Buongiorno Venezia

so Alexandra made it, she is the first woman gondolier. but a private gondolier. only a half victory.

update of April 4: in response to Clodia’s comment. i understand it’s kind of shocking and may not be not very feminine to see a woman rowing like a man in the Grand canal. i think this is all about breaking barriers (and making money: don’t forget it’s a great adveertising campaign for the hotel which hired and supported her).

yes, we are surprised. there are contradictions, always: in italy we may be more or less proud of one existing woman gondolier, whilst we begin hearing stories of (how many?) of immigrated women who cannot decide about their own future because “other cultures” (which are only excuses to some men’s power) state that women are inferior beings, which can be segregated, used, beaten and abused. women fought hard to get their independence, and it’s not over. in italy we want to look forward, not backwards, and have different cultures enrich each other. so if Alexandra can be an example of an independent life, i applaude. even though i truly prefer a smiling guy to drive me in the gondola

about gondolas:

http://www.veniceword.com/gondola.html

i’ll never forget how two young boys helped a couple with the husband’s wheelchair this morning. quite heavy rain, the slippy ground and a bridge to pass. A wheelchair with a heavy man on it, unable to move by himself. The man kept on “apologizing” while the guys around him had become 4 people, who were heading to school and work, and did not understand much of his English. But no words were necessary. “We had not noticed the bridge in our map”, the Dutch couple  said; they had rented a small apt in Santa Croce, and were trying the shortest way to the IUAV, our Architecture University, so they had expected the path to be smooth. But the short way may not the best one in Venice.

Accessibility is still a fancy word in Venice. modern laws and restrictions apply to brand new activities only (one of the reason why we are still waiting for permission to open our new office in venice, is that whilst the Italian law obliges us to provide entrance accessibility and one accessible bathroom, at the same time the Safeguard may forbid it for the sake of the integrity and beauty of the palazzo. Everyone understands this is a contradiction, and the solution is (i guess) spending a long time in meditation. meditate, people, let’s meditate. Ommmmm…..

everyone in the world has started a blog or wants to start a blog. my friend Luca has opened more than 10 in one year, i guess, 3 of them are active and the other let die…

people spit on the 15 minutes of celebrity forecast by Andy Warhol. people want an eternal moment of celebrity. a blog will survive us.

the father of italian bloggers is Beppe Grillo’s blog. Grillo last name is very evocative in italy: in italian it is the name of an insect (it means “cricket”), an insect which most italian like also because an important character of the Pinocchio fairy tale is the “grillo parlante”, a cricket who can speak (literally “speaking cricket”): it is the voice of Pinocchio conscience.

So what a better name for a comic actor who in a few years has become an opinion leader, denouncing facts and dark sides of italian (and international) politics and way of life. taka a look (site also in english): www.beppegrillo.com - worth of. he is the man who fighted our (former) national phone company for years, the first one to speak out about the Parmalat scandal (in a theater show… nobody believed him at the moment), and he is also the man who taught italians what Skype is (i’m among them). a greatest example of an informative blog.

In years of activity as a journalist and as the chief editor of Buongiorno Venezia, i responded to thousands of emails from all over the world and met don’t know how many people, all of them needing to make a point in telling me how much they love venice. No need, guys: i fell in Venice’s trap like millions, but there have also been days that i got so angry at her that her sinking seemed to me (and not only me) exactly the right punishment from Above. then, a minute later,  i might have cried to save her. for instance, i remember how i cried and cried watching the Teatro La Fenice burning down, in the arson of 1996. that is: we who live here, we love it and hate it, so this is a perfect neverending story. because Venice is a virus, and you may develop the antivirus, fighting each other constantly inside you.

So when my “antiVenicevirus” wins a round, i just look at tourists and wonder why are people so eager to live in venice. a minute later, i recall why. but i’d like to hear from you about this. Venetians sometimes need someone who remind them of their past love for the city (and maybe to remind us how lucky we are). i’ll soon advertise the blog so that you can flock here and tell me what you think. i’ll appreciate it, i’ll understand better who my readers are and who are the people whom i meet in the calli of venice every day. their thoughts, their dreams. their expectations, their attitudes.

As a matter of fact, it’s rare to be happy with where you are and what you’re doing, here’s a little example. Buongiorno Venezia newsletter has several subscribers from New Zealand (hi everyone); a couple of them emailed me they are planning to move to Venice. ARE YOU KIDDING, I think a good 30% of Italians, when asked about a dream chance to move abroad, respond they would like to live in… New Zealand.