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 9th 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 16th 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
April 9, 2010 at 6:44 pm |
I would love to be there, it seems so relaxing. I bet mom is loving it there.