross the canal, with the Rialto being the most spectacular (and its base being the location of the daily local produce and fish market).  Some of the little islands of Venice are semi-famous in their own right (Burano for lace, Murano for glass-blowing and Lido for its beach).  All-in-all it is a little fairy-tale place which is hard to describe with words!

Via Mariano Pallottini

Coffee is the second most traded product in the world after petroleum. World wide coffee production tips the scales at about 6 million metric tonnes.

It takes five years for a coffee tree to reach maturity. The average yield from one tree is the equivalent of one roasted pound of coffee.

People who buy coffee primarily at drive through windows on their way to work will spend as much as 45 hours a year waiting in line.

Of the various botanical species of coffee trees in the world, only two are extensively cultivated commercially; Arabica and Robusta.

The average person who buys coffee outside the office to consume at work will spend the equivalent value of a round trip plane ticket to Florida every year.

The first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1683, while coffee was available in Europe as early as 1608, mostly for the rich.

The expression “a cup of Joe” to denote coffee, was first coined during WWII, when American servicemen (G.I. Joe) were identified as big coffee drinkers.

The largest coffee-producing nation, Brazil, is responsible for 30 to 40 % of total world output.

In the late 1800’s, Chase and Sanborn put out a flier on how to read the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup (like a fortune teller).

Coffee cherries usually contain two “beans”, except for the single bean peaberry anomaly. Cherries with three beans are deemed to be a sign of good luck.
Via Venice-etc