Venice Day 2

This image made us feel right at home at Tarnowska's

The interior of Tarnowsak's

Tarnowska's American Bar - "The Mean Maria"

A rainy day in Venice. It started sunny but by 2 p.m. it was raining steadily. The concierge recommended a recital in a palazzo: Duetti d'Amore, in the Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto, so we signed up for it. Our first venture of the day was the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, which we had visited on our last trip here about 10 years ago. This time I noticed that in the many photos of PG in her home -- now the museum -- none show her with a smile. Her life was not that desolate; but of course the photos may have been taken after the death of her beloved daughter Pegeen, which in PG's own words was a terrible blow. After the museum visit, the rain drove us back to the Palladio for lunch and some noodling on the computer.

Finding our way to the Palazzo for the recital took us through the usual winding alleys of Venice, to a decaying palace on the Grand Canal which had obviously seen better days. We arrived early, so we had a prosecco and capuccino at Tarnowska's American Bar -- an obvious tourist attraction but over-the-top decor.

The recital was only so so; the vocal talent on display was mediocre at best, although the string accompaniment was quite good. The first part of the recital was in a very small unventilated room with peeling wallpaper and a general air of decrepitude; a canary would have been a good idea. The second part of the recital was in a grand bedroom with no risk of asphyxiation. One of the non-musical highlights of the evening was meeting a young couple who raise sheep on their farm in Wales. According to them, Welsh lamb is prized in Italy. Opera lovers come in all sizes and shapes!

Tomorrow evening we attend I Musici Veneziani: Baroque and Opera, at a different venue.