Around the Town: Verona

Based on the timing of our trains, we didn't quite have enough time to visit another attraction in Verona. However, we did have ample time to wander the town and grab a quick bite to eat "take away"-style. As we made our way through Verona's crowded streets, we passed many shops that one could find in New York or even at the Short Hills Mall. We also passed a makeshift bowling lane where little kids could try their luck and attempt to get a strike. Most weren't able to get the ball down the plank even, but it was quaint nonetheless.

One of the many old walls in Verona. 

Craving going bowling after this.

Eventually we found ourselves in Piazza Bra. This piazza is probably the most beautiful site to see in Verona thanks to its central tree-filled park, arched walls, and ancient arena. The Arena di Verona was built in 30 AD and, at the time, was outside the city walls. It began to be used as a theater starting in the Renaissance and this tradition has continued into today. It's a particularly incredible venue as the arena is in much better shape than Rome's colosseum. During the day, you can tour the arena. Or, for those of you more inclined for nighttime performances, we did see their "Opera on Ice" schedule advertised.

Arena di Verona

We sat on the curb staring at the beautiful arena for sometime and grabbed sandwiches and gelato at Gelateria Emanuel Café. I wouldn't say that it's top notch food, but the sidewalk café atmosphere was something to be enjoyed.

The sights of Piazza Bra.

Before we knew it, it was time to hop our train home. And we departed Verona from its beautiful train station on a modern Hogwarts Express compartment-style train.

Fairwell, Fair Verona.

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Once upon a time, in Mr. Downs' eighth grade English class at Newark Academy, we read Romeo and Juliet. Aside from the essay and project that we had to do on Shakespeare's beautiful tragedy, we had to memorize one of its many monologues.

My 13-year-old self stood up in front of the class, to the side of the podium instead of behind it, and began Juliet's oft-quoted and fanciful balcony performance. Approximately seven years later, I finally made it to the balcony itself.

Well, to be quite honest, Juliet's famous proclamation of "be but sworn my love and I'll no longer be a Capulet" probably never happened. And if it did, it's questionable as to whether or not it happened at this site. In fact, as I learned from the museum, Shakespeare's play is an adaptation of The History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooks, which is a translation of an Italian novella by Matteo Bandello. Bandello supposedly heard the story from one of the residents of Verona.

La Casa di Giulietta is the former home of the family upon which the Capulets are thought to be based. It is a museum that has been born out of the fame of Shakespeare's masterpiece and the way that it has touched the hearts of so many "star-crossed lovers" since. And I smiled from ear to ear for every second of my time there.

For approximately for euro you gain entrance into the beautiful Italian palazzo. Traveling up flight upon flight of stairs, you make your way through the house. A very "bare bones" approach has been taken as the furnishings are minimal, but there are many framed pieces of art inspired by the story, as well as different published copies of the text. The first floor offers the balcony, where you can gaze down into the courtyard at the statue of Juliet and the ivy-covered walls. The next floor offers a bedroom containing an antique bed, images from the 1968 movie that accompany the labels, and two encased costumes from the period. Also, if you haven't seen that 1968 version, you must. It's the best one.

My inner actress.

One of the period costumes.

As you continue your climb, you find a room with a specially designed computer set-up where you can write your own "letter to Juliet." In case you haven't seen the Amanda Seyfried film "Letters to Juliet," there's a phenomenon where people write letters to the fabled character. Beginning in the 1980s, a group of local volunteers founded the Club di Giulietta and attempt to respond to the thousands of letters that arrive in Verona each year. There's a kind of sweet magic to that, which I appreciate.

A blank page for one's letter to Juliet.

Next you find a dining room that would have been typical of a rich family at the time, as well as more stunning views. While my two lovely friends decided to make fun of the lack of historical grounding the museum has the entire time, I chose to embrace the moment. After all, who doesn't love to ground their literary inspiration in something real on occasion?

A few interior shots of the house.

My lovely friends making fun of the museum. 

While we didn't make it to Juliet's tomb, which is on the other side of town, but tour-able nonetheless, I just thought I'd mention it as it adds an extra component to the story.

Also, before I forget, it's great romantic luck to rub the right breast of the statue of Juliet in the courtyard of her house.

For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo. 

In Fair Verona, Where We Lay Our Scene...

In the morning we left Venice for another famous city in the Veneto region: Verona. Maybe it's because Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, but for some reason I really wanted to see Verona during my time in Italy.

Labeled as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the city itself, Verona's biggest draws are "la casa di giulietta" and its arena. According to my research, Verona has approximately 265,000 inhabitants. According to my experience, it has just as many tourists.

When we were there, the streets of Verona were almost too packed to be enjoyable. You could easily see that it was a beautiful city (especially while in its main square), but the streets were cramped and the attractions were more crowded than Disney World.

Upon getting there, it was a quick bus ride to the city center. Like many Italian cities, it seems as if Verona progressively built on top of itself. There were sections in certain areas where the old city floor had been excavated (an interesting site to say the least).

A slice of "old" Verona.

One of Verona's many little piazzas.

I might be a coffee addict...maybe.

After walking around for a bit, and grabbing a quick caffé macchiato, we were ready to go...and this girl dragged her two guy friends to the girliest attraction in town: Juliet's Balcony.

Garbage Collection in Venice

As Venice is a city with canals instead of roads, garbage collection happens by boat. I'm pretty sure that this determines the time that gondola rides can legally begin each day. 

A Blending of Cultures: Crêpe Obsession in Venice

So about those crêpes with gelato that I was mentioning...

They are one of the best desserts you will ever eat. And they come from a little hole-in-the-wall shop next to Coin and Sephora in an alley by the Rialto Bridge. Why I keep eating food that isn't indigenous to the country I'm in...I don't know. 

Modeling Shoot in Venice

I almost forgot to mention that as we passed the Doge's palace that night, we encountered a low-budget modeling shoot. Oh the wonders of being abroad. 

Lido by Night

You Only Lido Once

Over the course of our night on Lido, we became fond of cornily saying "YOLO" (a.k.a. You Only Lido Once). However, in my opinion, Lido is a place you could come back to for a more tranquil place to stay near Venice.

A "lido" is place with an outdoor area/swimming pool or a beach with an area to swim. Lido di Venezia is one of the island near the city of Venice...and it happens to have a beach. The entirety of Lido is 11km long and one side is completely beach. In 1857, Lido's first bathing facility was set up, making it a "lido" and making it a famous beach location.

Some shots from the quaint island of Lido. 

The vaporetto to Lido is a bit more expensive than the ones that you take around the Grand Canal, but the view is definitely worth it, especially at sunset. Approaching Venice from a watery distance is a magical sight.

Being college students traveling together, we attempted to make the weekend as affordable (yet safe) as possible. We ended up staying at the Hotel Reiter, which is definitely no frills, but nice and clean. It's also along Lido's main (and basically only) drag.

Our accommodations for the evening. 

After checking in, we decided to check out the beach. My friend David went swimming, while my friend Sean and I walked around. In the distance we could see a gigantic cruise ship, as well as small airplanes flying dangerously close together (we assumed that they were professionals practicing for something). There were also little huts on the beach. While we could not figure out their purpose for sure, we think that they're storage facilities for people who live in the area. One of them was painted summer camp style, which brought me back to my camp counseling days.

These platforms were actually blocked off to the public, but they still add a certain je ne sais quoi to the stretch of sand. 

We returned to Venice for the evening and ended up grabbing food on the fly. Our main activity for the night was sitting in Piazza San Marco and talking over a bottle of wine. We sat there for hours and listened to the music coming from two different restaurants' bandstands.

The music and the lighting on the grand piazza are what makes Venice my favorite Italian city (although I have yet to see Rome, so I can't say that with one hundred percent certainty)...but it's real life magic.

After buying silly Venezia hats and taking pictures, we walked around some more (another view of the Rialto, another crêpe with gelato) and then returned to Lido.

A picture from the water (I apologize for the incredible slant). 

Goofy pictures in Piazza San Marco. 

Not ready to go to sleep, we ventured over to the beach, following a music trail that steadily got louder as we neared the beach. Turns out that we happened upon an annual graduation/welcome party for a group of students that studies on Lido. We slipped into the crowd and danced to the Killers and Franz Ferdinand (is that what students studying in Italy listen to?), rocking our air guitars all the while. At one point a couple girls came up to us and asked us if we were new students. We admitted that we had just heard the music and decided to join, but they welcomed us all the same.

After about an hour of dancing on the beach, we made our way back to the Hotel Reiter and went to sleep. But I'm pretty sure that it's one of those simple nights that I will never forget.

Our happy traveling crew (David, Sean, and me).

To Venice Again

Because of the trip to Celle, I was unable to go to Switzerland with my roommates that weekend. So instead, I grouped together with two of my guy friends, who had also had class trips, and decided to make a weekend out of Venice and Verona.

Visiting Venice again was like seeing an old friend: charming, magical, and comforting. Knowing my way around from when I visited with my parents before the semester started, I acted as guide through the winding streets of the canal-ridden city.

We started the day with a quick cup of coffee and then made our way to the Rialto bridge. One of my favorite aspects of this trip was that we took the time to just be still and take in the scenery. Backpacks on (and mine with a travel lock), we leaned against the railing of the Rialto and looked out at the water of the Grand Canal. Venice truly is breathtaking.

Next we headed toward Piazza San Marco, which puts all of the piazzas in dear Firenze to shame. Once again, I entered the basilica and was taken by its golden ceiling. Then we decided to really wander.

Our wandering led us to il Museo della Musica. This free museum, located in the former Church of San Maurizio, shows a small collection of instruments (some dating back to the 1600s). Classical music fills the air as you walk around to see oboes, guitars, violins, and more. It didn't take more than fifteen minutes to see the whole thing, but I thought it was worth going in.

Finding an empty street after il Museo della Musica, we decided to sit by the water and talk. In fact, one of the things that we (David, Sean, and I) remember most fondly of our trip is the long discussions we had in the beautiful setting.

We walked a little more and then made our way to the vaporetto stop that would take us to Lido. In an effort to find cheaper accommodations for the trip, we decided to stay on the beach island. And we all ended up being so glad that we did.

A Trip To Celle

One of the things that we're studying in my Museology class is the museum space; how form fits function. For one of our day trips (there's a rather love/hate relationship between the students here and these Friday activities), we visited a "site specific" museum. Villa Celle in Pistoia has been around since the seventeenth century. Giuliano Gori moved to the property in 1970, and according to our guide, artists started working on projects for the property in 1982. At its inception, Gori would invite 10 artists to come to the property, choose a place that inspired them, and create a piece of art that would become one with the space. The only rule: they could not change anything about the natural space.

The view from Celle's entrance.

There's some farmland outside of the property that also belongs to Gori on which artists have more freedom to change the natural space.

Properly touring the property took approximately four hours. And when I say touring, I mean hiking. Uphill, downhill, and around we went. By the time we hit the farmhouse at the end of the tour, my entire class was spent.

So you can get the feel of the property/types of art, here are a few of my favorites:

Made of bronze and added to the property in 1988, Mute Servants is one of the first pieces that visitors to the property see. It was created by Roberto Barni, and if you notice, the covers are not over their mouths, but instead are over their eyes.

Robert Morris' Labyrinth appeared on the property in 1982. It's made of concrete, trani, and serpentina stone, and its stripes are meant to resemble the decoration on many of the Romanesque churches located in Tuscany. The reason why I like it is the fact that you can interact with it (a.k.a. you can walk the labyrinth). Because it follows the slope of the land, the interior is uneven and somewhat unsettling. Spoiler alert: it dead ends.

Once I saw this piece, I couldn't stop looking. In fact, it caught my eye to such a large extent that I ended up writing our Celle assignment on it (we had to write a label for one of the pieces as if we were the artist). Created by Loris Cecchini, "The Hand, the Creatures, the Singing garden" was added to the property's largest holm-oak in 2012. Cecchini is known for finding new ways to use industrial materials and here uses the steel chrome to create a "second skin" (like a moss) on the tree. The material also reflects the nature that surrounds it. 

If I ever had a living space large enough to house this piece (and its fraternal twin) by Anselm Kiefer, I would want it there in a heartbeat. This mixed media creation is part of an installation called "Cette obscure clarté qui tombe des étoiles." It is meant to represent the constellations, stars, and the heavens. And it is beautiful.

It doesn't look like much, but The Pathway of Love another piece of art that you can interact with on the property. It is another of the 1982 pieces and was created by George Trakas. The path is meant to be mimetic of love (its ups, downs, dangers, and success). The viewer can choose to walk the wood path or the iron one down steep stairs, across small ravines, and eventually to the point where the two paths meet. 

A View From La Fermata Dell'Autobus

Every day I wait here to catch the bus from campus back downtown. That being said, I thought I'd share the view.

The Diner

In Paris, I was thrilled to have found Breakfast in America. "What could be better?" I thought.  Bottomless American coffee, a decorative taste of home, and even tap water...

Well, here in Florence, I found that something better: The Diner. Started in 2004, this incredibly pink space serves the best American breakfast in Florence. They play old music (à la Elvis and Johnny Cash) all day long, serve coffee, offer to-go boxes, and give you tap water. For those of you at home, this may not seem like the biggest deal in the world, but in Florence all of the above are rarities.

  

The crowd seems to be predominantly female American college students, but I have seen quite a few Italians eating outside. I'm curious as to what happens to their business during the summer months.

Thus far, I have been to the Diner twice and it has yet to disappoint. In fact, while both times I meant to take pictures of my food, for your viewing pleasure, I was so excited that I ate it all before realizing my oversight.

While some people sit outside, I prefer the inside. The first time I was in a booth right by the door, but had an awesome view of the coffee bar area and a little boy wearing Gucci shoes. The cinnamon french toast and side of scramble eggs was incredible. And the jams and real maple syrup came in little containers that said "The Diner" on them!

Time number two brought the cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake combo. Yum. I don't think I'll order a burger anywhere else in Europe (or at least wouldn't in France or Italy).

Oh, and one more thing, they're open until midnight. Heaven.

Playing Catch Up

Midterms are upon us here at NYU Florence, so I apologize for my tardiness in posting about my adventures. But have no fear! For the next week I will be playing catch-up, and I'm determined to be successful.

With campus views like this one, midterms aren't so bad.