A few days in Venice: November 3-6

Venice in November 

Mystical and magical are two words that come to mind when describing the city of Venice. I had the pleasure of visiting Venice, Italy during my fall break from November 3-6. We first took a train from Florence to Venice early Wednesday morning. Upon arriving, I was taken aback by the aura of tranquility that hung over the city. There are no cars or loud motorcycles. We boarded our water taxi and it took about one hour to get to our hotel. The city of Venice was much slower than Rome and Florence, and had the feel of a city that had been forgotten in time. Most of the population was older; we did not see a many students or children. The Rialto Bridge, built in 1181, is the oldest of the four main bridges that crosses the Grand Canal. This is a spot where you can find many people taking pictures, shopping in the blown glass shops, and admiring the shimmer of the water against the silver motorboats.

view from the Rialto Bridge

First dinner in Venice 

Venice is undeniably one of the most beautiful and colorful cities in Italy. Known as the “Floating City,” Venice is built completely on the water. I did not understand how it was built or how it has survived for so long. The only way to travel is by foot, boats or gondolas. Visiting in November, David, Kathleen and I were lucky to be touring during the “low” season. There were not a lot of people, and it seemed as if we had the luxury of having the city to ourselves. The first day, Kathleen and I ventured off to see if we could find a bite to eat. This task was a little more difficult than we had imagined. We walked around the little side streets for an hour before we found the restaurant we were looking for. The streets are narrow and maze-like. The small winding passageways add to the mystical feel of the city. Every time we turned down a different street, we would end up at a different bridge of river. It took us a while to get a lay of the land. The first night, we chose a restaurant that was suggested on NYtimes 36 hours in Venice. This little restaurant, 'Trattori Da Remigio,' was known for its seafood. I ordered the Bronzino, which was a white mild fish. I remember eating Bronzino with my Aunt Franny and Uncle Mike in Lancaster, PA when I was little. I loved this meal. It was simple, but refreshing to eat something that was not pasta or pizza. Walking around the city at night was very calming. Kathleen noted that the city was very relaxed, and said it definitely had something to do with the tranquility and peacefulness of the water.

"Special Toast"

The second day in Venice, the three of us planned a day around touring the famous churches and palaces. Before we followed through with our plan, we stopped at this little corner restaurant for lunch. This restaurant was famous for its “special toast.” This toast consisted of a large piece of crustini cut into different triangles with a variety of peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese. It was really delicious. The first church we went to was the Basilica di Santa Maria Gioriosa dei Frari or just simply called: "Frari." Though the outside of the church was somewhat plain, the inside was extremely grand and is known for its Italian Gothic style. The famous Venetian artist, Bellini, painted the main altar in the church.  We later walked to St. Marks Square. Beautiful when lit up at night, the square is lined with shops that lead to the Saint Mark’s Basilica. Known for its amazing Byzantine architecture, the San Marco Cathedral was unlike any of the churches I have seen. Adorned with lots of gold accents and red glass chandeliers, the cathedral made me feel as if I were in a different country. Beams of light illuminated the church from tiny windows above, but for the most part, the church was relatively dark and gave off a kind of mysterious vibe. Next door, the Doge’s Palace was once used as a space for government meetings. The Palace is known for the “golden hallways,” beautiful courtyards, and famous painted ceilings. Used mainly as a museum now, the Doge’s Palace showcased different rooms explaining the different aspects of architecture. We later walked down by the water where we saw the most beautiful sunset.

Doge's Palace

St. Mark's Basilica 

Inside St. Mark's Basilica

sunset on Venice canal

St, Mark's Square at night

Kathleen in little Venetian shop

The shopping in Venice was amazing. The streets were lined with high-end couture shops like Chanel, Miu Miu and Ferragamo… just to name a few. Though we were tempted to go in, Kathleen and I found this little boutique that was so much cuter. A Venetian woman made a business out of sewing custom made fabric flowers to different gloves, hats and scarves as her signature pieces. We both bought a pair of gloves, each in different colors. Venice is known for its blown glass. Hundreds of stores showcased varieties of different figurines, bowls and necklaces that were made out of blown glass. The bright hanging glass hanging in the windows added to the colorfulness of the city.

Accademia Museum 

On Friday, we decided to tour two very different museums. The Accademia Museum showcased all Venetian artists from before the 19^th century. It was neat to see the works of Bellini and Carpaccio, two artists who I previously studied in art history courses. Later, we took a boat over to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. This famous modern art museum is the home to some of the greatest modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollack, Max Ernst and Kandinsky. Peggy Guggenheim was known for her affinity for modern art. It was so interesting to see such contrasting types of art in one day. I loved getting to see the evolution of art over time. I have to admit, I am fonder of modern art. It was amusing to get to stand so close to the modern pieces and actually see the globs of paint on the canvases. There was a special Adolph Gottlieb exhibit that I really enjoyed. I never knew how much I appreciated modern art until I walked through the Peggy Guggenheim museum. For our last dinner in Italy we decided to go to this small Italian restaurant called: 'Al Portego.' Known for their seafood dishes, the restaurant encouraged us to order the spaghetti with mussels and cherry tomatoes. This was one of the best meals I ate in Italy. When we walked up to the restaurant there were crowds of people standing outside, and I was surprised to see that the restaurant was hardly the size of a shoebox. However the casual nature of the restaurant only added to the homey Italian atmosphere.

Adolph Gottlieb Exhibit, Peggy Guggenheim Museum

Jackson Pollack, photo credit: Kathleen Crowley

Al Portego Restaurant

spaghetti with mussels and cherry tomatoes 

 At the very end of our visit in Venice, Kathleen and I went to tea at a famous hotel close to where we were staying. Kathleen's mother told us about this hotel she stayed at in the past, and the fact that they were known for the "Afternoon Tea." The tea was so elegant and calming. It was a really nice way to end our trip. The tea came with little finger sandwiches and cookies. It was fun to sit there and remember all of the memories we had made in Italy. 

Afternoon Tea

I loved Venice so much. The meals, museums and sunsets were unlike any I had ever experienced. Venice is an amazing city that I hope to get to experience again in life. 

Travels in Florence (November 1-2)

View of Florence from the top of the 'Il Duomo'

Florence was our second stop on our Italian vacation. Also known as "Firenze," Florence is rich in famous art and architecture. This beautiful city is set on the Arno River and is known for having some of the best restaurants in Italy. Though we only were in Florence for two nights, we had plenty of time to explore all the different cathedrals, markets and museums.

Kathleen and David on the Arno River

Sometimes, it is hard to appreciate a city in the rain. When we arrived in Florence, it was pourring down rain and was fairly unpleasant. We checked into our well-located hotel called the "Franz House," and promptly began sight-seeing. We walked around to get a lay of the land. We first saw the 'Il Duomo' or the 'Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore' just from the outside. I was captivated by the beautiful exterior, but I did not fully grasp the overall grandeur until we went inside the next day.  Thankfully Monday was the only day it rained. It was difficult to absorb all the architecture and culture around me when I had to shield myself from the rain. For the first few hours in Florence the only thing I could really focus on were my wet Cole Haan boots trudging through puddles. The three of us made the executive decision to tour indoor museums for the rest of the day. Our first stop was the Medici Palace. The Medici Family was a prominent banking family in Florence and built their Palace in the mid 1400's. Showcasing marble floors, courtyards filled with orange trees and Renaissance art on the ceilings, this grand home was beautiful. There were different modern art exhibits on the first floor, and original rooms and furniture on the second floor. My favorite room was the Luca Giordano gallery. The curved painted ceiling lined with mirrors and lights was absolutely breathtaking. Later, we walked over to the Accademia Gallery to view the 'David.' Famous for its scriptures of Michelangelo, the Accademia Gallery was focused around the monumental and esteemed sculpture of David. As I walked down the long hallway leading to the sculpture I was completely amazed at the size of the piece. People crowded around the statue in awe. I remember an older gentleman staring at the piece; he had a wide smile on his face as he clenched his wife's arm. I was captivated by the disproportion of the sculpted hands. Every aspect was so detailed, masculine and strong. I now believe that the 'David' not only redefined the Renaissance, but also redefined standards for sculpture in general.  

Il Duomo

Medici Palace

David

4 Leonis

After a long day of walking around in the rain, the three of us retired back to our hotel before dinner. We chose this small restaurant across the river called: "4 Leonis." The space was small and quaint. The restaurant had a very relaxed yet sophisticated feel to it. Dimly lit  with large tables, the restaurant encouraged different parties to sit together. We discovered this to be a common style of eating in Florence. We started with amazing bruschetta and a plate of prosciutto and mozzarella. The mozzarella was the best I had ever tasted. It was so light and literally melted in your mouth. When time came to order, we each selected random entrees, being that we did not quite understand the menu printed in Italian. I ordered a beef dish marinated in balsamic vinegar. The balsamic was unlike any I had ever tasted. The waiter boasted that the balsamic, which was bottled on site, was the best in Florence. I agreed.

Primavera, Botticelli 

The next morning we woke up to get in line for the Uffizi Gallery. One of the oldest and most famous museums in Western Europe, the Uffizi Gallery was worth waiting in line for an hour and half. There were a few pieces I absolutely fell in love with. I was amazed by Gentile di Fabriano's piece, Adoration of the Magi. The three of us agreed it was our favorite piece in the Gothic section. The detailed gold frame and red and gold accents brought the piece to life. The Uffizi also is the home to Piero della Francesca's painting of the 'Duke and Duchess of Urbino.' I recognized the piece from my art history course, but I had no idea about the small size and great detail. I loved being able to remember paintings I had studied in the past. The most impressive painter by far was Botticelli. I was completely enthralled with the 'Birth of Venus' and 'Primavera.' Each piece was so precise yet imaginative. The women showcased had angel-like aura's and each piece told a story that captured the viewer. Out of the two, I preferred Botticelli's 'Primavera,' which was set in a forest. The detailed oranges in the trees and the people dancing around the Venus of arch were mesmerizing. The Uffizi was also having a special Carravaggio exhibit. Even though his 1597 piece, Medusa was small, it evoked great emotion and a sense of fear. The Uffizi Gallery was definitely my favorite museum in Italy.

Uffizi Gallery

Later that day we got the chance to see the inside of the 'Il Duomo.' Though the inside of the church was not the most impressive we had seen, the dome painted by Vesari was magnificent. We walked up the 500+ stairs to get to the top of the dome. It was so neat to see the entire view of the city of Florence from above.

Inside Il Duomo

David and Valereo

We all did a little bit of shopping in the famous markets before we headed off to dinner. My Uncle Richard is one of the most travelled people I know. He knows the best restaurants in every city and he is the reason why I enjoyed my eating experiences in Florence so much. He suggested we go to this restaurant called, 'Il Latino.' We sat down at 7:30pm, and by 7:32pm we each had three plates of appetizers sitting before us. The waiters did not even hand us a menu, but merely told us what we would enjoy. It was as if we were regulars at the restaurant and the waiters knew what we wanted to order. We each had a fresh plate of prosciutto, mozzarella, and a crustini with a type of meat sauce. After ten minutes of being in the restaurant I was already full. The waiter cleared the plates as he explained that all the tables came with free wine and olive oil which were made on site. This restaurant also encouraged parties to intermingle. An older gentleman named Valereo sat beside David as we finished our appetizers. Valereo was a shorter man with greying hair who had obviously been to the restaurant many times. He introduced himself and merely gave the waiters a look, and they seemed to know exactly what he wanted to order. Valero spoke perfect English and was very talkative. He suggested that we order the rabbit, and insisted that "we could not leave without trying it." Coincidently, Valereo studied in Aix-en-Provence at the university located next door to IAU. He told us stories of his trips to Cassis and his favorite restaurants in Aix. However, he admitted that he hated French food.  He said, "the French kill their food with their overpowering sauces," as he ate his piece of plain tender beef tenderloin with a prudent smirk on his face. He made the meal very memorable and special for all of us. He left before we finished, and bought us a glass of desert wine to end our meal. Surprisingly the meal at 'Il Latino' was the least expensive out of all the meals we had eaten in Italy. I will never forget our meal with Valereo and his kind Italian ways. Uncle Richard, thank you so much for the suggestion. You helped make Florence that much more special for me.

view of Arno River

Florence is a city that is beautiful and artistic. There was not an overwhelming amount of tourists, and the people we met were so wholesome and welcoming. I would love to get the chance to visit Florence again someday.

I will be writing about our adventures in Venice next!
I leave for Barcelona tomorrow!
Ciao,
Molly

Rome, Italy Oct 29-Nov 1

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Ciao!
This past week, David, Kathleen and I ventured all over Italy for Fall Break. We visited Rome, Florence and Venice. I am writing the first of three articles about our trip to Italy. Leaving after class on Friday aftenoon (October 29th), we were excited and ready to experience Italy for 8 days. We took a two-hour train from Aix-en-Provence to the Nice airport, where we boarded a short plane Roma. 

Trevi Fountain

I was completely captivated by Rome and all it had to offer. Each monument told a story of a different time period and era. Rome in late October is beautiful. The leaves are beginning to change and the air is crisp, but it is not too cold. Saturday morning we walked around the city bouncing from monument to monument. We started at the Trevi Fountain located in the heart of Rome. Known as one of the most famous fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain holds the legend that if a visitor throws a coin into the fountain, they are ensured to return to Rome later in life. When we visited, it seemed as if there were hundreds of people flocking to see this fountain. People of all nationalities and ages sat and stared at the curved marble sculptures and clear flowing water. We each threw a coin into the fountain and made our way over to the historic Spanish Steps. "Spanish Steps" translates in Italian to: Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti, and is known for being the longest and widest staircase in Europe. It was neat to look down onto the city of Rome and see all the swarms of people walking up to the top of the stairs. Close by, we walked over to one of the most well-known sites in Rome: The Pantheon. Rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD, the Pantheon was probably the oldest building I had ever visited. Though scaffolding surrounded most of the left side of the building, the site was still mesmerizing. The large circular dome was truly remarkable. It is hard to believe that in 126 AD, the people in Rome had the means to build something so massive and complex. 

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Pantheon

I really enjoyed visiting the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. This church was smaller compared to St. Peters, and was so beautiful inside. I fell in love with the detailed frescos and smaller side chapels. This church was smaller and not overdone, yet it evoked great sophistication and historical value as seen through the impressive art work. 

Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola 

Later that day, the three of us ducked into a small side-street for a quick bite of lunch. I ordered a basic margarita pizza and it really did live up to the hype. Pizza in Italy is amazing. However, it was the gelato that we later stopped to get that was to die for. This first gelato I ordered was a cone filled with pistachio and tiramisu gelato. We tasted different gelato from the three cities we visited in Italy, but this first cone in Rome was by far the best. It was not too icy and not too creamy. I can see why they say that Italians are some of the happiest people in the world. 

mmm

One of my favorite sites in Italy was St. Peter's Basillica and the Vatican Museums. As we approached the site, there was a massive line winding around the entire church. Luckily we found an amazing tour guide who promised to let us skip the lines and have a personal tour for only 20 euros. This deal was absolutely worth it. Our tour guide was a man from Ohio who had been living in Rome for almost ten years. He was very funny and informative. He really made the experience of going through the different rooms very enjoyable. He explained all the different important paintings and sculptures in an amusing fashion.  Many jokes were made about Tom Hanks and the DiVinci Code.  Our tour guide also showed us the location of the Pope's apartment. We were the last people to get into the museum and it was basically empty. It was nice to have the area to ourselves. I loved getting to see the Sistine Chapel. There was something very mystical and special about the chapel. Even though we were not supposed to take pictures, our tour guide told us we could try to sneak a few pictures in before we left. At the end of the tour we got to walk through St. Peter's Basilica. It was the biggest church I had ever been to. I have to say, I preferred the Vatican museums and the quaintness of the Sistine Chapel to the massive Basilica. By the time our tour was over, it was dark outside and the lights were beginning to be turned on outside. St. Peter's was absolutely breathtaking at night. I loved being able to see the transition to dusk and watch all the Saints illuminated on top of the cathedral. Later that night we met up with one of our friends from the Vanderbilt program in Aix, Robert. He was visiting his cousin in Rome for the weekend and the five of us went out to dinner at this authentic Italian restaurant where we all ordered different pizzas and pastas. Rome had a really fun night life, and we met many other students who were also studying abroad. It was also really fun to see the Trevi Fountain at night. It was not as crowded as it was during the day. It felt much less touristy without so many people posing for pictures. 

St. Peter's Basilica & Vatican Museums 

Sistine Chapel 

St. Peter's at night 

The next morning still had to tackle all of Ancient Rome. We first got lunch before we went to visit the Colosseum. We chose a small spot for fettuccine with views of the Colosseum in the background. I thought it was so great to be able to walk down the street and arrive at the Colosseum. Considered to be one of the most remarkable works of Roman Architecture, the Colosseum was completed in 80 AD. Just sitting outside the monument, I could feel the history and stories exuding from the structure in front of me. We walked up Palatine HIll towards the Roman Forum. I really liked getting to walk around all the different columns and ruins. Standing on the top of the hill, I could see the Colosseum and Capitoline Hill. It was amazing to be standing in the place where so many aspects of the governmental system were created. One of my favorite sites was the Victor Emmanuel II monument. Even thought it was only finished in 1935, the Victor Emmanuel II monument showcased a beautiful chariot sculpture on the top of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Across the street we got to see Trajan's Column and the Trajan Markets. Our tour guide from the day before suggested we go see the Capuchin Crypt. It was four little rooms decorated with the bones of over 4000 bodies. It was a very chilling experience to realize that I was surrounded by bones in a small room. After walking around for two days, we all wanted to get a good dinner and go to bed. I tried gnocchi for the first time and Kathleen and David got similar pasta dishes. I was not a huge fan of gnocchi. It was a little thick and heavy for my taste, but I loved the fettuccine with meat sauce we had for lunch. I even remember Kathleen saying, "You know a meal is good when you don't want it to end." That is sort of how I felt about Rome, I didn't want our visit to end. 

Roman Forum 

Vincent Emmanuel II Monument 

I loved being able to walk around a city and not expect to see a 2000 year old monument standing before me. I hope the tradition is true, and my Trevi Fountain coin will bring me back to Rome one day. 

David, Kathleen and Robert at Trevi Fountain 

Next stop Florence! 


I'll be writing soon! 


Molly xo