Portrait of Doge Ludovico Manin
On May 12th 1797 Ludovico Giovanni Manin (1725-1802) entered the annals of history by becoming the last doge of Venice.
 "Venice is one of the world's supreme cat-cities", writes Jan Morris in her influential book on the city. Venice may have been "a metropolis of cats" in 1960 when Morris wrote the book, it certainly isn't today. There are dogs aplenty, but the cats seem to have left town.  Harry's Bar It is the most famous bar in Venice and how it came into being is the stuff of legend.  Palla d'Oro, Dogana da Mar The statue on the Dogana da Mar (Custom's House) has long been a favourite of mine.  San Samuele San Samuele belongs to a small club of Venetian churches that are dedicated to Old Testament prophets. Until recently it also belonged to a much larger group of churches that are never open!  The garden of the Palazzo Soranzo Cappello Henry James' biographer, Leon Edel, called Venice "one of the greatest topographical love affairs of James' life."  Alla Testa d'Oro The next time you are plying your way along the busy Salizada Pio X, the short street which leads to the Ponte di Rialto, keep an eye open for the golden head. It is all that remains of Alla Testa d'Oro, an ancient pharmacy, which sold a rather unusual 'medicine'.  Plaque to Casanova, Calle Malipiero Calle Malipiero lies in a quiet and secluded part of the parish of San Samuele. On April 2nd 1725 one of the Venetian Republic's most famous citizens was born in a house in the calle, which was then known as Calle della Commedia. Unfortunately, we don't know which house it was, as the plaque informs us.
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was baptised in the nearby church of San Samuele, where his parents had married the year before.  Entrance to the Arsenal In Venice he is remembered for his military victories against the Turks, but in the world at large Francesco Morosini (1619-94) is remembered for quite a different reason.  Campo del Ghetto Nuovo The first Jewish Ghetto in the world was established in Venice exactly 500 years ago. On March 29th 1516 the Republic of Venice decreed that 'li giudei debbano abitar unidi' (the Jews must live together in a single place).
 Burano is often called the island of lace (L'isola dei merletti) and, according to a rather charming tale, the origins of its lace-making may be traced back to an ancient encounter between a fisherman and a siren.  If you look over the rooftops of the city from a high vantage point, such as the bell tower of St Mark's, you will see a curious round brick tower decorated with a series of white arches.  Palazzo Giustinian Jumping off the balcony of your hotel room into the Grand Canal is not the conventional way to behave on your honeymoon, but that is exactly what George Eliot's husband, John Cross, did on the morning of June 16th 1880.  Palazzo Ducale If you stand in the Piazzetta San Marco and look at the upper arcade of the Palazzo Ducale, you will see that two columns stand out as being a different colour!  Squero di San Trovaso Squero is the Venetian word for a boatyard and once upon a time there would have been hundreds of squeri in Venice; today, few remain. The Squero di San Trovaso, which dates back to the 17th century (with later additions and alterations), is one of the few.  Street Shrine, Ca' Rezzonico Venice cannot compete with Rome in the range and opulence of its street shrines (which are known in Venice as capitéli), but it does have a type which I have never seen in the Eternal City. |
