It was meant to be.....

Nancy fell madly in love with Venezia.
My dear sister-in-law Nancy had no idea that she had had her hair dyed to match the walls
in Venezia!!
This was her first trip to Venice.
I don't think there is one square inch that she didn't photograph.
She's in perfect camouflage!!

Tobia Rava

(click on images to enlarge)

I always find Tobia Rava's work very interesting.
I stop by Galleria d' Arte L'Occhio to
see what he's been painting in the months since my last visit.

Here is a link to Tobia's website.

Galleria d' Arte L'Ochio also features many other artists....great selection of works!
The map is the location of the gallery....it's in
Dosoduro #181/185
+39 041 522 6550

San Polo Shadow.....

Love Affair - A Venetian Journal by Wright Morris

(Click on images to enlarge)

We have a great bookstore near our town...the store is in Morristown, New Jersey....
it's called Old Bookshop.
Not THE Old Bookshop.....just Old Bookshop.
I find treasures here....great books...postcards...maps and other assorted ephemera.

A few years ago I stopped in and I hit the big bonanza....an entire shelf of books about Venice.
Evidently some family member had passed onto bluer lagoons...and the survivors weren't as enamored of Venezia.
Guess who bought almost allllll of them?

Love Affair - A Venetian Journal by Wright Morris is one of these gems.
The book was published in 1972...(I checked and you can still find some back copies.)

I love the layout of this book.....a photo on the right and a journal entry on the left.
One thing that I don't like...there are no captions on the images..... some of the places in the photos will always have to remain a mystery to me....sigh!

I'm surprised at some of the changes in Venice since 1972.
Some are subtle....more cats...laundry hanging in areas other than eastern Castello...tables loaded with souvenirs, instead of the rolling monsters that now take their place...BUT one big change I notice.
The buildings were in much worse shape....crumbling seemed to be the norm.

That's one change that I have to admit is for the better.

(ps...if you want to see all the books I've posted...click on the LABELS: Books link on the lower left)

A trip down the Grand Canal

Front

Back

Inside photos....

(click on images to enlarge)

It's been great going through all my books....maps....journals....I'm finding things I forgot I have. This is one of the treasures I hadn't look at in awhile.

It's a looooong photo of all the buildings along the Grand Canal....both sides. When closed it's 5 - 1/2" X 13"....open it's 5 - 1/2" X 40'.....
REALLY!!

All the sites are labeled and many also have the century they were originally built.

A real joy for those of us that still love picture books!!

(ps...if you want to see all the books I've posted...click on the LABELS: Books link on the lower left)

Maps of Venice

I love maps!!
I have a drawerful of maps of Venice.
But over the years I've narrowed it down to a few favorites.

Rough Guide map is my all time favorite map!!
It's the most detailed, portable map.
It's made of a material that is virtually impossible to destroy.... it's waterproof and fold-proof...I haven't tried burning it.....
I've folded this thing at least a trillion times. In fact, I fold it down to a tiny square and jam it in my pocket.
The only down side...they are getting more and more difficult to find.
sigh....

Calli, Campielli e Canali is the motherlode of all Venetian maps....
it's actually a book....225 pages.
NOT portable....but necessary to look up every calli in town.
I have so much fun exploring this book...but it's impossible to drag around.
In fact, I usually don't even bring it to Venice....it just weighs too much!

The Illustrated Venice Map is really fun and has great detail....but it's paper....
and paper tears after it's been refolded a dozen or so times. Plus this map
has one of those hard covers that is glued onto a corner...making it impossible to fold down to a tiny square.


Do you have a favorite map of Venice?....please share with me!!
After all I'm a girl that can't have too many maps!

My Daily Moleskine - April 1, 2012

View from Accademia Bridge

Calle dei Nomboli - Rio di San Polo

Hotel Marconi....Near Rialto Market

Ok...so the last sketch isn't Venezia....but I was playing around with grays on gray.

I've been experimenting with a variety of tablets.
I went thru all the different Moleskine tablets...I do like their grid reporter tablet....but the paper isn't a true white...it's a little too vanilla.
But I finally settled on the Rhodia Reverse Tablet....it's true white....
measures 8 -1/4" X 8-1/4"
Who knows....next week I may be back with Moleskine.