Venice week #4 - Gold

From the 11th century on, the St Mark's Basilica's has been nicknamed 'Chiesa d'Oro' (golden church), and it was not just because of it's gilded byzantine mosaics and opulent design, but because it was such a symbol for Venice's wealth and power at the time.

 

Venetian doorbells, so very elegant

another detail of the St Mark's Basilica

Bauer Palazzo

Voga alla veneziana (rowing Venetian style) ~ the gondolier stands while rowing, and turns to the direction of movement. The profession goes back to 1094, and it is controlled by a guild. The trade used to be handed down from father to son, but in 2007 a gondoliering course was introduced, which opened the profession to women. The first woman to pass the exams (involving 400 hours of instructions) was Giorgia Buscolo in 2010, almost a thousand years after the start of the trade. I have not seen a single female gondolier though..

view from the Accademia bridge

Gold and burgundy opulence

Lover's locks ~ they can be found on so many bridges

Venice week #3

Venice is not only full of gems, but even it's street and canal signs are real little frescoes.. they are hand-painted directly onto the plaster or brick wall of the houses. The type face is beautiful in it's simplicity and always black, placed in a white rectangle with a black border. There is a special name for them 'Nizioleti'. (The signs which help tourists navigate through the labyrinths of tiny alleyways, bridges and canals are called 'Nizioleto', and have a dark red border and writing. Sadly some of these are now being replaced by yellow metal panels).

A pretty little side street off the Campo San Polo

 

On the square itself, you find a beautiful pharmacy, which dates back to 1586. Initially, it wanted to be called 'The two columns', as did another pharmacy in the Campo San Canciano. According to The Registry of the Apothecaries of Venice (1258) no two pharmacies could have the same name, or use the same sign. To solve the dispute, the judge sent a servant to destroy one half of one of the columns in front of the San Polo pharmacy, and it ended up being called "Column and a Half". 

In 1963 it was bought by Dr Elisha Burati, who turned it into a herbal pharmacy, and developped his own range of herbal teas, pure essential oils, various ointments as well as a cosmetic line.

I was very happy to spot the cosmetic range of the Antica Farmacia dei Monaci Camadolesi (Antique pharmacy of the the Monastery of Camaldoli ) which was founded almost at the same time, in 1543.

I brought back the hand cream form the Monastry's line (9.50 EUR) and also tried a face cream from Dr. Burati (16 EUR)... I could not be more pleased with both.

 

Farmacia Burati Alla Colonna e Mezza, San Polo 2012, Campo San Polo
www.farmaciaburati.it