A beautiful summer evening in a Venetian campo, and a little Johnny Depp- not too shabby

It's summertime in Venice, and that means time for outdoor movies in Campo San Polo.

Every summer, Campo San Polo becomes a bit busier with the construction of the outdoor theatre that will be used from the end of July  until the beginning of September. I've walked by here countless times, always wondering what an outdoor movie would be like. This year when I saw the lineup of movies, and noted that one in particular was being shown in English, I made sure to get it on my calendar.

We haven't been out to a movie since we moved here. Movies aren't particularly easy to get to, you have to go to the Lido or into Mestre for a good selection of current run films.  There is one cinema in Cannaregio, however most movies are in Italian without subtitles in English. That pretty much rules it out for us, we need the subtitles.

Tuesday evening, we ate a little earlier in order to ensure we'd be at San Polo at 8pm when the box office opened. We needn't have rushed, there were only a handful of people besides ourselves. While I was convinced this performance would be crowded, Mike disagreed. Looks like he was going to win this one.  I waited patiently in line for tickets.  The box office didn't open at 8. Typical Italian, I found myself thinking!  Due to technical difficulties, it was more like 8:20.  I eventually bought tickets. While I waited in line, Mike walked to the nearby cafe for a cup of coffee.

Mike didn't get his coffee.  It turns out the cafe in Campo San Polo has recently changed ownership. No longer can you stop just for drinks. If you aren't eating, you;re not sitting.  This is unfortunate. Over the years we've frequented this cafe numerous times, always for a coffee or a cold drink.  Mike also tried the pizza place on the other end of the campo- same thing. If you aren't eating, you aren't being served. Since we had enough time until the movie started at 9:30, we made the short walk over to Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio. Finally, coffee!

I wanted to be back at Campo San Polo at 9:00 pm when the doors to the movie opened to ensure I'd get a seat I would be ok with.  This isn't regular movie theatre seating where the rows are like an amphiteatre. Here all the seats are on the same level, and I wanted to be able to see - just in case a tall person sat down in front of me.  Just as I predicted, I ended up having to move seats twice in order to be able to see without an obstructed view.  And who sits down 2 seats away from me? The ex-Mayor of Venice!  Looks like I'm not the only person eager to see this movie.  Before long, the place was filled!

Here's a few things I noted about summer movies in Campo San Polo for the next time I go:
- Bring snacks. There is no popcorn concession here.
- Dress up. The Italian women were all in dresses, the men in dress slacks and shirts.
- Don't arrive so early.  It's fashionable to arrive only a few minutes before showtime.

You have probably guessed it by now. Yes, we were all at Campo San Polo to see The Tourist, with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.  I'm sure many in the audience, like myself, had seen the movie before. Non importa, (it's not important)- we were all there to see Venice on the big screen.  We'd all lived through several months of these super stars being in our midst the year prior, and had waited eagerly to see the results of all their hard work.

Anyone intimiately familiar with Venice will know instantly that this film contains some very creative editing. Venice in the movie isn't quite Venice in reality. One scene in particular where Elise is dropping Frank off at the airport is a good example.  As she is pulling the boat away and you watch her motor towards St. Mark's square, it appears that the airport is located at the Giudecca!!  As we all watched the movie, it was clear everyone in the audience  recognized each  and every one of those "creatively edited" scenes as well! None the less, everyone seemed be quite pleased to see their city up there on the big screen. Venice is Venice, afterall.  The last line of the movie sums it up beautifully...."Well, not just anywhere."

There's a pretty good lineup of movies going on this summer. If you are visiting Venice between now and the end of the first week in September, you might consider catching a movie in Campo San Polo. You never know, I might just be in the audience with you!


Here's a link to the schedule of movies playing this summer:
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/0%252F9%252F7%252FD.0030c20de3b6217845f6/P/BLOB%3AID%3D47958

Johnny Depp in Venice

Ok, so I am sure by now everyone has heard that Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie were in Venice for about 3 months filming "The Tourist". I'm not a huge follower of celebrities, as a general rule, and even though I am a HUGE Johnny Depp fan, I did not go out on any stalkings when he was in town. However, on one of his very last days in town, when they were doing some re-takes of scenes in St. Mark's square, I miraculously got about 20 feet from Johnny Depp. The photos were taken by my husband Mike. Wouldn't you know it, I was not able to get off one decent shot?? Seems like every time I snapped, there were bodies shoving in front of me. But, I did actually see the man, up close and personal. The only thing that could possibly have been better is if he were in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume!!

A celebrity sighting today

Venice get's it's fair share of celebrities, that's for sure, but through all of our visits here, and now 2 years of living here full time, I've seen none. That's right, none, until today.

And no,it was not Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie, who are actually IN Venice for 3 months filming The Tourist. You'd think I would have seen one of their shoots, at least.

None the less, I am happy to report that about 10 am this morning at the Rialto, I spotted Rick Steves, by himself, speaking with an Italian looking woman and making notes in a little notebook. I was sure it was Rick Steves, and confirmed that as soon as I heard his voice. I waited for a minute until they were done talking, then asked if I could interrupt for a second. I asked if he was Rick Steves, he looked a bit surprised I recognized him, then smiled, said, yes, he was, and shook my hand.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name, Rick Steves is well known in America as a travel writer. He has published numerous books on traveling through Europe, and does many TV shows and specials. My first trip through Italy was done with one of his books in hand. OK, so not an actor or actress, or royalty, but still a celebrity.