What I’ve always loved about Venice is to get lost in its calli (narrow pedestrian streets) and find out unusual things on the way as a result.
This happened also during our last trip to this magnificent city.
I noticed many people going in and out this beautiful building. Curious, I went to check it out and realized that this was the City Hospital (Ospedale Civile).
This great example of Renaissance architecture makes you think that in Venice everything, and I really mean everything, is art.
Upon a recent visit in Murano (the island located in the Venetian lagoon, which is famous for the production of glass artifacts) we went to see a factory where the maestro del vetro was showing us his extraordinary ability to make glass items (he made a small horse in about 3 minutes, including the time he took to smoke his cigarette between one procedure and the other…).
At the end of the performance the store manager, who in the meantime explained the whole process, kindly suggested for either a monetary donation or… a beer. But even without his invitation, the sign would have been very explicit and clear.
Everyone knows that it is not unusual to find century year old churches, buildings and architectural jewels in Italy, however it is quite rare to find stores that have remained substantially unaltered during the years.
One example is the Drogheria Toso in Trieste. This drugstore started its activity in 1906 and since then has continued its business without any interruption. What makes it interesting is not only its century long activity, but also its interior design that looks exactly like 100 years ago.