Verona, Vicenza, Venice Day One

Verona

Verona, Vicenza, Venice Day One- Friday March 19^th 2010

The bus departed from the Florence train station to Verona- which was our first stop today at 7:15 AM. I woke up at 6 and haven’t even started packing yet. Haha! Give me a break… I had my midterm presentation due yesterday. Well, I packed and got ready real quick and made it just in time to the train station. Ferroni got kinda mad at me because I forgot my sketchbook in his office and of course, he didn’t bother to bring it because hes ‘not my father’. Ohh well, its not like I was gonna use it anyways. We arrived to Verona around 11:00 and first walked to Piazza delle Erbe, where we visited the Castelvecchio Museum- which is a medieval complex restored by Carlo Scarpa in the 1960s. Carlo Scarpa is famous for his ability to shape materials, light, spatial arrangements, and colors like an old artisan. The museum, im not going to lie, wasn’t very interesting. However, they wanted to show us it because it was somewhat modern and innovative. We grabbed lunch and left at 1:30 to go to Vicenza to see some architecture by Palladio.

Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza

The Teatro Olimpico (“Olympic Theatre”) was constructed 1580-1585, and is the oldest surviving enclosed theatre in the world. The theatre was the final masterpiece designed by Andrea Palladio. Palladio died in 1580, only six months after construction had started in the theatre. Despite this setback, construction continued, with Palladio’s sketches and drawings serving as a guide, and Palladio’s son, Silla, taking charge of the project. Soon, other prominent Vicentine architect, Vincenzo Scamozzi was called upon to complete the project.

Scamozzi’s stage set was the first practical introduction of perspective views into Renaissance theatre. The scenery consists of seven hallways decorated to create the illusion of looking down the streets of a city from classical antiquity. Ancient Thebes, was to be the setting for the first play staged in the theatre. A set of seven extraordinarily realistic trompe-l’oeil false perspectives provide the illusion of long street views, while actually the sets recede only a few meters. The way in which seats in all parts of the theatre were provided with at least one perspective view can be seen by observing the theatre floorplan and following the sight lines of audience members in different parts of the theatre. I found the theatre to very interesting, and my favorite part of the trip so far. They put on a light and sound show for us that lasted about 10 minutes which was really cool. The perspective, as the above description implies, is truly amazing for its time, as I can relate to it very well through my experience.

Basilica Palladiana by Andrea Palladio

Located in Piazza dei Signori, this Basilicas most notable feature is the loggia, which shows one of the first examples of what came to be known as the “Palladian window”. The building was originally built in the 15^th century and was known as the Palazzo della Ragione. It was the seat of government and also housed a number of shops on the ground floor. When part of the building collapsed in the 16^th century, the Council of One Hundred selected Palladio to reconstruct the building in 1549. Palladio added a new outer shell of the marble classical forms, a loggia and a portico that now obscure the original gothic architecture.

We admired the architecture for about 5 minutes, then found a candy store and bought candy. We found a church that we went in and took pictures of. But besides that, we really didn’t spend much time in Vicenza. It was a cool little town, and there was a lot of classic architecture, but im ready for Venice!! C’mon Venice!! So we got back on the bus around 5:30 and took an hour and a half bus ride to Venice. Then we took a vaporetto to our hotel. We checked into our hotel ‘Don Orione Artigianelli’- which was actually a monastery, but it was very nice! Everything from the large reception room, the bathrooms, and the many rooms that made up each level made it one of the most enjoyable places to stay. All of our rooms were situated on two levels arranged in a rectangular floor plan open to a courtyard below. We spent most of the first night walking around Venice exploring the town and getting lost. Venice has some very elegant architectural detail. Anyone will tell you that what defines the city, and what perhaps makes it the third most beautiful cities in the world, are the canals that cut through the city, defining the city plan and creating the infrastructure of the city. There are no cars, no buses, no trains. Just canals and the Canale Grande, meaning ‘big canal’ where some of the big fishing boats and cargo docks are located. Gondolas are found everywhere- and for 60 euros you can go on a romantic boat ride through the city and admire the beautiful city. My parents told me how wonderful Venice was- they even went on a Gondola ride together. We found a nice restaurant the first night. I went with about 8 other people- most of which were interior design majors. I had a beer, spaghetti and meat sauce, roasted chicken, mixed salad (which was just cabbage), and bread for 18 euros. After dinner we went to Piazza San Marco and we found a few boys playing soccer with a small ball. So of course, I decided to join in on the fun and play with them! It was so much fun and everyone was laughing! And pretty soon Collin and then Sarah joined in, along with some older men and we had a full out kick and pass game going!- if you want to call it that. I went to sleep rather early than I usually do on trips- but im sure tomorrow night will be a different story. Im looking forward to this weekend in Venice- I already love the city SO much!!