Stationed in Central Europe for these months, the chance/temptation to hop skip over to Italy for a week got the better of me. After very little planning or mental preparation, me plus pals left Budapest’s Keleti train station on a Saturday evening to catch our train to Venice. Our quick flit west was actually a 13-hour overnight train ride spattered with late-night border patrol checks, interrupted naps, neck cramps, fluorescent lights. Not so glamorous.
My stinging eyes and tired body welcomed the misty sunrise as we rode a waterbus to our small Bernardi Hotel. After such a long trip, the sensation of arriving just as the sun was rising and the city was waking up was slightly surreal. We saw Venice before she was flooded with tourists, while the streets were quiet and bare and the vendors were just setting up their trinkets and t’s.
The canal outside our hotel:
We dropped our luggage at the hotel and decided to have some coffee at a café along the Grand Canal. That afternoon, after caffeine, we wandered around the labyrinth of streets, into some shops (bought some Murano glass) and more shops, and finally to Piazza San Marco. The streets are incredibly narrow, flanked by tall buildings, making it difficult to navigate. Meaning we were lost a lot.
Staring up at the mosaic façade of the Basilica, out at the Adriatic, and across San Marco at the mass of people and pigeons, we all had feelings of disbelief, finding it hard to believe we were actually in such a place. Actually, I had this sensation quite often during our time in Italy. We were able to see much of the art I have studied via slides and lectures in MI, a profoundly valuable experience for me. Looking back on the inadequate photos of magnificent churches, mosaics, paintings, I realize again the value of seeing this art in person, to comprehend the size, understand the intricacies, and sense the actual colors.
View of the Adriatic from Piazza San Marco:
St. Mark's Basilica:
One of the mosaics on the inner arches of the Basilica:
The interior gilded mosaics of the Basilica:
Monday morning began with a coffee, croissants, cheese, and jam at the hotel before heading to the Doge’s palace, where we saw walls and ceilings covered with massive oil paintings. We also walked across the square to see the ceiling of the Mariana Biblioteca in the Correr Museo.
Library ceiling:
The Grand Canal as the sun was setting (we had dinner under the red awning one night):
The next day we spent in Padua. If I had to choose a favorite something from the trip, our visit to Giotto’s Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel would be the highlight for me. Despite its humble exterior, Giotto’s magnificent, cool, vivid frescos cover the interior walls and ceiling of the small chapel. The panels document the life of Christ and the life of the Virgin with unprecedented depiction of natural space and emotional intensity. The subtle tear-streaked cheeks of the women weeping over Christ’s body under the intensity of the starry, blue ceiling was a moving sight.
Our space-age, double-decker train to Padua:
The outside of Scrovegni Chapel:
Gelato in Padua:
Massive Duomo in Padua:
We spent our final three days in Florence. This city had a very different feel from Venice. The streets of Florence were busier, full of cars and mopeds, while Venice’s winding cobblestone walkways seemed calmer despite the floods of tourists.
Florence was full of art as well--the Uffizi, Academia, many cathedrals and monasteries. It was especially interesting to me seeing the bronze doors of the baptistery, designed by Ghiberti after he won the commission against Brunelleschi, who went on to design the dome of the Duomo. I have seen slides in class so it felt slightly unreal to be able to look at them closely on the outside of the baptistry, outside in such a busy area.
Archway and small dome at Santa Croce:
Our first morning in Florence, we climbed the 465 steps to the top of the Duomo, Florence’s enormous cathedral church, where we had a wonderful view of the city. I was again struck by the enormity of the bare interior space as we saw it from above. It was also amazing to so close to the frescoed ceiling, very different than seeing it from the floor.
Ali's wide-angle of Me, Lyd, Jordan, and Sarah on the Duomo steps:
We also walked through Palazzo Vecchio with its sculptures and herds of tourists, were astonished by Michelangelo’s David, ambled through markets, and toured the Boboli gardens.
And so, the trip filled me up. Dear friends (some missing), sunshine, astonishing art, and lotza gelato made this a brilliant adventure.
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