You come to Venice, you go here. That’s all there is to it. The air smells of books and old paper. You walk inside there are cats lounging about.
Libreria Acqua Alta is owned by this dear fellow – Frizzo Luigi. An eccentric quirky cat & book lover. He’s been here for 10 years and has amassed a mountain of books, magazines, maps and hoards of other ephemera. Some of the books have been cleverly cemented together to form book walls.
Gondolas have been repurposed to hold books.
If you watched my Honey I’m Home video you already know what I bought here.
It was a crystal clear day. I sat for awhile out on the balcony of my apartment letting the sun do its lovely work.
After I left Castello, I headed towards Cannaregio. HERE is a great article on the area.
I think I mentioned yesterday that the vaporettos are no longer empty. They are jam packed with people who are here for New Years. When I return to Venice some winter I will come a week earlier and stay till the 24th or so of December. I cannot imagine how busy spring, summer, and fall are! It must be a real crush of people.
HERE is another book bindery that I think would be worth a long visit. I had read about it and wanted to visit, but this particular location was closed. Paolo Olbi is a master craftsman and the paper he uses in his journals & stationary is UNIQUE in Venice.
He has some fabulous large cards that set my heart to racing! Unfortunately this location was closed. There is another in the Rialto area, but I’ll wait till next time in Venice to indulge.
If I ever entered this book shop, I’d never leave! I’d be forced to turn myself into one of those delightful cats so I could roam and explore to my hearts content! I’d even marry the man! My favorite video so far – I lost my heart here!
Ok so how did you ever manage leaving this magical place? I don’t think I could not to mention I think I’d attempt to bring a good bit of it home, or at the very least try to all that paper goodness and the books.
Oh – and in the middle of this movie you filmed that cute wrapping paper full of cat illustrations – Were you tempted?
oh that store is overwhelming… where to look first? what if I miss something? my oh my….
OMG! What an incrdible bookstore! Definetely a must visit. Beautiful video,, mary ann.
Of all your Venice videos, I like this one the best — maybe it’s the books and paper, maybe it’s the cats. Delicious in all ways.
Screaming, jumping up and down, eyeball whiplash. Chandeliers even. Love the little entryways and the yellow footprint at one of the doors. Such a clever and fun person to own such a shop. Your videos are amazing.
Books + cats + Venice + MAM….does it get any better than that? I don’t think so. OK, maybe if it was Paris instead of Venice, no offense because Paris is my favorite place on the planet….but this is incroyable! It does make me want to return to Venice which, I swear, didn’t look nearly as nice to me in person years ago as it does now through MAM’s camera.
Books and cats! So wonderful! And the man in the three cornered hat!! Thank you!
i neglected to mention that i even knew about this place thanks to one of you!
THANKS PAT – pats art den!!!
My idea of heaven — books, cats and handsome men speaking Italian:) What a find. I would have to bring a wheelbarrow to carry my purchases. Those mannequins in the gondola are a crack up. TTFN
wow, oh, wow. love this place! so much ephemera in there. thank you for showing the cat’s bowl, I was afraid of what he was eating, until the camera angle shifted. what is up with the caulked books in the alleyway? Extra insulation? love, love, love!
Oh My – that shop is AMAZING.
Thank you SO much for the video – I can´t tell you how much I enjoy this class.
You can pop those two cats in your bag with the ginger tom. I would go nuts in that place.
thank you , i now have a new place to go to in venice .
i will sure to pack my big suitcase light and leave lots of
room for paper.
kathyd
What an amazing place. I can just imagine it smells like old books. Are there really books stacked up outside? I think I would like to sit in a corner and stare at every little detail till my eyes got sore, then I would close them and take in the smell and sounds of this place, like forever.
Beautiful bridge pic there ~ I’m in the mood for that kind of simplicity today.
xxxj
Mary Ann – What a surprise I got today when I retrieved my latest issue of Art Journaling magazine from the mail box and saw you were the featured artist! Loved reading the article and loved everything about this adventure with you! What a joy it has been to snuggle up and read your posts with several inches of snow on the ground and still snowing and blowing. The class was a Christmas present to me and the best $58 I ever spent! Hugs from land locked in central Ohio. ~Mary
Oh my stars…the books…the chandeliers…the paper. Trying to figure out how on earth I can get myself to Venice.
I’m very close to uttering something Holy – some dramatic phrase which may have been part of an ancient ritual … a string of words so profound they could be uttered only once before being locked away in the annuls of time,forbidden to ever be uttered again because of their power. Alas, I cannot think of even one word that might fit the situation – still an entire paragraph, or perhaps even a chapter sits on the tip of my tongue. Ah! Suddenly I have a knowing it is not words but emotions which are rushing to the surface. Laughing? Crying? A giddy insane combination of both? I thought perhaps shops like these would no longer be in existence. My heart skips a beat or nine to know they are still alive and well. How you ever came to a decision on what to purchase is totally beyond me, but you did and that’s the important thing. The colours, the patterns made by the stacks of books, the engravings on the covers, the tattered spines, the boxes of ephemera, the cats who have grown up there and think the world which exists is this and only this! I am dumb struck. It takes a brave heart to make decisions amongst such beauty and temptation. You did it, and the proof will be in your suitcase when you arrive back at Moss Cottage. It’s possible after all, while sitting on the plane, your mind may trick you into thinking it was all a mirage. I’ll stop babbling now and watch the video yet again. I think after spending time in an atmosphere such as this, the molecular structure of your entire being may be changed forever having absorbed such ambiance. I know you will most certainly carry it in your heart forever. xodonna
Okay, now, shut UP! This is magic. majick. I LOVE THIS.
Mary Ann, don’t tell a soul, but this video and post made me cry.
I know you can keep a secret so I’m telling you, but that’s my limit.
Of course, I’m slightly allergic to cats (whom I LOVE nonetheless), so it might have been that.
That composition book from the other post (I think) is the best thing that’s ever happened to a video. In fact, if I had the wherewithall (big word alert) to make quality videos, I would include it in every video. Just randomly. In fact, it would have to go in my daily tote and follow me everywhere. It would have tears of joy on the pages. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if I had to choose between Cathie or that composition book… J.S.
(just sayin)
I have to go outside, now.
You surely have found heaven on earth.
Wow – I’ve been out of town and just now catching up on a few days of posts. I am SO glad you went there! I have been obsessed with this place since finding out about it. It looks like everything I imagined it was! If I ever go to Venice for real, I want to stay as close to this place as possible. And go there every flippin’ day!!!
And since I am also fascinated by those business cards you are showing with the maps on them, did you get one for this shop? Is there any chance, any teeny tiny chance, that you could scan it for us when you get back? If the answer is no, no big deal. Just a thought. Love, love, love!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Glorious. Just glorious. I have so enjoyed traveling with you and meeting the Venetian kitties and book shops and such. And I’ve made myself a journal that delights me. All thanks to YOU, Mary Ann Moss, guide extraordinaire.
You must have been in heaven at Libreria Acqua Alta! All those books, papers, postcards and of course the kitty cats. I can see you owning a place like this in Venice. Oh and how could I forget to mention those magnificent chandeliers? OMG! This place was heaven on earth!
xo
jeanne
Wow, I have a friend who would go crazy if he saw this video. His bedroom looks like that and he loves cats!