Subject: [h-cost] Holiday in Rome & Venice >...and then on to Venice for me, where I have long wanted to visit the Murano Glass makers, and a "working" boatyard building Gondolas, and the historic Arsenale - or at least the parts open to the Public, - which was the world's first "production-line shipyard".
Cant help you with Rome. I'm still on the way home from Venice (and other parts of Italy). Galleria della Accadmia... wowie zowie. Get there 1st thing in the AM or stand in line. Only ~300 permitted in museum at one time. Photos WITHOUT flash are ok. Take a tripod. You'll love the Carpaccios. Dinner: go out the door of the Accademia, turn left & left. Straight down that walkway, is a Trattoria. Pretty tasty and a whole lot better & authentic that the touristy places 'round San Marco. When dining, avoid Ristorante in favor of Osteria & Trattoria if you want to try local specialities. I love Italy. Every trip is 1/2lb gained per day. Dee-lish! Churches -- Have Madame take a thin silk scarf to cover shoulders. You'll impress the staff, then they let you take more pics. Speaking of fabric: Ca' Mocenigo is quite small, but they do have 3 Burano lace 16th c collars, some 15th & 16th fabrics and eccleastical things. Not much really. I enjoyed it, but the PItti Palace collection in Florence is much better. Photos "senza flash" OK. Ask. Have tripod handy it's quite dim. A polarizing filter will reduce much of the glare off the cases. Wish I'd had one. The Centro Studio... Tessuti (fabric study center) is Italian only, by appointment. I failed to have a specific question handy and dont speak Italian. Palazzo Ducale -- Take the passagio segreto (secret passages) tour. Must book a week ahead. We failed to book early enough. In Florence, the passagio segreto tour in the Palazzo Vecchio was our favorite part of that city. Murano Glass -- I did it last week with a professional guest glass artist. We were hugely disappointed by everything by the glass museum. Truthfully, the Met here in NYC has more & better 15th & 16th murano glass. (Really & truly. I just saw it yesterday.) Frankly, it's not worth the ride out on the boat. Speaking of boats, dont get taken in by the taxi-boat drivers who love to tell tourists that there's a vaporetto strike. It'll cost you 80euro for the ride in. Study up on local transport. Venice Card, Alilaguna & Vaporetto are words to google. Buon Viaggio! --cin Cynthia Barnes [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
