Monday, July 21, 2003
OK. Time for me to play catch-up. Ye be warned: Super-long post ahead!
Let's see... well, as you all know, I'm back in the States now -- and back at my apartment in Austin. Yay, Austin, how I have missed you!
But, let's flashback a few weeks (er, um, a month) to the week after I came back from England. And pick up the blog from there.
Some of you are aware that I had sort of a bad week then, which contributed to the fact that I managed to get so behind on my Italy blogs -- but never fear, I've made sure to imprint the experience in my mind!
That week marked our third trip to Florence. Now, I loved Florence, but I would much, much rather have gone back to the Uffizi than wandered around San Lorenzo, San Marco and Capella dei Principi. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and I was not in a mood to appeciate the art and architecture as much as I could have. But, I did thoroughly enjoy sketching and observing Michelangelo's incomplete statues in the Medici Chapel -- and the cloister walls of San Marco, covered in the well-preserved frescoes of Fra Angelico were a beautiful thing to behold. Very different from Michelangelo, though -- it's amazing the differences one notes, upon viewing these things in real life. In art and art history classes we are taught the distinguishing features of art movements -- but to compare and contrast them in real life is so much more enlightening.
After lunch I headed back to the train station early (but not on my own this time!) and travelled back to Castiglion Fiorentino before the rest of the group, as I was exhausted. I wasn't able to get to sleep right away, but I did go to bed early and sleep in the next morning, which helped.
Our next excursion that week was to Orvieto -- a lovely, quiet town that sits atop a plateau in the region of Umbria. From the outskirts of the town you can look out across a wide landscape that seems to go on forever: an endless supply of green valleys and low hills, lined with olive groves and vineyards. Orvieto's main attraction is a cathedral of black-and-white marble and alabaster windows -- with a facade that is supposedly one of the best examples of Romanesque facades in all of Italy. So, naturally, after seeing the slides of this marvellous church, we arrived to find almost the entire front of it covered in scaffolding. We were able to clearly view some of the relief sculptures on the facade -- sculputures which were not only extremely well preserved, but also very evocative, recounting in figural narrative the creation of the world through the end as predicted in Revelations.
The inside of the church was beautiful as well -- the walls and columns were striped like the cathedral in Siena (though, Siena's Santa Maria della Scalla remained my favorite of the churches we visited). What made Orvieto's cathedral astounding was the chapel, which is completely covered in Luca Signorelli's paintings of the Last Judgement. The frescoes are incredibly detailed and show the Renaissance characteristic of growing interest in the human form (even if Signorelli seems to emphasize it a bit too much, and ended up with figures that seem to be flexing every muscle all at once). I could have done so many studies of that room alone -- but time and other constraints prevented me from doing so. I stayed as long as I could in the church, though, while most everyone else began to disappear.
I ate a quick lunch of pizza and then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the town with a few others, shopping and then visiting over drinks when the shops closed for siesta. Orvieto is a cheerful and charming town, and has obtained a good deal of renown for its white wine. Orvieto Classico is very good, in my opinion, and I did manage to sneak some of it back to the US -- despite my being underaged, heh heh.
Before returning to Castiglion Fiorentino for the day, we made one last stop at the Pozzo di San Patrizio -- St. Patrick's well -- which was built for the purpose of having a water supply in the event that the town was beseiged. It's not in use today, but is a very interesting structure to venture into. It's constructed of two spiral staircases that wind like a double helix -- one leading up and the other leading down to the depths of the well itself. It's cool and damp inside (of course) and gives one a feeling of descending far, far below the earth. It's a nifty experience.
My next excursion after Orvieto was Arezzo, a town very close to Castiglion. I went on Saturday with a few other people. There really wasn't much to see or do in Arezzo -- I'd gone mostly for the shopping -- although the fortress and cemetary were both interesting. Arezzo had a beautiful park as well, and I spent a good deal of time relaxing in the shade and sketching.
Also, though it was unlikely that I would find anything, I kept my eyes open for a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which, as I knew, has been released that day. However, I wasn't very worried about finding a copy right then and there -- I knew it was a long shot and that I would have better opportunities. In fact, I was pretty well set to go without The Book for a while. And that was OK with me. I was quite proud of myself for not obsessing over it.
But... when I arrived back at Santa Chiara, I heard a rumour that someone had procured a copy. At first I thought it couldn't be true -- but then I found out that Jeff Smith, the art history professor, had picked up his wife and daughter from the Rome airport -- and they indeed had bought a copy of The Book. Suddenly I was faced with the sight of a bright red-and-yellow British edition in the hands of a skinny blonde teenager -- The Book had become a tangible object, and I realised that I really, really, really wanted to read it. I made the mistake of asking how it was, too -- and got an answer of, "it's different, but very good". And after that, waiting was torture.
Fortunately I had classes to distract me -- and our four-day excursion to Venice was coming up that Tuesday. And on Monday night, Castiglion Fiorentino held an interesting event near the Etruscan archaeological site. Evidently the tiny town's claims to fame (sort of) come not only in the in the forms of Etruscan ruins, but also in the form of Luca Agnelli, who evidently is a pretty well-known DJ in Europe. So, a few yards away from the tarps and coverings of an archaeological dig, as well as the ruins of the medieval castle, a sound system and outside dance floor were set up and practically the entire town came out for a night of dancing to American pop music. A majority of the students at Santa Chiara showed up for it, too. It's a little known fact that I like to dance (though I don't do it very well), so I had a lot of fun.
The next day we took the bus to Venice. On the way there, we stopped in Padua to view the Giottos at the Capella Scrovegni. They are amazing works depecting many events from the life of Christ, as well as the last judgement and the life of Mary. Unfortunately the frescoes are also rapidly deteriorating and had been damaged in World War 2, and the amount of visitors is now carefully monitored. I wasn't even allowed to bring my bag and sketchbook -- much less my camera -- into the chapel. It was an incredibly remarkable space, though, even if we were only alotted fifteen minutes to view it.
After the chapel we broke off for lunch. I had a sandwich and, since Padua was a fairly large town, I decided to use my time to look for a copy of Harry Potter so I could read it for the remainder of the bus ride. As it turned out, I did find a location that carried The Book -- but they were entirely wiped out. All I saw was an empy white display shelf bearing the bright Harry Potter poster.
We continued on to Venice and arrived in midafternoon. Venice is absolutely amazing. By far my favorite of the larger cities we visited -- along every canal the beautiful green water meets some of the most awesome and different architecture I'd seen. I've always enjoyed Canaletto's paintings of Venice -- but now I have so much more appreciation! People are everywhere, of course, but the touristy-ness does not distract from the beauty and enchantment of the city itself. We went along the Grand Canal by water taxi, and had all of the major buildings, museums and churches pointed out to us: the Accademia, the Peggt Gugenheim Museum, the church of Santa Maria della Salute, and of course St. Maek's Square. We stayed in a hotel on the Lido, and travelled back and forth to the city by boat each day. On that first day, after we dropped off our things at the hotel, a group of us went back to the city and the Piazza San Marco, and wandered around for some time. It is easy to get lost in Venice -- the mass of canals and bridges and sidewalks quickly becomes a labyrinth -- but it's actually enjoyable to blindly find your way around the city. I popped into a few bookstores as we explored the area near the piazza -- but to no avail. I decided, then, that I was going to give up and be patient, and wait to get Harry Potter when we went to Rome the next week.
It began raining rather heavily, so my group and I went back to the hotel to clean up before dinner. We enjoyed an extravagant meal at a restaurant down the street, and by the end of the evening I could not wait to go back into the city the next day.
In the morning we toured San Marco -- an amazing church both outside and in. The Byzantine influence gives it a strikingly different appearance compared to the other churches; the inside is dominated by rich golden mosaics rather than frescoes, and the arches and domes come together in such a way to give it a very different sense of space. It's gorgeous, though. Outside, the facade is also decorated in mosaics -- and lots of winged lions, the evangelical symbol of St. Mark.
The piazza outside the church is remarkable for a number of reasons. One, it is the only large public gathering place in the city. Also, it is bordered by not only the church, but the doge's palace and buildings that have been made into museums. But on a more trivial level, it also is home to many, many pigeons. It is a testament to how easily I am entertained that I found the most amusement in feeding pigeons in Piazza San Marco. There I am, surrounded by all these amazing things -- and I'm feeding the birds along with my professor's kids. Sad, I know. :)
Next we went up to the top of the Campanille; the view of Venice from above is astounding. The orange tile roofs of the crammed little buildings create a brilliant contrast against the shimmering blue-green of the Grand Canal and the sea beyond, and from the height of the bell tower you can see so much of the city. I took lots of pictures, of course. In fact, I think I took more pictures in Venice than anywhere else. It was unfortunate that I didn't have as much time to sketch, though.
Afterwards I joined up with the art history class and tagged along as they went to the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. It was hardly the most impressive of the churches we'd seen, but it did have some really beautiful artwork, most notably Titian's Assumption. I left the church with Natalie, a fellow art major, and Xavier, an architecture student -- we'd decided to go to lunch together and then see the Accademia.
We ate a quick lunch of pizza, and then proceeded to attempt to find our way to the Accademia. None of us were exactly sure where we were in the city, and we quickly discovered the fun of travelling through the city with only the vaguest of clues on where to go. As we were wandering around the streets and canals, and observing everything around us, I happened to glance inside a shop window. A book shop window. Where I saw a very thick book with a very brightly-colored cover. I practically screamed.
"Oh my gosh, there is IS!"
Natalie and Xavier, of course, looked at me like I was nuts. I, however, scrambled into the bookstore and snatched up my lovely British copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My mission complete, we proceeded to the Accademia. As it turned out, Xavier had to depart for an architecture excursion, but we made plans to meet later and go to Murano, the glass-blower's island. Meanwhile Natalie and I had a great time wandering through the museum -- which is undoubtedly one of the most impressive collections I'd ever seen. Every room was glorious. I sketched and observed much as I could the works by Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Canalletto, Bellini, Carpacio, Vasari -- it was just beautiful. I've learned that I love sketching from paintings and sculptures -- and I will never again set foot into a museum without a sketchbook in hand. And the Accademia is such a simple, plain museum, but the art it holds is so moving and, like the Uffizi, sent a thrill up my spine every time I walked into a room.
After a couple of hours in the Accademia, Natalie and I met Xavier again in the Piazza, but by that time it was too late to go to Murano, so we headed back to the Lido, where we had dinner and walked around the island. Then we went back to the hotel and I tucked in for the night with The Book. :)
The next day was a free day for many people, but for the art students, we'd had an arranged visit to La Biennale -- the modern art scene in Venice. Now, contemporary art doesn't usually do it for me -- I'm much more fond of stuff that is at least a hundred years old. But, there are some things that I really enjoy, and my ticket was already paid for, so I was more than willing to give the Biennale a chance. Natalie shared my views about modern art, so we stuck together for the day again. The Biennale is a huge complex, consisting of buildings and buildings of artwork -- we got to see only a fraction of it. There was a good deal of video and digital art -- which I don't always care for, and I can't say any of that work stirred my heart in any sense. However, there were some paintings that I really enjoyed -- a collection of large photo-realistic portraits especially impressed me. There was also an exhibit by an Australian artist that held sculptures of children and strange human-like creatures -- but they were made in such a way that a viewer could easily mistake those child sculptures for real children but for the fact that they did not move. I was extremely impressed -- and kind of weirded out -- by that exhibit in particular. When I get my pictures scanned I'll be sure to put a picture of part of that show online. It was cool.
After the Biennale, Natalie and I decided to go to Murano and shop, since the glass objects all over Venice are not only impressive as art, but also make really neat gifts. We wandered around the island and its shops for a few hours, marvelling at all the beautiful blown glass -- it seems they make anything out of glass! I especially liked looking at the glass chandeliers and light shades. Most of the really great stuff was, of course, heinously expensive, but I found some unusual glass jewelry to bring back as gifts.
We headed back to the Lido then and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. The water was nice even if the beach was somewhat less than stellar. It was lovely, anyway. After that I had dinner and did a bit of sketching -- and then dragged myself back to the hotel, tired but happy, and wishing that I didn't have to leave the wonderful city the next day.
But we did have to leave the next morning. I finished Harry Potter on the bus (and yes, I enjoyed it immensely -- but that will have its own post), and then we arrived at Ravenna for a short detour.
Now, I liked the mosaics at San Marco, but they were nothing -- nothing -- compared to the mosaics at the churches in Ravenna. Seriously. The ones at the Tomb of Gala Placidia, and the Basilica di San Apollinare Nuovo were lovely, but the best ones were at San Vitale. They were commissioned by Justinian and are highly famous works portraying Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora. I've seen them all over my art history books -- but pictures do not do them any justice. They are so beautifully preserved and simply breathtaking. I wish I'd have had more time to do some really detailed sketches, but as usual I was rushed out of the church long before I was ready.
We went to Dante's tomb after that, where our literature class read the first canto of the Inferno. So I can now say that I have read Dante at the tomb of Dante. Hee.
Once we got back from Venice we were all so aware that we had very little time left at Santa Chiara and in Italy. We had our classes on both Friday and Saturday, and our end-of-term banquet was to be held on Saturday night. So, naturally, on Saturday morning I came down with a really nasty cold. After setting up my panel for our informal art show that was to be held before the banquet, I skipped the rest of my art class that day in favour of doping myself up with medication and taking a nap. I was feeling only slightly better when it was time for the banquet -- but I did get to wear my very cute black dress. :)
In between our courses at dinner, our literature class read some of the poetry that we had been studying. But the fun part was, we got to dress up in really gorgeous Renaissance costumes. I was given Sonnet 132 from Petrarch's Canzionere -- one of my favorite ones, in fact, and even though I was a bit under the weather it was fun to read aloud. Evidently it was apparent that I used to be involved in theatre -- I got a lot of compliments on my reading, which is always nice.
The next day I spent my time sleeping, packing, washing clothes, and trying my darndest to fight off the cold. On Monday I had my exam (got an A) and finished clearing out my room and packing everything in the most break-proof possible position. We were to depart for Rome at -- get this -- 2:45 in the morning (!!!) in order to make our early flight to Sicily. So I didn't sleep at all that night, and just stayed up chatting with people until we had to haul all our things down to the bus. We said good-bye to the resident coordinators, and walked down to Piazza Garibaldi where we loaded ourselves and our luggage on the bus, and left our little town of Castiglion Fiorentino for the last time.
I slept as much as I could on the bus and on the plane, but when we arrived in Syracuse I was dead-tired, not to mention still ill. We dropped off our luggage at the bed-and-breakfast we were staying at (which was mercifully air conditioned), and then went out to lunch. Afterwards we were supposed to go to an orientation at the Mediterranean Center fro Arts and Sciences (the study abroad center in Syracuse that was hosting us), and then go to a performance in the Greek theatre. I actually wanted to go to the Greek theatre. But I was so tired I couldn't force myself. Instead I fell asleep at four in the afternoon, and slept for fifteen hours straight.
I did feel a lot better in the morning -- my fever had finally gone, anyway -- so I was able to handle all the travelling we did that day. We took a long bus ride to Piazza Armerina and the Villa Cassale. The Villa Cassale is really interesting -- it's a Roman complex that is known for its many tiled mosaics that decorate what used to be the floors of the buildings. However, there is one great flaw: in the 1970s some architect was commissioned to build coverings for the mosaics, to better protect them from the elements. A nice idea, sure -- except that he built his coverings out of plexiglass. Thus, not only has the plexiglass turned a nasty pink color, and casts awful shadows across the mosaics themselves, but it also acts like a greenhouse in the hot Sicilian summer. It was dreadful -- and such a pity, since the mosaics were really lovely.
We moved on to Agrigento next, and visited the Valley of the Temples -- which is really amazing. The temples there are not Roman structures, but Greek, and are incredibly impressive. From the hilltops where the temples are, you can see out across the whole valley and the sea. It makes you feel like you've been transported back to the Classical period. We also visited the archaeological museum there, which was quite wonderful -- there were some lovely examples of Greek black and red figure pottery.
The next day was our free day. I spent the majority of it shopping, but in the afternoon a group of us took the bus to a beach called Fontane Bianche. There was a beach in the city itself -- but it was far, far, more rewarding to go outside of Syracuse. We spend the rest of the afternoon swimming in crystal clear turquoise waters that melded into endless sapphire depths. It was absolutely stunning -- and the water was a perfect temperature. I was a bit taken aback by how salty the Mediterranean Sea is, but it was so beautiful I hardly cared. It was a lovely way to end our free time on the island.
Thursday brought another tour, this time of the Paolo Orsi Museum and the archaeological park. The museum was really fantastic -- but unfortunately, I only got to spend a very short time in the areas I wanted to (that is, the amazing Greek antiquities collection) because we were being led around by this British archaeologist who specialized in the Bronze Age. Now, I like that sort of thing, really I do -- but once you've seen one Bronze Age pot, you've seen them all. I was disappointed that I couldn't have spent more time in the rest of the museum, but what I did get to see was magnificent. The archaeological park was hot and uncomfortable, but the Greek theatre there was impressive -- and it was rather interesting to go into the ancient caves that were formed from quarrying rock. While we were there, our whole group got together and sang a parody song to our program coordinator, Smilja. Everyone was most amused, and it seemed our silliness moved her to tears. We were quite proud of ourselves.
We flew back to Rome that afternoon and went to our nearby hotel for the night. Our time in Italy was almost over. So we decided to have a last hurrah in true Italian fashion: with lots of food! Several of us went out to a rather nice seafood restaurant down the street from our hotel. We spent two hours talking over good wine, good pasta, and the most delicious flounder I have ever had in my life. It was all superb. We also split three desserts -- all delicious.
Seven hours later I boarded the Air France flight home. And fifteen hours, seven time zones, three in-flight meals, two French movies, and one connecting flight later, I arrived in Houston and smuggled my wine and olive oil through customs.
Going to Italy -- and England, too -- was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I'd say I've come back a changed person: I have a better appreciation for culture, religion, and life in general. And I'll definitely be going back to Europe again.
But you know, I'm happy to be home, too -- for I've also gained a better appreciation for the people I love. :)
| 4:40 PM |
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