La Serenissima

Venice (or La Serenissima as it has come to be known) is an extraordinary place to visit. I have been there 11 times over 20 years, and each time is amazing. My first show is about Venice and how to travel along it's canals and side streets. I tried to give the viewer the same sense of excitement I have had during my stays there. Someone once told me that it is impossible to take a bad photo there, and I believe it. My first few photos in the show are related to the methods of transportation, gondolas, varporetti (water bus), water taxis, and the tried and true method of simply strolling about. Then I travel down the Grand Canal from the train station, Santa Lucia, to the Piazza San Marco. I point out the most prominent palazzi, churches, museums and the 3 bridges, Scalzi, Rialto, and Accademia. Then we travel the side streets and canals, ending up at my idea of paradise in Venice, The Evocative Pensione Accademia, my chosen hotel for 8 of my visits. This hotel is worth the trip to Venice alone. It used to be the Palazzo Maravege and served as the Russian Embassy before World War 2. The rooms are good, but the lobbies are superb, and the gardens, front and back, truly sublime. It's fun to cross the bridge over the San Trovaso Canal and turn right along the canal of the same name to the hotel hidden behind the wrought iron fence into their beautiful courtyard. I love the ground floor lobby and enjoy having conversations with the reception desk people and the guests I meet. I also take the viewer to Murano and Burano, the recognized side trips to get away from the hustle and bustle of tourist crowds in Venice proper. I then ended the show with a series of sunsets along the Grand Canal; I like that method of ending the show as a metaphor for the conclusion. I announced the phone number to call with questions and had a couple in subsequent weeks. I was overcome by the incredible sense of relief after that first show, and look forward to others. The shows are now uploaded to Youtube for anyone who cannot access them on WPAT, which is most people. That first show has had about 115 hits so far !!! Thank you.