As much as I love Venice, Florence is also near and dear to me. So let me introduce my friend Chandi who is a fellow Californian, a few minutes away in beautiful Santa Cruz. Her story is an inspiration for…
Traveling during COVID presents some weird interpretations of the rules. As I arrived in Venice, I realized my CartaVenezia (it is the boat pass for locals that allows me to buy monthly passes) has expired about 10 days earlier. This…
Venetians celebrated the end of the plague again on 21 November. This beautiful basilica (church) was founded in 1631 to commemorate the end of the plague that began in 1630 and which killed nearly 1/3 of the population. The Republic…
I am delighted to be back in Venice, a little work, a little enjoying my friends. But getting here was on the stressful side. So I will share what I learned if you are coming from outside the European Union.…
History does repeat itself, if there was ever a year for another celebration of the End of the Plague it would be 2021. And even under the threat of rain tonight, Venetians and now a larger number of tourist have…
The Basilica Santa Maria della Salute is undergoing a change. This exquisite chiesa (church) was built after the plague of 1630 which killed nearly a third of the population in the lagoon. The Doge Nicolò Contarini and the Venetian Senate…
Well Carnevale 2021 just kicked off…a virtual event. As you may remember, Carnevale 2020 closed 2 days before Martedì Grasso (Fat Tuesday) when few of us even had heard of COVID. I remember standing in Piazza San Marco on Martedì…
As Venice goes into yet another lockdown, there are two views. Once is that Venetians have reclaimed their city. The canals are reflecting pools. The birds and fish are thriving. However, pleasant as this sounds, the flip side is that…
When I wrote this post in 2018, I had no idea how the “End of the Plague” could be so relevant. And yet today, we sincerely all wish for the end of our current plague – known as COVID19. And…
