Looks like we have lucked out with another really nice fall day. The rain is not forecast to come in until this evening........and the sun should be out for most of the day. We decided to take off on a birthday adventure to the back streets of Castello.......making sure to find the Chiesa di Santa Maria Miracoli. We agreed the pace would be easy, with multiple 'birthday' cappucini along the way!
That being stated as a goal, we ended up stopping several times for coffee and lunch, and still managed to accumulate 12,835 steps.......or 5.4 miles over the course of the day. This was our longest jaunt yet! I think we had 5 separate vaporetto boat rides connecting the steps! (be warned......lots of steps means lots of photos!)
There are some interesting pieces artwork on the grounds of the foundation. This is one we walk by in the morning......fascinating. We will try to add more in future pages.
Fun view from the vaporetto stop looking towards San Marco.
Cannot resist a few images of our 'erosion and layering' series. It is somewhat connected to my research topic on 'Compositional Duality.'
The omnipresent impact of tourist paraphernalia is inescapable.......and is somewhat intriguing with its patterns and colors, and not too far removed from the decay and layering of the masonry above. We thought it might be fun to try to find some interest in the realilty here.......including later photos here which capture the energy of store windows and their reflections.
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| A Saturday wedding at Santa Maria Formosa |
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| our first stop for a cappucino and a machiato |
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see the crazy gargoyle in the background! |
CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEI MIRACOLI
Also known as the "marble church", it is one of the best examples of the early Venetian Renaissance including colored marble, a false colonnade on the exterior walls (pilasters), and a semicircular pediment. The organization Save Venice Inc. restored the church over a period of seven years, from 1990 to 1997 (after several years of preliminary research). The treatments focussed on the marble sheeting and sculptural decoration of both the exterior and interior of the church. The marble cladding contained 14% salt, and was on the point of bursting, when restorers began the desalination and cleaning process. All marble cladding was removed, and cleaned in stainless steel tanks, in a solution of distilled water. Additionally, the campaign worked in the coffered ceiling, which was made up of fifty-two wooden panels depicting saints and prophets. The cleaning led to the rediscovery of frescoes of sibyls on the spandrels of the ceiling. Nearly every part of the church was examined and treated, including the intarsia doors in the presbytery, the bronze statues and candelabra of the high altar, and the wooden panel of the Madonna from which the church got its name.
And as we wander through the Saturday markets of Castello and San Marco, this rather interesting display of Venetian glass caught our eye........what were they thinking about limoncello?
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| lots of people at the Rialto Bridge! |
FINALLY......LUNCH.......although probably not as delicious as the pastries!......watching our diet!
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La Fenice Theater  Hotel Flora where we stayed........may years ago!    BACK ON SAN GIORGIO     BIRTHDAY DINNER AT THE BELMOND CIPRIANI......what a treat! a wonderful combination of everything that birthdays should celebrate! ......not too crowded......romantic.....live piano and guitar music.....great food and drinks.......anazing......and irreplaceable companionship......        |