The Mysteries of Cannaregio
In Cannaregio there are many hidden stories. Legends and tales halfway between reality and fiction, exciting to tell and fascinating to listen.
The Phantom of Marco Polo's wife
Marco Polo was a famous Venetian merchant. During a trip to China, he fell in love and married the Emperor's daughter. Together they returned to Venice, but the young Chinese princess was not well received by the sisters of Marco Polo, envious of her grace and beauty. In 1298 during a battle, Marco Polo was captured and taken prisoner. The wicked sisters told the princess that her husband had died although it was not true. In pain, the princess threw herself out the window and died instantly.
According to legend, if at night you pass in Corte del Milion, where Marco Polo once lived, you can glimpse the silhouette of a young woman dressed in white and hear her singing oriental songs.
The Camel House
The legend tells that a wealthy oriental merchant, having to leave his homeland for Venice, had a camel with a camel driver carved on the facade of his new Venetian home to make it easily recognizable to his beloved, who had not accepted his proposal to marry him: “so I leave with a broken heart and I will try to forget you, but if one day you want to reach me in Venice, all you have to do is ask where the camel house is”.
The girl never showed up... I guess she got lost in the narrow streets of Venice...
The Brothel of the Spirits
Near the Fondamente Nuove there is a lonely and melancholic outbuilding of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo, called the Brothel of the Spirits because considered to be the most haunted place in Venice.
It is said to be the seat of a sect that organized satanic ceremonies and rites. The stories describe hooded people and strange noises, similar to Gregorian chants that spread throughout the surrounding lagoon.
At night, through the windows there are those who saw the reflections of dim lights, similar to those of candles wandering around the halls of the building...
The Petrified Merchants of Campo dei Mori
Not far from the Camel House there is Campo dei Mori. Here lived Rioba, Santi and Alfani, three greedy unscrupulous merchants from the Peloponnese who deceived and defrauded the poor people. One day a woman prayed to God to curse the three merchants who had deceived her. Her prayers were accepted and the three merchants were transformed into statues.
The three stone busts were placed on walls of the square as a warning to swindlers and criminals.
Written by Margherita Pasotto
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Festa del Redentore
The Basilica of Redentore is a glorious masterpiece of the Palladio. It is a keepsake from Venice for having been freed from the plague that between 1575 and 1577 killed more than 50,000 people.
To celebrate the end of the epidemic, a temporary pontoon bridge was built for the first procession to the basilica. The tradition continues every third Sunday of July. You reach the basilica by crossing the Giudecca Canal on foot on a floating path.
The real celebration is the night before the procession. Venice is lit by mega galactic fireworks, the most beautiful I have ever seen, the most powerful.
The fires begin at 11.30pm. But the party is also the anticipation: you drink and eat, everyone has cooked something, there is the duck, the saor and the watermelon. There are songs, toasts and stories told.
The blast that announces the start makes everyone put their glass down and fall silent.
Every year there are different choreographies, more or less spectacular according to the budget, but always there are the golden fountains and the "oooooh" of the spectators.
The part I prefer the most are the three fireworks that mark the end, sober, low and deaf but that reverberate inside you for hours and that move everyone, always.
This year we will pay homage to the Redentore with a different spirit ... perhaps more aware and grateful.
Written by Margherita Pasotto
Safe Holidays 2020
We have reopened the Giorgione certain to be able to guarantee you a safe stay.
The whole hotel is constantly sanitized and disinfected.
The staff is trained and updated on all Covid-19 procedures in order to make your stay as safe as possible.
We are sure of your kind collaboration.
Covid-19 hotel protocol:
- All rooms are sanitized and disinfected.
- Staff will constantly wear masks and when required also gloves.
- Our kind guests have to wear masks inside the hotel.
- Our kind guests will find a series of stations for hand disinfection.
- The breakfast buffet service will be provided by our staff. We ask our kind guests not to form queues, gatherings and to respect the safety distances. We ask our guests to patient if there was a little waiting.
- All tables in the breakfast room are positioned at a safe distance.
- All common areas are sanitized several times a day, with particular attention to handles, buttons, handrails and toilets.
- We ask our kind guests to let us have in advance the data necessary to speed up check-in and registration on arrival.
- The swimming pool is open. To avoid gatherings, upon arrival
Pasotto Family
Altane Veneziane: Looking afar in Venice
The altane, some kind of terraces built with wooden planks over the roofs of Venetian houses.
The altana was used to hang the laundry, to look forward, lighten hair, refresh the skin away from prying eyes, talk to the moon or in the moonlight, dream ...
Luckily, very little has changed … we keep fantasizing on the rooftops like cats, hoping that someone will listen!
The altane are structures located above the rooftops of Venice characterizing the architecture of the city, a sort of wooden terraces supported by pillars. If you have the opportunity to stand on a church tower or rooftop of a building, or if you just look up while walking through the calli of Venice, for sure you’ll notice a few.
The altana is not however a true terrace. The structure is made up of a tray of wooden boards exposed to the sun and winds, resting on the roof. It rests on small pillars, with perhaps a side leaning against the loft through which you will be able to go outside, often hitting your head against it after climbing into the house through the attic.
Written by Margherita Pasotto
