Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Discover Venice: Dorsoduro

Discover Venice: 
A breath of fresh air after the crowds of tourists in the San Marco district, this is the real Venice, a place where Venetians still live it's the district, "Sestiere" di Dorsoduro.
It is also a part of Venice that has one of the most magnificent buildings in the whole city.
Parts of the Dorsoduro - such as L’Accademie and Zattere are considered amongst the most exclusive parts of Venice by modern day Venetians and contain some beautiful villas owned by rich Venetians and international celebrities.
There are a fair number of significant buildings and churches around here, like Ca' Rezzonico, Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice's Guggenheim Museum. To really get the feel of the district I suggest you Campo Santa Margherita, a buzzing 9th century piazza and one of the biggest in Venice, full of life and color. - During the morning the market is filled with the smells and sounds of the fish and fresh produce markets and in the evening the piazza gives itself over to Venetian families and the young students and artists who live in this part of Venice.
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Music fun fact: emotional attachment

Monday Music fun fact:
An emotional attachment could be the reason for your favorite song choice. Favorite songs are often context-dependent. Even though many people often change their favorite song depending on the most recent releases, it is proven that long-lasting preferences are due mainly to an emotional attachment to a memory associated with the song. 
La Vie En Rose of Edith Piaff would be one of my long time favorite. It reminds me of tea time as a child in Venice with my grandmother best friend, an old french lady and her stories about her life in Paris and this iconic singer that she had met. I was fascinated about it and it was this music, and Edith voice and her story that made me already at 4 years old sing and fall in love with music.
What's your favorite song ? What's your memory?
From Venice With Love,
Giada

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Venice’s Fun Fact: Acqua Alta

Venice’s Fun Fact:
Acqua Alta occurs when certain events coincide: the high tide forms an alliance with low pressures and that their windy friend, Sirocco, participates with our friend the Moon, la Luna. These elements together trigger the across-the-board flood of waters of the lagoon in Venice. 
Acqua Alta has nothing to do with “the sinking” of Venice, which certainly is existent but in the amount of less than a millimeter a year. 
Today, they can count up to fifty Acqua Alta a year! The period at risk is from September 15th till April 15th every year.
In case of serious Acqua Alta, foghorns (which still date to the last world war), will shout a warning signal.
To read more you can visit: www.giadavalenti.com
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Fun Fact 3 St. Patrick's day: Blue or Green?

Fun Fact 3 about St. Patrick's day:
Everyone knows that the official colour of St Patrick’s Day is green – representative of the rolling hills of Ireland. 
But did you know that the colour originally associated with St Patrick was blue? There’s even a colour named “St Patrick’s Blue” in his honour. However, green came to be associated with St Patrick’s Day around the 17th century, when people began to celebrate the day with shamrocks and green ribbons.
Let's the celebration go on....
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Fun Fact 2 St. Patrick's day: St. Patrick origins

Fun Fact 2 about St. Patrick's day:
St. Patrick wasn't Irish.
Patrick's parents were Roman citizens living in modern-day England, or more precisely in Scotland or Wales (scholars cannot agree on which). He was born in 385 AD. By that time, most Romans were Christians and the Christian religion was spreading rapidly across Europe. 
So since Romans were Italians...more reason to love all my Irish friends!!!
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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St. Patrick's Day with some fun fact 1: dry holiday

Let's celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some fun facts:
1. St. Patrick's was a dry holiday in Ireland until 1970. 
Irish law, from 1903 to 1970, declared St. Patrick's Day a religious observance for the entire country meaning that all pubs were shut down for the day. That meant no beer, not even the green kind, for public celebrants. The law was overturned in 1970, when St. Patrick's was reclassified as a national holiday - allowing the taps to flow freely once again.
Cin cin....cheers....salute....
From Venice With Love,
Giada 
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Did you know? Pearls and pain

Did you know?
Oysters make pearls so they can feel better. When a grain of sand or debris gets stuck in their bodies, they ease the pain and irritation by coating it with a mute layers of nacre, the mineral that lines inside of their shells, and pearls being to form. Basically, pearls are like blisters, only much prettier. 
It's incredible how much beauty can arose out of pain. More reasons to love pearls and value them.
From Venice With Love,
Giada 
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Venetian Gondola’s Fun Fact 4

Venetian Gondola’s Fun Fact 4:
That decorative hood ornament at the prow is called the ferro, and it’s full of symbolism. 
I’s in an S shape which represents the curve of the Grand Canal as it bisects the island of Venice. 
The six prongs (pettini) represent the six districts of Venice, known as the sestieri: San Marco, San Polo, Santa Croce, Castello, Dorsoduro, Canareggio).
The one backwards facing prong symbolizes the island of Giudecca which is just south of the main island of Venice.
The embellishment at top of the ferro echoes the shape of a Doge’s hat (an elected magistrate of the republic)
The little arch between the flourish and the top prong represents the Rialto Bridge.
In more modern ferro’s you can see also three little embellishments that represents the three main island of Venice : Murano, Burano and Torcello.
Beyond its symbolic/ornamental touch, the ferro also serves as a kind of protective bumper in case the gondola collides with other boats or walls, plus it’s a bit of a counterweight for the gondolier standing at the back.
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Italian word of the day : tifosi.

Italian word of the day : tifosi.
That's how the fans of soccer, F1 fans and Italian cycle, especially in the Giro d' Italia are called. It meaning “carriers of typhus". That's because their devotion is like fever.
Funny how being so passionate about something can be seen as a negative thing. Even the word "fan: in English is a short version of the word "fanatic". We artists love our fans and love to give them different and more positive names: I called mine "Angels" as they are the wings that make my music fly!!!
From Venice With love,
Giada
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Music Monday "Cinema Paradiso"

It's music Monday and here is my piano and vocal rendition of the beautiful love theme of "Cinema Paradiso" written by Maestro Ennio Morricone. Maestro Morricone received the Honorary Academy Award at the Oscar in 2007 and last night he won his second Oscar for Best Original Score for the "The Hateful Eight" directed by Quentin Tarantino. 
Grazie Maestro Morricone : 87 years old and sill writing music that make us dream!
From Venice With Love,
Giada

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Music Fun Fact: Volare

Monday Music Fun Fact:
At the first Grammy Awards, held on 4 May 1959, Domenico Modugno beat out Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee for the Record of the Year, with “Volare.”
It's 2016 and the song still brings so much joy to my audience everytime I sing it...music is timeless!! I can't wait to sing it alone with you soon at my Concerts around the USA!!
From Venice With Love,
Giada

Fun Facts about the streets of Venice

Fun Facts about the streets of Venice :
Most of the streets names in Venice where given by proximity with churches or shops and were usually related to professional arts, commercial activities or the origin of the inhabitants. 
Therefor there are 31 “Calle del forno”, where “forno” means "oven" and 16 “Calle del magazen”, where “magazen” means "warehouse".
How will the mailman in Venice find an address? 
Well houses in Venice are numbered according to the districts, (6 of them plus the Island of Giudecca), not the streets. Only the delivery people really knows how to move around quickly....for all the others get lost is Venice is part of the fun!!!
From venice With Love,
Giada
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Fun facts about Venetian blinds


Fun facts about Venetian blinds:
Venetian Blinds were invented by the Persians.Venetian merchants brought them to Europe and give them that name. European artists used them in their works, making them extremely popular there in the 15th and 16th centuries. Why they became so popular in Venice? Well a very valued occupation in Venice was to spy the neighbors and this shutter with fine small strips was protecting from the sun without keeping them from doing that. The need foranonymity was very serious in venice reason why carnival and masks were always so popular in Venice.
How do they arrive also in America?
An English craftsman, John Webster, introduced the Wooden Venetian Sun Blinds to the New World. Originally from London, he came to open an upholstery shop in Philadelphia, PA. His business became a raving success that he became the known as “The Blind man of Philadelphia”. He made the first print advertisement for these wooden blinds which appeared in the Pennsylvania Weekly Journal and Advertiser on August 20, 1767.
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Fun facts : The Republic of San Marino

Did you know?
Italy’s Republic of San Marino, is the world’s oldest republic (A.D. 301) and holds the world’s oldest continuous constitution.
1. It has fewer than 30,000 citizens 
2. It is the only country with more vehicles than people. 
3. Its citizens are called the Summarines
4. It's an enclaved micro state surrounded by Italy, on the border between the regioni of Emilia Romagna and Marche
5.It's the third smallest country in Europe, with only Vatican City and Monaco being smaller.
6. It has no flat ground; it is entirely composed of hilly terrain.
7. It has had more female heads of state than any other country: 15 as of October 2014, including three who served twice.
8. To try while there is Torta Tre Monti (“Cake of the Three Mountains”), a wafer layered cake covered in chocolate depicting the Three Towers of San Marino.
9. It's currency is the EURO
10. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP (per capita), have a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus.
In my experience : It's a delight to visit. It's like a DREAMLAND!!
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Venetian proverb of the day

Venetian proverb of the day:
In Venice we have many proverbs and sayings that we use everyday. You can almost say that it is a Venetian way of speaking, much more, I think, than any other region in Italy. The proverbs can be very funny, but also very true, For sure they give you a good insight of the way we think about life, family, politics, love, family, friends and so much more.
I grew up hearing them and they have for sure influenced and shaped my personality and way of thinking.
- Eat and drink because life is a flash.
That's why in Venice we don’t need an occasion to celebrate with drinks and food : life is a celebration of life itself.
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Venice Fun Fact of the day: origin of the word CIAO

Venice Fun Fact of the day:
The word CIAO (pronounced CHOW) It can mean “hello” and “goodbye".
But did you know that it is a word that comes from the Venetian dialect? It was the greeting that the slaves were saying to their owners.They word was: s-ciào vostro” that means “I am your slave”.“ Over time, the phrase was abbreviated to simply s-ciào, while retaining the same meaning. 
Because of this history you’ll find especially with older generations that CIAO isn’t an innocuous greeting to be thrown around to anyone you meet. So if you want to offer a polite greeting to a shop owner, a waiter, or just someone you pass in the street, here are some alternatives.
My favorite is Salve, (pronounced SAL|veh) .You can greet someone with salve day or night but it only works for “hello.”
Buongiorno (pronounced bwon|JOR|no “good day,”
Buona sera – pronounced bwon|ah SEH|rah. “good evening",
Arrivederci – (pronounced ah|ree|veh|DEHR|chee) only means “goodbye,”
If you want to get really fancy with your time-of-day greetings, pull a "Buon Pomeriggio" It’s “Good Afternoon,” used roughly from after lunch until evening. This one also works as a “hello” and “goodbye.” It’s pronounced bwon pom|eh|REE|jo.
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Venetian Gondola's fun fact 3

Venetian Gondola's fun fact 3:
Gondola's have a purposely off-kilter design so it doesn't row in circles. Each gondola is 35′ 6″ long and 4′ 6″ wide, but the left side is 10 inches longer than the other. This asymmetry helps counterbalance the weight of the gondolier who stands at the back. It also compensates for the tendency of the boat to sway left as the gondolier continually rows on the right. The sleek and stable design of this flat-bottomed boat is well-suited to the shallow conditions of the Venetian lagoon and the occasional mud flats in the canals as it can navigate in only a few inches depth of water.
From Venice With Love,
Giada
www.giadavalenti.com
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Venetian Gondola's fun fact 2

Venetian Gondola's fun fact 2:
You’ll notice that all gondolas are painted black – at least 6 glossy coats’ worth. It’s actually the law. Back in the 16th-century when the canals were chock full of 10,000 gondolas, various noblemen tried to one-up each other with fancy designs and bright colors. All that egotistical extravagance started to look a bit garish. So the city passed a law decreeing that all gondolas must be standardized and painted black. No more bells and whistles beyond a curly tail, a pair of seahorses and a fancy ferro at the front. You do see the odd gondola with a little more bling from time to time. Some choose to decorate the interior with golden details, velvet upholstery, carpets or plastic flowers – especially those used for weddings or special occasions. But other than that, they’re all basic black.
From Venice With Love,
Giada
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Venetian Gondola's fun fact 1

Venetian Gondola's fun fact 1:
The modern banana-boat gondola we see today is the design of 19th century master craftsman Domenico Tamontin, whose descendants still run a Venetian boatyard today. A city ordinance prohibits any modifications to this design and they are all hand-constructed using age-old traditional techniques. There are some customizations according to the height, weight and punting style of the gondolier, but for the most part based on the uniform design. Measurements are not taken in meters or feet but in “venetian feet”, a special unit used since the 1400s.
From Venice With Love,
Giada 
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Fun fact about LOVE


"It only takes up to 4 minutes to decide whether you like someone or not"
If you want to make a good impression on someone, you’ve only got about 4 minutes to do it. It is believed that it has far more to do with your body language, tone and speed of your voice rather than exactly what you say.
From Venice With Love,
Giada 
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Venice's fun fact: characters carved in the arches of Palace Cemerlenghi

Venice fun fact:
Nobody believed the it was possible to build the Rialto Bridge out of stone. It was a common phrase for a man to say “It will be constructed when I have 3 legs” or a woman to say that she would set herself on fire if the construction were ever completed. From these two proverbs, today you can see these two characters carved in the arches of the building besides the bridge, the Palace Camerlenghi: a man with 3 legs and a woman sitting on a flaming brazier!
From Venice With love,
Giada 
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Street's of Venice Fun Fact: Calle

Street's of Venice Fun Fact:
The real streets of Venice were the canals – that’s why the “Calle”, or alleyways, are so narrow. The main entrances of palaces and normal houses were on the canal-side. Today, Venice also has a parking problem of its own, (Funny, isn’it?) due to too many boats and too few docking spaces. So often nowadays Venetians are more often choosing to walk than taking a boat to do chores.
Happy Monday,
Giada
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Venice's fun food : cicchetti

Venice fun food : 
Pronounced “chee-KET-eeh,” cicchetti are Venice’s answer to Spain’s tapas. They’re small plates of food, usually nibbled among friends in the evening or at lunchtime. Served at bàcari (“BAH-car-eeh”), small, local bars hidden all over Venice, they’re also cheap, ranging from about €1 to €3. What’s on offer depends on the place; some bàcari lean toward fried offerings, while others specialize in fresh fish, meats, cheeses… the list goes on. Cicchetti are usually accompanied by a small glass of local white wine, which the locals refer to as an "ombra" (shadow).
From Venice With Love,
Giada 
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