Regular readers of Malibu Seen know that every so often we take off to check out the cultural happenings elsewhere. The cities often differ but Venice, Italy, is a favorite.
Even in winter, you can find a full slate of concerts, art exhibits and theater.
After settling into the comfy confines of room 47 at the Hotel Flora, it was off for a yummy plate of fresh white truffles at Antico Maritni. Now we were ready for our first adventure — a night at the opera.
This year, it was a lavish production of “Attila” by Verdi. The opera took place amid the spectacular surroundings of the famous Teatro La Fenice, where it first debuted on March 17, 1946.
We weren’t around for the first staging, but this time around, “Attila” was quite dazzling with a hundred voices on stage and an intriguing story to tell. Looking around our box, it was hard to believe the theater almost burned to the ground in the 1990s. But, through generous donations from friends like Save Venice, it was lovingly restored piece by piece.
The most magical thing about Venice is that you can get the same views that Bellini got hundreds of years ago.
Speaking of Bellini, the delicious concoction of fresh peach juice and Prosecco came the next day served with mouth-watering platters of fegato alla veneziana for my husband and tagliolinii gratinati for me — at the world famous Harry’s Bar.
Next, it was a trip to San Georgio to check out the Venini glass exhibit. It was followed by a first class lunch put together by my three adorable Venetian fairy godmothers on the Grand Canal with an exquisite piece of Pauly glass for my collection. Who could ask for anything more?
Venice is the closest thing to heaven and you never know that more than while attending the evening Mass at Basilica San Marco with its streaming rays of golden light, incense and flickering candles.
It’s nice to know that jewels like this won’t change. But, like Malibu, other things in Venice are changing. A stroll along XXII Marzo brought a tear to the eye. Mom and pop-style small stores have been pushed aside. The rug store that’s been there forever is gone, replaced by Chanel. The most beautiful bank in the city has been torn apart to be replaced by Dolce & Gabbana; Fortuny and the glove shop are gone. And even high-end, posh places like Etro have moved into less visible and smaller spaces. Coin, a modestly priced department store (the equivalent of Costco), has been completely redone with bright lights, slick furniture and blaring music. When I sat in the dressing room waiting for my husband, they were playing an American version of “Jingle Bells.” I sighed and thought I could have been anywhere in the world.
Back in the day, they would always cover up scaffolding with a nice big mesh that looked just like the façade of what they were restoring. Now it’s all advertising: Nike, beer, you name it.
As my very talented jeweler friend Leslie Genninger said, “Lots of changes. Coin competes with the duty free in airports.” She added, “The Commune makes big bucks to put brand names on buildings and helps pay the huge costs. There were many Gazzettino (the local paper) articles against.”
“Rialto restoration is being paid for by Replay and, therefore, they get to advertise for the full restoration time,” Henninger said. “Expensive rents are pushing out mom and pops and grocery chains. Lots of cash business here that you can’t do elsewhere.”
So, the more things change, the more things change. Still, if you can ignore the assault of the modern age, you will always have the essence of Venice in your heart and very soul.