A wonderful silhouette, dramatic and intriguing - what are those people doing / saying / looking at..... Thank you yet again for reminding us of Venice.
I think that's the nice thing about silhouettes, they carry all the interest of any grouping of human figures while leaving the viewer a wide latitude of interpretation or imagination.
The "altana" seem to be in high use this summer. Maybe the Venitians are staying at home because the city is very quiet with few tourists and they do not travel because of the covid? During our recent summer stays in Venice, we felt like most of the altana were always empty. Seven years ago, we were fortunate to rent a small flat in Castello at the top of a narrow building, with not a real wooden Venitian altana but a kind of terrace. All the altana around seemed always empty. Seeing Venezia from above at anytime of the day is a great experience, even if it is not comparable to sailing at the water level in one's own boat. My son, twenty year old at that time, spent all the nights sleeping under the stars. Nights and awakenings he will never forget! Thanks for the post.
I think you might be right about altane being a little more evidently in use ow than during other summers--though it seems a good number of Venetians have gotten away from the city at least for a time in spite of the virus. A few of the most prominent altane I can think of are attached to tourist rentals, which I'd think would mean they'd be more likely to be in use by those who only have a limited time to enjoy them, but it doesn't seem to be the case. There's beautiful one right near the Rialto Bridge, large and offering a great vantage point, that I've never seen used, though it is a tourist rental (alas).
Thanks for your account of your son's might spent out on the terrace, sleeping under the stars: it's nice to think of, as it would be magical. My son wants to sleep out in the lagoon in our boat, as some friends of his do, but we haven't done it yet. We'd definitely need mosquito netting.
There are rare amazing pics of groups of soldiers training to shoot at Austrian planes from the altane during the WW1 to prevent flights in the Venitian airspace. Have you already seen them? Possible to be found by google. Much better to spend time there with friends at sunset!
I remember the images you mention and I remember them (perhaps incorrectly) as being taken in Dorsoduro--and now I'm about ready to claim it was the very same altana as in the image above. But I could be wrong about that, I'd have to check. And, yes, better mosquitos swarming around one than enemy aircraft.
A wonderful silhouette, dramatic and intriguing - what are those people doing / saying / looking at.....
ReplyDeleteThank you yet again for reminding us of Venice.
I think that's the nice thing about silhouettes, they carry all the interest of any grouping of human figures while leaving the viewer a wide latitude of interpretation or imagination.
DeleteThe "altana" seem to be in high use this summer. Maybe the Venitians are staying at home because the city is very quiet with few tourists and they do not travel because of the covid? During our recent summer stays in Venice, we felt like most of the altana were always empty.
ReplyDeleteSeven years ago, we were fortunate to rent a small flat in Castello at the top of a narrow building, with not a real wooden Venitian altana but a kind of terrace. All the altana around seemed always empty. Seeing Venezia from above at anytime of the day is a great experience, even if it is not comparable to sailing at the water level in one's own boat. My son, twenty year old at that time, spent all the nights sleeping under the stars. Nights and awakenings he will never forget!
Thanks for the post.
I think you might be right about altane being a little more evidently in use ow than during other summers--though it seems a good number of Venetians have gotten away from the city at least for a time in spite of the virus. A few of the most prominent altane I can think of are attached to tourist rentals, which I'd think would mean they'd be more likely to be in use by those who only have a limited time to enjoy them, but it doesn't seem to be the case. There's beautiful one right near the Rialto Bridge, large and offering a great vantage point, that I've never seen used, though it is a tourist rental (alas).
DeleteThanks for your account of your son's might spent out on the terrace, sleeping under the stars: it's nice to think of, as it would be magical. My son wants to sleep out in the lagoon in our boat, as some friends of his do, but we haven't done it yet. We'd definitely need mosquito netting.
There are rare amazing pics of groups of soldiers training to shoot at Austrian planes from the altane during the WW1 to prevent flights in the Venitian airspace. Have you already seen them? Possible to be found by google. Much better to spend time there with friends at sunset!
ReplyDeleteI remember the images you mention and I remember them (perhaps incorrectly) as being taken in Dorsoduro--and now I'm about ready to claim it was the very same altana as in the image above. But I could be wrong about that, I'd have to check. And, yes, better mosquitos swarming around one than enemy aircraft.
Delete