Travel: Venice to Riva

Today is the final day of our trip to Italy. It has been 9 incredible days and loved every place I went to. It’s a bittersweet ending. I am ready to be stationary again but I loved Italy so much. We had some time in the morning to do what we wanted before catching a train. I decided to just wander around as I had completed pretty much everything I wanted to see. I made it all the way to the Bridge Rialto before running into someone I knew. She had a plan and I didn’t so I just followed her.

We walked to the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia or IUVA which was the local university in Venice. Carlo Scarpa designed a gate to the entrance. It was very intricately designed much like most of Scarpa’s things. We grabbed some lunch before heading back to the hotel to grab our baggage. We caught our train and much to everyone’s disappointment left Venice behind. It was a long train home but one that gave us time to decompress and get our affairs in order. It will be nice to relax in Riva but I definitely already miss Italy. 

Scarpa Gate

The City of Bridges

The rain finally caught up with us. After avoiding it for the better part of a week (excluding travel days) it finally opened up. It didn’t pour but it made for a gloomy day. It added a little extra sluggishness to everyone’s step. We got a plan together so after breakfast we headed out to see some steps that Carlo Scarpa designed that were supposedly watershedding. It didn’t really seem to be working but they were beautiful nonetheless.

Next was the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. It is currently a hotel but boasts an intricately designed spiral staircase. We didn’t go inside but photographed from outside. It was an eyecatcher. Just a short walk away was the Fondazione Querini Stampalia. It is a cultural institution that Carlo Scarpa designed a lot of. A lot of typical Scarpa details were present in the interior of the building that made it a pleasant experience. We spent some time sketching before heading off to lunch.

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

Fondazione Querini Stampalia

Once we finished lunch, we made our way back to San Marco to take a tour of Doge’s Palace. It was the main government building of the former Republic of Venice. Almost all the rooms were ornately designed which seemed appropriate for a palace but superfluous for a government building. Towards the end of the tour was the Bridge of Sighs that connected the Palace to the prisons. It is called so because the prisoners would sigh as they walked across the enclosed bridge and look out a small window which would be their last view of the outside. It provided a stark contrast between the ornate palace and the empty prisons. It was a pretty cool tour that also got us out of the rain and cold.

Interior of the Bridge of Sighs

We headed out to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum on the Grand Canal. It is her old house that had been turned into an art gallery. It was a neat space but we so tired that we finished it pretty quickly. We jumped on a water taxi to Bridge Rialto to try find dinner. We ended up at the place I went the other night. I was with a different group this time but the waiter still remembered me from two nights ago. He was really nice and even brought us glasses of Prosecco. I had a three course meal again which was still good.

The three of us were exhausted so we took another water taxi back to the hotel and called it a night. We will have so time in the morning before we leave but this was our last full day in Venezia.

Venezia: The Bride of the Sea

Hans told us that Venice is basically ours to do what we want to in. So with that we all made our own plans as to what to do. After a lackluster breakfast at the hotel we were off. The first stop on our must see list was the Island of Murano which is world renowned for its glass. We took a water taxi over and followed a lot of people to see a glass making demonstration. It was a really cool experience to watch them shape the glass from a molten state. They were really impressive. From there we visited the Museo di Vetro which is the museum of glass. The glass collection on display was very intricate and colorful and all around beautiful. Next we did some sketching and stuck our heads in the Basilica di Santi Maria e Donato. Finally we bought some gifts and headed back to the main island.

Glass factory and demonstration

We were in some desperate need of food at this point so once we got off at San Marco we found a Rossopomodoro and had pizza for lunch. This restaurant never disappoints. We decided to check out St. Mark’s Basilica following lunch. It has an intricate exterior and the interior is also very busy. On the outside, one corner is leaning outwards and not straight up. While on the inside the floor looks like it is sinking downs towards the water. It looks unstable in some spots. It was a beautiful church although weird in places. We did some shopping before meeting up with a couple other people and experiencing the favorite pastime of Venezia.

St. Mark's Basilica

So we got 5 people to fit on a gondola and went for a spin around the canals of Venice for half an hour. It was such a surreal experience. You see it all the time in movies and television shows based in Venice but you never actually think you’d get the chance to do it yourself. Our gondolier didn’t sing or even give us a history lesson which was a bit disappointing but my excitement for a gondola ride was not.

Gondola ride

Once that was over it was time to start heading to the restaurant we would have our group dinner in. We did some shopping on the way as well and I got a nice leather wallet. Dinner itself was pleasant but I didn’t enjoy it much. I went back to the hotel once we finished and called it a night. It was a busy day and we only have one left.

Piazza San Marco

Travel: Firenze to Venezia

This travel day was pretty messy. We left out of Florence pretty early in the morning to catch a bus to Venezia. We had one stop planned before arriving in the City of Bridges. We stopped in Bologna around mid-morning. It was raining out that put everyone in a less than pleased mood. We stopped at the Shoah Memorial which was a memorial to the Jews of World War II. It was an interesting concept but I didn’t really fully understand it. From there, Hans led us on a walking tour of Bologna to show us the different building phases of the city. It was nice to see but I was wet, cold, tired, and hungry. We grabbed lunch before getting back on the bus and finishing our trek to Venice.

Shoah Memorial

We got into the city about midafternoon with some time to see things before sunset. We jumped on a water taxi to Piazza San Marco and did our own walking tour back to the hotel which was on the complete opposite side of the island. It was nice to finally go at our own pace and see what we wanted to and not be rushed. We made our way to the Bridge Rialto which is the most famous bridge in Venice and only one of four that cross the Grand Canal. We got a three course dinner at a restaurant nearby that was really good. We finished our walk back to the hotel and called it a night. There is going to be a lot to see in Venice.

All aboard the water taxi

Fantastic Firenze

Today was our first full and only day in the Tuscan capital of Firenze. While our hotel isn’t very good, it is pretty centrally located which makes it pretty easy to get around. Hans was taking us to a music arena so he led us on a walking tour through part of Florence. Our first stop was Basilica di Santa Maria Novella. It is a very old church with a slightly less old façade. Famous architect, Leon Battista Alberti, designed the façade based on a proportioning system that he wrote about in architecture treatise. Personally, I didn’t like it but it was an attention getter.

Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

After sketching a bit at the church, we finally made our way to the Opera di Firenze. It is a fairly new opera house that is supposed to be focal point for Florence’s arts and music scene. We couldn’t go inside because our original docent called out sick. We had to be content with exploring the grounds. It is a very interesting exterior that circulates people really well. There is even an outdoor amphitheater on top of one of the lower buildings. The placement doesn’t make the most sense but it is a nice feature. It is also high enough that it overlooks the central part of Florence. It was a beautiful view.

Opera di Firenze

Hans let us go so our next mission was to find lunch. We walked down the Arno River on what was a pretty hot day. We stopped for lunch at All’Antico Vinaio which had been recommended to me by multiple people. It was a cheap but delicious sandwich shop. We got there just in time beating a crowd of people. We walked a short distance back to the river to Ponte Vecchio which is a covered bridge full of shops. It is a famous destination in Florence. We stopped by the Loggia di Lanzi, which was basically a porch full of statues, before making our way to the Duomo.

Ponte Vecchio

The Florence Cathedral or Duomo is the 11^th largest church in the world. What makes it really stand out though is the dome designed by famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi. It is the largest brick dome in the world. It is really a sight to behold. The interior was really lacking compared to a lot of other churches I have seen on this trip and was sort of a disappointment. I wanted to go up to the dome but it was a little pricey so I decided to pass on it. I had other things I wanted to see.

Brunelleschi's Dome

Interior of Florence Cathedral

From the Duomo, we made our way to the Galleria dell’Academia where Michaelangelo’s Statue of David is housed. It was such a sight to see. It was beautiful and such a rich part of history. It was a little surreal to see such an important piece of art in person. We didn’t care about the rest of the museum so we left and attempt to see something that has been on my must see list for over a year and a half.

Michaelangelo's David

I was dying to see Antinori Winery by Archea Associati. A winery in Tuscany sounds like a fantastic idea especially one that has been around for almost 700 years. Antinori wine has been around since 1385! And this specific winery was a finalist for the Mies van der Rohe Award for European architecture a year ago. Trying to find the bus station and buy tickets and find where we needed to go was such a struggle. It was infuriating how much of struggle we had with it. But we finally got what and where we needed and got to the winery at closing. We talked a guy at the gate into letting us in and ended up getting a tasting of some great wines. I ended up buying a couple that I plan on taking home with me. It was exhausting but I’m glad we did it.

Antinori Winery

We still had a group dinner to go to which turned out to be pretty good. I had some of the best pasta in Italy up to that point. We had good food and good conversation before calling it a night. Tomorrow we leave for Venice. I am very excited!

Travel: From Roma to Firenze

Today was our travel day from Roma to Firenze. We had a couple things to see before heading out of the city though. Our first stop was the MAXXI which was a museum for Modern Art of the 21^st Century by architect Zaha Hadid. It was an interesting building but one I could’ve done without as I rather have been on the way to Florence.

Interior of the MAXXI

We finally left Rome and we took a scenic route because Hans had something he wanted to see. We stopped in a small town called Collevalenza to see a church called Santuario dell'Amore Misericordioso. It was sited on a hill overlooking the rest of the Umbria region of Italy. It was very beautiful building. The main church brought people in from the dark to the light and the windows were arranged in such a way that when light shown in it was in the form of a cross. It was worthwhile to see.

Santuario dell'Amore Misericordioso

Interior of Santuario dell'Amore Misericordioso

Our next stop was in Perugia. It is a city built on top of a hill. We took a series of escalators that went through a vaulted underground complex before bringing us out into the town square. It was a very strange experience. We grabbed a late lunch and were on our way again.

Perugia city square

We reached Florence pretty late in the evening (at least by our travel standards) at around 7:30pm. Our bus driver wouldn’t drop us off at the hotel so we had to walk about a mile to get there. Our hotel is pretty centrally located as I can see the main cathedral from my window but otherwise the hotel is pretty bad. A group of us left the hotel to get dinner. It was fantastic. I got spaghetti carbonara and a glass of Chianti that was great. We walked around the Florence Cathedral which is usually just called the Duomo. We were all pretty tired so we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Florence Cathedral

The Eternal City

Today marks day 3 of our trip to the Eternal City. Hans chartered us a bus for the day because the places we are seeing are spread out on the outskirts of the city proper. The first stop of the day was the Jubilee Church by Richard Meier. It was very much a Meier building using mainly cast-in-place concrete and travertine stone. The defining feature of the church is the curved walls on one side. It was a beautiful building with a nice space in the interior for mass.

Jubilee Church

The next stop was the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. Mussolini had this built in 1940 as a symbol of fascist architecture. It is supposed to be a celebration of the Colosseum. The building is very regular and simple but elegant in the way it is constructed. The arches are very nicely constructed. The building was closed for five years in the last decade while it underwent renovation but has since reopened as the headquarters of the high end fashion company Fendi.

Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana

Following that was the Palazzetto dello Sport which was a basketball arena for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. The exterior was in such disarray. The roof was dirty and pealing. The concrete was cracking and weeds were growing everywhere. The inside was quite nice though. The ceiling was completely made of diamond shaped coffers which gave it a unique look. The circulation halls were in bad shape though. It is quite indicative of Olympic venues once the Olympics are gone.

Palazzetto dello Sport

Next we went across the street to the Auditorium at Parco della Musica. Despite being in the neighborhood of the Olympic Village this was a recently built building dating back to 2002. It was designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano. It was a beautifully constructed concert hall that offered three auditoriums at different sizes. We got a guided tour throughout by a very knowledgeable docent/practicing architect.

Auditorium at Parco della Musica

Once we were done with the Auditorium it was time for us to all break off. The bus dropped some of us off at the Roman Forum and we were able to find the entrance this time and set off into it. It is such a huge complex. There were so many ruins and changing elevations. It was a lot to see and we didn’t get to see even half of it before they closed. We decided to take a break and sit and sketch the Colosseum since we right across the street. And by the time we left we got more night photos that turned out pretty good.

Ruins at the Roman Forum

We got back to the hotel and it was time to meet up with the group for dinner. We ate across the street and had a typical Italian dinner. We had pasta first course, a meat second course, and a dessert. And of course we had wine. It was all very good and a great way to end our time in Rome.

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...But we tried to see it all

We started the next day pretty early. Hans said we were going on a walking tour together. Our first stop of the day was at the Pantheon. The outside of it was pretty unassuming and a little decrepit in spots. The front was better but everything was pretty well worn. The inside was beautiful though. The coffered dome ceiling was stunning and better than I imagined it to be. I got an amazing panorama of everything that impressed everyone. There wasn’t much to do here so we went to the next stop.

Pantheon

Interior of the Pantheon

We went to the Piazza Navona which was a nice example of city/space planning and axial alignments. Just around the corner from the piazza was a church called Santa Maria della Pace. It was a small church that maximized the space around by butting up against the neighboring buildings. It was a unique architectural challenge. The church itself was just okay though. The funny part was seeing 40 people with skiing sticks (except made to walk on land) and snow gear all walk into this church. It was a funny sight.

Sant'Agnese in Agone

Next, we crossed the Tiber River to the Castel Sant’Angelo. It is a famous landmark that is built on the banks of the Tiber River. It was cool looking but we didn’t go inside because we didn’t want to waste time with a guided tour. Our next stop was much more interesting anyway. Hans got our group together and told us what we were doing but said we weren’t doing it altogether because we would get split up anyway. We were grateful for that and broke up into our subgroups and walked down the street the Vatican City.

Castel Sant'Angelo

There were so many people. Thousands. Tens of Thousands. Maybe even more. After going through security and finding a spot it was time to listen to Pope Francis give his weekly address. Looking out from his bedroom window he addressed the masses at St. Peter’s Square about his trip to Mexico and his request for the death penalty to be suspended for the year. He ended with a prayer. I found out what he was saying later on from a CNN article because I couldn’t understand Italian. It was such an awesome experience to listen to the Pope speak at the Vatican. Cross that on off my bucket list!

St. Peter's Basilica and Square

Pope Francis

We did our best to beat the masses into the Basilica di San Pietro (better known as St. Peter’s Church). It is the largest church in the world and it felt like it. It was so beautiful and so ornate. A friend in our group decided to attend mass (which I’m sure is a bucket list item of hers) so the rest of looked around and waited. Once we met back up we wanted to go to the dome. So up the steps we went all 551 of them. It was a challenge in itself but the reward was worth it, a thousand times over. You could see all of Rome from the top. It was a breathtaking experience.

Interior of St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Square from the Dome

After making our way down and a short break in between, we stopped at a gift shop for postcards. Following that we mailed them straight from the Vatican City post office. It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. Seeing as none of us had eaten at that point, it was time for food. We had an idea of where we wanted to go so we grabbed a bite to eat on the way. I had pizza again which was just as good if not better than last night. Once we were done, we continued on our way to Santa Maria in Travestere. It was a medium sized church in a nice neighborhood. Nothing outlandish, just charming. From there, we walked across the river and passed through Tiber Island which wasn’t that special. Since it was dark at the point we went back to the Colosseum to photograph.

Santa Maria in Travestere

Once we got to the Colosseum the cloud cover had cleared out which left a pretty much full moon behind. We got some absolutely beautiful shots. While we were there we saw a guy renting out two-seater four-wheel bicycles cars. I don’t really have a better term than that for it. He was closing soon so we talked him down from €20 to €7. So the three of us fit on this 2 person bike and rode around the Colosseum for half an hour. It was the funniest thing. People were enviously staring at us. We had a lot of fun and we even raced a jogger though he beat us in the end.

Colosseum

We got back to the hotel to regroup and we went back out to a bar called Cioccolata e Vino which offered shots in chocolate shot “glasses.” They were very good but a little pricey for the size they were. After spending maybe 20 minutes there we decided to go to a bar and relax. I sat back and unwound with a White Russian. After sipping our drinks for a while, we headed back out to the Trevi Fountain. It is almost midnight at this point. Once we got to the fountain, there were only about 50 people there which was a lot better than yesterday. The fountain photographed very well due to it being lit up. Once we took all the pictures we could it was time to head back to the hotel and call it a night. This might have been my favorite day so far on my abroad trip. It was jammed pack and full of fun things. Hopefully it stays this way!

Trevi Fountain

When in Rome

It is finally time for Italy! We caught a 7:47 am train from Riva San Vitale to Roma and it was pretty uneventful and pleasant minus some Italians yelling at me and giving me dirty looks. They are a very impatient people. But anyway, we got into Rome at about 12:30pm and made our way from the train station to our hotel. From there, Hans gave us the rest of the day to spend however we saw fit so we were off.

A group of us decided to head out and see some of the main tourist attractions. We made our way to the Piazza Venezia which housed the Altare della Patria which is a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. It is a huge structure that dominates the skyline. We walked on by that and down the Via dei Fori Imperiali which is the main road that leads past a lot of attractions. We were able to see a lot of the ruins and the forum but didn't get to go in anywhere. The main feature lies at the end of the street.

Altare della Patria

The Colosseum actually looks smaller in person. It is still a grand experience and surreal to see something that I have seen so much of on television and films. After a 45 minute wait in line to get tickets we were finally able to go inside and look around. There’s almost no seats left intact and it appears to be crumbling in places but it is still standing 2000 years later. It was amazing to finally get to see it.

Colosseum

After the Colosseum, we spent some time trying to find the entrance to the Roman Forum and could not for the life of us find it. So after maybe 45 minutes or so we gave up and headed to our next destination. We made it to the Trevi Fountain which is just as iconic to Rome as the Colosseum. It is a beautiful fountain that has a lot of history and traditions. It was also mobbed with people but I pushed my way to the front so I could toss my coin. This ensures my return to Rome! After plenty of pictures our group decided to split up and some of us went to get gelato which was fantastic. This was just a pit stop on this long day.

Trevi Fountain

We walked to the Piazza di Spagna which had the Spanish Steps on one end. This is a famous location too but unfortunately they are doing some restoration work on the steps and they were closed. It was a little disappointing but we were undeterred. We made our way to the Piazza del Popolo. It was a large square with two churches at one end, an arch at the other, and up against a park. It was getting dark out and we were all starving so we decided it was dinner time.

Spanish Steps

Since we were in Rome we decided to go for some Italian food. We went to a restaurant called Rossopomodoro. We waited for a bit but got a table and had amazing food. I had a pizza that I had been craving for weeks if not a month. I was impressed. It was a good end to the night. Tomorrow promises to be even busier.

Yum!

Day Trip to Milano

It has been a pretty uneventful two weeks here in Riva San Vitale. My focus has been on studio and hasn't allowed me much time to venture out. Our studio project is to build a Starbucks out of only granite stone in compression and chestnut wood. This set of constraints provides for a unique opportunity in designing. I am forced to solve problems that I have never had before. Hans is already making this a challenging semester.

Now more on the culture side of Riva San Vitale. On the 4th was the beginning of Carnevale. All the residents of Riva filed out into the town square to watch a parade put on by the children and other residents. It was an amazing opportunity to experience a different culture firsthand and take a holiday I know one way in America and see its Swiss equivalent. Carnevale culminated on the 9th as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. It is always interesting to see how a small town celebrates their holidays.

Carnevale Parade

Anyway, now that I have been here for two weeks I decided it was time to get out of the Villa and take a trip. I decided Milano, Italy was the place to visit. It is only an hour train ride away from Riva. After arriving at the enormous and beautiful Milano Centrale station, I started walking towards central Milan. On the way, I stopped by the Porta Nuova Varesine (a park covering an indoor event space) and the Torre Diamante by KPF Architects where the Salon du Chocolat (Milan Chocolate Festival) was occurring. It is a beautiful park especially on the small scale that it is while being surrounded by some of the newest and largest buildings in Milan. It is all very clean and modern.

Torre Diamante

After some more walking, I came to the Piazza della Scala and the entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is a 4-story enclosed outdoor mall and basically the predecessor to all current malls. It was so beautiful and almost magical. The Galleria is also where the first Prada store was opened. While it was a bit touristy many locals were there too. I even participated in the tradition of putting my heel on the mosaic of a bull on the ground and spinning around three times which is said to bring good luck. Following that I exited the Galleria to the grand sight that was the Milan Cathedral often just referred to as the Duomo.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

The name Duomo means cathedral in Italian and is used as a nickname for the Milan Cathedral. After some confusion as to where to get tickets and a stroll through the Museo di Duomo I made my way in to the church. It is massive. It is absolutely, stunningly beautiful. I wasn't as awestruck as I was with the Sagrada Familia but still I felt amazed. The cathedral is the 5th largest in the world and took nearly 600 years to complete. (By comparison, the Sagrada Familia is about half the square footage and listed as 32nd on largest churches in the world). It was an amazing building in every regard. At only €2 to get into I will definitely be returning.

Milan Cathedral aka the Duomo

Interior of the Duomo

Following the Duomo, I attempted to grab a bite to eat at Luini Panzerotti, a Milan staple, but the line was longer than the one to get into the Duomo so I decided to pass. Next door was La Rinascente which is a department store. The bottom floor was dedicated to design which was interesting but everything was so expensive so I decided to leave. I had to make my way through hundreds, maybe thousands in the Piazza del Duomo who were celebrating Carnevale. Just about every single child was dressed up, mainly as Disney characters, along with a few adults. The entire ground was covered in confetti. It was a huge party atmosphere.

The next stop was Parco Sempione which is Milan's largest park. The main entrance on the eastern side was through Castello Sforzesco built in the 1400s. After going through the castle I was able to see the rest of the park and how spacious it was. My next stop was La Triennale di Milano which is a design museum on the edge of the park. I got to see an exhibition on Italian architecture since World War II which was fantastic. There was so much to see with many models, drawings, and ideas which featured Aldo Rossi, Carlo Scarpa among others. After leaving the museum, I went by the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) which is a triumphal arch on the western entrance to the park which lines up axially with the street, through the park, through the castle, down the street on the opposite side of the park, all the way to the Duomo. It was a wonderful discovery. After that it was time for dinner.

Castello Sforzesco

Arco della Pace

I had picked out a place to go to called Rossopomodoro. It was in the direction of the train station and it was a reasonably priced Italian restaurant serving pizza, pasta, and seafood. Upon arrival at said restaurant, I found out it was closed. I came to find out later that it was closed between 3-7:30pm. I tried another place but it was too expensive along with the third choice. The next choices were pastry shops, gelato shops, sandwich shops, closed, or too expensive. After circling the block I finally found a place to go that was reasonably priced and turned out to be pretty good. Now was time to catch the train home.

This ended up being really entertaining. I left the restaurant at 6:46 to catch a 7:10 train at a station that was 1.3 miles away. Google mapped at being 27 minutes away. I was walking up to the station at 7:05 and ended up jumping on the train at 7:09. It was a real photo finish. Also in my haste, I ended up riding home in first class by accident. All in all it was a fun albeit exhausting day. Look for the next update this coming weekend when our studio leaves for our Italian portion of our travels.