RE-UNIONS IN VENICE, LONDON.....

There have been many hugely successful re-unions arranged by John Hall Venice alumni, both in Venice and London.

If you happen to be a student from 1974 and are interested in a reunion expedition to Venice at some point in the next few years please do contact James Nimmo (Student,1974) on james@arkios.co.uk giving a percentage degree of interest for the concept of a reunion expedition, and a percentage degree of preference for that to be in 2011, 2012, 2013 or 2014.

For inspiration, please read on for an account of the wonderful 60th Birthday reunion of the alumni who were on the first John Hall Venice Course in 1965.

VENICE REVISITED

I returned to Venice exactly 42 years after my first visit – to celebrate my 60th birthday in the city where I celebrated my 18th birthday. It was to be a very different kind of celebration and much had happened in my life in the intervening years. However, not everything had changed as I was celebrating with some of the same friends who had been there first time around. There is something about the ‘John Hall Venice Course’ which bonds friends for life.

We decided to arrange a number of events and excursions around the birthday party taking place on the Saturday night. This gave our friends the option of when they began and finished their trip. We did not arrange the accommodation or flights and left this up to individuals. The events and meals were all arranged with the invaluable help of John Hall without whom the whole trip would not have happened. A more informed and well connected contact would have been hard to find and it is to him I owe a debt of thanks for organising the visit to the St Marks and the Cini, the CIRCOLO SOCIETA DELL’UNIONE for the drinks reception and the choice of restaurants for the meals.

The following is our itinerary:

WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH
ARRIVE IN VENICE

THURSDAY 29TH MARCH
A DAY OF SIGHTSEEING AT YOUR LEISURE

FRIDAY 30TH MARCH
A VISIT TO A PRIVATE OPENING OF ST MARK’S*
FOLLOWED BY DINNER AT IL BACCARO

SATURDAY 31ST MARCH
A VISIT TO THE CINI

CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION*
AT 7.00 P.M.
AT CIRCOLO SOCIETA DELL’UNIONE

DINNER*
AT 8.30 P.M.
LA FURATOLA

SUNDAY 1ST APRIL
A TRIP TO TORCELLO
FOLLOWED BY LUNCH AT ROMANO ON BURANO

‘To taste in all their fullness his first impressions of Venice the traveller should arrive there by sea, at mid-day, when the sun is high………..He who comes for the first time to Venice by this route realizes a dream – his only dream perhaps ever destined to be surpassed by the reality;’ Charles Yriarte

Our first afternoon was spent at leisure finding our bearings and enjoying the sunshine waiting for various friends to announce their arrival. It transpired a number of guests had booked in the same hotel and others were dotted about the city. With everywhere in such close proximity it was never a problem meeting up and occasionally bumping into people who were exploring on their own. A truly memorable lunch took place impromptu on the Zattare after we met three friends by chance and we sat down to a delightful fish lunch in the open air taking in the wonderful view especially that of San Giorgio. Memories are made of such things.

Whilst the highlight of our trip was the fantastic party which took place on Saturday night, when asked, all our guests without exception agreed that the private viewing of St Mark’s on the Friday night was their own personal favourite event. With just our party in the confines of the church and an exuberant guide in the form of Bruna Caruso we were treated to a guided tour and account of the history of the church as the lights gradually lit each area as if somehow magically bringing it all alive; a truly unforgettable experience in everyone’s minds. By this time all our guests had arrived and the partying really began.

On Saturday night we began the evening with a reception at the CIRCOLO SOCIETA DELL’UNIONE overlooking the Grand Canal. We drank prosecco and nibbled on delicious canapés while listening to speeches. The party then moved on to the restaurant La Furatola where we arrived and were treated like royalty. We had taken over the main part of the restaurant and the staff had decorated the tables with beautiful fresh flowers and spent the evening attending to our every need. Michael Burton and I rolled out the Cici song yet again. This was the opening song of the student’s review which we had co- written back in 1965! To this we added a few songs written for the occasion including my version of Volare which had caused a bit of a stir with some Germans at Michael’s hotel when we had been practising on the landing the day before!

We had a diverse group of people not all of whom knew each other but new friendships were formed and everyone joined in the spirit of things. A few were unable to make the boat on Sunday morning after taking the party to a nightclub after the rest of us had left the restaurant! The trip on Sunday was the perfect antidote to the partying of the previous few days as we spent a leisurely few hours on the boat visiting Torcello and Burano and taking in the sights and smells of Venice from the sea followed by lunch at Romano on Burano.

All good things have to come to an end and we left reluctantly on Monday already planning our return for my next ‘big’ birthday in 10 years time.