Ask Me Anything November edition

+ A heartfelt Venetian festival and a museum in Rome to add to your list

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and if Thanksgiving is not your holiday, I hope that you have a wonderful weekend planned. Or a wonderful meal somewhere. This year we added a beautiful tradition to the usual turkey and stuffing. We went to Venice for a festival called Festa della Salute. It commemorates a promise made in 1630 by the Doge Nicolò Contarini. He asked the Virgin Mary to protect Venetians from the plague that was devasting the city and publicly declared that he would have a magnificent church built in return. Baldassare Longhena started work right away and deaths did indeed abate. The pandemic was eventually declared over in November 1631. It seemed like a good idea for us to celebrate these deeply sentimental few days dedicated to the Madonna della Salute and health in general in Venice. We crossed the votive bridge just after sunrise and lit candles and ate Castradina and counted our many blessings.

Our clocks went back on October 30 and even though I love winter in Rome I still have not adjusted to the plunge into mid-afternoon darkness that Daylight Saving Time brings, so I have filled the house with strings of fairy lights from Tiger (how many is too many, I’m asking for a friend?) and lots and lots of candles. What are your tricks for the short dark days?

Take a break from Thanksgiving leftovers and Black Friday shopping and ask me anything in the comments below. Wondering how Venice survived a storm with water and winds as high as the one that caused so much damage in 2019? Or what it’s like to visit Rome or Venice in the winter?