Yes, really, I'm STILL standing on the Ponte dei Conzafelzi!

I've been a bit obsessed by the Ponte dei Conzafelzi this week, as you'll know if you've already read my two previous posts:

• On a bridge like this (Diego Valeri)
• Still standing on the Ponte dei Conzafelzi

And still, I'm standing here on the bridge, drinking in Venice, gulping in the sight of the canals, the bridges, the light, the colours, the brick, the quiet, the history, the many ancient and modern and contemporary lives that have passed to and fro, over this bridge, under the bridge, built, lived in and animated the houses around me.

I stand on the bridge, I look down this canal and I take in the sight of the sun sparkling on the water, of the proud red and yellow of the Venetian flag flapping lazily in the breeze and I'm so happy that I've had the opportunity in life to fall in love with Venice.

Still standing on the Ponte dei Conzafelzi

As I stood on the Ponte dei Conzafelzi (see my previous post here), I remembered reading Paolo Barbaro's advice about seeing Venice in Venice Revealed:

"...the most important skill of all is that of standing still.  You have to be still in order to see - to be able to see and thus to participate, understand, absorb and retell the city's tales".

And so I did.  

I enjoyed the site of Palazzo Tetta, which stands at the junction of Rio di San Giovanni Laterano and Rio de la Tetta.  

Standing on Ponte dei Conzafelzi looking at Palazzo Tetta

I looked down at the railing of the iron bridge, noticing the foundry's name stamped in bold letters:

The Ponte Conzfelzi was cast by Fonderia Collalto in the late 19th century

I looked up to take in the name of the bridge and the nearby fondamenta, labelled on Venice's characteristic nizioletti:

I looked the detail of the iron bridge, including this handsome lion head:

And I simply enjoyed the sheer crazy, wonderful pleasure of actually being back in Venice again and enjoying the sunny morning.  

Looking at these photos today brings back that sense of pleasure and love I feel for Venice.  

Buon weekend!

On the bridge like this (Diego Valeri)

I've been thinking about Diego Valeri's wonderful poem about a bridge...and wondering if he had a particular bridge in mind when he wrote the poem?

Here is a photo of the elegant iron bridge, the Ponte dei Conzafelzi, over the Rio della Tetta near the Palazzo Tetta in Castello.  It was built in 1852 by the Collalto foundry at Mestre. 

I'd love to know the meaning of the word 'Conzafelzi' - can anyone assist? 

Venetian bridge

On the bridge...like this...by Diego Valeri

E così mi son fermato
ai piedi del ponte.
E così ti sei fermata anche tu
un gradino più su.
Non sapevo ch’era un addio.
L’ho saputo un attimo dopo
sentendo le tue labbra sfiorare le mie.
Era la prima, era l’ultima volta.
Così.

And so I stopped
at the foot of the bridge.
And so you stopped too
a step up.
I did not know that it was a goodbye.
I knew a moment later
feeling your lips touch mine.
It was the first, it was the last time.
Just like that.

A gondola in a bookstore - Libreria Acqua Alta, Castello

In Venice, there’s a surprise around every corner. 

My husband and I are incapable of walking past bookshops, so of course we had to stop to take a look at this sale table outside a shop in Calle del Tintor in Castello:

Entry to the Libreria Acqua Alta bookshop in Castello, Venice

We were lured further inside the shop by the sight of three majestic cats, one guarding the cash register, the other the entry to the shop, and the other stalking around.

I was on the hunt for any out of print books or books of poems by Diego Valeri that I could find. 

Imagine my surprise to find a full-size gondola in the middle of a bookshop. Complete with costumed mannequins inhabiting the gondola..

Inside the Libreria Acqua Alta in Castello, Venice

The shop was filled with books, old and new, esoteric titles, mainstream titles, reference books, books in French, books in Italian, books in German, books in English – books, books, books!

Inside Libreria Acqua Alta, Castello, Venice

At the proud encouragement of the store owner, I ventured into the courtyard to find a staircase made of books.

Staircase made of books at Libereria Acqua Alta, Castello, Venice

And the symbol of St Mark:

The courtyard of Libreria Acqua Alta, Castello

I looked up to observe the interesting construction and design of the homes around the courtyard:

Courtyard inside Libreria Acqua Alta, Castello, Venice

And then I ventured back inside to find this iconic view of the bookshop and its neighbouring canal:

Inside Libreria Acqua Alta, Castello

I didn't find any out of print books by my beloved Diego Valeri, but we did buy some prints and enough heavy books to warrant a trip back to our accommodation!

What I'm watching - Strip the City - Venice Sinking City

A friend of mine recently alerted me to a new series on Australian TV's SBS network, Strip the City which featured a 50-minute episode dedicated to old and new engineering problems and solutions in Venice.  

My interest was piqued immediately because the promotional image that I saw was that distinctive yellow building on Fondamente dei Cereri where the wonderful poet, Diego Valeri once lived.  

Still shot from Strip the City - Venice Sinking City documentary currently available on SBS TV on demand

I was able to watch the Venice Sinking City episode online on SBS TV 'on demand' website but you'll have to be quick because the link is available only until 10 February 2014 (Australian time - and Australian time is ahead by at least 8 hours for most North American and European readers).

I'm certainly not an expert on the science of preserving Venice from its many environmental challenges and nor am I generally inclined to watching engineering shows, however I found this this documentary to be comprehensible and interesting to watch.  

The episode covered ingenious engineering solutions from the past and present which have been applied to Venice's unique circumstances.  

I am not qualified to comment on the accuracy of the assertions made in the documentary, however, some of the subjects covered include:

• A demonstration how Venice is sinking through geological forces by up to an inch every decade. Using a painting by 18th century view painter, Bernardo Bellotto, a geologist demonstrated how some parts of Venice are 2.5 feet lower in the water than in Bellotto's day, and asserted that Venice sinks by an inch every decade.  

• An interview with a contemporary engineer explaining how the foundations of the campanile in the Piazza San Marco have been braced with titanium and granite to guard against instability, and how the movement of the campanile is monitored by over 100 sensors.

• Plans to install underground one-way drainage underneath the Piazza San Marco to allow water to drain away, without rising back up

• How Venice is built is on over 10 million trees felled from the mainland - this vast forest is submerged in the mud, protected from oxygen where it remains stable.  However, erosion and changing environmental circumstances are threatening this stable foundation.

• Explanations of just why the introduction of motor boat traffic into Venice has caused so many issues for the conservation and preservation of its structures (the canals of Venice are too narrow to allow waves to disperse, and water current consequently are battering against the foundations of the structures, causing cracks and in the worst cases, exposing the wooden poles upon which Venice is built to rot and erosion).  Before the introduction of motorised craft into Venetian waters, traditional gondolas and other boats had a low impact on the structure of Venice

• How contemporary engineers are using water proof mortar to repair structures (like the Rialto bridge) whose foundations are being exposed to rot and erosion

• A graphical illustration of how wells in Venice are atypical - because Venice is built on salt water, Venetians devised an ingenious method of installing a large chamber to store rainwater, which was filtered through sand.  A clay lining protects the chamber from the salty ground water. Over 6,000 wells in the city once provided vital water supplies to Venice.

• How Venetians used brick and plaster to build their buildings, but protected these porous building materials from the salt water of the lagoon by installing a limestone base.  However, as Venice sinks, the water of the lagoon is rising above this limestone barrier and attacking the brickwork and plaster causing expansion and cracking.  This allows salt water to further penetrate structures in Venice and if untreated can lead to the collapse of buildings.

• How extensive repairs were undertaken at the Salute recently to mitigate against water rising through the floor and breaking apart its marble flooring.  Engineers removed 4,500 pieces of marble by hand, and installed protective layers above the soil/ brick foundation of the church starting with a plastic membrance, covered by a metal grill holding 2 miles of tubes conducting warm water to dry the moisture from the floor of the church.  A concrete layer was then poured over the warm water and all 4,500 pieces of marble were painstakingly re-laid in their original places.

• How Venice experiences floods up to 250 times per year and how an immense weather tracking station was built 10 miles off shore in 1970, following the devastation of the 1966 flood. The documentary provided an explanation of how the siren system operates in Venice to warn residents and business owners of impending floods, and how four different tones are used to announce the expected severity of the flooding.  

• An interview with chief fire officer, Alessandra Bascia (who also features extensively in a recent BBC documentary about Venice - Venice 24/7).  Bascia explains how fire fighters were severely hampered by the lack of access to reliable water supplies and water pressure to fight the disastrous fire of 29 January 1996 (when the historic and beloved La Fenice opera theatre was burnt down).  In the aftermath of the disaster, 700 fire hydrants were installed in Venice, fed by 30 miles of water pipes, providing a dedicated water supply for fire fighters.

• Bascia also demonstrates how during a flood or high water, it can be very difficult for emergency boats to navigate the lower bridges in Venice.  The documentary shows footage of how fire crews can lower their windshields and duck down to improve their ability to fit under low bridges.

• The documentary ends with footage of the third of MOSE's 75 gates being lowered into the lagoon.  The MOSE project, scheduled for completion in 2016, aims to protect Venice by forming a mile-long flood barrier across the three inlets to the lagoon.

What I'm reading - Diego Valeri's my name on the wind...

I've been quiet with this blog as I prepare to start a new job next week, and finalise my previous work.  I've also been occupied planning and preparing a visit to Venice later in the year. 

It will be my first visit to Venice with my husband, and we'll have just six short days.  My husband has been to Venice twice, but only as a day-tripper during his younger, back-packing years, and I am completely over excited and nervous at once. 

There's so much I want to pack into our six-day visit (my list of things to experience is already six pages long), and I also want to give him time and space to know Venice.  My goal is to have him be so bowled over by the light, the history, the mystery, the magic of the city, that he too will want to visit again and again and again...

My question for you is this: if you wanted your loved one to fall in love with Venice, where would you take them?   

One of the places I want to visit is the site of poet Diego Valeri's home on Fondamente dei Cereri in Dorsoduro.  I've only recently discovered Valeri's gorgeous poetry, and through Alloggi Barbaria's blog, I discovered more about Valeri in Venice. 

I used to live just a few streeets away on Fondamente delle Procuratie and I savour picturing Valeri's local scene.  A plaque marks the spot:

Qui c'e sempre un poco di vento
a tutte l'ore, di ogni staggione:
un soffio almeno, un respiro.
Qui da tanti anni sto io, ci vivo.
E giorno dopo giorno scrivo
il mio nome sul vento.

Here, there's always a bit of wind
all hours, every season,
a puff at least, a breath.
Here, I've lived so long, here I stay.
And I write day after day
my name on the wind.

Calle del vento 1975

What I'm reading: Suddenly, it's the end of February...by Diego Valeri

The month of February has spun past me...I can't quite believe we're now almost into March. 

I pay tribute to Diego Valeri, a poet who loved Venice:

A Venezia, posata sul suo letto
d'acque marine e d'ali di gabbiani,
la primavera scende da una nuvola
grande, carica d'ombra, orlata d'oro.
E' la fine improvvisa di febbraio;
e l'ora che Venezia si ridesta
alla luce, al colore.  Sul suo volto
amoroso tracorrono pallori,
veli violetti, lampi di rossore;
ai suoi piedi si stendon le maree
come giardini: a Venezia, di marzo,
anche l'acqua da fiore.

In Venice, as it rests upon its bed
of waters from sea and seagulls' wings,
the spring descends from out of a great cloud,
charged with shadow, hemmed with threads of gold
Suddenly, it's the end of February,
the time when Venice wakes, and stirs itself
once more to light and colour.  Now across
the city's affectionate face pass all the pallors,
the violet veils, the blush of lightning flashes,
and at the city's feet tides spread themselves
like gardens. In Venice, in the month of March,
even the water's in bloom.

From Poesie inedite, o 'come' (1977)