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.
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| Giotto uses blue backgrounds instead of gold |
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| 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.
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