Days 7 and 8 - Florence/Venice

Before I begin my discussion about our final two days in Italy, I would like to address the gap in time between my posts and explain the reason for it.  In the United States, we are all very accustomed to having the internet and communication available on demand almost anytime we desire.  Although internet was available in Italy, we were dependent on public Wi-Fi hot spots, which the group soon came to realize are not always reliable, efficient, or free.  In general, much of the European computer technology that we encountered appeared to be about five-to-ten years out of date.  For example, some computers were still running Windows XP (perhaps a testimonial to this great program!) and did not always have ports for our camera cards.  It also appeared that most network servers were also of the same age, which may explain the delays and difficulty accessing the internet.  In addition, it also appeared that in some cases we were being blocked by a firewall, which limited access either partially or entirely to various sites.  Consistent with being somewhat behind the times, luckily most places we visited had internet cafe’s, but those also featured out-of-date technology.  To add to the difficulty, the computers were equipped with various international keyboards which made it very challenging to type, as well as find necessary symbols such as the @ for email and other various punctuation.

Often times, when a computer and network was available for use, our study schedule did not allow for the time or facilitate the mindset that was necessary for me to update my blog.  Given this, I was careful to keep a journal of my thoughts and experiences so that I may accurately describe my time abroad, when I had a computer and reliable network connection available.

Day seven of our trip was a re-scheduled free-day where most of the group took a side trip to Florence, which most notably is home to the Academia, which contains Michaelangelo’s David, and Brunelleschi’s Dome.  After about a four-hour ride on the Eurostar, upon arrival in Florence I once again recognized that we had stepped into a different time period – this time the Renaissance.  This was apparent in the different architecture which featured brighter colors and human images in both the sculpture and paintings.  It was also at this leg of our journey that I once again began to piece together and appreciate what I had learned in the classroom at King’s – this time primarily from my Western Civilization and Sculpture courses.  In Western Civilization, we learned about the Renaissance period and discussed the significance of The David in that it marked one of the first pieces of artwork which emphasize the human figure and suggest strong intellectual ability.  But seeing this (approximately) 17′ sculpture in person was much more meaningful and impressive than just seeing it in a textbook.  In addition, after completing a sculpture course, I took an interest in the detail and use of shadows in The David, as well as other figures at the Academia.  After attempting to make a symmetrical object out of relatively soft plaster in class, I could now appreciate the difficulty in carving this masterpiece out of such a hard material like marble.  After touring the rest of the Academia, I also learned how human sculptures are made and how masterpieces can be copied and scaled to any size – something that I will not be attempting anytime soon!

The architecture of Florence marked a shift from a medieval design to the Renaissance style which I described earlier.  I found this very significant in that with some imagination you go from the 14th to 15th century just by looking in a different direction.  Perhaps the most significant architectural accomplishment of that period was Brunelleschi’s Dome (The Duomo).   I distinctly remember the discussion of The Duomo in Dr. Clasby’s Western Civilization course last fall.  As a class, we read about how over 500-years ago, Brunelleschi built a self-supporting dome, which was of enormous proportions even by today’s standards.  The approximately 143 feet wide dome, was an engineering marvel and first of its kind.  I remember trying to appreciate this feat as we discussed in class, but seeing the dome in person made me truly appreciate what an accomplishment this project truly was.  I have experience working in building construction, so I could appreciate the enormity, logistics,  and craftsmanship which went into building this structure, and can only imagine the courage that the workers must have had while working on this experimental design.  After climbing the nearly 465 steps up, aside from being exhausted, I was somewhat afraid to step outside at the top of the 340-foot tall dome’s observation deck.  After a few moments however, I felt comfortable enough to walk around the perimeter and view the beautiful city below.

Being in Italy and experiencing all of the various time periods and architectural wonders, often times I was “waiting for the ride to be over” – as if I was at a theme park.  It was often surreal and sometimes overwhelming to experience the culture and all of the beautiful and mesmerizing sites.  After visiting The Duomo, I found it ironic that an over 500-year old structure provided more thrill and excitement for me than a modern theme park!

In the interest of ensuring an on-time arrival at the Venice airport, the next day we transferred to a hotel in Mestre’ – the Venice mainland.  After having visited four cities in Italy during the program, and getting the feel that they all told a story of a different time period, I began to feel that every city would feel older.  Upon arriving in Mestre’, it became apparent to me that signs of modern, western civilization are indeed in Italy.  Where in the lagoon of ancient Venice the only streets are canals, the mainland looks alot more like a western city – car dealers, modern hotels, restaurants, etc.  At that point I appreciated that a few days prior, we were able to enter ancient Venice via train and arrived to our hotel on foot.  This truly had the most dramatic feel of stepping back in time.

At the Mestre’ hotel, we had a group discussion of Roberto Bassi’s “Skirmishes on Lake Lagoda”, and the whole group was very excited that we would be embarking for Istanbul the next morning.

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