Venice Aug. 10-12

Sunday, August 10-12

We returned to the Biennale to see the other major exhibit, Monditalia.

On the way, we passed the modest, local HQ of the Communist Party.

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Also, on the subject of maintenance:  The rainspouts of this part of the Arsenale are clogged, so the water collects and seeps out slowly.  The very porous brick now sports several vertical gardens:

 In Leslie's view, the Monditalia part of tne Architecture Biennale was not a success, despite some interesting subject matter.  There was too much movement, too much sound. There were screens hanging all over the place with film clips with no discernible theme and a loud cacophony of competing sounds.  The whole gave a sense of chaos.  The signs were remarkable for their jargon laden incoherence.

This is typical:

There were some interesting exhibits by the individual countries.  This one from Chile on precast reinforced concrete panels, with models from  around the world covering many decades:

The USSR gave Chile a concrete panel factory during the Salvador Allende era.  Eventually,  170,000,000 panels have been deployed around the world.  The first panel, signed by Allende, is on the right:

Dinner at Ristorante San Stephano:  Veal tonnato, spaghetti with tomato sauce (perhaps the best I have had)  and a bardolino rose.

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Aug. 11, Monday

San Zaccaria (father of St. John the Baptist) church is pretty close to San Marco.  Tomb:

Tintoretto’s Adam and Eve receiving Christ after the resurrection:

The choir stalls feature beautifully abstract designs in marquetry:

Some details on the San Marco exterior:

Next the St. Mark’s we found the tomb of Daniele Manin.  Manin led Venice in the unsuccessul 1848 revolution.  The prominence of this memorial attests to the very highest regard to which he is held, here and in Italy generally.   His grandfather was a convert from Judaism to Catholicism in 1759:

There is a Piazza named after him, too, with a very large statute.

We revisited the Guggenheim, this time studying a few works with the audioguide.  

Here’s a work by William Baziotes,  a new artist for us:

Bruce also went back through the temporary exhibit, For your Eyes Only, the collection of Richard and Ulla Dreyfus-Best.

A very small Bosch Last Judgment:

Dinner splurge -- a Beccaficio.  Leslie had veal marsala; Bruce had bronzino in a safron seafood sauce.  We should have recorded the wines.  Leslie had red Trentin;  Bruce had an expensive glass of Istria white (wine of Casanova).  Unlimited very good limoncello.

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Tues, August 12

Several lesser known sites today.

First, the Scuola della Dalamati.  The Dalmation Coast was colonized by Venice and there was a community of Dalmatians here.   Their small guildhall is not even mentioned in some guidebooks.  In contrast, the Michelin green guide gave it a top-rated 3 stars.  It features frescoes by Carpaccio dealing with SS George, Jerome and Tryphon.  The scuola, circa 1500, is in mint condition and certainly deserves a visit.

In 1950 there was an exhibit of Carpaccio’s works here in Venice.  There is a popular dish  in the northern parts of Italy of streak, very thinly cut, with “rocket” (arigula) and shavings of parmigiano cheese.  Because the color of the raw beef  is sort of reminiscent of the reddish colors that so often appear in Carpaccio’s paintings,  the meat dish was nicknamed “Carpaccio.”  Today, Carpaccio dishes can be any raw, thinly sliced meat, fish, or even vegetable.  

No photos allowed in the scuola.    This detail, from the net, conveys something of the colors that are infused in Carpaccio’s palate:

Next, we went to the Greek Orthodox church, founded here in 1514.  It is closed to tourists until September.  But the museum was open.  A lot of very fine icons, with a lot of Italian influence.  But no photos.

Lunch at ae Spezie: Pasta with porcini an shrimp; pasta with lamb sauce.  Bianca di Custoza; Pinot Nero (Valle) Friuli Venezia Julia.

Finally, the church of San Giovanni in Bragora, the church where Vivaldi was baptized in 1741.

The altarpiece by Cima da Conegliano is especially well done:

Dinner:  take out salami sandwiches and a good Bardolino.