The Catalan Venice
Barcelona and Venice, both cities tailored to human scale, are among the most touristic in Europe (London and Paris are megacities, a different category). Two cities that face the sea, with a Mediterranean sensuality. They don't renounce either pleasure or culture: architecture, cuisine, painting, film, literature... They tend towards aesthetic affectation; they would like to be roguish but have become... mainstreamTwo cities with more history than future? Narcissistic nostalgia is their worst enemy. They look in the mirror and like what they see: Barcelona, proud and self-absorbed; Venice, presumptuous and decadent. They look in the mirror and hate each other: where will our children end up? We feel a love-hate relationship with tourism, with the expadosbecause of the cosmopolitanism of exquisite luxury. But what would we do without so much wealth? And what will we do with poverty? nascosta And outrageous? Can cities full of palaces function without social mobility?
I've thrown coherence out the window. vaporettoWe Barcelonans flee from tourists by going out to be tourists. Who gives up traveling? In Venice, Cannaregio is a quiet neighborhood. With Mariona, we stop and have a long chat at the home of Nicola and Silvia, a Venetian-Barcelona couple. They aren't tourists in either city. They are citizens who live in a bubble of contradictions and wonders. Francesca Torzo also opens the doors of her home to us, on the Grand Canal, opposite Giudecca. We run into her Irish Gaelic-speaking friend, Elisabeth. What vedute!
Night at the crumbling Malibran Theatre. Maestro Diego Basso's peculiar Italian Symphonic Rhythm Orchestra treats us to a cinematic concert featuring the music of Ennio Morricone. A grandiose, sugary spectacle, straight to the heart. Before reading on, if possible, put on the soundtrack of The Mission or of Cine ParadisoMorricone was Roman: he rarely traveled, and he didn't even want to learn English. In Venice, you'd be lulled to sleep by his melodies, so melodramatic. It's inevitable: your eyes well up like the city's porous stucco.
Everything drips, everything flows. Everything binds. The Malibran is named after a Spanish soprano, María Malibran—the surname of her first French husband—who died prematurely at 28 from a fall from a horse. Her maiden name was María Felicia García Siches. The Malibran was built in the 18th century by the Grimani family, whose coat of arms features four red bars on a light background. In Catalonia. Before the evening with Morricone, we visited his magnificent Renaissance palace, opened to the public only four years ago. How many palaces like this are there in Venice, how many secret gardens, how many churches?
It's raining, it's cold. Seeing the Plaça Sant Marc empty is a miracle. These days, the most crowded church is the Basilica of Our Lady of Salute in Dorsoduro, near the Dogana headland, erected in 1630 after 80,000 people had died of the plague in the city. Every November 21st, Venetians (50,000 remain and dwindling) carry candles across a movable bridge that is only installed for this occasion. There are crowds, queues, and devotion. Upon leaving, they naturally go for an aperitivo. And then they eat castradina, a hearty soup of lamb's foot with cabbage, onion, and wine, similar to our stew. With Nicola, we devoured theosteria In Bacareto, a family business. At night, we found the owner, his wife, and daughter at the Malibran. To round off the Salute celebration, they too have succumbed to the charms of Morricone.
In the Querini Palace, home to a Caffè Mariona, we delighted in the small Baroque paintings by Gabriele Bella, some of which feature a human tower reminiscent of our castellers. The Baroque Palau Labia, belonging to a family originally from Catalonia, is one of the last great palazzi The Venetian Museum is currently undergoing renovations: it houses some of Tiepolo's most famous paintings. All these Catalan influences, and more, are well-known. Next week, the city will celebrate 50 years of Catalan studies in Venice, with professors from Ca' Foscari University such as Enric Bou and Patrizio Rigobon. And 2025 also marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Fortuny Museum. I wouldn't want to conclude without remembering the dearly missed Àlex Susanna and his pioneering work. Venetian notebook... Ritoneremo!