Aug 07

Venice

We took the train from Florence to venice. We had just three days here but it was well spent! Walked out from the train station right to the water and took a boat to our hotel Bel Sito. The boat dropped us off at a narrow passageway, not wider than that of one person. The hotel was to the left of the end of the passageway. As there are no cars in Venice, we walked along looking into glass and mask shops, churches,a modern art museum, and taking pictures of the canals. Pictures of Doges Palace were a must and I remember learning about it in art history four years ago. Though not as hot and humid as my weeks in Florence, the weather here was perfect. All the buildings are connected, not individuals like in the Sates. Most of the buildings take on peach and salmon hues but all the churches are without color.

Doges Palace had more pigeons than I have ever seen. When pigeons die around the world, they must be reborn here! Flocks and flocks startled by a child running by take to the sky, swooping over the crowd, then settle back to the ground. Because of the gross of pigeons, anyone visiting might not want to wear their best outfits. But the sky was pure blue with not a cloud in site.
While in San Marco square, we decided to visit San Marco cathedral. Looking up while waiting in line you'll see gold mosaics that flicker in the sunlight. The spires on top are very detailed, gorgeous. Gothic. After paying 3 euros to go to the top, we took a picture for a couple overlooking Doges palace and the water and they reciprocated the act for us.

We ate at a quaint little restaurant-a place where the tourists almost never go. Mom ordered some noodle dish with squid ink and feeling non adventurous, I ordered pasta. The waiter and owner cautioned mom about her dish saying that tourists tend to be afraid of that dish, but she ordered it anyway. When it arrived and we tasted it, mom really enjoyed it. I tried it and like it as well, though I didn't eat too much of it as the texture go to my nerves. Very chewy. Mom's lips were purple.

Mom was fortunate enough to find a chinese restaurant for me for lunch. I was so happy just to NOT have Italian for at least one day! It was so good. I had won-ton soup, rice, etc.

[u]Milan[/u]

We left Venice early in the morning just as the sun was peaking up over the buildings, leaving with us an incredible view with the gold reflections in the water, mimicking the sheen of the buildings.

I wanted to show mom a cafe/shopping building that my class stopped in a couple weeks ago. Specifically a flower book where photographs had been altered in a really beautiful way and merchandising from the fashion shop below. 10 Corso Como was closed when we came to it this time, not scheduled to open again until September. Upon returning to the train station to central Milan we noticed a rather HOT billboard for Dolce & Gabbana. Daam!

Once in the center of Milan, there were many adds of previous events for Gianni Versace. My favorite was of a woman with her arms spread to a piano above and her feet tip toeing on a mirrored one below. I showed mom the main shopping area with the glass ceiling and high end boutiques. Can you believe a deluxe Mc Donald's right across from Prada?! After mom had an opportunity to visit Milan's Duomo, I had to show her the H & M store-a new favorite of mine and the Ferrari store.

The Ferrari store is a perfect example of excellent merchandising. When you enter, it sounds as if a sports car on the race tracks has just turned the corner. There is a well dressed man at the entrance as well, as with most stores in Milan and Florence, acting as a greeter and guard against theft. Inside, there's the silver stallion on the wall, TV's next to Ferrari merchandise showing races, a race car near the entrance. Downstairs there's a race car for kids to drive with a screen above showing the track, legos built into ferrari cars, and every kind of toy possible by ferrari, including teddy bears dressed in driving gear. Up stairs, there's the higher end section with items such as wallets, coats, watches, etc that would have no trouble wiping out your pocket book. Motors and other car parts around the store, in pristine condition catch your eye. All together, four floors scream FERRARI. Zoe would have been in heaven.

Aug. 6
Villa Geggnaio, located in Siena
Holme oak lines the drive way all the way up to the gate. Once inside, there is the outside theater immediately to your right. A family member shows us around giving us insight that I of course didn't write down but now wish I had. There are at least three main gates to this garden villa. The front one we came through, the one to the right of the theater, and the one to the left. This one is special because of the monkeys adorning the top of the pillar on each side of the gate. The theater seems to be the only part of the garden that is not encompassed within the stone wall. We head into the garden filled with grapes and arbors, zinnias and vegetables on one side. Toward the back, a large well is used to feed the garden and its yellow jackets.
On the right side of the villa there is a chapel, typical of florentine villas. The chapel is small, with painted false windows on one side and real ones straight across on the other side. On the back wall I find what I originally thought was a humongous DEAD spider. I blow on it to make sure. Nope, definitely not dead. It basically looked like an obese daddy long-leg spider. I'm pretty sure spiders are not supposed to be that large!!!! I walked out very quickly. In the garden, we were given a taste of some of the ripe green grapes. Little did they know that I had already snuck a taste.
Inside the villa a mural painted all the way down its central axis, with rooms off each side. Upstairs were bedrooms with lace curtains and views of the front garden.

Villa Cetinale, also located in Siena.
This could easily be a place I'd call home. It has a very homey feel, and is not as large as some of the gardens we've already seen. Cypress trees line it's main drive way. Inside the gate, what now appears to be a garage is on your right. On the left, a building with a blue-green door is covered in wisteria. In front of you is the villa, originally a farmhouse, that takes on the appearance of a small fortress with its small towers and the enclosure of an escarped wall. Lemon and pomegranate trees speckle the front and back gardens. Also in the back garden is a more modern touch. A swimming pool, built right into the grade change. The three story villa's second floor opens to the front and back garden. So if you're standing strait behind the villa, you can look through the second story balcony window to the front (sky). In back, a long grass path (about 220 meters) leads to the theater. That same path continues until the beginning of some 300 corroded steps, which lead up to a stone platform. Our group didn't get a chance to go up there but supposedly, there is a fully restored hermitage (or retreat for monks that would have lived there).

Aug. 7: today's excursions lead us to Fiesole
Villa Fonte Lucente
Lucente is like a large park with lots of paths to get lost on-if they didn't all lead back to the villa. The paths down to the lake are blocked off, as they have been damaged and not repaired. The gardens are symmetrical with central axis and each have a central fountain or tree. Boxwood encloses four areas in each of the gardens. Down the gravel road is a pool with fountain that may have once been used for entertaining. People swimming in it now may get sick. Along one of the paths, I come across an evil stone statue who seems to be blowing into a flute. His eyebrows turned down toward his nose and grin tell me to turn the other way. Amelia, Abigail, Vartuhi and I sneak of to another path and find a well with female statues around it. We each pick one and do its pose, and then pose in front of the well for a picture. Later, we find a grotto and arbor where another statues hides.

Villa Le Balze
Another favorite of mine and yes, I could most definitely live here. We did not go into the villa here but the garden was enough to convince me.

Villa Capponi
This garden had the greenest grass of them all! Terraces on different levels extend along the Pian de Guillari hillside-a great view of florence. The gate ahead, takes you to a point where you can look over a low wall. The long horizantal garden below is filled with low boxwoods sheared with corner balls. Inside the geometric shaped beds are budded plants not quite ready to bloom. Beyond this a series of small short steps take you down into a garden with fountain and lillies. The walls that enclose all the gardens are scalloped in a pattern we've not yet seen used. The fountain is square with half circles at each end. Down another grade and through tall un-groomed cypress is the swimming pool, which has two concrete fish coming together with a shell at one end. the water for the pool comes out here. Our instructor makes us all pose for pictures here. From here, we make our way up a couple grades to an area where we can look over the initial garden you walk into from the home. You can see the home is long and has a central tower that bears a frescoe, possibly of a coat of arms.

Aug. 8: Full day of trying to get to the last of our villas & gardens.
Palzzo Piccolomini, Pienza
Villa La Foce, Siena
The Garden of Daniel Spoerri

Aug. 9: Last day of class
Thursday we had class and then a welcome dinner in the evening. I cannot believe our class continued in full swing up until the last day. One free day for cleaning of the apartment and packing would have been useful. After our last dinner as a group, I went with Vartuhi (my roommate) to mom’s hotel (De Lanzi-right next to the Duomo) to meet up with her. Earlier, I had gone to put a red gerber daisy in the room to surprise her. We hugged, said our hellos, introduced and made our way to my apartment so she could see where I’d been living these past 5 weeks. After introductions to almost all my flat mates, mom and I left so I could show her Florence at night. I led her to Ponte Vecchio where there was a band playing. We listened, took pictures and walked along to the Uffizi under the secret passageway along the Arno River.

Milan
Lots of shopping!!!!!!!!!! I bought a great outfit for a night out on the town. My new fave store: H&M.
The Duomo of Milan is said to hold the nail from Jesus' crucifix but it is only shown to the public during select times of the year. The church had beautiful stained glass windows. We weren't allowed to take pics inside, but a I do have a couple of the outside. Hint: it's the white one with tons of spires.
On the train on the way back to Florence, I had the opportunity of taking pics of an incredible sunset-Hence all the photos.

Siena
A little shopping!! I bought a pair cute pair of sandals to go along with the outfit.
Smaller than Milan. Streets veer out from the center plaza. While eating lunch, we saw a man in tan suit and red hat who clowned around with the passerby's. Stephanie took us to Siena's Duomo. Most of the churches we'd seen so far were very wide and grand in scale. This one was very grand but narrow. Black and white marbled columns and an exquisite mabled floor.
It took about three hours each way to and from Siena, so we had a shorter time here than in Milan.

5 August 2007