........FUN AT THE PRODUCE MARKETS !......Two views of an outdoor fruit & vegetable market in Venice --- OH, and there is a cardinal rule at such markets, YOU MUST NOT EVER, AND I MEAN EVER! TOUCH THE PRODUCE!! If you somehow do by accident, they will crack your knuckles with a ruler! Just Kidding about that part! But they will at the very least give you a stern warning or swear at you in Italian. This happened to me and other people I know in Rome and Venice, including my own mother in 1984, whom I had failed to warn about this rule until it was too late. I guess the Venetian produce seller didn't realize that I understood Italian, when he swore at my mother : "maledetti Americani!" (Damn Americans!) and a few other more "colorful" words too! He was then shocked when I spoke to him in Italian. Another woman we know in Rome got a whole head of cauliflower thrown at her head when she dared pick off the leaves from it, before weighing. That's another 'No, No', of course!

The reasoning behind this behavior and this rule is simply that if one touches the food, it spoils faster, so will be harder to sell. I can almost see their point in Venice, where everything costs so much to transport by boat. But customers sometimes like to pick their own produce themselves, NOT depend on what the seller selects for them, because HE often gives you some bruised or downright rotten tomatoes, for example, (again, an experience I've had in Italy too). And can you just imagine if the merchants acted like this in OUR country?? They sure wouldn't keep many customers!! We sometimes forget how lucky we are to be living in the USA for many things - and only realize this when we go abroad for an extended time.

.......Our men waiting (patiently?) for us girls as we gawk in all the shop windows, admiring things like those gorgeous masks for the tenth time! The little gift shops are EVERYWHERE, it DOES seem like Venice was created ONLY for tourists! Lots of shops are also inside all the tiny, narrow "streets" (smaller than our alley-ways), which intricately weave all throughout the city, in no particular pattern, and all with their own little adorable curved bridges over the small canals nearby to make sure they're accessible. But only the wide "Grand Canal", which wraps around the whole city in all it's glory, is predictable and always easily found!

...How I would love to have one of these masks, maybe even one of the many CAT face creations that were available! But I didn't think they would fit on my cat's face! Ha, ha! (Most cats aren't into wearing costumes, anyway). Just kidding.... I know they're to hang on the wall! What I did buy were a bunch of little "hard candies"(caramelle) which looked like they were wrapped, but are in reality another blown-glass creation. They were so pretty and all different colors & shapes, and look great in a fancy crystal bowl I have at home! BY THE WAY, I JUST CLICKED ON THIS PICTURE BELOW, AND REALIZED THAT WHITE BOAT IS A TAXI-"CAB". YOU CAN'T SEE THOSE KINDS OF DETAILS UNLESS YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTOS. TRY IT! YOU'LL BE AMAZED - IT REALLY IS ALMOST LIKE BEING THERE!! THE BUILDINGS SPRING TO LIFE TOO IN SO MUCH DETAIL YOU CAN ALMOST SEE INTO THE WINDOWS!







......That's ME, (Well, half of me, anyway) walking past this PIZZA place, where they sell pizza by the slice. Every shop, no matter how humble, is well decorated, in its own way....all in an attempt to attract as many tourists as possible. And there sure were NO shortage of tourists, even in October! I imagine that Venice is very beautiful and popular at Christmas time too. I just talked to my sister-in-law Romana in Italy and she said that winter has finally arrived for them, but that it hasn't snowed around Rome since 1978! Ha! Here in Wisconsin we just had another snow storm yesterday dumping more snow on the 7 inches we already had, and it looks so beautiful, so clean and pure. I LOVE newly fallen snow. Too bad it doesn't stay that way for long!

.......Sonia and just a few of the beautiful and colorful buildings which brighten Venice, along the Grand Canal. The almost identical photo below (of the 3 of us) I actually uploaded by mistake, but on this Blog site, it's impossible to delete an unwanted photo if they're uploaded in a group of other photos altogether in the same moment. To do so would mean ALL the photos in that group get automatically deleted ---such a pain!! Anyway, the picture does show I was getting tired from so many hours of walking, and ready for some FOOD!! See all the heaps of sandwiches and pizza in the pic below. NO, they're not all for me!!

......With the outrageous prices in 2007 Venice, sandwiches and pizza were about all we ate too!!



......One of my favorite Gondola pictures is the one (ABOVE) of a lone "gondoliere" I managed to snap right before he disappeared under the bridge we stood on. Ahhh.....how romantic!! (But of course, that too would cost an arm AND a leg if you wanted to take a gondola ride, which is at least $100 or more per (short) ride. Here's another picture of our son-in-law Claudio, too. It was often hard to get him to pose because he was always so busy snapping his own photos and videotaping. He was truly impressed with the beauty of Venice and Rome -- and now says he'd like to take Sonia to Italy with him to live for a year! I told him that to do that, he would need a LOT of money! That shut him up fast! LOL

.....Some examples of the beautiful blown glass items for sale in shops on every corner. These particular ones are extremely expensive, but smaller items sell for much less, of course. We found out that it is definitely frowned upon by shop owners for tourists to take photos of their window displays. Hmmm, we found this out AFTER we had already photographed all the store windows you see in our pictures! ; - )
Maybe they are afraid someone will steal their ideas or designs!
.....THIS SERIES OF 4 PHOTOS ARE OF THE ISLAND, "MURANO" (in case you can't tell the difference!)

....Again, these 4 photos are of MURANO, (including a church we saw on the way there), ....an island about 20 minutes from mainland Venice, which we visited on our second last day in Venice. Very small, but charming , it only takes a half day to see it all. A great place to buy blown-glass gifts or just see how they make them, as they give daily demonstrations. There is little else of interest here, but worth the trip if you LOVE pretty glass! I do! But we bought very little of it, since we had already purchased enough on our last trip to Venice in the 1980's. Again, even the glassware was MUCH more expensive in 2007 - especially with the very weak dollar/ strong Euro , making it a bad exchange ratio. I read that in 2005, just 2 years ago, you could buy a Euro with 85 cents. Now that same one Euro cost you and us $ 1.50 - plus.

.......MORE scenes from an outdoor market in Venice; this one is near Ponte Rialto again.. We went there looking for souvenirs and gifts we hoped would be lower in price, but they were only slightly less. Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to hear me talk any more about these outdoor markets - I've already said WAY too much - especially since I'm not overly fond of them in Italy!!




............ I love pictures like the one of Sonia and her dad together. We really enjoyed the fun and time spent together with Sonia and Claudio in Venice those 6 days. I KNOW Venice was the Italian city Sonia loved the most, in spite of the cold and rain we encountered. Always bundled up, she and Claudio felt the cold even more than we did, after their past 3 years living in Florida!! They keep asking us to sell our house in 'frigid Wisconsin' and MOVE to Florida, but for now, it's just too darn HOT & HUMID for us! Maybe some day.... IF they start having children!! BTW, can you spot what looks like "little green elves" in one of these pictures above??

........RETURNING FROM MURANO back to mainland Venice, we were once again in the open sea and enjoying our boat ride. I forgot to include this picture in the right order, with the other photos from our hop over to MURANO (where they do the glass blowing). For anyone who missed my rant about this, on this Blog site, you CAN'T insert photos you forgot to upload (or change their position) in between other photos and posts already uploaded. Each new one always goes automatically ONLY on top of the previous one, so doing this Blog requires quite a LOT of pre-post planning!

There is another island with a similar name also near Venice which we visited in 1984, so we skipped it this time. It is called, "BURANO" with a "B , and is where they make delicate lace products. Murano and Burano are two different small islands within half hour from Venice by boat.

HERE'S A FUNNY STORY I'M CALLING - "LEFT ON THE BOAT! " And I confess it was a pretty "dumb" thing to do, although I assert it wasn't entirely MY fault ! We were on the way to the Island of Murano, and I didn't get off the boat when everyone else did, only because no one called me, and I was all bundled up from the cold with 2 shawls wrapped around my head, (Sonia said I looked like an "Arab"!) So between that, the noisy boat engine, and standing in the stairwell of the boat away from everyone, I didn't hear OR see that people, (INCLUDING MY FAMILY!) got off the boat at Murano!! I also thought there was a long way to go yet! So imagine my surprise (more like SHOCK) when I discovered I was the only one left on the boat --- AND it was headed out to sea again, to end up WHO KNOWS WHERE!! Luckily I speak Italian, so I had no trouble communicating my dilemma to the driver. He suggested I get off at the next stop and take another boat back, but since I had NO money with me, I couldn't do that. (The 3-day boat pass we bought does not include Murano or other islands). So luckily, this same boat I was on, after a stop at another island, turned around and took me back to Murano, where my family was eagerly awaiting my (hopeful) return! Of course, the first word out of Settimio's mouth to me was "MORON"!! I THINK he was kidding, (though I'm not sure!). But we were all glad to be reunited again and all laughed hysterically, while Sonia took a video of my face, which was VERY RED! LOL

.......THAT'S ME AGAIN POSING FOR YET ANOTHER CANAL PICTURE! By now you're probably saying to yourself, "See one canal, and you've seen them all". But really, we found each one fascinating, as they all were a little different and had their own inner beauty. My eyes feasted especially on the adorable little overlapping bridges and the window boxes and balconies overflowing with plants and flowers. Italians really seem to have a 'green thumb' and these beautiful balconies and windows are EVERYWHERE in Italy, not just Venice. One of it's charms, I think!



.....LOOK at the photo below of Venice, the one you'd swear was a painting, wouldn't you??? I think that is SO cool that it looks that way, just because it came out a bit out of focus and was taken at dusk.

......They say a picture paints a thousand words, (in this case, LOTS of pictures!!) so there is little else for me to say about this gorgeous, charming, amazing city, whose beautiful sunset is now painted on the sky too. One last look also at the BRIDGE OF SIGHS (in 2 photos below, including my favorite one of Sonia & Claudio together). If ROME doesn't make you fall in love, VENICE SURELY WILL!! (Actually it was ROME that first caused me to fall in love in the 1970's and was the reason I decided to extend my stay there a full 3 years! ----apart from meeting my future husband there, of course!) :- D

It was great being back in Italy again after so many years, and great now to be back home too, with all our wonderful memories (and pictures!!) . I hope someday YOU are able to spend some time in "Bella Italia" too! You won't be sorry you did! (NO place on Earth is 100 % perfect, after all). And I hope you enjoyed seeing our pictures from the first 3 cities we visited. If you did, stay tuned for the final leg of our trip (and chapter of this "BOOK"!) which is:
THE PORT CITY OF ANZIO ---- (Just scroll down a few pictures to begin the tour!)


GOODBYE VENICE,
CI RIVEDREMO ! ! !

...........ANZIO....... AN ITALIAN CITY NEAR NETTUNO, ABOUT ONE HOUR'S DRIVE FROM ROME, AND HERE WE ARE AT THE PORT, READY TO ENJOY THE DAY, WITH SETTIMIO'S SISTER, IRENE (who is much older than her brother, (Settimio being the 'baby' of the family, and ONLY living son with 7 sisters!) Actually Settimio's mother had *14* children in total, but only 6 are still alive----His 6 brothers all died as babies, one by one of various ailments - Incredible, but True!! (Sorry if I've mentioned this before!) Irene's son, MAURIZIO, is also in these photos, here seen standing. He is very dedicated to his mother, still lives at home with her, and took this opportunity of our returning to Italy after 23 years away, to spend some time with us. It was a day we very much enjoyed and appreciated!

........Here we are, all 4 of us, at a really nice, quaint Italian seafood restaurant, where Irene treated us all to lunch. Actually here it's called, "Pranzo", which is usually the largest meal of the day for Italians. But THIS restaurant was as ridiculously expensive as the Spanish/Italian one in Rome. Poor Irene had to fork over the equivalent of $400 ($100 per person!!) Neither Settimio nor I saw the menu, or I would have insisted we go elsewhere. But Irene chose this place, right where the boats are docked, and as you can see, we had a great view!!


Don't get me wrong - We're VERY grateful for all Irene did for us; She's been TOO generous to us. We just hate to see anyone spend so much money like that! I hesitate to use the word "Waste", because each person has his/her own idea about what constitutes a "waste of money". So I need to make a disclaimer here, and an apology for referring to money so much on my Blog regarding Italy. In all honesty, I also have to point out again that Settimio and I have NEVER been "Big Spenders" when it comes to FOOD. I, for example, have willingly spent $100 to see a concert or opera, and on many other things - but a dinner - NO WAY!!

...........MY ! WHAT BEAUTIFUL EYES YOU HAVE! ......More pictures inside the seafood restaurant at the Port of Anzio - and although Irene looks so serious, she really had a good time, I think! The fresh FISH on display just a few feet from our table (PHOTOS BELOW) might be there to stimulate our appetite, but frankly I'd rather not see ANY animal in its natural state right before I eat him! Restaurants put their fish on display so that people can see how FRESH it is, I understand. I guess you can tell the freshness by the EYES. What the waiters neglect to tell you is that usually they serve the fish to you on your plate ALONG WITH THE EYES - the whole head, in fact!! (How gross!) I also prefer not to see fish or any animal staring up at me from my plate! (Sonia feels the same way, but she and Claudio weren't with us this day. They were in Spain). We forgot to take pictures of our food, but the waiter suggested "il Rombo" for me, which is a very flat, brown and round fish (also in the photos) which I was totally unfamiliar with. I ordered it, but I made sure to tell the waiter that I didn't need "to see the eyes" on my plate to enjoy it, LOL. It was good, a very soft and delicate fish, much like Sole. I looked it up online, and found the closest fish (in English) is called, "Turbot".
The other family members had other seafood dishes, and the ever present and popular antipasto too.

.....IRENE'S SUMMER HOUSE AT THE SEA, NEAR ANZIO - where she and her son spend the hot summers. It is beautiful inside, and HUGE - 2 stories, at least 4 bedrooms and several bathrooms. Not bad for a summer house, eh!!?? Unfortunately, they got robbed the past 15 years in a row, (YES, NO kidding!!) which is very common in Italy when houses are empty in the winter months. Most of their neighbors were robbed a lot too. So they soon learned to leave little there of value, but nevertheless, the robbers always found SOMETHING to steal!!

That's me you can barely see walking near the door, holding my head. I'd cracked it real hard on the bottom of the metal staircase on the second story balcony, during Irene's guided tour of the house. (That hurt a LOT and for over a week afterwards too! - Serves me right for not seeing it, I guess!)
I snapped the next photo quickly as an elderly woman walked with a big bundle on her head! Whatever works...I always say!
In downtown Anzio, we enjoyed a cool fountain, a rose garden and one of the pretty piazzas where people can eat outside "al fresco".

.........GOODBYE TO ITALY - THIS IS THE END OF MY BLOG ON ITALY, But I still have a few things to say about ANZIO, which played a big part in World War II. I wrote previously about the day we visited the American Cemetery near Anzio, in Nettuno, where no one can forget the brave American soldiers who fought in WWII, and died in Anzio & in Sicily. It broke my heart to see SO many thousands of sad little white crosses.

Here I am again with Settimio and Irene, and further down, with Maurizio again too. They were both so kind and gracious to us. We spent a lovely day in the sun seeing all the beautiful boats, after a great meal and walk around Anzio, and then they took us back to Nettuno, where in too few days we had to pack our suitcases and leave this beautiful country called ITALIA . We found the average person you'd meet on the street here to be as warm and friendly to us as I've always remembered. And as for our ITALIAN FAMILY, I can't say enough to describe how absolutely WONDERFUL they were to us!!! So, we're also saying goodbye to all the kind and loving people who hope it won't be another 23 years til we return again. We hope not too!! Until then, CIAO EVERYONE, CIAO ITALIA BELLA, ......ARRIVEDERCI ! ! !

Well, it sure was a LONG WAY DOWN from the top of my Blog, to get to this point, wasn't it??? If you've gotten all the way down here, though, YOU REALLY DESERVE A MEDAL FOR PATIENCE!! (AND you must really be an "avid reader" after all)!! So few people have that kind of patience nowadays, so I GIVE YOU A LOT OF CREDIT! And of course...I thank you!! (NOW go take those aspirins!) ---- Ooops! 4 more pictures to go!! Ha, ha!

-------- MANY THANKS TO JOHN D FOR SO KINDLY SENDING ME THESE NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS AND PHOTOS OF THE HOUSE IN WILDWOOD, NEW JERSEY, WHERE MARIO LANZA SPENT HIS SUMMERS AS A BOY. I'm posting them here on my Blog, because it's the only public website where I have an account, and can share them with anyone interested. John had posted that he also spent time visiting Mario's grandparents in Wildwood, N.J.. This photo and article is dated July 5, 1951 and shows both Mario's parents and grandparents receiving a season pass for the Hunt's theaters. I would say they certainly deserved that too!! CLICKING ON THE PHOTO WILL ENLARGE IT AS WELL AS THE TEXT WHICH WILL THEN BE EASY TO READ. OF COURSE, PHOTOS WERE VERY "GRAINY" IN THOSE DAYS!

........The date above this photo is 9/13/51 and shows Mario's parents and their friends at a Wildwood, New Jersey gathering. The newspaper article pertaining to it is also included.

.......Here is the famous house of Mario Lanza's grandparents, and obviously the first black & white photo is of the house in Wildwood, New Jersey as it appeared in the 1950's. The address was and probably still is 141 W. Rio Grande Avenue. Somehow I had pictured it as being quite small, but in fact, it's very large and beautiful! The landscaping in those days seems to be very pretty too. (AGAIN, CLICKING ON THE PHOTOS WILL BLOW THEM UP & SHOW MUCH MORE DETAIL.)


........Same house, decades later, how it appears today. I wish the 1950's version was in color, like the current picture, but we can still see the changes that appear to have been made to the exterior.. As I posted on LL, we all know many houses through the years undergo a transformation and sometimes are barely recognizable decades later. Today the awnings above the windows are missing and looks like the upstairs balcony is gone too. I don't know why the new owners would take all that away, because I personally think Mario's grandparents house looked GREAT the way it was before! Here it looks more plain, but still nice, and at least it's still standing!! The new owners also added 8 little windows on the upper level too, in a pattern I've never seen done before on a house, especially if this is a bedroom, so I found that a bit curious. Perhaps someone can figure out approx. what year the last two photos were taken, by the car parked there.