Wading to Torcello...



We chose a lovely day for our trip to the northern part of the lagoon. We passed Murano, got off at Burano, then took the Trajetto over to Torcello, a lovely if somewhat neglected island with a world-famous church and some important visitors.

We had to wade through about a foot of water to get there. When I saw someone walking barefoot the other way, I thought they were just a kook, but then I saw a knot of people on the path ahead and thought, "aqua alte, si" or was that, "aqua alte, shit"? It sure made it an adventure. We ended up walking through the Basilica with our pants rolled up. (Thank goodness bare calves are acceptable. Shorts are not in churches in Italy.)

The mosaics are wonderful. In particular I always like the Hell portion of the great compositions of death, salvation, and damnation. The back mosaic was stunning, with a whole panel done in black, white skulls with snakes coming from the eye sockets. I've stolen a graphic from Wikipedia, and you can look in the lower right-hand corner for an idea of what they have here. Ira assures me that the mosaics in Ravenna are more exquisite, but I'm perfectly satisfied with these.

You can't imagine the stench when they drain one of these canals for repairs. Mud stinks! And there was a restaurant right across from here. There was a sump pump running, a smell like you can't believe, and still there were people in there! Unbelievable. Our restaurant, Osteria al Ponte del Diavolo was much better. My mixed seafood appetizer was delicious. The octopus in particular was perfect, as tender a polpe as you can imagine, with a delicate oil sauce. My crab gnocchi tasted delicious, with tons of succulent crab meat. But after al Covo and one other place, this dish only came in third in the gnocchi cup race.

The wine was Livio Felluga, another recommendation from the sagacious Susan. This time I tried the Pinot Grigio and it was perhaps my favorite, aromatic and full of flavors that complemented every bite of seafood. I know that it's not an "important" wine, but lord the Grigio's great.

I climbed up the Campanile to get a look at the lagoon. I imagined Hemingway there, writing my favorite of his books, "Across the River and Into the Trees." I got a dim sense of what it must be like to hunt in the marshes around the lagoon. After talking with Diane of al Covo, I want to take a small boat trip around there next time.

Tonight we go to Harry's Bar with a group of friends. I'm expecting the same stellar service and amazing food as last time. It really is one of the places where you can just slide in and know you'll be taken care of. Enjoy a pink dog from the Grand Canal while I go eat!