travelswithalice

June 21, 2016

Venice after the flood

We just had to come back to Venice after the flood. And this is what we came back for: the light here is pure magic.

Monday dinner was at Osteria Due Mori on Piazza Mori. They used sweet cherry tomatoes and avocado sauce in their caprese salad; it was delicious. The lamb chops were perfectly seared and juicy; they were excellent. The dessert of chocolate mousse and Kentish cherries was superb.

We were convinced this is where we want to be tomorrow for dinner. Sadly, they're closed Tuesdays.

At the Zaha Hadid Retrospective which opened at this year's Architecture Biennale.

Venue is the Palazzo Franchetti, itself an architectural gem. The 16th century Venetian Gothic palace is lavishly decorated like an exquisite piece of jewelry.

First stop, lunch at the cafe.

Along with the intriguing 3-dimensional computer generated models produced by Hadid's architecture firm, the retrospective features her own painstakingly constructed 2-dimensional card models as well as her early paintings.

On my wish list this year, a 3-D printed Zaha Hadid chair.

Also in the city this year is the Dance Biennale.

This was no gliding twirling kind of dance. They leaped and tumbled and hurled themselves on the ground, then executed graceful athletic moves in extremely demanding slow motion.

One injured dancer barely managed the curtain call.

Back in the Cannaregio quarter, we found a friendly neighborhood bar for a well-deserved sit down, wine, and tapas.

Later, on our way back to our hotel, the sound of choir singing led us to a church concert.

Hate to say it but "Agnus dei...miserere nobis..." sung to a piano arrangement by Carly Simon just won't do. It wasn't Carly of course, but the intro reminded me too much of "You're So Vain!"

To wrap up the evening, we went in search of our favorite dessert.