Mona Lisa – The Worlds Most Famous Painting by Leonardo da Vinci

 

The MONA LISA

MONA LISA in YOUR HOME


PUT the “MONA LISA” in YOUR HOME

The WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS PAINTING

“In YOUR HOUSE”

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The MONA LISA

by LEONARDO DaVINCI
The MONA LISA
The Mona Lisa is a World-Renowned portrait painting created by Italian Renaissance master Leonardo DaVinci .  Painted on a poplar wood panel between 1503 and 1519, it depicts a woman widely believed to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Today, the masterpiece is permanently housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where it hangs behind temperature-controlled, bulletproof glass.

  • The Sitter: Her Italian title, La Gioconda (and French La Joconde), translates to “the jocund one” or “happy”—a playful pun on her married surname, Giocondo. 
  • The Enigmatic Smile: Leonardo utilized his revolutionary sfumato technique—applying ultra-thin, smoky layers of oil glaze to create imperceptible transitions between shadow and light. This makes her expression look dynamic, appearing to change or disappear depending on the angle of your gaze. 
  • Groundbreaking Composition: Leonardo pushed art forward by adopting a stable, pyramid-shaped, three-quarter length pose. Unlike typical stiff, profile portraits of Renaissance women, she looks directly back at the viewer with an unprecedented air of self-assurance. 
  • The Landscape: The background features a wild, imaginary landscape of jagged mountains, winding roads, and misty water elements that seem to organically blend into the curves of her hair and clothing.

  • LEONARDO DaVINCI

  • Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was was the ultimate ItalianRenaissance polymath, widely regarded as one of the most diversely talented individuals to have ever lived. While his enduring global fame initially rested on his masterful brushwork, he seamlessly bridged the worlds of art, science, and engineering. Driven by an insatiable curiosity—what he called saper vedere (“knowing how to see”)—he treated every natural phenomenon as an object of rigorous study. 
    Masterpieces of Art
    Though fewer than 20 of his paintings survive due to constant technical experimentation and chronic procrastination, they remain milestones in Western culture. 
    • Mona Lisa: Housed in the Louvre Museum, it is the world’s most famous, visited, and parodied portrait, celebrated for its enigmatic smile and masterly sfumato shading technique. 
    • The Last Supper: This massive mural in Milan captures the intense psychological drama immediately after Jesus announces a betrayal, pioneering dynamic perspective and emotional depth. 
    • Vitruvian Man: An iconic ink drawing that perfectly blends the human anatomy with mathematical proportion, symbolizing the Renaissance humanist ideal.
  • ROCKY MARCIANO – Italian-American Prize Fighter Eats Moms Pasta

     




    ROCKY MARCIANO


    Rocky Marciano of the 150th Combat Engineers: World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
    Rocco Francis Marchegiano, the son of Italian immigrants, was born and raised in Brockton Massachusetts. Rocco, a natural athlete, dropped out of high school in the 10th grade to help support his family. Rocco would go on to be professionally known as Rocky Marciano – the only heavyweight professional boxer to have finished his career undefeated.
    According to the Department of Defense: “On March 4, 1943, at the age of 20, Rocky enlisted the Army in Boston, Massachusetts and was sent overseas to Europe. Marciano was assigned to the 150th Combat Engineers and stationed in Swansea, Wales where he helped ferry supplies across the English Channel to Normandy. The 150th went on to receive service stars for Normandy, North France, Rheinland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe.”
    “Marciano first took up boxing in the service, reportedly as a way to get out of kitchen duty. While awaiting discharge, Marciano, representing the Army, won the 1946 Amateur Armed Forces boxing tournament. After the war ended, he completed his service in March 1946 at Fort Lewis, Washington where he received an honorable discharge from the Army with the rank of Private First Class. Rocky returned home to Brockton, Massachusetts and continued to box as an amateur” -US Department of Defense
    “On September 23, 1952, Marciano took on the World Heavyweight Champion Joe Walcott in Philadelphia. In round 13 Marciano knocked out Walcott to become the new Heavyweight Champion. Rocky was 29 years old. The two would meet again the following year with Marciano ending the match in the first round.”
    “Rocky Marciano would go on to dominate the Heavyweight Division. On May 16, 1955, in San Francisco, Marciano went up against Don Cockell from the United Kingdom, who was also the boxing champion of Europe. Marciano knocked him out in round 9.”

    “On April 27, 1956, Marciano announced his retirement at age 32, finishing his career at 49-0.”
    On August 31, 1969, Rocky was a passenger in a private plane that crashed due to bad weather at a private airfield near Newton, Iowa. There were no survivors. Rocky Marciano was 45 years old at the time of his passing. He would have turned 46 years old on September 1.
    Private First Class Rocky Marciano lies in rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Lest We Forget






    ROCKY’S MOM COOKING PASTA

    ROCKY’S MOM
    And ROCKY
    MAMA MARCIANO TAKING CARE of HER BOY





    COOK LIKE MAMA MARCIANO




    SUNDAY SAUCE

    WHEN ITALIAN AMERICNS COOK



    History of Venetian Gondolas – Venice Italy Gondola

    GONDOLAS

    VENICE, ITALY


     


    ORIGINS

    Although the exact origin of the name gondola is unknown, there are several hypotheses: the most reliable one argues that it derives from the Latin term cymbula, which indicates a small boat. Other sources believe that the origin lies in the Greek word kountelàs, which instead means “short boat”.

    But how long have gondolas been around? Also in this case we don’t have an official date, but we know for sure that the term gondolam appeared for the first time in 1094, in a decree signed by the Doge Vitale Falier.

    As for the visual arts, it is interesting to know that the first image of a gondola, very similar to the contemporary one, appeared in one of Vittore Carpaccio’s masterpieces, Miracle of the Cross in Rialto, dating back to 1494 and now exhibited in the Gallerie dell’Accademia. 


    HABITS & CUSTOMS


    Considering the conformation of Venice, it is easy to imagine why such a boat has been so successful: it sneaks nimbly into the canals, manages to pass under the bridges and, thanks to its flat bottom, it can sail even when the canal bed is dry. In the past centuries the gondola was used as the principal means of transport by all Venetians.

    Each family, regardless of their prestige, relied on their own gondolas and on their “gondolieri de casada”, sailors in charge of transporting the owners and their families from one building to another. Back then, like today, there were stazi (the boarding points) located across the city.

    In the past, a cover called felze was built in the center of the gondola and used mainly in winter and at night. Today it has fallen into disuse because it reduces visibility, but back then it was equipped with a door and sliding windows, mirrors and a warmer. In other words, it protected passengers from both the cold and prying eyes. 





    The CHARMS of a VENETIAN GONDOLA RIDE

    BACK CANALS of VENICE




    GONDOLA FACTS


    Some interesting facts to learn more about one of the most famous boats in the world: the Venetian gondola weighs about 500 kilos, is 11 m long, about 1.65 m high, and 1.42 m wide.

    But there is a very curious feature that you probably haven’t noticed yet: the gondola is asymmetrical! To be exact, the left side is 24 cm wider than the right one and, therefore, the gondola always sails tilted to one side.

    For the construction of a gondola, which requires about 500 hours of work, 8 types of wood are used, each with its own function. Some examples: pine and larch, very water resistant, are used for the parts immersed in water; oakwood is used for the hull and sides thanks to its high resistance; elm, hard but also extremely elastic, is ideal for the edges.

    Of the 280 parts that make up the gondola, only two are in metal: the characteristic “fèro” (iron) at the bow and the “risso” (curl) at the stern.


    The FERRO


    This traditional iron component (in Venetian dolfin or fero da próva) not only plays a decorative role, it also has the purpose of protecting the bow from possible collisions. Its shape, apparently bizarre, actually has a very specific meaning: the “S” shape represents the Grand Canal, the six forward facing teeth are the six districts of Venice, while the one at the back represents the Giudecca. The upper part represents the Doge’s hat, while the arch above the highest tooth of the comb represents the Rialto Bridge.

    In some recently built gondolas there are three additional features that represent the most important islands of the lagoon: Murano, Burano and Torcello.

    GONDOLAS FERRO

    The SQUERO


    The gondola is built in small shipyards called squèri, where once all sorts of boats were actually built. However, the inauguration of the Arsenale reduced their workload and the squero thus became increasingly specialized in the construction and storage of gondolas only. The name derives from a work tool, the square set, called “squara” in the Venetian dialect and the craft of the squerarolo is still highly qualified, handed down from father to son or from teacher to apprentice.

    The squero has a particular and recognizable structure: you’ll immediately notice the sloping square towards the canal that facilitates the access of boats. Behind it, there’s a wooden construction called tesa, which serves as a shelter but also as a tool shed. The squero of the Daniele Manin Cooperative in San Trovaso is the most famous and definitely worth a stop.





    HOTELS in VENICE

     

    VENICE – ALL ITALY

    HOTELS WORLDWIDE






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    1960s – How Much Did It Cost




    HERSHEY BAR

    COST

    1902 – 2 CENTS

    1950 – 4 Cents, 1960 – 5 CENTS

    1969 – 6 CENTS  1979 – 15 CENTS

    1980 – 25 CENTS

    2004 – 35 CENTS  …   2019 – $1.00


    In 1908, a Hershey candy bar cost just 2 cents. That’s only 51 cents in 2016 dollars, if you adjust for inflation.

    A Hershey bar today costs you three times as much — $1.59 on Target’s web site. (Thanks to Food Timeline and Oregon State University political science professor Robert Sahr for the data! Official government inflation numbers only go back to 1914!)
    A box of Kellogg’s  Corn Flakes was only 10 cents, 108 years ago. That’s $2.56 in today’s dollars. A 24-ounce box now costs $3.45 on Jet.com, the e-commerce site being bought by Walmart. So it looks like cocoa has been a hotter commodity than corn!
    Baseball players also weren’t making nearly as much money in 1908 as they are now.


    An Average AMERICAN HOUSE

    The average price of a home like this would have been about $3,845 with average wages being $1,970 annual Wages, or about two years annual wages to buy a house in 1930.

    This same house would cost about $315,000 in 2019. Average annual income in 2019 is about $46,800 … The price of an average price home cost about 6.7 years annual income in 2019, as opposed to 2 years average income in 1930, or 3 1/2 times more Expensive than in 1930.
    Average Cost Of New Home Homes

    1930 $3,845.00 , 1940 $3,920.00, 1950 $8,450.00 , 1960 $12,700.00 ,
    1970 $23,450.00 , 1980 $68,700.00 , 1990 $123,000.00 , 2008 $238,880 , 2013 $289,500 , 

    2019 $315,000

    Average Wages


    1930 $1,970.00 , 1940 $1,725.00, 1950 $3,210.00 , 1960 $5,315.00 ,

    1970 $9,400.00 , 1980 $19,500.00 , 1990 $28,960.00 , 2008 $40,523 , 2012 $44,321 ,

    Average annual Wages 2019 $46,800

    Average Cost of New Car 


    1930 $600.00 , 1940 $850.00, 1950 $1,510.00 , 1960 $2,600.00 ,

    1970 $3,450.00 , 1980 $7,200.00 , 1990 $16,950.00 , 2008 $27,958 , 2013 $31,352 ,
    Average Cost Gallon Of Gas
    1930 10 cents , 1940 11 cents , 1950 18 cents , 1960 25 cents ,
    1970 36 cents , 1980 $1.19 , 1990 $1.34 , 2009 $2.051 , 2013 $3.80 ,





    1961 Chevy Impala

    $2,600

    2019 CHEVY IMPALA – Sticker Price $28,000

    More than 10 TIMES More than 1961



    Average Cost Loaf of Bread Food

    1930 9 cents , 1940 10 cents , 1950 12 cents , 1960 22 cents ,
    1970 25 cents , 1980 50 cents , 1990 70 cents , 2008 $2.79 , 2013 $1.98 ,
    Average Cost 1lb Hamburger Meat
    1930 12 cents , 1940 20 cents , 1950 30 cents , 1960 45 cents ,
    1970 70 cents , 1980 99 cents , 1990 89 cents , 2009 $3.99 , 2013 $4.68 ,






    A LOAF of BREAD COST just .22 CENTS in 1960
     And $4.68 in 2013, or 20 TIMES as Much as 1960



    Some of the above can be explained due to the inflation over 80 years , but there are also many other reasons why some prices increased dramatically ( Housing Bubbles. Middle East Wars, Weather problems causing food price inflation, Population explosion, ) it also can work the other way due to improvements in technology offering much cheaper goods for example TV’s, Calculators, Computers ETC.



    MLB BASEBALL PLAYERS  Average Annual Salary 




    2019  4. 6 MILLION DOLLARS, which is ridiculous and totally out of whack and the reason that it cost so much money to go to a Baseball Game these days, with the average price of a ticket is $53 to attend a MLB BAseball Game, with the highest price tickets, with premium box seats at Yankkee Stadium

     going for $525 per seat, up to $2,600 for front row seats. When I was a kid, and my brither Jimmy and I went to 8 or 10 Met games a year, the most expensive seat (box seats) cost just $6.00. Yankee tickets were basically the same price. This was back around 1972 to 1976 when we were going quite a bit to Shea and Yankee Stadiums.  


    Hank Greenberg, left feilder, great Home Run Hitter for the Detroit Tigers. He was the first player to make $100,000 in 147 playing then for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  In 1938, he hit 58 home runs. Hank hit 331 career home runs.





    BABE RUTH

    “The GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER of ALL-TIME”

    For many people, and certainly for this guy, without question George Herman “Babe” Ruth was easily the greatest baseball player of all-time. Ruth hit 60 Home Runs in the 1927 MLB Season, and went on to hit 714 career home runs, most in major league history, and a record that stood until Hank Aaron broke Ruth all-time home run record years later.
    After the 1927 baseball season, when a reporter bawled that Ruth made more money ($70,000 a year)  than the President of the United States, Ruth ansered “I Had a better Year than He did,” which the reporter couldn’t deny, with Ruth hitting a staggering, record setting 60 Home Runs, with a batting average of .356 and 164 RBI ‘s. His on Slugging Percentage that year was .772 with a .486 OBP.

    Babe Ruth made $80,000 a year in 1930.

    Babe Ruth had an astonishing lifetime batting average of .342 and hit 2,213 career RBIs.

    Ruth was a starting pitcher for a little over 5 years before transitioning away from pitching and becoming an everyday player. His win loss record was a very impressive 95 Wins and 46 Lost, with an amazing 2.28 career ERA.



    Players Salaries :


    1958 – $16,353


    1960 –  $17.934


    1970 –  $29, 303


    1975 –  $44,341


    1980  –  $143,756


    1985 –  $371,531


    2000 – $1,895,000


    2019  – 4.6 Million Dollars a Year “This is Insane” !!!











    Mickey Mantle

    1953 Topps BB Card


    Mickey Mantle was a true Baseball Great. Yes Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees for 18 years from 1951 when he replace the great Joe DiMaggio in Center Field, until 1968. Mantle was considered The Greatest Switch Hitter in Major League Baseball History, with a lifetime batting average of .298, with 536 Home Runs, and a career 1,509 RBIs and 2,415 career Hits. “The Mick” as he was called, Won The Triple Crown for Batting in 1956 with 52 Home Runs, a Batting Average of .353 and 130 RBIs.

    Mickey Mantle made $7,500 a year in 1951, and his salary in his final playing years was $125,000 per year. In 2019 the highest played MLB Players are making 30 Million Dollars or more (up to 37 Million, Max Scherzer). I myself am always talking about the absurd amounts of money that Professional Athletes make these days, “it’s just Crazy,” and I don’t agree with it and I feel that many pro ball player are grossly over-paid and don’t deserve money like that (anything over 15 Million is way too much)> I’m all for people making good money. What’s wrong with making somewhere in-between 6 to 15 Million a Year? “Nothing I’d say. Hell, I’d be Happy just to make 1 million.
    So as I’ve said many times, in comparison to the insane money these guys make today, 20 Million a year or more. If Mickey Mantle was playing today and Scherzer is making 37 Million a year, Mickey Mantle would have to command at least 60 Million Dollars a Year. And  in comparison, I’d have to give the great Babe Ruth “The Sultan of Swat” 95 Million a Year.

    Basta !



    1964 Ford Mustang

    Price $2,368

    1965 Ford Mustang Fastback

    $2,639


    A Cup of COFFEE at STARBUCKS

    1968 just 15 CENTS

    2019 $2.10

    COLLEGE TUITION

    A GALLON of GAS

    A HOUSE



    TV 

    BEST DEAL of ALL

    In Comparison to how much Money people made in 1968

    and what they make in 2019, it’s far cheaper to buy a TV now, than it was in 1968

    The only other thing I can think of that has gotten cheaper, is the price of a Long Distance Telephone Call.

    One problem. Most people pay insane amounts of money to watch TV (Cable) these days, with average cable bills at $50 a month, as compare to being FREE in 1968.


    Actually, you can get a pair of Wrangler Jeans for about $25

    Even LESS

    So let’s say the average price in 2019 is about $29



    The WONDER WHEEL – Coney Island Brooklyn New York

     

    The WONDER WHEEL

    CONEY ISLAND

    Get a FINE ART PHOTO PRINT of “The WONDER WHEEL”

    From FINE ART AMERICA






    The WONDER WHEEL

    The Wonder Wheel is a 150-foot-tall (46 m) eccentric Ferris wheel at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park at Coney Island in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The wheel is located on a plot bounded by West 12th Street to the west, Bowery Street to the north, Luna Park to the east, and the Riegelmann Boardwalk to the south. As with other eccentric Ferris wheels, some of the Wonder Wheel’s passenger cabins are not fixed directly to the rim of the wheel, but instead slide along winding sets of rails between the hub and the rim.

    Built in 1920 as one of several Ferris wheels on Coney Island, the Wonder Wheel was designed by Charles Hermann and operated by Herman J. Garms Sr. and his son Fred for six decades. Despite the subsequent economic decline of Coney Island, the Wonder Wheel continued to operate each summer through the 20th century. In 1983, Herman Garms’s son Fred sold the ride to the Vourderis family, who restored the attraction and continue to run the wheel as of 2023. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Wonder Wheel as an official New York City landmark in 1989, and minor modifications were subsequently made to the attraction.


    HISTORY 

    At the time of the Wonder Wheel’s construction, Coney Island was one of the largest amusement areas in the United States. The first Ferris wheel in Coney Island was built for nearby Steeplechase Park in 1894 and was erroneously billed as “The World’s Largest”. Several variations of the Ferris wheel were erected in the neighborhood in the 1900s and 1910s. The Wonder Wheel was unusual in that only one-third of its 24 cars were stationary, while the other two-thirds rolled on tracks within the wheel itself.


    The Wonder Wheel was designed by Charles Hermann as an improvement on G.W.G. Ferris’s giant wheel, and it was built for Herman J. Garms Sr. between 1918 and 1920 by the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company. Coney Island landowner William J. Ward provided the land for the Wonder Wheel’s construction. Garms, who had no formal financial experience, sold stock to family, other Coney Island business holders, and steelworkers. Hermann sold all his shares in the wheel to raise money for construction and operation. Alfred (Fred) Garms, Herman Garms’s son, recalled that his father employed anyone who was willing to help erect the ride, teaching them how to construct the wheel. After the local ironworkers’ union heard about the project, they attempted to force the workers to join the union. The elder Garms named all of the workers as stockholders of the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company, preventing them from being forced to unionize. 

    The wheel first opened on Memorial Day in 1920.  Hermann originally called it the “Dip-the-Dip”, promising to combine in his new invention “the thrill of a scenic railway, the fun of a Ferris wheel, and the excitement of the Chute-the-Chutes”. To help with the Wonder Wheel’s upkeep, the Garms family lived under the Wonder Wheel during the summers. With the success of the Wonder Wheel, the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company hoped to build more “wonder wheels” on the East Coast of the United States by the mid-1920s. Fred Garms worked on the ride as a ticket operator during the summer in the 1920s, when he was a child. By the time Fred had graduated high school in the early 1930s, he worked on the ride year-round, maintaining it.

    After the ride’s construction cost had been paid off, Herman Garms bought out most of the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company’s stockholders, then reduced the size of the corporation to a small number of people.







    The WONDER WHEEL

    CONEY ISLAND

    BROOKLYN, NEW YORK






    “KING KONG”

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    From FINE ART AMERICA



    SINATRA SAUCE

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    Artists Who Painted VENICE – Canaletto Bellini

     

     


    Piazza San Marco

    Canaletto



    VENICE
    GIOVANNI CANALETTO

    VENICE
    Giovanni Canaletto





    CANALETTO



    Canaletto, celebrated for his views of Venice (vedute), depicts the city’s principal square of San Marco, which was described by Napoleon as “the finest drawing room in Europe.” The Basilica of Saint Mark, with its Byzantine architecture, and the imposing bell tower dominate the scene as symbols of the rich history of the Venetian Republic. Canaletto adjusts for the trapezoidal shape of the piazza by reinforcing the perspective created by the ornamental marble pattern of stone pavement that had recently been laid. This painting represents a timeless view of Venice while also capturing a slice of eighteenth-century daily life.

    Among Canaletto’s most important patrons were English aristocrats who visited the city on the Grand Tour, often bringing home as souvenirs contemporary depictions of the cities they visited. This painting was bought by the fourth Duke of Leeds after he visited Venice in 1734. When the duke returned to England, he had the painting placed within this type of Scotch pine frame that he favored for works in his collection.

    GENTILE BELLINI

    “PIAZZA San MARCO”


    PONTE San LORENZO

    Gentile Bellini 





    “IL RIDOTTO”

    Pietro Longhi



    The MEETING 
    Pietro Longhi
    VENICE

    The RHINOCEROS

    Pietro Longhi

    VENICE, ITALY




    TURNER


    The Piazzetta

    VENICE

    TURNER


    The PIAZZETTA


    A crack of lightning streaks the sky above the Piazzetta, the historic heart of government in Venice, and bystanders run for cover. The city of canals captured Turner’s imagination more than any other place. This watercolour dates from his third and final visit in August 1840. Beyond the statue of the winged lion of Saint Mark, the Doge’s Palace glows amber in the uncanny light. A section of St Mark’s Basilica shines ghostly white. Turner created the white highlights by scratching the paper surface. He is said to have used ‘his eagle-claw of a thumb-nail’ for this purpose.


    “The BRUDGE of SIGHS” 

    VENICE

    Turner


    CANALE GRANDE

    VENICE

    Turner








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    My Venice – author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

    Screen Shot 2018-01-29 at 12.32.33 AM.png


    The DOGES PALACE / SAINT MARKS BASILICA

    In WINTER

    VENICE , ITALY



    .
    .
    SAINT MARKS BASILICA
     
    PIAZZA SAN MARCO
     
    VENICE
     
    2003



    Grand Canal
     
    VENICE
     
    1995
     
     
     
     
    The DOGE’S PALACE
     
    PIAZETTA at PIAZZA SAN MARCO
     
    VENICE
     
    .
    PEGGY GUGENHEIM MUSEUM
     
    The GRAND CANAL
     
    DELLA SAULTE
     
    VENICE
     
    Taken from a MOTOSCAFI
    .
    .
    .
    CAFFE FLORIAN
     
    PIAZZA SAN MARCO
     
    VENICE
     
    CAMPARI & OJ
     
    FRANK MYSELF and COUSIN TONY
     
     
    .
    .
    Me and Cousin Joe
     
    PROSECCO at a BACARO
     
    VENICE

    Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


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    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 1.16.11 AM.png
    Harry’s Bar



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    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 1.14.30 AM.png
    The WORLD’S COOLEST RESTAURANT


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    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 1.13.59 AM.png
    ARIGO CIPRIANI

    Son of GIUSEPPE

    aka HARRY



    ,
    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 1.25.31 AM.png
    ERNEST HEMINGWAY at HARRY’S BAR
    with Owner / Founder GIUSEPPE CIPRIANI

    HARRY’S BAR was one of HEMINGWAY’S Favorites

    “Me Too” !




    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 1.15.31 AM.png
    Old Poster

    HARRY’S BAR

    VENICE



    .
    The BRIDGE of SIGHS
     
    VENICE
     
     
     
    .
     
    MANGIA ITALIANO

    MEMORIES of VENICE & ITALIAN FOOD

    Daniel Bellino Zwicke






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    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 2.21.10 PM.png
    HOTEL FIRENZE

    My FIRST VENETIAN HOTEL

    June 1985


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    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 2.22.15 PM
    My HOTEL ROOM

    HOTEL FIRENZE

    VENICE



    VENICE HOTELS

    And WORLDWIDE



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    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 2.21.39 PM.png
    .
    .
    MAP of VENICE

    HOTEL FIRENZE



    .
    I got lost in VENICE at Night. It was my first night there and my first trip ever to Europe. I was a young man of 23 and relatively new in my travel experience, how to get around and what to do. Yes I got lost and the Magical Maze, The Labyrinth that is Venice, with its winding streets, many bridges and narrow alleyways.

    I learned a very important travel lesson that night. One of the first things you should ever do as you are in a new city and check into your hotel. While you’re at the desk, make sure to take a couple Business Cards of the hotel. Put one in your wallet or purse immediately, and put another in one of your pockets. If you ever get lost, you can give it to a Taxi Driver (Not in Venice though) and tell him to go here.

    Yes, I got lost in Venice. I didn’t feel it at the time, but it’s a quite Wonderful thing to do, getting Lost in Venice.




    .
    Hotel Guerrato
     
    VENICE
     
    1995


     
     
     
    .
    HOTEL GUERRATO
     
     
     
    .
     
    The BREAKFAST ROOM
     
    HOTEL GUERRATO
     
     
    .
    My Room
     
    Hotel Guerrato
     
    VENICE


    I found this wonderful little Hotel in 1995, on my special trip to Explore the BACARI (Venetian Wine Bars) of VENICE. I had read a tiny little article about them in the New York Times that peeked my interest and inspired me to open one in New York. I book a trip for 8 days in Venice to explore, feel, experience and find out everything I could about the Wine Bars of Venice (Bacari). And I did just that. With the knowledge of that trip and my many years experience in the restauranat business in New York, I made a business plan, found a partner to join me, and I created the First Ever Bacaro in The United States, called BAR CICHETTI in New York’s Greenwich Village.

     Basta !



    .
    SAN GIACOMO

    The OLDEST CHURCH in VENICE

    Built 1071
     
    At The RIALTO
     
    If You stay at GUERRATO
     
    This is just 200 Feet Away



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    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 2.53.47 PM.png
    The RIALTO MARKET
    Over 700 Years Old

    If you stay at Albergo Guerrato, you are Literally Several Feet from The RIALTO
    You walk out the Door of the hotel, make a right, walk 30 Feet and you are Inside The RIALTO MARKET. It doesn’t get much Better than that.



    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 2.52.44 PM.png
    FRUIT MERCHANT

    The RIALTO MARKET

    VENICE



    Screen Shot 2017-11-14 at 3.26.05 PM.png
    BAR CICHETTI

    America’s FIRST Ever VENETIAN WINE BAR
    aka BACRO

    Created by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
    and Tom Taraci



    2281a-feast7fish
    The FEAST of The 7 FISH

    with VENETIAN SEAFOOD RECIPES
    FISH MUSSELS CLAMS SHRIMP

     
     
    .
    A Motoscafo Passes Through
     
    PONTE ACCADAMIA
     
    VENICE
     
     
    .
    View from Accadamia Bridge
     
    TURNER




     
    TURNER


     

    .

    HOTEL TIVOLI
     
    DORSODORO
     
    VENICE
     
    1995

     
    .
     
     
     
    The BREAKFAST ROOM
     
    TIVOLI
     
    VENICE
     
     
     
    .
    My Room
     

    The HOTEL TIVOLIVENICE

    VENICE
    .
     
    HOTEL IRIS
     
    VENICE
     
    Stayed Here in 1996
     
     
    .
     
    View from My Room
     
     

    HOTEL IRIS

    VENICE




    VENICE HOTELS 

    AND WORLDWIDE


     
     
    .
    PALAZZO DARIO
     
     

    VENICE




    .
    Near HOTEL IRIS
     
     
    DORSODORO
     
     
    VENICE




    .
    a89f2-screen2bshot2b2016-10-302bat2b2-25-182bpm
    SUNDAY SAUCE

    When Italians Cook






    .
    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 1.22.56 AM
    CAFFE FLORIAN



    .
    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 1.02.45 AM
    GAIACOMO CASANOVA



    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 12.45.41 AM
    CASANOVA Seduces


    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-29 at 12.54.47 AM
     Trattoria Poste Vecie

    Since 1500

    This restaurant was a Favorite of GIACOMO CASANOVA



    .
    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-29 at 12.53.44 AM.png
    Where CASANOVA Often DINED

    and SEDUCED


    In the fish market area, in Campo delle Beccarie, there is instead Poste Vecie restaurant open since 1500, where Casanova used to hide away with friends and especially girl friends to enjoy luxurious banquets. The whole area of St. Mark’s Square and especially the old premises, starting from Caffè Florian, have been hunting grounds of the great seducer.

    .

    .

     

    Screen Shot 2018-01-29 at 1.14.04 AM.png

    DO MORI

    The erotic tour of Venice cannot exclude the Rialto area and in particular the Sotoportego dei Do Mori where in the tavern of the same name Casanova liked giving the first appointment to his ladies. Who showed up strictly masked.

     

    VENETIAN RECIPES

    “GOING to POSITANO” ?

    The AMALFI COAST ?


    POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

    TRAVEL GUIDE COOKBOOK

    “VOTED BEST AMALFI COAST TRAVEL GUIDE”

    .

    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 1.38.13 AM.png
    .
    Antonio Vivaldi


    .
     .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 1.49.21 AM.png
    See a VIVALDI CONCERT at The PIETA

    Where VIVALDI was The MAESTRO


    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 1.47.33 AM.png
    The PIETA

    On The  RIVA DEGLI SCHIAVONA

    VENICE , ITALY


    .
    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 1.39.44 AM.png
    The RIVA DEGLI SCHIAVONI

    by CANALETTO


    .
    Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 1.47.49 AM.png
     .

    BACARI

    The WINE BARS of VENICE



    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 3.02.12 PM.png

    VEDOVA

    .

    .

    Screen Shot 2018-01-26 at 3.03.03 PM.png

    INSIDE The BAR at VEDOVA

    BACARO

    .

    Screen Shot 2018-01-29 at 12.34.51 AM.png

    GONDOLA’S with Della SALUTE in Background

    The MOLO

    VENICE

    .
    .
    Screen Shot 2016-09-28 at 2.13.03 PM.png
    The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

    SECRET RECIPE

    .
    .
    .
     
     
     
     

    MeaVENICE

    On The Grand Canal

    VENICE , ITALY

    Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

    1997



    MeJOEvenicePROSECCO

    Me & Cousin Joe

    Prosseco in a Venetian Wine Bar

    Venice, Italy 2003


    MeArturoLUPOvenice1995

    Me & Arturo

    aka “IL LUPO”

    IL LUPO The Famus Venetian Gondoliere

    Arturo and I are Drinking some Local Italian Wine

    At  Osteria Vivaldi

    VENICE , ITALY

    1995

    I had read a little article in The New York Times about Venice, that mention the Bacari (Wine Bars) of Venice, and that’s all it took. Just a little mention (one Paragraph) of these particular type of wine bars of Venice sparked my interest, and I just had to go to Venice and find out as much as I could about them, for I instantly felt that I wanted to open one in New York (which I did).




    49f7f-screen2bshot2b2016-10-302bat2b7.59.182bpm

    MANGIA ITALIANO

    MEMORIES of ITALIAN FOOD

    READ ABOUT BAR CICHETTI

    VENETIAN WINE BARS

    ITALIAN FOOD in VENICE ITALY

    and NEW YORK

    Books by  #DanielBellinoZwicke


    AMAZON.com




    .

     
    VENICE
     
    ITALY
     
    And Its WINE BARS
     
    BACARI



    ALL ‘ ARCO
     
    One of VENICE’S BEST BACARO
     
    CICHETTI


    .
     
    BACARO ALL’ ARCO
     
    VENICE
    .
    CICHETTI
    at ALL ARCO

    VENEZIA
    .
    of VENICE
     
     
    Creator of AMERICA”S 1st Ever Venetian Wine Bar
     
    BAR CICHETTI
     
    BACARO
     
    .
     


    BAR CICHETTI “America’s 1st Ever “BACARO”

    VENETIAN WINE BAR Created by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

    And TOM TARACI
     
     
    .
    .
     
    CANTINE VINO SCHIAVI
     
    One of VENICE’S Most POPULAR
     
     
    BACARI
     
     
    .
     
     
    Do MORI
     
     
    VENICE
     
     
     
    .
     
     
    DO MORI
     
    One of Venice’s OLDEST
     
    and MOST POPULAR BACARI

    .
     
    But The Service is COLD and Un-Friendly
     
    and The Owner is an SOB
     
     
    .
    DEMI JOHNS
     
    VINI
     

    DO MORI


    VENICE

     
     
    .
    ALLA VEDOVA


    .
    BACARO 
     
    alla VEDOVA



    Screen Shot 2018-02-20 at 4.16.05 PM.png

    CICHETTI MISTI

    VENENZIA



    .
     
    Dining Room
     
    alla VEDOVA
     
    VENICE
     
     
     
     
     
    VENICE
    .
    al PONTE
     

    BACARO


    VENICE


     
     
    .
     
    al PONTE
     
     
    One of My FAVORITES


    .
     
     
    CICHETTI
     
    at DO MORI
     
     
    .
     
    CICHETTI
     

    VENICEITALY

     
     
     
     
     
     
    MEMORIES of VENICE
     
     
    and ITALIAN FOOD
     
    CICHETTI
     
    PASTA and ??
     
     
    .
    DO SPADE
     
    Along with Do MORI
     
    One of VENICE’S Two MOST FAMOUS BACARI
    .
    Do SPADE

    .
     

    At The BAR


    Do SPADE


    .
     

    MISTI MARE

    CICHETTI

    .
    Due NEGRONI



    .
     
    MENU




    .
     
    POLPETTINI
     
    DO SPADE
     
     
    .
    .
    BAR CICHETTI
     
    GREENWICH VILLAGE
     
    NEW YORK
     
    Was AMERICA’S 1st EVER BACARO
     
     
    aka
     
     
    VENETIAN WINE BAR
     
     
    .
    SUNDAY SAUCE
     
    by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
     
    Co-Creator of BAR CICHETTI


    VENICE HOTELS
    HOTELS WORLDWIDE




    .
    OSTERIA ANTICO DOLO
     
    Dal 1400

    VENEZIA



     
    .
     
     
    OSTERIA ANtICA DOLO
     
     
    VENICE



    .
    OSTERIA
     
    DOLO



    .
    .
     
    LISTINO PREZZI
     
    OSTERIA
    ANTICA DOLO



    .
    CICHETTI MISTI
     
     
    ANTICA DOLO




    .
     
     
    OSTERIA DOLO
     
     
     
    .
    al VOLTO




    Screen Shot 2018-02-20 at 8.21.58 PM.png
    AL VOLTO 


    .
    .
    CALAMARI FRITTI
     
    e VINI
     
     
    DO MORI
     
    VENEZIA

     
     
     
     
     
    .
    La TAVOLA
     
     
    ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEW YORKERS
     
     
    ADVENTURES of THE TABLE


    .
    Screen Shot 2018-02-20 at 4.29.50 PM.png
    POLPETTINE

    A FAVORITE CICHETTI