Days 09 to 11
Just when I was really getting to know my way in and around Florence we were getting ready to embark on a five-day excursion to Venice, Burano, Murano, Vicenza, and Verona. We indeed visited five cities in five days. Typical of the first half of the trip, weather was not very kind to us. We were battling against overcast and rainy days. However, it was fitting to get an overload of precipitation in the city built on water. Venice, although not my favorite city, offered a refreshing new scenery to my Italian experience. It was intriguing to see the contrast of the narrow cobblestone streets of Florence to the even narrower alleyways of Venice. Compared to Florence, Venice owned more bridges due to the veins of canals through the land. I even got the chance to experience the Rialto Bridge, the famous market bridge in Venice. Now that I have seen that, I could compare it to the market bridge of Florence, Ponte Vecchio. The highlights of Venice for me were analyzing, studying, and sketching the facades of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore. Venice’s water-oriented scenography increased the breadth of the environmental landscape and urban fabric that Italy had to offer. Even though my time in Venice was short, life there was still a striking contrast to the dynamic of Florence. I feel like I needed much more time to really get to know my way around Venice.
Another interesting difference was the methods of transportation. In Florence, pedestrians walked, used bikes, cars, and buses. In Venice, people walked or used the vaporettos, or water taxis to get around. My time in Venice also brought me a lot of pizza. Some of the best pizza in Italy came from a little pizzeria called Cip Ciap, right next to a canal and a small footbridge. Also on this excursion I had the chance to experience the brightly painted city of lace, Burano, as well as the quiet city of glass, Murano. Commuting by water taxi in the lagoons of Venice will always be a cherished memory. Another quiet city we visited was Vicenza, where I had the chance to experience some of Andrea Palladio’s greatest works. Most notable was that of Villa Rotunda, in all of its proportional glory. I think that being by the cities of waters prompted me to ponder most about the urban planning while considering so many waterways.