By Maddalena Delli
I can see you frown and recoil in horror: “Why, of all places, should I ever want to be an EX in anyone's dream location for proposing and honeymooning?”
Right, you shouldn't. Or should you? Is it really such a bizarre plan? For a start, let's clear the ground from the hasty assumption that Venice amounts to gondola serenades in the quarter mile between glittering St. Mark's and the romantic Rialto Bridge.
In order to get over the worst of your EXile days, you might for instance retreat to the tranquillity of Torcello in the northern Laguna. The island was the See of the Venetian bishops for over one thousand years but – though some awe-inspiring relics of this glorious past are still standing (http://sbmp.provincia.venezia.it/mir/english/musei/torcello/home.htm) – Torcello now feels like a world apart with only a handful of full-time residents. One of them offers rustic guest accommodation in the former home/studio of his uncle, who was a well reputed artist (check http://www.lucioandrich.com for details). Safely surrounded by nature, art and good food, you are likely to soon start seeing some light beyond the screen of your tears.
When you feel ready to move back to Venice, enrol in one of the many craft classes on offer and let your hands EXpress your frustration and anger. You might check for instance on Ca' Macana (http://www.camacana.com), one of the best reputed mask workshops in town, which also provided the masks for Stanley Kubrick's movie “Eyes Wide Shut” starring Tom Cruise and... ehm... EX wife Nicole Kidman. Tucked away in a quiet lane in the neighborhood of Dorsoduro, they offer intensive courses in the typically Venetian craft of papier-mâché mask making. The classes are available throughout the year in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian, require no specific artistic training and aim “to liberate the creativity inside all of us”. Isn't that spot on what you needed?
Ideally, the next step would be to EXorcise any ghosts that may still be haunting you, by plunging head-first among the frolicking Carnival crowds (http://www.carnevale.venezia.it) that swarm Venice each year around February. Needless to say, in doing this you'll be hiding safely under the familiar cover of your very own, newly made mask and seize every opportunity to turn the “anything goes” festive mood to your private cathartic ends!
