watercolor by Aurore de La Morinerie
Venice - Highlights:
France Thierard – Venezia Come Piace a Me – Guide Book. France Thierard’s unusual, curious and fascinating guide to Venice, Venezia Come Piace a Me – Una guida per perdersi
or Venice as I love It – a guide for getting lost, is the first book of a new
collection of guides on cities on the water. It is a travel book for women to get lost and to dream in; yet it is also a valuable book
of information.
Venice as I love It, is a guide by the traveler, France Thierard, who lives in Venice and shares with readers her secrets and those of her friends in the Serenissima.
Venice as I love It, is a guide by the traveler, France Thierard, who lives in Venice and shares with readers her secrets and those of her friends in the Serenissima.
“None of us are ever
exactly the same voyager, and this concept inspired my book: a guide based on
elective affinities, that would let each reader travel according to her own
personality and desires; The Dreamer, The Adventuress, The Erudite and The
Elegant are the key to this book; they share their art of living with the
reader, and confide all of their secret rendezvous. Offering a choice of paths,
sights and gourmet delights, they give a special sense to their most familiar
places. Each reader might follow only one of them, according to her own taste,
or all four, depending on her mood and how it changes from one moment to the
next.”
Above. Author France Thierard at Punta Della Dogana
with the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in the background.
Watercolor – Santa Maria della Salute church -
Aurore de La Morinerie. “I asked Aurore de La Morinerie to
take part in this editorial project, and she contributed with the delicacy,
poetry and modernity her watercolors. Her portraits of the four voyagers
identifies them and acts as references for the guide’s readers, orienting them
with an elegant system of signs and colors.
Venice as I love It – a
guide for getting lost - The Erudite - curious,
humanistic and passionate. In
her search for rare beauty, the Erudite uncovers the exceptional artistic
treasures of Venice.
The
Erudite – loves: “The tranquility of a “floating monastery”. "The
sweet, fresh air of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. The vaporetto takes me to this
island, once a refuge for Armenians. The monastery and its enormous
library rise inside an exotic garden, and after a visit I always see the
church’s blue sky and golden stars in my dreams. I always leave with a jar of
rose petal jam prepared by the monks, and take the last boat back to Venice,
when the sky is set ablaze with a kaleidoscope of topaz, amethyst and ruby.”
Above.
The Library of the Armenian monastery.
San
Lazzaro degli Armeni – The Rose Petal Jam. Don’t leave the island without a jar
of the delicious rose petal jam. The Mekhitarist monks at San Lazzaro are known for making jam
from rose petal around May, when the roses are in full bloom. Around five
thousand jars of jam are made and sold in the gift shop in the island. Monks
also eat it for breakfast.
Venice
Biennale 2015 - Golden Lion for Best Pavilion: The National Pavilion of The Republic of Armenia. The Armian Pavilion during the Venice Biennale,
until october 18, is housed inside the Mekhitarist Monastry, it won the Golden
Lion Award for Best Pavilion “..for forming a pavilion based on a people in
diaspora, each artist engaging their specific locality as well as their
heritage. The pavilion took the form of a palimpsest, with contemporary
positions inserted into a site of historic preservation. In a year that
witnesses a significant milestone for the Armenian people, this pavilion marks
the resilience of trans-cultural confluence and exchanges.”
Above. Haig Aivazian – Hastayim Yasiyorum (I am
sick, but I am Alive) – 2014.
The
Erudite – loves: Friulane (Venetian velvet slippers, with padding made from
jute sacks and soles cut from old bicycle tires.
The
Erudite – loves: a pizza by the water at Il Refolo owned by famous da Fiore
restaurant.
Santa
Croce 1459 - Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio -
041
524 00 16
The
Erudite – loves: Coffee at El
Chioschetto. “When, in the early morning, I want to breathe in the scent of the
salt air, I place myself in the sun on the Zattere and rejoice to see, already
at that time of day, the Giudecca canal overflowing with life.”
El
Chioschetto – 1406/A Fondamenta delle Zattere
Venice as I love It – a
guide for getting lost - The
Adventuress - vagabond, audacious and overflowing with life. The Adventuress
wanders through the city at twilight, explores the labyrinth of its calli and
canals and plunges into the mystery of Venice.
The
Adventuress – Loves: The first
collection of glassware by Marcantonio Brandolini for LagunaB: a must-have!
“New colors for LagunaB: a chartreuse yellow, an apricot orange, some lagoon
green hues, a deep Venetian red, a pearl white… and some more masculine colors,
grafted onto Murano crystal, which is sometimes black. The result reminds me of
the thousand sandbanks and small islands with serpentine watery inlets
scattered across the lagoon, or the birth of glass during a volcanic explosion
when the incandescent matter cools in the air. This is the effect of the
burning glass as it comes out of the furnace, that the master glassmaker
plunges into cold water, a perfect success! I immediately seize this occasion,
hesitating however between the water glasses and this new form that Marcantonio
prefers, a small straight goblet with somber colors, better for drinking a
bull-shot than a glass of mineral water! I am delighted by this first
collection,that is sensible, elegant and provocative, like Marie’s son.”
L’Angolo
del Passato – Campiello dei Squelini – 3276/A Dorsoduro
watercolor by Aurore de La Morinerie
The Adventuress – Loves: Rowing, sending ripples through the water with
each oar stroke. “Far away from the city’s motorboats, I am
free to enjoy the intimacy of the lagoon. The current carries me gently over
the murmuring water. I caress the oar’s handle as I glide softly down the deep
canals, brushing past the bricole and the shallow barene. The
lagoon goes through a new metamorphosis with each passing hour, sparkling with
opalescent reflections over the variegated transparency of its waters. Towards
the lost islands of Sacca Sessola, Santo Spirito and Poveglia, Alessandra rows
“alla veneta” (Venetian style), standing up and using only one oar. Her maestro
is teaching her the art of navigating on a Mascareta, a flat-bottomed
Venetian boat. Giulio prefers to row “alla valesana”, standing up but using two
oars. When it’s my turn to try one technique or the other, the boat displays
the colors of the association Canottieri della Giudecca, white and red. Women
have an important place in this rowing club: in addition to the “regata delle
donne”, they participate in all the regattas held all year long, boarding a
Caorlina or a Sandolo for a few enchanting hours in the southern lagoon or
along the canals in the interior, or perhaps for a longer trip to the Po Delta,
or towards Grado.”
The Adventuress – Loves: To watch the sunset with
a glass of Prosecco or a Spritz after rowing with the Club di Voga at the
Canottieri della Giudecca at La Palanca, overlooking the Zattere and the church
of the Gesuati.
La Palanca – 448 Fondamenta del Ponte Piccolo –
Giudecca
The Adventuress – Loves: The art of the forcola (oar lock) revealed. “All of the gondolier’s
dexterity is already included in the art of building a gondola… In between the
boat and the gondolier’s oar, however, lies the invaluable forcola, which concentrates all the
experience of a good rower. In his workshop in Dorsoduro, Saverio Pastor
reveals to me his unique expertise in cutting a forcola. Carved out of a single piece of walnut, pear or cherry
wood, its contour provides no less than eight points on which the oar can lay.
It is a true work of art, sought-after by collectors worldwide. I never tire of
watching the patient and passionate work of these artisans.”
Punta della Dogana - Francois Pinault Foundation - Bookshop. The Punta della Dogana bookshop, as well as, other museum bookstores and bookshops all over Venice stock France Thierard's Venezia
Come Piace a Me – Una guida per perdersi, as well as the French version –
Venise Comme je l’Aime and in September the English version will also be
available. The book is illustrated
throughout with watercolors by French artist Aurore de La Morinerie with
graphics and layout by Pamela Berry and Alessandro Tusset. It is published by
Edizioni Elzeviro.
Punta della dogana - Francois Pinault Foundation - Bookshop. In the bookshop, Edizioni Elzeviro's publisher Alessandro Tusset assists author France Thierard, who is signing copies of her book, Venezia Come Piace a Me –
Una guida per perdersi.
Venice as I
love It – a guide for getting lost - The
Elegant - generous, spiritual and irresistible. The Elegant lives in a world of
luxury, and returns to her palazzo by motorboat.
The Elegant – Loves: Breakfast on an altana. “As I sit on an altana, one of the wooden terraces suspended on the city’s
rooftops, Servane has prepared a delicious breakfast for me. The juice is
served in ethereal octagonal Venetian hand-blown glasses, so thin that they
seem to be lighter than air. Looking out from under the ivory canopy that
protects us from the sun, we enjoy the view over the roofs of Venice and the
Grand Canal, with the bell-tower of the Frari basilica and the solemnly
inclined tower at Santo Stefano in the distance. The world of Venice’s hanging
gardens, so intriguing when seen from below, is now unveiled.”
Historical note - Altana: perched on top of the
roofs of some Venetian residences, these wooden terraces are very much
sought-after in the lagoon city. According to legend, Venetian women, whose
blond tresses were once highly praised, used to come here to lighten their hair
by exposing it to the sun. In the 15th century, more than seventy recipes were
used to bleach these courtesans’ hair, including one made with ointment and
horse urine!
Above. Author France Thierard and Servane Giol,
enjoy the altana of the Bauer Hotel’s Il Palazzo, with views over Santa Maria
della Salute, the bacino di San Marco and San Giorgio Maggiore.
Bauer - Il Palazzo – Settimo Cielo. Breakfast in “Seventh
Heaven” on the terrace of the seventh floor, of the Bauer’s Il Palazzo, which is
reserved exclusively for hotel guests, however, showing a copy of the book,
Venezia Come piace a me, you too can enjoy a cup of coffee on the altana and
enjoy the breathtaking views of the city and lagoon.
The Elegant – Loves: To choose from the assortments of Panama hats, directly imported from
Ecuador, or buy a gondolier's hat which are handmade on the spot in the center of
Venice at Giuliana Longo.
The Elegant – Loves: A dinner worthy of a queen! “Today is Sunday and it is cool enough
outside, for an autumn evening, to eat at the Riviera on Fondamenta delle
Zattere. Their raw fish is fantastic, as are the ravioli di branzino or the sea
bass baked in a salt crust, strongly recommended by G. P. Cremonini, the new
owner of this historical restaurant. The setting sun caresses my face, and the canal
twinkles with a thousand sparks in the evening light, reminding me of the
splendid summer that has just gone by…”
The Elegant – Loves: the exhibitions at the
Stanze del Vetro on the island of San Giorgio. Le Stanze del Vetro, is a
long-term cultural initiative launched by Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Pentagram
Stiftung, devoted to the study and the promotion of the art of glassmaking in
the twentieth century.
Above. Napoleone Martinuzzi. Venini 1925-1931 -
exhibition curated by Marino Barovier – Le Stanze del Vetro - 2013.
The Elegant – Loves: Laura de Santillana’s fascinating
world of glass. “Granddaughter of the famous glassmaker Paolo Venini, Laura has
been imbued with the magic of this art since her childhood. Today she works
with a few of the great masters of the glass-making tradition, creating lines
of refined objects in geometric or organic shapes. She plays with the opacity
and the fluidity of polished sunken glass, using effects of distortion and the
alchemy of color and light. With her innovative sculptural work, Laura has
created a new, sensual and captivating aesthetic, that has already seduced the
museums of the world and the Biennale.”
Above. Laura de Santillana during the exhibition
at the Stanze del Vetro - I Santillana – Works by Laura de Santillana and
Alessandro Diaz de Santillana – 2014, a dialogue and confrontation between the
different poetics of two artists. The novelty, in this specific case, is that
the artists in question are also brother and sister.
Venice as I
love It – a guide for getting lost - The
Dreamer - Imaginative, intuitive and sensual. The Dreamer lives for the
moment, discusses philosophy with a seagull and loves to be permeated by the
uproar and the silence of Venice.
The Dreamer Loves: Angels. Angels in gilded wood,
or even a pair of wings from the Bottega dell'Indorador owned by father and son
team Gianni and Alberto Cavalier, just off the Campo Santo Stefano.
watercolor by Aurore de La Morinerie
The Dreamer - Loves: Luminous mosaics. “The basilica majestically rises in St. Mark’s Square,
with its Byzantine domes, its horses reaching towards the sky and its shining
reflections that blaze under the setting sun. All images that lead us towards
the Orient! Underneath these bright glass tiles, however, lies the entire art
of mosaics.”
The Dreamer – Loves: To Lose herself amongst
the shades of the Library of Colors. “Far removed from St. Mark’s, in the
middle of a garden in Cannaregio, Villa Orsoni is home to a furnace where the
alchemical secrets of color are guarded and developed, a workshop in which
glass tiles are still cut by hand, and a “color library” that contains a
staggering number of hues. Time seems to have been suspended in this magical
place, where the over three thousand colors produced from the company’s
foundation in 1888 until today are conserved: a palette that Tiepolo would have
dreamed of! Gold foil tiles manufactured according to the techniques of the
ancient Byzantine mosaics, and enamels as pure as the ones made during the
Renaissance in Murano, or even until a few years ago by the Dona family in
Murano. Today, most of the great artisans of Venetian mosaics live and work in
the municipality of Spilimbergo, in the province of Udine.
Photographs courtesy Sigfrido Cipolato
The Dreamer – Loves: Earings with skulls.
Venetian Blackamoor brooches in ebony, gold, diamond and rubies made by the
goldsmith Siegfried Cipolato. “The jewelry
is small but so great!”
The Dreamer – Loves: A Bacaro. For an aperitivo
and a cicchetto she goes to the wine merchants enoteca Al Prosecco on the Campo
San Giacomo dell'Orio, away from the main tourist routes, a characteristic
Venetian spot, a place of striking beauty, shaded by trees, close to an ancient
basilica. Al Prosecco specializes in regional and national in Bio-dynamic wines
as well as local and national gastronomic products.
photograph by Mark Edward Smith
Palazzo Labia: Venezia come piace a me - Una
guida per perdersi. In the ballroom of the Eighteenth Century Palazzo Labia
under the frescoes Giambattista Tiepolo, the book launch of the Italian and
French version of France Thierard’s book Venezia Come piace a me - Una guida
per perdersi, with illustrations by Aurore de La Morinerie, published by
Edizioni Elzeviro.
Above. All the ladies who wrote a piece for the
book, and all the ladies who France wrote about, gathertogether around the Elzeviro's
publisher Alessandro Tusset.
Front row: Mary Grazia Rosin, Camilla Seibezzi, Sigrid de
Montrond, Chistina Beltrami, Elena Zeno, Maria Novella Papafava, Gabriella
Gamberini Zimmerman, Alessandro Tusset, Giordana Naccari, Antonella Fontana,
Pascaline Vatin, Lilli Doriguzzi, Servane Giol, Gabriella Cardazzo, Marie-Helene
Giannesini, Susan Wise, Aurore de la Morinerie, Helene Cardario.
Back row: Luana Castelli, Elisabetta Pasqualin, Nadja Noack-Barbara,
Jennifer Mac Millan Johnson, Alessandra Taverna Perulli, France Thierard,
Alessandra Zoppi, Peggy Reimer, Bianca Arrivabene.
photograph by Manfredi Bellati
Palazzo Labia - A
detail of the Giambattista Tiepolo frescos
