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!