Venice—Its Mysteries and Curiosities

Welcome to my new blog, Venice—Its Mysteries and Curiosities. Here, I will share the stories I find about this unique, magical city while I write a mystery/romance series that is set in Venice.

The Floating City

My love affair with Venice began in a third-grade geography class. I was fascinated by the floating city where people use boats rather than cars to get around. My first encounter with the city was by chance; a broken heart and a cancelled trip changed the course of my life. This experience was followed by a ballet audition tour in Germany and Austria to secure a seasonal contract with a theater. But before the tour, I had a few weeks to travel. This led me to ask the question: If I could choose just one place to see, where would that be? The answer was Venice.

The Orient Express Route

I boarded the midnight train from Munich to Venice, a twelve-hour trip I would make many times in the years to come. The train stopped at seven-thirty in the morning on the Liberty Bridge connecting the island to the mainland, and as I watched the boats in the lagoon, the clock seemed to turn back centuries. Nothing could have prepared me for the moment when I walked out of the train station. With the heat and humidity the city was like a mirage. Immediately I was transported into a dream by the magic of Venice. I spent ten days there exploring the city and making new friends. After the trip, I landed a contract with a ballet company in a theater in Austria. The Vienna-Venice train offered me the chance to return to Venice—an almost regular commuter on the old Orient Express route.

Two Memoirs Later

When my contract was finished and I decided to return to my home in New York, I was reluctant to say goodbye to Venice. My next gig was traveling across the U.S. with Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus. As the circus train crossed magnificent mountains and desert, I would stare out the window and imagine Venice. I wrote about it in my first memoir, Detour on an Elephant, A Year Dancing with the Greatest Show on Earth. I returned two more times after the circus tour until 1987, when I was hired to teach ballet in a school in Venice. I married a Venetian and spent the following nineteen years living in or near the city. This was the inspiration for my second memoir, Chasing Castles, Nineteen Years Living and Teaching Ballet in Italy.

The Mummy in the Malibran Theater

Now I live in Florida, but a part of me will always remain in the floating city. After writing two memoirs I decided to write a mystery/romance series, and the background I chose is Venice. The narrative is based on a true story— the discovery of a mummy buried under the Malibran Theater, believed to be the Asian wife of Marco Polo. Research for the series has introduced me to the portal of discovery— beyond is a wealth of interesting information that I would like to share. Join me on the journey exploring the mysteries and curiosities of Venice.