VeniceNews

Dear Guest,
with the winter approaching, past the hype of the season of major events, Venice recovers its soul made of everyday life sprinkled with some traditions leaving space for the most popular aspects of a real city, with its rhythms and its needs, far from the postcard image, famous worldwide.

 

The months of autumn and winter are the best times to experience the “ real “ Venice and to benefit from the best deals. So take advantage of our special rates and check our Venice hotel web site, and should you decide to book, don’t forget to insert the discount code sat03 in the special code box and get immediately a 7% discount on any rate. For lunch or dinner in our restaurant La Caravella, keep in mind that until May 31^st 2014 the proposals for its 50^th anniversary continue.

 We also inform you that we will be closed from January 12^th to January 27^th included, due to some important works at the electrical system and some changes in furnishings at the ground-floor, but our sister hotel Ca’ Pisani  www.capisanihotel.it  will be open. 
And now we give you some remarks on two popular festivities of autumn: San Martino and La Salute.

Just a few days ago, on November 11^th we celebrated San Martino, whose church, located in the district of Castello near the Arsenale, was founded in the VIII century, probably by refugees from the city of Ravenna of which the saint was the patron.

 

In the past, during the San Martino day, it was customary to eat seasonal products such as chestnuts and sweet potatoes, but nowadays it has become more of a feast for kids and even though the tradition is disappearing, on that day it is not rare to encounter groups of kids in “ calli “ entering the stores making a hullabaloo, banging pots and lids with wooden spoons, attracting the sympathy of store keepers, who reward them with treats and some coins.

 All the pastry shops expose the typical sweet of San Martino, a cake shaped like a knight on horse offering his cloak to a poor. It is made of pastry decorated with coloured sweets or chocolate.
The feast of La Salute on November 21^st has certainly a less tourist impact and evokes a popular religious sentiment. It reminds the terrible plague of 1629-1631 and the vow of the Doge Nicolo’ Contarini to obtain the intercession of the Virgin. In that day, thousands of Venetians are still taking the votive bridge on boats, built purposely for this occasion from Santa Maria del Giglio and go on a pilgrimage to the church of La Salute, to pay tribute to the Virgin and ask for her protection. The “ castradina “ (castrated mutton meat) is a very tasty dish typical of that day.
So visit the “ real Venice “ of the Venetians during these months! We wait for you and are at your disposal.

Best regards,
The Family Serandrei