Monday, August 22, 2016

Are you looking for the love or your life or want to make sure your love will be eternal?


Then while in Venice you have to touch the Stone Heart. Couples come here to touch the stone in hopes of blessings for eternal love whereas singles come here to find the love of their life.
The magic of the stone heart comes from one of the legends of Venice. 
It is said that once a Venetian fisherman, called Orio, caught in his net a mermaid, called Melusina. They fell in love and they met up: every night when he was going out fishing she would fill his nets with the best fish. They finally got married and had three children. But Melusina was cursed and once a week she turned into a sea serpent. She kept this hidden from his beloved Orio. After Melusina died she was returning secretly everyday to cook and clean for Orio, as she was so in love with him. But one day he came home to find a sea serpent in his kitchen and killed it, not realising it was Melusina back from the dead. 
Despite this tragic end their love was eternal and the stone heart commemorates where their happy home was located.
The legend goes that if you are in a relationship you have to touch the heart together and your love will be eternal. If you are single touch the heart alone and you will find love within one year. Or so the legend goes.

How to find it ? The street name is Sotoportego dei Preti. It is more a small passageway between two houses and the heart is just above the low arched entryway. To get there find Campo de la Bragora off the Riva degli Schiavoni (the promenade which runs from San Marco along the lagoon). From Campo de la Bragora head up to Calle del Dose, to Via Salizada del Pignater. From here you’ll find Sotoportego dei Preti. 

From  Venice With Love,
Giada



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Friday, August 12, 2016

Only 24 hours to see Venice? 5 suggestions


To avoid stress  and to enjoy Venice, I suggest this 5 break ground rules:

1. YOU CANNOT SEE EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY: You can visit my hometown 10:000 times and never run out of things to see. So it is very important that you make clear to yourself from the beginning that you can not see everything in one day. 

2. MAKE A LIST OF MAX 5 THING YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE AND ENOY WHAT COMES TO YOUR PATHS WHILE GOING .It takes more time than you think you get around: first because you will stop for a picture almost every 5 minutes, second you will be distracted in a different direction also every 5 minutes and the streets in Venice are very small and crowded and you can't walk fast anyway.  So make the list and spend the day walking and getting lost, that’s the best way to experience Venice. It’s an Island and you can never get too far. You will find anywhere the signs with the famous locations like St Marks, The Train Station etc., if you need directions. Look for them only when you really need it.  Walk towards areas popular with locals to experience the ‘real’ Venice. Enjoy the little campielli (squares) with children walking around and drinking at the fountains: yes that water is drinkable, fresh and delicious. 

3. START EALRY IN THE MORNING WITH BUSY LOCATIONS : early in the morning is the best way to see Venice. The quiet before the storm.  Nice in the morning is a panoramic view of Venice from San Marco’s Bell Tower. You get a beautiful view of Venice from above. There are no queues to get in if you make it there before 9.30 am. If you get there later you will waist tons of time in line. 

4. DONT LOOK FOR A SPECIFIC RESTAURANT OF BAR SUGGESTED IN TOURIST GUIDES: for breakfast there are many little bar with a delicious croissant. Make sure you look for locals inside. We Venetian have “Colazione al Bar” "Breakfast at the Bar" almost every morning. Many of the best bars don’t even have seats. We love to have cappuccino’s or coffee and delicious sweets while standing: those are the best places with the best prices. A cappuccino and a sweet will cost you something like 3 Euros. After noon those places offers delicious savory pastries as well. Around lunch time stop at places where you see locals, normally located in the most tiniest streets. Get familiar with the way the venetian talks and stop for food where they are. If you see gondoliers inside, go in those ae the best places. There are “6 Sestieri”, 6 districts, in Venice, they are all different and nice. They all have great restaurants with local food, where you can enjoy delicious lunch and dinners. Again don’t go crazy looking for something that was mention in a guide book. There are many great ad delicious places that don’t even get mentioned….as they are local gems and kept secret. Unless they are suggested to you by a local, don’t go out of your way for it.

5. TAKE A GONDOLA RIDE AND SEE VENICE AT NIGHT: those are two must. The gondola rides are not cheap but will give you the feeling of what Venice is all about. Take it from Gondolas stops in quiet areas….no waiting line and you start you ride in the little canals…the magic of Venice. And to see Venice at night it is another thing that will stole your heart. After dinner take a stroll at the pier near San Marco (Riva degli Schiavoni) is very crowed during the day and it is spectacular and quiet late at night: Gondolas bobbing on peaceful waters, the midnight moon peeking out from the clouds and the majestic San Maggiore cathedral all lit in the distance. The reflections of the lights on the water, the silence…..have fun in my magic Venice and come back often to see it over and over again.

From Venice With Love,

Giada
#giadavalenti #PBS #FromVeniceWithLoveTour