12.12.08

Venice (3)

Time to finish with Venice - for this time.

First some photos from the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge. The low building is where Peggy Guggenheim lived, now a fabulous museum.
Venice has some very famous hotels, including the Gritti on the Grand Canal and the Danieli close to the Doge’s Palace.

The great pleasure when you stay a bit longer in Venice, this time ten days, is to be able to walk around “everywhere”, without time pressure. The city has such a charm wherever you go. This time of the year is relatively free of tourists, but the nicest experiences are when you leave the major tracks around the Saint Mark Square and the Rialto Bridge, the San Marco district (“sestiere”); you will mostly find a pure local life.

These photos were taken in the Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (incl. Giudecca), Santa Croce and Castillo (including the Arsenal) “sestieri”. One small particularity: These pictures are from the Venetian Ghetto in the Cannaregio “sestiere”, an area where the Jews were confined to live during the 16th – 19th centuries. Due to lack of space, the buildings here became higher than elsewhere in Venice. The word ghetto has its origins here. This used previously to be an area of iron foundries and the Venetian word “gheta” stands for slag. During Napoleon’s occupation the gates were demolished and the Venetian Jews later got full citizenship in 1818.
This was my third visit to Venice. Maybe one day a fourth?

You can find these photos in full and as a slide show on Ipernity.

It's again time to wish you a nice weekend!

48 comments:

Virginia said...

Peter,
This collection of photos was very intriguing. Since I have never been to Venice I have enjoyed the different areas of the city you have shown us. Interesting text as always. Great job!! Oh, and I spotted the VINO on the storefront of course. I'll just bet they had some Prosecco I would like!
V

Shammickite said...

Beautiful images, as always. One day I'll go to see for myself. Does it small damp all the time? And are there any fish in the canals or is the water too dirty to support fish?

Thérèse said...

Interesting explanation concerning the origin of the word "ghetto" and a couple of your pictures look really like paintings. Probably because of the December luminosity.
Very nice.
Have a great weekend!

hpy said...

Des splendeurs en haut à l'ancien ghetto en bas, tout est très intéressant, et je suis d'accord avec toi qu'il faut quitter les lieux très touristiques pour voir aussi la vraie vie d'une ville, avec ses merveilles plus discrètes.

Olivier said...

plein les yeux, la ville de Venise est très belle, et tu nous fais voir les a cotés. Les maisons sont magnifiques, de toutes les couleurs.

alice said...

Leçon du jour: ne jamais me laisser influencer par Peter et ne pas lancer le diaporama sur Ipernity sous peine d'être en retard dès le matin!
Ces photos sont une splendeur.

claude said...

C'est vrai on en prend plein les yeux. Cette ville est d'une grande beauté par son architecture et ses couleurs. Ne dit-on pas voir Venise et Mourir. Grâce à toi, j'ai vu Venise mais rassure toi j'ai pas mouru.
Je vois qu tu es un vrai amoureux de cette ville.
Une question Peter, Est-ce qu'il y a toujours des vendeurs de marrons chauds dans les rues de Paris ?

Anonymous said...

salut piteur. Bon, je vais peut-être dire une bêtise mais sur la première photo, on dirait que les petites gondoles glissent sur la neige! Avec la luminosité et l'angle de la photo, on dirait vraiment que l'eau s'est transformée en glace et qu'une petite couche de neige recouvre le tout. Je dois être influencée par le blanc que j'ai devant les yeux sur ma terrasse aujourd'hui. Il fait froid, pas envie de sortir faire les courses, pas envie de faire le ménage. Des envies d'évasion et c'est pas mal, parce qu'avec ma petite souris très sympathique, je peux faire le tour du monde, grâce à toi. Merci et bises et bonne journée

Anonymous said...

Super de retrouver chez toi des photos très proches de celles que j'ai faites moi. Mais en même temps, tes photos sont différentes, nous avons chacun notre style et ça c'est tout à fait fascinant. En tout cas j'adore ta sélection, j'y retrouve avec joie tous les souvenirs de nos kilomètres de marche à travers la ville.

Ruth said...

I love all these photos. The beauty and character of age. How interesting about "gheta"!

I wish I could join you on the 4th trip! I missed Venice when I studied abroad all over Europe back in '75. I ran out of money and couldn't pay the bridge toll, so I stayed in my room while the other students went into the city. Isn't that criminal!?

Anonymous said...

I read today from a newspaper, that turists now can get free boots from hotels as a present because of those hard rains and flooting there.

Schammickite - perhaps it`s a best time go there late spring or early summer before canals start to smell
a little bad!

Ruth - it was really criminal,indeed :)
I saw a dream one night, that you and Peter were just looking at some art gallery - perhaps it was in Venice - some day !!

Anonymous said...

I have never been to Europe and there's where I planned to go after the war was over, but fate sent me 9,000 miles in the opposite direction to a time a lifestyle that was then thousands of years older than anything I knew. I am grateful for that.

I am much too old to travel farther than my bed and computer and office but sometimes the idea of visiting somewhere like your visit to Venice seems nice in my dreams.

claude said...

J'ai vu ta réponse Peter, merci !
Ah ! Paris et ses marrons chauds !

Claudia said...

Beautiful. Been there last year and was lucky enough to enjoy gorgeous weather in April, so warm and sunny we even managed to go to the beach in the Lido. Venice is a magical place, one of those places - like Paris - to come back to time after time.

Anonymous said...

You are right, Peter. Only when you visit Venice for a longer time you will see real Venetian life. although we always tried to leave the 'tourist's paths' and found places where real Venetians eat I haven't seen much of real Venice. But I think it's a fascinating city where you can go again and again.
Have a nice weekend, Peter.

SusuPetal said...

The power of water is magnificent, as is seen in your photos. Can't take my eyes off those walls! Juts amazing, beautiful and a bit scary, too.

Starman said...

I'm curious. How do you make a group of pictures that appear as one picture?

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Nice great weekend to you Peter,
I really enjoyed watching this Venice shot, the Policeman withh their "zorro"capes haha, great to see Venice through your camera's eyes.

Thanks happy weekend from JoAnn

www.joannwalraven.blogspot.com

Virginia said...

Peter,
I came back for a closer look with more time. I had meant to ask you to photograph the laundry hanging outside the windows if you saw any! Well of course you found it on your own. Merci! Venice looks like a photographer's paradise. Obviously you took full advantage and captured the city so very well, as always. Maybe you need to follow 'roon's lead and do a coffee table book of your own!
V

Anonymous said...

Yes, you are right that to see locals you have to leave the famous places a bit. We also had done the same. It's a better way to know a place.

PeterParis said...

Virginia:
Some nice local wines and some "tapas"!

Schammickite:
The risk of flooding is basically November - January and normally it's quite modest; you can still walk around with some small deviations.

There seems to be fish, at least I saw people fishing! The water is not that dirty; a good circulation thanks to the tides!

Therese:
During the ten days there were very varying light conditions.

PeterParis said...

hpy:
Je suis content que nous sommes d'accord! :-)

Olivier:
Je crois que nous aussi, sommes d'accord! :-)

Alice:
Désolé! ... mais tous les conseils ne sont pas bons! :-)

PeterParis said...

Claude:
La réponse est OUI!

Delphinium:
On nous avait promis de la neige à Venise. Malheureusement on n’a pas eu – ni de la glace ! De la neige à Lausanne ou dans tes montagnes, c’est plus normal ! Bises!

Nathalie:
Je regrette déjà nos kilomètres!

PeterParis said...

Ruth:
That's too stupid! ... and your friends couldn't help to pay? Were you still friends after this?

If you decide to come, I would be happy to join you for a fourth trip!

Leena:
I belive your recommendation is good, but with a risk of many more tourists. The winter months have defintely also their charm, although with a small risk of wet streets. Now, if the hotels offer boots...

So, you have been dreaming of Ruth and me! That's something! :-)

Abraham:
Tiy lay have missed Europe, but you have such a lot of other experiences. ... and on can always dream or visit blogs!

PeterParis said...

Claude:
C'est bien!

Claudia:
April in Venice sounds nice!

April:
You are so right, a place which you can visit again and again and again!

PeterParis said...

Susupetal:
No reason to be scared! :-)

Starman:
I use PowerPoint.

JoAnn:
Actually these guys were marine officers! Nice weekend to you as well!

PeterParis said...

Virginia:
Easy to find laundry hanging. I have tens of photos, but chose a few to show ... to please you!

Cuckoo:
Yes, that's the way to do it - of course easier if you have time!

Shionge said...

Is this the time of the holiday season Peter? When I visited during the months of Sept & Oct, it was packed with tourists....still love the charm :D

You have a great weekend too :D

Chuckeroon said...

The headline photo gets my vote....(which is no doubt for the same reasons as you chose it). The details are excellent, but that panorama says everything in one.

Unknown said...

Fabulous shots again! They make me feel like I'm there again! The 1st one with all the gondolas in the gran canale is superb!

EMNM said...

A nice trip, i never been in Venice, maybe mext year

Cutie said...

What kind of weather is it now? I thought it should be winter during this time of the year. Anyway, your pictures have brought me to venice for free. Hehe.. Thanks!

GMG said...

Great shot with the gondolas in the Grand Canal! The red Danieli and the yellow Gritti are great, but I tell that the view from the Europa & Regina, just in front of Santa Maria della Salute, is also impressive... And there is a traghetto quite near to get also to the Peggy Guggenheim...
The pictures of the ghetto and the its high «skyscrapers» are amazing! Lovely quarter, a bit off the beaten track; better that way... ;)
Missed the reference to the Tintoretto(s) on the last post, but you didn't miss San Rocco Church, surely...

Kate said...

Darn! I just lost my lengthy comment to you re. this post!! Here I go again...I especially appreciated the slideshow because it allowed me to look at a single photo without being distracted by others at the same time. Paris and Italy (any part of it)are favorite travel destinations of mine. Lucky you to have gone to Venice a number of times! Pierre of Venice Daily Photo has returned to blogging again and in the past has indulged my fasination with gondoliers. Do you have any photos of them? Although I'm generally not a mystery book fan, I recently got hooked on a number of books written by Donna Leon, who writes with Venice as the setting for all of her novels. Good light reads!

PeterParis said...

Shionge:
You will always find tourists in Venice, but of cours much less in November. Even during the peak seasons you can find some quite areas ... the nicest!

Chuckeroon:
I obvioulsy chose the right one!

JM:
Soon going back, great traveller?

PeterParis said...

Matritensis:
You should!

Cutie:
I think what I showed is Venice winter! (It could snow, but...)

GMG:
Yes, a bit of the beaten track is nice!
I believe I did make a reference to Tintoretto in my previous post; his house, the close-by chuch full of his paintings...

PeterParis said...

Kate:
I will check on the book!
Unfortunately, I have not too many good pictures of the gondoliers (although I tried) Maybe have a look on Nathalie's and Richard's blogs?

Leon1234 said...

That is freaking pretty.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Wow! Your photos of Venice are gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking! LOVE those beauty! I would like to know Venice and Paris, for sure! I will come back to enjoy your pictures again and again and again....

Thanks for your nice words on my "take a break post". It was very hard the decision, but it was necessary for now. I will be in touch with you. LOVE your blog and your WONDERFUL photos.

PeterParis said...

Leon:
Thanks firs visit, or at least first comment!

Sonia:
So happy to see you here, even if you have made a break!!

lyliane six said...

Il y a vraiment de quoi pleurer à voir tous ces grafittis sur de si beaux monuments!!

PeterParis said...

Lyliane:
The grafitti I'm showing was limited to a plastic electric cover..., nothing on the wall itself.

Cergie said...

Une visite très vivante !
Je crois reconnaitre la troisième grande photo à partir du haut (la deuxième du bas) pour avoir vu cet endroit sur le blog de Richard, me trompé-je ?

PeterParis said...

Cergie:
Je crois que tu trompes, mais ce n'est pas grave! :-))

Mona said...

it looks like the city had floods! :)

Anonymous said...

merci de nous faire rêver, peter, avec cette balade dans Venise. J'ai toujours autant envie d'y retourner, pour moi la prochaine sera la troisième fois et j'espère bien qu'il y en aura plein d'autres. Pour toi aussi d'ailleurs !

PeterParis said...

Mona:
Indeed!

Catherine:
Puet-être on va se retrouver à Venise?

Anonymous said...

Peter, When you visited the Venetian Ghetto, did you by any chance see the ghost of Portia? Venice is the city that inspired Tsar Peter the Great to build Saint Petersburg out of a huge swamp on the banks of the Neva. When I read about this, many years ago, the author mentioned that the Tsar was traveling in Europe "incognito". Was it possible for a famous, almost 7 feet tall man to travel that way? By looking at your magnificent photos of this city I can undestand how the Tsar felt when he saw Venice! Thank you so much. Maria O. Russell