Firstly I realised last night that I had completely missed a day in my narrative. So yesterday we went to Murano but the day before I missed completely I think. This was when we went to 2 lovely islands, Torcello and Burano. Torcello has little on it but this one church that has mosaics second only to Ravenna. Amazing really. And then Burano is the quaintest, loveliest little township with brightly coloured houses along lovely canals. Quite a treat to wander around and at Carnevale it becomes a bit of a focus with lots of people (mainly French people on the day we were there) in all the getup wandering around. So that was a really nice day, it was sunny, vaguely warm ( or at least trying) and gorgeous.
So now I skip a day and come to today. First stop was the Academia Gallery. I won’t stop and talk to much about it, it was fabulous, magnificent,Venetian artists on display in all their grandeur. Took ages and ages to get around it all but around it we went absorbing the grandeur of it all. Tull and I then parted company. So as this is my story I will proceed. I went to Scuola Grande di San Rocco which is Tintoretto in overdrive, the place is totally covered in his frescoes and canvasses. There are also wood carvings extraordinaire and it all adds up to a massive insult on the senses. Then to Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari where there are even more Tintoretto’s, amazing choir stalls, fabulous mausoleums carved by Canova etc. Not to go on and on because it gets very boring. Suffice to say that this trip has been full of extraordinary art to the point that the senses actually do get overloaded.
So I left the churches and the masters and went to San Marco to join the Carnevale crowd. And crowd it is, increasing every day with the crescendo being this weekend. I sat in San Marco to watch one of the costume judgings and had myself a hot chocolate. The people being judged in splendiferous costumes were from Italy, UK, France, Russia, Switzerland…it is a very European happening. I enjoyed that little sojourn enormously. Then I walked home from San Marco, stopping for a Vino Brule along the way for old times sake.
By 5pm it’s getting really cold so its always good to get back for a bit of catch up time before the need to forage for dinner.