Italian History and Culture

If Venice is a masquerade, we have all been players.

Some have put on their beach masks (captains’ hats and sunscreen); some, their boating gear to travel out to the islands of Murano (glass-making) and Burano (lace-making); some, their shopping clothes to shop, or at least window-shop, the shopping district with Prada, Canali, and Chanel.

Besides us, as Americans, there are lots of other folks at the party. Many from Germany and Great Britain, France and the Czech Republic. Venice is far even north to be more accessible to people from all over Europe.

What have we liked about the party? This place is more cosmopolitan, for the simple fact that it has been a trading center since before Marco Polo, a native son of the 12th century. So, the architecture looks more Persian and Eastern than any we have seen before; and the people, in ways that are a bit hard to describe, look more exotic.

And, we have found, the place lives up to its reputation as one of the most romantic places on earth. It is not just the gondolas and singing gondaliers. Just turning a corner on a sidewalk and running into a 10-foot-wide canal makes this place warm and soft and moody. Just turning a corner also may mean happening upon a kissing couple, especially at night.

We have all taken a boat ride at night. The dim lights behind gauzy curtains with shadows moving from room to room have charged our romantic imaginations.

What has made some of us want to leave the party early, lounge in our rooms or out on our fine little balconies? To move about, one must get in a boat. Some have felt a little queasy after some of our more choppy rides. Also, as anyone who has been to a port like New Orleans or Charleston or Wilmington or Savannah knows, the air can grow fetid fast.

Highlights of our three days in Venice, besides what was already mentioned, include Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square, famous for its huge forum often featured in movies and St. Mark’s Basilica with its Byzantine interior, including a glorious floor of hundreds of mosaic pictures. The movement of water under the floor has, over the centuries, given the floor a surface much like the water in the Grand Canal. The floor comes at you in waves.

After many museums and churches full of medieval and Renaissance masterpieces, we were treated to a museum devoted to modern art, specifically 1900-1950. The Peggy Guggenheim Museo has some famous Magrittes and Pollocks, as well as works by Mondrian, Kandinsky, and Miro. As we were leaving, the museum was hosting an artist reception and the local news (channel 7) was out filming. Some of us walked by the camera slowly, hoping to get in the background, at least.

The party is almost over. Tomorrow, we wing our way home.

While all of us have loved this trip, we are ready to come home.

–Prof. Charles Israel, Jr.

When you pull the leafy stem from the orange you bought at the market: that pop.

A Vespa scooter coming at you fast, in an alley in Rome. Vespa in Italian means wasp.

The sound of your new language, Italian, in your mouth.

A child on his way home from school with his mother, asking for a gelato.

A Venetian fish monger at his market stall packing down the ice in his display tray with the back of his ice scoop.

A congregation of locals and tourists in Assissi singing a hymn during Mass.

Your roommate singing along to her iPod.

Taxi drivers in Capri, slamming down cards on the seawall as they play poker, and laughing.

A knife, slicing through bread, as the man behind the deli counter, makes your proscuitto and mozzarella and tomato sandwich.

Different shoes on the wavy, cobblestone streets of Rome: sandals, tennis shoes, high heels, espadrilles.

The things you whisper to yourself at the end of a long day of travel.

The sound your heart makes when you first look up at the Sistine Chapel.

–Prof. Charles Israel, Jr.

We reached Venice by train, and once you stepped out through those double glass doors it was like entering a whole new world. The streets are paved with water, the buses and taxis’ have no wheels, except the one used for steering.

Our hotel is a charming little place down an alleyway, and you could miss the turn if you aren’t looking closely for it, is located in between two bars full of ice cream, drinks and sweating tourists sitting down at little metallic tables with red and blue table clothes. It feels like summer here, it feels worse than Charlotte with this humidity, I can feel my clothes sticking to my skin with every movement, but you quickly forget about that when you look out around you–everywhere you turn you see something magical.

Stands and stores are full of colorful masks adorned with feathers and hats, lipstick and painted eyes, music notes, long noses and wrinkled facial features. A mask made for almost every personality.

Venice is also known for its glass. The windows gleam with the mesmerizing colors of all sorts of blues, greens and fiery reds and oranges. Little animals, fish and even a few cherries fill a bowl of bubbly blue. Necklaces, watches, earrings, and even chandeliers made of full bunches of grapes to hold the light bulbs- it’s amazing to see what glass can be transformed into.

Since there are no cars or motorcycles allowed in Venice, the vaporetto, or water bus, is one of the best and easiest ways to get around. It goes all up and down the Grand Canal where you can see the old houses that used to be occupied by the rich and ‘very rich’, which are now being turned into hotels for the still ‘very rich’. Even in these places, it is not what you would expect, for the second floor is actually their first floor, and the first floor is flooded with water, so it could be called the basement.

The water buses fit neatly under bridges, one of the most famous of them is the Rialto Bridge; it is much like the Ponte Vecchio in that it has shops along all the sides, expensive as well, but it has arches and curves upward instead of being parallel to the water.

If you think Venice during the day is a breath taking sight, you must see it at night, when all the lights are turned on and even the water seems to be alive with activity. You can sit and enjoy dinner by the water, watching the Gondolas and water buses go by, and just relax as the sounds of the lapping of the water lulls you into a state of mind that only in Venice you could reach.

Venice truly is like a wonderland, a whole experience you just have to come and see for yourself. I may tell you all these things in detail, but until you actually experience it yourself you can never truly get the full extent of its splendor and the hold it will have on you once you arrive to the city of adventure and mystery.

Here in Italy, we have been seeing alot of Nutella and other products containing the Hazel nut. Nutella is a sweet spread you can put on bread or sometimes just eat it plain…or if you are really bold- on carrots (my favorite). But the real question is, since it tastes so good, is it good for you?

Well the answer is YES! Hazel nuts contain a high proportion of essential oils and have many vitamins and minerals. They contain a high dose of vitamin E which is good for the prevention of polyunsaturated fats. It is also one of the few nuts that have vitamin A- which is a natural antioxidant which has cancer- prevention properties. The minerals that hazel nuts contain are manganese, selenium and zinc.

So in other words, hazel nuts or as good, or maybe even better for you, than peanuts (which we all know are good for you too…right?)

So the next time you are sitting down at the table ready for a good balanced breakfast, grab that nutella and dig in, for you now know that tastes arn’t always deceiving!

-Suzanne M.

It amazes me that though we have only five days left, it feels as though we have completely been submerged in the culture. In true expository fashion, I’d like to share with everyone a few “savvy tips” that I believe everyone has learned.

The White Ones Don’t Stop: When we first got to Italy everyone was terrified of the traffic situation. Intersections are a fiasco and apparently stop signs are just a suggestion! As we roamed around, we quickly learned to dart our head around the corners of even the smallest alleys, just so you don’t end up in an altercation with a Fiat. As we ventured further from the hotels, we learned more confidence–cross the street when you see an opening, and give bad drivers a nice stink eye when you think you might have just lost one of your toes.

Air Your Dirty Laundry: Dual meaning I know, but that in itself is very important. Doing laundry was a trick seeing as most of us can barely turn around in our rooms, none the less find places to hang wet clothing. However, after about a week, we began notifying one another of the nearest laundrymat and going in on loads of wash to cut costs. It’s amazing how the scent of Tide makes you a little homesick!

Mi Scusi, Mi Tardi: We have lots of deadlines and times that we have to meet. If you haven’t heard already, a few of us, myself included just couldn’t quite get back in time for our boat off Capri. As we watched our classmates sail away, it became very clear how important it is to either stop what your doing a little earlier and/or learn the language so you can run across piazzas and vias in order to make it places on time. Just don’t be shy!

Sexy Wine: Some of the most interesting things that have happened to us have been when we stepped outside of our comfort zone and opened up to new experiences and people. When you leave the beaten path and find that perfect spot, it is amazing how quickly you’ll make friends. Quick shout out and high recommendations go to Mikki and Romeo at Miscellanea behind the Pantheon. Its an international student pub and if you find yourself there, drink some sexy wine!

Enjoying Italy to the fullest and already planning to come back! Ciao for now!

Rachel A.

White jasmine spilling over a  stucco wall, its scent climbing down the wall to the pedestrians below.

An Italian man dressed in a purple jacket and dark-washed jeans, white belt and shoes, walks by us: the wash of his cologne.

A 800-year-old cathedral: wooden pews and candles and eight centuries of worshippers.

The exhaust of 12 red Ferraris as they drive through the winding streets of San Gimignano.

Brushing a lavendar bush on a rocky path outside the city walls of Amalfi.

The salt of the perspiration of our own bodies, after climbing the half-mile up Mount Vesuvius.

The seashore of the Mediterranean, off the island of Capri.

The bouquet of a red wine, opened for tasting at a small vineyard in Tuscany.

Tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella and pizza dough, plus proscuitto and melon.

Lemons in the market in Sorrento, some the size of limes, others, the size of eggplants.

A Roman bakery’s first bread of the morning, its fresh, warm scent coming out the open door as we walk past.

–Prof. Charles Israel, Jr.

We have been enjoying the slower pace of Florence.

At the Academia Museum, we saw perhaps the most famous male nude sculpture in the world, Michelangelo’s David. In this 13-foot-high statue of white Carrara marble, he fuses the religious ferocity of the David-Goliath story with the humanism and emotion of the Renaissance.

Some of us said this was our favorite single piece of art so far. We decided the look in his eyes was both valiant and expectant. His right hand holds the rock with which he will slay the giant, and his hand curves in, toward his thigh, causing the muscles of his arm to tense and his veins to stand out.

Because the statue is so famous, it is impossible to get within 15 feet of it. A five-foot-high glass wall surrounds it, and guards are always posted. In this way, it is much like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris. Clearly, the power and the courage and the cunning on David’s face is meant to inspire awe. In a strange way, so does the heightened security of the 21st century.

At the Bargallo Museum across town, we focused on the medieval altar paintings which depict Biblical scenes and the church doors competition between two leading Renaissance artists, Ghiberti and Brunelleschi. Two panels, one from each artist, show the story of Abraham and Issac. In real life, Ghiberti won the commision. He won our own straw poll as well.

Florence has the best gelato in Italy, according to the gourmands and to us. We have tried chocolate, nutella, coffee, strawberry, raspberry, and pistachio. We have loved them all.

Our nice, charming hotel abuts the city’s largest fresh market. All foods are there, and the only disappointment is the fact that we do not have refrigerators to keep all the fresh meat and cheese.

At Il Lebbio Vineyard

We took an excusion into the Tuscan countryside on 22 May. We went to San Gimignano, a Tuscan hill town that once boasted 60 towers, primarily for defense. Some of us climbed to the top of this fine place. Everything you have ever heard about the landscape is true: it is nearly beyond beautiful, as we can all attest.

From the town, we embarked on a visit to Il Lebbio, a small vintner and working oliv-oil  farm. We had a delicious wine tasting, sampling reds and whites and even some white dessert wine. Standing outside, tasting our wine, was sublime. The only sounds were our own conversation and laughter, and far down in the valley, a tractor’s gentle whir.

It all sounded like the sweet breath of Italy.

– Prof. Charles Israel, Jr.

Buona Sera everyone!

It’s about 6pm here in Florence and it’s been a great experience in Italia.

Of all the places we have been so far, I would have to say that Roma is my favorite. It took me a while to get used to the busy streets (Let’s just say that the stop lights and street signs are just a suggestion). Coming from Sorrento, with the quite streets and coastal views, Rome is the exact opposite. We have been from one extreme to another.

As stated before, Rome took a while to get used to. It was harder to walk around because our hotel was not on the main strip. So, we took many ‘adventures’ (getting lost) to find our way around.

People say that New York is the city that never sleeps…I would beg to differ. At night, Rome comes alive. Everyone from infants to the age of 80 are out and about. With the wine continously flowing and constant Italian chatter, Rome is the night city of Italy.

I have really enjoyed my stay here and I hope that my wish at the Trevi Fountain comes true.

As we ride the backroads and autostradas of Italy, from south to north, we see a few things:

1.  The bumpy spine of the Italian peninsula, the Apennine Mountains, always to the West, a few capped with snow.

2.  Grape vines bare where they wrap around their wooden supports, and just coming into leaf.

3.  The red tile roofs that blanket almost every house, apartment building, and barn. Some have faded to rose or beige.

4.  Signs for Shell, Esso, and Agip gasoline at the next truckstop.

5.  The reflections of our friends across the aisle in the bus window.

6.  Sheep sleeping in grass taller than they are.

7.  Auto dealerships gone bankrupt, with no cars in their lots or behind the huge, green showroom windows.

8.   Cisterns under the corner eaves of farmhouses.

9.   The silhouette of a leaping stag, in the middle of a red circle, on a road sign as we zip through a forest.

10.  Behind us, the sounds of our friends on the bus, singing along to their iPods, whispering, a few laughs.

11.  Fallow fields that are gray in the south near Sorrento, brown near Rome, and sandy red near Florence.

12.  The curved, barrel-vault ceiling of a mile-long tunnel, the walls black from years of leaks. A big drop spatters on
the window and runs down it.

13.  The sides of semi-trucks, sheathed in rubbery plastic, not steel, that ripples in the highway wind.

14.  Huge rolls of green silage left in the middle of fields, food for the cattle and sheep and horses in winter.

15.   Our own reflections in the bus window, but only in silhouette.

–Prof. Charles Israel, Jr.

You might be in Rome if:

–you speak to someone in your best Italian, he smiles, and responds in English.

–you love how sculptors such as  Bernini can make a flowing dress of carrara marble look softer than the real thing.

–you learn to hear the buzz of the Vespas on the narrow streets before you see them, and you get out of the way.

–you find that some of the best clubs are in caves dug into a 125-foot mound of earthware olive oil jars, dumped there over 500 years.

–you visit a Christian church built on a temple dedicated to an ancient Persian religious cult.

–you discover that several cold showers a day can almost take the place of air conditioning.

–you get the best neckache of your life, looking up at the Sistine Chapel.

–you learn that the best pizza does not need tomato sauce.

–you see more roads that do not meet at right angles than ones that do.

–you are already planning your next visit.

We have spent the last five days in Rome, traversing the city. We have seen opera, knelt on the steps Jesus reputedly ascended to receive judgment from Pontius Pilate, and eaten pizza and gnocchi and mozarella and warm, crusty bread.

This is one of the most important cities in Western culture, having been the seat of both its largest empire and largest religion. This is a city that we have seen–and more.

Out of all the amazing art we have seen, our favorites seem to be these: the stunning and vivid colors of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, in all its glorious and controversial restoration; the white carrara marble sculptures of Bernini, catching David with his sling, his trunk torqued in a classic contraposto pose (several of us imitated his form, but found no Goliaths); the paintings of Carvaggio, with their deep contrasts of dark and light, subjects pagan and religious, and an emotional range in the faces of his men and women matched by few artists of any age.

Our favorite fun places have been the Trevi Fountain, where we tossed coins over our shoulders to insure we would return to Roma; climbing the dome at St. Peter’s, the world’s largest, to get the best view of the city (no building within the old city walls may be higher); standing in the Colosseum, contemplating the games and deaths below us; discovering new ristorantes and gelato (ice cream) shops and reporting back to the group with our new discoveries.

This busy city encourages conversation. Except for the midday siesta, you will find Romans at cafes and bars, talking and gesticulating with their hands. They may be sitting on their scooters on the side of some alley, pulled over for a chat. We have followed the Romans’ lead.

If you were here with us now, we might be standing at an espresso bar, having our tiny cup of the strongest coffee most of us have ever had, talking about the wonders of this place: the incomparable beauty of its art, the durability of its architecture, the friendliness of its people. And we would have a few questions, too: how do the current Romans feel about their history? in a place that sometimes seems rushed and crowded to us, how do they manage to smile through it all? and, how, after 25 centuries, does Rome continue to draw people to it?

–Charles Israel, Jr.