Gregory T. Wilkins
- Nov 29, 2023
- 19 min read

Italy - June 2023 (Part 1 of 2)

Venice, Italy Arriving via Ljubljana, Slovenia the train journey went well. It is approximately a six hour journey which includes the border crossing. While the traveler thinks it is a direct route and it appears it is on the train ticket, it is deceptive. You actually get off at the border (Villa Opicina), cross the tracks, and get on a different train when you arrive to the border. The train is comfortable, air conditioned, and has a bathroom. The leg room was adequate with luggage storage at the train entrance doors, above your seat, and between the seat. After being robbed on a train when I was in the USA from NYC to WDC, I don't put things above my seat in case I fall asleep and can't keep an eye on my personal belongs. I also don't leave it at the train door entrance because it is too easy to snatch and grab. While this has never happened to me, I am always aware of this in the back of my head. I opt to put my luggage between my seat and place my back pack with camera and laptop on the side seat or if it gets filled with passengers on my lap.

The greatest difference I first observe outside is the architecture. The outer buildings in the farm landscape look German/Alps-like. The pitch of the roof is higher, decoration on the eaves, and the buildings are upkept better (my guess is it is because of the availability of money and resources). When I get to the Venice region, I change trains again at Triestre, Italy to Mestre, Italy. I had forgotten that I needed to change at Triestre. I got off the train and went outside and asked a young man how to get to the Grand Canal. He looked at me perplexed, and he told me I needed to catch a train from here to Mestre. The other thing no one tells you is that when you get off the train in Slovenia and switch to the train in Italy, you need to validate your ticket. I did not do this (as well as the majority of the folks traveling from Slovenia to Italy). The conductor was very gracious when he inspected the ticket and informed us to do this throughout Italy or you might get a $35 Euro ticket for not validating it. This needs to be done for all local trains. The reason being is the ticket is an open ticket for three days. By validating it, it is time stamped. Arriving to Mestre, I begin to feel I am arriving to Venice because of the water landscape and you begin to see islands dotted along the coast. Seagulls come into view, the air has the taste of salt on your tongue, and their is a feeling of excitement in the train from the tourists. There is chatter as people begin to get excited. Getting off the train and arriving to the grand hall, in the front of you are traghetti (ferries) or also known as the Vaporetto. Each area has a different port depending as to where in Venice or the surrounding islands you need to arrive. It is important you know what ferry to get so that you don't end up on a different part of the island. My advise is to have the conversation in advance with your hotel.

Venice, Italy - Vaporetto

I stayed in Venice proper in a former palace which later became a protestant church, and now a cultural center called Foresteria Valdese. I was instructed to take Vaporetto #2 and get off at Rialto. From there, I would go to Campo S. Bartolomeo, take the Sottoportego de la Bissa and continue on Salizada S. Lio. At the end, I would turn left and cross the bridge bringing me to Campo S. Maria Formosa. Crossing the piazza and I would take Calle Lunga S. Maria Formosa, which is between Hotel Scandinavia and the bar ‘dell’Orologio’. At the end, after the Cavagnis bridge, I will arrive to the hostel.

Venice, Italy Now, this is simpler than done. I no longer had a GPS on my phone after I crossed the Slovenian border. I was going to have to navigate the alleyways and bridges on my own. It is a labyrinth. And if you have ever been to Venice, you know this is easier said than done. Not knowing north or south and the city itself, it was going to be chaos.

Fortunately, I asked a salesperson at the street market for directions. It turned out he was from Dhaka, Bangladesh. We shared a moment about when I was living there, and he gave me directions on my phone via access to his web link. I was able to maneuver the area and arrive to my destination without a hiccup. (Once again, I was blessed by a stranger.) The first known owners of the palace where I was going to stay were part of the Morosini family, of noble Venetian origins. In 1711, Antonio Francesco Cavagnis (or Cavanis), who belonged to a wealthy family of artists of Bergamo, former owner of an embroidery and golden lace shop in Venice (at Campo San Bartolomeo), purchased the palace that then belonged to Lucrezia Morosini in Savorgnan. Antonio Cavagnis then had the palace rebuilt to the project of architect Domenico Rossi. In 1810, Carlo Bevilacqua painted the ceiling of a salon on the first floor with the myth of Bacchus and Ariadne. Other rooms on the same story had already been decorated and frescoed by Venetian artists during the 1700s. The palace, now known by the name of Cavagnis, was connected by a bridge to Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa. During an air raid bombing of Venice during the night of February 26, 1918, a bomb demolished the nearby landing stage and damaged the fresco on the ceiling of the dining room.

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Canal Entrance

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Canal Entrance

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Canal Entrance

The Waldensian Church purchased the palace in 1868, with the support and solidarity of foreign protestant churches. Palazzo Cavagnis is listed as an Italian national monument.

In 1925, Pastor Giovanni Bertinatti was the first to create a family boarding house on the first floor. The Foresteria was opened in its current form, still on the first floor, by Pastor Giovanni Scuderi in 1969.

During the 1990s, the Palace required extraordinary maintenance from the roof down to the ground floor. The Waldensian Board therefore launched a refurbishment and restoration plan of several years to augment the receptive capacity and therefore to be able to repay those investments through the years.

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Staircase

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Door Lock

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Canal Foyer

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Canal Foyer

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Rafters The Cultural Centre of Palazzo Cavagnis organizes concerts, film screenings and theatrical shows, promotes occasions for meetings, exhibitions and conferences in collaboration with public and private institutions and associations that operate in the city of Venice.

The events usually take place in the Busetto Hall on the Piano Nobile (1st floor) of Palazzo Cavagnis, where the Waldensian and Methodist Church and the Foresteria Valdese are located. Some activities, organized in collaboration with local and national institutions and association, are organized in spaces different than Palazzo Cavagnis. Concerts and conferences are scheduled on Wednesdays at 6 pm and fortunately for me was present when I was there. The opera program at the local university gave a free concert that was a highlight of my stay.

The worst part of Venice are the tourists. It takes the patience of a saint to manage them because they fill the streets in throngs, have no clue about social etiquette, have no idea about staying to the right so people can pass on the left, etc. How the locals manage this would be an entertaining conversation to have. The nice thing for me is I am an early riser. This is in part to beat the heat of the day, to enjoy the city when views are clear of people, to beat the tourist rush for sites, and to have so peace before the chaos ensues. By 11 a.m., it's a zoo during high season.

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Rooftop View

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Rooftop View

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - Rooftop View

Foresteria Valdese Venezia - My Private Room God bless the locals. They at least have a special entrance on the vaporetto so they can get to where they need to go in a more timely manner. I think if I lived here I would have to leave during the high season.

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Venice, Italy

Venice is known for the Grand Canal and its many bridges. There are exactly 391 bridges in Venice, 403 if you include the Giudecca, crossing 177 canals. In the early days, bridges in Venice were flat and made of wood. That made them easy to cross, especially for horses pulling carriages. It was around the XVI century, that bridges in Venice started being built with an arch. The majority of them were made of stone. While flat bridges were a better option for horses and carriages, arched bridges allowed the ever-growing number of boats to easily pass underneath them. Since maritime commerce was financially far more important in Venice than horses and carriages, the arched design prevailed over flat bridges. The first stone bridge in Venice was built many centuries after the first wooden bridges were erected in the Rialto area in the early 800. In fact, according to the book Philipicus, the first stone bridge was built on the 10th of June 1337, next to San Barnaba square. Today, the oldest standing bridge in Venice is said to be the private wooden bridge connecting the Rialto Fish Marker, “Pescaria”, to the “Poste Vecie” restaurant. Like in the USA, streets and bridges in Venice may have some interesting names. The “Ponte delle Tette”, literally “Bridge of the Tits” offered the view that the name suggests. During the XV century, the number of prostitutes in Venice was so high that it had become a social issue because they were offering their services everywhere in the city at any time. The Serenissima decided to move them to a specific area in Venice where the Republic had inherited houses from the wealthy Rampani family. From the windows of these houses facing an alley, a canal, and the said bridge, the prostitutes were allowed to expose their bodies to passing people. Because of this reason, the bridge and the canal names were officially changed into Ponte e Rio delle Tette. While prostitution may have waivered in the present day, the name persists. Don't you just love history?

Venice, Italy

And there are other bridges that may appear romantic but leave a past history often times forgotten by the many tourists who visit...namely the Bridge of Sighs. This infamous footbridge connects the Doge's Palace with the Prigioni (prisons). Though many visitors find this bridge and its name romantic, it offered prisoners of the Venetian Republic a final opportunity to view the city before they were led to their cells or to the executioner. The Italian name for the Bridge of Sighs is Ponte dei Sospiri. The canal beneath the bridge is one of the most popular places that tourists kiss. *************************************

Basilica Madonna Della Salute Basilica Madonna Della Salute (aka Salute) was going under renovation when I visited. It stands on the narrow finger of Punta della Dogana, between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, at the Bacino di San Marco, making the church visible when entering the Piazza San Marco from the water. The Salute is part of the so-called plague churches. In 1630, Venice experienced an unusually devastating outbreak of the Black Plague killing nearly 1/3 of the population. As an offering to deliver them, the Venice vowed to build and dedicate a church to Our Lady of Health. Construction began in 1631 and most of the objects of art housed in the church bear references to the Black Death.

Basilica Madonna Della Salute - Basilica Floor

It was also decided that the Venice Senate would visit the church each year. On November 21 the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin, known as the Festa della Madonna della Salute, the city's officials parade from San Marco to the Salute for a service in gratitude for deliverance from the plague is celebrated. This involves crossing the Grand Canal on a specially constructed pontoon bridge and is still a major event in Venice.

The church is unusual because internally it is an octagon with eight radiating chapels on the outer row.

Basilica Madonna Della Salute - Octagonal Interior

Basilica Madonna Della Salute

Basilica Madonna Della Salute

Basilica Madonna Della Salute - Exterior

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Ca' Pesaro - palace ceiling

The Ca' Pesaro is a Baroque marble palace turned art museum, facing the Grand Canal. It is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia system. If you plan to visit Venice, I would advise getting the museum pass as it is a great value and will also save you time waiting in line (though I didn't have to wait in line here). The trick for me was trying to find the entrance through the labyrinth of streets as they twist and turn down alleyways and across bridges. Even so, take a deep breathe because you will find it. My blessing was the GPS on my phone.

Ca' Pesaro - interior patio

The building was built in the mid-17th century, the construction was completed by Gian Antonio Gaspari in 1710. The palace was built by the wealthy Pesaro family, a project by the Venetian architect, Baldassare Longhena, who also designed the church of the Salute. By 1679, the façade on the Grand Canal had already reached the second floor, but when Longhena died 3 years after, the palace was still unfinished. Another architect took it over keeping to the original plan. The collections of the Pesaro family, as documented in the archives, must have been even more remarkable, were remarkable (for ex. Titian) as well as other famous Venetian artists of the 17th and 18th centuries. The collection was dispersed by 1830, the year of the death of the last Pesaro family member, who auctioned most of the collection in London, England. The palace was passed on to the Gradenigo family and then to the Armenian Mechitarist Fathers, who used it as a college. It was finally bought by the Bevilacqua family, and became the property of Duchess Felicita Bevilacqua La Masa. She bequeathed it to the city in 1898, as a museum of Modern Art. In 1902, thanks to the bequest of the Duchess, the city council decided to use the palace to host the Modern Art municipal collection, which had been started in 1897, when the second Venice Biennale was held. The collection today holds Asian works of art on the upper floor. While interesting, I much prefer the lower galleries of art. I was particularly tickled when I came across "The Thinker".

The Thinker by Rodin

Brillo Boxes by Andy Warhol

Lari Pittman - Untitled

Ahmed Alsoudani - Untitled

Francesco Clemente - Untitled ****************************************

House Chandelier

Costume Detail

Lace Detail from Costume

Puppets in the Collection

Puppets in the Collection

Puppets in the Collection *********************************************************************** Chiesa di

Chiesa di San Alvise

Chiesa di San Alvise - ceiling

Chiesa di San Alvise - interior

Chiesa di San Alvise - interior ************************************************

Chiesa di San Giamo dall'Orio - You know you are old when the origin of the church's name is unknown. Possibilities include being named after a laurel (lauro) that once stood nearby, a version of dal Rio ("of the river"), or once standing on an area of dried-up swamp (luprio). It was founded in the 9th century and rebuilt in 1225. the church has seen several renditions including a major renovation in 1532. The roof I am told dates from the 14th century. Two of the columns were brought back from the fourth Crusade, after Constantinople was conquered.

Chiesa di San Giamo dall'Orio - ceiling

Chiesa di San Giamo dall'Orio - handmade Lace on the Altar

Chiesa di San Giamo dall'Orio - ceiling

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Chiesa di San Giobbe Chiesa di San Giobbe was one of five churches built when the plague hit Venice and built in the 15th century. It was built to honor Job in the Bible. It was one of the first churches built in the Renaissance style. It is one of those churches that on the outside looks like a big box, but once inside you are enchanted by details.

Chiesa di San Giobbe - interior side room

Chiesa di San Giobbe - ceiling

Once thing I have learned to look at differently is the lace work in churches. Made by hand and passed down by generation to generation, the quality of the handiwork is wonderful. Each has a different pattern and are usually placed on the alter. Churches have become a depository of fine lace patterns.

Chiesa di San Giobbe - Lace

Chiesa di San Giobbe - Lace

Chiesa di San Giobbe - Lace

Chiesa di San Giobbe - Lace

********************************* Dedicated to the apostle Paul, Chiesa di San Polo dates from the 15th century. A church has been in this spot since the 9th century. Seeing so many churches on the island, I am thankful I took pictures of the location (church sign, marker, or program) so that I don't forget as to where I was when I review my notes. I totally understand when people say they get 'churched out". (I can only image what Rome must be like.)

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

Chiesa di San Polo

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Even before entering Chiesa di San Sebastiano, I knew I would enjoy the interior. Layers of patina peeled away as the door hinge begged me to enter the church. Built in the 16th century, the paintings within its walls are glorious, and it is especially known for its Titian. Because it is part of the Chorus of Churches, I did not have to pay an additional fee to enter because it was included in the pass. Sitting close to the Giudecca Canal, it is a pleasant surprise like so many churches with a surprise around almost every corner. It is one of the five churches built after the Great Plague that killed many here on the island and named accordingly to the saint associated with the disease, St. Sebastian.

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

Chiesa di San Sebastiano - Ceiling

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

Chiesa di San Sebastiano

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Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - exterior

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli is known as the "marble church" and is early Venetian Renaissance. Fifty-two wooden panels depicting saints and prophets stare down to you from the ceiling and makes you appreciate the time and energy it took to create this masterpiece. Restore Venice spent 7 years bringing this work gem to life and to keep it from falling down because of how much salt had accumulated into the marble. The restoration was calculated to cost 1 million dollars, and the final cost was 4 million dollars! Built in the 15-century, this special place of worship will hopefully live another 1,000 years.

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - interior

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - pews

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - ceiling

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - marble relief

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - Madonna

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - alter

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - lace **************************************************

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio was built in the 10th century originally. The church was rebuilt after two major fires in 966 and 1105. Still glorious and part of the Chorus Pass, she reigns in full glory.

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio - front of church

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio - front of church

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio - alter

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio - front of church interior

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio - alter niche

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio - front of church ******************************************** Chiesa di Santa Maria del Rosario, commonly known as Gesuati, is an 18th-century Dominican church on an island in the Grand Canal. The classical style building has a well-lit interior and is exceptional in preserving its original layout and Rococo decoration intact over the centuries. The church and almost all its sculpture and paintings were created within a thirty-year period: construction began in 1725, the church was consecrated in 1743, and the last sculptural decoration was in place by 1755. To support the weight of the facade, 270 piles had to be driven into the soil . Giant Corinthian pilasters support a heavy triangular pediment. The main entrance door, surmounted by a curved pediment with an inscription above, is flanked by four niches with large statues representing the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. The day I visited, it happened to be a day of a marriage and occurred in the middle of the week. The couple stood with their family and each person had a couple of friends. They stood in front of the alter as the priest administered the marriage vows. It went very quickly ( less than 1/2 an hour).