Carnival in Venice runs from February 11th through February 28th. So a
decision had to be made, experience the opening ceremonies and the first
half, or the second half and the closing ceremonies. I chose the first
half.
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| Across the canal is the Cantinone Storico |
Cantinone Storico
Dorsoduro 661
+39 041 523 957
Greeted with open arms, we sat down and immediately were offered an amuse bouche of a deep fried tangy olive served on a stick. We ordered the house white wine, which was crisp and refreshing and then decided to share an order of the mixed vegetable starter . . .
. . . which was so fresh, simple and delicious. Bud ordered a special of the night, a red snapper with veggies and scallops, which he loved.
And I ordered the spaghetti with lobster. I was in heaven.
For some reason I didn't think the dish was going to be prepared like this. But I can handle a lobster in the shell, and crack it even though it's swimming in a slippery tomato sauce - hey, I am from New England. Plus they offered plenty of wet naps. The pasta was al dente so it had just enough bite and the lobster was cooked to perfection and had such a sweet, buttery quality. And to top off the meal, the restaurant offered us glasses of limoncello on the house. How nice was that? The front of the house staff were so friendly and patient with us as we struggled to keep our eyes open and decipher the menu. We had such a great experience, we went back a second time.
The weather the 8 days we were in Venice was beautiful. Warm days, cool/sometimes chilly nights.
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| Basilica San Marco |
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| The clock tower in Piazza San Marco |
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| Piazza San Marco seen from our water taxi |
Under the noon day sun, Venice was glistening. To the right in the picture above you can see the Doge's Palace and it had been years since I had toured it so a visit was on the "must list."
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| The Golden Staircase leading up to the Doge's Palace |
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| A couple in costume with the Bridge of Sighs in the background |
Not to be missed, and this was the first time I had seen it, is the massive Museum Correr, housing the Imperial apartments of the former King of Italy, (among other collections and installations.) Built in the 19th century, this tour takes you along the entire second floor of the bell tower side of Piazza San Marco. And when we purchased tickets to this museum, the Doge's Palace was included. A bargain! And at the entrance, which is where this sign is, at the back of the piazza and up the flight of stairs, is a really sweet and quiet restaurant where you can enjoy a lunch and look out over Piazza San Marco without the fear that a pigeon or seagull will scoop down and grab your lunch. (Which they do!)
During this period of Carnival, every turn you'd take you'd run into either street performers or people dressed up in costumes.
This was a reminder that we needed to get ourselves to the Rio Di Cannaregio for the opening evening ceremony of Carnival. This year's theme was "The Sea Queen resurfaces in Venice to be reflected in the moon." It's like Cirque du Soleil on water/the canal and in gondolas. There was a 6:00pm and an 8:00pm show.
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| Photo courtesy of Getty Images (Carnival 2016) |
Trying to make it to the 8:00pm show, below you can see we were just two small canals and bridges away from the event when everything came to a halt. We were gridlocked, with people struggling, coming and going. The police had to keep everything moving.
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| A dense crowd of carnival lovers trying to make their way across a small canal/bridge. |
Here's a photo, courtesy of my professional photographer friend Kim Hull, of the opening ceremony. Some of the sea creatures were suspended on wires above the canal and flying above us.
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| Photo: Kim Hull © Chasing Light Media |
The next day was the Masquerade Water Parade, which passed right by our apartment.
Even with all my trips to Venice there were still more museums I hadn't visited, like Ca' Rezzonico.
A stunning palace on the Grand Canal, construction was completed in 1756 for the Rezzonico family.
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| The grand ballroom |
And within the palace was this exquisite sculpture by Antonio Corradini.
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| Veiled Sculpture by Antonio Corradin |
How in the world did he chisel and sculpt the thin veils over her face? Simply amazing.
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| Caffe Centrale |
Caffe Centrale
+39} 041 88 76 642
via Piscina de Frezzaria no. 1659
Private entrance:
For water taxis and gondolas: Rio dei Barcaroli
Here you can see that the restaurant opens up to the canal. Arriving by gondola, how romantic is that?
Here is the same view from inside.
Housed in an ancient building, the decor is modern and stylish with a nod to their heritage. Notice the Murano glass chandelier above.
After ordering a couple of pinot grigios, Bud and I shared an appetizer of cold vacuum-sealed roasted pork, seasoned with orange, Marsala sauce and walnuts. So light and classy. A great tease for what was to come.
Bud ordered the chunks of tenderloin with carrot cream, vegetables and potato mousse.
And I chose their rib-eye with sauteed seasonal vegetables. I should have taken a snap of our plates after we were done. It looked like we licked our plates clean, it was so enjoyable. Caffe Centrale is hip, beautiful, casually elegant, and the food is fantastic.
What a great way to end 8 fabulous days in Venice during Carnival. If you stay for the latter half, you'll witness the Flight of the Angel where a beautiful woman in full costume flies downs to Piazza San Marco from the top of the bell tower and there are many costume competitions which take place in the piazza. But just strolling through the alley ways, you'll bump into plenty of people dressed for the occasion.
It's always hard for me to leave Venice but I'll be back again, soon.
Arrivederci Venezia!
