The Start Of Classes (Part One)

Based on how this week's schedule is, I have officially started two of my classes. The classes in question are Intensive Elementary Italian (which meets four times per week for an 75 minutes at a time) and Italian Opera (which meets twice per week for 75 minutes at a time). Both classes meet in one of the villas on NYU's campus in Florence.

Funnily enough, I thought that when I left Colgate for study abroad that I would also be leaving our infamous hill behind. But alas, Colgate still calls to me from across an ocean (i.e. there's a hill I have to walk up and down every day). Between where you enter campus and where my classes are, there's a large valley. At least there's no snow and ice.

In my free time on campus, I got a chance to walk around a little. Italy has been suffering from a very long drought lately so the grass isn't green, but it's still beautiful and the gardens on the property are something out of a novel. Check it out:

The valley that I mentioned. 

Villa La Pietra. I don't have any classes here, but this is the main villa on NYU's property.

Villa Ulivi. Now this is where I have my classes. The views from the second floor classrooms can be slightly distracting. 

In the gardens looking up at Villa La Pietra. 

More of the enchanting gardens that I can roam freely on a daily basis. Jealous?

Gondolas (How Could I Forget This?!)

How could I forget the one thing that almost everyone might ask upon hearing that I went to Venice?

So, in case you're wondering, I did in fact go for a ride on a gondola.

For eighty euro, you get approximately forty minutes of being toured around through winding canals and for a quick jaunt down the Grand one.

I hopped into my gondola just off of the Piazza San Marco. I got there bright and early, as I had to catch my train back to Florence that afternoon. The laws in Venice dictate that the gondolas can't go out before 9:45 in the morning, so I did a bit of waiting around before sitting upon the plush black seats of my gondola.

The area where I caught my gondola from. My the time my ride had ended, all but two of the gondolas shown here were out and about. 

My gondolier's name was Robert and he is from Venice. While he did not sing, he did point out specific sights throughout the ride and had some historical background for each. One of the most interesting facts that I learned from him are that gondolas are longer on the left side than the right side to provide a certain weight distribution/balance to the craft. Perhaps this is because the gondolier stands on the left side and rows to the right. Nevertheless it's intriguing. Also, over ten types of wood go into the creation of a gondola and supposedly true gondolas are only made in Venice.

My gondolier.

I also found it interesting that most of the guidebooks say to take a gondola ride at night for the best atmosphere. They're not big on lighting buildings in Venice and I felt like it could make for a fairly creepy jaunt without great views. However, going in the morning was fantastic and the air was nice and crisp from the previous day's rain. The lighting wasn't bad either.

And while it might be the most touristy thing that I did while in Venice, it was also the thing that no one should miss.

A view from the boat.

Orientation

Orientation took place on Wednesday at the Odeon Theater in Florence's historic center. While I won't bore you with the content of the 10:30-3:00 program, it is worth mentioning because of the location.

Plush gold fabric seats with double armrests, balconies, endless decorative touches to the architecture, and a huge movie screen was the setting for orientation. And they play movies in English with Italian subtitles there! Like, new(ish) movies for less than the cost of a movie ticket at home (although not at the Hamilton Movie Theater).

This is definitely going to happen at least once before the end of the semester.

Not the best picture, but you can kind of get an idea of what I'm talking about. 

Osteria Lio Gigi (I think)

If the front of the menu had the right restaurant name on it, then my first night on the program involved dinner at Osteria Lio Gigi.

The dinner atmosphere. 

Located on a little side street near the piazza containing the Duomo, I think it might be the most authentic Italian restaurant that I've been to so far.

For one, we were the only Americans there. Secondly, it was run by one man and one woman. The man only spoke Italian and the woman dealt with our table more. However, what makes dinner here so great is that the man (who we believed to be the owner or at least the manager) is a boisterous, loud, and fun Italian. Throughout the course of our meal he sang while in the kitchen, he sang while delivering food to tables, and he filled the restaurant with life. Just to note: when I say sing, I mean quasi-operatic booming melodies.

We were also entertained by his comments and hand motions. While only a few people at the table were able to understand a choice phrase here or there, we were pretty sure that he was making fun of us. I think it was good-natured though.

As far as food goes, I had a delicious plate of spaghetti al pomodoro and our group shared the house wine.

Second best pasta I've had in Italy. Only trumped by my penne with shrimp at Pescerosso.

Now the goal is to find more places like this one.

Back to Florence and Moving In

Tuesday marked move-in day for the start of NYU Florence. After an early wake-up time, I made my way to the Villa La Pietra estate.

In case you didn't know, NYU has a campus in Florence and it's GORGEOUS. With its gardens and villas it could easily pass for a Hollywood set of Tuscany. It's that perfect.

While classes will be here, I actually live in the historic center of Florence. I moved into my apartment (a triple with two lovely roommates) around midday and started to get settled (pics to come, of course).

Seems like a pretty great way to start semester abroad.

The Campanile - Views From the Top (Part Two)

The Campanile - Views From the Top (Part One)

Up the Campanile

Clearly, I like things that have been destroyed and rebuilt, because after touring the opera house I walked to Piazza San Marco and went up in the Campanile.

The Campanile 

The Campanile di San Marco is also one of the most replicated and recognizable Venetian structures. Originally built in 1514, the Campanile is 323 feet high. In 1902 it collapsed completely and amazingly didn't kill a single person.

Today, you can go up to its belfry by elevator and see amazing views of the city...which is exactly what I did.

Weirdest thing I noticed? You can't actually see the canals that wind through Venice while you're up there.

About to go up...

Greetings from the top!

Teatro La Fenice

Being the theatrical person that I am, I thought it would be really interesting to visit Teatro La Fenice while in Venice. The construction of the opera house was completed in 1792. However, that year isn't the beginning of its history.

The outside of Teatro La Fenice

Originally, it was the San Benedetto Theatre. Unfortunately, the San Benedetto burnt down in 1774. When it was rebuilt, three major changes occurred: its name, who ran the theater, and its location.

One of the first things that they tell you on the tour is that "La Fenice" means "the Phoenix." It was given this name in reference to how a phoenix rises from the ashes (in this case, the ashes of the 1774 fire). The main lobby/ground floor of the theater is painted blue, pink, and gold to represent the various colors of the Phoenix and their meanings.

Perhaps its just bad luck, or perhaps they cursed it with the name, but Teatro La Fenice burnt down again in 1836 and 1996. After the 1996 fire, they worked 24/7 to rebuild and restore the theater to its original glory. It was completed in 2003.

The tour begins in the foyer. It's a self-guided audio tour that tells you of the theater's history, how "going to the opera" evolved as an event over time, and about the decorations. Then you move upstairs and get to sit in the royal box of the theater. Forming a circular shape, there are various levels of identical seating boxes. Decorated on the outside with gold leaf, paint, and statues. The ceiling was painted to give the illusion of being a dome (but alas, it is flat). The stage is a masterpiece with a gilded frame and the curtains are a fireproof dark green velvet.

The royal box itself is an artistic masterpiece done completely in gold and red. It also has a mirror to either side to give the illusion that it goes on forever. Over the course of the theater's history, the royal box was taken out, put back in, changed, and more as the rulers of Italy/Venice changed.

Two of the coolest aspects of the actual theater are the orchestra pit and the seating. In order to most efficiently regulate the heat and air in the building, there is a vent under each individual seat. The orchestra pit is on a moving platform so that it can sink for theatrical performances and rise in the case of an instrumental performance.

The tour finishes up by showing the original model for Teatro La Fenice (including the water entrance where nobility would arrive by gondola) and the Apollinee rooms (named after Apollo). The Apollinee rooms are adjacent to the theater and consist of meeting rooms, a cafe, and a ballroom. The walls have been upholstered and around the upper molding you can see pieces of the original theaters that survived the fires (the difference in color makes this evident). Small pieces of frescoes also remained over the years.

Part of the old water entrance to the opera house.

It looks exactly like the original model that they show you on the tour. 

Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the building (so sad, I know!), but here's the picture that they put on their main advertising cards around Venice. If you ever visit the city, I'd definitely say check it out.

The coloring here definitely mutes the in person splendor of the theater. 

(Photo Citation)

A Quick Thought

At some point someone told me that Venice was decrepit, smelly, and dead. They were so wrong. 

View from the Rialto Bridge. Down to the right under the red awnings is where I ate dinner on my first night here!

Shots from the Vaporetto (Part Two)

Shots From the Vaporetto (Part One)

The Vaporetto

I've mentioned it a fair amount, so I might as well show you what the vaporetto is. Essentially, it is the cheapest way to travel around Venice by water (unless you have your own boat). Throughout the city, especially on the Grand Canal, there are enclosed stops. They have yellow bands with the name of the stop around the top of the structure. For 7 euro, you can stay on a vaporetto for 60 minutes and take one of the many lines to any stop in the city. The boat docks at each stop and has both enclosed seating and outdoor standing. Pretty nifty, huh?

A shot of the vaporetto boat from the water. Each line has boats going in both directions. 

Wandering's the Thing...

...and wander I did for most of my first full day in Venice.

My initial wandering took me back to the Rialto bridge. This time around it was swarming with crowds: people catching the view on the outside sections and people shopping on the interior. One thing's for sure, there is never a shortage of Venetian shops selling masks, striped shirts, and Murano glass.

The Rialto Bridge

One of my favorite sights while wandering was a couple in wedding garb having their photo taken on the Rialto bridge. Based on the specific/kitschy nature of the girl's wedding dress and a certain lack of chemistry between the pairing, I have a feeling that it was a photo shoot for something or other and that the guy and girl were hired models.

The happy "couple"?

After the bridge, I wandered through the food market. It closes at 12 during the week, so I was a little late, but I got to see the few stalls that hadn't closed shop yet. Basically it consists of dozens of tables where people set up shop and sell everything from fruit to fish in a crowded area.

People at the market. 

From here I wandered down thin alleys and took far too many pictures of Italian architecture and gondoliers.

Wandering through the winding streets of Venice. Ciao!

I wandered here, there, and everywhere!

Eventually, I wandered to Piazza San Marco. During the day, the piazza is flooded with sunlight and tourists. After a quick scoop of gelato, I hopped on line to see St. Mark's Basilica (or should I say the Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco). Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside, but oh how I wish that I could have. The arched and domed ceiling predominantly gives off a golden hue and is covered in mosaic tiles. At multiple points throughout the mosaics form pictures of saints or of stories. The grandeur of the basilica is made even better by the Pala d'Oro.

You have to pay 2 euro to see this Byzantine masterpiece, but it's a brilliant gold with precious stones and tells the story of St. Mark.

The Basilica. They were doing work on the top left side of the building, so I cut it off in a lot of my pictures. 

After touring the Basilica, I walked along the Riva degli Schiavoni and took a vaporetto back to the stop nearest my hotel.

First Evening in Venice

According to the books and the general vibe, Venice is a city in which one can and should wander. I don't think I could tell you the names of many streets, but you get the hang of things by sight and there are multiple signs that point you down alleys to get to the city's main attractions.

On my first night in Venice, I headed in the general direction of the Rialto Bridge. This bridge is one of the few that traverses the Grand Canal and is probably the most famous one in Venice. On the exterior, one can find amazing views down the canal and to the streets below. On the interior of the bridge, you can find a plethora of shops. While tricky to navigate on the steps, they do offer some great Venetian masks and people watching.

Foscari Palace (the hotel I'm staying at) is on the same side of the Grand Canal as the Piazza San Marco (home to Venice's most famous sites...and most reproduced if you can't The Venetian in Las Vegas and Disney World). Dinner on my first night brought me over the Rialto Bridge, to the other side of the Grand Canal, and to a seat along the water at Ristorante Terrazza Sommariva.

The view from my seat (part one).

While I can't say many nice things about the waitstaff, I can say wonderful things about the food and the view.

The wine of choice for the night was a Cabernet Sauvignon that was bottled in Venice. Before coming to Italy, my lovely best friend and roomie had told me that I must try langoustines with pasta. While I didn't have the pasta this time around, I did try the langoustines and they were delicious. The best way I can describe my scampi alla griglia is a cross-breed of shrimp and lobster that tastes like shrimp. In any case, I was a happy camper.

The wine and my eating utensils (having never used anything like them before, I was slightly intimidated).

The langoustines (scampi alla griglia).

Though music wasn't in abundance, the soft sound of water lapping against the gondola boats and sides of the canal provided the perfect background noise to the subtle lighting and darkening night sky. It definitely wasn't difficult to make dinner a multi-hour affair.

The view (part two).

The Train to Venice

After a couple days in Florence, it was time to take a quick jaunt over to Venice for the weekend. I must say, with the exception of my train being delayed by 25 minutes, this type of travel was smooth and painless. My Trenitalia train car was very nice and mainly consisted of groups of four seats that faced each other (as two and two) with tables in the middle and even plugs between the seats. I spent most of my time hurtling along at approximately 70mph listening to music and reading. Much of the trip took place in tunnels, so I wasn't missing much of a view.

The general trajectory from Florence to Venice (courtesy of Google Maps).

How Venice is situated (courtesy of Google Maps).

However, as it approached Venice, things got more interesting: i.e. water. The water in question is the Laguna Veneta, which is the enclosed bay of the Adriatic sea. If you're curious, Venice is 160 miles from Florence.

Water view from the train

Known for its canals, there are no cars on the streets of Venice. In fact, many of the streets wouldn't come close to being able to fit a car on them. Personally, I think it adds to the charm. Getting around either takes place by walking or by water.

From the train station, I took the vaporetto (water bus) to the stop nearest my hotel. For 7 euro, you can stay on the waterbus for 60 minutes, so it's a pretty good way to cheaply view the city by water (trust me, it's well worth it). It travels along the Grand Canal, so you're right in the heart of things. If you need to go through some of the smaller interior canals, you have to take a water taxi (expensive) or a gondola.

Room at the Foscari Palace.

The bottle of complimentary prosecco (my first taste of the stuff!) it came with.

The huge fireplace.

Here I'm staying at the Foscari Palace. Gorgeous and right on the Grand Canal, it used to be a real palace. It was built in 1520. Details in the room allude to the grandeur of its past. The ceilings are intricate and there's a huge stone fireplace by the bed. And my room's windows happen to offer up sweeping views.

What a perfect introduction to Venizia.

More food!

Dinner on my second night in Florence took place in the Piazza della Repubblica at a restaurant called Pescerosso (I'm assuming it's a play on the Italian word for goldfish (pesce rosso). Once again, it was more of a touristy spot, but the touristy restaurants seem to offer the best views of the historic part of Florence and I want to soak in as much as possible.

Pescerosso from the outside...

...and in. 

I had passed the Piazza della Repubblica on the taxi ride from the airport to my hotel and remembered it for its huge arch and carousel. I don't know much about the area and its contents other than their beauty, but I'll let you know when I find out more/get a chance to do some research.

Dinner consisted of bruschetta and penne with shrimp in a kind of olive oil/basil sauce (scrumdidliumptious with a perfect portion size). Unfortunately it was only when I was a few bites from being done that I realized I hadn't taken a picture. Bottled water (somehow the request for tap water didn't go through yet again) and Chianti were the drinks of choice.

The wine. 

Throughout the course of the meal I looked out on the piazza, watching those little blue lights flying into the sky and drifting back to the cobblestone streets, while the sounds of a man playing classics such as Besame Mucho on his base drifted in the air.

After dinner, I languidly strolled back to my hotel, gelato in hand. As I walked through the Piazza della Signoria, I came upon a huge band playing jazzy music right outside of the Palazzo Vecchio. The audience clapped along at a few points and took advantage of any step they could find a seat on. Past the Piazza della Signoria, I walked through the Piazzale degli Uffizi (as in the walkway that passes by the museum), and made my way to the Ponte Vecchio.

No matter how many times I seem to end up here, it always feels a little different. Whether it's magic in the air or the difference in street performers, I don't know, but I love it all the same.