This small Nativity scene is just inside the entrance of the church of San Francesco de Paola on via Garibaldi. There’s a bigger scene up near the high altar but I’m sticking with this one: It’s made almost entirely of recyclable materials, primarily bottle caps. It was created, according to the sign below, at the “Sant’ Alvise” day-care center in the neighborhood for persons with various disabilities. Whatever those disabilities may be, the group created a small masterpiece.
Technically, we are still well within the Twelve Days of Christmas, so Christmas images are more than appropriate — except that everyone has now fixed their beady eyes on the arrival of the New Year, so Santas and creches don’t seem quite so…necessary?
Fine, I will go with the marching calendar, but not without sharing a few more glimpses of Christmas hereabouts. To call it “low-key” would imply that there even was a key, but however modest the celebrations may have been, we treasured them even more.
Mary’s face is a bit mystifying — how did they make those eyes? Perhaps I will pursue this matter, perhaps not. Just add it to all the other mysteries of the year.Are those angels made of fluorescent light bulbs? Outstanding!The tobacco-toy-lottery ticket shop constructed Christmas in the window entirely from Lego bits. Not for me to say, but anyone who had time to do this must be escaping from something.Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa is the site of a silent battle between green-and-red windows. I have awarded the prize to the one on the left.I’m just sorry you can’t admire how enchanting the twinkling little lights made the whole arrangement. These are just crying out to be turned into wedding bouquets. With the lights.In the splendid entryway to the hospital (I’m fine) is this phenomenal Nativity scene constructed on a mascareta from the nearby Querini rowing club.Matting made of rushes from the lagoon marshes. Reliable sources (via Giuseppe Tassini) maintain that the sestiere of Cannaregio took its name from canne (rushes) that once lined its canal banks. The calle de le Canne near San Giobbe is named for a long-ago storeroom of rushes; these had various uses, primarily to apply pitch to waterproof the hulls of wooden ships.Some resourceful person(s) managed to obtain a not-worm-eaten bricola. Many of these pilings out in the lagoon are in desperate shape, but this is worthy of its exalted role here.From the day after Christmas until Epiphany hundreds of panettoni will remain in the supermarkets, placed front and center at ever diminishing prices. The management obviously hopes it won’t be forced to throw them away at season’s end. Or leave them in a warehouse till next Christmas?Undaunted sunset reaches via Garibaldi from however many miles away. I hope your 2021 will be just as bright.
Erlamou,
May you be thrice blessed for these wonderful posts.
Seventeen years ago I was in Venice for my 65th
compleano, and I recall thinking that I’d reached a
tipping point. Well, I’ve tipped quite a way since then,
and only hope that this coming October we’ll have
many coffees together in Campo Arsenale.
Buon Anno, Cara!!!
Happy New Year to you. You are probably a-snooze now, even as we await our desert sunset, the closest we get to silly hats and fireworks this year (or any year, for that matter). Tomorrow brings our twenty-fifth anniversary and optimism for a great new year for all. Thank you for a year of charming posts, full of interesting details, beautiful photography, and great wit.
All the best to you and Lino in the New Year with hope that it will soon see the return to normality in travel, and a thank you for your snapshots of the everyday side of life today in Venice.
A delightful “Junk nativity scene”, made with honesty and joy ( as well as a lot of glue!) All the other images are also brilliant. We were talking yesterday of the first time we went to Venice, when we had to leave on New Year’s Eve, and felt we were really missing something as we went to the Airport. Other years we have been there in very early January, and – how quietly wonderful that is!
Thank you again for your images, and may your clever and perceptive eyes find delights for us in the coming year, and our best wishes to you for 2021.
I love Having a Pal who serves as a “periscope “ looking inside the heart of Venice.
Your words and photos deserve to be in a book! I’m down for the first autographed copy.
Happy new year, Erla & Lino. I hope that this year will be bring the end of the pandemic and that we can meet when I have the chance to come to Venice again.
Beautiful pictures of how life keeps moving on in spite of all this.
Christmas was subdued but still nice in a way. We had several FaceTime meetings with my parents so we still could be together, but not physically.
Stay safe and healthy!
Happy New Year to you and your family. Finally all our electronics are doing something really human for us — I think we’re all so grateful for being able to maintain some kind of contact with those we love.
Oh what a joy to see the calle e campi of Venice, the touches of human ingenuity in the Christmas decorations and the steadfastness of the Venetians to find a way to add joy to the Advent season, thank you for sharing with us Erla.
As always thank you for your lovely walk in your neighborhood. Your noting the Nativity scene made from recycled materials reminded me of the time I created Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings from used bottles with clay heads and wire arms/hands. Mary was a Grand Marnier bottle, Joseph a Kahlua bottle, and the Three Kings from different long neck bottles. After fashioning the heads, and painted the face features, I dripped candle wax that made them come alive!I handmade their clothing from remnant fabrics. It was in the age long ago before digital photography so I have no photos to share. Now I have a set of Fontanini figurines that I collected and expanded over the years. Buon Natale e Nuovo Anno!
Many compliments on your handiwork — you made the scene perfectly clear even without photos (heresy, I know). I am now meditating on Mary as Grand Marnier….
17 Comments
Wishing you a very better 2021.
Erlamou,
May you be thrice blessed for these wonderful posts.
Seventeen years ago I was in Venice for my 65th
compleano, and I recall thinking that I’d reached a
tipping point. Well, I’ve tipped quite a way since then,
and only hope that this coming October we’ll have
many coffees together in Campo Arsenale.
Buon Anno, Cara!!!
A wonderful post. Thank you so much. May we all experience a better year in 2021.
Happy New Year to you. You are probably a-snooze now, even as we await our desert sunset, the closest we get to silly hats and fireworks this year (or any year, for that matter). Tomorrow brings our twenty-fifth anniversary and optimism for a great new year for all. Thank you for a year of charming posts, full of interesting details, beautiful photography, and great wit.
Happy New to you and Lino, and to Venice. Thank you for being you.
Yours too, Erla. thank you for all your wonderful bulletins.
Stay safe.
Ruth M
All the best to you and Lino in the New Year with hope that it will soon see the return to normality in travel, and a thank you for your snapshots of the everyday side of life today in Venice.
Thank you so much for all you share here . Love it, and Venice. Best wishes for 2021.
A delightful “Junk nativity scene”, made with honesty and joy ( as well as a lot of glue!) All the other images are also brilliant. We were talking yesterday of the first time we went to Venice, when we had to leave on New Year’s Eve, and felt we were really missing something as we went to the Airport. Other years we have been there in very early January, and – how quietly wonderful that is!
Thank you again for your images, and may your clever and perceptive eyes find delights for us in the coming year, and our best wishes to you for 2021.
I love Having a Pal who serves as a “periscope “ looking inside the heart of Venice.
Your words and photos deserve to be in a book! I’m down for the first autographed copy.
Duly noted!
Happy new year, Erla & Lino. I hope that this year will be bring the end of the pandemic and that we can meet when I have the chance to come to Venice again.
Beautiful pictures of how life keeps moving on in spite of all this.
Christmas was subdued but still nice in a way. We had several FaceTime meetings with my parents so we still could be together, but not physically.
Stay safe and healthy!
Happy New Year to you and your family. Finally all our electronics are doing something really human for us — I think we’re all so grateful for being able to maintain some kind of contact with those we love.
Cara Erla — mille grazie per il bellissimo post, ed auguri dal cuore per un buon anno nuovo. Spero di vederti nel 2021. Vaccinazioni per tutto!
Oh what a joy to see the calle e campi of Venice, the touches of human ingenuity in the Christmas decorations and the steadfastness of the Venetians to find a way to add joy to the Advent season, thank you for sharing with us Erla.
As always thank you for your lovely walk in your neighborhood. Your noting the Nativity scene made from recycled materials reminded me of the time I created Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings from used bottles with clay heads and wire arms/hands. Mary was a Grand Marnier bottle, Joseph a Kahlua bottle, and the Three Kings from different long neck bottles. After fashioning the heads, and painted the face features, I dripped candle wax that made them come alive!I handmade their clothing from remnant fabrics. It was in the age long ago before digital photography so I have no photos to share. Now I have a set of Fontanini figurines that I collected and expanded over the years. Buon Natale e Nuovo Anno!
Many compliments on your handiwork — you made the scene perfectly clear even without photos (heresy, I know). I am now meditating on Mary as Grand Marnier….