Venice Realized

Reflecting back on my journey from the United States, I realize how valuable of a learning experience, both personally and intellectually, this study abroad has been for me. I grew as an individual from my experiences traveling and staying in a foreign country. Similarly, my knowledge of artwork, Venetian history, and the transition to the Renaissance greatly expanded from lecture and course material.

In the lectures and readings, I learned about definitive shifts in our way of thinking, particularly the massive paradigm shift from the Medieval period to the Renaissance. I learned about differences in temporality and space that relate to new ideas and different perspectives/methods of representation. In artwork, I discovered the acquiring of perspective, use of a vanishing point, and introduction of a third dimension. I used to never understand artwork beyond a simple appreciation for a pretty painting, but now I can look at a painting and describe the aspects that contribute to the representation of the object and overall message from the artist. Before starting this course, the only famous artist I knew was DaVinci, but now I feel confident in my ability to identify traditional Byzantine paintings and work by Giotto and Tintoretto.

For me, the most influential aspect of this course was learning to understand current transformations by looking at similar transformations in the past. Looking at my surroundings in Venice every day, I enjoyed observing and analyzing the different details that contribute to the function of the city. As I anticipated, Venice is a great big puzzle. I enjoyed picking up each piece, examining them with my hands, and feeling the edges to decipher the placement in the overall puzzle of Venice. Focult’s paper on heterotopias was most influential to my analysis of Venice.  Heterotopias function as a look into the past, or a reflection back. In his paper, Focult describes a mirror as a heterotopia, creating two separate spaces that exist simultaneously in a symbiotic relationship. Looking into the mirror, the place you occupy is real and unreal at the same time. It is real because you are physically there looking into the mirror, but it is also unreal because the image reflected back at you had to pass through another space, or virtual point. I viewed Venice in a similar fashion. Standing in St. Mark’s Basilica, I am real, my existence grounded to the hard floor. But, taking in my impressive surroundings, I find myself in an unreal state as the history of St. Mark’s Basilica is reflected through its architecture. Throughout my week in Venice, I viewed the city as a heterotopia, looking at its history to understand its present.

Reflecting back on my original imaginings of Venice, I did a reasonably good job of reaching my goals. I wanted to explore the city and eventually be able to navigate it on my own. As far as my navigational skills go, I may possess a little more confidence than ability, but I am proud to announce that I knew how to get to Academia, Rialto, and my favorite restaurant spots from San Marco. However, I was unable to navigate between any of those spots without returning to San Marco first. Before leaving for Venice, I also stated that I wanted to experience Italy with the same concentration on details as Robert Langdon in the book Inferno. I tried my best to accomplish this, the lecture on artwork was particularly helpful, but I definitely need to study my hagiography. Finally, I wanted to improve my Italian. Although I tried to communicate in Italian whenever possible, most Venetians spoke English to me and on difficult topics, it was easier to converse in English. I did order my sorbet in Italian though, and often communicated about my allergies in Italian. I am continuing to work on my Italian using Duo Lingo, so hopefully next time I visit Italy I’ll be more fluent.

Furthermore, on an individual level, I grew as a person. Traveling out of the country was the first time I felt like an American. Feeling my nationality as an identifier, I questioned whether “American” was something I wanted to be identified as. During my time in Venice, I was not sure about my answer; it was not until I returned to the United States that I realized how glad I was to be an American. Perhaps it was surface-level differences in culture that made me cherish my nationality; I did miss free water and public restrooms. Or, more likely, it is based in a deepening awareness of myself as a human and learning how being an American fits into that self-identity. This study abroad was an insightful and educational trip that taught me valuable lessons about myself. I am thankful for the opportunity to visit another country while learning so much about its history and cultural influences. 

Scavenger Hunt

On Tuesday, while we were at Academia, we got into our Scavenger Hunt groups and were handed our clue. Ours read: “To whom she gave the true cross we don’t know. But her namesake faces the Lido. On a pitch where you don’t throw, find g’nocatori and take a photo.”

We ruminated on the descriptions in the clue while we looked at the amazing artwork in Academia, eventually meeting up to share our ideas. Our original guess was that the location was Campo Santa Maria Formosa. But, after checking with our professors, we were told to try again. None of us had cellular data, so we relied on help from local Venetians instead of our phones. We decided to stay in Academia and ask the staff there. After asking the woman at the ticket desk, we were directed to the operator of the souvenir shop.

            This man was extremely helpful and worked with us to decipher the clue. It was interesting to watch him read the clue and immediately recognize the word “g’nocatori”, because the first time we read it, we had no idea what the word meant or even how to pronounce it. Also, the man was not sure what the word “namesake” meant. We tried to explain it to him, but once he looked up the translation in Italian, he understood the meaning.

            Breaking the clue down line by line, we set some criteria for our location. First, it must be named after a female and face the Venetian island called Lido. Second, it must be a place where children can play soccer, such as a campo or field.

            However, all of us were confused by the first line of the clue “To whom she gave the true cross, we don’t know”. The man believed it could be some statue of a woman holding a cross. However, none of the statues he knew of were located by a soccer field or faced the Lido. So, we switched to searching for places that faced the Lido and had a place for children to play soccer. With that criteria, the man quickly thought of Sant’Elena. As soon as he said it, all of us felt silly for not remembering the beautiful place our professor had shown us only a few days ago; the answer seemed obvious to us now. So, after profusely thanking our helper, we set off on the vaporetto for Sant’Elena.

            After a long vaporetto ride from Academia, we arrived at Sant’Elena. Walking over to the soccer fields, we were disappointed to find them deserted. There were no g’nocatori to be seen, only pigeons. So, we walked around the rest of the park in search of some Venetians, but could not find a single person, probably because school was not out yet.

            From this activity, I learned that similar to a city in the USA, Venice as a city has smaller subdivisions within it. The man that helped us at Academia said he did not know the Sant’Elena area because he was not from there. He had to look up pictures on his computer to make sure it faced the Lido. I found it interesting that in the same way I do not know every place in my state, Venetians are not familiar with every part of Venice. It is intriguing to think that we, as tourists, may know more about a part of Venice than an actual Venetian. Our group is extremely thankful for the help of the souvenir shop operator; it is comforting to know that Venetians are willing to help tourists.

            Overall, I greatly enjoyed our scavenger hunt and learned a lot from our helper. He not only taught us about Venice, but gave us insight into aspects of Venetian culture. His willingness to help us is similar to other Venetians, and is possibly indicative of the large population of tourists in Venice. It is likely that local Venetians are asked about directions daily, so most are used to offering their knowledge. 

My last day in Venice

Today, Friday, was my last day in Venice. I bid farewell to the city tomorrow morning and begin my long journey back home. Even though it was our last day, we kept the busy schedule going and enjoyed a day full of activities.

Beginning the day with an 8:30 a.m. lecture on post-modernism, we dove head-first into course material. After lecture, we were just able to catch the vaporetto to head over to the Guggenheim. Similar to Monday and Tuesday, we had the opportunity to directly visualize concepts from lecture in their real form. Post-modern art exhibits a new way of thinking. Showing an understanding of what it means to be human, post-modernism is often sublime and non-representational. The artist wants the viewer to feel the essence of their subject rather than simply look at it. Artists attempt to capture what is happening inside the mind and reject the value of the human body as form. This type of representation can often make the artwork difficult to understand. As Gombrich puts it, “the artist gives the beholder increasingly…more to do” (202). My favorite piece of artwork at the Guggenheim is Gino Severini’s Sea=Dancer. I love the color and texture of the painting and understand the relationship Severini depicts between the dancer and the sea.

               After we looked around the Guggenheim, we had a free afternoon until our final dinner together. So, many of us decided to travel to Murano, the glass-making island of Venice. During our afternoon there, we were lucky enough to see a glass-blowing demonstration. Seeing the glass at the different stages of construction was overwhelmingly impressive. The crafter would pull it out of the fire and it would be glowing a bright orange color. Moving his pole up and down in the air, the crafter made the glass sway side to side, like a tree blowing in the wind. But, a moment later he would be pulling the class to shape it and then pounding it. The glass looked like a bubble, a thick gel, and finally a glass object all in the span of one minute.

               Another element I found interesting was the incredibly high temperature the entire process was carried out at. Even after the glass object was finished, it would remain unbelievably hot for another couple hours. For instance, even though this horse that had just been made in the demonstration looked normal, it could still set a piece of paper on fire with its heat.

               When visiting Murano, I kept thinking about Venice as a heterotopia. The island and its function of glass-making reminded me of a class reading, “Of Other Spaces” by Foucault. In his paper, Foucault states “The mirror functions as a heterotopia”, giving the relationship between self and the natural world (24). The mirror makes the “place that I occupy at the moment when I look at myself in the glass at once absolutely real” but at the same time it is “absolutely unreal” because “in order to be perceived it has to pass through this virtual point” (24). The heterotopia of Murano gives the same sensation. I see and experience Murano in a completely real time and space, but while doing so I am able to see and understand the past function of Murano. The mirror, Murano, allows you to experience two different times at once.

               After Murano, we returned to San Marco where our entire class met for a special surprise. Our professor organized gondola rides for our last evening in Venice! Seeing the city from a new perspective, we were treated to a relaxing ride through the canals of Venice. We were able to get to various parts of the city very quickly, so it is easy to understand why this form of transportation was widely used in the past. Even though Venice is populated with canals, few people use the waterways to get from place to place. A few families still have boats, and have the main entry into their home off of the canals, but most people walk, because one must pay to dock their boat in the canals. It was nice to travel through Venice in a past form of transportation; it helped me understand the city as it used to be – a world power and trade hub- rather than a tourist location.

               Following a lovely dinner together, we decided to walk around the city for our final night in Venice. Ambling around near Rialto Bridge, we found a group of high schoolers from Venice. It was interesting to talk with them about the differences in schooling/education between the United States and Italy. All of them spoke English, so it was easy to communicate. I am glad I had the experience of talking with a local Venetian, outside of ordering food in a restaurant, even if I was not able to communicate with them in Italian.

               We ended our final night with a hurried trip to my favorite gelato place. Although it was my third time having gelato today, I enjoyed four scoops none the less. My week in Venice has been a memorable and insightful experience. I look forward to seeing everyone when I return to the United States! Ciao Venezia!

Geertz Analysis: Venice's Fish Market

In analyzing a part of Venetian culture, I believe it is important that the analyzer have an appreciation and interest in the topic in order to fully understand the topic’s social value. For that reason, I chose to write my socio-anthropological analysis on the Venetian fish market.  In his work, “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight”, Clifford Geertz describes his and his wife’s experience studying the Bali culture as anthropologists. At the start, Geertz and his wife were “nonpersons, specters, invisible men” (1). However, after their experience at the cock fight, they became accepted by the village. So, in order to correctly analyze the fish market, I tried to blend into the crowd of morning customers and walked around with open eyes and ears. At the end of my analysis, I attempted to experience the culture rather than simply observe it and purchased some fruit from the market. (I decided fish would not be the best choice because I do not have a place to cook the raw meat.) I believe my observation coupled with my participation in the market led to a more complete analysis.

Venice’s fish market occurs just past Rialto Bridge in a covered area next to the water. It is a busy area in the mornings, but shuts down before most of the tourist traffic begins. The most accurate description of the atmosphere of the fish market is Erving Goffman’s classification of a “focused gathering”. According to Goffman, such gatherings are defined as “a set of persons engrossed in a common flow of activity and relating to one another in terms of that flow” (5). In the market, there is a flow of buyers moving through the various stands to complete their grocery shopping. At the same time, the sellers are preparing the seafood for customers, collecting money, and perfecting presentation. The simultaneous activities of buyers and sellers create an interdependence that drives the market flow.  The buyers are dependent on the sellers and the sellers are dependent on the buyers; it is a mutualistic relationship.

However, this relationship is grounded in a hierarchical order on both the buyer and seller sides. Only Venetians frequent the fish market. A few adventurous tourists or people living in Venice for an extended period of time may be found wondering the market area, but conversations at the fish market are all carried out in Italian (specifically the Venetian dialect). Most customers are known by the seller, and jovial conversations filled with laughter take place. It is clear when a new or less frequent customer is ordering; the buyer-seller relationship is strained and they are not attended to as quickly as regular customers. Part of this is due to the fact that one must walk up to the table and ask to be helped. Simply standing by the item you desire and waiting will get you nowhere. I saw several people standing and waiting to be helped get passed by a woman who strode up to the stand with a purpose and authoritatively request her seafood. In Venetian culture, relaxation time is valued. One should work hard when it is time to work, so that relaxation and socialization time can be fully utilized. With that in mind, Venetians are direct with what they need, so they can move quickly through their tasks. Furthermore, I stood in front of the shrimp for three minutes while there were no other customers, and did not receive any service. In the hierarchy on the seller side of the relationship, the owner of the stand has the most power. He reprimands his employees if they take too long to get change or arrange the seafood in a manner that he does not like. Within the employees, there are workers who serve customers, prepare the seafood (scaling, cutting, etc.), and keep the area clean.

Beyond buyer-seller interactions, let’s examine buyer-buyer and seller-seller associations along with the competition present in these relationships. I observed no interaction between customers. Each buyer moved around with regard only for themselves. No suggestions on the best stand to get shrimp were offered, and morning pleasantries were rarely exchanged. A similar, non-existent relationship exists between sellers. In fact, there is an element of competition. Although vendors already have established customers, they put a lot of effort into their presentation to draw-in less-frequent buyers and new customers. Sellers have their seafood laid out on ice, but more competitive vendors arrange the fish in spirals and other designs, adding garnishes such as lettuce or kale to their displays. Most vendors even sell live seafood, which is a staple for some buyers and a definite attention grabber. After observing the five main vendors in the fish market, I found that the booth with the largest selection and greatest emphasis in display had the most business.

Considering the individual relationships within the overall flow, I believe the fish market serves as a work/business environment. Both the buyer and seller come to the market in a task-oriented mindset. The buyer wants to purchase food to feed to themselves or their family, and the vendor wants to sell their goods to make a profit. Like in any workplace, there is a hierarchy in order to ensure that goals are reached and tasks are accomplished. Venetians implement assertiveness in ordering to complete their morning tasks in a timely manner, which allows for precious afternoon socialization. Similarly, the boss of each booth orders his workers to perform duties accurately and efficiently so that he will sell his product and make a profit. Both parties enter into the market with specific goals, and accomplish these goals through the hierarchy. Work is a necessary part of life, which Venetians attempt to efficiently complete in the mornings. The lack of tourists at the fish market indicates the difference between how tourists and local Venetians utilize their time. In contrast to the Venetian’s strong morning work ethic, tourists do not have a significant motivation to work and enjoy their vacation with leisurely days.

The “vacation” attitude that tourists exhibit represents the alternate time-space existence that they inhabit. Tourists are not concerned with carrying out daily tasks for work, or getting home in time to prepare dinner, time moves at a slower pace for them. Therefore, their relationship with time, or temporality, is remarkably different from that of the local Venetians. At the market, Venetians move efficiently. Performing their daily responsibilities, the Venetians create the task-oriented flow of the market. A stray tourist aimlessly wondering the market demonstrates the temporality difference and stands out from the market’s naturally cyclic flow.

Here is a link to a PDF of Geertz’s analysis for reference or further reading.

http://www.sas.rochester.edu/psc/clarke/214/Geertz72.pdf

Campo San Giacomo di Rialto

         As I mentioned yesterday, the Rialto bridge area is one of my favorite places in Venice. So, when it came time for our Campo Assignment, I automatically knew which campo I would choose: Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. Located just past the hustle and bustle of the Rialto Bridge, Campo San Giacomo di Rialto is a surprisingly peaceful location despite its proximity to one of Venice’s most popular attractions. This square interests me because it contains a lot of history, is extremely close to Venice’s market, and is right by the water.  Although this campo is surrounded by many shops, its main building is the Church of San Giacomo di Rialto, one of the oldest churches in Venice. In the middle of the square, there is a small fountain that has incredibly fresh water; people often stop here to get a quick drink.  

         During my time here in Venice, I have learned the value of understanding how small aspects of an element contribute to the overall function and meaning of the item as a whole. With that in mind, I will be identifying and analyzing the details in the architecture of Campo San Rialto in an effort to understand the value of the architecture in the function of the square.

        First, the campo, defined as the open space in the center of a Venetian parish, is enclosed on three sides with buildings. However, each of these sides act as a portico, or an open colonnade attached to a building on one side. These structures provide a covered walkway in between the open square and tiny cafés.

Next, let's look at the elements of the prominent church in the campo.

The top of the church exhibits several aedicules, where the framing of the opening with columns supports an entablature or pediment. Also on top of the church, in the structure containing the bells, two triangular pieces known as pediments are present. In the middle of the two pediments, there is a segmental pediment, which has a curved upper edge. These elements are characteristic of classic architecture and were developed in ancient Greece.

This church also contains an oculus, or circular window. Between the two circular windows, there is a thermal window. Thermal windows are large, lunette-shaped windows which are divided into three sections by two vertical supports or mullions. There are also two visible lunettes or semicircular windows.

Above the large clock, one can see a tondo or decorative panel. The church has another tondo, displaying a cross on a coat of arms, by its door.

On this building, adjacent to the church, a dog-tooth molding or type of zigzag carved stone ornament can be seen near the roof.  

Moving on, this campo is a great example of the use of arches in early Italian architecture. This picture is an example of a barrel vault, which is a continuous semicircular vaulted roof. The upper curve of the arches in the photo are extrados, and the inner rim of the arches are intrados.

Campo San Giacomo di Rialto has many calles, or narrow streets, leading out of it.

Many of these connect to fondamentas or waterside streets, which offer picturesque views of a rio or Venetian canal.

This window balcony exhibits a corbel, which is the block projecting from the wall that supports the beam.

In contrast to American culture, an Italian’s typical living story in a building is the second floor or piano nobile. The panterreno, or ground floor, is not used for the living space due to the high incident of flooding in Venice.

Furthermore, this campo has two different orders displayed on the capitals, or heads of columns or pillars. First, the pillars supporting the church exhibit the Corinthian order of classical architecture; the leaves on these pillars’ capitals classify the order as Corinthian, which is of Greek origin. In contrast, the other pillars in the square are of the Doric order. These classic columns have a simple capital and entablature without the decorations characteristic of the Corinthian order.

Many of these pillars are considered piers because they are strong supporting structures. Some are actually pilasters, because they project only slightly from the wall and serve the purpose of decoration rather than support.

        Based on the singular use of the Corinthian order on the pillars used to form a portico with the church, and the continuation of the portico with the building adjacent to the church, one can deduce that these particular columns and the portico were added to the campo later, when the Corinthian order was more prevalent. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the campo is home to one of Venice’s oldest churches, which was arguably one of the first structures in the square.

        Now, with the major architectural details of the square identified, I can understand that the campo is Romanesque architectural style with an early Gothic influence. Characterized by semi-circular arches and sturdy piers, Romanesque architecture was widespread in Medieval Europe, eventually developing into Gothic architecture.

         In the past, this campo had a town crier who made public announcements. He or she was extremely important to the spread of knowledge and ideas in Venice because this was the main means of communication. Many common people did not know Latin, the primary language used because of its link to the church, so the town crier’s use of the vernacular was impactful on the thoughts and actions of the public.

        In present day, this campo is used as a gathering place for tourists and children after school. It also acts as a walkway to the market and houses the occasional street performer. I believe the campo’s simple, Romanesque architecture allows the space to function as an activity center. It’s beautifully simplistic buildings give people the ability to enjoy the space of the campo without focusing entirely on the church and surrounding buildings. In contrast, in a campo with Renaissance or Baroque architecture, people will devote more of their time and attention to the buildings instead of activities in the campo.

        Overall, this activity has made me more interested in and affectionate towards my campo. It is one of my favorite places to go in Italy, especially early in the morning. Furthermore, it has helped me in viewing the campo in a new way, as a heterotopia. The vast history in Venetian architecture functions as a reflection into the past. In both the past and present, the campo had other major purposes aside form the church and architectural admiration. This assignment has helped me understand how different styles of architecture, especially Romanesque, affect the function of an area, simply through their presence.

        Although my campo did not portray the transition from Medieval to Renaissance in its architecture, it is clear that there is a significant difference between the two. In lecture and the readings, we learned about paradigm shifts. Thomas S. Kuhn in his work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, states that “when paradigms change, the world itself changes with them” (11). During the Medieval period, progress was made in a liner fashion until a theoretical wall was hit and progress plateaued. With no more progress in the Medieval way of thinking, a paradigm shift occurred, bringing about the Renaissance. The Renaissance contained a new way of thinking- a new paradigm. Containing many new ideas and information, the Renaissance caused a worldwide change. For instance, in the Medieval period the division between human and nonhuman was not very defined. But, during the Renaissance, new methods were brought to light, such as progress in philosophy and human anatomy, aspects which define the human both physically and intellectually.

        I enjoyed learning about the history and architecture of the Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. The structure of elements helps me understand the architectural style, which in turn helps me to look at the campo as a heterotopia. The transition between paradigms in history is easier now to visualize and apply to Venice, and ultimately the development of humans.

Thursday day trip to Padua: Cars?! (and gelato of course!)

               Today, we took a train to Padua to visit some interesting historical features and get a glimpse at a different Italian city. Stepping out of the Padua train station, I was surprised by how much Padua looked like a city. Cars zoomed by, stop lights changed colors, pedestrians hurried across streets; in comparison to Venice, Padua was a sensory overload.

               All of a sudden, I found myself longing for the waterways of Venice. The automobiles that noisily honked their way through traffic not only seemed foreign to me, but also annoying and unnecessary. Throughout the day, I did my best to give Padua a chance, trying to warm to the city. But, my distaste of its busy, frantic flow only grew with the time I spent there. I did, however, enjoy the places we visited.

               To start, we enjoyed a tour of the first anatomical theater. The layout and design were interesting, but I kept wondering what someone would do if they needed to sit down. The room and tour also made me think of the transition to the Renaissance, which we had discussed in lecture earlier in the week. People were starting to wonder how humans function and what they are composed of internally. Scholars wanted to understand the human form. So many new ideas and questions arose in the Renaissance, as thinking transitioned from blind acceptance of biblical theories to inquiries of our physical form. Scholars were trying to figure out what makes a human. These huge advancements in thinking and acquisition of knowledge were elemental to our progressions as humans today.

               After our tour, we had lunch and went to an extremely nice cafe to meet with an exchange student studying in Padua from Purdue.

It was helpful to hear her experiences studying abroad for a semester, and listen to how she could make it work with her major. Next, we visited the Scrovegni Chapel and the Baptistry and Basilica di Sant’ Antonio. I enjoyed seeing all of Giotto’s paintings in the Scrovegni Chapel. The blue background he used as well as his attempts to include the third dimension show the movement away from Byzantine. I particularly liked how Giotto used his paintings to tell a story that wrapped around the Chapel.

Giotto uses blue backgrounds instead of gold

Giotto attempts 3D in this painting.

               Walking to St. Anthony’s basilica next, we were excited to see the incorruptible tongue. Wandering through the large cathedral, I greatly enjoy the interior designs. The dome ceiling in the back of the Basilica is my new favorite ceiling. To me, it’s incredibly whimsical cloud-like design is more otherworldly than the gold background commonly used.

               After a long day of sight-seeing, we headed back to Venice for an evening on our own. I treated myself to a fancy dinner at a restaurant I had been eyeing all week. Its gluten-free selection was extensive, so I ordered gnocchi and a pizza! In fact, during my time in Venice so far, I have noticed that Venetians are especially attentive to the gluten food allergy. If I went to a restaurant that specifically advertised gluten-free food, then it was easy to ensure my food would be “senza glutine”. But, even if I went to a different restaurant, the people would be extremely accommodating and tell me directly about foods I should avoid due to cross-contamination. I realized that this difference in consideration of gluten-free was not confined to an individual level, but stood as a cultural difference. Italians understand that food, especially carbohydrates such as pasta and bread, are delicious and should be valued. So, if someone, such as myself, is unable to consume such delicacies, it is a tragedy. In contrast, when I order gluten-free in the United States, I am often treated with an attitude because of the popularity of the gluten-free diet. I believe I got less cross-contamination in Italy than I typically do eating out in the United States. So, eating this week has not been an issue.

               Finally, we ended our long day with gelato! Eating some sorbet for the second time today, I believe that gelato has become a staple in all of our diets, perhaps even a new food group. We took the vaporetto back to San Servolo and fell asleep quickly, with dreams of gelato dancing in our head. 

Wednesday: Another Early Morning & Dried Fruit

Waking up early to take the 7:35 vaporetto to San Marco, I was treated to a peaceful morning in the city. From the serene boat ride through the foggy morning air to the open streets on my way to Rialto, I knew the morning would be tranquil. 

Greatly enjoying the absence of tourists, I ventured to the market. Upon arrival, I was stunned by how vibrant the area looked in comparison to the other times I had seen it. Venice is clearly a morning city.

               I spent most of my time at the market observing the fish market, which was surprisingly interesting. Many of the vendors were selling live seafood!

However, I did take some time to venture around the fresh produce. It was here that I learned a very important lesson as a tourist. In the regular market, vendors will approach you as soon as you take time to consider one of the products more closely. Even if you are just evaluating the price of the item, the vendor will be out of his booth standing by the produce with a plastic bag. He will then ask you what item you are interested in, and if you respond with anything other than a nondescript answer of “I am just looking”, you will end up purchasing some produce. Because, once you tell the vendor you like the grapes, he will take his plastic bag and collect a bunch for you. Placing them on the scale, the vendor tells you how much they are, or rather how much you need to pay, because those grapes are yours now.

               As a tourist, I had to learn this lesson. Earlier in the week, I had wondered around the market looking at dried fruit. It seemed that every booth had an equally diverse selection, so I was not sure which vendor I should buy from. That decision was made for me when one of the vendors got a plastic bag and started grabbing me fruit. He gave me an assortment, which I was content with, and enjoyed for the next couple of days. Running out on Tuesday, I found myself back at the dried fruit vendors today to replenish my supply. The vendor that sold me dried fruit earlier remembered me, and used my obsession with dried fruit to earn some extra money. He gave me a lot of dried fruit. When he placed it on the scale, it cost thirteen euros! Needless to say, I learned that I need to be more specific and assertive in telling the vendor what, and how much, I want.

               This lesson helped me realize my identity as an American tourist, as well as the advantages and disadvantages associated with that. On one hand, it is advantageous to be a tourist, because you are not expected to automatically know certain things, shops/restaurants want your business, and you can ask questions when confused. However, experiencing a city as a tourist is not the same as living in the city, and you often have to learn several important lessons before you understand the local customs. In the future, I hope to live in or visit a place for an extended period. I do not want to be immediately recognized and treated like a tourist. For instance, tonight we went to my favorite gelato place. Sadly, my favorite guy who normally serves us was not there. The young adult there instead immediately identified our group as tourists, greeting us with “hello” instead of “ciao”. I, wanting to work on my Italian and experience the culture as much as possible, responded with “ciao”. He continued to speak to me in English, so I continued to respond in Italian. His consistent English can be viewed as both advantageous and disadvantages for tourists. It is beneficial for tourists to be able to communicate in English when they do not understand enough Italian. However, it is also a disadvantage for tourists that want to practice conversing in Italian.

               I hope I can practice my Italian more later this week, but I did enjoy my sorbet. Today, we also went on a Tintoretto tour with Professor Gregory Dowling. In addition to seeing some Tintoretto paintings, such as the ones in the Scuola di San Rocco, we learned a lot of unique tidbits about Venice.

One of my favorites was this statue of a woman and an elephant. Venetians knew how to sculpt lions, but have no experience with elephants- a fact that is clearly witnessed in this sculpture.

               After a long day, I enjoyed a delicious dinner on my own and joined back up with the group for a quick gelato stop before catching the vaporetto back to San Servolo. Tomorrow we have our day trip to Padua; it will be interesting to see how my feelings about Venice change after visiting another city. 

Tuesday: Art, Music, and Gelato

Starting off the day with another 8:30 a.m. lecture, I had a long, but exciting, day ahead of me. At the beginning of lecture, we received our team assignments for the scavenger hunt activity later in the day. I had been looking forward to the scavenger hunt since reading the syllabus, and was eager to show off my knowledge and ability to navigate Venice. In lecture, we learned about the history and progression of art through the Renaissance. Again, we were able to readily apply our lecture material in the afternoon when we visited Accademia and looked at the paintings there. Three main elements we discussed as we moved through the changes in artwork associated with paradigm shifts were acquiring of perspective, vanishing point, and object representation. Beginning with Byzantine art, we examined the all gold backgrounds and lack of depth. Additionally, we drew from Gombrich’s “everyman” concept to understand how the similar faces of each person in the painting related to the poor definition of a human in Medieval times. Furthermore, the gold background represented time outside of time. In the Post-Renaissance, a gold halo was used instead to represent this temporarily and act as a barrier between earthly existence and other worlds. At Accademia, I saw many Byzantine paintings, easily identifiable by their gold backgrounds and lack of dimensions.

Progressing forward in time, we began to see the beginning of three dimensions used in paintings. Artists such as Giotto and Alberti attempted to capture the third dimension by thinking of perspective and representation in new ways. Giotto moved away from the standard gold background and began painting the background blue, to represent the sky. Alberti projected the objects in his painting onto a plane, using a grid. DaVinci later gave substance to Alberti’s grid concept, which was often referenced by other painters in artwork.

There was a gradual adoption and perfection of representing an object in painting. Topics such as subject v. object and mind v. body were experimented with and a new paradigm began. Using a “they do not see us” approach, the new paradigm had artists thinking of a window barrier between the viewers and the painting. This change in perspective was only one of the innovations in Renaissance artwork. Other advances include the use of oil as a new medium and the integration of depth and color.

After our intriguing visit to Academia, we began our scavenger hunt activity. Once we deciphered our clue and traveled to the correct location, most of us decided to take a vaporetto back to San Servolo and catch up on some much-needed sleep.  Returning in the evening, we ate dinner together before attending a Vivaldi convert at San Vidal Church.

I was proud that I could successfully lead our group from San Marco to Academia. The Vivaldi concert was an especially unique and insightful experience. I had never attended a classical music concert before and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. While listening to the different songs, I found myself looking around the church and thinking about the different styles of architecture and paintings, and how the changes in those areas is reflected in Venice. Venice functions as a heterotopia, existing as a reflection of the past. If analyzed closely, one can easily see the details within the city that represent elements of transformation and ultimately contribute to the overall feeling and function of Venice as a heterotopia. In a similar sense, each musician and instrument in the group at the Vivaldi concert plays a role in creating the composite sound. Each instrument, from the violin to the bass, has a unique sound, but together they produce a harmonious noise that possess meaning in a perfect symbiosis. I especially enjoyed the encore song they performed where the musicians plucked the strings of their instruments, producing even more precise musical notes that culminated into a beautiful melody.

After the concert, we had just enough time to walk to my favorite gelato place and get some gelato before the vaporetto came. The man at the gelato place was especially generous, even with my whopping four scoops! Today, I learned more than I ever thought there was to know about art and had a lot of fun. Tomorrow, I am going to try to go into the city early to observe Venice’s fish market, so I must get some sleep. Ciao, buona notte! 

Monday Mornings & Dining Out

          This Monday morning, I started out with a full plate of paradigm shifts and a serving of architecture to go. Actually, I had a pop-tart, which is quite a bit less dense than the topics we discussed in lecture. We started off the day at 8:30 a.m. with a lecture on time, space, and the transformation of architecture from the Medieval to Renaissance era. Although I was not looking forward to the timing of the lecture, the content was stimulating and incredibly relevant. It was refreshing to learn something that I could immediately apply and experience. Analyzing the advancement of knowledge due to scientific and technological advances, such as the printing press, we began to understand paradigm shifts. Looking at the simple question, “What is a tree?”, and examining our automatic responses, we identified that there are different ways of viewing things, which affect how we understand them. When we have a different relationship with an object, our conceptual approach to the object changes. In application, this concept is demonstrated through the massive change in thinking from the Medieval period to the Renaissance. In the Medieval period, the divisions between human and nonhuman were not clearly defined, whereas the Renaissance worked to define the human. This paradigm shift is evident in the transition from shame culture to gilt culture and the change in punishment. For instance, in the shame culture during the Medieval period, punishment was done to the body- often complete obliteration. With the transition to the Renaissance and gilt culture, people began to be viewed as already being guilty, and individual regulation and rehabilitation of the mind came into play. After discussing the notion of temporality and space, we were released from lecture at 11:30 a.m. to embark on our architectural walking tour of Venice.

               On the tour, we could see with our own eyes the concepts we had spent hours discussing in lecture. I was able to deepen my understanding of the transformation from Medieval to Renaissance by viewing the architectural change in structure and elements. The most easily seen example of this transformation is in Campo Di S. S. Giovanni e Paolo. 

In the square, there is a gothic style church adjacent to a Renaissance style church. The gothic style, used in the Medieval period, is characterized by its use of bricks and OG arches, giving the building a dark, cold feeling.

In contrast, the Renaissance style buildings exhibit more color and detailing, often using marble, that begin to experiment with three dimensions.

The increasing in designs and color exhibit the enlightenment that took place during the Renaissance. New ideas and different ways of thinking were explored as the concepts of human and nonhuman became more clearly defined. I appreciated being able to directly compare the two architectural styles; it helped me realize how a new way of thinking, or paradigm shift, effects all aspects of life.

               After finishing our architectural tour, we walked to St. Elena- a part of Venice that we had yet to explore. Dr. Felluga led us to St. Elena through a French inspired portion of Venice.

Having more green than I had seen since leaving Indiana, the French gardens were a welcome site. The garden’s proximity to the water gave the air a fresh, salty smell.

During our time in St. Elena, we found many cats, which was especially exciting for us animal lovers on the trip.

I greatly enjoyed exploring this part of Venice and hope to come back before we leave. Unfortunately, the Venetians do not have the same appreciation for the French aspects of Venice. The Venetian- French relationship is a strained one, rooted in the capture of Venice by Napoleon. When Napoleon invaded Venice in 1797, he plundered and destroyed many of the Venetian’s treasured pieces (such as the four horses) and built statues and gardens around Venice. So, the Venetians understandably dislike anything associated with the Napoleonic Era.

               Reaching the St. Elena vaporetto stop, we said goodbye to our professors and began our free evening. Many of us decided to take pictures for our campo assignment, so we met up as a group later for dinner. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat at the restaurant in St. Elena that our group was going to, so Lauren and I walked to another restaurant near San Marco. In an attempt to take a shortcut, I led Lauren in circles through many dark streets. Eventually, we found the restaurant we wanted and enjoyed a delicious meal! After dinner, some of us met up for gelato. I tried a new place on the way back to Piazza San Marco and loved it! It is officially my favorite gelato (sorbet for me) place. In fact, I told the group this at least ten times as we walked back to the vaporetto stop. Their sorbet is so creamy that I thought it certainly had dairy in it. I checked my suspicions with the gelato man, but amazingly there is no diary, or “no latte” as it is said in Venice. I am really excited to get more sorbet tomorrow, but I must go to bed now. Ciao!

Venice First Impressions

               The fresh breeze leaves me as soon as I am engulfed by the hordes of people cluttering the streets. To replace it, a thick pungent smell of cigarette smoke fills my nostrils as I look at my surroundings. Above me, I see buildings and a bright blue sky. But, looking ahead, all I can see are the masses of people.

               I am in Venice, and it is quite a bit different from what I imagined. First off, it is so much larger than I anticipated. I had envisioned walking from one end of the island to the other with ease, effortlessly covering the entire terrain of the island in one week. But now, looking at its size, I know there will be places of Venice that I will not see. Perhaps, now that I am physically seeing myself in proportion to the island, Venice looks larger than when I viewed it in photographs on a computer.

               Secondly, as I mentioned above, Venice largely smells of cigarette smoke. I was greatly looking forward to the sea breeze and fresh salty air. Also, I thought the absence of cars would further increase the clean air quality and smell. So, I was severely disappointed by the constant smell of smoke and prevalence of smoking in general. I think I will look up the rates of lung cancer in Europe versus the United States when I return home.

               Thirdly, Venice is much more crowded than I expected. I was told that Venice is a tourist city, but I did not realize the extent to which Venice is geared toward tourists. People are constantly trying to sell you things and almost everyone around you speaks English.

               Furthermore, I learned a lot through my travels to Venice. I had not previously traveled internationally to this extent. Plus, in my past travels outside of the United States, I was always traveling with family. Whenever I travel, I am constantly surprised and amazed by how many other people are traveling. Each person has their own itinerary and destination, as well as a unique place that they are coming from. It is incredible to think of the number of people that pass each other in an airport. There are so many stories and experiences all in one place, but the airport is only a passageway, and people continue to their destinations.

               Flying into the airport in Germany, I felt out of place. I did not understand the announcements spoken through the loud speakers, or the words written on the signs throughout the airport. A woman passing me sneezed, and I automatically wanted to say bless you, but I could not think of how to communicate that to her in German. I felt like I stood out, not just because of the language I spoke, but because of the way I looked and acted. Looking around, I tried to place the nationality of the people surrounding me. However, this only made me wonder more if people could tell I was American. But then that made me wonder, why do I care if people can tell I am American? Do I think it is bad to be American? Was everyone else in the airport feeling the same way? I am not sure I know the answers to these questions yet.

               On the plane from Germany to Venice, all the instructions were given in German first and English last. I was not used to hearing foreign commands first, and quickly realized that my language was in the minority. When the flight attendant came by to serve me a drink, she asked me in German what I would like to drink. I had no idea what she had said, but knew it had to do with drinks, so I responded with “water, please”. She understood my response and spoke to me in English after that, but her automatic assumption that I was German made me wonder if I really did look blatantly American or not.

               Throughout my travels to Venice, I became more conscious of my identity as an American and what that means. I was disappointed by how little I knew about other languages; I should at least know how to say hello/goodbye and please/thank you. Although my initial impressions of Italy were not as mystical as I had imagined, I am enjoying the city so far and am really valuing the learning experience of this study abroad. 

The Rialto Bridge

It’s only the second day, but I think I may have found my favorite spot in Venice! On Saturday, we were shown the Rialto bridge. Ironically, the only things I remembered about the place were the large amount of stairs we had to climb and the crowding overflow of tourists. Despite my less than fond memories, I returned to the Rialto bridge area and greatly enjoyed myself.

               This morning, a few of my study abroad companions and I woke up early to go into Venice before our group met at ten o’clock. Taking the 9:10am vaporetto, we arrived at Piazza San Marco and just started walking. We randomly walked along the paths, checking café prices as we went, until we ended up near the Rialto Bridge. Recalling the area from yesterday, we decided to cross and evaluate the options on the other side. With it being so early in the morning, we had no issues with overcrowding. The bridge had a peaceful, serene essence that I did not feel Saturday. After crossing the bridge, we came into an open area with a small fountain in the middle.

We easily found a café on the perimeter of the open space. While Lauren, Kate, and Juliana ordered, I explored the area in greater detail. Walking away from the cafes and fountain, I passed under an arch and found a path right along the canal. I absolutely love the smell of Venice when I am by the water. Continuing, I discovered the market area that Dr. Felluga mentioned. Most of the vendors had already left, it was relatively late in the morning by then, and a few were packing up their goods. Passing by the remaining vendors, I saw that they sold dried fruit! I am incredibly excited to purchase some dried fruit to snack on while walking around Venice and have vowed to return in order to buy some.

               I soon returned to the café, admiring the classmates’ delicious breakfast choices. Remembering what Dr. Felluga mentioned yesterday about the water in Venice being incredibly clean, I took the opportunity to refill my water bottle from the fountain. Dr. Felluga was right; the water is incredibly pure and fresh tasting. Running tight on time, we decided to start walking back to the vaparetto stop where we were meeting up with our class. To our grateful surprise, we were able to seamlessly walk back to Piazzo San Marco. Realizing that we knew enough about the area to navigate to and from the bridge was an amazing feeling. It made me feel accomplished and helped me connect more with Venice. Similar to my presentation on the Horses of Saint Mark, increasing my knowledge of Venice has helped me in creating a relationship with the city and feeling more connected. Now when I walk around places I can say, “Oh, that’s the place we passed when we…” or “Oh, I know where we are, I recognize that place”. I believe the best way for a tourist to relate to a city she is visiting is to make the city her own. By walking around and getting a feel for the city through one’s own perspective, one can personalize the city, building connections with it on a more personal level.

An especially satisfying moment regarding the Rialto Bridge today was when I was successfully able to lead a group of my classmates to the bridge. This gave me a sense of pride and made me, a tourist, feel like a tour guide. Returning to the bridge later in the day, we were surprised to find open space on the edge of the bridge, overlooking the water. These areas are typically crowded with tourists, so we were very lucky. Taking advantage of our opportunity, we took a group picture and photographed the amazing view.

I significantly enjoyed the time I spent in the Rialto Bridge area today. I feel more accomplished from learning the route to and from the bridge, and have decided to set a goal for myself. During this week, I am aiming to select a new place daily to learn the route to and from. I am excited to discover new places and increase my Venetian knowledge. Perhaps I will even find a new favorite place!