Category: Venice, Murano

Here’s the best and worst of Carnival 2014, (Carnevale Venezia). We’ve put all the pictures together on youtube in a 12minute segment. It’s clear from these pictures that some days were better than others.
Watch on YouTube 

Maltempo & Aqua Alta

The weather did not cooperate nor did the high water. You can see from the pictures that many tourist were in those so very attractive plastic boots!  Best sellers for these days were? Boots and Umbrellas.

The crowd fell slightly due to the weather, and the hotels complained of cancellations, but there still were huge crowds, especially on days with a little sun.

The water soaked costumes are visible at times, as are the oh so grey skies. The final day, Martedi Grasso (Fat Tuesday) saw rain and high water at 1p.m. in San Marco. But by the closing ceremonies the water had receded and the carnival concluded as planned.

Favorite Scenes & Costumes:

In keeping with this years theme of fables of Europe and Italy, I think these guys get the prize. This is the big dilemma each year, create a costume to the theme or go with the classics. I think I favor the traditional, beautiful gowns from centuries ago.
IF you plan on entering the “Best Mask” contest, you’d better adhere to the theme. It requires lots of imagination and recent winners have mostly been art students.

Flight of the Turks, no the Angel, no make that Eagle
The history of the “flying” events for Carnival date back to the mid 16th century when a Turkish acrobat walked a rope from a boat tied up just outside San Marco to the top of the San Marco Bell Tower and on to the balcony on the Doge’s Palace in honor of the Doge.

Carolina Kostner: Flight of the Eagle

One of the highlights of this year’s event was Italy’s own Carolina Kostner, Bronze Metal Winner at the Sochi Olympics appearing in the Flight of the Eagle. She braved the wind and rain to glide across from the Bell Tower to the Stage. Thousands of people turned out to cheer for her, not only for surviving the flight but for her huge success in skating.

Fallen Angels – Oops!
In later days one of the acrobats was costumed in angel wings and flew along a rope, much like today, from the bell tower to the palace square. The Doge was so impressed that he renamed the event Flight of the Angel. However in 1759 an acrobat angel accidentally fell during the flight (guess the cables weren’t so good in those days). That was the end of the flying acrobats and instead of these talented fellows, wooden doves were used, not nearly so entertaining.

Angels Reinstated
2001 saw the Angels reinstated, times change and equipment is better to prevent (we hope) any “fallen Angels”.  For 2014, Julia Nasi, the winner of last year’s Marie Contest flew embracing the Doge to officially kick off the beginning of the festival.

Favorite Photo:
Has to be this couple standing at the water’s edge.

Flight of the Leone
The final day, the Flight of the Leone signals the end of the festivities. Don’t get excited, it’s not a real lion, rather the flag of the Republic of Venice, La Serenissima. And it is accompanied by the Venetians who are in the square singing very loudly in Veneziano.

How do you know Carnival is Over?
The Leone Flies and there are no more Fritelle – See You Next Year!

Google

Osteria Senza Oste but complete with Domatore
It begins in a small village in the Prosecco district of the Veneto (about 50km from Venice) situated in the very heart of the grape vines which produce the acclaimed Prosecco of Valdobbiadene. Amidst the valleys and hills lined with rows of the grape on a small dirt and gravel path is the incredible “Osteria Senza Oste“.

An osteria is a bar which serves simple food and local wines. It is one of the oldest types of eatery in Italy, with an Osteria in Bologna which dates back to the 14th Century. In earlier days, the Osteria often offered only wine with the guest bringing their own food. Today, they serve local specialties, in a simple but very warm atmosphere and there are several very good ones right inside Venice.
A Well-Beaten Path
This rustic Osteria happens to be in the shadow of one of our favorite wineries and we had seen it on previous visits, we had never visited. But last fall on a whim we took off the dirt trail to this inviting terrace high on the hills overlooking the Cartizze vineyards. The building of stacked stones is in the classic farm house of the region with a shelter for the animals attached to the house, where they were kept during the winter.

Got Milk?
As we got nearer, a cow along with her baby calf were in a stall and a donkey in another stall, both lined with beautiful straw and hay.

Against the opposite stone wall, an abundant supply of neatly stacked, freshly cut firewood awaited.

Inside the rustic house, it’s sparse yet inviting with small baskets of salami. There are bottles of local wines. On another table, free tourist information is available with brochures suggesting places of interest nearby. There is even a piggy bank to put your money. All on the honor system.

The door stood open and a warm fire crackled inside the simple house. A old, large and obviously well used kitchen table, with the customary oil table cloth,  was at the center of the room with small cabinets on the side. A ladder led to the upstairs loft, which really looked inviting.
Cards from Around the World
On the wall was thousands of business cards, post cards and notes. Completely entranced, I fumbled through my purse and placed the VenetianBeadShop.com card alongside those from all around the world.

Complete with Dormatori dei Leoni
Then I spotted the gentleman sitting in his wheelchair and greeted him. In this region, they speak the Fruili version of Veneziana so my friends from Venice were not sure I could communicate. But he spoke Italian with a slightly German accent. When he discovered we were from the San Francisco area, he immediately began with his story. He has a son who lives in San Francisco, a doctor whom he has not seen for years. (This proves the world is a small place).

He has a tragic story as he is a diabetic with many problems, including recent surgery and the loss of his wife and children. But he is very proud of his career with the circus. Yes the circus as a “domatore di leoni” (lion tamer), a couple of missing fingers left no doubt as to his profession. He had traveled extensively with a number of circus troops in the US, all over Europe and beyond. He entertained us with stories about his life and the circus. The stories were entrancing and a small view into a different world. He is not the owner of this quaint spot, he just spends his time at the cottage to meet people and to pass the time as he is retired. He lives in another small village a mile or so away with a population of under 100. 

Innocent Place OR Tax Evader?
It seemed such an idyllic place, you could sit at the table, take a glass of wine, eat a slice of prosciutto or local salami, leave your money in the piggy bank. Stay as long as you like, talk to the other people who wandered along the path. Sit on the terrace and look across the peaceful valley. People spoke to each other, how lovely, a cafe where everyone seemed to be free to enjoy, I think you’ll agree, the scenery is magnificent. It’s popularity spread only by word of mouth. It seems from another era. We all commented on how this kind of place could only exist in Italy.

Does this look like a Menu?
Well then the Italian Guardia di Finance, of Montebelluno decided to assert their power. This proves the old saying that “no good dead goes unpunished”. The Osteria, received a notice from the local government to close. It seems that whether or not you are in business to make money, you must have a proper permit and pay taxes. Though I seriously doubt they ever made any profit, with the average suggested price of .5 Euro – it will take lots of eggs to make a living.  However, the evidence as shown here of the little cards with suggested prices, is enough for the tax police.

Il Gazzettino & Nuova Venezia
The local papers published this insanity and a chorus of protest from all over Italy, and the world began pouring in. And a few hours later the new facebook site called “L’osteria Senz’oste Non Deve Chiudere“_or basically “You can’t close the Osteria” was alive and had over 4,000 friends in the first 24 hours, naturally we were among those who think it is shameful to close an establishment who makes no money, survives on the generosity of humans who can either give a donation or not and no one is there to collect the money.

But clearly, there must be several rules broken here and the bureaucracy must prevail….NO

You can read (google can translate) all the article, and comments at the following webpages. And please join the facebook plea for leniency for this place: Click Here to Visit FaceBook Page

Below are more pictures of the Osteria.  If you plan a visit in this area. Email us and we’ll give you the directions. However, much like Venice, it’s just plain fun to be lost and see where you end up – there are some things to be said for not having a gps and always knowing exactly where you are. The countryside is incredibly beautiful, lined with row upon row of grapes. It is along the Strada del Prosecco and right in the heart of the World War I sites, so plenty for a history buff as well.

Close Up of the Rustic Cottage.

Another spectacular view from the Osteria. Google

When our customers see our fabulous Murano Glass Beads, they always think about a shape that works for them. So one of the questions we get often is. Does it come in…..?

Well that Depends…

We have to stop and think because our bead makers don’t have a catalog with a finite list of what is made. Everything is made to order after we sit down with them and go over what we want, what worked on our last shipment and what we need to improve and we determine they have the tools and right glass to make the beads.And we write it down, we take pictures, we cross our fingers.

For anyone who tells you they go to Venice and handpick their beads, they are choosing from a selection of left-overs which either didn’t make it into the jewelry sold in Venice or was left over from a large buyer like us. It doesn’t make sense to store beads, it is easier to store canes and make the beads when you need them.

The Short Answer:

So for us the short answer is: It comes in anything we want to make.

Granted there are some things we make better than others. And to make it may involve having new tooling made by an old master. And there is the question of how many you want? It is not practical to develop a new tool for a few beads – unless it just is a really good idea.

Believe me 3d printing would be a blessing for us, it just hasn’t arrived in Murano yet (or maybe ever?). We purchase the tools for our beads in many cases, having them made in the old machine shops in Murano. They may not have the latest equipment, but they understand glass blowing and bead making.

Sample Cards:

What we all have are “sample” cards like the one on the right with lots of markups and additions. It’s not our invention, these date back as early as the Venetians began trading beads. 

We have our book of Moretti Colors and we hope that the next batch turns out to be the same color.  We study the canes and beads in the sunlight to be sure we have the right shade.

Some colors are always good. Red, well not so often. There is something totally unreliable about red. When it is really red, it is fabulous and it sparkles in the flame. But then without warning the next batch will turn dark as garnet.

We have shapes – they come from the tools lining the wall, so if we have the tool with a particular beadmaker, then the question is only decoration. 

Decorations:

There are of course the standard beads, 24kt Gold Foil Beads, .925 Sterling Silver Foil, White Gold Foil, Sommerso, Nuvola, Millefiori but even with these you must be sure you specify the correct Effetre color – or hope the bead maker know what color you last bought.

Bead Card Collections

Collectors of old beads all have these tattered and stained cards in their prized possession and they sell for very large sums among these collectors. Below is a card from a family in Venice dating back to the 18th Century.

Before the Internet?

How about before the telephone, the fax, when Murano gained a foothold in Africa. The great grandson of one of the early “African Trade Bead” business tells us the story of how this entrepreneur would receive a letter in Murano which had been traveling for 3 months having left Africa on a steamer.

Slow Boat to?

It would be a request for information. He would in turn send our several bead cards, again taking ~3 months to arrive and he would wait for a reply. Months later the written order would arrive and hopefully with the payment because international banking was still in its infancy. So an average order took 9 months to 1 year even to get on the books. There certainly were no “Returns” and a great deal of trust on both sides.

The development of the phone, fax and inter-bank transfers were a boon to this small, cottage industry.

To the right are a group of these antique Bead Cards when they were on display at Abate Zanetti in Murano.

So our Final Answer

Yes, it does come in that, how many do you want?
Google

Masks played an important role in the history of La Serenissima, the Republic of Venice and are synonymous with the Carnevale (Carnival) Festival whose roots are both religious and secular. A very orderly society, the ruling body of Venice, The Great Council had written rules on when the citizens could wear masks as early as 1339 a.d.

Masks were allowed by the Venetian Republic to be worn (1) between Santo Stefano (26 December) and Shrove Tuesday marking the beginning of Lent, (2) again on Ascension Day and (3) for the period of  5 October until Christmas.

With this number of days when one could wear a masks, the makers of the masks became important and were given their own guild in 1436 a.d.  

The masks were essential in the politics of La Serenissima, for hidden behind the masks, everyone was allowed a voice, not only to voice their political points, but often to tattle on their neighbors or enemies or used to spy. Behind the masks, servants and ordinary citizens could speak their mind without fear. You might say that the masks were the original vehicle for free speech, not written into law, yet protected by the anonymous.

In the 13th Century, the Great Council made it a crime to throw eggs. Persons wearing masks were forbidden to gamble or to wear false beards. In later centuries, Women were required to wear masks at the theatre. These we known as Dama and had only holes for eyes, presumably to keep the ladies from speaking (or eating and drinking) and guaranteed complete anonymity. Worn with a scarf, it is impossible to recognize a person. Earlier, they had little straps which the lady used her teeth to hold, so for sure she wasn’t talking.

The tradition of Carnevale and the masks was lost when Venice surrendered to Napoleon and the Treaty of Campo Formio was signed in 1797. The 60 years of Austrian domination began in 1798 when Venice was handed over to the Austrians. The years that followed must have seemed dreary and unimaginative to the Venetians right up through World War I and World War II. It was not until the early 1980s when students began making masks that the tradition revived. A rebirth of a 500 year old tradition which today counts for untold millions of Euro each year in sales and for sure outdoes any costumes and masks from the early days.

Today at Carnevale you can see an unlimited variety of masks, including Gold Filigree, Leather, and Metals in addition to the classic Paper Mache. They are decorated with laces, sequins, feathers and gold or silver. There are several masks that you see repeatedly during Carnevale and for sale in all stores and whether inexpensive, made in China or hand made in the small alleyways of Venice, they are steeped in the local history.

The Bauta is probably the most common mask. It is one piece with lots of space for a large nose and to allow the wearer to eat and drink, an important consideration, without removing it and revealing your identiy. Not a good idea if you were voicing opposing view than the Great Council, or Council of Ten as the Venetians called it. It was worn by both women and men and generally with a long back cape called a “Taborro” and a 3 sided hat called a “Tricorn”.

Today the masks are ever evolving, more creative, more decorative as materials are more readily found. Imagine the limited items available in the 1500s to produce a mask.  A mask maker’s laboratory is floor to ceiling lace, sequins, gold ribbons and the ever present glue gun and rivet machine.

Popular in recent years is the Vivaldi Mask which pays tribute to the city’s great Musician.And you will find these around Venice, here you see a completed mask as well as all the pieces needed to make the Vivaldi masks. Each mask must have each of these pieces placed on the mask by hand. Making masks Venetian Style is all handwork, there are no machines which can do the delicate painting, put the feathers just right or cut the holes for the eyes so they have expression.

Once the Carnival committee announces the theme for the festival, there is a mad rush to design appropriate masks. The ideas stem from artist concepts and each year there are new designs.

The production of the mask begins with the creation of a mould and a very absorbent, rather stiff paper. Once it is dry, the edges must be trimmed and the eyes cut. Then layers of paint are applied and finally the decorations.  The entire process takes about 2-3 days and smells of glue and paint.

Everyone has heard of the famous books on murder mysteries in Venice, “Death in Venice” and “Vaporetto 13” or the many books by Edward Sklepowich. Donna Leon has made Commissario Brunetti famous in her murder mysteries with Venice as the backdrop. But in keeping with the “life is stranger than fiction” a recent episode or “giallo” in Venice is too strange not to write about it.

TAXI?

It all began with a discovery driver of a water taxi in the small canal where he docks his boat on the island of Lido. He saw something bobbling in the water and upon closer look it was a body. The police arrived and along with the firemen and pulled out the body of a young woman, completely nude – except for a necklace. (This is not a clue.)

This was at 1:30 am on Monday. It was immediately determined that (1) she had not thrown herself into the canal and (2) that she had not died from drowning and (3) that she was not a local, and not a tourist in a local hotel.

So began what was a mystery and one of the fastest solved crimes in the history of Venice. It was a poorly disguised murder.

MISSING PERSON:
The first clue came when a woman was reported missing in Milano, had been seen on Saturday there and was reported missing by her roommates, a couple from India. Ah!

But how did she get to Venice as by now we know several important factors. (1) The corner declares she has been dead for about 48 hours, which puts the time of death on Saturday. (2) She was reported missing on Sunday. (3) She had been in the canal for only a couple of hours. (4) She did not come to Venice on her on.

We all know there are cameras everywhere, train stations, bus stations, vaporetto stops. So this starts to narrow down things a bit.

The police in Milano visit the roommates to get more information. Their story changes, she had been drinking, there was a fight, first one and then the other one took responsibility.

Then the security cameras gave a clue – there on the video was the couple getting off the vaporetto on the island of Lido with a very large suitcase. Then about 2.5 hours later, they were seen boarding the vaporetto returning from Lido to Venice, but without the suitcase.

So by the following weekend, the two were in jail and a complete details of this murder were known. Probably one of the fastest crimes solved in the history of Italy.

The young lady is a native of Iran. She was a student at an art academy in Milano, was sharing an apartment with the couple, a tiny studio. When the tight quarters and lack of privacy had become unbearable to the lady, she decided to move out and asked for her deposit back. An argument ensued and she was killed.

That’s Saturday! They discussed how to dispose of her body and removed her clothing, though why they did not remove the necklace is yet to be answered.

PLANNING A TRIP:

They bought a suitcase and folded her into the suitcase.

Now it is Sunday. They went to Milano Centrale, the main station in Milano with intentions to dump her into the lake at Lake Como. But….when they arrived there were “too many people”.

ALL ABOARD:

They again boarded the train with the lady in the suitcase, this time back to Milano and had another thought because they still needed to dispose of the body. They bought a ticket for Venice. What’s more natural than a couple headed to Venice with their luggage.

(The irony of this is that if they had left the suitcase unattended for 5 minutes in Milano, someone would have stolen it and their problem would have been solved!)

A RIDE ALONG THE GRAND CANAL:

Why Venice? The young man had worked for a short time as a waiter on Lido and presumably felt there were fewer people, which is true in off-season. They arrived at Santa Lucia station in Venice and took the vaporetto with the suitcase, presumably the #1 along the romantic Grand Canal a trip which takes about 40-50 minutes, where they are seen by the video cameras arriving with the suitcase on Lido.

So they have now taken the body by train in a large suitcase from Milano to Lake Como, back to Milano(about 1 hour each way) and then to Venice (which is about 3-4 hours by train). They hastily disposed of the body in a shallow canal not too far from the vaporetto stop and to their misfortune, very close to the water taxi stand.

What did they do then – stroll around Lido? Well eventually they took the vaporetto back to the train station. However, it was late, about 2ish in the morning and there were no more trains to Milano that night (Actually the body was discovered about the time they reached the train station.) Security cameras have captured their departure in the taxi.

 They walked to Piazzale Roma and they hired a taxi driver (car) to take them back to Milano. The cost: 650 Euro or roughly $900 US. Do you think the taxi driver remembered them (3-4 hours in the car on the A-4)? He was probably still boasting to all his buddies about this exorbitant taxi ride when the police found him to question him.

A WELL-PLANNED ESCAPE:

The police discovered their necessity to return to Milano at such haste and expense. They had thousands of Euro hidden in their apartment. And they had also booked tickets back to their homeland for Tuesday with a flight out of Milano. And by now I think they had to buy another suitcase!

BEWARE LARGE SUITCASES:

I do not think I will ever look at a large suitcase on the vaporett or  train in quite the same light.Google

Traveling can be frustrating especially in foreign cities where you may have trouble with the language. We found several apps that our local friends have to make our lives easier in Venice, knowing when the next vaporetto arrives and in traveling by train to other parts of Italy. But before you go, there are some other apps to help you.   Remember to download the apps (or update) before you go, so you won’t be wasting your minutes. The ones listed below are all free.

Venice is a bit like a maze in the daytime, at night, well it is like a maze but you are blindfolded! We recommend taking some time to get an overview of the area, being sure to have written the phone number of your hotel, the address and the closest vaporetto stop. Here are some apps that will make you look like a local.

I am sure there’s a job for us giving out directions in Venice if our bead business ever bores us!

Choose your airline seat wisely. Today you can find so much information on line, SeatGuru will give you the layout of the plane and help you choose a seat so you can sleep.

Today it’s impossible (or so it seems) for us to be unattached to an internet for any period of time. Make the best of the free WiFi in any city with this handy app. The beauty of this app is that it doesn’t require you to be online to use it. Remember to download the latest data to your phone or other device before you leave home. However remember to be careful logging onto a free WiFi.

Getting around Venice. You wouldn’t be the first tourist to find the boats going back and forth to be a bit confusing. We all know the boats we take daily, but to go to a spot we don’t go often, this is the app that we use. It will give you the next departure time and intermediate stops.

Finally, the app that lets you know what shoes to wear! If you see black walking shoes, then you are in the clear and there will be no high water (acqua alta). This app was developed with the collaboration of the Instituzione Centro Previsione e Segnalazione Maree of Venice (ICPSM) and gives you the forecast for the following 2 days. 

As the streets of Venice are at different heights above (or below) sea level, you have the choice of looking at a number of locations. San Marco Square is among the lowest and will begin flooding very quickly. Venice has 2 tides each day, so if you are going to be out several hours, you will need to look at the forecast for the day.

Download these apps from for your device:

SeatGuru, WiFi Finder, iVenice, hi!tide Venice
Google