First Encounters with Cannaregio

Still struggling to gather my thoughts and images of Venice into something more than a dream-like cloud of images and experiences. I
remember the week in Venice not just as a series of days on which we "went here and did this", but as a collection of themes - of exposure of the senses to all manner of evocative stimuli, some of which have left multiple images in my mind.

Fortunately, those which had most impact also  left images on the data card of my camera, so in the next few days, I'd like to share with you some of the experiences, spread over nine days, which meant most to me.

Since we arrived in Venice by overnight train, we had a full day in front of us, which we  enjoyed by strolling around and getting to know
the area. The apartment in which we stayed is just off the Cannaregio canal, the second of Venice's main waterways, an offshoot of the Grand Canal, and with a neighbourhood feel about it that is totally different in character to that of the busier routes through the city.

Crossing over the bridge from the main tourist thoroughfare from the station to St Marks, a diversion left took us into the residential part
of Venice - the part that was to become "our" Venice, where we shopped in little grocers (who would also fill an empty litre water bottle with
wine for us, from the barrel behind the counter, for 1.80 Euros - about the same in dollars!), bought gloriously fat, red, sweet, juicy tomatoes
to be eaten with mozzarella cheese, rough bread and golden olive oil, and our own wet fish stalls, where we could purchase shellfish from the
Laguna and swordfish steaks if we so chose.

 

And all around, all the time, the architectural delights of Venice -  EVERY building a picture - to my eyes anyway. I love peeling paint, crumbling plaster, weathered wood - here  combined with carved corbels, faces, masks, mythical characters, sinuous ogee windows, earth and ice- cream colours - a surprise for the eyes on every building. Experience a little of what it was like to get to know this city on our first day - enjoy this walk along the Cannaregio canal with me.

Comments

[ardi]

Oh how beautiful! The photos are almost as good as being there. The silhouette should be framed! What are ogee windows?

[sherry]

I just love reading about your adventure! Each picture speaks volumes!

Sherry

[Rowan]

More wonderful photos, it does look a beautiful place. I particularly like the stone head - is it Neptune? Or is it just 'a stone head'? :)

[Loretta]

I am already in love with your adventure from these few pictures. A friend at work just got back from Italy. She said she couldn't see herself living in Venice because it was like "Disneyworld".

I beg to differ!

[Sheila]

The colours of the buildings are stunning, chalky but bold, and well loved, and the light appears very special somehow. I can see why artists found so much inspiration here. And speaking of inspired what is more delicious than fresh tomatoes, cheese, with bread and olive oil, and red wine...that is living.I would not have come home !

[Marie-Noëlle]

Beautiful shots, thank you for sharing them with us, I do appreciate !!!
I 've read somewhere that all the walls in Venice were covered with paintings (pictures) long ago and time washed them away... then they were painted in loud colours and finally in pastel shades...
but I cannot date those different periods though...
MN