Due Spritz Per Favore

A nice waiter, in a nice place... a little bar Isa an I like very much.

O Captain! My Captain!

On the Zattere, la Capitaneria del Porto di Venezia.
Hi to all of you visitors and friends. I'm back again and ready to post. Many thanks to my friend Bert for his beautiful pictures and always amazing knowledge of Venice.

A Venetian Backyard

The last mystery photo was such a resounding success (!) that I'm going to give you all another opportunity to display your knowledge of Venice.
This corte was under restoration for at least a couple of years, as I tried to get in to take a photo on several visits. Below is the reason that I was trying to get a photo.
This photo comes from "Things Seen in Venice" by L. and L.M. Ragg, published in 1931, so I hope it's out of copyright. It was captioned "A Venetian Backyard". If you haven't been into this backyard, you will have great difficulty in finding it, as it is off the beaten track, so I will give you a bit of help – it's quite near to San Zanipolo.
For those who can't wait, here is the answer (in white): Corte de la Botera
You just need to drag your cursor over the area to see the words.

Btw, Pierre is back and will be posting again soon. I will post now and again.

Where am I?

In response to the request of Anonymous (Wednesday), I am posting a mystery photo. Now, this shouldn't be too hard for the real fans of Venice. The pattern of the ironwork of the bridge is unique so far as I know. I had to wait a long time to get a photo without people on the bridge or a gondola gliding beneath it, as the bridge is on a really busy thoroughfare, both of land and of water.

The problem is that the first person to get it sort of spoils it for people who perhaps need a bit longer, or who are in a different time zone and so see it later. I could write the location in white text, but I don't know if you have that option. You could email me the answer, but what's the point? - there's no prize. If you know it, you know it, and you don't need me to tell you that you are right. If you are not sure, you can check it out on veniceconnected. I hope that Anonymous will have a go, and let me know if he (or she) knows where it is. So, if you know where this is, don't say unless you can write in white. Just say that you know where it is in the comments, as I'd like to know how easy or difficult this one is. I will post the answer in a couple of days.

Stairway to ...

Well, it's the stairway to the Palazzo Barbaro. I thought of using "Stairway to the Stars" (the one with lyrics by Mitchell Parish), then "Stairway to Heaven", but they just didn't seem appropriate. I'll let this be the last one from the Palazzo Barbaro for a while; I hope you've enjoyed them.

Your guess is as good as mine - maybe even better.

These two terra cotta figures are on a wall of the courtyard of the Palazzo Barbaro. I have no idea what they represent or what they are for - if they are for anything. Sensible or amusing suggestions welcome. There seems to be some sort of bracket between them, which I did not notice when I took the photo.

Looks familiar

You may think that you have seen this figure on "Othello's House", looking over the Rio di Santa Margherita near Campo dei Carmini, but you'd be wrong. It's in the courtyard of the Palazzo Barbaro. The work is attributed to Antonio Rizzo.

Courtyard of the Palazzo Barbaro

This is where Lord Marchmain (Laurence Olivier), Cara ( Stéphane Audran), Sebastian (Anthony Andrews) and Charles (Jeremy Irons) had breakfast in the Granada Television production of Brideshead Revisited. The door on the right is the land entrance. Behind the pillars you may be just able to discern a gondola.

Water gate of the Palazzo Barbaro

Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind

The Windmills of Your Mind - English lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman

The Palazzo Barbaro is where some scenes of Brideshead Revisited (the TV series) and The Wings of the Dove were filmed. But the water gate did not feature strongly in either of them, so I thought you might like to see a close-up of the ironwork tracery. How did I get inside, you will want to know. Well, I rang the doorbell, and some kind soul buzzed me in. Simple as that!

Stop and smell the flowers

Here's another of those Madonna and Child statues with a parasol overhead. This is quite a fancy one. But where is it, you cry. We are back in Chioggia, near to the cathedral.

A stitch in time ...

No prizes for guessing where this photo was taken. I thought I'd give you a "human interest" photo for a change. One thing is for sure, this item was not made in China!
In case English is not your first language, the saying referred to in the title is "A stitch in time saves nine." I don't know if this expression is used in Canada, Australia or the USA.

Sant'Erasmo

It's time for a change, I think. Let's get on a vaporetto and visit the "Garden Isle" of Venice — Sant'Erasmo. This was my first, and so far only, visit to the island in July 2009. I was there for an hour and a quarter and took eight photos. Two of those were of flowers, three were views of Burano, and two were views of San Francesco del Deserto. Do the math. It was very quiet — tranquil, even. I saw hardly a soul.

A pain in the neck is an occupational hazard for some artists.

Of course, for all I know, the artist could have painted the panel in the usual way, and then fixed it to the ceiling. This is one of several beautiful ceilings in the Palazzo Grimani. There's always somebody wearing red, isn't there? If anybody knows the title or the artist, I'd love to know.

No, I won't let go.

Continuing a theme, here is the third Madonna and Child in three weeks. It is in Dorsoduro, as were the other two. There was another a long time ago that was in Cannaregio.

Put me down over there!

It would be unfair not to tell you that this figure is in the Palazzo Grimani. The statue represents Ganymede being abducted by Zeus as an eagle (or by an eagle sent by Zeus). Just because you like the looks of somebody, that's no reason to abduct them in this way. Those claws must hurt! Fans of "Don't Look Now" will know that the Donald Sutherland's character was murdered in this palazzo. It has not been open very long, after some years of restoration.

Under cover of darkness

A sadly neglected Madonna and Child. The canopy looks quite like a parachute, don't you think? (Apart from the little bit on top.)

One more for luck

A boat with 12 rowers is called a dodesona; one with 14 rowers is a quatordesona; and one with 18 rowers, such as the Bucintoro, is a disdotona. I have no idea what this boat, with 24 rowers, is called. Yesterday, Fausto's blog had a close-up of one of the dolphins near the stern (as well as several more photos of the bissone).

Yesterday (but three years ago)

The Regata Storica (Historical Regatta) commemorates the welcome given to Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, in 1489. But the first picture shows a boat that was probably not part of the original parade. The driver (pilot? captain?) goes along the Grand Canal collecting any floating rubbish with the sieve thing at the front. The sieve lifts up and the rubbish is deposited behind it. I don't know if there is more than one boat doing this, as it would take a long time for this boat to go from one end of the Canalazzo to the other, zig-zagging as necessary. He is soon followed by the bissone - the parade boats - including the Bucintoro.
Not bad, eh? You should go!

Today

This is an exciting part of the regatta - the races. This is the turning point - il paleto - in front of the railway station. These are caorline, rowed by six people. Djittydjitty asked about the rowing position yesterday. This is rowing alla veneta - standing up, facing forward. It seems easier this way, if you think about it. They don't need a cox, for instance. I was staying at Santa Croce 555, which gives this rather fantastic view from an upstairs window.
I will post some more tomorrow.

Tomorrow

I was going to post a lot of my photos of the Regata Storica in the days leading up to tomorrow, but the death of my hard-drive got in the way. So there's just time for this one, and another tomorrow.
My location for this photo should not be hard to find, though it is to be hoped that the scaffolding and covering on the building on the right have been removed by now.

Like father, like ...

Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

- Georgia (On My Mind), Lyrics by Stuart Gorell

Yes, I got the lump of silicon working again! Actually, it was a very helpful chap who laboured till 2 o'clock in the morning a few days ago who got it working again. I needed a new hard-drive, and the old one would not give up its contents as it kept on over-heating. But, with the aid of a fan, my IT wizard got everything transferred. But, you don't want to know about my troubles, do you? You want photos of Venice. I'm posting this one because Yvonne has just posted a photo of Giorgia Boscolo on her website, "Hello World". I think this one is different.
Perhaps someone would like to tell us where the photo was taken.