Monthly Archives: June 2017

Basilica Ghost Image

Last week I spent some days at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. The college is run by a group of Benedictine monks who also operate the California school where I work, and I was there with a group … Continue reading

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What Thunder Is His!

A friend pointed out that in a letter to Giuseppe Pelli, Elisabetta mentioned Casanova: È da osservare che la notorietà del personaggio era grande e che anche della sua attività di scrittore, oltre che di avventuriero, si parlava molto, negli … Continue reading

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Only Three Minutes for You

Only a precious three minutes of exterior Venice footage, from the TWA plane flying into the old airport to when Faith and Kate drive off into Tuscany. That’s why I rented Only You, the 1994 film by Norman Jewison and … Continue reading

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Spoiler Alert!

NYT Biennale Review Want a sneak peek into the Venice Biennale? New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin sent out her video showing various pavilions in both the Giardini and Arsenale parts of the exhibit, as well as some events in … Continue reading

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No Reason to Hide Ourselves

I missed the anniversary of Elisabetta Caminer Turra’s death by a couple days, but that’s no reason not to commemorate her today. She died on June 7, 1796, of complications related to breast cancer. Her doctors contended that the cancer … Continue reading

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Gondola Stuff: Letter opener

As part of my occasional series of gondola-related tchotchkes, here’s another from my collection: the letter opener shaped like a gondola ferro. Doesn’t it have a lovely shape, just as the real thing does? I’m impressed that the craftsperson actually … Continue reading

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