Ca' Centopietre Bed and Breakfast Venice, Italy

" The Spritz and Venice"

2008-07-08T16:15:58+02:00

Originally Austrian, quintessentially Venetian: white wine, fizzy water, and bitter orange cocktails are drunk all day in caffes, ostari, and in bakeries with cake.

Spritz, a florescent orange cocktail swilled by Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Diaghilev among the cloisters of the Piazza San Marco is romance in a glass. It's sparkling wine and a goofily orange liqueur - a little oily, a little sweet, a little bitter - like Love and, of course, like Venice itself.

A spritz can be drunk in the morning in neighborhood cafes with sweatered fishermen on their way to work, or on hotel rooftops with heiresses and views of the Grand Canal at sunset. Caffes, tratorrias, and osterias are centers of social activity in Venice.

On a spritz-themed day, you can practice your language skills, eat and drink with a variety of people, see the city and beyond, and appreciate the flavors, figurative and literal, of the beautiful city.

In the Morning: How to Order

Osteria are open from 8 am. A spritz costs between 1.50 to 2.50 euros depending on fisherman vs. heiress-proximity.

The wine in a spritz is from Treviso, classically, but it's only official requirement is that it's white. The liqueur is bitter orange Aperol or Campari, the bites of which are softened by a salty green olive and a citrus twist. Weirdly, the artichoke liqueur, Cynar, option is also good.

For a nosh, the glass cupboards beside the bar offer panini sandwiches. A 'Prosciutto e formaggio panini' or formaggio alone for a hot, salty accompaniment to an icy bitter morning spritz.

Order 'Un spritz con la buccia d'arancia', a spritz with orange peel for a little zip.

The bartender will ask, "Con Aperol o Campari?' both vibrant orange liqueurs. Campari is more bitter than Aperol, which has been called Campari's sweet little sister.

Brunch on the Lido

Today, venture into the Lagoon. In 15 minutes, the vaporetto from the Fondamente Novve takes you to the Lido.

It's a busy town full of chic original, if a little storm-worn, Art Deco architecture. An easy walk across the narrow island are palm trees, kitschy thatched cabanas, and striped awnings of the Lido's Adriatic beaches, made famous in the 1960s by doe-eyed Italian film stars and starlets in pointy bikinis, solid hair, and cat's eye glasses. At mid-morning, stop by a bakery in town for a spritz with a little cake. You can order a small spritz "Picollo, per favore", if you'd rather not nod off on the vaporetto.

A Snooze in Venice

In the afternoon, stop by the square beside the old Herb Market at the foot of the Rialto Bridge, among the sleek Cipriani gourmet shops, there is a tiny bar the size of a closet that takes its wooden doors down around lunchtime, serves Spritz and Bellinis, a sparkly peach nectar and Prosecco delight, for a few hours. Gondoliers rush in, order "Acqua Veneziana!" "Venetian water!" and slosh back a stil-swirling spritz, tourist sit in the sun smiling and chatting in lots of languages, and handsome accountants on the way home for lunch stand in dashing raincoats and perfect shoes, briefcases in one hand, spritz in the other.

Osteria Evening

For all its maritime sea-faring ways, Venice is a home body. In the evening, shops shut from 5 until 7 and the streets are quiet. Children come home from school, play outside, do their homework. Families dine. Shops are closed seemingly for good in the empty streets, but then fling up their shutters and barricades again, and the streets and neighborhood squares, tratorrias and osteria fill up. Restaurants open around 6:30 or 7 until and hum happily along until 10 or 12. Dinner is usually the focus of an evening. A few spritz apertifs, a good dinner with wine, and digestifs, and everybody trails home down the winding vias to bed.

A classic spritz recipe is:

In a glass, Add a fistful of Ice 60 ml Prosecco from Treviso, ideally, or a sparkling white wine

A splash of sparkling water (without water it is a 'bianco macchiato spritz')

40 ml Aperol for sweetly bitter, Campari for honestly bitter, Cynar for artichokey

Then Skewer an orange or lemon, slice or peel and a green olive with the pit in onto a long, eye-gouging tooth-pick

Swirl it all together

Enjoy!

"The Bacari"

2008-07-05T17:58:45+02:00

Wine bars are popular in many parts of Italy but Venice has a unique tradition!

The "Bacari" in Venice, offering a wide selection of typical “ombre” (local wine) and “cicheti” (snacks made with fish, polenta and cod).

These winebars which offer finger food, derive their name from Bacchus, the god of wines.
You will stop for an “ombra” (shadow), a small special glass of wine.
Someone says it is called an “ombra” because it is a mere shadow of a drink; according to a legend the term “ombra” sees its origin around the turn of the century by a man used to sell drinks from a stall in the shade of San Marco.
Either ways, the “bacari” are firmly entrenched in the popular culture.

Some examples of the Venetian ‘cicheti’ in the typical spoken language:

Polenta e Bacalà: yellow polenta made of corn meal to enjoy with cod cooked according to the typical Venetian tradition. An unforgettable experience for any palate.

Bovoleti e folpeti: small snails and baby octopus marinated with salt and parsley…just to be enjoyed while sipping a glass of wine.

Moleche: crabs caught as they shed their shells, fried and eaten whole in a single mouthful, claws, legs and all.

Fegato alla venexiana: the most famous Venetian dish made of delicious fried liver cooked with finely chopped onions.

Polpetine de carne: cold delicious meatballs, which are, according to the tradition, the ideal introduction for an appetizing dinner.

Vovi: hard-boiled eggs split into two and simply dressed with salt and pepper.

Pan con l’aciugheta: small slice of toasted and spiced bread with a little anchovy on it. A perfect reason to order another glass of wine…

Fritoin misto: a mix of different delicious fried fishes (calamary, shrimps, octopus) to the right compensation after a day spent walking around.

Sarde in saor: fried sardines marinated in vinegar and onion, with pine kernels, bay and raisins swollen in white wine according to the traditional recipe.

SMS Venice 2008

2008-06-28T18:22:31+02:00

Four exclusive date:
July 8th: Momix
July 9th: Elton John
July 14th: Giovanni Allevi
July 15th: Colore Brasile

SMS Venice is a multi-year project, which through a series of concerts and events happening in Saint Mark's Square from the 7th of July to the 21st of July, with many national and international artists, will promote a campaign to gather funds for the preservation of the Saint Mark's area, heritage of humanity.

http://smsvenice.com/

Public Fountains in Venice

2008-06-05T14:05:20+02:00

To Venice is born the initiative "100X100 public” it is an initiative for the consumption of the water of the faucet then against the consumption of the mineral water because the water of the aqueduct further to be a common good it is also super checked. The consumption of the mineral water engraves in heavy way on the family budget and we doesn't forget whether to recover and to digest the small bottles has a cost the objective of this promotion is not alone to decrease the costs but also the disposal of the refusals to make more slender. In the city there are well 122 small fountains, let's drink their water, let's not waste her/it!!!

23rd Venice Marathon Sunday October 26th 2008

2008-05-22T18:32:55+02:00

Start is located in Stra (a small country town about 25 km west of Venice), at the beginning of “Riviera del Brenta”, the beautiful riverside area where rich and noble Venetians built their vacation mansions in the 18th century.

The finish is in the historic centre of Venice, on the embankment named Riva Sette Martiri, in a scenic position facing the lagoon.

The first half of the race develops in a typical countryside landscape, following the course of the river in the “Riviera del Brenta”.

The marathon goes through the centre of Marghera and Mestre (i.e. the boroughs of the city of Venice located on the mainland), runs for 3 kilometers inside San Giuliano’s Park (the largest urban green area in Europe) and gets to Venice via the Liberty Bridge (a flat and straight bridge long just a little less than 4 kilometers).

The race proceeds in the Venice port area and reaches the city centre for the last kilometers, which are simply unique.

Marathoners run next to the Giudecca Canal to Punta della Dogana, where they cross the Grand Canal on a pontoon bridge, especially built for the race.

Passing by Piazza San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale, the marathon route gets to the finish line located in Riva Sette Martiri.

For info and registration visitwebsite: http://www.venicemarathon.it

Biennale Architecture

2008-05-05T19:05:55+02:00

OUT THERE - 11th International Architecture Exhibition

On May 5th, the President of the Venice Biennale, Paolo Baratta, and the Director of the Architecture section, Aaron Betsky, presented the 11th International Architecture Exhibition, Out There: Architecture Beyond Building, that will take place September 14th to November 23rd, 2008.
The preview will be on September 11th, 12th and 13th.

History
1975-2006

Biennale Architecture

11th International Architecture Exhibition
According to Aaron Betsky, the 11th Architecture Biennale "points out what should be an obvious fact: architecture is not building. Buildings are objects and the act of building leads to such objects, but architecture is something else. It is the way we think and talk about buildings, how we represent them, how we build them".
Alongside the main exhibition program, an international online competition, EveryVille 2008. Communities beyond Place, Civic consciousness beyond Architecture, is curated by Aaron Betsky and Francesco Delogu. The competition is open to students of all disciplines from Italian and foreign universities, who have not graduated by January, 1st 2008.

Biennale Architecture

The Architecture section of the Venice Biennale was established in 1980, although a few exhibitions had taken place since 1975 within the Art section. The 11th International Architecture Exhibition will take place September 14th to November 23rd 2008, curated by Aaron Betsky.

65th Venice International Film Festival

2008-05-05T18:59:34+02:00

The 65th Venice International Film Festival, organised by the Venice Biennale, will take place on the Venice Lido from 27th August to 6th September 2008. Marco Müller will be the director of the next edition, continuing the work he began in 2004. The line-up of the Festival will be presented in a press conference in Rome at the end of July. Check out the Regulations and the selection entry form to submit a film.

65th Venice Film Festival

Burn After Reading, written and directed by Academy Award® winners Joel and Ethan Coen, will open the 65th Venice Film Festival at Lido di Venezia, to be held from 27th August to 6th September 2008, directed by Marco Müller and organised by La Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The film, starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, and Brad Pitt, will be given its world premiere on the evening of 27th August in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema, following the opening ceremony of the 65th Venice Film Festival.

Biennale Dance 14th - 29th June

2008-05-05T18:44:57+02:00

BEAUTY - 6th International Festival of Contemporary Dance

The 6th International Festival of Contemporary Dance by the Venice Biennale will this year “talk about” beauty: with performances, workshops, meetings and a video installation accompanying the event, running from 14th to 29th June in Venice. With Beauty, the title of the Festival, director Ismael Ivo extends his research on the body, which characterised the preceding editions, and creates a new current for exchange between dance and the contemporary world.

6th International Festival of Contemporary Dance
Twelve performances – five of which to be world premiered –, a workshop whose results will be four new creations by young choreographers, and a video-installation visible for the whole duration of the festival: this is Beauty, the Venice Biennale’s 6th International Festival of Contemporary Dance, directed by Ismael Ivo. The festival will take place in the venues of the Venice Arsenale and at the Teatro Malibran. On 14th June, the event will be opened by a symposium in order to debate the theme of beauty with dancers and choreographers, as well as scholars, writers and journalists. On 17th June, the prestigious award for lifetime achievement, the Golden Lion, will be presented to the Prague-born artist Jirí Kylián, the choreographer and creative spirit of the Nederlands Dans Theater.

Dance section

The Dance section of the Venice Biennale was established in 1999 and directed by Carolyn Carlson in the period 1999-2002. In 2003, Frédéric Flamand was appointed as director, then followed Karole Armitage in 2004 and Ismael Ivo in the period 2005-2008.

For More information : http://www.labiennale.org/en/dance/

The Regata Storica September 7th 2008

2008-04-05T16:34:04+02:00

Water is the element that most characterises Venice and it is no coincidence that the most famous and spectacular festivity in the city takes place on the waters of the Grand Canal.

Even now the Regata Storica is one of the most spectacular, picturesque and moving events of Venetian life, capable of both charming the tourists and exciting the locals.

A historical procession commemorates the welcome given to Caterina Cornaro, wife of the King of Cyprus, in 1489 after she renounced her throne in favour of Venice. It is a procession of 16th century style boats, with the famous Bucintoro, the boat representing the Serenissima, at its head.

Then comes the competition. The spectators participate with gusto and shouts of encouragement during the sporting events

History

The earliest historical evidence of rowing races dates from the second half of the 13th Century. However, it is probable that similar events were already popular: Venice was essentially a seafaring city and ready reserves of expert oarsmen were a prime necessity.

The Regatta today

As the multi-coloured boats speed past thousands of spectators, crowded along the banks, or in the floating stands, or even better in one of the boats moored along the Canal, an incessant babble acts as the soundtrack to the competition.

The various competitions

Many different competitions take place within the Regata Storica: the champions regatta in "gondolini", the regatta in "caorline", the women's regatta in "mascarete", the young rowers' regatta in "pupparini".

The boats

Many different types of boats take part in the Regata Storica: the "gondolino", the "caorlina", the "mascareta", the "pupparin", and, of course, the gondola, the Venetian boat par excellence

The champions

The great rowing champions: the winners of the Historical Regattas of the last fifty years.

The Redentore Feast-day: July 18-19, 2008

2008-04-05T16:26:19+02:00

The Redentore is one of the Venetians' most treasured festivities, and is a tourist attraction thanks to the spectacular firework display in the evening.

It falls on the third Sunday in July, when Holy Mass is held in the presence of the Patriarch, followed by a religious procession.

But the special moment of the festivity takes place on Saturday night: with the unbeatable backdrop of Saint Mark's Basin, a play of lights and reflections produce a kaleidoscope of colours with the silhouetted spires, domes and bell towers of the city behind.

The weekend ends with a gondola regatta.

The plague

In the three years between 1575 and 1577 the Serenissima was tormented by the plague: aided by the high density of the population, the disease spread through the city, causing terrible losses. Almost 50,000 died, which was more than a third of the city's inhabitants.

The vow

On September 4, 1576, the Senate decided that the Doge should announce the vow to erect a church dedicated to the Redentore (Redeemer), in return for help in ending the plague.

The end of the plague

On July 13, 1577, the plague was declared definitively over and it was decided that the city's liberation from the terrible disease should be celebrated on the third Sunday in July.

The Redentore today

At sunset the well illuminated boats, decorated with boughs and coloured balloons, begin congregating in Saint Mark's Basin and the Giudecca Canal. In the boats people eat traditional food, waiting for the firework display, which begins at 11.30pm and lasts until after midnight.