“Signorina Kathleen,
It is I, Casanova, from here in the 18thcentury. And not First Spritz Is Free contributor Roger Feuerman.
He claims he is too exhausted from laboring to finish his Venetian young adult fiction novel and penning a new musical to respond to your blog questions. I am skeptical of this, having translated Homer’s poem The Iliad in less time and with less perspiration.
Nevertheless, he has asked me, Giacomo Girolamo Casanova De Seingalt, to quill a response in his stead.”
Casanova, how has Venice seduced you?
“That is a fiction in itself. Since, from the tip of my distinctive nose down to my monogramed hose, I am the scoundrel who has seduced Venice! Do not let signore Ruggiero infer otherwise.”
What do you never fail to do in Venice?
“I always bow to a lady before climbing out her window.”
What is your Venice soundtrack?
“Pigeons chirping in the Piazza San Marco. Bells ringing out from the Torre dell’Orologio. But mostly the clinking of twice empty prosecco glasses in Campo Santo Stefano.”
Walk or take a boat?
“Gondolas have curves and are dressed elegantly in black. Need I say more?”
Which church or campo best epitomizes you? Please explain.
“The Chiesa di San Moise. It is a church close to the casino Il Ridotto. I can gamble at faro, run out and repent, and be back at the playing table in ten minuti.”
The church of San Moise resembles a decorated cake
Which is your favorite Venetian festival and why?
“The Festa del Redentore. Because, appropriately, I, Casanova, get to walk on water!”
Spritz or Bellini?
“Bellini. He was a better painter.”
What do you always tell friends to do when they visit the city?
“Introduce me to your girlfriend.”
If you could have dinner with any Venetian, living or dead, who would it be and why? What would dinner be?
“I would have dinner at Poste Vecie at the Rialto market with the one person who, after swallowing a repast beginning with fresh oysters, could regale me with delicious stories of romantic mischief. That person? I would dine with myself!”
Casanova: genius or cad?
“Modesty prevents me from claiming both. But I just saw modesty go out for a stroll on the Riva, so you may claim them for me.”
What would you do with $30,000 U.S. to spend in Venice?
“I would hire an interior decorator for my prison cell. It so lacks charm.”
Casanova’s prison cell was under the lead roof, in the white portion of the Doge’s Palace, above the Bridge of Sighs
If money were no object, which palazzo would you buy?
“I would buy Palazzo Malipiero, and declare it a national treasure, as it holds many memories for me of my life as a young adventurer. ”
Which gelato flavor are you?
“The flavor Rogue, I think. It is quite delicious.”
Can you tell us more about the writer Roger Feuerman’s creative pursuits?
“I could, but I shall not make poor use of your time chronicling the curiosities of that scribbler who masquerades as a scribe living in the British colony of New York. Instead, read the writing of a master storyteller. Peruse my autobiography ‘History of My Life’.”
That interview put such a smile on my face!!!
Me too! So creative!
Such a clever, delightful interview. My compliments!
Roger always has a unique way of approaching things.