Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word ‘Shriven’ meaning to go to confession to say sorry for the wrong things you’ve done. Lent always starts on a Wednesday, so people went to confessions on the day before. This became known as Shriven Tuesday and then Shrove Tuesday.

In other countries, like Italy, Shrove Tuesday is known as ‘Martedì Grasso’, This means ‘Fat Tuesday’ in Italian and also comes from the idea of using up food before Lent.

Many countries round the world have ‘Martedì Grasso’ celebrations and carnivals. Some of the most famous are in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, New Orleans in the U.S.A., and Venice in Italy.
One of the most exquisite, unique and typical  Venice Carnival specialty is the home made ‘frittella’ (‘fritoleri’ in Venetian dialect) that you can find in every coffee and pastry shops of the city. These ‘frittelle’are one of the symbol of the Venetian Carnival.
Here you have the traditional recipe to make your own traditional sweets…

Ingredients for 4 people:

12 g of beer yeast
200 g of flour
40 g of raisans
40 g of pinoli nuts
40 g di candied fruits
ca. 350 g of seed oil
40 g of sugar
16 g of icing sugar
ca. 0,5  of grappa or rum

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast with a little warm water and sugar.  Add grappa and then flour adding water when needed.  Mix well until there are no air bubbles on the surface.  Cover and leave to rise in a warm place.  When the mix has doubled in size, add raisans, candied fruits and pinoli.  Heat oil and cook draining each doughnut on paper towels.  Arrange in a pyramid form and sprinkle with icing sugar.  Serve hot and enjoy your “frittelle”.

The term “Acqua Alta” is commonly used in Venice for the exceptional tide peaks that occur periodically in the Venetian Lagoon. This unique and spectacular phenomenon occurs mainly between autumn and spring, when the astronomical tides are reinforced by the prevailing seasonal winds which hamper the usual reflux. The main winds involved are the scirocco, which blows northbound along the Adriatic Sea, and the bora, which has a specific local effect due to the shape and location of the Venetian lagoon.

The phenomenon largely depends on three main factors:
• an astronomical component, which results from the movement and alignment of celestial bodies, principally the Moon; this component is dependent upon the laws of the astronomical mechanics and can be accurately predicted for the long run;
• a geophysical component, primarily dependent upon the geometric shape of the basin, which amplifies or reduces the astronomical component and, because it is dependent upon the laws of the physical mechanics, can be also computed and accurately predicted for the long run;
• a meteorological component, linked to a large set of variables, such as the direction and strength of winds, the location of barometric pressure fields and their gradients, precipitation. This component can only be forecast for the very short run and is probably the principal determinant of acqua alta emergencies.

 
This “Acqua Alta” spreads particularly in the St. Mark’s basin and in the lower areas of the city next to the Grand Canal. Despite some diseases to the local population, it has become a significant attraction for tourists from all over the world who come to Venice. Anyway, if you decide to come to our Best Western Premier Hotel Sant’Elena, don’t worry, our hotel is in a quiet area, higher than the St. Mark’s basin and not interested by this unique and particular phenomenon.

A new and enthralling way to visit Venice and its treasures: what  you need is only a map, a “whaiwhai” notebook and a mobile. “Whaiwhai” is an interactive story and a particular hunt to Venice treasures, to discover the most original and exciting aspects of the city.

In order to participate to this adventure, it is necessary to buy a whaiwhai notebook on the website or in one of the bookshops of the city. Once you bought the notebook that contains the stories that will drive you in the several places of the research, just to start, it is sufficient to send a message to a mobile number you find in the notebook.

To read the several stories about Venice, you should obtain the codes that will be sent you by sms: only in this way you could reassemble the pages, read what is written and know some peculiarities of the city where the discover will continue.

In order to proceed with the research, you should solve some riddles, sending the solution by sms to the number you find in our notebook ( the cost of a sms is the cost fixed by your operator). The notebook contains lots of stories and it will permit to play with whaiwhai till three times and to do different journeys in every treasure hunt. We will wait for you in Venice to look for some clues and to discover new hidden places of this wonderful and unique city.

Sunday Guided Tour: from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. than a suggestive aperitif in our Sant’Elena hotel.

Meeting point at the Hotel Sant’Elena of Venice for the tour “Between Convents and Gardens of Sant’Elena” escorted by the architect Mrs Gabriella Bondi part of the Wigwam Club Giardini Storici di Venezia.

Departure will be the grassy court of the formal monastic complex of Mantellate, built in the thirties which today hosts the elegant Hotel Sant’Elena.

A sophisticated aperitif, arranged by The Chef Giovanni Montella, will be served between the splash of roses’ colors and officinal herbs.

An introduction to the History of this marvelous part of Venice still not assaulted by tourists, will be offered on the spot.

A guided walk will take us to the near Sant’Elena island, located at the oriental extremity of Venice, where we will visit orts, fifteenth-century kiosk and the Church of the Convent complex dedicated to the mother of Emperor Costantino.

For centuries a thriving cultural and artistic center with very well furnished library of the venetian lagoon, its origin are very ancient and date back to XI Century.

We’ll walk through the recent area born from drainages Vittorio Emanuele III, crossed by rows of big linden trees of the Viale IV Novembre and the breezy pine wood facing the Basin of San Marco reachable crossing a bridge from the Gardens of the Biennale.

Dating back to the second half of the 13th Century, the Venice Historical Regatta, that takes place on the first Sunday of September, is a spectacular competition whose origins are firmly entrenched in the history of Venice. Although the other islands and communities of the Venetian lagoon also hold their own regatta’s The Venice historical regatta is the main regatta of the year.

It begins with a ceremonial parade along the Grand Canal of historical boats manned by Venetians in period costume.

Like the celebrated Palio of Siena, the most important races are between the various neighborhoods of the city centre.  The fans and followers of each neighborhood boat and crew encourage and incite their rowers from the streets next to the Grand Canal. The traditional points of reference for the Venice historical regata are the *spagheto, a rope stretched across the starting point in front of the public gardens (Sant’Elena Area) in the Castello sestiere of Venice; the Paleto, a pole driven into the centre of the Grand Canal in front of the Church of Sant’Andrea de la Zirada, around which the boats must turn before going back up the Grand Canal to cross the finishing line. The finishing line is indicated by the Machina, a construction erected on a wooden raft richly carved, painted and gilded, and where the prize-giving ceremony is held.

The Historical Regatta is one of the most important event of the Serenissima’s recent history, but the origins of the procession are unknown.

According to some historians, the first testimony of the Historical Regatta is dated 10^th January 1315, during the government of the Doge Giovanni Soranzo. This event was organized to celebrate the war victories of the Serenissima Republic.

According to other historians, the water procession re-evokes the triumphant welcome accorded by the Serenissima yo the Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro, who had donated her kingdom to Venice in 1489. of the 16th Century when Caterina Cornaro, a native Venetian who was later crowned Queen of Cyprus returned to Venice to deliver the island of Cyprus into the hands of the Venetians.

The Venice Regatta was also immortalized in one of the masterpieces of the famous Venetian painter Canaletto who painted the Regatta’s processions in honour of the visit of the King of Denmark ,Friederich IX ,in 1709.

In other circumstances, foreign dignitaries were honoured in this way during the Historical Regatta included Beatrice d’Este in 1493, Anna de Foix, Queen of Hungary in 1502, Henry III of France in 1574, and the Crown Prince and Princess of Russia in 1782.Not infrequently they were also organized and financed by foreign princes, like the regata of 1686, arranged at the wish of Duke Ernest August of Brunswick, a general who had fought bravely in the service of the Serenissima.

An italian scholar discovered that the origin of @, sign used in email communications, is Italian. It was invented by Italian merchants at least 500 years ago. The symbol  stands for “anphora”, which was aweight unit used by ancient Greeks and Romans. The “anphora” (@) is the misure of capacity based on terracotta jars used for transportation in the ancient Mediterranean world. For example Lapi wrote, describing the arrival in Sapin of three Ships bearing gold and silver from Latin America in that way: “Three an @ of wine, which is one thirtieth of a barrel, is worth 70 or 80 ducats”.

An interesting Quiz for you:
Do you know that “a piece” of Venice is present in every e mail Address?
Look at your complete e-mail address and post what do you think is the answer.
Try to find it!

It’s Friday, I am thinking about what to do after work and the idea is… “bacari tour” in Venice!

The “giro per bacari” is a sure-fire way of experiencing the real Venice; the locals do that as perfect prelude to a meal and a funny way to meet with friends for a ful-fledged bacaro crawl “Bacari” and “Osterie”, simply furnished with wooden tables and benches are the local down-to-earth version of wine-bar. A bar with a false neglected look to remind the old Venetian shabby osteria, nowadays very researched and frequented meeting point for younger and adults.

In a “bacaro” you can drink a wine glass named from local “ombretta” and I suggest to order the local most famous drink “Spriz” (mixture of white wine, Campari and soda water) for aperitif form 6 p.m. to 21 p.m. and more. Together with spriz it’s impossible resist the tempting “cicheti”; tipical are the tasty barcounter snacks and the fried fish.

Absolutely try:

Sarde in saòr (Marinated sardines)
Baccalà mantecato (creamy dried cod)
Folpetti (baby octopus)

The most famous Bacari are concentrated in Rialto Bridge zone, all around the fruit and vegetable market. Here there is the famous “Cantina Do Mori“. Then “I Assasini” near “La Fenice” theatre and “Alla Vedova” in Canareggio sestriere.

Are you looking for a special gift to buy in Venice? Do you want something particular, original and stylish? This new collaction is ideal for you…
The passionate love of art and the original vision of Peggy Guggenheim have inspired the collection of objects and accessories expressely create by the designer of the Benetton Group’s communication research center “Fabrica” for the special occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Foundation. The prestigious new collection of items named “Who is Peggy?” is on sale in the two shops of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice. Moments of her life documented in black and white photographs are the original motive present in the bag silk-screened. Than a series of coloured notebooks with figures which seem to move. Our favorite item is the the elegant ceramic typewriter that could be a sicret container. It remaind the passion of Peggy for letter-writing and it’s a stylish house ornament.

You can find this creative and unique collection at:
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
701 Dorsoduro, Venice

About Peggy
Peggy Guggenheim was born in New York on 26 August 1898, interested in culture, art and intellectual activities, had the opportunity in 1921 to travel in Europe. She lived in Paris heart of bohème and American ex-patriate society and in 1937, encouraged by her friend Peggy Waldman, Peggy decided to open an art gallery in London. Than she moved from America to Europe promoting new artists and cultural activities.

The Biennale Film Festival ended on 6^th September. Many actors and produces plough the famous red carpet of Venice Lido: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Natalie Portman… But our favorite are the five native Brasil indians actors that flew over the ocean to land in Venice for the official worldwide premiere of the film “Birdwatching – La terra degli uomini rossi”.

They have never acted before, but they have been able to explain and represent their situation. The Chilean/Italian director wanted the Guaranì-Kaiowà Indios to highlight the plight of the tribe; the distroing of their lands for biofuels production.

It’s a perfect example of the historical pourpose of the Biennale Film Festival as event that promote the cinema has art and entertainment with the spirit of tolerance and freedom deriving from the intercultural exchange.

The movie gives them the opportunity to come in Italy, taste pasta with ragù (meat sauce), very appreciate from the tribu leader Ambrosio Vilhalva and the yunger members decided to drink pepsi instead of wather. They are used to live in the forest in a completely different ambient so also they are really surprised to see the waves of the see, at first they look at it with tier, than they loved it, Venice and Italian people.