📜Venice Celebrations Series. #11November, San Martino.
According to the Catholic calendar today is San Martino of Tours, a Medieval knight who became Saint after donating his coat to a poor freezing man: it was November and miraculously it stopped raining and the sun shone ☀️. That's why they call it St. Martin's Summer (it's like the Indian Summer) and usually these days of November are sunny and warm 🌞
In Venice, #SanMartino day is celebrated with the traditional chocolate sweet which lies on every Venetian table☝️😋 and with children running around town, beating their pots, chanting an ancient San Martino rhyme and asking for sweets in the shops... similar to #Halloween, less scary and with deeper roots!

📸☝️In the pictures the Medieval San Martino Church in Venice #Castello (probably founded by Longobards from Ravenna town, that's why a French Saint became so popular here!) and San Martino's engraving on its façade, reproduced in the local sweet!
#VeniceHistory #VeniceEvents #VeniceFood #WalkingTour

📜👨‍🔬11 November 1788. Pietro Paleòcapa, an Italian scientist, engineer and later politician was born in Nese, Alzano Lombardo (BG), at the time under Venice domination. His family was of Greek origins and they decided to emigrate and live in Venice territory.
In 1840 #Paleocapa became a general manager in Venice, and oversaw the works on the rivers Brenta, Bacchiglione, Adige, Tartaro-Canalbianco-Po di Levante, the drainage of several marshy areas near #Verona and the construction of a dam in #Malamocco, Venice.
He was a patriot and believed in #Italy unification, and he played an important role in the negotiation of the annexation of Venice to Piedmont kingdom.
The first monument statue📸☝️we all meet when entering Venice historical centre is dedicated to him: it was placed inside the Papadopoli Gardens, built and commissioned by the Papadopoli family in the XIX century, still today the first and largest green area🌳 we see in #SantaCroce district.
Do you remember this place?
#VeniceHistory #11November

👨‍🎨15 November 1701. Pietro Longhi, prominent and prolific XVIII century Venetian painter was born Pietro Falca in Venice. He adopted the art name "Longhi" as soon as he started painting.
Longhi's pictures of real life in Venice (mainly banquets, feasts, brothels, gaming houses, street life) was in constant reference to the theatrical world, and a parallel development can be traced between his work and that of the contemporary Venetian playwright #CarloGoldoni: the latter, through the overcoming of the "Commedia dell'Arte", created a new type of theater inspired by real life, in the same way #PietroLonghi painted the social customs of the time.

Most of Longhi's paintings and frescoes are today held and visitable in Venice Museums and Palaces like Ca' Rezzonico, Querini Stampalia, Accademia Galleries, Ca' Sagredo☝️

#Longhi was also crucial for introducing to the global imagery of the time the traditional Venice Carnival masks 🎭 as people often appear wearing them in his paintings!
#VeniceArt #15November

📜Venice Celebrations Series. #21November, #LaSalute.
Today, like every 21 November, in Venice it's Festa di Santa Maria della Salute, maybe the most heartfelt celebration for Venetians. It's a Catholic feast in fact, a votive wooden bridge is built on the #GrandCanal to allow citizens to walk and pay tribute to the icon of Saint Mary of Health, kept in the Church of the same name: still today a true pilgrimage!
#VeniceHistory: in 1630 Venice experienced an unusually devastating plague. As a votive offering for the city's deliverance from the pestilence, the Republic of Venice vowed to build and dedicate a church to Our Lady of Health (Salute in Italian). The church was designed in the then fashionable baroque style by architect Baldassare #Longhena. Most of the works of art housed in the church bear references to the Black Death.
Needless to say the Church of Santa Maria della Salute is one of the most iconic image of Venice (and of Venice Rocks Channel too 😉) as you probably recognize 📸☝️
#VeniceEvents

🎼24 November 1941. Happy 80th Birthday 🥳🍾 to Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio, born in #Burano island, Venice and longtime vacationeer in #myhometown Auronzo di #Cadore, #Dolomites.
His name won't tell much to the majority, but #PinoDonaggio was a singer, musician and above all prominent composer since the 1960s. Most of his career is characterized by film scores, having written soundtracks for horror icons such has #DarioArgento, #BrianDePalma, #LucioFulci, #JoeDante: to name a few more #PupiAvati, #TintoBrass and the music for Italian legendary comedy #NonCiRestaChePiangere by #RobertoBenigni and #MassimoTroisi.

However Donaggio will be forever remembered for writing many Italian 1960s hits, his biggest one went international in 1965 and sold 80 million records worldwide!!! 😳👏
The song was called "Io che non vivo", and was performed in English as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by #DustySpringfield, #ElvisPresley, #PaulAnka among the others. In the Chat Room some of these versions👇
#24November #VeniceMusic