The Blessing of Water in the Orthodox Church of the Greeks in Venice
On the 6th January, a very important feast takes place in the Orthodox Church of the Greeks: the Blessing of Water.
In Venice, after the ceremony, the whole community moves up to the bridge of the Greeks, where from the Bishop throws three times the Cross into the water of the canal.
The Bishop throws the Cross into the canal
Venice is a labyrinth of streets. After spending more that twenty years wandering around for pictures I can say I know every secret corner of the City. A good surprise happened to me during a Photo Tour beyond the Arsenale of Venice, when in a very bright afternoon light the beautiful girl decided to take her dog for a walk.
Leica Q2 1/2000 sec; f/5,0; ISO 400
Daniel Pennac and his wife Véronique in Venice
I got the great opportunuty to meet and to photograph the French writer Daniel Pennac and his wife, during their recent visit to Venice. Thank to a common friend, in which house the couple usually stays while in Venice, I met Daniel Pennac, a very friendly and funny man.
I addeed this picture to my serie “Inside Venetians’ houses”.
Taken with Leica Q2, in a very dark room, late in the afternoon. 1/13 sec; f/1,7; ISO 1600
A man reading the newspaper and the windows with flowers
A remote little Campo in the Cannaregio district of Venice. I like the man reading the newspaper and the window with the flowers made in wood. There was another house like this one in Venice, behind the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, but unfortunately the flowers and the pinwheels are now disappeared.
Picture taken with Leica Q2, 1/500 sec; f/4,0; ISO 400
Back light street scene in the island of Burano
Recentely, I spent a lot of time in Burano. October and November can surprise us with very bright days, and the islands of the lagoon of Venice are a very interesting place for a Photo Walking Tour. Burano is one of the three major islands, together with Murano (glass factories) and Torcello, that stands alone in front of Burano.
Picture taken with Leica Q2 and 1/800 sec; f/8; ISO 400
Morning street scene in Venice
Bright October morning light in Venice, very good for Street Photography. The city awakes. The man standing on the door is Lino, who worked for more than 50 years with the Murano glass factories. Nowadays, sometimes he opens to the public his little warehouse where you can find and buy old and original Murano glass.
Leica Q2 1/1000s f/5,6 iso 800
Street photography in the district of Dorsoduro
Dorsoduro is a district in Venice where I like to do Photo Tours because there is always something new to discover.
On this particular day light was so bright that I could use the shadows as a geometrical part of the picture.
Taken with Leica Q2 and 28mm Summilux, 1/400 sec; f/9; ISO 200
My friend Maurizio Rossi rowing in the lagoon
This type of rowing is called “alla Valesana” and it’s a typical way of rowing in the lagoon of Venice, when there is just one person on the boat.
Leica Q2 with 28mm Summilux 1.7; 1/640 sec; f/5,0; ISO 200
Preparing the colored gondolas for the historical parade
Every year, on the first Sunday of September, in Venice it’s Regatta time!
The historical parade during the Regatta on the Grand Canal in Venice
All along the Grand Canal, hundreds of venetians on their boats and thousands of tourists on the banks, look at the parade in costumes that reminds the arrival in Venice of Caterina Cornaro, queen of Cipro. After the parade, comes the most exciting moment: the race on typical boats.
Supporters on the boats along the Grand Canal, during the race of gondolini
First children, then young people under 18, then men on “Caorline”, women on “Mascareta” and men on “Gondolini”. This years, for the first time, the race of “Gondolini” was won by father and son: Rudi and Mattia Vignotto. The father Rudi, a legend among the racers, was at his 17th victory, with different partners along the years.
The race of “gondolini” near the Accademia bridge
Eolo Perfido, Marc De Tollenaere and Steve McCurry in Venice
Steve Mccurry in Venice - Marc De Tollenaere Photo Tour Venice
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A man is sitting and looking the beautiful Venice
The Scuola Grande della Misericordia was established in Venice on 8 September 1261. What we see in this photograph on the left is the second seat, larger than the previous one, located in Campo dell’Abbazia.
After the Napoleonic suppressions, it changed various uses, until it was used as a stadium for the Venetian basketball team, the Reyer.
Nowadays, it’s a very nice and big place for exhibitions and for private feats.
Leica Q2 with 28mm f/1,7 Summilux, 1/1250s Iso 400 f/5,6
Street scene in the Jewish Ghetto
The streets of Venice are full of interesting situations, as everything is carried by hand.
This carrier of fruits and vegetables, for example, works every morning in the Jewish Ghetto.
Picture taken with Leica Q2, 1/40 sec; f/7,1; ISO 400 while I was holding a Photo Tour.
We waited behind the corner and then we clicked at the right moment.
Interior on the first floor
Nowadays, the island of Poveglia is a fascinating place to visit, as long as you are very careful and you have a private boat available.
This place is mentioned for the first time in the chronicles of 421, when the populations from Padua and Este rescued in the lagoon from the barbarian invasions following the fall of the Roman Empire.
Interior on the first floor
The population grew together with Venice, and in the 9th century Poveglia was ruled by a special Podestà. The inhabitants of Poveglia were transferred to Giudecca after the attack by the Genoese fleet in 1379, and the island therefore remained uninhabited for centuries. In 1793 it was transformed into a place of confinement for plague patients, and the hospital was closed in 1814.
The old boilers on the ground floor
In 1922 the buildings were used as an hospital for the mentally ill and later as a nursing home until 1968. Then the island was completely abandoned, and many interesting photographic opportunities can be found among its ruins. Beware that those who go there do so at their own risk because many parts of the buildings are unsafe.
A room of the permanent exhibition inside the Bisazza Foundation
The primitive art in Venice was, of course, the mosaic.
We can admire wonderful examples of it in Venice itself and in the lagoon.
Should you find yourself in Torcello, for example, don’t forget to enter in the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, and have a look at the fantastic mosaics inside it, especially the “Final judgement” you will see above the main door. For sure, that mosaic inspired Giotto in painting the same theme in the Cappella degli Scrovegni.
A room of the permanent exhibition inside the Bisazza Foundation
But if you have a bit of time to spend in the countryside of Venice too, Vicenza is a very nice town, and a few kilometres away from Vicenza, the Bisazza Fondation really worth a visit.
It’s an incredible collection of artwork made by some of the most important designers and architects, using mosaic tesserae.
Here you can see some photos, but if you can see it with your own eyes, it will be really amazing!
There is also a very interesting permanent exhibition of photography.
Free entrance.
A room of the permanent exhibition inside the Bisazza Foundation
An exhibition you shouldn’t miss!
Animals from the Pierre Rosenberg collection
Are you planning to visit Venice with your children from 26 April - 1 August 2021?
This is an excellent exhibition you can’t absolutely miss! It takes place in the island of San Giorgio, in front of San Marco square, and it’s the incredible Pierre Rosenberg collection of animals made with Murano glass.
The Pierre Rosenberg Collection
Your children and yourself will be drawn into the rooms with the possibility to play in a riot of colors and shapes. The rooms are very well set up: there are the jungle, the desert, the animals of the Antarctic, and so on.
The entrance is free!
The Pierre Rosenberg Collection displayed in the island of San Giorgio
From the vaporetto stop San Zaccaria – a few steps away from San Marco square – take the number 2 and get off at the first stop: San Giorgio.
The Pierre Rosenberg Collection displayed in the island of San Giorgio
“La Pietà”, Venice. Leica SL + 50mm Summicron + Instant Film
Recently I started a new series of mosaics made with Instant Film, starting from some pictures I took in Venice and all over the world. Thank to this technique, I can capture the moment - the decisive moment, as Cartier Bresson used to say - and then re-invent a new dimension, a new way of looking at the picture.
All these mosaics are - of course - all unique pieces, as it is impossible to make one identical to the other.
The first mosaics were composed in 2014, and they are all still in perfect conditions in terms of quality and colors. The durability of Instant Film increased a lot thanks to new technologies, and now you can hang them on the wall for decades. Just be careful not to expose them in direct sunlight, as you would not do with any other fine art print.
You can find a vast choice of mosaics made with instant film following this link:
To take the original pictures I used some different Leicas: SL, M, M Monochrom, CL, Q and Q2 Monochrom
If you wish to see more or to get more information about the mosaics with Instant Film, please do not hesitate to write me!
The Poet, Venice. Leica M10 Monochrom + 28mm Elmarit Asph
On the Italian television for Rai3 Geo
A great pleasure to see my work displayed on the Italian television. Rai3 made a wide and very interesting reportage about the last Venetians and about me while taking photos of them. You can see the whole reportage (it’s in Italian) following this link:
Marc De Tollenaere on the Italian television for Rai3 Geo
The painter Piergiorgio inside his house
Serena Nono in her atelier
Serena Nono is a painter, daughter of Luigi Nono, and Nuria Schönberg.
Luigi Nono was one of the most important venetians composers on the international scene, and Nuria Schönberg is the daughter of Arnold Schönberg, the inventor of twelve-tone music.
I met Serena in her atelier, where she creates her paintings and also very interesting self-portraits. The scene was exactly as you can see in this picture and the mirror did the rest.
Picture taken with Leica SL and 28mm Elmarit Asph: 1/5 f/8 iso 1600.
On the 25th March 2021 Venice is 1600 years old!
According to the Chronicon Altinate (11th century) the first settlement in Venice on Rivus Altus dates back to 25 March 421, therefore today it’s the 1600th birthday of Venice! The inhabitants of the mainland sought refuge in the lagoons, following the various waves of barbarian invasions that followed one another from the fifth century, in particular that of the Huns (452) and the Longobards guided by Alboino (568). However Venice appeared then as a group of small settlements still very heterogeneous, while some neighboring centers such as Torcello, Ammiana, Metamauco assumed greater importance. At the same time, the major religious institutions were transferred to the lagoon, such as the Patriarch of Aquileia in Grado and the Bishop of Altino in Torcello. On the 25th March 421 the tradition says that the first stone of the church of San Giacometo – on the banks of the Grand Canal - was posed; recent studies have however shown that San Giacomo di Rialto is much later, dating back to the mid-twelfth century.
Nuria Schönberg in the Foundation Luigi Nono
Mrs. Nuria Schönberg Nono is the daughter of Arnold Schönberg, one of the most revolutionary composers of the last century, and widow of Luigi Nono, also a composer and protagonist of an intense Venetian and Italian cultural season.
In these pictures she is posing for me for my project: “Venetians inside their houses”.
Pictures taken with Leica SL and 28mm Elmarit-M 2,8 asph
Nuria Schönberg in her studio
Nuria Schönberg in her living room
Nuria Schönberg in her living room