A rainy day in Venice

Having been up for sunrise every day this week and suffering lack of sleep as a result of travel times and different surroundings, we decided on a later start, going out after a late breakfast knowing that we might encounter showers. The forecast for the day was not good, but there was A PLAN…..

Wet, grey, but quite bright, this scene in St. Mark’s Square caught my eye immediately with its colourful reflections and also reminded me of a fleeting moment on my first day in the city when I wondered why there were so many areas set up for Khantoke (traditional Thai) dinners: gradually I realised that these low ‘tables’ were not tables at which to eat, but raised areas on which to walk in case of floods!!! Today there will have been some dry feet as a result of them.

I was also drawn to the stacks of chairs outside the cafes where visitors had been enjoying coffee in the square the first time I walked through: now they were stacked to stay dry. Even the pigeons looked as if they were seeking cover and there was just one pedestrian visible across the square as opposed to the hoardes taking selfies a couple of days ago.

Through the square, past yesterday evening’s trattoria and on to the mask shop. What a treasure trove!!

Firstly, I was able to go into the workshop and take some images of the craftswomen at work, then we went over to the shop where we met the man who is responsible for Ca’ del Sol. When asked how long they had been in business and if he was the owner, he seemed insulted and protested that he was a craftsman who took pride in his work and whose work gave him joy. For thirty-seven years he has made masks and costumes for Carnivale.

When first we looked at the shop with its amazing window displays we saw a sign saying ‘We are in the workshop in front’, then spotted the window on the other side of the small canal where ladies were clearly working on costumes and masks for Carnivale, so I asked if we could take some photos while they called the man to show us the masks.

But it was in the shop the other side of the canal where we met the artisan whose pride is in Ca’ del Sol, surrounded by the masks for which he is famous.

We spent ages looking and thinking about the various styles on offer and he was pleased that the one eventually chosen was a traditional mask – white with black and gold decoration.

By this time the rain had really taken hold of the day and we decided to give up on some of the photoshoot ideas, waiting until later when the rain should have cleared.

It did – a bit!

And the mask was put to good use!

One final refelction on the day?

Almost the last gondolier with a group of Australian tourists braving the rain towards the end of a chilly afternoon.

The weather is supposed to improve!!