My Trips to VENCIE ITALY

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The DOGES PALACE / SAINT MARKS BASILICA

In WINTER

VENICE , ITALY

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SAINT MARKS BASILICA

PIAZZA SAN MARCO

VENICE

2003

Grand Canal

VENICE

1995

The DOGE'S PALACE

PIAZETTA at PIAZZA SAN MARCO

VENICE

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PEGGY GUGENHEIM MUSEUM

The GRAND CANAL

DELLA SAULTE

VENICE

Taken from a MOTOSCAFI

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CAFFE FLORIAN

PIAZZA SAN MARCO

VENICE

CAMPARI & OJ

FRANK MYSELF and COUSIN TONY

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Me and Cousin Joe

PROSECCO at a BACARO

VENICE

Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

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Harry's Bar

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The WORLD'S COOLEST RESTAURANT

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ARIGO CIPRIANI

Son of GIUSEPPE

aka HARRY

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ERNEST HEMINGWAY at HARRY'S BAR

with Owner / Founder GIUSEPPE CIPRIANI

HARRY'S BAR was one of HEMINGWAY'S Favorites

"Me Too" !

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Old Poster

HARRY'S BAR VENICE

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The BRIDGE of SIGHS

VENICE

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MANGIA ITALIANO

MEMORIES of ITALIAN FOOD

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

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HOTEL FIRENZE

My FIRST VENETIAN HOTEL

June 1985

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My HOTEL ROOM

HOTEL FIRENZE

VENICE

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MAP of VENICE

HOTEL FIRENZE

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I got lost in VENICE at Night. It was my first night there and my first trip ever to Europe. I was a young man of 23 and relatively new in my travel experience, how to get around and what to do. Yes I got lost and the Magical Maze, The Labyrinth that is Venice, with its winding streets, many bridges and narrow alleyways.

I learned a very important travel lesson that night. One of the first things you should ever do as you are in a new city and check into your hotel. While you're at the desk, make sure to take a couple Business Cards of the hotel. Put one in your wallet or purse immediately, and put another in one of your pockets. If you ever get lost, you can give it to a Taxi Driver (Not in Venice though) and tell him to go here.

Yes, I got lost in Venice. I didn't feel it at the time, but it's a quite Wonderful thing to do, getting Lost in Venice.

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Hotel Guerrato

VENICE

1995

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HOTEL GUERRATO

Practically right inside The RIALTO MARKET

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The BREAKFAST ROOM

HOTEL GUERRATO

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My Room

Hotel Guerrato

VENICE

I found this wonderful little Hotel in 1995, on my special trip to Explore the BACARI (Venetian Wine Bars) of VENICE. I had read a tiny little article about them in the New York Times that peeked my interest and inspired me to open one in New York. I book a trip for 8 days in Venice to explore, feel, experience and find out everything I could about the Wine Bars of Venice (Bacari). And I did just that. With the knowledge of that trip and my many years experience in the restauranat business in New York, I made a business plan, found a partner to join me, and I created the First Ever Bacaro in The United States, called BAR CICHETTI in New York's Greenwich Village. Basta !

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SAN GIACOMO

The OLDEST CHURCH in VENICE

Built 1071

At The RIALTO

If You stay at GUERRATO

This is just 200 Feet Away

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The RIALTO MARKET

Over 700 Years Old

If you stay at Albergo Guerrato, you are Literally Several Feet from The RIALTO

You walk out the Door of the hotel, make a right, walk 30 Feet and you are Inside The RIALTO MARKET. It doesn't get much Better than that.

FRUIT MERCHANT

The RIALTO MARKET

VENICE

BAR CICHETTI

America's FIRST Ever VENETIAN WINE BAR

aka BACRO

Created by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

and Tom Taraci

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A Motoscafo Passes Through

PONTE ACCADAMIA

VENICE

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View from Accadamia Bridge

TURNER

TURNER

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HOTEL TIVOLI

DORSODORO

VENICE

1995

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The BREAKFAST ROOM

TIVOLI

VENICE

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My Room

The HOTEL TIVOLI

VENICE

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HOTEL IRIS

VENICE

Stayed Here in 1996

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View from My Room

HOTEL IRIS

VENICE

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PALAZZO DARIO

VENICE

ITALY

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Near HOTEL IRIS

DORSODORO

VENICE

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SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italians Cook

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CAFFE FLORIAN


"One of My Favorite Places in the World"

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GAIACOMO CASANOVA

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CASANOVA Seduces

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 Trattoria Poste Vecie

Since 1500

This restaurant was a Favorite 

of GIACOMO CASANOVA

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Where CASANOVA Often DINED

and SEDUCED

In the fish market area, in Campo delle Beccarie, there is the Poste Vecie restaurant open since 1500, where Casanova used to hide away with friends and especially girl friends to enjoy luxurious banquets. 

The whole area of St. Mark’s Square and especially the old premises, starting from Caffè Florian, have been hunting grounds of the great seducer Giacomo Casanova.

   

DO MORI

The erotic tour of Venice cannot exclude the Rialto area and in particular the Sotoportego dei Do Mori where in the tavern of the same name Casanova liked giving the first appointment to his ladies. Who showed up strictly masked.

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Antonio Vivaldi

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See a VIVALDI CONCERT at The PIETA

Where VIVALDI was The MAESTRO

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The PIETA

On The  RIVA DEGLI SCHIAVONA

VENICE , ITALY

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The RIVA DEGLI SCHIAVONI

by CANALETTO

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BACARI

The WINE BARS of VENICE

VEDOVA

"A FAVORITE of Mie"

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INSIDE The BAR at VEDOVA

BACARO

 

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GONDOLA'S with Della SALUTE in Background

The MOLO

VENICE

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The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

SECRET RECIPE

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SUMMERTIME

Starring KATHERINE HEPHURN

This movie was what first captured my young imagination

 of the Magical City that is VENICE Italy,

Ever since the first time I saw SUMMERTIME when I was only 5 years old, I always wanted to go there. That Dream came True in the SUmmertime of 1985.

I went again in 1995, 1997, and 2001, and 2003. Yes 5 times.

My First Sight of VENICE

July 1985

Stazione Santa Lucia

VENICE

San Simione Piccolo

VENICE

As I stepped out of the Santa Luci Train Station, this was one of my first glipses of the enchanting city of Venice, Italy. You look across the Grand Canal to see the Church of San Simione Piccolo and the building surrounding it. Just out of from to the left is the Scalzi Bridge that takes you over the canal from Stazione Santa Lucia and the neighborhood of Cannereggio over to the neighborhood of San Croce.

Yes, so ever since I was a boy of 5 and seeing Katherine Hephurn in David Lean's epic movie SUMMERTIME which was completely shot on location in Venice, Italy, I "Dreamed" of one day going to that Mystical Magical City of Venice. And so it was, one day in July 1985 when my train that I had boarded in Nice, France pulled into Stazione Santa Lucia, the same train station you see Katherine Hephurn playing a middle-age spinster (Jane Hudson) from Akron, Ohio arriving at the place of her dreams too, Venice, Italy. "I made it too."

I got my bags and left the train. Walking down the long binario and into the station. I found the small Tourist Info Office and waited on line. I asked the girl if she could get my a room at a nice inexpensive hotel i the center, and she did. She called and made the reservation and gave me a card of the Hotel Firenze and told me to take the # 1 Boat (Vaparetto) and take it t San Marco, get off there, and the place was a short walk from the boat stop. So I did just that.

I waited for the # 1 Vaparetto to come. And I boarded it, just as Katherine Kephurn did in Summertime. Just as Kate Hudson did, I delighted at the incrediably beautiful sights of riding on the Grand Canal in Venice, with each side of the canal filled with Grand Palazzos as well as more modest homes. seeing Gondolas, Motoscafi (Water Taxis) and various boat traffic go by. It was all quite magical to see. The boat rode the whole length of the Grande Canal and it was quite some ride, that ended at the stop of San Marco, for the Piazza San Marco and the very epicenter of town.

True to the girl's word, it was a very short walk to get to the Hotel Firenze. I walked in and checked in with the Front Desk, and they gave me my rool key, and I made my way up to my room. It was about 8 at night by the time I got to my room in Venice, and so I took a quick shower to freshen up, I got dressed and I made my way out to find a nice little trattori to eat at.

It's so long ago, I don't even remember where I ate at, or what I even ate. No need to fret, I would have many more meals on later trips over the years.

What I do remember is that I lost my way in that crazy lybrinth of city that is Venice. I learned a valuable travel lesson though, and that is that whenever you checck into a new hotel, make sure you get two business cards, and put one in your wallet and another in one of your pockets, this way, al you have to do is show it to someone who can help you get back to where you want to go (your hotel).

Well, to tell you the truth, my first visit to Venice was not all that eventful, but I made up for it on all my other visits to follow.

Hotel Firenze

My Hotel

July 1985 and My 1st Trip to VENICE

A Map of SAN MARCO Area

VENICE

Back of HOTEL FIRENZE Business Card

Katherine Hephurn

Pensione Fiorrini

VENICE

Jane Hudson Contemplates

KATHERINE HEPHURN

In SUMMERTIME

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