"Face masked, heart bare, she is a thief, this Venice. All limpid and luminous, she contains you in honeyed arms and dissolves longing. She steals sadness and washes you clean. A Byzantine in a Gothic dress, a golden Renaissance princess perfumed with cloves and sprung from a swamp, she is the untimid testimony to the greatest will and conceit of our kind. Once you hear her secrets - unselfconsciously told, echoing, scuttling across wet stones - you are richer, poorer, more vulnerable, and, somehow, unassailable. She provokes and invites; she is open when she is not sealed, mad with contrast and contradiction, rousing all but the most pinched of souls."
- Marlena de Blasi (from her cookbook, Regional Foods of Northern Italy)
Comments (10)
What a wonderful photo, Annie! And the image of Venice -- "she steals sadness and washes you clean -- is very evocative.
Posted by sandrac | March 4, 2010 2:42 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 14:42
Wow! For both the images and the quote. Love it!
Posted by Candi | March 4, 2010 2:54 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 14:54
Annie, you always find new ways to bring Venice to life! Such an evocative quotation, it perfectly suits your gorgeous photo.
Posted by Anne | March 4, 2010 8:30 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 20:30
Just a perfect sentiment and photo.
Posted by Barb Cabot | March 5, 2010 12:06 AM
Posted on March 5, 2010 00:06
diBlasi is an artist with words, and the photo just enhances this great thread. You constantly surprise how you can bring the magic of Venice to life! m
Posted by menehune | March 5, 2010 8:33 AM
Posted on March 5, 2010 08:33
I’ve nominated you for a Sunshine Award. It is awarded to bloggers whose positiveness and creativity inspire others in the blog world.
You can pick it up over on my blog at http://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/
I love reading your blog. It is awesome and inspiring.
Congratulations !
Posted by Barb Cabot | March 5, 2010 9:16 AM
Posted on March 5, 2010 09:16
A truly beautiful image and quote!
Posted by Maria I. | March 5, 2010 12:24 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 12:24
I really love this photo! Great quote also. It describes Venice perfectly.
Posted by girasoli | March 5, 2010 11:45 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 23:45
Belissima!
Posted by LB | March 6, 2010 1:15 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 01:15
What a lovely excerpt.
Posted by angie | March 6, 2010 11:26 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 11:26