Curiosities
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Odd names in Venice – what were they thinking?
Big Eyes, Honest Women and the Love of Friends. There are some odd place names in Venice, which pose many questions with few answers.
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List of fires in Venice
Fires were a very real preoccupation of the Venetians, and there have been many fires in Venice over the centuries
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Alleyways of Fire
In the Castello sestiere an alleyway has a name that poses more questions than it answers. It is literally the “Alleyway of the first fire”.
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Paterae – medieval Constantinople in Venice
The paterae in Venice are small round reliefs that are scattered around the city, most of them dating to the medieval period.
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The Bones of Santa Claus
Santa Claus is dead, and his bones are buried on both Bari and Venice. Most of him rests in Bari in Puglia, the rest in Venice on the Lido.
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Long live the doge
Viva il doge – Long live the doge – the writing on the wall celebrating the election of Andrea Gritto as doge in april 1523
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An ancient game board in Venice
Every stone in Venice tells a story. Recently I stumbled upon a stone telling a story of gaming. It had incised a Nine men’s Morris game board
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The mysterious hooks of fortune at San Canciano
A bridge at San Canciano is called the “bridge of the hung and quartered”. Nearby hangs some hooks on the wall, but nobody knows what they were for.