As you know by now, just looking around can be hugely entertaining in Venice. If you don’t come often, everything is worth looking at. For lifers, though, looking really closely as you plod along the same old streets really relieves the monotony. If you keep your eyes and brain coordinated, all sorts of diverting little details jump out. Fun fact: Even Venetians are surprised to suddenly notice something new, even after a lifetime here.
This isn’t what anybody would call a LITTLE detail — you could see this with one eye closed and the other squinting. It’s one of my favorite lions, including his little starter kit of wings. I have no idea what this structure is. I could ask somebody sometime…. Meanwhile, whatever materials the artist “Manu Invisible#” used have held up amazingly well. Still looks as fresh as it did when I first saw it at least 20 years ago.Speaking of felines, one almost imagine this one is sipping through a straw. Impressive eyes. Is he winking?I detect the hand of a different artist here (or at least a different species of cat).To remain in the feline, not to say leonine, mode for another moment, here is a very brave exemplar on the church of the Salute. He’s got the hang of appearing fierce yet dignified, but the teeth perplex me slightly — they must have called in the doge’s dentist to give the sculptor some advice. Evidently the first advice was to extract the fangs.Over the adjacent doorway was this wreck. Either this is the same lion many years later, or after one brief but violent visit to the aforementioned dentist. And who among us has not left the dentist’s office looking, or at least feeling, like this? “Your dentures will be in by next week…..”A national election was held some time ago and the local polling place was bedecked with the requisite signage for the “sections” assigned to this school for voting. They did their best.There are so many reasons to feel sorry for tourists here (I know, we hate them, but we can also feel sorry for them at the same time). They discover all too quickly that what passes for normal here is usually something tiring, confusing, or just generally hard. The fact that you have to walk, sometimes kilometers (and over bridges), means that your feet are the ones who who decide what you can and can’t do. It was 5:00 AM that morning on the vaporetto trundling toward the train station, and this woman’s feet were already so unhappy.I really felt for her. First, these are boudoir shoes, not for the granite pavements of the most beautiful city etc. Equally first, even if she were in her boudoir, these shoes are too small. Every woman recognizes that your brain can try every trick to make you ignore the fact that the shoes you couldn’t live without are too small, but that struggle comes at a price charged to your feet and the rest of your body. As you see here, she’s trying to maintain a truce with her feet. I imagine that these shoes were acquired because her boyfriend said he liked them. (Refrain from commenting on latent sexism in that theory. Maybe she got them because she knew he’d like them. Maybe he tried to discourage her and now she regretfully realizes he had her best interest at heart. I’ll never know.) Anyway, he’s the one you can’t see, wearing the comfortable white flat walking shoes. Just looking at this picture hurts me as much as it did to look at the pair of them (the two people, but also I mean feet) all the way up the Grand Canal.
There are shutters on thousands of Venetian windows, and while opening them is universal, there’s a choice of gizmos made to keep them open. A friend revealed one type that is as fabulous as it is common. I’d give anything to know who thought it up, but I love the fact that so many people decided that’s how they wanted to control their shutters.
A very common sight at street level. I’d never given them a thought till their secret was revealed to me.She’s down. She’s resting. Waiting for the day to start and the shutters to need holding. Look closely at her arms. As soon as she is lifted upward on her hidden linchpin they will turn out to be……this guy’s turban. He is up and she is facing the wall upside down.You can see it better this way.Okay fine, so the person who opened the shutters couldn’t be bothered to put this couple to work. And yet, he is up, in holding-shutter position. So many questions.And yet, we know that if something can go wrong, it will. One day the gizmo had to be installed but the installer was — let’s say disoriented. Perhaps it was a Monday morning. Yep, I installed it, boss. Yes, the male figure is supposed to be in the up position. BUT LOOKING OUTWARD, ya nugget!
Speaking of ‘always looking,’ I recently enjoyed watching the classic 70s film “Don’t Look Now” (1973) based on a Daphne Du Maurier story, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Venice is also a main character, with the streets, canals, and characters of the city being critical to the whole thing. If you haven’t seen it, or if it’s been a while, you would enjoy its perspective of Venice.
I’ve never seen it, but I know it’s quite famous. So many great films (and more than a few duds) have been made here. Venice is like Albert Einstein — stick with me — who when he was filling out some form had to reply to “Occupation” and wrote “Photographer’s model.” Like Venice, he seems to have done as much posing as he did working.
Love the shutter mechanism!
Your tourist in the boudoir shoes is trying to pretend that she is still in her youthful prime. She’s obviously got great legs and wants to continue to show them off. But she’s no longer a teenager. Ah, Beauty! So fleeting.
Hi Erla,
Love your posts. Your city is my favorite. I’ve visited many times over the years, sometimes just me packing a bag for an adventure there. Staying for a few weeks several times let me really understand the difficulties of living in Venice and the work it’s takes. Due to my health I’m vicariously enjoying traveling now. In 2017 I was able to bring 2 of my grandchildren to Italy and in 2022, 3 more of my grandchildren.
I loved when we walked out of the station to the Grand Canal and the looked of sheer delight on their faces.
So thank you for your posts I love your walk about observations it brings back wonderful memories.
Carolyn Holland
Hello! Thank you for posting about the little lady and gentleman window hooks. We have spent no e nights in Venice and just now noticed, our rental windows have then!!! Wonderful blog!
PS where is your favorite place in Venice for a comfy indoor lunch or dinner with pasta and wine! Thank you!!
How great to know you’ve discovered your very own shutter-couple.
We don’t have any favorite place such as you describe. In fact, we eat out very rarely. It’s possible that the Osteria Ai Assassini is still good; we haven’t gone there for several years. https://osteriaaiassassini.it/ We’ve had some good experiences — again, a while ago — at the Osteria da Alberto https://www.osteriadaalberto.it/ There is also the trattoria Ai 40 Ladroni https://www.40ladroni.it/en/about-us/ The Spaghetteria 6342 a le Tole is special because they make their own pasta right there https://www.6342aletole.it/ I always hesitate to recommend anywhere because quality/price are liable to change between one visit and the next (as I say, we don’t go out often). You might want to cross-check reviews on TripAdvisor. I get no consideration of any sort from these mentions, they don’t even known I exist.
Lovely pictures and observations of the extraordinary ordinary. The cats are really interesting. As for the more “creative” lions, the winner, if it really can be called that, is a seriously botched up taxidermy job from the 18th century at the Royal Armoury in Stockholm. The taxidermist had obviously never seen anything remotely feline before attempting a lion.
16 Comments
Speaking of ‘always looking,’ I recently enjoyed watching the classic 70s film “Don’t Look Now” (1973) based on a Daphne Du Maurier story, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Venice is also a main character, with the streets, canals, and characters of the city being critical to the whole thing. If you haven’t seen it, or if it’s been a while, you would enjoy its perspective of Venice.
I’ve never seen it, but I know it’s quite famous. So many great films (and more than a few duds) have been made here. Venice is like Albert Einstein — stick with me — who when he was filling out some form had to reply to “Occupation” and wrote “Photographer’s model.” Like Venice, he seems to have done as much posing as he did working.
Love the shutter mechanism!
Your tourist in the boudoir shoes is trying to pretend that she is still in her youthful prime. She’s obviously got great legs and wants to continue to show them off. But she’s no longer a teenager. Ah, Beauty! So fleeting.
Wonderful! I suspect the sculptor knew exactly who those lions looked like.
I have no doubt that he did. I hope he’s glad we noticed.
Hi Erla,
Love your posts. Your city is my favorite. I’ve visited many times over the years, sometimes just me packing a bag for an adventure there. Staying for a few weeks several times let me really understand the difficulties of living in Venice and the work it’s takes. Due to my health I’m vicariously enjoying traveling now. In 2017 I was able to bring 2 of my grandchildren to Italy and in 2022, 3 more of my grandchildren.
I loved when we walked out of the station to the Grand Canal and the looked of sheer delight on their faces.
So thank you for your posts I love your walk about observations it brings back wonderful memories.
Carolyn Holland
Thanks so much — it always gives me a boost to hear that people have happy memories of their time(s) here.
Have you ever thought of doing a photo survey of those marble and brass double doorbell fixtures that look like two eyes looking out at you? 😊
No, I haven’t ever thought of it. Maybe I will, now that you bring it up. On the other hand, why don’t you do it?
Hello! Thank you for posting about the little lady and gentleman window hooks. We have spent no e nights in Venice and just now noticed, our rental windows have then!!! Wonderful blog!
PS where is your favorite place in Venice for a comfy indoor lunch or dinner with pasta and wine! Thank you!!
How great to know you’ve discovered your very own shutter-couple.
We don’t have any favorite place such as you describe. In fact, we eat out very rarely. It’s possible that the Osteria Ai Assassini is still good; we haven’t gone there for several years. https://osteriaaiassassini.it/ We’ve had some good experiences — again, a while ago — at the Osteria da Alberto https://www.osteriadaalberto.it/ There is also the trattoria Ai 40 Ladroni https://www.40ladroni.it/en/about-us/ The Spaghetteria 6342 a le Tole is special because they make their own pasta right there https://www.6342aletole.it/ I always hesitate to recommend anywhere because quality/price are liable to change between one visit and the next (as I say, we don’t go out often). You might want to cross-check reviews on TripAdvisor. I get no consideration of any sort from these mentions, they don’t even known I exist.
Thank you so much!!!
As someone who loves cats ( large and small) and Venice, this delighted me! Thank you – and it arrived on my birthday!
Ella B
Happy birthday from me and from Venice!
Lovely pictures and observations of the extraordinary ordinary. The cats are really interesting. As for the more “creative” lions, the winner, if it really can be called that, is a seriously botched up taxidermy job from the 18th century at the Royal Armoury in Stockholm. The taxidermist had obviously never seen anything remotely feline before attempting a lion.
Thanks. Send a picture of this amazing lion!