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.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Thursday, October 11, 2012
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.
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.
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:
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.
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