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Camelias and Carnival: Our guide to Carnival in Venice
In Venice, spring begins when the yellow-flowering calycanthus give way to the first white-pinkish almond blossoms, light purple crocuses, and .. mimosa smelling of vanilla and lemon! Usually; this happens in early February when all of a sudden, we can detect the first blossoms on the mimosa trees in Venice, appearing over night. Such as…
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Carnival in Venice – Past and Present
A few days ago, looking at an image posted by Bacart (a Venetian art gallery) on their Facebook Page made me recall the style, sights, color combinations and sounds of Carnival taking place in Venice during a different time. The look and feel of Carnival in the late 1980s, intimate and private and much lesser known.…
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What to see, eat and do during Carnival in Venice
For a couple of years now, Carnival festivities in Venice have found a certain routine. We divide them into the evergreen events reflecting ancient Carnival festivities just as they were celebrated during the times of the Venetian Republic and those that change every year. What did people eat during Carnival at the times of the…
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Our honey-pepper cake for Epiphany
Here are six useful terms for you to understand Venetian traditions on Epiphany Day, and of course, to taste all the cakes ! Watch out for the terms Epifania, Befana, Re Magi, carbone, panevin and fritole which we will explain in a moment. The week after the New Year brings on the ancient and real Christmas traditions in Venice. As…
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Dream of Venice Architecture
Hortus Conclusus. The Humane City. Midnight Blue. Dream of Venice Architecture depicts Venice as the city built along concentric circles. A novel yet ancient concept and in our opinion, so revealing about the layers and fabric of the floating town, stretching from private to public and beyond into the Lagoon. Soul gardening, Venetian style. Our private gardens, the horti conclusi,…
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The Real Origins of Carnival in Venice
Celebrating Carnival in Venice goes back to the year 1094, celebrated for the first time on 25 October. The meaning of Carnival for our town is not connected to the usual Latin interpretation of carnem levare which only applies to the Martedì grasso. That was a public holiday in Venice too, officially celebrated during the times of the Serenissima. What…
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Blogging on Venice – Two Sides of a Coin
Imagine two bloggers describing Venice writing on the same day about the same street or salizzada as we call it in Venetian. The visitor describes a surprising leone moeca sculpture on the facade of a building and adds pictures of the rose-golden-orange tinged morning sun. She posts the details of the pattern on a carpet leading up to a museum entrance. The next time I…
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The Lagoon in Ice Blue
Pearl white and ice blue is perlaceo e blu ghiaccio in Italian. Don’t think that January in Venice is sad, it’s just a calm month. This restful period will be over soon for Carnival starts on 23 January. It’s the calm before the storm even though acqua alta rules apply again (new moon means high tides.…