Venezia, day 2 – museums and churches

In Venice there are lots of little narrow calli.

They open into little squares (campielli) - very pretty, and all the bridges too. The wrought iron and windows really draw me, including these little shrines that appear all over the city.

Obviously, as this was my research trip, I have a lot of pics of windows and palazzi (which will amalgamate into my fictional palazzo). This is one of them in the San Polo area.

After wandering through the Rialto, we visited the Museo di Storia Nationale (natural history museum, which was beautifully presented. I was really impressed by the dinosaur footprints set under glass in the floor as well as the remains of an 11-metre long ancestor of the crocodile, and a rather gruesome mummy.

The museum is housed in the old Turkish warehouse (Fondaco dei Turchi).

Ruskin campaigned for its restoration in the 1850s and apparently very little is original. I rather liked it, though. Especially this window.

Stopped for lunch near the church of San Polo (son has decided that he likes pizza, provided it's proper Italian pizza), then finally my research team let me buy a chorus pass. The church of Santo Polo (dating to the 9th century) was beautiful, full of bas-reliefs and lots of paintings: very different from a medieval English church (where the paintings tend to be wall-paintings and much paler, and obviously most of the colour comes from the glass - here, it's the shape of the leads that's interesting but no staining, probably because that would interfere with the colours of the paintings inside.




Then to Santa Maria Glorioso dei Frari. Son tiptoed over to tell me that he was blown away by the architecture.



Titian's Assumption is over the altar here and there are also monuments to Canova, and to Titian.







Oh, and another window, because I can't resist it. This is Venetian 'bottle glass' - I guess the nearest to English glass, tinted very pale purple and rose and green and gold. (This doesn't stuff up my book, though - it just stops me making a really, really elementary mistake!)

Venezia, day 2 – The Rialto

We crossed lots and lots of bridges


and finally made it to see the Rialto, which is probably the most famous of the three bridges spanning the Grand Canal and was also the only one where you could cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Accademia bridge was built in 1854. (I did take a pic with a better angle later in the week. But this was our first view.)


The bridge replaced various wooden bridges on the site - one was destroyed by the Tiepolo army in 1310, and one collapsed in 1444 when the crowd gathered to watch the wedding procession of the Marquis of Ferrara. The city officials considered proposals for the Rialto bridge for sixty years (yes, sixty), including ones by Palladio and Michaelangelo, but the job was eventually given to Antonio da Ponte (very apt name). It's all marble, and shiny where tourists leaned on it and rough on the half nearest the water where they don't tend to reach. We saw an interesting-looking craft here.



But I guess this wouldn’t be complete without the touristy view of the Grand Canal.


And then we wandered through the old market, full of fruit and veg (including some tiny wild strawberries, which Madam and I were eyeing up).

And then there was the fish market. The fish market was amazing; the fishmongers had a red metal watering can and kept the produce cool and glistening by pouring water over it.

It's the only place I've ever seen baby octopi for sale.


Oh, and in a café I spotted a Venetian glass chandelier.


And Madam spotted more mask shops.


At midday, all the bells in all the churches ring – it’s utterly beautiful. There were also men wandering the streets playing accordions (I thought that was French influence, but maybe not). We discovered a lovely chocolate shop - they sold chocolate in the shape of Venetian masks and also gianduja. (I would’ve taken pics but they were scoffed before I could do so!)

Venezia, day 2 – the Campanile and a little window-shopping

On Wednesday morning, we had breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Grand Canal. This was the view from our table (and if you look to the right from here, you'll see the view from the front of the AA Citypack guidebook - DH spotted that one).


It was gorgeous sitting there in the sun, drinking coffee and freshly squeezed ruby orange juice, and eating croissants.

Because the day was glorious, we knew that the views from the bell tower would be good, so our first stop that morning was the 90-metre-high Campanile. Originally, it was a combined lighthouse and bell tower (when the Piazzetta was the city harbour) and there were five bells - the Marangona for the beginning and end of the working day, the Trottiera to tell the Maggior Consiglio to go to the chamber, the Nona for midday, the Mezza Terza for a Senate session, and the Renghiera (also known as the Maleficio) to give notice for an execution. If you were a 'person of scandalous behaviour', you could be stuck in a cage that was hauled up the tower (and if you were lucky you'd be let out after a few days).

This is where Galileo demonstrated his telescope.

We went up to the top by lift (though apparently Emperor Frederick III rode his horse up the internal ramp - oh, and the first time Goethe saw the sea was from here). The tower was rebuilt after it collapsed on 14 June 1902 (nobody was hurt and apparently the bricks tell so neatly that the only real damage was to the end wall of the library).

The bells themselves are fascinating.

And the views were indeed fantastic. (Just look at the colour of the sea.)

There are two marble lions outside the Basilica, built in the 18th century, and apparently they're the first thing children make a beeline for. Someone was sitting on one of them as we walked past, and the smallest member of my research team was desperate to do the same…



Then we decided it was time to head to a different quarter of the city – and on the way we did some window-shopping, We headed under the Torre dell'Orologio (Horological Tower - built 1496-1506)

and through to the main shopping area (this is the quickest way to the Rialto); and in those streets we discovered exactly what Venice is really famous for.

Glassware (this is gorgeous, especially that blue bowl, but you’re looking at 4-figure sums for the pieces here).


Fabric – silk, damask, velvet, and I absolutely love the blue-and-gold designs.


And masks.

My favourites were the ones made from wire. Littlest utterly loved them (except, being a writer-in-training, she came up with a few spooky thoughts involving the jester and doctor masks…). Obviously proper masks are made from papier mache and painted – one of the mask-makes told me that four coats of enamel/varnish will make a mask as strong as wood.

And there are lots of expensive shops – all kinds of designer names. Including one that made the boys a tad excited.

Venezia, day 1 – getting our bearings

We spent the afternoon wandering round – starting with San Marco Piazza (a 2-minute walk from our hotel, if that) and seeing the Basilica for the very first time.


Then we wandered to the end of the square and turned round to see just how huge the Campanile (bell tower) is.
Finding your way around Venice is pretty confusing at first, but then we started to get our bearings. It's really strange how some parts are heaving and then only 100 steps away the calle are empty. The architecture is beautiful; I particularly love the bridges, and the way the water is reflected on the arch underneath the bridge.



We found our way through to the Ponte dell'Accademia (Accademia bridge); of the three bridges that cross the Grand Canal, this one's the nearest. The Austrians built an iron bridge there in 1854 but, when the larger vaporetti couldn't get under it, it was replaced by a wooden bridge in 1932. This was meant to be a temporary bridge, but a steel substructure was put in and it's now permanent.

This was the ‘WHEN are we going to stop for gelati?’ moment from youngest research team member. (Answer: now…)

We've enjoyed window shopping - the art and glass here are gorgeous. Madam was desperate for a mask and we had fun buying one in Dorsoduro (cough, not vocab I knew, and the shopkeeper spoke no English, but we muddled through between us - the people here are lovely, very friendly).

Then it was time for gelati - cacao (choc) for son, fragola (strawberry) for DH and Madam, and nocciola (hazelnut) for Madam and me. (Her first one was served in a cone and she likes hers in a tub, so there were some tears until Daddy ate the cone part and Mummy bought her una copetta).

I didn't have enough time to brush up my Italian properly before we came away, but I'm surprised by how quickly it's coming back. The waiter in the trattoria where we had dinner tonight was very complimentary when I ordered dinner and managed to tell him who wanted what, which really chuffed me.

Had another wander round after dark; Venice is glorious.


I loved seeing Venus over Venice (not a brilliant pic but that white blob is indeed the planet). There is a family joke about my bestest aunt texting me the news that my cousin had just got engaged 'in Venus' and was 'over the moon' (bless her - that's a spelling mistake that always, always makes me smile, because in that case it was so appropriate!). So as soon as we spotted Venus, DH came out with, 'Do you remember that text?'

The canals are turquoise by day but inky at night; and the Piazza San Marco is wonderful, all lit up.

String quartets and grand pianos play under pergolas outside the caffes (Quadri and Florian, the two oldest coffee houses in the city - with stratospheric prices to go with it).


Oh, and did I mention that our hotel was next door to a famous landmark? (We didn’t have a Bellini there, simply because the children were too young… otherwise we might’ve been tempted!)



And so, after a stroll along the Grand Canal (having walked 30k steps on our first day in Venice), to bed.

Venezia, day 1 – arrival and the hotel

The kids really loved their first flight. We saw the Alps, which blew both children away.

Then we had a nice easy landing at Venice. We took a water taxi from the airport, which the kids also enjoyed thoroughly (and thanks to Michelle Styles for giving me that tip beforehand - it was definitely worth paying for a private motorboat).

It was a bright and sunny morning and the lagoon was calm, so our first sight of La Serenissima was magical, with the water sparkling.

And then we turned away from the main waterways, through little narrow canals and under bridges - and Venezia had us under her spell immediately.

Our hotel was lovely - very swish!

This is our room, with a lovely wide bed (a shade under 6 feet).

And our bathroom (well, a bit of it), all in sand-coloured granite. Best of all: big, soft, fluffy towels. (That's the mark of a decent hotel. Ones that give you tiny towels... no, ta.) They even had an umbrella for guests' use in the wardrobe.

The hotel is a real mix of the old and new; the reception area (see later) is very modern and we had a view of its glass roof from our corridor, but the hotel itself is an ancient palazzo that originally belonged to the Dandolo family (as in the Doge) and hosted the first 'Ridotto Pubblico' there in 1638 (i.e. it was where nobles and commoners went for 'pleasure and intrigue'. One man in particular thought this was the ideal place for his conquests - a certain Giacomo Casanova.

This is the Ridotto ballroom.

The ceiling was just incredible.

And, once we'd unpacked, we went exploring - of which, more tomorrow.

a hundred thousand steps in Venice... and a few unexpected ones in Milan

Had a wonderful time in Venice (until our departure, which was a whole big adventure all in itself). It's a tad chilly in England (12 degrees here today and it was 23 in Venice on Friday), but LOVELY to be home.

I'd actually rate this as the best trip of my entire life: the people were lovely, the staff in our hotel were kind and helpful, the accommodation was really comfortable and the food was good, and the sights were unbelievably beautiful. Am glad we waited until the kids were old enough to enjoy it, and am also glad we did it the expensive way (posh hotel) for their first trip abroad - I wanted it to be something they'd remember their whole lives. (They will. And they'll also remember the opposite extreme, on the way home!)

Some of the things we did were terribly touristy, but definitely worth doing. And Venice by night just HAS to be seen. I've never, ever seen anything so glorious.

Discovered that my SD card holds 350 pics, so it's just as well that I took a spare!

And yes, we really did do that many steps. I had the pedometer with me, because I'm nerdy and I wanted to know. I ate lots and lots and LOTS of gelati; I had lots of carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, risotto, polenta - well, hey, if you're going to break the low-carb rules for four days, you might as well break them and enjoy it); and I lost 5.5lbs while I was out there.

Over the coming few days, I will be telling all about Venezia and the wonderful things we experienced (with photos - though not all of them as I'm sure you don't want to see my research photos of palazzi, glass and other little things that caught my eye).

And I will also be telling all about our unexpected journey across Italy on Friday, when we'd figured on going home but had to travel 175 miles westwards instead!

arrivederci

Current work: FINISHED! (please don’t ask about the next deadline)
Listening to: Muse
Reading: Kimberly Raye, A Body to Die For (whoo, going to get the others in the series now as this was seriously GOOD); Jill Shalvis, Flashpoint (Jill’s always a reliably good read with a great heroine and a gorgeous hero)

Am highly relieved to say that the revisions are now done and off my desk – and hopefully that means they’re dusted and won’t come back to haunt me. (Worked out at 30k new stuff, sigh. And it’s a killer doing that in less than 10 days when I have meetings, dental appointments and more than the usual number of errands to run in the same timespace. Where is all my time going? There’s a black hole somewhere, and it’s not just the Muse album I’ve been overplaying.)

And I am off to scoff my entire body weight in gelati at La Serenissima. Full report next week. Oh, yeah, better go pack ;o)

Have a nice week – and I will leave you with a YouTube link to the wedding song for this book. (I might have mentioned this before. But I love this and now have to suck up to DH so he’ll get it for me on iTunes – as he did for another track I really, really like but don’t want the whole album. This one. Which just so happens to have been written in the place I’ll be exploring in a few hours’ time…)

hard day’s night

Current work: Revisions
Listening to: Muse, Radiohead and Josh Groban (aka playlist for current book)
Reading: Barbara Samuel, Lady Luck’s Map of Vegas (enjoyed very much)

Yeah, you know the Beatles song. That’s what I’m doing right now. Working like a dog ;o)

Have picked up Euros, found out where the Murano trip leaves from, bought spare SD card for camera and checked it, bought waterproof jacket, written packing list, had naughty trip into Sonkai on the grounds that researching #46 means working on it and therefore can buy appropriate Pandora bead, made kids check they have everything for next week (and had to go into town with them to pick up last-minute bits)… and in between have been working on the revisions.

They MUST be done before my research trip. No excuses.

I did however take time out to see Ashes to Ashes (interesting) and Dr Who (thought Matt Smith did a fabulous job and I like the new sarky edge; and I do like Amy Pond, though wish they’d kept her name as Amelia as it’s lovely - really enjoye dthe little in-jokes and nods to the past, and I think the series is going to go from strength to strength - AND we get the angels back, yay! I will be seeing angels next week, oh joy).

Righty. Back to work. Fuelled by half a glass of pinot grigio. Sing after me… ;o)

April Fool’s, end of term and exciting news

Current work: Revisions
Listening to: Muse, Radiohead and Josh Groban (aka playlist for current book)
Reading: Shirley Wells, Where Petals Fall (finished last night –worked very, very well, and now I can’t wait to read The Broken Circle (which is on my desk as a carrot))

Today is the end of term, so I have to cram in a lot today. Like picking up Euros, buying the last-minute bits we need for Venice, going to the bank – getting some work done, arrgh – and being sociable. I could still do with that time machine.

How to make an almost-teenager grumpy: do the usual morning ‘pretend their door is a guitar and play Voodoo Chile in knocks until they get up’ (yes, really – one knock isn’t enough, and constant knocking is boring, so I pick a song to make it more interesting), then tell them sweetly that school’s cancelled today. ‘Really?’ Then they wake up fully and groan. ‘Oh, wait, it’s April 1.’ And then they go into the most enormous strop… (I think that might cost me in chocolate.)

I have some really exciting news, but I can’t share it yet :o) (And I know, I hate it too when authors do that… tell you they have news but they can’t say anything. Apologies for teasing but I’m a tad excited.) What I can say is that it’s PR for my publisher, and it’s in one of my favourite places in the world, and it’s later this summer. And I’m chuffed to bits that I was asked.

Not just because it’s utterly cool. Y’see, I’m having lunch with my editor next month. Most authors, when pressed, will admit that if their ed asks them to come to lunch, their first thought is ‘OMG, they’re going to tell me they don’t want my books any more…’ – and I’m no exception, even though I know that I plan my work a year in advance and it’s the time of year when I start thinking about what I want to write over the next year, and it’s sensible to include my ed in the planning process. (The words ‘gelati’ and ‘Capri’ have been floating around for a while – and no, Capri isn’t the PR, it’s a research trip that I’m planning for my wedding anniversary, if I can get the timing right – but that’s as far as I’ve got right now.)

Anyway. I need to put a lid on my excitement and knuckle down to some work. After I’ve nipped into town and done all the errands. Oh, and I’m going to be lazy and buy dinner from M&S tonight – we’re out tonight (so I can’t do the errands after school, as I had originally planned) so I’m grabbing some work time back.