FINAL BLOG

FINAL BLOG

The past week has been filled with many different things. The shutdown of Europe’s airlines meant that none of the planned trips to Rome happened, but everyone seemed to still be very busy. We all took a trip to the local UPS store to ship home our easels and books, and visited the lady who had made our beautiful journals to show her how they looked when they were completed.

We had a final pizza luncheon for the entire group at ‘my’ corner bar where there were two highlights.

The first….Miss Caitlin….horse lover extraordinaire…had a horse meat pizza!!

The second…minutes after we left the bar Brad Pitt walked in for a spritz! And NO we did not see him.

On Saturday afternoon I finally fulfilled a promise that I had made to the original group of students many weeks ago, and we took a gondola ride. We left from Campo Santa Maria Formosa and spent a wonderful 45 minutes gliding along the back canals of Castello while our gondolier Mario told us stories of the buildings that looked down on us. While it may be considered an entirely ‘tourist’ thing to do, Venice has to be seen from the seat of a gondola. The perspective is entirely changed, the sounds different at water level, and you suddenly realize the rhythm of this city. We were all rather quiet when we returned, and I’m so happy that we shared that experience

Yesterday I walked to the Bridge at San Lorenzo to collect Karen from her apartment. I was a little ‘over organized’ and therefore about 20 minutes early, and rather than hurry her I sat on the steps next to the bridge in the glorious sunshine. Castello was slowly waking up and small boats skidded by, most of the drivers simply raising their head in greeting as they continued on their way. It was twenty minutes that will stay with me for a long while. After collecting Karen and her luggage, I walked around to Dani, Teresa and Pixie’s apartment at San Guistina and helped carry their luggage back to the bridge.  Sebastiano arrived soon after, and I waved goodbye as they moved down the canale San Lorenzo and out of sight.

Later on in the day there was a rowing race…a regatta from Giardini to the Ferrovia, but it all happened too fast and I’m not sure that you can really see anything in the video.

Kyle’s parents have been visiting for a few days and last night they invited me to have dinner with them. We walked down to the Zattere and ate at a restaurant on the canal side where we watched the lights of the Guidecca as we ate an excellent meal. Kyle leaves with them in the morning and they will continue their vacation by car as they travel into Austria.

Monday 26^th April 2010….10.00am

This morning I got up at 6.00, showered, made a cup of coffee, and then walked around the corner (less than a hundred metres) to help Jessica, Erika and Caitlin get their luggage down stairs and ready for the water taxi that was due to pick them up at 7.30. Alyssa, and Erika’s friend Ben were there also and it was a very subdued group that trooped across a small bridge to a landing in the canal that runs alongside the football stadium at Sant’ Elena. The water taxi of ever reliable Sebastiano came gliding quietly down the canal, and I felt like I was handing them over to the boatman Charon. It was tearful and sweet as the three of us left behind watched the girls slide out of sight across the D’arsenna  Sant’ Elena.

Alyssa and I walked back to the street that leads to my apartment, and then we said our goodbyes and she went on to the Vap stop and I to home. Alyssa will be attending an engraving school in Brescia for the next 3 months and she leaves on the train this afternoon.

I have a great deal to do in the next few days and will be meeting with Claudio and Agnese who administer the apartments and Matteo the Director of the Istituto Venezia, and hopefully will not feel the aloneness that I have experienced in the past couple of hours. This has been a group of outstanding young people and it has been a great privilege to share this adventure with them. They have exceeded my expectations at every turn and I am very proud of them. They are known to the teachers of the Istituto as the ‘Studenti bravi da Montana’, and they are all ready missed.

Over the past few days I find myself walking to places just so that I can stand there for one last visual drink. My favorite places quietly packed away, carefully wrapped about with the smells and the sounds so that I might take them out and wonder at them at some future time. I like to do it in the quiet of the morning or evening when I can fool myself into believing that only I possess her, and like a miser I hold fast to these moments. After all these many visits, I still have not worked out what it is about this place that is so alluring, so compelling.

All of these emotions aside, I will depart on Saturday with wings on my feet, for I have been too long away from my love and my family, and the spirits of the mountains are calling.

Ciao, ciao

John

John Rawlings

Director, FVCC Semester in Venice Program

Caitlin’s Blog

Well it’s the last day here!  We leave tomorrow at 7:30 AM.  I cannot say that I am necessarily excited to go “home” but I am missing family, horses and friends.  It was an odd realization I had over a couple spritz with Jess today, I no longer consider Montana “home” necessarily…Venice is just as much “home” for me as is Montana.  Well Venice doesn’t have horses, but this is the first time I’ve lived on my own, so this has had a very profound effect on my independence and personality.
I have come to know everything here somewhat well, I would say more than your average tourist, but I feel like I am leaving something undone.  There is so much more to see and experience that I won’t be able to…at least on this trip.  I’m excited to go home and “start” my life.  I have a whole new and different outlook on things now and I’m excited to apply it to my everyday life.  It has been nice not having classes this past week…it’s given us time to finally relax and take things at a slower pace and reflect on our experiences here.  It is unfortunate because the weather here has been so beautiful of late and I’m just starting to be able to go out without a jacket on…and now I’m going to be leaving here just when it’s getting even prettier.  It was a gorgeous, hot day today (I was actually going around in a tank top and I was STILL sweating), a perfect farewell day.  I am excited to see all my friends and family.  This is a bittersweet farewell.  Ciao Venezia.

Kyle’s Blog

I simply cannot write an essay about the last four months. There are many things about which I can write with less-than-adequate knowledge. This entire experience, however, is too great to be limited by words. The last four months in Italy have changed me as a person. Moreover, there is an understanding exclusively within this group of students (roommates, more specifically) that could never be purveyed to anyone.

This has been the first time living outside of my parents’ home; the first time I have travelled outside of North America; first time adapting to a non-English speaking culture; the second semester of my freshman year in college. Not to mention, my living arrangements included two roommates of whom I knew nothing initially.

I thank Flathead Valley Community College, Professor’s John Rawlings, David Ackroyd, and Karen Leigh, Istituto Venezia, and all the amazing friends I made along the way. It goes without saying that this experience will forever live in my memory.

Erika’s Blog:

By the time you are reading this, I’ll probably already be in the air on the way back to you all and my beautiful state of Montana. As I write this, I’m sitting in my kitchen with all the friends I’ve made here in the last four months, eating all the food in our cupboards before we leave in the morning, giving away clothes and spices to those who shall remain behind, taking those last minute pictures, reminiscing over past memories that seem like only yesterday. It’s strange to believe that I’ve been here so long, but when I think about all that I’ve done and all I’ve seen and all I’ve accomplished in these passing 101 days, it almost doesn’t seem long enough.

I’ve flown over seas squished between angry Germans for 13 hours. I’ve sang inside St Mark’s Basilica, my voice reverberating off the golden walls. I’ve danced in throbbing bars until all hours of the morning. I’ve had too much to drink. I’ve learned to cook anything on the stove top, some strange and bizarre but some actually amazingly delicious and appreciated. I’ve been whistled and cat-called to by Italian men. I learned to speak some Italian, enough to be understood and feel a new part of the culture. I’ve experienced every kind of Venetian weather, foggy and mysterious, rainy days for weeks at a time, aqua alta up to my knees, and beautiful sunny days that melt into your skin. I’ve met people from all over the world, even if it was for couple hours or for the entire time we stayed here. I’ve been in Venice for Carnivale, learning that anything can happen when the magic is in the air. I’ve stayed up too late and woken up too early the next morning. I’ve stood in front some of the greatest art pieces in all of history, those of Titian and Tintoretto and Giorgione. I’ve showered in showers too small for me and on many couches because the beds weren’t big enough. I’ve had awkward meals with my housemates and huge dinner parties with all my friends. I’ve cooked all day with my beautiful companion.  I’ve been sick in Italy and made myself chicken noodle soup. I know what it’s like to be truly home-sick, but I also know how to appreciate what life has given me. I’ve stayed up with friends playing little kid games or watching movies all night long. I’ve had breakfast for dinner and dinner’s for breakfast. I’ve laughed long and hard and I’ve cried silent tears until I gain strength from them. I’ve tasted gelato and I can never go back to regular ice cream ever again. I’ve danced in a blues café. I’ve seen how our group can change the entire energy of a place… I’ve stood under gold leaf covered ceilings as well as Italian starry nights. I’ve stood on top of a mountain and watched the sunset. I’ve fallen in love with food and I have no regrets about the weight I’ve gained. My heart has been broken and mended again. I’ve been in love and learned the lesson that things can change overnight. I made real heart connections, made true best friends for life with people from all over the world and I will never forget their smiles. I’ve learned so much from my professor and friend, Zio Gio, who has been a foundation for me in this time in my life. I came to Italy with my best friend and I’ve only grown to love and depend on her more than ever. I’ve learned to appreciate my sense of humor from Jessica and I’ve learned sweetness from Alyssa. I’ve had a friend and big brother to depend on, Justin, and I’ve had a real sister in Ceren, such a sweet and wonderful spirit, and learned to chill from Cem. I’ve crashed many times on Coskun’s couch and watched movies, always welcoming us with open arms when we can find him. I’ve learned to philosophize from Kyle and Kamo can always make me laugh. And from Ben, well there is too much really to be spoken, but he has changed my life forever. I will always hold you dearest to my heart and the dream we’ve shared won’t fade away, even though we both know the story isn’t over. And what have I learned from you Venice?  I’ve walked it’s streets at night and felt its heartbeat, heard its song, a song so soft and simple that many that breeze through here with their cameras miss it, but I’ve heard her soft whisperings.  I’ve come to love the gift you’ve given me, this self assurance, this common bond we’ve created, this love for the calm of the water that soothes the soul and helps me to understand the simple truths of what is really important in life, and all else should be allowed to fade away. I will never forget it. I will never forget you.

All my love friends, lovers, and my beloved home,

Erika

Jessica’s Blog

Wow. This is my last blog, I honestly can’t believe it. I don’t think that it will set in that I am really gone from this amazing place until I actually get off the airplane and give my family a big huge hug, maybe not even then. The funny thing about that is, that’s exactly what I said about coming here. This week has been a scurry of paper finishing, preparation for the flight home tomorrow, and quietly saying goodbye to all the places that are now a large piece of my heart. I will miss it all, this home I have come to love. The smell of old buildings, freshly washed laundry out to hang, fresh breads and sweets, garlic, onions, fresh fish markets, and the crisp salty whiff of the ocean sneaking through the calle will forever be remembered swirling through my nose. I will never forget the feel of centuries old bricks and smooth hand carved stones that adorn each bridge and street that I touched, the hypnotic sway of the boats as they took me to my next adventure, and the sweet kisses on my cheeks from friend’s greetings. Most of all I will never forget the feel of those little fingers of Venice that have touched my heart and the rest of my life so deeply. I am forever grateful to every person, place and thing that makes up the Islands of Venice, because within it I have come to discover a very large part of myself. I never knew that a place, a piece of geography, could change me so much, but now I view myself, others, other cultures, and simply the world in a whole new way. My future seems so much larger now, and I feel like the possibilities are endless, optimism is truly my right hand man. I am writing this with tears spewing out of my eyes as if I am writing to a lover that I am soon to never see again, but I know, I will certainly be back for you
Ciao Ciao mi amore!
Jessica

Ciao miei amici!

Ho no parole. This day came too quickly. I have spent 102 days in Venice, and my life is forever changed. Never have I imagined a place such as this; a time capsule of a city with time machine in a gondola ride. Looking up to see the bravura and flair of the Italians so many centuries past in the sky climbing palazzi Esthetically, I will never look at architecture the same. There are many things that will never be the same. I’ve met people who have changed my life in a matter of minutes, in the best of ways. There are many things that I will miss. The many friends I’ve made are one. In some ways I have it easier, I can visit Venice this summer. I can see the friends who will still be there, I can visit the places I miss, I can see things I missed out on the first time. Yet sitting on this train watching as Venice floats further and further away from the mainland, I’m leaving a home and way of life that has been absorbed into the lagoon, into the time capsule. Our memories, laughs, tears, fears, triumphs and all else have touched Venice. We have made our stain of frescoes with our paints, aged enough to crack yet more decay into the facades, drunk enough to change the waters to wine, and laughed enough to make the Venetians smile first. I have tried new things, and have awoken a passion for art history, and drawing, and painting, and language, and… Perhaps it just awoke the artist.

It has been the time of my life! Thank you, Venice, all the people who helped me get here, my teachers and my friends.

Love,

Alyssa

Pixie’s Blog

Pixie Traynham arrived with Karen’s ‘watercolor’ group and has been with us for the past month.

Pixie’s Blog

At the risk of sounding gushy, I can sum up this experience with one word….Amazing. We watched spring unfold from bus windows on tour. The Art and Architecture in Urbino, Assisi, Florence and Siena brought history to life in wondrous ways, but beginning to experience and think about the different ways people live in current times was interesting too.

Our time in Venice has been amazing too…Art to study, Art to make…Hopefully some improvements in the skills we brought. Kind of like Montana, it’s hard to take a really bad photo here, but many of us have a lot of editing and discarding to do. We find ourselves taking pictures of some of the sights again and again…just too hard to resist. The change of light, particularly in the evenings, changes everything about a scene.

This has been the trip of a lifetime for me…trite but true. Italy and Venice do not disappoint.

Bob Slead Photo

BSP glassblowing in Muranp

BSP glass factory

BSP Glass

BSP John with his Brother

BSP John and Susan Guthrie outside San Marco

BSP Murano glass

BSP

Pasta at the Rawlings apartment

Final pizza lunch

Pizza lunch

Horse pizza!

Journal critique at Rawlings apartment

Caitlin

Erika

Jessica

Alyssa

Karen shares her journal

The gondola ride

In the back canals of Castello

Bravi Studenti!

http://fvccvenice2010.wordpress.com/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=435&type=video&TB_iframe=1&width=640&height=523

gondola ride in Castello

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Gondola

gondola

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gondola ride

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Last sunset in Venice

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final sunset

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WEEK 13

Week 13 blog

You have been treated to a glass of wonderful wine, and as it passes over your tongue it conjures memories and sensations that resonate with your very being. It is an entirely moving experience, and as you sip further into its wonders, another emotion approaches with the revealing of the bottom of the glass.  The glass will soon be empty. The drink is being consumed by this process of enjoying. The experience will have to move from the physical, tied implacably to the singleness of the action where you can only consume it once, to the metaphysical memory of it, which is permanent and allows the wine to be consumed again and again. You could stop and leave the last small draught of this elixir, but to what avail? Such prolonging of the action will in fact make the experience less, and you realize that the only thing to do to ensure that the memory is perfect, is to drink it completely. The savor…this complex memory, demands that you do this, and who would argue with such a demand?

The elixir that is Venice, is fast coming to an end, and all of us are very aware that we about to take the last sip of her. It is clear to me that this group will not sit idly by and ‘nurse’ the last swallow, but will continue this experience that they have sustained with such admirable zeal, until the moment that they leave.  These sweet but sad days will be our last.

Monday was supposed to be a day of rest for me, but I was awakened early by a call from Claudio who is the man that we rent our apartments from. The apartment in San Basilio that was inhabited by Erika, Caitlin, and Kyle had sustained serious water damage during the night after a water pipe in the apartment above had burst. It was clear by early morning that the apartment probably could not be lived in, and I began a long tour of alternative places before deciding on one that is quite close to mine in Sant Elena. The group was off with Karen painting in the cemetery of San Michelle, and after walking down to SanMarco to pick up keys, I set off on a 41 vap to find them. They had  been painting in idyllic conditions just before I arrived, tucked in among the greenery surrounding the graves of Ezra Pound and Brodsky, but just as I arrived with my news of the exodus, so did a half a dozen workmen with weed whackers, and they proceeded to shred this ‘perfect place’.

It was the signal for a general packing up and we all travelled back to San Basilio to help with the clean up and transporting of ‘stuff’ to the new apartment. This turned into a very interesting exercise, and as it turns out a rather timely lesson. There were six of us to transport the belongings of the San Basilio three…And it became rapidly clear that we were not enough!

I asked the question, “How do you expect to get all this stuff back to the US in a couple of weeks?”, and did not receive any answers other than some pained looks. So it is clear that’we’ have been acquisitive during these weeks, and these acquisitions may present problems in a few short days unless ‘we’ do something about them. It was clear that our intentions of catching a vaporetto to Sant Elena were pipe dreams and I called a friend ,Sebastiano who arrived with his water taxi and ferried us to the other end of the city. After Caitlin, Erika and Kyle settled into their new digs I took the entire group out for a pizza at ‘my’ local bar, which will now become ‘their’ local bar.

On Tuesday morning we met at San Zaccaria and rode a vap to Ca Pessaro, Venice’s Museum of Modern Art. It is such a wonderful collection of works that are mostly presented in a very open and uncluttered way, and once again I found myself reveling in the looks of wonder in student faces.  I left the students at Ca Pessaro and travelled to the airport to meet my brother Peter and his wife Sandra who were flying in from Australia.

Wednesday was a day given over to revisiting a number of churches that had previously been on our itinerary with the specific intention of talking about individual art pieces that, after our study of Art History, held a ‘different place’ in the story of Venice. It was a morning filled with a great deal of walking, and it was a foot weary group that I said goodbye to at 1.00pm. That afternoon they met Karen at the San Thoma vap stop and walked around the corner to a tiny campo hidden behind the Scuola San Rocco where they spent the afternoon painting.

On Thursday morning we rode across to San Salute and walked through the backstreets to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. What a treat it is to wander through such a rarified collection of Art work. To be in such close contact, and in such a personalized space, i.e. her home is a great experience and the students were visibly moved by their experience.

Friday arrived all wrapped up in a wonderfully mysterious fog that turned Venice into an amazing Monet painting and we decided to travel out to Burano and from there to Torcello for our watercolor class. We thought it would be less crowded than on the weekend, and arrived to a serene, and all but empty island. Karen set up the students close to Santa Maria Assunta and its wonderful, crumbling exterior, and all looked perfect. Soon after, however, two boat loads of elementary school children, all fitted out with either red or yellow baseball hats  descend like a cloud of locusts, and the resulting mayhem was so complete that I admit to taking my brother and his wife and ‘escaping’ to Burano and its relative peace.

The students met Karen again on Saturday for their final day of watercolor, and Sunday has been a quiet day for us all.

Tuesday April 20th

I have waited to post this blog in the hope that I could pass along a travel update to parents and others that will be meeting returning students on the 25^th and 26^th. It is 7.00pm on Tuesday evening and I have no clear indication from anyone as to what will actually transpire on these travel dates. This morning Marco Polo airport opened on a ‘limited basis’ (and NO I don’t know what that means). I spent an hour with the travel agent that organized the tour for us, have called Ned Dunn at Flathead Travel, and the following is what I do know.

It looks as if the folk flying Delta on Sunday will be able to do so.

Lufthansa flew out of Frankfurt today, but did not fly the connecting leg out of Venice…and if that continues into the weekend it is unlikely that Erika, Caitlin and Jessica will be able to make it home on Monday

My hope is that this situation will reach some level of solution in the next few days, but if it persists into the weekend then I will begin a process that will bring them home on an alternate route. This is, of course, not an easy thing to accomplish because we are only a small part of a herd of people all trying to do the same thing.

I’m sorry that I am not more definitive than this, but at this juncture, neither is anyone else

The weather is wonderful, Venice shines in the sun, and we are all wearing smiles.

Ciao, ciao

John

John Rawlings, Director, FVCC Semester in Venice Program

Jessica’s blog

Oh my goodness! Our wonderful trip abroad is quickly coming to a close, it makes me so sad to think of having to leave this wonderful place and go back to the daily grind of what was my life. I have spent much of this week mentally preparing myself for leaving, and busily going to class, watercolor, and writing a paper for John. I have not had a lot of time to myself this past week because my days have been jam packed with visits to museums, churches, and random excursions all over Venice to learn how to water color. It has been quite the adventure, this water coloring course has. We work outside in plein air and just learn by trial and error, there is no inside work what so ever, and I find myself having to tune out all of the curious passersby. Just yesterday when we were on the tiny island of Torcello, I looked up from my painting and there was a sea of little yellow hats surrounding me and looking up at me in awe. They were cute little school children that kept inflating my ego with “oh bella!!..Brava, Brava!“. So cute! Water color I am finding is a very soothing activity that I could spend almost all day doing without even realizing I had. That in fact happened just the other day when we head out to Burano to paint the brightly colored buildings there. I started painting in the morning and by the time it was three in the afternoon and everyone was telling me it was time to leave, and I was very reluctant to pack up all of my things.

Erika’s Blog:

Life was thrown a bit off kilter for us in the San Basilo apartment. Kyle awoke at two in the morning to discover water streaming down his walls like a gently cascading waterfall and his lamp turned into a shower. He spent the rest of the night trying to catch the water as it slowly flooded his room. Caitlin and I woke up sometime in the morning to discover all the contents of Kyle’s room scattered about our living room, Kyle, haggard with blood-shot eyes, mopping his floor as the water steadily dripped from the ceiling. That afternoon, we packed up all of our things in an hour, saying goodbye to our home for the last three months forever, jumping on a taxi and dumping all of our things at a gorgeous new apartment in Sant Elena. Our new apartment is a palace compared our last, but it’s not home for me, and I’m still fairly unsettled just because I feel like I’m in between homes, having to leave my old one so fast and too early, but still have time before I return.

Because of all the stress and because our new place happens to have an oven, I made “stress pies” this week. They were some of the greatest pies I’ve ever made, maybe because I haven’t had one in almost four months, or maybe the level of stress increases the goodness of the pie. Whatever the case, they were simply delicious and were an amazing way of feeling more settled in this lovely little place at the far end of Venice. I sit up many nights now in this comfy green chair in the corner reading books from the amazing English selection left here by the owner. We swear that the owner has to be some kind of professor or something because he has a very high-end book selection, some serious reading. You can always tell by the books in someone’s home what kind of person they are, and this man is very intelligent to say the least. I’m just grateful that we have a place to stay as we count down the days until we must uproot ourselves and return home. It’s bizarre to think that my time here is coming to an end, but at the same time, as I look back over all I’ve done and seen and experienced, it sometimes feels like I’ve been here so much longer. Perhaps that’s why it’s difficult to even imagine myself at home anymore, just because this has become my home in so many ways. It’ll be different; I just wonder how I’m going to manage it.

Alyssa’s blog

Ciao, ciao! Another week has come to an end; we only have one more blog after this one! It’s gone by so fast! We’ve finished all of our classes. This week was full of painting: the cemetery island, my favorite campo, and the panoramic view of San Marco from San Giorgio. We also climbed the art history timeline into the 20^{th century}. You’d be amazed at how much modern art is in Venice! I saw my first (and sometimes more than one of) Kandinsky, Chagall, Klee, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio Chirico, and many other amazing pieces. These were held in the Museum of Modern Art inside Ca’Pesaro, and also within Peggy Guggenheim’s frozen collection. Her collection astounded me because she collected the pieces as they were produced in the era. She was on a wave of contemporary appreciation that is seldom pursued by anyone; today, and in generations past. Her collection (in New York she simply called it: Art of This Century) inspired so many people, and fueled the genre of Modern Art. Even with our classes over, most of us are all still finishing our project for art history. It’s really the perfect closing project to culminate all that we’ve learned about Venice, being her history, people (of today and centuries past), language, culture, and architecture; all reflected in art of this island that was once an empire. I hope to be able to find some Renaissance art enthusiasts in the valley. That and Italian speakers to carry on with my conversation skills! Honestly though, I have learned that I really love art history. I once thought the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was a confusing conglomeration of too many events. Now I can follow the pattern that is reflected through the art, and I can see the web formed by the apprenticeships, influence, and lineage of the artists. I am really fascinated by analyzing and dissecting the pieces because they are so full of symbolism. Because of the architecture class, I am now able to look at a building I know nothing about, and give you an approximate date of establishment. I can tell you which components represent that genre of architecture. That was what I was challenging myself with for the art history class. I wanted to be able to look at a piece I’ve never seen, and be able to approximate the year and authorship. I have been getting very close to this goal, and this project is one way to really compare and contrast the different painters of the Italian art timeline. A ways back, when John told me I was becoming a “Venetophile,” I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to be anything that ended in “phile.” Now, I’ve learned the understanding it takes to be able to reach such a position. You can swing the information with memorization, but the moment it clicks for you and you really get it, it’s the most amazing experience. I have had so many moments like that on this journey. Like when I realized I could converse with another person in their mother tongue, another language! I didn’t know what I was getting myself into by taking this art-filled, language-learning, pre-Brescia trip, but it has been the most amazing experience of my life. Plus, I’ve met all these interesting and beautiful people along the way! The five of us are already planning our future reunions.

Ciao di nuovo, ma non e’ ancora l’ultimo, (Ciao again, but it is not yet the last,)

Alyssa

Caitlin’s blog

Well yet again…where did the week go?  This past week was full of painting and church viewing.  We got to paint in Torcello on Friday, and that was really fun!  There were people everywhere (especially small school-children) who came and watched all of us paint.  I unfortunately got rather sick in the beginning of the week and am just now beginning to get better…I must have went through thousands of tissues to get to this point though.  One of the most memorable moments of this week occurred on Monday evening though.

We all woke up early in the morning to the sound of dripping water in our apartment in San Basilio.  I got annoyed with it and went back to sleep…I actually don’t know if Erika even woke up.  Kyle’s room apparently had turned into a shower from water problems in the apartment above us.  We woke up to our apartment owner in the house assessing the problems.  Throughout the day our walls and ceilings proceeded to crack and sag.  We were informed later that day that we had to vacate the house as soon as possible.  Apparently our house wasn’t going to last much longer…so it was a good thing we got out of there.  We know live in the “boonies” of Venice (over by John) in a very large and luxurious apartment.  So we traded proximity to the city for a beautiful apartment…not too bad!

And on Thursday, the volcano in Iceland erupted.  None of us thought much of it to begin with, but we found out just a few days ago that it really does have a huge impact.  Almost every airline/plane in N Europe and N Italy is now closed.  We had to cancel our trip to Rome because of that.  We are now crossing our fingers and hoping that the flights will be back up by the time we leave next Monday, but the chances are small.  Oh well…it won’t be too bad to be “stranded” in Venice for a little longer.

Kyle is on vacation with his parents…..He will return to help with the LAST blog next week.

Ca' Pesaro

Ca' Pesaro

Waiting for the 'vap' o n Fondamente Nuove in the fog

Mysterious Venice

More mystery

Across to Burano

Passing San Michele in the fog

The Faro on Murano

On the 'vap' to Burano

What were these three thinking!

sculpture in the old vineyard at Torcello

Burano

Burano

Kyle discovers he is a watercolorist

Burano

That chair again!

And again

Painting from San Giorgio

Painting in San Michele

In San Michele

Karen in San Michele

In San Michele

On the ‘vap’ to Burano

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In front of Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello

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Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello

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WEEK 12

WEEK 12 BLOG

Easter Monday is a major European holiday and our first week back in Venice after the excitement of our Spring Tour was tempered by having the first day free!

I got up early and helped Susan Guthrie shepherd her group across the Lagoon to the airport. Susan has been an extremely committed Venetophile for a long time and her enthusiasm is absolutely infectious.

I waved as the taxi moved them away from the fondamente behind Santa Maria Formosa, and then set off for my end of the island and coffee and brioche at MY bar. I admit to not doing much for the rest of the day.

On Tuesday we met at the front door of the San Basilio apartment of Caitlin, Erika, and Kyle, and because their apartment is above a bar (THEIR bar), we stopped and ‘topped up’ with coffee and brioche. A short walk along the fondamente leaves you looking across a small bridge at a small church with a very plain façade. It is San Sebastiano, and behind this plain front is a world of wonder. San Sebastiano was the church of Paolo Caliari who was known as Veronese, and over a period of years he undertook a task that would decorate almost all of its interior surfaces. He painted the ceiling of the main chapel, all of the frescoes of its upper walls, the organ shutters, the Chancel paintings, the high altar painting, and designed its architectural elements, and the ceiling in the sacristy.

The church is undergoing a major restoration and not all of these elements are able to be seen at present, but the completed sacristy and organ hint at just how magnificent this gem of a church is going to be once it is complete.  It is the perfect, if not obligatory place to begin a discussion of Veronese, and I hinted at other work by him that we would stand in front of before the week was over.

On Tuesday afternoon Karen Leigh began the first of her watercolor workshops, and the group met in the apartment of Theresa, Danny, and Pixie to go through a basic orientation before venturing out into the ‘plein aire’. I spent the afternoon with the Matteo, the Director of the Istituto across in Murano looking at a new school of Glass Making, exploring future possibilities for our students.

Wednesday morning found us gathering outside of the entrance to one of the world’s great Museums: The Accademia. It too is undergoing a major refurbishment, and is in the ‘ugly caterpillar’ stage of becoming a beautiful butterfly. Much of its collection is not on display, many rooms are closed, and to top that off, a major exhibition of the works of Giorgione is being held in Castel Franco, his home town about 50 miles from here and all but one of the Giorgione’s are on loan.

It left me attempting to describe and explain the very famous work of his called ‘The Tempest’, and I found myself doing something that I can’t quite believe. We stood in front of a giant poster for the exhibition in Castel Franco which featured this wonderful little work and I told its story! My fervent hope is that someday they will stand in front of the real thing. After my ‘stunning presentation’ we quickly ducked inside before a crowd formed and settled down to enjoy the ‘real’ art inside.

It’s really quite seductive to be the person showing student’s work of that caliber, and I don’t think I will ever tire of watching people interact with marvelous works for the first time.  Paolo Veronese was waiting for us on a scale that cannot possibly be predicted. The grand scale of his “Feast in the house of Levi” has to be seen to be appreciated.

We spent a wonderful morning in this even more wonderful collection.

That afternoon Karen met the group at the Arsenale ‘vap’ stop and we trooped down Garibaldi to San Pietro (of course stopping at Giorgio’s for gelato….this week… mascarpone with chocolate cookies!) It was a beautiful, even warm, afternoon and in the shade of Mauro Codussi’s campanile the group made their first attempts at plein aire. It was a great time, and even those who were experiencing their first class, produced works that we all enjoyed at a critique that Karen conducted on the grass by the side of the canal.

On Thursday morning we moved early to a small scuola not far from Karen’s apartment. It is the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni and it houses a small group of paintings by Vittore Carpaccio. Apparently we were not early enough, and we became ensnared in a huge group of French high school students, which added a little comic relief to our visit.

On Friday we left Fondamente nove at 9.15am and journeyed across the Lagoon to Burano the tiny island renowned for its lace making and brightly colored houses. The group painted all day with Karen, and I made a ‘great escape’ with Jonathan Fetter-Worm who was visiting Karen with his father. Close to Burano is the island of San Francesco del Deserto. It is inhabited by a small group of friars who live in the ancient monastery that is said to have been started by Saint Francis himself as he returned from his visit to the Holy land in 1220. There is no public transport to this secluded place and Jonathon and I negotiated with a local boat man to carry us across. It was a brief visit conducted entirely in Italian, but was the culmination of a dream that I have had for years, and we returned with big smiles. The group on Burano had once again exceeded expectations and an enthusiastic group of watercolorists talked about their day on the way home.

Saturday was an easy day for me and I did a little house work and then caught up with the group who were painting in my end of the island. I invited them up to my apartment for a ‘spritz’ at the end of their day and we sat around the apartment sipping this delightful Venetian drink and critiquing the day’s work.

Next week will be a repeat of this, and we will continue with both the Art History and the Watercolor.

Our time here is getting shorter, but the sunsets are getting longer

Ciao, ciao

John

John Rawlings, Director FVCC Semester in Venice Program

Bob and Joann Slead’s blog
What a whirlwind 3 weeks this has been. After arriving at Venice airport and being met by one of Bob’s IPA contacts, we were led past the long line of people waiting to get passports checked, our IPA took our passports and handed them to the official and we were off to get our luggage. He was working so he had to be off to something, but he soon returned to make sure we were all OK. He apologized that he could not spend time with us but he had been sent to special duty in Hungary, However, his supervisor has made plans to meet with us with a special visit and in his words, special VIP surprise next week.
Met John and the rest of the group and off we were with a water taxi ride to our lodgings. Our apartment is in the San Polo, San Toma area. On the fourth floor, there is an elevator, small but adequate. We were shown a few things, and then led down many flights of stairs to a very dark room which was where we were to go to turn back on the main power if we used too many electric things!! Needless to say we are being careful, because even though we are on the fourth floor, there are about 8 flights of stairs, they seemed to never end. We unpacked a few things, freshened up met with Jessica and Alyssa, who are staying in our area and shown the important things. A grocery store, a bakery (Bob glowed with seeing all the pastries to be had) and most important where to catch the water bus, our transportation in Venice. Then off we were to meet with John and the rest of the group to start our tour of churches. Every day we visited several churches and John explained the history of the artist and the meanings of the paintings. The goose bumps started when I stood in front of the first paintings and have not stopped ever since. It is truly amazing to stand in front of a painting done in the 15^th century in the church where they were painted!! How awesome is that!!!
Sat. we were off to Florence and the Tuscany area on a big comfortable tour bus with a great driver.
Our first stop was in Urbino up the hill to the walled city. Interesting I have some great sketches and Bob has many photographs. I won’t try to describe all the rooms we stayed in on our journey through Tuscany, but to say they were Italian, small, old, interesting and each with their own personality. On to Assisi, what a wonderful setting everywhere one looked there was a scene to paint. Found an interesting wood carving shop, took photos for our wood carver friend in Mt. The pieces are really amazing. Also saw some very intricate marble table tops and some very unusual and interesting paintings which were painted on wood and had the look of marble. The group watched Karen do a watercolor demo. Which we were all waiting to see happen. Amazing to see the colors and forms take shape.
Of course the highlight for me was the visit to the Basilica de S. Francesco, where the tomb of St. Francis is located. The Basilica was overwhelming. In all the churches the gold on ceilings and paintings is truly amazing. It makes one stop and think, where did all this wealth come from?
Paintings depict the myths and history of the centuries.
On to Florence, with a stop at a ceramic factory, which also had wines, chocolates, olive oil, soaps etc? I really had to keep a firm mind that we did not have room in our luggage to keep from buying everything I saw!! Then a surprise suggested stop at a restaurant for the most delightful lunch and a relaxing stop before we were on the way to Florence.
Just a quick note on Florence, it was three days need another blog for this, we, (use old folks) climbed to top of tower, apron. 450 steps, great view but it wore us out for the rest of the day,
but we were not finished, more later.
One more exciting event, Sunday, Easter, we went to High Mass, at St Marks in Venice, presided by a Cardinal, Joann even had communion. How spectacular.
This is out of order, but the most interesting stop in the Venice area. Burano, this is a very colorful fishing town. Every house is a different, brilliant color, reds, blues, greens etc, etc, (you will see photos) each family has a color, an only their color, no one else can use it.
More on this later,

Bob & Joann

Jessica’s blog

Oh my goodness, this week has been busy, busy, busy! Once we got back from our spring break in Tuscany there was a lot of unpacking a cleaning to be done, and on top of that we were all very excited to be seeing our friends back here in Venezia! I can’t imagine what it is going to be like to leave them for one final time at the end of this month. We have created friendships with these people that I am sure are going to last for years; they are all just genuinely good people at heart.
We also had to start back into the daily grind with all new classes. The schedule is very rigorous with art history class and watercolor packed all into a few weeks. Although now that we have been here for quite some time and have been analyzing art and architecture, the Art history part has become more of an adventure to uncover all of this places little mysteries within the artwork. Also on a positive note, water color is fast becoming my second favorite medium to use! I am actually very excited on the days that we have watercolor because it is exactly what I want to be doing anyways! I love trudging through the streets to find a good spot to set up and paint. Even though plein air is challenging, it is also a lot of fun and very relaxing. We went to Burano on Friday and painted the many brightly colored buildings and canals on the island, and when everyone said it was time to go I realized I had spent the ENTIRE day painting and didn’t even notice! How wonderful to just lose yourself in such a beautiful place.
Also a highlight for me on Burano was being able to revisit my favorite fresh fried fish restaurant! Since the very first time we visited the island, no surprise, I have been dreaming about the next time I would get the chance to taste its salty goodness 

Caitlin’s blog

As this trip draws to a close these last few weeks have gone by in no time at all.  I’m looking back at this week and trying to figure out what I did exactly.  This week we started our Art History course and the Watercolor course.  We’ve been to a few different churches and we finally made it to the Accademia.  The Accademia was under construction unfortunately but there were still so many simply beautiful pieces there.  The place was filled with the whole family of Bellini and many other priceless pieces by Veronese, Titian, Veronese and many others.  Along with getting to learn about all the artists and pieces, we got to start our Watercolor class.

I have been waiting for this class to start for some time now.  I have never painted plein-air before, but I absolutely love the medium of Watercolor.  This past week has held many hours of painting outside in places such as Burano, S. Elena and S. Pietro.  I personally enjoyed painting in Burano the most…I love color in paintings and well, there’s a TON of color in Burano!  I have learned so much already in this class and I’m excited for the week to come.

I can’t help but start to get sad as I realize that this trip really is coming to an end.  I’m working on my sketch book/journal for the Watercolor class and I’m going through all my old ticket stubs and receipts to put in my journal and old memories flash through my head.  What an amazing trip.  Next weekend some of us are journeying to Rome for a few days as a last fling, but then when we return we shall pack up and get ready to go home.  I do not want to leave quite yet, but at the same time I feel like I have grown as a person here in these past few months and I am very ready to go home and START life.  I’m more excited about getting going than I ever have been…the world seems just a bunch of opportunities now, not a scary thing.

Alyssa’s blog

Our trip was of course planned with lots of learning and some art history, but was definitely a full on vacation! Getting back to Venice and having watercolor and art history classes here at home has been like vacation also. It’s been so wonderful here! The weather has been perfect for the start of our “Plein Aire” classes. We have been painting all over Venice, and we spend after class hours painting also, either catching up on an unfinished sketch or going to another destination with a great view or interesting setting. Some of the best things to paint are little niches in the buildings with either statues or Madonna and Child shrines, or simply a doorway that has chipped paint and broken brick surrounding the frame. For watercolor especially, these things are really fun to paint. You can use your imagination to exaggerate a color, contrast, emotion, texture… In the watercolor world, the idea or emotion is embraced, not necessarily every detail must be present, not every shape within proportion. And for the nit-picky people in the world (like myself), using creative liberties like this is a stretch of the comfort zone! I am loving it. I am just letting go and chasing the page with color and different techniques.

The first place we painted was in the grassy area in front of San Pietro. This place is one we have been to before, where the tempo is very slow and the tourists are few and far between. I chose a rusticated corner of a building, adorned with two shuttered windows and a small statue on the edge of the corner. I was drawn to the different layers of decay on the face of the building. At one time, the face was a pale rouge-y pink. Where that had fallen away, the next layer is the eggshell-white stucco layer. “Eggshell” is quite the appropriate word because the layers fall away by cracking and chipping like the shell of an egg. The patterns of the decay are always different. Beneath these two layers are the raw bricks, exposed and weathered. Some are “Burnt Siena” in color and others are “New Gambouge,” or a diluted blend of the two to make a warm pink.  Pair this face with two fading green shutters and tree which adds to the composition and a small statue to add to mystery and voila! A magnificent first piece.

Part of our assignment in the watercolor class is to fill our 16 page (that’s 32 pages front and back) leather bound journal by the time class is finished. We also must choose three themes to be present throughout the process. This could be wine bottle labels (have plenty of those!), doors knockers (…we won’t go there), lions, etc. What a big project! Especially for such a perfectionist as myself. I am very proud of myself though, because I went and I painted a huge depiction of the Frari Church on the second page. Didn’t even hold back! There are pinks and purples and oranges, nothing that you’d find on the face of a church, but I was following my intuition! It was a wonderful time. While Jess and I were sitting in the campo painting away, lots of people would look over our shoulder and say, “Bravissima!” Even kids! It was the cutest thing. We thought about putting a hat out for some spare change. Some of the other students in the group are really using their creativity and expanding one painting over TWO pages! Ha-ha. What a really great idea…            Painting is Burano was absolutely wonderful. It’s a watercolorist’s heaven. All the buildings are so vibrant with pinks, blues, purples, yellows, oranges… some even have matching boats! The second half of the day was free time to paint on our own, and I accomplished a very detailed sketch which I am very excited about. It’s a very large piece covering a whole sheet of the paper we have, about 1 ¼ foot by 1 foot. I have a two toned teal house, between the edge of a yellow house and a pink house which is next to a dark turquoise house. Each house has laundry hung across the front and interesting characteristics about shapes of the buildings. Cannot wait to get started with this one!

As far as life out of class, we have just been enjoying what is here. Today I took a long “Italian passeggiata,” by this I mean a very, very slow stroll, which is so different than my usual pace. I was in no hurry and went to the most wonderful hidden places. Then Jess and I cooked a delicious risotto and the evening finished with a salute of piano music with a man singing an opera, drifting through our open window from the San Giovanni Evangelista Music Scuola from across our small campo. A perfect ending to this wonderful week.

Love,

Alyssa

Erika’s Blog:

Buona Pasqua! It was very different for someone who has come from a non Catholic background to attend a Catholic church for Easter and to be apart from my family over the holiday, but I did enjoy it immensely. We stood in line outside of San Marco for over an hour, all in our Easter best, listening to all the church bells clanging out their melodious harmonies in honor of holiday and all it represents.  It was the longest Easter service I’ve ever attended, completely in Italian, all of us flipping through our pamphlets, earnestly trying to figure out where they were in the service, guessing, and then changing our minds, saying “oh goodness, we haven’t gotten nearly that far.” It was a series of deliberate actions and traditions, a play that the performers had preformed a million times, and everyone had their role down and their lines memorized. There was so much standing and sitting, hand gestures and bowing, and random singing, either in response to something spoken or in response to the choir aloft, their voices echoing throughout the entire building, rounding and dipping through the elaborate golden arches and curves of the ceiling. The choir director, standing at the pulpit, directed the crowd like a choir, and we all stumbled to keep up. To continue the Easter tradition of feasting and to continue our fellowship, we sojourned at a Chinese restaurant.

The rest of the week was spent painting and learning the entire history of art as quickly as humanly possible, and then painting for the rest of the day until the sun sets and you simply cannot paint outside anymore, then collapsing into bed. On Friday night however, as a send off for Jonathan, a new friend we made from the states who was heading home on Sunday, we went to the only blues café in all of Venice and listened to a live blues band, in part to party with Jonathan, and in part to support Ben, who was accompanying the band on his harmonicas. We constantly make fun of him because he carries all 17 of his harmonicas in two pouches attached to a belt so he either looks like a cowboy or a superhero or a construction worker when he wears them, but that kid really can play. There was a point when he and the sax player were battling, one playing and then the other copying, and vice versa, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. We all got into the spirit of it, I singing along with the Italian blues singer, who sounded like he was black, and we all started dancing, even though no one else was. However, by the end of the evening, just because we are so awesome, the entire place was dancing. I haven’t had that much fun or sweat that much in a really long time.

Kyle’s blog

Oops almost forgot to type my blog! Last week was rather full. Water coloring class started and I forgot how mentally taxing art could be…

I would like to think that I am improving on my painting skills. On the other hand, at least, I am finding the things I am better at painting. Venetian buildings, for instance, are difficult not only for the beginner, but for the experts as well! I have found seascapes to be the most satisfying work to produce.

In addition, these last two weeks of the semester have been devoted to art history class with Ziogio. Week 12 kicked our butts right back into school! Ha-ha.

The weather has been great. I look forward to seeing my parents in Rome on Friday. Gotta go.

…Happy Birthday, Erikaaaaaaaa!!!!

On the way to San Sebastiano

San Sebastiano

San Sebastiano

At the Arsenale 'vap' stop

Plein aire in San Pietro

Karen demonstrating

San Pietro

Canal San Pietro

San Pietro

Burano

Burano

Riding out to San Francescodel Deserto...Burano in background

Bob Slead Pictures

BSP Gondolier

BSP Lunch in Santi Giovanni e Paolo

BSP Colleoni

BSP The fish market

BSP Fish market

BSP Gondolas

BSP Santi Giovanni e Paolo

RSP Arsenale

BSP Canal

BSP Pixie and Nancy

BSP Maurizio's bus

BSP The 'back of the bus'

BSP Gondolas

morning commute

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Critique at San Pietro

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Canal at San Pietro

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Canal at San Pietro

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WEEK 11

WEEK 11

Our tour began on a cool and foggy Saturday morning, and I admit that I felt more than just a little relieved to meet all sixteen of our group at the bottom of the new bridge that crosses into Piazzale Roma. It is no small feat to move that many people and their entire luggage across Venezia and assemble at a given time.  I was also distinctly aware of the fact that some of these folk had only been here for a few days, and were not particularly conversant with the public transportation system.

Our bus arrived right on time and we spent time greeting the driver Maurizio, who had driven for us last year. It took only a few minutes to stow all of our luggage and settle ourselves into the bus; and then we were on our way down the West coast of Italy, following the edge of the Venetian lagoon, as we made our way south. Maurizio assured us that it would only take a few miles for us to leave the fogs of Venice behind, and sure enough, it was not long before we were travelling through flat fields of rice and salad vegetables in glorious, warm sunshine.

We stopped for lunch at a roadside eatery in a small town called Pomposa where we ate the local piadini and visited a 9^th century church before getting back on the bus and continuing south.  By two O’clock we were beginning to head east away from the Adriatic, and began climbing toward our destination; Urbino.

We arrived by three thirty at the base of a precipitous mountain, on top of which perches the incredibly beautiful town of Urbino. It is an ancient hill town that jealously preserves its medieval character by limiting the number of motor vehicles that can enter, and banning completely the entry of buses. The bus pulled up to enormous brick walls which loomed above and we were presented with the conundrum of ‘how to get up there’. There is an elevator hidden within these giant walls, and in a very few minutes we were wheeling toward our hotel.

The afternoon and evening were spent exploring this beautiful place, and our group was scattered far and wide. I spent sunset at the top of a hill overlooking the main castle and was treated to some images that will last me a long time.

The next morning we toured the local castle that was built by Federico di Montefeltro in the 1450’s and treated to the many wonderful artworks displayed in its halls. Urbino was the birthplace of Raphaelo, and Montefeltro had made major commitments to both Renaissance Art and Philosophy.

By lunch time we were back on the bus and travelling toward our next destination: Assisi.

The home town of Giovanni Francesco di Bernadone, who would become the beloved St Francis, is an exquisite collection of lovingly cared for stone houses that sit atop an Umbrian hilltop. We arrived on Palm Sunday in beautiful sunny weather and spent two days exploring its religious and architectural wonders.

On Tuesday morning we left for the next town on our schedule: Siena

A friend of Maurizio’s owns an ‘agri tourismo’ on the way to Siena and we stopped for a remarkable lunch in a restored 16^th century farmhouse in the Tuscan countryside.

We arrived in Siena late in the afternoon as the weather turned a little cooler, and explored the central campo before rain finally drove us back to the hotel. The next morning we were up early to explore this very medieval city. It is said to have the most remarkable medieval town square in all of Europe. We visited the Duomo and the Museo Opera del Duomo to look at Duccio’s Maesta , visited the Baptistery and then walked back to the hotel to catch the bus to Florence.

Maurizio had another surprise for us on the way and we stopped for lunch in the tiny hilltop town of Monteriggioni.

Florence was a major change of pace for the group and we had to adjust to the hustle of the city on our first night.

There would not be enough time to see all of Florence’s Art treasures if we stayed a month, and so we had to be content with viewing a selection of its highlights.

The first morning we climbed the 414 steps up the Campanile and viewed Florence from this amazing vantage point. Of course it’s 414 steps back down again and a slightly ‘red in the face’ group walked across the main piazza and visited the great sculpture museum, The Bargello.

We had a 2.30 reservation at The Uffizi Gallery and slipped inside just as a large thunder storm splashed across the city.

There were so many first for this group of students in the next few hours. First Leonardo, first Botticelli; and the list goes on. A group of thoroughly ‘changed ‘ students exited from this special place.

We stayed in the Hotel Casci, a hotel that we have used in the past. It is close to the center of Florence and is run by such a friendly and accommodating family that treated us as if we were part of their own.

The next day started in The Accademia with Michelangelo, and once again an awestruck group exited. After lunch we walked across the city to the church of the Carmine and spent some private time in Massacio’s Brancacci Chapel.  On our return journey we stopped at Santa Maria Novella to see a little more of Massacio.

Saturday morning was left open for the students to do what they wished. I went for an early morning walk and finished at the Opera del Duomo to say ‘good by’ to some of my favorite sculptures, and was delighted to run into a few of the group doing the same.

The ride back to Venice was an easy 3 hours in the bus, and it became increasingly clear that most of the group thought of it as a ride ’HOME’.

It was a remarkable week of discovery and adventure with a group of enthusiastic, inquisitive fellow travelers, and I suspect will supply fuel for many, many conversations.

We were up early on Sunday morning and waited patiently outside San Marco for the 10.30 Easter Mass. It was worth the wait and we had ‘front row’ seats. Mass was conducted by the local Cardinal with all of the pomp, ceremony and theatre that showed this ancient cathedral at its finest.

Arriving home has been a wonderful reconnection with our watery city, but it is now clear that we are counting down the days to our departure, and there is talk about the sadness that moment will bring.

The weather is improving, the trees show more green each day, and we are all enthusiastic to begin the watercolor segment of this adventure.

Ciao, ciao

John

John Rawlings, Director FVCC Semester in Venice Program

Kyle’s blog

Spring Break turned out to be a wonderful get-away. Urbino and Assisi both were small, hillside, walled- in, medieval towns. Siena and Florence offered a faster paced city landscape with very busy streets and sidewalks.

We had a wonderful bus driver who gave us the privilege of seeing places uncommon to the tourist’s itinerary. Simply driving through Umbria’s countryside was spectacular. One day we stopped at a farm and ate lunch. The food, as well as the property on which we were, was incredible.

My favorite city was Assisi. I made that decision after four of us took a hike up the mountain to Saint Francis’s sanctuary. It was completely hidden away in the lush forests near the top of the mountain. The sanctuary was not only beautiful, but it gave off a sense of serenity no other place had done in my travels within Italy.

We had enjoyed our stay too much in fact, for the gates were closed and locked with us still inside! It’s ironic to say that we were trapped inside a sanctuary, but that’s exactly what happened. Therefore, we had to climb over the walls surrounding the gate while being watched in amazement by a group of German tourists.

Urbino was an amazing little town as well, but I think it was only a precursor setting us up for Assisi’s wonder. Siena was an interesting city – very medieval with a cool piazza. However, I found myself too often surrounded by too many people, too many cars, too little open space, and there was a great feeling of confinement because of that.

Florence was overwhelming! Being there two-and-a-half days was not nearly enough to discover the great deal of fine art this city contains. Likewise, standing at the foot of Michelangelo’s statue of David was enough to blow one’s mind. I have yet to work out how in the world someone could manipulate the surface of stone to such fine details.

I had a great time travelling through Umbria and Tuscany. The last week had way too many things going on for me to organize neatly into this blog, but the adventure leaves its mark in all of our hearts and memories. I came to two realizations during that trip that I won’t forget. 1) I want to travel more of the world and 2) Venice has become home; toward the end of the break, we all felt a longing to be back on our little lagoon island.

Caitlin’s blog

What a fun and exciting past week!  Last Saturday the whole group (plus the newbies) set out from Piazzale Roma on a charter bus for spring break in Umbria and Tuscany.  The first bus ride was not too long; I was tired so Jessica and I claimed the back bench-seat of the bus as our own and plugged our iPods in, stretched out and took a nap.  The first day (Saturday) we arrived in the beautiful little hill-town/fortress of Urbino.  When we got there we put our luggage in our rooms and set out to explore.  We walked up and down numerous hills, worked our leg and butt muscles and finally found a few beautiful little parks to sit and relax in.  The first little park we stumbled upon was set on top of a little hill and it had a little play structure to mess around on.  Of course I found the little bouncy horse and took a ride.  After letting my inner 5-year old come out to play we headed yet higher up onto the hill and found ourselves in a look-out place where we could see the whole city!  We spent some time up there and then headed back down towards the city center.  We all decided to meet up later for a nice dinner and then we all headed off to continue exploring.  Alyssa, Jessica, Kyle and I walked around the outer limits of the city and found ourselves at the big church of Urbino.  We walked around for a bit in there and enjoyed the plain, yet beautiful interior.  After that we met for dinner and then went to sleep.  The next morning (Sunday) we met bright and early and went to the main museum there.  We saw a few very beautiful pieces and sculptures and then we all loaded back onto the bus and we were on our way to Assisi.

The bus ride to Assisi was not long in length but we were all a little tired by the time we reached Assisi I think we were all ready for a little down time.  “The kids” went and walked around for a little while and looked at stores.  After looking around and such we decided to buy a bottle of wine and hike up to a high hill in Assisi and overlook the city.  The hike up was beautiful!  The skies were clear and the sunset was astounding.  We all laughed, joked and drank wine until it was cold and dark and sparkling stars had replaced the pink and orange sunset.  We went out to an inexpensive little restaurant and then went to bed.  The next morning (Monday) we met and then started our tour of the city.  First we went to St. Francis’ church.  That was a beautiful church.  The frescoes that adorned each wall were astounding and I loved each one.  After that we had a little free time and we did a little shopping. We met up after and went to another pretty little church and then we had the rest of the day to ourselves.  The other kids decided to go up the mountain and go on a little hike.  I was tired, my knees were hurting and I had an almost irresistible urge to use my new leather-bound watercolor book so I decided to opt out of the hike and go paint.  Before I went painting I decided to get some lunch and get some gifts for my family and friends.  I found a leather-shoe store and stopped in.  I found an inexpensive pair of leather “Spartan” sandals and I purchased them.  I also went to the local olive wood store and bought some very cool items for my family and myself.  After I got my shopping done the sun was still shining and it was comfortably warm so I decided to park myself on the steps of a fountain and paint one of the churches.  Minutes after I got my sketch done and had pulled out my paint a musician came and sat near me and started playing.  People were milling about around me; little kids would come over to my painting and run away, only to return with their friends or parents in tow telling them to look at my painting.  As the afternoon, and my painting, progressed I got more and more people stopping to look on at my painting.  I enjoyed the little conversations I got to have and the overall joyful afternoon.  I completed a painting I was happy with and had an experience I would never forget.  As the sun set, I started shivering and decided it was probably time to run back to the hotel.  When I got there the others still had not returned so I decided to go to bed early.  The next morning (Tuesday) we ate breakfast and started the trek to the bus.  After we had all loaded our luggage and seated ourselves we were on our way to Siena.

The bus ride to Siena was enjoyable.  The countryside was absolutely gorgeous and for lunch we stopped at a little farm/hotel.  We had a delicious meal that consisted of a meat plate, lasagna and tiramisu.  After exploring the farm for a little bit we headed back to the bus and drove the little distance to Siena.  When we got to Siena we dropped our luggage off at the hotel and immediately set out to explore the city.  We first went to the art store and looked around and then a few of us went to the Duomo and drew/painted it.  That took up a few hours and when we all started shivering and felt rain drops we decided to head back to the hotel.  On the way back we got distracted by a group of kids from various countries playing hacky sack in front of the Duomo and we decided to join in! After some intense hacky sacking we went back to the hotel and Jessica and I watched a little Italian TV/movie and then went to bed.  One thing we have definitely noticed with Italian movies and TV is that they are not afraid of nudity!  After a good night’s sleep we all met in front of the hotel and toured the city.  We first went to the main piazza where the famous horse races take place.  Next we went to the Duomo.  That was absolutely gorgeous!  The intricacy of the architecture and decorations was stunning.  Next we went to the baptistery and saw some very interesting pieces.  After that we went and got our luggage and hopped onto the bus and we were on our say to Florence!

(Wednesday) The bus ride to Florence was short and we were all starting to show our tiredness by the time we got there.  We got our luggage off the bus and lugged it to the hotel.  We got the rest of the day to ourselves and we went to the outdoor market and looked at all the interesting items for sale.  As we are all poor college kids we decided to go to a local supermarket and purchase items for sandwiches for that night’s dinner and for lunch the next day.  After buying that we went back to the hotel, watched a movie, ate and went to bed.  We all met the next morning (Thursday) in front of the hotel and set out on that day’s adventures.  The first thing we did was climb a tower (414 steps!) and we got to see the whole city.  After that we went to a very interesting museum full of sculptures and walked around for a little while in there.   After we were done with that we went to the center square, regrouped and walked over to the Uffizi and waited in line.  We walked around in there for a while and saw so many famous paintings and sculptures.  I was most impressed my “The Birth of Venus” and “La Primavera.”  I had always seen pictures and heard of these two great paintings but it was amazing to see them in person.  They simply took my breath away.  I also was able to see many other famous artists such as Michelangelo.  The painting he had hanging in there was beautiful and different.  After the Uffizi Jess and I headed out in search of another supermarket for dinner.  After nearly an hour of searching, we finally stumbled upon one, bought some food and made our way back to the hotel.  We were both exhausted and our feet were killing us so we ate and then went to bed.  On Friday yet again we met in front of the hotel after breakfast and started our day.  First off we went to the Accademia and saw Michelangelo’s David.  It was AMAZING!  I could have stayed there for hours and just looked at him.  After that we went to this little church that had some absolutely amazing/groundbreaking frescoes.  The church itself was beautiful but the movie we had to watch in order to see the church was so boring.  I think half of us fell asleep and the narrator’s voices made us all die of laughter.  So of course, we were able to make a boring experience enjoyable.  For the rest of that day we could do whatever we wanted.  We walked around for a little bit more, explored and such.  For dinner we met with John and ate at his friend’s restaurant.  The food was so delicious and we all had a great time.  The next morning (Saturday) it was time for us to head out.  Jess, Erika and I got up early and went to the Opera and saw some very famous sculptures by Donatello and Michelangelo.  It was definitely worth getting up early for.  After that we all piled onto the bus and settled in for the 4 hour ride home.

When we finally reached Venice, I was not expecting the feelings I had flooding over me.  I missed my canals and boats!  For the rest of the day we unpacked, cleaned and rested.  We went to bed early and rested well.  The next day (Sunday) we all met in front of San Marco for an Easter Sunday mass.  Even though I don’t practice Catholicism, it was a very beautiful and interesting experience.  I can now say that I spent an Easter Sunday service at San Marco in Venice!  After that we all went out to my personal favorite bar “The Green Bar” and then Jess and I bought a massive pizza, ate it, watched a movie and painted our nails.

Today (Monday) is a quiet day; I slept in, ate and wrote my blog.  That is about all!  Tonight we are all going over to Jessica and Alyssa’s apartment for a dinner with all our friends.  Thanks for reading! Ciao

Erika’s Blog:

We arrived in Assisi. It was strange, I didn’t really know anything about the place and I honestly wasn’t expecting much from it, but in the end it moved me in so many ways, it quickly became my absolute favorite place. It didn’t look like much from the outside, another hilltop town with some dedications to Saint Francis, but once we entered the city, a whole new air overtook us. It was quiet and calmer there. The people moved at a slower pace, taking the time to say hello and goodbye to their neighbors, the vendors weren’t standing in the streets trying to move product, but simply smiled at you as you passed by. We arrived at our hotel, a funny little place, a tad bit eccentric, very similar to the owner, a strange little man named Luigi, had a bit of room confusion because the guy couldn’t get the four girls names correct, but we were eventually settled. John released us to do what we wished for the evening, so the six of us decided to climb to the top of the hill to the castle for the sunset with a bottle of wine ha-ha. It was a very long climb and my legs were burning after awhile, but I did it. We got up close to the top and the sun was a brilliant orange tinged with rose when we arrived, those pre-sunset colors. As we climbed, the view kept getting better and better, the birds starting to sing their song as the sun bid the place farewell. We arrived at the top as the sky began to burn. All six of us sat on a park bench with the castle and the moon rising over the mountains behind us, the sky on fire before us, drinking our wine, munching on candied nuts, laughing ourselves into the night. Our simple glee and laughter settled into a simple silent joy as the sun dipped behind the mountains in a pillow of purples, grays and blues, and we walked back down the hill as the stars opened their eyes. Our group split in half between those who wished to sleep that those who stayed up the rest of the evening, sharing stories about Caribbean stars and watching for turtles on the beaches, watching the wind whip through the branches of the olive trees below.

The next day we woke up early and went to see the church of Saint Francis, a man I’ve grown to have huge respect for. It was an absolutely beautiful church, with frescos of Francis’ life littering the sides and the ceiling a dazzling aqua blue with golden stars. The color scheme was very similar to Moroccan colors, bright reds and deep purples and turquoise blue, which I’ve never seen in a church before. But it was beneath the church that truly moved you. In the crypts of the church, the walls held the works of hundreds of artist’s from the time that the church was built, a huge collaboration of artists dedicated to this man they all loved and admired. I had a very powerful moment with St. Francis down below the crypts in front of his tomb, not that he was speaking to me or anything, but the fact that he gave up everything, every worldly comfort and things we hold so dear, in order to minister to people, trusting in the lord for all things. I asked myself if I thought I’d ever be brave enough to do that, and I don’t think I could. I don’t know if I believe in anything that strongly to give up everything for it. What kind of person does that make me really? A listless person, without real direction or purpose, without something to believe in. Maybe it’s the first step to finding direction, being able to ask yourself these questions and not being able to give any reasonable answers.

Later that afternoon the five of us traveled up the mountain the opposite direction of the day before, hiking almost five miles to the monastery hidden in the mountains where the grottos of St. Francis and many of his followers slept and depended on nature. We stumbled across a simple cross made of two tree branches tied together in from of a simple altar, a board on top of a tree stump, surrounded by a semicircle of small wooden benches, enough seats for maybe 30 people sitting; the rest would have to rest on the ground. I couldn’t help but imagine this as what St. Francis would really want, people climb up the mountain to come hear Francis speak, he climbs out of a cave, covered in dirt and looking completely emaciated, but there’s a fire that burns in those blue eyes of his, the eyes that look too big for his face, but there’s such passion and fervor in those eyes that the audience in completely captivated the moment he steps forward. A bird flitters down from a branch above and lands on his shoulder as he speaks his “Canticle of the Creatures”

…Praise to thee my Lord with all thy creatures, especially for Master Brother Sun, who illuminates the day for us and thee most high he manifests. Praise be to thee my Lord, for Sister Moon and for the stars in heaven thou hast formed them shining, precious, fair….

It was Francis’ real church to me, and although I had to climb so far and my legs burned the entire way and my chest ached, in the end, it was one of the most worthwhile things I did on the entire trip.

Jessica’s Blog

I am in the middle of preparing a wonderful little dinner for all of our friends that we have met while we have been here in Venice. Tony, a friend from Newcastle we met in language class, has even come back just to see us one more time! The friends and memories we have made in this short amount of time are astonishing. Speaking of memories, this last week we spent our spring break traveling around Tuscany in a charter bus. First was Urbino, the home of Raphael the painter. We spent the day exploring every hill and street we could trek. Then before we left the next day the entire group toured a castle. Next was Assisi, my favorite city of all. It was so beautiful, it blew my mind! The white rock buildings and the pristine streets. On the first night the youngins of the group climbed to the very top of Assisi to the castle and wall that was there. From there we could see the entire valley while we sat and watched the sunset together. The next day in Assisi we took a 5 mile hike altogether and saw a Monastery in the mountains surrounding the city of Assisi. It was amazing to see because that is where the Franciscan monks used to go and sleep in caves and under cliffs, we even saw a few of them. It was wonderful to see the Church of St. Francis. The frescoes by Giotto and others were enough to make me cry right in the middle of the church. The colors were so vibrant. From there we set out for Siena where we were able to see the unfinished Duomo and works by the local famous painter Duccio. After Siena we headed to Florence for our final three days of the trip. Florence was a larger city and had an energy that was infectious. Which was a very good thing because we definitely needed loads of energy to pack in all of the art museums and attractions in just a few days. Seeing David by MicAhelangelo and the Mary Magdalena by Donatello was more than enough to make my trip and maybe even my life complete!  I was blown away by the amazing artwork in Florence! Now that our trip has come to an end we are all home, enjoying the relaxation before we start classes tomorrow.

Alyssa’s blog

Oh amici how I’ve missed you!

I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life this week. I will concur with my fellow friends, that Assisi was the pinnacle of the trip. Palm Sunday: on the highest hill above Assisi, in front of a castle, passing a bottle of wine between us while watching the sun set. It made my entire trip. Kyle and I wandered lower into a grove of olive trees where there were white daffodils growing wild. We climbed up an old rock wall that extended downhill from the castle and had a panoramic view of the entire valley below Assisi. With the pattern of the clouds in the sky and the path of the roads below, the setting sun was a vanishing point; all lines led to it. We watched until the last bead of fire was plucked from the horizon like a knot thread through knit material. It seems like the sunset lasted the entire day.

The next day we walked the steep four kilometers to the Franciscan Monk monastery. What a beautiful place. I had an overwhelming spiritual moment remembering my mother there. It would probably have been her favorite place on the planet also.

Assisi is very inspiring. So is Saint Francis, and so is Erika (who inspired me to write a little bit!):

(A short lesson, just before arriving to Assisi there is a big Renaissance church that was built over the church of Saint Francis (literally one small church inside of a very large one) as a way to embrace his ideals. We stopped there first.)

3/29/2010

Atop green washed hills

Below a pale mounted sky

Lay your trusted city

In stones and vines

Beckoned to us first,

Your small haven favor

Welcomed without coerce

An altruistic savior.

Love had built around you

With Renaissance hands,

Hugging your ideals and

The heart in your plans

The cap vanished,

As before my eyes:

A cottage so

Humbly jeweled

In holiness,

With air like an

Ancient sweat

Of fever pitch.

A generous greeting

And powerful, too.

Selflessly bidding

My likeness in you.

A sunken woolen cloth

Tattered and rough

Embracing Saint Francis

In his crypt below a rock.

Deep in the green ravine

In Umbrian springtime

His footsteps had awakened

And fit within mine.

No other saint

Has met me so well.

Seeing Michelangelo’s David wasn’t so bad either! I could have spent a week just studying Michelangelo in Florence. The “Prisoners,” or “Captive,” ‘unfinished’ pieces leading up to the David were remarkable also. And I particularly liked what he did with the sculpture “Day and Night,” (opposite “Dawn and Dusk”) in the Medici, a building he designed, where the ‘Night’ lady is polished to seem “drenched in moonlight.” I was drenched, by rain, waiting to get into the place, as the skies of Florence were quite sporadic and even decided to hail while our group was having coffee on the roof of the Uffizi. There was one moment in Florence, when Karen and I were sketching in the Piazza Signori; we heard a deafening crack followed by a thundering rumble. We both thought the building adjacent to us was collapsing! Everyone in the entire piazza was spooked. Mostly the weather was great, but it was a little testy, just like Montana in that sense.

Stopping in Tuscany between rolling hills of green patchwork for a homemade lunch at a ranch with a shy Great Pyrenese who befriends quite easily was AMAZING and should be done every year.

Love,

Alyssa

Most of this week’s photographs were taken by Caitlin

Maurizio's bus

Erika, Kyle, and Caitlin

Jessica, Erika, Caitlin, and Alyssa

Urbino

Sunset on the castle at Urbino

Urbino

Urbino street

Friends in Assisi

Assisi sunset

Assisi

Basilica of Saint Francis

Above Assisi

Eating at the 'Agri Tourismo"

Siena

Siena

Duomo, Siena

Pisano pulpit, Siena Duomo

Looking down on Florence

Florence

Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

Florence

Florence

On top of the Campanile

Looking down through the grating on the Campanile

Florence

Sunset on the castle in Urbino

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Siena

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