Educated-Traveller

09/10/2024

Prepping for the next series of private lagoon excursions in Venice. Hoping for blue sky, calm waters and fun. A combination of learning and entertainment - always enriching. do you recognise this boat? Fond wishes from Europe to you!

03/10/2024

Mariano Fortuny was a designer, inventor and everyman. He lived in Venice with his talented wife Henriette Negrin. Together they designed a pleated silk gown, known as the Delphos gown which transformed women’s fashion in the 1920s and 30s. Visitors to Palazzo Orfei, Venice can see Fortuny’s house and studio. There’s a painting of a female warrior in the palace that remains me of Leighton’s Flaming June. Leighton was president of the Royal Academy in London and part of the Pre-Raphaelite Artist’s group. Recently Dior included a ‘Flaming June’ recreation in one of their fashion shoots. Style, innovation and design created in Venice by Fortuny.
Full story: - full story: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-7T9

Grand Tourist
Palazzo Fortuny
Royal Academy of Arts

Was Mariano Fortuny influenced by the artist Frederic Leighton ?

01/10/2024

Au retour d’une manière civilisée - par le train c’est beaucoup mieux……

30/09/2024

Faces of St Christopher, patron saint of travellers, inspiration to mere mortals…. Brave, determined, strong. Read more about Christopher here: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-7hL

30/09/2024

Just two months left to see the Venice Biennale 2024. I’d head straight for the main pavilion in the Giardini and look at the portraits gathered from all over Africa and the Americas. Paula Nicho is top of my list.

This year’s Biennale in Venice is entitled ‘Stranieri Ovunque’ meaning Strangers or Foreigners everywhere’. The curator Adrian Pedrosa has chosen to focus on marginalised ar…

29/09/2024

The culinary and artistic wonder that is Da Romano, a family-run trattoria that has recently celebrated 100 years in business. The restaurant is on the island of Burano, in the Venetian Lagoon. Speciality of the house is Risotto di Go. Go is a lagoon fish found in the waters just north of Burano. The fish is quite bony and has to be carefully poached and gently strained to create a brodo that is then mixed with arborio rice to create a delicious risotto. Mirko - the chef has a unique way of aerating the rice during cooking - see photos. Da Romano is my number one choice for lunch on the lagoon - I always feature it on my ‘signature lagoon day tours’

28/09/2024

Exceptional hand-crafted work by artisans at this year’s event in Venice. Full details here: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-8QU Big shout out to .cafe looking forward to 2026!

28/09/2024

Palazzo Fortuny is always a good idea especially when Eva Jospin has an exhibition on…. Strongly recommended.

26/09/2024

Learning, discovery and fun with and small group journeys and individual itineraries tailor-made and crafted just for you by the experts! History, Byzantium, Art, Modern Art too!

24/09/2024

I’ve started preparing for a big trip to Istanbul and Türkiye for next April. So I’m starting with Oriental influences in Venetian art. These photos taken in Venice show the eastern influence in this great city. Next it’s Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul of the 60s and 70s. Then a cruise at sunset on the Bosphorus water way. The Topkapi Palace, Princes’ Island with their traditional wooden homes. Then down to the Mediterranean coast to a beautiful resort hotel. Historic sightseeing to the Lycian Tombs and to Ephesus (just amazing) then an optional Cappadocia add-on for fairy chimneys and hot air balloons. It’s an amazing trip! Real or imagined - it’s magical!

21/09/2024

‘The Art of Travel’ L’Arte di viaggiare
Italy and the Grand Tour at Museo Amedeo Lia La Spezia until 27th October. Always interesting to look at ‘The Grand Tour’ and how it influenced generations of young men and women in the 18th & 19th centuries - for a brief history here’s an article I wrote summarising the history of The Grand Tour: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-3io
Grand Tourist
Educated-Traveller

“𝐋’𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐢 𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐋’𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐞 𝐢𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫”, 𝐥𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐨 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐨 “𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐚” 𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝟏𝟓 𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐠𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐥 𝟐𝟕 𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

Non perdetevi l'evento dell'anno della Spezia, la mostra sul Grand Tour del Museo Lia che comprende una cinquantina di opere tra dipinti, sculture e oggetti. Farete parte del viaggio di formazione e istruzione che, tra Sette e Ottocento, prevedeva il raggiungimento dei luoghi carichi di memoria, dove trovare confronto con il passato e ristoro per anima e corpo.

Info Museo Civico "Amedeo Lia":

📞0187 727220
📧[email protected]
🕰 mart - dom 10.00 - 18.00
📍Via Prione, 234
📲http://museolia.museilaspezia.it/

18/09/2024

Just arrived - thank you to Helen who posted out this beautiful hardback copy of Tracy Chevalier’s latest book ‘The Glass Maker’ (set in Venice) signed by the author and beautifully detailed. End paper images by Francesco Guardi and Francis Hopkinson - and coloured page ages too. A beauty! Starting to read today! For more on the history of glass-making in Murano, Venice https://wp.me/p5eFNn-6mh

16/09/2024

A reminder of Giorgione's The Tempest sent me on a trip down Memory Lane to the artists in Venice active in Venice in the first decade of the 16th century. Particularly 1500-1510 when Gentile Bellini, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Vittore Carpaccio were producing magnificent work. Here's a very short article about a meander through Venice that introduces you to just a handful of truly exceptional masterpieces. No pre-booking required. Just wander! Here's the link (2 minute read)! https://wp.me/p5eFNn-8KC

15/09/2024

Venice Glass week started yesterday - a week of celebrations and exhibitions of Venetian glass. Look out for the Glass Bateo - a converted vaporetto filled with unique glass works - at large in Venice this week. A week displaying the art and talent and global influence of Venetian glass. You can read my brief history of glass-making in Murano here: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-6mh .najean

14/09/2024

For more than 800 years glass-makers have lived and worked on the island of Murano, just moments from Venice. The techniques they’ve perfected are respected worldwide. Today, 14th Sept the official glass week starts in Venice - it’s a celebration of this unique Venetian artistry that attracts visitors from every corner of the globe.

You can learn a little about the history of glass making in Venice in an article I wrote a few years ago: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-6mh
Educated-Traveller
Grand Tourist

The island of Murano has a long history of glass-making

08/09/2024

Grand Tourist - who can identify the location of the photos???

08/09/2024

An exceptional week in Venice - film festival, Homo Faber and Regata Storica - let’s start with/ Homo Faber: wp.me/p5eFNn-8QU starring quality passion style design - quite exceptional x

08/09/2024

07/09/2024

I like to call this painting ‘Portrait of a Lady’ The painting is by Ludwig Passini (an Austrian artist – born in Vienna, who lived in Trieste, Rome and Venice). The lady in the painting is his wife Anna Passini. She died less than two years after their marriage in 1866.

Here the lovely Anna Passini is relaxing in Venice, on the balcony of the Palazzo Priuli. By complete chance this palace is round the corner from the Church of San Zaccaria, one of my favourite churches in Venice. You can actually see the dome of San Zaccaria in the distance beyond the bridge. Thank you to for inspiring me! Full article here: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-6gr by me (of course)!

06/09/2024

More from Homo Faber - a celebration of high quality artisan skill and endeavour. Wonderful show on in Venice throughout September. Full details here: https://wp.me/p5eFNn-8QU also in bio. . Artisans and craftsmen and women from all corners of the globe. Hosted by the on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. in the exquisite setting of Venice.

06/09/2024

Gorgeous afternoon on the lagoon, just fabulous. Amazing light between storms, the freshest of fish and a peaceful lunch a deux. Siamo fortunati - check out blog for several articles on Da Romano

06/09/2024

A different sort of visit to the Venice Film Festival today to see ‘Con i miei occhi’ literally with my own eyes. It’s a film by Marco Perego (director) showing an inmate in the Women’s Prison on her release day - it’s very powerful. Also part of the Vatican Pavilion art event at this year’s Biennale. All a bit convoluted and yet fascinating. Full story here: https://educated-traveller.com/2024/07/12/the-womens-prison-venice-2/ Special thanks to: for enabling me to attend. Also

03/09/2024

Amazing day at where the Childhood room and Love rooms were exceptional. is there with her gorgeous detailed, sculpted fish - hand made with glossy, high quality paper - just beautiful. In the Celebrations room I got to see the Refettorio(refectory) and copy of Veronese ‘Wedding Feast’ the original was stolen by Napoleon and is in the Louvre. More to come from excellent lunch on site provided by Venezia - top quality event on San Giorgio - hats off to and - Benedictine monastery with a strong interest in contemporary art

02/09/2024

Today at the Film Festival…..