ImprontaCafe - Venice

In November Gail & I found the BEST cappuccino in all of Venice...really...THE BEST!!
This little hip spot was a perfect place for lunch and/or a cappuccino break!
The owner was very gracious...the food terrific....and a nice selection of wines by the glass.
Perfect for lunch!
ps...save room for dessert...Tonolo is just down the calle.
Located on calle del Pistor..in Dorsoduro. Tonolo is on the next corner where calle del Pistor meets San Pantalon.
Hours: Mon - Sat 7 -2pm

AVA by Carole Maso

Ava is my favorite book!
It took me years to read, I didn't want it to end....I didn't want Ava to die.
Ava is poetry.....a dance!!

Venice bells

Just wanted to see if I could post a video. . .
Yeah...it worked!
I promise I'll get better at this video thing!!!

New iPod clothes

Geeze....this thing is gonna have a better wardrobe than I do.
When I first bought my iPod I bought a real cheapo leather case...it was a mess...I couldn't see the screen.
The next thing I needed...earpods...the Apple ones hurt my ears!
So I bought a pair of Shure's.
Ah, they are comfy...slippers for the ears!!

Ps...I keep discovering new things about the iPod....at the iTunes store I can download free podcasts of:
* Radio shows..ie This American Life
*Stories from The New Yorker
*TV shows...Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" (this one cost $1.99)
The radio podcasts download within a second or two....the TV shows take longer.

New IPod

Alanis Morissette, Angel Romero, Astor Piazzola, Bach, The Beatles, Beth Orton, Big Nick & the Gils Monsters, Borodin Quartet, Bryan Ferry,Buena Vista Social Club,Capercaille, Cesaria Evora, C J Chenier, Cold Play, Edith Piaf, Eliza Carthy, Emma Shapplin, Eric Clapton, Eva Cassidy, The Commitments, Diana Krall, Eros Ramazzotti, Everything but the Girl, Francine Reed, Frank Glazer, George Winston, Gidon Kremer, Gogol Bordello, Green Day, Group Home, Gulabi Sapera, Guy Davis, Habib Koite, Iva Bittova, JN Howard, Jane Siberry, Jerry Garcia Band, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Reed, Joe Cocker, John Lee Hooker, John Mayall, Julia Fordham, Julie Delpy, K D Lang, Karchno Horo, Kate Bush, Kayah & Goran Bregovic, Keb'mo', Kevin Kline, Kronos Quartet, Leonard Cohen, Lobi Traore, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Loyko, Luis E. Bacalov, Macy Gray, Madeleine Peyroux, Magnus Fiennes, Mercan Dede, Mike Bloomfield, Misia, Muddy Waters, Nana Mouskouri, Nicolae Guta, No Doubt, Nora Jones, October Project, Olaf Hund, Omara Portuondo, Otto Klemperer, Paolo Conte, Pablo Neruda, Peatbog Faeries, Pedro & Ines Bacan, The Pretenders, Rachel Grimes, Rachel Portman, Radio Tarifa, The Rolling Stones, Roxy Music, Roy Orbison, Ruben Gonzales, Rumberos Catalans, Rusted Root, Ry Cooder, Salvatore Licitra, Santana, Sarah Gorby, Sarah McLachlan, Scottish Pipes & Drums, Sreaming Jay Hawkins, Shakira, Shostakovich, Sting, Taj Mahal, Talking Heads, Taraf De Haidouks, Terez Montcalm, Thomas Dolby, Tin Hat Trio, Tino Rossi, Tori Amos, Yo-Yo Ma, Vivaldi, Tom Waits, Traveling Wilbury's, Vanessa Carlton, Van Morrison, Walkin' Cane Mark, The Waterboys, Zucchero. . . .

I still have 75% of my CD's to download!!!!!
I've downloaded 850 songs....my Ipod will hold 20,000.....yeah!!
Now I need to find better earpods....speakers...adapter for the car...........

Christmas at the Baxter-Levine's, A great tradition!

December 23 - 2007

Heavy quietness
fog
diffuse filter
dullness of light focusing the search
lingering at window
looking at one dimension
forcing the closing
ten feet
quiet ten feet

Foggy

Venetian tassles

La Cucina...Christmas

Celebrating the holidays with the "Atillio's" gang!!

Dean's first Christmas

We celebrated Christmas early...Dec. 17th. Heather, Steve, Dean & I went to Wisconsin, just outside Milwaukee. We celebrated with Steve's family.

Look at those thighs.......he's as strong as an ox!!!

Barbara's response to the Champagne tasting!!

What a fabulous holiday present...Barbara painted this watercolor for us!!
Make sure you click on it to see all the details....holy night, what talent!
Can't wait to have it framed!!!!

Champagne Luncheon

Wow...What an incredible event!!
It was the annual Champagne luncheon of the Wine Media Guild of New York. This year the selection of Prestige Cuvee Champagnes was outstanding!!
Ed McCarthy author of Champagnes for Dummies presented the selection...many thanks to Ed for such an embarrassment of riches and the opportunity to try these fabulous wines.

There were 23 wines presented:
Where do I begin?...with half of them:
1999 Perrier-Jouet "Fleur de Champagne" Blanc de Blancs
1998 Pommery "Cuvee Louise" Brut
NVPiper Heidsieck "Cuvee Rare" Brut
Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut
1999 Moet & Chandon "Dom Perignon" Brut
1998 Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame" Brut
Pol Roger "Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill" Brut
1996 Ruinart "Cuvee Dom Ruinart" Blanc de Blancs
1995 Charles Heidsieck "Blanc des Millenaires"
NV Krug "Grande Cuvee" Brut
1995 Henriot "Cuvee des Enchanteleurs" Brut
Deutz "Cuvee William Deutz" Brut
1999 Nicolas Feuillatte "Palmes d'Or" Brut Rose
2000 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Brut Rose

An amazing day of tasting.....and the truffled risotto was terrific too!!!!

Here are the links to:
Wine Media Guild
An interview with Ed
Felidia's

ps...Thumbs up to any of the Wine for Dummies series that is written by Ed and or Mary Ewing-Mulligan (Ed's wife) are very informative and easy to understand.

Today

Now.....
sink into the sensations
absorb
remember
tuck away
the slippery memories are the most lucious

the noise
white head noise
interference
chronic static annoyance

the enitre ball of emotions
pressing
recalling in tandem

misdiagnosis
living within dreams

Venice grafitti

Venice Walk

Birchwwod tree

San Toma - Venice

This is the vaporetto and traghetto stop near Corte Tiepolo.

Palazzo Papadopoli - Venice

Palazzo Van Axel - Venice

Wow..Holiday present!!

What a wonderful present!!
A glimpse into the past of glorious Venezia....this book was published in 1831. It is so exciting to hold a moment of history.

Views from Campanile San Giorgio Maggiore

The campanile was finally reopened...and what a view!! A terrific view of Guidecca and back toward Piazza San Marco.
If you look closely you'll even get a glimpse of Hotel Cipriani's pool

Experimenting

New NY space for designers

Underground NY City

6th Ave at 38th Street...check it out next time you're in New York!!

Gondola

Another look at Ca'Goldoni

Many times I had passed Ca'Goldoni...and photographed the courtyard. (see October 20th post) On this trip Ca'Goldoni was our neighbor...located at the end of our Calle...Centanni.
It is a delightful little museum a perfect spot was daydreaming!
Ca'Goldoni website

Tonolo...pastries

Tonolo
Tonolo is the most exciting way to gain weight!!
What a delirious way to go!!
You know how some cakes & pastries look wonderful but fall short in the taste department? Well, have no fear...Tonolo delivers!!

Tonolo doesn't have a website so I decided to include a map...it's located at the large red dot.
They are open Tuesdays through noon on Sunday. (closed half day Sunday & all day Monday)

Within eyesite is a great internet shop...TeleradioFuga.

When I see all of these beautiful creations I think of my niece Kim, the perfect hostess!! What a tea party we could throw!!

Thanks Ruth........aka Boleskine on Slow Trav

Ruth Edenbaum has been a real gem in helping me hunt down Venetian treasures. She has been to Venice too many times to count. She & her husband Martin go to Venice twice a year and stay for a month each time!
She is the co-author of Chow! Venice (her co-author is Shannon Essa). This book is a must-have if you plan on going to Venice!!
Link to Chow! Venice website

If you are planning a stay in Venice I would also highly recommend reading her trip reports on SlowTrav.
Here's a link to Slow Trav
When you reach the home page...at the top of the page click on 'trip reports'. When you reach the 'trip report' page there is a spot to enter the trip #.
I'm including the list of her trip report numbers starting with the latest and going back.
Report #'s
1339....1255...1085....1016....614....567...440....340....307 (includes Sicily)...306
Have fun reading!

The photo above features a couple of her suggestions
Vizio Virtu...the most incredible hot chocolate...make sure you ask for whipped cream.
Vizio Virtu's website
Fiat Chocolate from Drogheria Mascari's

THANKS RUTH!!!

Wild Tuscany drive...Nov 9th

I love my Nikon D80....all these images were taken from a moving car!!
Yipppeee. . . .

Pienza November 8th 2007

Montepulciano - November 9th 2007

Sant'Antimo

November 8th 2007

A link to Sant'Antimo

Map of area around Montepulciano