Piazza San Marco in Black & White. Views from an interior.
Images as evocative emotions. Photographs taken from the interior of the Doges Palace, a place so important to me. Yes, the history and all the art, but mostly the memories of my childhood.
How many afternoons I spent here with my mother. My dad and her separated when I was about 7 years old. They always remained good friends and never made me suffer nor assist in any sort of discussion, yet for a child having two different houses and not being able to be with both parents is always a little bit traumatic. Mum used to work for Telecom Italia and lived in Milan for many years, until she was able to move back to Venice and rent a house just behind the Piazza, in Calle del Vin (literally wine street).
During the week I stayed with dad, in Lido. I went to Odone Parmeggiani elementary school, full time from Monday to Friday. Then on Fridays, I would walk up to Piazzale Santa Maria Elisabetta and take a motonave, which at the time still had a bar on the first floor where I would treat myself to a tomato juice and a ham and cheese toasted sandwich.
Mum would always meet me in San Zaccaria and we would spend the weekend together. I loved being with her. We nicknamed the house she lived in 'the pink house', as the carpet floor and the Liberty style wallpaper were all in pink shades. On Fridays it was always cinema and burger. Very close to the apartment there was a small cinema called Ritz (now a rather hideous restaurant) and two minutes away there was Burgy.
Saturdays, instead, were quite fancy. Morning treats at Rosa Salva, a ham and egg tramezzino followed by a chocolate puff for me and an asparagus and egg tramezzino for her. Then... the Doges Palace.
It never felt repetitive, she always pointed out different details and told me the nicest stories. I think we were both fascinated by the space and the art and by each other. Blonde with blue eyes, she looked so beautiful to me. Her warmth and all the cuddles, her perfume (at the time it was White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor). Years later, one afternoon, I met one of my school teachers, Grazia, who told me that she could never forget how one hot late spring day at school I wouldn't take off my mother's cardigan because 'It feels like mummy hugging me' I said. She thought it was so sweet.
For lunch, mum would always take me to fancy places like Harry's bar or Do Forni, where she was a regular due to her job. I still find it unbelievable how luxurious our weekends were and that I even celebrated my birthday in a five star hotel such as the Luna Baglioni.
At Harry's I loved going to the first floor and eating next to the window, looking out at the lagoon. Risotto primavera was my favorite, sometimes I would take tagliatelle but not often to be honest. After our main, I would sip a little bit of her lemon sorbet and then, once out of the restaurant, came the best part of the day... which was going to Pietrobon in Campo Manin, where the Banco San Marco is today. It was a two storey heaven for me, with a gigantic stationary store on the ground floor and different toys on the first floor. On the way home we would also stop at Testolini to buy a fountain pen, at the time I was a child and I collected all the Coca-Cola ones, with beautiful illustrations and colours. In the evening, cartoons and dinner, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends and other times at some of her friend's houses.
Sundays it was another visit to museums or gallery, most times Ca' Rezzonico, where I had to say hi to the turtles swimming in the fountain at the entrance, but this is another story, for another time and with new images.
Bye for now. Love,
Nicoletta XXX
bellisimi ricordi. 😍