tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post2067623634101822012..comments2024-03-28T07:52:07.647-04:00Comments on venezia blog: When the "Off Season" Consists Merely of a Few Scattered Weeks...Steven Varni, aka Sig. Nonlosohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066672605318740533noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-87105816782690264662015-12-24T11:41:32.480-05:002015-12-24T11:41:32.480-05:00I remember the Lanapoppi book, Ritva, but I need t...I remember the Lanapoppi book, Ritva, but I need to look at the one by Settis--thanks for reminding me of it. I think the decision makers in Venice are very aware of the kinds of figures you mention, but the figures relating to short-term profit seem to rule the day and impede creative consideration of other alternatives. Alas, this is the case not only in Venice. Steven Varni, aka Sig. Nonlosohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10066672605318740533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-18955214354596529882015-12-12T09:41:28.782-05:002015-12-12T09:41:28.782-05:00Thanks for the information and the link, Steven. I...Thanks for the information and the link, Steven. Indeed if the Rialto market is not safe, then what is! When in Venice I found an interesting leaflet in the Toletta bookshop titled 'Dear tourist' written by Paolo Lanapoppi. The numbers of tourists visiting Venice annually are staggering and it does make one think again before planning another trip. Another interesting read I picked up on this trip was 'Se Venezia muore' by Salvatore Settis. I wish someone would distribute this book to all of the decision makers in Venice. -RitvaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-86825288733032268262015-12-11T09:49:12.240-05:002015-12-11T09:49:12.240-05:00A few years back, Ritva, there was a plan to recon...A few years back, Ritva, there was a plan to reconfigure the docks at the western end of the city for the benefit of--surprise, surprise!--cruise ships. This reconfiguration would have left the suppliers of the Rialto market with no place to go but to the mainland to unload their fish & produce etc, thereby destroying the Rialto market altogether. Protests by locals put a stop to these plans, but there's a continued wariness that no venerable site is safe--not even an area that's functioned as a market place for 1,000 years--in a city that puts tourism above all else. Thus, the sign: "The heart [of Venice] is not for sale." An account of the plans & the protests may be found here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/13/venice-rialto-market-tourism Steven Varni, aka Sig. Nonlosohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10066672605318740533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-54421183343944615642015-12-11T09:47:10.689-05:002015-12-11T09:47:10.689-05:00Not in any detail, Anna, but I know generally I...Not in any detail, Anna, but I know generally I've seen headlines in the local paper about how the mafia has established itself in the Veneto region, including Venice. Of course, depending on who put up the banner, he, she or they might have a more specific criminal element in mind. Steven Varni, aka Sig. Nonlosohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10066672605318740533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-73138721203561482582015-12-11T09:44:04.179-05:002015-12-11T09:44:04.179-05:00Yes, Yvonne, it's so nice that I worry I shoul...Yes, Yvonne, it's so nice that I worry I shouldn't mention it at all, lest tour mongers start scheduling for these weeks too. (Shouldn't there be a law that assures at least a few weeks each year be kept free of mass tours?) But the kind of visitors who research a place like Venice before they visit, read blogs on it, etc, are not usually the kind of visitors that people complain about: they aren't the "hit and run" sort. Steven Varni, aka Sig. Nonlosohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10066672605318740533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-62834564090508019122015-12-10T14:06:25.385-05:002015-12-10T14:06:25.385-05:00I spent a week in Venice in October and by the Ria...I spent a week in Venice in October and by the Rialto market I saw a large text saying 'El cuor non se vende', which I believe means 'The heart is not for sale'. I'd be interested to know what this relates to. RitvaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-18919838590865147862015-12-04T05:51:08.776-05:002015-12-04T05:51:08.776-05:00Could you elaborate on the "No Mafia" ba...Could you elaborate on the "No Mafia" banner in the background of the second photo? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840218502208662631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151589473709505648.post-2655444944549732482015-12-04T01:17:21.559-05:002015-12-04T01:17:21.559-05:00It is absolute paradise to walk freely along even ...It is absolute paradise to walk freely along even the most narrow of streets. It sounds like I'd better savour each moment of this rare joy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com