Verona and Venice!

Monday, we returned to Testaccio for Neighborhoods class, this time for a more intensive look at the architecture in the area. Testaccio was an ICP, or social housing district. It stands out for its very ordered pattern of housing blocks with large inner courtyards. In my opinion, it is quite a successful solution to dense social housing. The large inner courtyards filled with green community space are quiet and light-filled. The birds are always chirping, and there is ample space for community gathering. The structures themselves include remnants of vernacular buildings. This is important because vernacular speaks to Italian regional identity; it's what says: "Yes, I am social housing, but I am Roman social housing." Testaccio is a testament that dense living doesn't have to be uncomfortable or inhumane.

After class, I went to the gym, and learned how to do overhead squats! I've never done them before because my shoulders aren't very flexible, and I didn't think I would be able to do it, but the people at this gym know what they're doing, so I trust them. They are giving me a series of stretches and exercises to do that will strengthen my mid-back and shoulders so that the movement will come easier to me. I also started just doing overhead squats with the bar, not much weight. At first, it was miserable. I couldn't stretch my arms far enough behind my head to balance as I went down, but eventually, I got the hang of it. I can't wait until I'm good enough to actually do them with weight!

Tuesday, we went to the Victor Emmanuel Monument with Sean for Communications. This was one of the first buildings I ever saw as I entered Rome, the big white monstrosity in Piazza Venezia, which has often been compared to a wedding cake. It was a symbol of the reunification of Italy, which is why it is so large and extravagant. However, it's all just a show. It took inordinate amounts of money and tax-payers dollars to finish building it. The statue of Victor Emmanuel and his horse is so large that 20 men were able to dine in its belly. The tomb of the "Unknown Soldier" representing all the lives that were lost for the country is guarded the entire day. And yet, one goes inside, and there is nothing. The walls are crumbling because the materials are cheap, and there is nothing to see. Much like Italy, I am finding that it is all a show. We hear so much about the wonderful fashion, food, monuments, museums...but it is crumbling from within through lack of leadership, educational opportunities, jobs, oppression from the mafia...

Piazza Venezia

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Statue of Victor Emmanuel

Tuesday afternoon, Rome celebrated Carnival, so there was a large parade running down Via del Corso and into Piazza del Popolo, one of the biggest squares on the North end of Rome. We had class until 4 working on our projects for Arch Studio, but we ran over afterwards and were able to catch the end of the parade. There were lines of people dressed up in Medieval garb riding horses, beating drums, posing as prisoners, dancing, fighting, and more. There was confetti everywhere! So much of it that we could just scoop it up off the ground and throw it (which we did :) Once darkness fell, they set off a huge fireworks show, which was actually quite spectacular! 

Wednesday, we had guest visitors in Internship class. They were from the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, which provides help and hospitality for refugees in Rome. Five refugees from the center came with who came from Mali, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The situation is so tumultuous there that they have been forced to flee their country for their lives. Most of them have lost their entire families and lived through traumatic things that no human being should have to deal with. Fleeing to Italy for protection was their only option. The Dublin protocol makes their situation difficult, because they can only seek a permit to stay in the first country they flee to. This complicates and lengthens the process of receiving their documents that will allow them to stay in the country. Currently, Italy is the only country in the EU that will not immediately send refugees back to their own country.
Right now, the refugees are a part of a fundraiser they started called "Artisans Together," in which they make their own jewelry, peace flags, and bowls to raise money for the Refugee Center. The Refugee Center is so important to them because it allows them to get food, to relax, and to meet others in similar situations. They can't sleep there, but after passing a night on the street, they can spend most of the day learning, doing crafts, and living a comfortable life in which they are respected. I'm hoping to volunteer at this center in the coming weeks either cooking or helping with crafts.

Friday, we left for Verona and Venice! This was a group trip, so travel and lodging was already paid for, and we had a schedule to follow. We met in the early morning and arrived by 11. Then Andrew took us on a walking tour of the city. Verona really surprised me. I had never heard much of it before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was small and charming. We stopped by the Verona Ampitheater, which really does look like a mini coliseum. Then we went to the main square where we climbed the clock tower and saw Juliet's balcony. The clock tower was amazing. The balcony was pretty disappointing. Don't get me wrong, it was good to see, but to me it was just any other balcony with a statue out front that people take pictures next to. The views from the clock tower were a bit hazy, but still worth it. I always love climbing things, and we really lucked out on the weather, considering that the forecast had predicted rain for the day.

Gate in Verona

Front of a Villa in Verona

 

Main Square

Ampitheater

 

 

 

 

Main street in Verona

Map of Verona on the pavement

Market in Verona

Clock tower

Juliet's Balcony

View from Clock Tower

View from clock tower

View from Clock tower

 After lunch and the tower, we headed to Castel Vecchio, now a museum designed by architect Scarpa. He is my new favorite architect after seeing this museum. We spent about an hour and fifteen minutes there, which I thought was going to be plenty. An hour and fifteen minutes later, we were running around like headless chickens trying to get one last glimpse of the next room, one last picture off the balcony, and one last sketch. The genius of Scarpa, in my opinion, lies in his ability to beautifully merge old and new without blurring the lines between the two. His use of reveals, iron details, wood, and concrete emphasize elements that are from the middle ages while maintaining a simplistic appeal of their own. Each and every door frame, pedestal, bench, and window is meticulously designed. It's no wonder the museum took him 14 years to complete, but it truly is a masterpiece.



Castel Vecchio



Castel Vecchio

 

The river

 

Casa Vecchio



 

 

We also got to visit the Duomo of Verona, the Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta, and the Basilica of San Zeno, all quite spectacular religious structures. I think my favorite was the Basilica of San Zeno, which consisted of three levels, the bottom level dating back to the Middle Ages. I love buildings where history is simply built upon itself, leaving the past intact. Like many of the churches we saw in Rome, all the columns are spoglia or spoils from other ruins compiled into a single church. Another one of my favorite aspects of this and many other buildings in Verona was the beautiful red marble, quarried from the Verona region. 

 

 

Assunta

Assunta

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta



Assunta

Assunta

Basilica of San Zeno

Medieval church

Basilica of San Zeno

Basilica of San Zeno

Zeno

Zeno

Painting at San Zeno

Zeno

Zeno

 

Another Scarpa-esque masterpiece

We had a very relaxing evening consisting of two Aperitivo's, which were delicious and saved me some money. We got a drink plus all you can eat buffet for only 4 Euros--not bad! The first place didn't have great food, but the second one was pretty delicious.

We left pretty early the next morning for Venice, hopping an hour long train to get there. The weather was unfortunately pretty misty and wet when we arrived, and it was hard to see much, but Venice is still gorgeous in the rain. As with Verona, Andrew took the architecture students on a brief tour of the city. We took a water taxi down the river to Piazza San Marco and took a walk through the government building, including the prison and the bridge of sighs, where prisoners about to be hanged would see the light of day for the very last time. Then we saw the gorgeous Venice Duomo.

Ponte Vecchio

Guggenheim Museum

Palladio Church

Palladio Church

Government building

Duomo

Clock Tower

 

The Golden Staircase

Duomo

Duomo

Duomo

Duomo

 

We had lunch in the area, weaving in and out of the little side streets and tiny bridges that line the canals. Afterwards, Andrew took us to Olivetti, a charming little typewriter shop and the Museo Corre by...you guessed it: Scarpa! By now, we were experts with identifying his style, and although not as spectacular as the Casa Vecchio, it was still pretty darn spectacular. On our way back, we stopped at a little café where I tried grappa for the first time, a pretty traditional Italian liquor made from grape skins that is usually drunk right after a meal. Most people didn't like it, but I thought it was nice. It reminded me a lot of German Schnapps.

Glass balloons!

Olivetti

Museo Corre

Scarpa Bridge

Arsenale

Arsenale

 

In the morning, we all got to go to a glass-making studio on the island of Murano! Again, the weather wasn't the greatest, but we got to go into their workshop where the warm ovens were, which helped. We first got a demonstration from the master on how to blow, and then how to sculpt. He made a flask and a horse in a matter of minutes. I couldn't believe how quickly he moved, and how agile he was. After he made the horse, he asked for volunteers to help him make the next one. I wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to work with glass, so I offered. I didn't really do much. Basically, he gave me the tongs and then held my hand while he did everything, but basically "I" made a fish out of glass. It was really neat getting to feel how he moved and where he pulled, and how quickly the glass hardened. After the demonstration, we were allowed to make something of our own. I chose to make a bracelet with glass beads. It actually turned out really nice. They put clasps on it for us and everything. Then I bought a few gifts from the shop (I can't say what they are because certain people may be reading this who can't know yet!)

 

 

Heading back to the mainland, we had about three hours left to spare. Nicole and I spent them exploring the Basilica S. Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari, which was spectacular. Not only was the architecture a wonder, but it was filled with wonderful art from Bellini, Titian and others. It took a while to choose the one I wanted, but I eventually found a Venetian mask. There are so many great ones in that city, but I really like one that had a hand on one side of the face that looked like it was pulling the face away. If I ever go to a masquerade, I will be ready. Otherwise, it will sit on my bookshelf at home so I can stare at it and think of Venice.

We went out to a seafood restaurant for dinner that was recommended to us by Andrew. He has yet to let me down, so I figured it would be safe to trust him again. The restaurant was right along a canal, a little hole-in-the-wall place, but they were able to accommodate our large group. We had an appetizer of clams and mussels, then I ordered the jumbo prawns. They were delicious! By far the star dish of the night, however, was the cuttlefish spaghetti in ink, ordered by Nicole. Black spaghetti! She couldn't finish it. I think the color was a bit off-putting, so I got to help her finish it, but I thought it was amazing--creamy and one-of-a-kind.

We went out to a bar down the street afterwards, which was selling 1 Euro wine. The wine was surprisingly delicious, and while we were there, Kristin, Kenzie, Jenna and I ran into a group of nice Italians from an area only 30 minutes outside of Venice. Two of them were architects! They were all pretty drunk, and they didn't speak much English, but they were nice and funny, and we had a good time with them until they had to leave around 11.