Firenze and Siena - June, 2019

As promised - a blog about my trip to Florence and Siena.

Firenze (Florence) is an amazing city for history, architecture and art!  Jacquie and I spent 4 and 1/2 days between Firenze and Siena.  I had not been there since 1999. I remembered a lot but really refreshed my memory and saw some new sites.  I was just in Siena last year but it is a fascinating city and the Tuscany region is loved by everyone, including me.  

I created a video of our visit for your enjoyment.  The link is at the bottom of the blog.

We stayed in an AirBnb within walking distance to all of the main sites.  And of course, the weather........it was the hottest city in Italy the days we were there!!  High 90's and even low 100's every stinkin' day.  🥵🥵🥵🥵. But it did not deter us and the city did not disappoint.  

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon.  After getting settled in our apartment we went for a walk around town.  The city was busy as usual with tourists but not as bad as it would be in a few weeks into July and the entire month of August.   

On Thursday morning we met our tour guide bright and early at 9:00 a.m. for a private tour of the city, the David statue and the Duomo (Cathedral). Our tour guide was fabulous - an art, art history and Firenze expert.  She lives in Firenze and has a passion for it - so evident in her delivery of information.  She was a delight.  Anyone going to Firenze and need a guide - message me for her contact information - she is amazing!

Learning about the history of Firenze and the "House of Medici" - a banking family that later come to power, was fascinating.   I gained a desire to learn more about this family after seeing the influence and power they had back in the 1500's and 1600's.  They are responsible for the discovery of the Piano and the beginning of Opera.   Fascinating stuff!! 

Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, The Duomo and Baptistery of St. John, Galleria dell'Accademia (to see "David"), were all part of the tour.  We did not go into the Duoma as there is no ticket system and you must stand in line.  In addition, according to our tour guide the inside of this cathedral is very plain.  We were better served going inside the Basilica di Santa Croce later in the day on our own.  This church is amazing and houses many tombs of famous Italians - including Michelangelo, Rossini (the composer), Machiavelli, Galileo and even Enrico Fermi (for those in the Chicago area this is the Fermi of "Fermi labs" in Batavia).  How special is that? 

We did go inside the "Galleria" to see Michelangelo's "David" - even after seeing it a few times before it still is a site to see.  Michelangelo carved that statue when he was only 26 years old!!!  Truly one of the greats!!  It is simply magnificent.  

In the afternoon we visited the Medici Chapel, which is the Medici family mausoleum. It has numerous sculptures of Michelangelo's and is also famous for its' mosaics.   We then decided to cross the River Arno via the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) and tour Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace).  The palace was originally built by a banker but then sold to the Medici's in the 1500's and it became their primary residence.  The size of this place and the art work within it was overwhelming.  A side note on the Ponte Vecchio - it was the only bridge crossing the Arno River that survived the bombing during WWII.  The Germans did not destroy it - some say due to Hitlers' admiration for the bridge.  

On Friday morning I had purchased tickets for the Uffizi Gallery.  We would tour on our own with an audio guide.  Easier to go at your own pace and spend your time as you wish. Tours in galleries can be challenging as they spend time showing you what they think you should see.  I prefer to go at my own pace.  It also allows you to stay away from the crowds.  We had an early morning entry.  You could probably spend days in this gallery - similar to the Louvre in Paris.  We spent 2 1/2 hours wondering the halls and rooms filled with fabulous art by many famous Italian artists.  Originally built as offices for the magistrates but after the Medici's has almost all died, the last living Medici heiress gifted all their art to the city of Florence - it would be housed in what is now known as the Uffizi gallery.  She was one smart and generous lady!!

Later that day, after an afternoon rest from the heat, we walked to the top of "Piazza di Michelangelo" for pictures.  The walk is challenging  - even more so in the heat - but we made it and got some spectacular views of the city. Too bad the heat and humidity cast a haze across the entire city.  

On Saturday we hopped a train to Siena (about a 90 minute ride) to meet my cousin's daughter,  Federica and her fiancé, Guido.  We would do a few winery tours with them.  For those of you familiar with winery tours in the U.S. - they are completely different in Italy.  Typically you need a reservation as the wineries are much smaller and not as commercial as the winery tours in the  states.  No big tasting rooms, etc.  The area around Siena is "Chianti Classico" wine country.  We would tour two wineries where Chianti Classico is the main product.  But both wineries produced other wines as well.  You can tell a Chianti Classico from the Rooster on the bottle wrapper around the neck.  There is a great legend about this rooster.   Here is a link to a Tuscan winery blog that gives you the story.

https://www.viticcio.com/legend-chianti-classicos-black-rooster/

"Famiglia Losi" was our first stop.  Guido had been here before and he knew we would like it.  We got a great tour of their cellars, production process and vineyards.  It is a family winery, as are many in this part of Italy.  The tour was conducted in English so no translating was required.  Guido speaks great English and Federica is getting better all the time.  Our guide knew 4 or 5 languages - impressive not only for her wine knowledge but her language skills as well.  After the tour we had our wine tasting.  We sat around a table and not only tasted wines but had some yummy snacks to compliment the vino!  Great thing about living in Italy - shipping wines is cheap - I took advantage of that!!

Our second winery would be a bit different.  "Fattoria di Corsignano" offers a lunch while tasting the wines - so we wined and dined!  Then after eating we would have a tour of the grounds and their cellar.  We had a wonderful lunch under the pergola - and again the heat was a bit much but it didn't hurt our appetites. 

An interesting note - many of the wineries here are starting to use concrete casks for aging (watch for them in the video).  This is an old technique that is coming back into fashion.  

So two winery's then off for some gelato before we would head back to the train to Florence. In Italy it is not how many winery's you can view in one day but the experiences you have while there.  More relaxed and enjoyable - La Dolce Vita!  

On Sunday morning we took the train back to Siena for a tour of the city.  As last year at this time the city was in full mode for the Palio (famous horse race) which would be run on Tuesday.  Flags were flying and the city was buzzing.  We had an enjoyable day, great lunch, a bit more touring then headed back to Florence to have an enjoyable evening before we would depart for Rome the following morning.

Jacquie's flight home to Minneapolis would leave Tuesday morning so being in Rome the night before ensured she would be at the airport in plenty of time.  No stress!!  So Monday we were on an early train to Rome. We would do a bit of touring, have a great dinner then head to the hotel as we both had early morning trains. 

While in Rome we took the opportunity to visit the Emmanuel Vittorio monument (Altar of the Fatherland) up close and personal (some call it the Wedding Cake monument). There is an elevator you can take to the top of the structure and have fabulous views of the city.  I decided to go for it.  Here are a few pictures of the view from up top!!

View of St. Peters (at the Vatican) from afar

View of the dome of the Pantheon

 from afar (it is huge)

The Coloseaum

The Roman Forum

After a relaxing dinner we headed back to our hotel to prep for our early morning trains. I would return to Acquavella and Jacquie would head home with her head still spinning (I think) from all the sights and sounds of Italy.

An enjoyable mini vacation for me to reacquaint myself with Firenze.   If you love art it is a must see!!

Link to video:

https://youtu.be/n1-9VPsrrw0 

A Year in My. Life - June, 2019

June was a busy month and I can't believe it is over already and we are into July.  

The early part of June was spent preparing for visitors.  My Aunt and Cousin would be coming to Acquavella for a week and then a few days later a friend from Minnesota would be coming for a 2 week visit.  More on those adventures in a bit.  But first an update on Oscar.  He is still recovering.  His age is making his recovery slow.  But as the Vet says he is a tough little bull and he continues to improve.  The summer heat has arrived which is not good for him but he stays inside most of the day on cool tile floor. 

My house project has been at a standstill due to my visitors but July will be time to kick it into gear again before August hits when nothing will get done.  My September start date is probably in jeopardy now but I'm still holding out hope I can at least be close.  I do have a first draft of the tile design from the factory in Vietri.  I like what they have done so I expect to finalise that in the next week or two.

As I mentioned most of June was spent with visitors.  This allows me to be a tourist a bit too.  I was able to visit places that I had not been yet so again, learning more about the area where I live - and it continues to amaze and impress me for its beauty.  

The second week of June my Aunt (wife of my mother's brother, John) and Cousin Lisa, from Philadelphia, came to visit.  We visited with many of the cousins in the area and I played translator for them.  That was a new adventure!  There were a few family gatherings with no less than 15-20 cousins at each event.  Their heads were spinning!  😜  I enjoyed showing them around the area and letting them experience a bit of my new life in southern Italy.  After their week with me they left and went to the Amalfi coast for another week of holiday.

Two days after they left my friend Jacquie from Minnesota came to visit.  She would spend one week with me - doing a few fun side trips but then the second week of her journey we traveled to Tuscany together.  She is an art lover so Florence was a must for her.  I had not been to Florence since 1999 so it was great to tour again visiting many of the things I saw years ago but then adding some new sites to the list.  I will do a separate blog on this trip as it really was beautiful and something I would like to share with everyone.  We also took the train to Siena two days and did some winery tours and visited the old medieval town of Siena.  This is the city I travel to last year for the famous horse race, The Palio.  

While my visitors were here I took them to Palinuro, a beach town not far from me. We then took a boat tour along the coast.  The scenery is stunning and the water is crystal clear.  There are many grottos along the coast.   A few years ago you could go in 4 different grottos by boat.  Now there is only one left that you can enter (due to safety reasons) -  "Grotto Azzurra" (The Blue Grotto) similar to the one on the famous island of Capri.  I'm kind of partial to this one.  It is less crowded and just as beautiful from what I hear from those that have seen both.  I put together a little video (link below) (2:30 minutes) of the coast and the boat ride into the grotto.  Credit goes to my cousin Lisa Gentile Helock for some of her photos and videos.  I combined them with mine for this little movie.  I hope you enjoy it.  This is one of the many beautiful things to do along the Cilento coast!

https://youtu.be/Hg-GkJ7Q2S4




Stay cool!!

A Year in My Life - Pets, Puddles and Plans

May started out on a challenging note and continued through most of the month.  Upon returning from Ireland (yes I know I still owe you a blog post on my trip) - - Oscar was not well.  He had stopped eating and was lethargic and hunched over as if to protect his stomach.  A day after returning, Roberta, Angela's daughter (the vet that lives in Dublin) arrived in Italy for a visit.  As soon as she saw Oscar she said - "let's go to the vet now".  

Two years ago we discovered a mass on Oscar's spleen.  We have been monitoring it and knew that it had grown.  Roberta was concerned it may have burst.  Well once at the vet (which I remind you is an hour away) ultrasound proved it indeed had continued to grow at a rapid rate - it was time for surgery.   Fortunately it had not burst. 

The surgery was scheduled for May 8th.  A surgeon would come to the vets office to perform the surgery.  Many small clinics have vets who specialize in certain but not all types of medicine and some may or may not do surgeries.  Oscar came through the surgery like a champ - but the surgeon said we were just in time.  A few more days and the mass would have burst and with no emergency vet close to me it would have been fatal for Oscar. 

Oscar at home after his "first" surgery

Finally resting 

Prior to our scheduled return for a checkup Oscar developed a bulge in his stomach.  We all thought (including the Vet) that it was just fluid buildup from the surgery.   Well another visit to the vet before our scheduled followup visit and we discover he has a hernia.  Another surgery would be required but it wasn't an emergency.  As we were discussing the best date for a second surgery we realized Oscar was struggling so - emergency hernia surgery - conducted by my vet on the spot.  I had totally forgotten was stress was like until now.

A sigh of relief after the second surgery

Fast forward 2 weeks and he is healing nicely.  The vet now calls him the little bull!  He is one tough guy for being almost 15 years old.  Two surgeries (with anesthesia) in 8 days!!   

Needless to say May has not gone as planned.  In addition -  the weather - OMG!!!  It has been terrible.  Everyone hear is saying this is the worst May they can ever remember.  It has been rainy and cool.  No summer clothes yet and my gardens and outdoor work is way behind schedule.  I FINALLY was able to use my new grill however, in-between the rain drops.  

Initiation of my new grill

Note the glass of vino -  Can't cook outside without it!

I did however make progress on the plans for my kitchen renovation.  I mentioned last month I had met with an architect.  Well, many meetings later the design is done.  I have also finished my selection of kitchen cabinets or as they call it here - kitchen furniture.  I recently finalized my selection of appliances; refrigerator, oven, cook top, exhaust hood and sink.  Interesting as I had to do quite a bit of research as many different brands are available here but there are no large appliance stores where you can see the different brands. In addition they typically don't buy a stove/range like in the states.  The oven and cook top are separate items.  Thank goodness for the Internet.  

I am so happy I chose to work with an architect.  He really is doing a great job and I feel confident my vision for the renovation will become a reality without too much drama.

Right now I am in the midst of selecting the tile for the back splash and other areas of the kitchen.  I will use Vietri tile.  This is very famous Italian tile from Vietri Sul Mare.  It is designed and manufactured here.  This city is the first along the famous Amalfi coast coming from the south.  When you think of Vietri tile you should think beautiful colours and designs of the area - sea, lemons, sunflowers, and classic Amalfi coast designs.   I have talked with 2 local dealers but the best part........Luigi has a work colleague that lives in Vietri and knows a local artist and small factory.  We took a field trip this past week.  This designer and factory will custom design my tile and make it for my kitchen!!!! This would be cost prohibitive in the states.  But being local and buying direct is clearly one of the big benefits of living in southern Italy.  

Images of Vietri tile

The plan is to finalize everything and have all the products on order by July 1st.  The work will commence at the end of September and take one month (per the Italians) which means I am planning for a 2 month timeline.  My target is to be complete in enough time for Thanksgiving dinner!! I will keep you posted as we progress.  

I'm looking forward to June as I will have family and friends visiting most of the month.   Let's just hope the weather takes a turn for the better.  

And after the rain........the sea turns beautiful colors

Bring on June and warmer weather!!

A Year in My Life - April, 2019 - This and That

April saw more signs of spring!  I planted my new lemon tree.  I also have an avocado
tree that is about 2 years old that will be planted sometime in the future. It needs to get a bit bigger before it can go in the ground.  Excited for that to bear fruit as avocado's are expensive here.  A cousin has a tree and I get free ones whenever I want.  Excited to have my own lemon and avocado tree. Interesting fact - avocados mature on the tree but do not ripen until picked so the fruit can remain on the tree for months.  

I brought out the terrace furniture only to have a strong storm and Sirocco winds cover the terrace in sand.  Sirocco winds come from the south and bring rain and a cloud of sand with them.  Everything in site gets covered. It is an amazing phenomenon.  I didn't believe it last year but wasn't surprised when it arrived again this year.  Once done there is lots of cleanup to do.  Needless to say it is NOT one of my favourite things about spring weather here in southern Italy.  

From wikipedia:
"The sirocco causes dusty dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa, storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and cool wet weather in Europe. The sirocco's duration may be as short as half a day or may last several days. While passing over the Mediterranean Sea, the sirocco picks up moisture; this results in rainfall in the southern part of Italy, known locally as "blood rain" due to the red sand mixed with the falling rain. Many people attribute health problems to the sirocco, either because of the heat and dust along the African coastal regions, or because of the cool dampness in Europe. The dust within the sirocco winds can cause abrasion in mechanical devices and penetrate buildings."  


My BBQ (new grill) has arrived!!!  Have not christened it yet but looking forward to cooking on the grill soon!

I finally finished reading the drivers test book.  There are now on-line quizzes you can take so I am progressing through those. Interesting fact - the quizzes can be in multiple languages.  That made me curious so Luigi called his "friend" who said it may be possible to take the exam in English but I would have to travel to Salerno.  Will keep you posted on this drama - haha!  

Early April I had some visitors from Minnesota.  The family of a former boss at Honeywell (my employer for 39 years) were on a European vacation and included a few days in my area in their agenda.  I was honoured they would take the time to come south and I thoroughly enjoyed showing them around.  I am becoming a better tour guide but realised I could educate myself a bit more in order to be more knowledgeable about the history of various areas.  Will be adding that to my winter "to do" list.

My dear friend Kay Slater, wife of Roger Slater
Roger was a former manager and mentor of mine from Honeywell 
Roger passed away 6 months before I moved to Italy

Kay and her family enjoying southern Italy

I am pleased to announce the planning phase of the kitchen project is underway.  I have had 2 meetings with the architect and designs are beginning.  Will use the next few months to finish the design and plans.  Would like the work to be completed in the September/October timeframe.  Will see if I can make that happen!

Also the village is getting ready for the big celebration in July.  The Patron Saint of Acquavella - Maria della Grazie - is celebrated in BIG fashion every 5 years.  This is the 5th year so the celebration will be huge.  The statue from inside the church will be removed and carried through the village during the main processional.  This only happens once every five years.  The church bell tower is FINALLY getting cleaned for the occasion.  And many people are fixing up the outside of their homes.  

Church bell tower behind scaffolding

As I mentioned last month I did go to Ireland for a short trip.  My cousin Angela and I spent 4 full days there and had a great time. I will do a separate blog about the trip and will post it in a few weeks.  Many of my Facebook followers have seen many of the pictures already but my blog will include more details along with more photos.  

In closing enjoy some photos from my gardens.

One of many rose bushes I now have in the garden

My new lemon tree

Buona giornata!!

A Year in my Life - March, 2019 - Surprises and Signs of Spring

In Italy March does not come in like a lion and out like a lamb.  It does start out a bit chilly and by the end of March spring is in full swing.  Much different than my old home town of Plymouth, Minnesota.  OMG the snow and cold this year was not fun - from what all my MN friends tell me.  It seemed to never end. 

Here in southern Italy there are signs and sounds of spring everywhere - from people starting to clean their gardens to trees and flowers budding and blooming.  

I did take a brief break from southern Italy to head back to the states for a quick visit.  My Aunt (my Mom's sister) was turning 93.  She lives in Philadelphia so I decided to surprise her for her birthday.  My cousins (her daughters) helped me plan the surprise.  It was a huge success!  I was also able to visit a childhood friend in Philly who happen to be there taking care of her grandsons while the parents took a little vacation.  I had dinner with another cousin and his family and I even took time to meet a cousin I had never met before (see last month's blog). Once the fun was done in Philly I was off to MN for a few days too.  I was able to go to the Opera (Minnesota Opera's world premier of "The Fix" - a new opera) and see all of my Opera friends as well as visit with a few other close friends. I also had some personal business to take care of in Minneapolis. Sometimes in person just works better than phone calls and emails.  I was able to sneak in one last surprise before I headed back home to Italy.  A dear friend from my 20+ years of living in Minnesota (more like a mother to me) was celebrating a birthday the day I was leaving to come home.  I had enough time to surprise her at lunch on my way to the airport.  I love surprises! 

My Aunt Dorothy (Dot) on her 93rd Birthday!

My two first cousins, Loretta and Carmela.

First Cousin, John David Gentile and his lovely family

My "new" cousin Julie

Granddaughter of Alfonso Gentile, brother of my grandfather

My dear friend Ernal Nienaber

Once I arrived home spring had definitely sprung.  My cousin had the gardens cleaned while I was gone and also had 2 new trees planted.  The trees were birthday presents - a melograno (pomegranate) and a peach tree. A new lemon tree is still is to be planted.  These trees will take some time to bear fruit but when they do - YUM!!  

My new melograno tree

My peach tree

(But different from American peaches,

these are smaller in size with a smoother skin)

With spring arriving I can now begin planning for 2 new rock gardens as well as finishing up the rose garden.  Lots of work to do this summer so spring is time to plan and prepare - remember nothing gets done fast in southern Italy.

Other signs of spring/summer are also quite apparent.  Spring vegetables are now available in the markets - carciofi or artichokes are one of my favourite.  Here in southern Italy you can buy small ones.  I believe they are the same as in the U.S. but they harvest them sooner.  These are one of my favourite spring vegetables.  Asparagus is also now in season.  

Carciofi (Artichokes)

Beautiful spring flowers

The critters return in spring

Fig trees sprouting new leaves and fruit

Many bars and restaurants along the sea are starting their cleanup/spruce up work so they can open soon.  Usually many of these locations open right before Easter but with that holiday so late this year I believe many will open within the next week or two.  

I'm getting my patio/terrace ready too and my new BBQ grill is on order and should be here any day - yeah cookouts in southern Italy.  I will be introducing my Italian family to American style cookouts!!

I also am starting more serious planning for my kitchen renovation.  I hope to have the plan done so work can start in the fall.  And I am still studying for that blasted Drivers License test.  That thing is driving me crazy but I must get it done before May as I did not renew my International Drivers License when I was back in the states.  It really was an oversight on my part but maybe it is for the better. It will force me to get this done and checked off the list.  

So those of you that ask what do I do all day in retirement life  - I stay very busy.  The "to do" list never ends.  

April looks to be quite exciting too - a trip to the Emerald Isle (Ireland) is planned with my cousin Angela.   Make sure you read the April blog to find out if I have the Luck of the Irish and find a pot of gold!

A Year in My Life - February 2019 - Carnevale di Venezia

February started as January finished - still waiting for my internet to get fixed.  I won't bore you with all the ugly details but in the end I had to change the type of technology I use for internet and wi-fi as Hell would freeze over before a new line would be installed.  I now do not have to depend on TIM (which is the ONLY provider of telecom service in Italy) which means they own all the copper wire for all internet and phone usage.  Luckily I found a different technology (basically a satellite dish) that does not depend on hard cable!  Very frustrating experience I'm afraid to say.

Again I spent a lot of free time working on the family tree.  As of this writing there are 644 people entered in the database.  And there are more to find and enter.  It can be very addicting and I can spend hours sitting at the computer. 

The best news for this month is my trip to Venice for Carnevale.  

The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival held in Venice. The Carnival ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks and costumes.  It is believed to have started in the year 1162!  It runs for 2+ weeks.  

I created a video of my adventures for your enjoyment.  See the link below.   

I took an early morning train on Friday, the 22nd from Vallo della Lucania to Venice - changing  trains in Salerno for the high speed train.  Once in Venice I found my hotel and my friend Diane and the fun was about to start.  Our initial plan was to take the ferry to the island of Murano, famous for hand blown glass, but the fog rolled in and all boats and ferries came to a halt.  So instead we were just tourists for the day.  

Another part of Carnevale is dressing up in costume and masks- very elaborate I might add.  While roaming around on Friday we saw many beautiful and elaborate costumes.  We quickly realised these people were Carnevale performers and not tourists with a huge budget for costume rental.  In the video you will recognise them -stunning detail and colours!

Saturday was a busy day.  We wanted to experience the full effect of Carnevale so we decided to rent costumes for 2 days.  You must plan for this ahead of time.  You select an Atelier (French for workshop of fine art) and then make an appointment for a fitting.  We had selected costumes from their website and submitted measurements so they could ensure a proper fit.  We had 11:30 a.m. fitting appointments.  It was fun seeing all the costumes available. I was fortunate in that the one I picked fit perfect.  My friend had to make a change from what she had selected.  The dresses come complete with all the necessary accessories - gloves, purse, choker, and hat.  Wigs are also available but we decided again them.   We did rent a short cape as we would be outside quite a bit and the weather was still a bit chilly.    So costume ready we were now off to get ready and begin the fun.

We would go back to the hotel and change into our costumes.  That afternoon we would go to Piazza San Marco for the Festa Delle Marie.  There is quite a bit of history behind this but suffice to say it is now a beauty contest.  The 12 young ladies are part of all the festivities during Carnevale and then on the last day of the festivities the "Maria of the Year" is selected.  

Piazza San Marco was very crowded, as you would expect, but we watched some of the festivities, with many performers again in period costume.  The ladies arrive to fanfare and more festivities.  The interesting thing is WE are now in costume and everyone wants to take OUR picture.  We were told this would happen but when it does it is kind of surprising.  It is fun as most tourists are not in costume so we were among the unique ones.  

Our next adventure was a "Pub Crawl".  Not something you would consider Italian but it was a planned event you could attend.  The group was rather large according to our guide but we made it work.  We walked to 4 different "bars".  At each one we were served a different wine and of course little appetizers or in Italian (aperitif).  We started with Prosecco, then a red, then a white and finished the night at a bar with an Aperol Spritz (very Italian but I hear it is starting to appear in the states).  If you get the chance, order one - they are yummy!!  We met some great people along the way and again being in costume adds a whole new dimension to a pub crawl.

Sunday would be an amazing day and evening.  The main masquerade ball was Sunday night  - the highlight of the trip.  But we still had a few fun adventures before we turned into Cinderellas. 

Another public event is the Flight of the Angel.  This too has a lot of history as all events for Carnevale.  An angel (real person dressed in costume) is lowered from the bell tower in Piazza San Marco into the piazza via wires and cables.  The angel is the Maria that won the beauty contest the year before.  It marks the start of Carnevale so they say - yet festivities had been going on for over 1 week already.  (It's Italy!)  So we would attend this and then head out to Murano as we never made it there on Friday. I needed to do some shopping.  I love Murano glass.  

Funny story here - we left Piazza San Marco after seeing what we thought was the flight of the angel.  Once I was home I realized we actually missed the true Flight of the Angel.  We saw the Flight of the Warrior Angel - who knew there were 2?  We left before the 2nd angel descended.  So in the video I have just a few pictures from the internet of the actual Angel.  

Over on the island of Murano it is much more peaceful.  But there are still signs of Carnevale. Note the wonderful musicians all in pink in the video.  We enjoyed strolling the streets and admiring all the wonderful glass art in the many galleries and shops.  

Once back in Venice it was time to get ready for the ball.  No fairy godmother to help!!  We took the water bus to the ball which was held in a beautiful palace that is now the Venice Casino.  Palazzo or Ca' Vendramin Calergi, is remembered as the place where composer Richard Wagner died.  He had just completed the opera Parsifal and died not long after its premier.  

We were greeted by the Master of Ceremonies as we entered the Palace.  The theme for the entire Carnevale was "Blame the Moon" with the masquerade ball the "Official Lunatic Dinner Ball".  The entire night had a space - "out of this world" theme.  All performers and servers were dressed in space attire - some from Star Wars, some from Star Trek, and the decorations were fabulous as well.  We were treated to quite a bit of entertainment before dinner along with an open-bar and wonderful food.  

We were seated for dinner around 10 p.m. at tables of 10.  I estimated about 250-300 attendees.  We had a wonderful 5 course dinner, each course served with a different wine.  All throughout the dinner the performers would enter the room and engage with us.  All dressed as aliens, space people, etc. their costumes were amazing.  It was like a Hollywood production for sure.   It was fun meeting the others seated at our table.  We met people from Italy, Spain and even China.  

After dinner it was back out to the main ballroom for more desserts, drinks and dancing to a DJ.  We ended our evening about 1:30 a.m. and headed back to our hotel via the last water bus available.  No glass slipper left behind!  

It was an amazing few days and I am so grateful I was able to experience Carnevale to its fullest.  I highly recommend visiting Venice if you come to Italy. It is a magical city even without Carnevale but with Carnevale it is enchanting.  

Enjoy the video and more to come in March!

https://youtu.be/1gNvcbtO_3Y