Teatro La Fenice (Photo Andreas Praefcke, Wikimedia Commons, above)
Yesterday everybody gathered for the tour in incomparable Venice! What a city it is and what a lovely group we have. So far there are 15 of us and our two English friends Vicky and Andrew Neill join us in Vienna. We are staying in the suitably named Hotel Fenice et des Artistes, literally around the corner from the famous old Fenice Opera House where we see the Barber of Seville tomorrow night and then a concert from Italy’s top orchestra of the RAI, based in Turin. The hotel is not super smart, but is perfect for a group like ours next to the theatre and where all the artists singing or performing at the Fenice stay. The staff are steeped in operatic lore and the walls are covered in theatrical art and signed posters.
Tonight we had the Welcome Dinner in a waterside restaurant near San Marco and were served various Venetian delicacies for the perfect start for the tour.
