Venice archivos - Page 3 of 8 - VOLARE MAGAZINE

The military and civil history of seafaring, which proved a deciding factor in Venice’s past economic power.

Venice is bursting with museums, from the Doge’s Palace to the Ca’ Rezzonico museum, the Gallerie dell’Accademia, and many others that will satisfy any visitor’s curiosity no matter where their interests lie.

But none of this would exist if Venice’s merchantnavy and navy hadn’t made it the maritime power that it was.

It’s an important link that you’ll fully grasp when you visit one of the museums that I’ve visited the most and loved ever since I was a little boy living nearby: the Museo Storico Navale.

This extraordinary museum, which recently reopened its doors after a few years undergoing renovations, is just a stone’s throw from St Mark’s Square.

Even the building housing the museum is a part of the city’s history, dating back to the 15th century and formerly having been used as a granary. Inside, its five floors are packed with items from every aspect of the city’s maritime history, from cannons of all shapes and sizes to swords, uniforms, the flags flown on old vessels and, for real enthusiasts, Italian naval artifacts from the two world wars.

The museum is also home to ancient and more modern navigational instruments as well as models of sailing ships, including an interesting, detailed model of a galley and modern military, passenger and cargo ships. There are finds pulled out of the sea, scale models and illustrations of the Venetian forces along the Adriatic and Aegean coastlines and, on the walls, old seafaring prints and views of Venice, most notably of the dockyards and armouries where mass production was taking place before the term was even coined.

Make sure not to miss the gondola hall, which tells you all about how these boats are built and the different types, and the rooms exhibiting models of the typical vessels used in the lagoon for various purposes, from fishing to transport.

The museum is divided into two sections, each within walking distance of the other, with the Ships Pavilion, near the main gate of the Arsenale area, housing numerous boats that have ploughed through the waters of the lagoon.

Just before you cross the lagoon, on the long road and Rail Bridge leading to Venice, you’ll find “Mestre”. It’s a built-up area that has developed around the major economic activities of Venice’s mainland, with a port, shipyards, large factories and refineries that have sprung up near the new commercial port and the Marghera.

We know very little about the ancient settlement of Mestre as the earliest documents that mention it only date back to the year 1000. What is certain, though, is that it was an important crossroads for trade between the lagoon and the mainland. The port of Cavergnago grew up on the nearby Marzenego River and became a major defensive fortress during the middle ages, when the two castles of Castelvecchio and Castelnuovo were built. Today, only a few ruins of the old walls and 11 towers still remain. The only, very visible trace of the past is the Torre dell’Orologio, at one end of Piazza Ferretto.

Mestre was important for defending Venice from threats from the land, first under Venetian rule and later as part of the Austrian Empire. To strengthen Mestre’s defences, a series of fortifications known as the ‘entrenched camp’ were built. There’s an interesting cycling route across the surrounding countryside and forest that you can take to visit these structures, which were still being used during the First World War.

The Forte Marghera, with its large network of moats, stands next to the Parco San Giuliano and is well worth a visit. Nowadays it’s used for shows and concerts, particularly in the evenings. There are also plenty of places inside where you can grab a bite to eat.

The city centre is home to all sorts of shops where it is guaranteed to have something to suit every fan of retail therapy, while also being less touristy than nearby Venice.

As for road and rail links, it’s a convenient destination for visitors who want to get to Venice by public transport as, obviously, all of the trains to and from Venice pass through Mestre station. It’s also close to the airport and has plenty of hotels. And besides that, it makes a great base for visiting the neighbouring cities of Padua and Treviso.

A quieter city, here are a few suggestions for things to do that are protected from the cold weather.

It’s true that anyone who decides to visit Venice in December is probably looking for a quieter city, less packed with tourists, and will find a different vibe to the chaos of peak season, but instead of the hot summer sun, could come up against a few days of mist surrounding the city, enveloping it in a magical, almost fairytale atmosphere.

You’ll have already put a list of museums to visit and places to try the specialities of Venetian cuisine in your suitcase.
One of the great places to see, and not just for architecture enthusiasts, is the Olivetti showroom designed and created in the late 1950s, which I think even now remains a marvellous example of the new harmonising with an older context, just like St Mark’s Square where it can be found.

Until 6th January, there are two exhibitions open that are worth a visit, even just to see the exhibition venue itself.

One is at the Doge’s Palace and is the Tintoretto exhibition; the other is dedicated to famous photographer Willy Ronis, with an exhibition of over 100 photos from 1934 to 1998, on Giudecca Island at Casa dei Tre Oci; a fascinating place that is worth a visit in itself and offers a view of St Mark’s from a different perspective…

And after your visit, depending on the time, don’t miss out on an aperitif in one of the many bars along the waterfront or, if it’s nearly lunch or dinner time, enjoy visiting one of the many little restaurants in the area.

The feast days of San Martino and the Madonna della Salute are celebrated not only in church but also with traditional recipes.

November is the month when winter really starts to bite. Sometimes, rain produces the “acqua alta” phenomenon that submerges parts of the city and forces residents to dig out their wellies, which absolutely everyone keeps handy just in case.

November is also the month of some of the city’s typical feasts. The grey skies contrast with the resplendent colours of bakery windows twinkling with the season’s typical multicoloured treats: “fave,” which are little almond paste sweets made for All Souls’ Day, and “San Martin,” traditional biscuits in the shape of a horse and rider, decorated with colourful treats, and recalling the saint’s story.

But the religious feast that still remains a major event even today is the feast of the Madonna della Salute. It sees Venetians parade across a temporary bridge over the Canal Grande from Santa Maria del Giglio to the church of San Vito, where they seek the intercession of the Virgin Mary to protect their health and the health of their families.

The feast traces its roots back to the plague of 1630, which decimated the population of Venice. When it ended, the Senato della Serenissima decreed that the church be built in thanks for the grace received.

At one time, although less so now, the church’s parvise would be covered with stalls selling not only votive candles for the Virgin Mary, but also hot food and sweets as a reward for the children.

Find yourself in the countryside, in the middle of a lagoon, on an island where prestigious agricultural products have led to it being named “the garden of Venice”.

After having visited the most famous places in Venice and wandering through the labyrinth of its “calli”, you will be in the need for some peace and quiet which can be found in some corners of the city.

Places a little off the beaten tourist tracks, not as easily accessible, but somewhere you can find a peaceful tranquillity of the past.

We have already spoken about some of them, like Malamocco and Pellestrina, today I will be revealing another one.

Take the number 13 vaporetto from the “Fondamente Nove” (there is one approximately every hour), in half an hour you arrive at the “Capannone”, the first of three stops on the Island of Sant’Erasmo.

The island is about four kilometres long, it can be walked or cycled on a round trip (even if you can end up running into locals on their motorbikes or in cars) crossing small streets and lanes among its fields of vegetables, fruit and vineyards accompanied by the chirping of cicadas and crickets in the summer. There are some roosters in the distance and mallards squawking and swimming in the internal channels, where Venice peeks out from afar, seeming to emerge from the waters of the lagoon with its rooves and bell towers.

Among the typical products from the island, without a doubt the most famous is the violet artichoke of Sant’Erasmo.

If you arrive during the month of May, do not miss the Artichoke Festival, where you can taste the homonymous vegetable and in particular the “castraure”, the first sprouts of the artichoke, which bloom and recede to help the “botoli” (the side artichokes, which can be prepared in various ways) flourish.

At the beginning of October however, it is an absolute must to take a look at the Sagra del Mosto. A wine that is not yet fermented, you can taste “torbolino”, a white that is slightly sparkling, lovable and a turbid white colour, hence the name.

Following the Via dei Forti setting off from Capannone you arrive at the opposite end, where you’ll find the Torre Massimiliana, an impressive unique defensive work of its own kind in the lagoon. Built by the French and completed by the Austrians in the 1800s, recently restored and used for exhibitions and festivals.

Continue a few metres further and you will arrive at a bar/restaurant where you can comfortably sit under the tents and the leaves of the trees, enjoying the view of the lagoon facing the beach of the “Bacan”, packed with Venetians who come to paddle and sunbathe with their boats during the summer weekends.

On the island, the only family-run hotel with a restaurant can accommodate visitors looking for peace and quiet after a day around Venice, A place to taste typical dishes prepared with local produce, at the Azienda Agricola i Sapori di Sant’Erasmo, you can even book a visit to the educational farm.

A walk through the city as it sleeps, while silence is only broken by unusual odd passers-by.

When the sun sets, every city takes on a look and feel much different than during daytime.

Venice is no exception. In fact, as night falls, the city becomes even more beautiful.

Once dusk has fallen, darkness envelops the streets, which bask in the faint light spilling from the street lamps and windows.

Hurried passers-by bustle towards their destination, momentarily breaking the silence with the patter of their steps, while awestruck tourists wander past, gazing open-mouthed and struggling to believe they are in the same place that, during the day, was teeming with people.

On one of my walks, I saw a young couple with a lost look about them, bowled over by the charm of the city by night, holding each other’s hand and taking a seat on some steps to enjoy the secretive intimacy offered by the silence.

The silence of Venice by night is a different kind of silence; there is no road noise, making it much quieter than any other city.

A wander through Venice’s calli and campielli will reveal some beautiful little corners, but you can enjoy a wonderful view of it all from a water bus. Climb aboard at the Rialto stop, heading towards St Mark’s Square and, as the majestic Rialto Bridge vanishes behind you, admire the romantic, seductive beauty of the city opening up before your eyes.

Dreamy palazzi line the Grand Canal, still bearing the names of the famous families that made Venice great all those years ago. The names of doges, mercenary leaders and ship’s captains sit alongside those of the famous businessmen who helped build the beauty we see today.

You’ll spot Ca’ Farsetti, Ca’ Loredan, and the Grimani, Contarini, Tiepolo, Querini, Barbarigo, Pisani and Corner palaces.

At the so-called volta de canal, where the Grand Canal takes an almost right-angled turn, it is bordered by the imposing Ca’ Foscari followed by Ca’ Rezzonic, opposite the Palazzo Grassi.

Once you’ve passed the Ponte dell’Accademia, you’ll come across the unfinished Ca’ Venier dei Leoni followed by the Gothic Ca’ Dario. And rising above it is the Chiesa della Salute, which provides a contrast with the light, Gothic elegance of the Palazzo Contarini Fasan, known as the Palace of Desdemona, on the opposite bank.

After St Mark’s basin you’ll reach the S. Zaccaria stop. With your feet back on dry land, take in the view of the square and the Doge’s Palace, then wander through the almost deserted space, where a lone stall is still selling visitors souvenirs of the city.

A stroll around the island whose distinctive feature is colour and, with its multicoloured houses, puts us in a good mood by infusing its visitors with cheerfulness.

In the Venetian Lagoon’s iconography, after St. Mark’s Square a special place of honour definitely goes to the island of Burano.

It is a polychrome; very often seen in the photos of tourist brochures that strikes and astounds visitors’ imaginations.

And so, following the usual tour of the city, an outing to the major islands of the lagoon is a real must to satisfy our curiosity and to admire this palette of colours that offers itself to the visitor with a just as multicoloured landscape rising up out of the lagoon’s waters.

It is an outstanding view if line 14 of the city’s navigation service ACTV is used to reach Burano.

After leaving Venice in the direction of the Lido, the boat ploughs the waters of St. Mark’s basin, offering a view that is always enchanting, even for someone like me who was born and has lived here. Venice and its most famous symbol, St. Mark’s Square, behind us slowly fade from view.

With the Lido behind us and going towards Punta Sabbioni, we pass in front of the San Niccolò church and shortly afterwards, on the left, we reach the massive structure of Sant’Andrea fort, which at one time defended entry into the lagoon.

After navigating through bordering canals, the “sandbanks” (ground at water level, often submerged by the tide, where a wide variety of birds live), we see popping up out of the water Burano’s bell tower, characteristic owing to its tilt. It watches over the island’s colourful houses, which offer themselves up to our eyes like a mirage.

The chief employment for many of the island’s residents is fishing, and long its canals we can watch boats with strange fishing equipment on board. For those who love seafood cuisine, it is a characteristic that demands a stop at one of the many restaurants or ‘trattorias’ that offer a full choice of dishes featuring the lagoon’s catch of fish.

I recommend taking a tour of unusual places in the early light of the morning, when the island has not yet been taken by storm by the multitude of visitors, or at dusk. Both lights fill the sandbanks and canals with an unexpected charm.

The Design & Fly competition, organized in collaboration with Show Us Your Type has landed in its second destination- Bilbao!

This time, participants are asked to submit a poster, and the chosen winner will receive free return flights for two to the incredible city of Bilbao from anywhere with direct Volotea flights.

For this round, we’ve selected “Txaber” to create the first poster to serve as inspiration for our entrants.

Don’t miss our interview with this amazing creative!

1: Tell us a bit about you, Txaber.

I was born, studied and still live in Bilbao. After studying graphic design I started from the bottom, working in a few companies, doing things like putting together texts for printing houses, print layouts and pre-press. The idea was to eventually work for an ad agency or studio, designing, which is what I really liked. I see those beginnings as a strong foundation because it gave me a solid grounding and a good idea of the processes, limits and technical possibilities involved in projects. I now work in a design studio that’s focused on packaging, and I combine that with personal projects, which I find really rewarding. I’m constantly experimenting when I’m doing those projects, especially with 3D fonts.

2. Where do you get inspiration for your work?

I think that inspiration is something that’s very abstract, a combination of factors. I think it’s thought processes, associations between ideas, one-off moments that are almost a reflex. For me, it’s not something that’s automated. What I try to do is be really receptive to everything I see, whether it’s art, design, nature or anything else, because ideas can come to you from the most unusual places. Some things don’t seem interesting, but when you look at them they give you the basis for your next project. I see things and try to use them as a launch pad to turn them into results, applying the concepts or qualities of one object to another, playing around and trying things during the creative process. I really like experimenting, I think that’s the basis of my work. Other times, ideas just come to me and I try to capture them and see how they work.

3. Which designers are inspiring you most at the moment?

The ones I like best are the ones that don’t get swept up in trends- a lot of the time they’re the ones who set them. Their projects are original and surprising, and they don’t get carried away with fashion. Rather than current designers, the ones I’m inspired by and admire come from any era. I was, and still am, strongly influenced by Neville Brody, who broke away from received wisdom and created his own language, just like Saul Bass and Herb Lubalin, for example. Currently, I’d include Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica Walsh, Paula Scher, Alex Trochut, Lo Siento and Sawdust in that group, for example, and I really like seeing their projects. I also have to say that there are lots of designers who don’t get recognition and who are really inspiring with what they have to offer. I really like looking at blogs, I’m a huge image consumer.

4. What was the last thing that made you think “wow, that’s cool”?

Honestly, there’s a lot of talent, and today everything’s accessible and it’s easy to stumble across things. One of the most recent projects that I really liked was a series of photographs taken by Miguel Goñi Aguinaga, called “Architecture of Death”. They’re photos taken at Auschwitz. https://www.miguelgoni.com/new-project-4/

5. What drives you as a designer?

For me, design is self-fulfillment. Being able to transmit, excite, communicate through design is magic to me. It’s something I’m hooked on and that I need to do, whether through my job or personal projects, which is where I most let myself go and enjoy myself. Those projects are closer to art because most of them don’t stem from a specific commission, and they’re the ones that motivate me the most.

6. How does Bilbao inspire your work?

Bilbao is a city that’s undergone a radical transformation. From being a totally industrial, grey city, it’s had to fight to reinvent itself as a city that focuses more on services, and turn to tourism to move forward. I think that it’s moving in the right direction, and good things have been done. For example, the Estuary of Bilbao’s really been cleaned up; it used to be totally polluted by industry and urban waste. The Guggenheim was built, and that really put the city on the map, and the metro line was constructed with Frank Gehry as architect, as was the Alhóndiga with Philippe Starck. A lot’s been done to make this modernization possible and to make the city more attractive. So seeing that transformation and ability to adapt is really inspiring, it makes you aware of what can be achieved when decisions are made in relation to things like design, architecture and services. The process has been like a big redesign of the city, and experiencing it has been inspiring.

The competition “Design And Fly” has been firstly launched in Venice in collaboration with Show Us Your Type that revolves around creating different poster designs of the city as a method to stimulate people’s love for travel; as well as their love for design.

What better way to launch the competition than with talented artists situated in the heart of Venice?

“Camuffolab” was chosen as the design studio to create the first poster of Venice in order to share with our participants and inspire them.

For this reason, this article features an interview with these talented designers in order to reveal their work and their way of thinking in the mysterious yet fabulous world of design.

1: Tell us a little bit about Camuffolab.

CamuffoLab is a young communication design studio located in the centre of one of the most beautiful cities in Italy: Venice.

The studio is a new reality, engaged in art direction projects, corporate identity projects, publishing projects, as well as in projects in the fields of illustration and exhibit design.

Founded by Marco Camuffo in 2011, CamuffoLab creates unique and modern solutions, by looking at the past and by being inspired by great designers and their lessons.

2: How do you find inspiration for your work?

Everything has the power of inspiring our work. Every day can be plenty of new encounters and inspirations.

Even when we get out of the house to go catch a train to work, before sleeping, while reading a book, when visiting an exhibition, when listening to a new song, or when speaking to someone while drinking a good coffee. Our “light bulb” can be switched on anytime.

3: Which designers inspire you the most right now?

Every designer has his or her own “trademark”.

There are many designers that are inspired by different forms of communication.

However, I do not believe that a standard reference point exists, as we look at the best piece of work done by each designer.

4: What’s the last thing that made you think ‘ *@#% that’s cool!’

We have completed a graphic design project for the exhibition titled “Giro Giro Tondo” at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan.

We are so enthusiastic about it! This is such a cool project because the exhibition has had a great impact!

It has been a very important challenge for us, but there are so many projects that we can be proud of.

5: What drives you as designers?

Everything that is visually beautiful and that can change our perspective.

Nowadays, the job of graphic designers changes day by day.

For this reason, it is fundamental to be updated, by always creating something beautiful that satisfies both clients and ourselves as creators.

This is the type of challenge that the communication designer wants: a project must be seen as an opportunity to create something unique and contemporary.

The designer is the painter of our times.

6: How does Venice inspire the work coming out of the studio?

Venice is a city that is always changing.

It is very common to find yourself in the middle of a new alley, or to cross a new bridge.

It is a unique city, full of mystery and charm. A place, a detail, an architecture all have the power to suggest a new idea for our next Project.

Last but not least, we would like to thank the studio and all designers out there for participating in this creative contest.

For those who are interested in participating, please join us for the next contest in Bilbao.

For further information, please consult the article “Design and Fly”.

To all designers of the world, whether professional or amateur, this is the competition you have been waiting for!

We have partnered up with ShowUsYourType, a creative project founded in 2009 that provides a platform for artists and designers from all around the world in order to share their talent while exploring cities from a unique perspective.

Over the past 10 years, ShowUsYourType explored 26 cities, 10 exhibitions around the world, spoke at international conferences, implemented typography workshops and was featured in numerous articles.

Since both of us share a love of travel, stimulate people’s sense of adventure and inspire them to explore their world, we have collaborated in order to organize the contest ¨Design & Fly¨ in 3 different cities divided across 3 months.

Interested in participating? Follow the steps below.

Choose the city and the date that is more convenient for you!

City #1: Venice, Italy – From the 1^st of May until the 28^th of May

City #2: Bilbao, Spain – From the 1^st of June until the 28^th of June

City #3: Nantes, France – From the 2^nd of July until the 28^th of July

Get inspired by following us!

For each city, we will be sharing on Facebook (facebook.com/volotea) & Instagram (instagram.com/volotea) inspirations by exploring each culture.

Create a poster that best describes the city in your own style.

It must include the name of the chosen city (Venice, Nantes or Bilbao) and the rest is up to you. Feel free to use interpretations, illustrations, hand drawn elements, photography, stamps…anything goes! Surprise us!

Submit the poster on the platform of ShowUsYourType.com

The format of the poster should have the size of 396px (width) x 559px (height). Please save the jpg in your name.

A selection of the best posters will be done at the end of each month.

The chosen participants will get their designs featured on all of our platforms, as well as in an exhibition! In case you are selected for the exhibition, please save the poster in A3 format 300 DPI.

It’s time to design!! Good luck to everyone.