Dream of Italy

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Dream of Italy is made possible by. -

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Monograms. All-in-one vacation packages that take care of everything. Because we believe travelers should spend their time enjoying the sights, feeling like a local, feeling completely at ease. Monograms. -

Announcer

The Perillo Tours Foundation. For 73 years, we've been bringing travelers to Italy. It's where our heart is. First-class escorted tours and custom vacations. Italy, a dream destination. PerilloTours.com, 1-800-431-1515. -

Announcer

The Main Point helps guide business owners from the road they've been traveling to the dreams they have for the next. -

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La Dolce Via Travel. We make Italy yours. LaDolceViaTravel.com. -

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WeekendinItaly.com. -

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It's all about family. ItalyAncestry.com. -

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My Italian Family. -

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Emilia Romagna. And also made possible by. (traditional Italian music) I'm Kathy McCabe. In this series, we'll meet the authentic characters, uncover the hidden treasures, and discover what makes Italy the most fascinating country in the world. Join me, as we dream of Italy. (romantic accordion music) How does one even begin to describe Venice? There is simply no other place on Earth anything like it. Venice, filled with ancient canals and opulent palaces, has always enticed and enchanted visitors. For more than 1,000 years beginning in the eighth century, the Most Serene Republic of Venice, La Serenisima, dominated as a maritime power and center of trade. Her merchants and bankers gave rise to capitalism. Her culture produced the painter Titian, and the composer Vivaldi. Her sea prowess gave birth to explorer Marco Polo. Where sellers from around the world once congregated, now there are tourists. It is as if Venice is always straddling time. And one symbol has remained constant for centuries. (cheerful instrumental music) I can't believe I'm fulfilling my life-long dream to learn how to row a gondola. And my teacher today is Franco. Franco, thank you so much for this opportunity, it's a very rare thing, right? To learn, 'cause usually it's just Venetians. But you got a pretty good balance, I can tell. Yeah, yeah, I'm ready to rock and roll! (upbeat contemporary music) -

Franco

I'm eighth generation gondolier. Eighth generation. And are most gondoliers, is it in their family? -

Franco

Yeah. Well, you can do it even if you're not from generation. Everybody can do it. -

Kathy

So show me, how does the actual rowing, with the wrists, and--? - Rowing, it's a wrist movement, but it's a whole movement, okay. You have to use not only your arms, but also your whole body. It's like making love. - Ah, I knew you were gonna say that. (chuckling) You knew that. - I knew it, I've been to Italy too many times. -

Franco

You're learning in one minute what takes two years, so congratulations. (traditional Italian music) -

Kathy

Have gondoliers been in Venice since the beginning of the Republic? -

Franco

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gondola have a 700 years of history, and an evolution. - And what were they used for? -

Franco

Well, transportation of different materials, and then secondary, we use this gondola to take the noble families around the town. -

Kathy

And how many gondolas are there now in Venice? 450 something. - Wow. I'm amazed how quiet it is. - Yeah. Because it's Sunday! - Right. -

Kathy

So that might be the best day to take a gondola ride. - Yeah. That would definitely the best day. (rustic Italian music) Interesting thing comes up here, because on the turn, we gotta scream. We gotta scream? - Yeah. Why? Because we don't want to collide with another boat. Ah, so how do we do it? Okay, I'll do it, then you do it. Oi! Oi! - Right. Then nobody had answer, then you can go. Right, see, we make a turn, we made a turn. Can you believe it, from zero? I can't believe it! - And you're moving a 33-feet boat? - I can't believe it, I might have to become a gondolier. You have to be gentle, like treating a beautiful lady, you have to be gentle, right? You're lucky to drive, because normally, we don't teach people how to drive. I know, I know! I know, thank you! Thank you. This is really a dream. There's hundreds of bridges in Venice. Do you ever hit your head? -

Franco

Time to time. Maybe, if I'm distraction or, thinking about something else. Ah, like women? - Can be, yeah. (Kathy laughs) Almost everything is like a woman for you. Exactly, exactly. I think you're thinking about women too much. -

Franco

Well, sometimes. -

Kathy

You have to think about something when you're rowing, right? - Exactly, exactly. Venice surprise me every day, every day-- It does? - After 27 years, I do this, still, what's happen, I see new things. -

Kathy

So what surprises you now? -

Franco

Well, what surprise me is that the beauty of this place, the atmosphere is so relaxing. Yes! - I'm in love with my town. (downcast piano music) -

Kathy

Water is the very foundation of Venice. I'm with Luca Zaggia, a coastal oceanographer. He studies how sea levels and currents affect the lagoon, and the buildings of Venice. Luca is taking me to the Ca' d'Oro, one of the oldest palaces in the city. Today, there are very serious concerns about rising waters, and crumbling buildings. Here, there is 1,500, more or less, years of history, of, coexisting with water. Everybody knows Venice is sinking, and also, sea level rise. The combination of these two things gives Venice a much higher frequency of floods. -

Kathy

Although it is made up of 118 islands, Venice was primarily constructed on platforms built directly into the lagoon, a defense against mainland invaders. -

Luca

The water is a new invader, because this is what we have to deal every day, the continuous rising of tidal levels will affect monuments. So Venetians have always been fighting to survive, and now it's the water that they're fighting. -

Luca

Yeah, exactly, that's the next enemy. But the water is what gives them life. It's almost poetic. (Luca chuckles) We're here because I wanna take you inside and explore the problems of Venice from within. Let's go! - Let's go. (brooding music) -

Kathy

When the Ca' d'Oro was built in the 15th century, these steps were the main entrance to the palace. -

Luca

And the main facade of the building is always facing the canal, because this is the entrance of friends for parties, this is the place where they did business. So Luca, these are the steps. -

Luca

And in the past, they were out of the water. -

Kathy

There have always been tidal surges, and even terrible floods that rose through the first floor. Salt is everywhere, you have it here, you have it over there, that's all white, that's so much salt. Capannariti can make the seawater be absorbed up to the level of the second floor. They're falling apart. - Yeah. -

Kathy

And this is because of the water. Because of the crystallization of sea salt into the bricks. This is actually all salt, you can try it, if you wanna taste it. - Taste it? It's really sea salt. Okay! So, looks like salt to me. - That's enough. Yeah! It tastes like what you'd have on your table. And it's happening faster than it normally would. Now we just try to react, and compensate. (tranquil instrumental music) -

Kathy

It's obvious as you travel the canals that Venice relies on the water for everything. -

Luca

Traditionally, the tide flushes the canals of the city twice a day. That was the most amazing way of getting rid of sewage. Venice was cleaner just by being here. And that's why it's so important to maintain the flushing of the lagoon by the tide. -

Kathy

Luca's taking me to the Arsenale, the historic shipyard, to see the giant water gates of the $7 billion MOSE project, Venice's best chance for survival. These gates will moderate the storm surges, while still allowing the tides to flush the lagoon. Venice must maintain this delicate ecological balance if it is to have any future. So those barriers are put into the water? Yes, on this side, on the right side, they have hinges which are attached to the concrete structure, which is under the seafloor, and they will be pneumatically raised, stopping the flood from invading Venice. -

Kathy

It's a massive, massive project. So Luca, what does this all mean, when you sum it all up? -

Luca

Venice always fighted against the water, and always found a solution. (energetic contemporary music) -

Kathy

On the Grand Canal, steps away from the famous Rialto Bridge, is the Rialto Market, which has been feeding Venetians since the 11th century. Chef Ricardo Volpe joins me to buy the ingredients for a favorite Venetian dish. (speaking in Italian) It's the most famous market in Venice! (speaking in Italian) And in the world! And this is where you buy (speaks in Italian), all of your fish, eels, scampi. Scampi, tuna. - Tuna, fresh tuna, clams. -

Ricardo

This is from lagoon. -

Kathy

This is right from the lagoon. And what we came here to buy! (Ricardo speaking Italian) (nervous chuckle) They look like snakes! (yelps) (speaking in Italian) -

Ricardo

Super fresh. -

Kathy

Ricardo really knows his stuff. -

Ricardo

Thank you, grazie. So let's go! Cook up a meal! (contemporary music) This is as fresh as it gets. (yells) (speaking in Italian) He's trying to escape. (speaking in Italian) So we're going to fry. - Fry. Bravo. (speaking in Italian) (energetic music) I'm not crazy about crab. Ricardo's recipe is simple. Dip the eel and crab in egg. Roll them in flour. (yelping) Good job. (speaking in Italian) Fry them for five minutes, and plate it up. I'm now a crab and eel chef. So it's white polenta. (jazzy instrumental music) Fried basil, I like it. The colors of the Italian flag, bravo. I've never had eel, but when in Venice, you do as the locals do! For you. - Grazie. (mellow accordion music) Mm! Actually, (speaking Italian), it's very good! Very good. - Very good, it's very, it's soft, it melts in your mouth. (speaking Italian) (jazzy instrumental music) Venice is surrounded by water, but the summer heat can call for something to cool you down. Here's how you make the spritz. Start with ice in a tall glass. Add two parts Aperol, the sweetest of the bitter liqueurs, add three parts Prosecco, a sparkling white wine, and just a splash of soda. A quick spin and a slice of orange. The spritz, the classic Venetian cocktail. (traditional Italian music) Giovanni, where are we going? -

Giovanni

We're going out to see Venice by the point of view of Venetians. I've never seen Venice from a kayak. No, it's, quite the people say, there is another way to see. Close to the fish! Yes, this is the real, real authentic experience. And everything happens by water. Yes! Why, because everything happen by water, even the transport of the goods. The ambulance is by boat. Fire department is by boat. And the policemen is by boat. The kayak is like bicycle. The other boats is like the cars. So it's a truly authentic experience. (romantic accordion music) What I love best is that I'm not just seeing Venice, I'm seeing Venetians, like you! And the guy in the window! -

Giovanni

There is much more panda all over the world than Venetian. - Ah, really? They're a rare species. (soothing guitar music) 177 canals crisscross the city. The Grand Canal is Main Street for everyone who calls Venice home. A lot of buildings in Venice are often inherited, a lot of people that inherit the buildings no longer live in Venice. And therefore, you see a lot of buildings slowly become abandoned and not taken care of. -

Kathy

It's easy to think that the buildings that line the Grand Canal are just hotels, palaces, and museums. But there are homes here. Venice, despite a dwindling population, attracted by ease of life on the mainland, is still a living city, with neighborhoods, schools, families, and kids. Our idea was to take care of the building, restore it, and have a family, live in it, bring it back to life, and also run the bed and breakfast, so we have a bed and breakfast here. Our dining room is on the Grand Canal, and that's really lovely. And lots of light, which is something we're really lucky, not having a palazzo right next door to us. It's nice, we've made a neighborhood inside our four walls. (cheerful instrumental music) Ciao! (speaking in Italian) His name, (speaking in Italian) Boogie, like Boogie Boogie. -

Kathy

Boogie Boogie! What kind of dog is he? Is an Italian water dog. - Perfect for Venice! Yes, perfect for Venice. I always stop wherever I am, in Italy or in the world, to meet the dogs. Oh, Boogie. And what do you do here? - I'm a photographer. Let me see! -

Man

They're all photographs of Venice with no people, no gondolas, nobody, just-- - It's peaceful Venice. -

Man

Right, right. Sometimes people come, 50% they look at Boogie, he looks nice, and that's helping me to my business. Like me, like I saw Boogie, then I see the photo. While I love meeting any dog when I travel, there's one breed I go crazy over! Oh, look at her, she's beautiful! If you know me or anything about me, it's that I love wire fox terriers, they are my heart and soul, and I've been waiting to meet one in Venice, and I just found one, her name is Lizzie. Tell me about Lizzie. She's 2 1/2 years old. - So is she Italian-born? She's Italian-born, mm-hmm. - Look at how sharp she is. And in Venice, I don't just meet one wire fox terrier, but two! He looks like my dog! I found another fox terrier. He's so cute. (traditional guitar music) Given its unique geographic position, Venice flourished as a ship-building center, and wealthy trading power. First it was salt. Then silk. And glass, mainly produced in the island of Mirano. Glass has always played a pivotal role in Venetian life. The name of my profession in Italian is impiraresse, which literally mean bead-stringer. The manufacturing of glass has started almost 1,000 year ago. Glass-making was so very expensive that only very small objects were made, and for sure, the beads were the first little objects to be produced. In order to string them, they would just literally scoop in with this very long needles that were made of steel. (traditional instrumental music) At the end of 1800, beginning of 1900, during the colonial expansion, the beads were used literally as money. They were so-called, and still now, we call them trade beads. This was a unity of measure, feel how heavy it is. Wow. - 1/2 a kilo, a pound. -

Kathy

A bundle of trade beads in the mid 1800s cost about $400 or $500. That's about $10,000 today. (serene traditional music) Venetian women would string beads at home as a second income. And the little boys and girls would have this sound (beads rattling) as a lullaby. Na-ni-na-na-na. Even my son. (chuckles) - Aw! The authentic Venetian glass beads, those that are made now, that each one by each one are manufactured by hand, and look at these, with little tiny branches of coral designed on the surface. That's done by hand. - It's done by hand. Entire ships used to go around the world full of beads, it was the most desirable item to trade all over the world. So if you're shopping for glass beads, how do you know if it's real? I always suggest not to buy Venetian glass beads from strangers. - You need to ask the locals. Exactly. Ask the locals, and a better chance you have, no better chance you have, of meeting the artisans. It's not just something beautiful to wear, but there's a long history. There is a long history, and when you wear a Venetian glass bead, you wear 1,000 year of history. (cheerful instrumental music) So you're steering this thing. I am steering this thing. - I'm helping to propel it. -

Woman

You're doing great. You don't row Venice, you don't know Venice. (chuckling) Good one. -

Woman

Bravissima! Twist big, walk. Good! Twist. - Twist big, walk. Twist! - Brilliant! Walk. - Woo-hoo! Twist, high-five, walk. So Row Venice is a organization, and we have over 20 female instructors. It's an alternative job opportunity for expert female rowers, watch your oar, watch your oar. Brava, brava. There's nothing more Venetian than the voga, this is the most Venetian thing you can do, really. Still, this is how everyone's been around in the Venetian Lagoon and the city for over 1,000 years. Women rowed. Maria Boscola, who's got a portrait in the Correr, she rowed for like 50 years, and won! (romantic accordion music) Okay, Kathy, if you do really well, then we're gonna have some food and drink after this. Really, so that's the purpose of this trip, we have a goal in mind. That's your motivation! So this, a gondola back in the day was like a limousine. Limousine, chauffeur, carriage and a driver. Here you had a gondola and some gondoliers to drive you around, two actually, in the day. (cheerful guitar music) This boat did everything else. It's called a (speaking in Italian). Oi! Oi, oh, you have a good one! (woman laughs) You have a strong oi! Well, if I don't yell, there's a boat, never fails. I think I'm getting the hang of it! You totally are. This is probably the closest to walking on water you'll ever get. (speaking in Italian) Brava. Wait till you see the cicchetti they got waiting for us here. Ta-da! Cicchetti. - Cicchetti! These are sort of like the modern-day cicchetti that you see around Venice. We have ricotta cheese, we have salmon, we have Taleggio cheese. It's a Venetian habit. You go inside, get one apiece, get a little glass of wine, chat for three minutes, and off you go. Fast food! - Venetian fast food, exactly. So, but I think, since we have a nice lunch, we deserve it, and plus, you worked so hard! We were rowing, so it's okay to sit, take a rest, and take in the city. Venetian eve. Oh, thank you for a really, truly unique Venetian experience. Thank you, Kathy. Cheers to the voga. Venice, you can visit this city again and again and never feel like you can completely know her. Like a lover who's always slightly out of reach. And she wouldn't have it any other way. (romantic accordion music) -

Announcer

Dream of Italy is made possible by. -

Announcer

Monograms, all-in-one vacation packages that take care of everything. Because we believe travelers should spend their time enjoying the sights, feeling like a local, feeling completely at ease. Monograms. -

Announcer

The Perillo Tours Foundation. For 73 years, we've been bringing travelers to Italy. It's where our heart is. First-class escorted tours and custom vacations. Italy, a dream destination. PerilloTours.com, 1-800-431-1515. -

Announcer

The Main Point helps guide business owners from the road they've been traveling to the dreams they have for the next. -

Announcer

La Dolce Via Travel. We make Italy yours. LaDolceViaTravel.com. -

Announcer

WeekendInItaly.com. -

Announcer

It's all about family. ItalyAncestry.com. -

Announcer

My Italian Family. -

Announcer

Emilia Romagna. -

Announcer

And also made possible by. For more about visiting Italy, additional videos, and a companion travel guide, please visit DreamOfItaly.com.