Io sono studente / Venezia - Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy
Where I stayed
Bologna studio via Arienti
What I did
Grand Canal Venice
Palazzo Barbaro Venice
Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) Venice
St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) Venice
Teatro La Fenice Venice
Cultural Italiana language class
Giardini Margherita
Venezia Lagoon
Cantina Do Mori
This morning I have an Italian Language class at Cultural Italiana. The school is located around the corner and down the street, about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. After breakfast, I head out to class with time to wander the streets a little bit before class starts. The school is located in an old palazzo about 200m from the two towers (yes, the one that is closed this week that I cannot climb). Inside the building I have to climb up to what seems the attic of the building to locate the school offices and classrooms. I have an individual lesson schedule to help me learn more Italian and practice speaking. My goal is to build my confidence and knowledge so that I can improve my skills in communicating while traveling in Italy. Plus, I thought it would be fun to take a class in Italy!
My teacher, Marina, is very good. She speaks clearly yet naturally so that I can understand her Italian. She teaches me the basics of Italian grammar and speaking. I learn and we practice what I am learning for a 2 hour lesson. I'm happy with the lesson because I am building on the little bit of Italian I already know to increase what I can say and what I understand. I'm ready to start practicing a little bit outside of class! With my new building confidence, I stop on the way home at the #1 gelateria in Bologna, which happens to be right on my way home around the corner from my apartment. It is called La Sorbetteria. Nocciola e Straciatella (hazelnut and cream with chocolate chips). It is so good. I'm not making many gelato stops this trip - with kiddos I would be stopping several times a day - but WOW! I'm finding the best gelato in Italy. La Sorbetteria alone is worth a trek to Bologna.
After making a picnic back at the apartment for lunch, I head the other direction around the corner and down the street to the Giardini Margherita (park) to eat lunch before hopping on a train to Venice. My tuna sandwich and banana are very tasty. I read for a little while enjoying this tree-filled park under the cool shade of a tree. Catching a bus to the train station, I arrive in time to stand in a long line to buy a ticket to Ferrara where I need to change trains to Venice (I had to make a change to my itinerary because my Italian class scheduled changed, but only after I had pre-purchased the Ferrara to Venice leg of this journey) So, I change trains in Ferrara. Because of the long ticket line, I decide to pre-purchase my train tickets for Thursday's afternoon visit to Ferrara as well. Here I get to practice some of my Italian while buying the tickets.
On the high-speed train to Venice, I love seeing the hills and changing landscape. We quickly arrive to Venice. Travelling across the lagoon on the land bridge approaching Venice is very exciting. I have only ever been to Venice by bus or a car so coming by train is pretty cool. Venice off in the distance across the water is a beautiful sight. The train pulls in at San Lucia train station which is directly on the Grand Canal. Not sure how they put a train station there, but I'm always amazed by everything in Venice. So long ago, people decided to avoid being captured by invaders by going out to the lagoon and building a city basically on water and marshy islands by driving huge logs of wood down into the underwater ground to build a base upon which to build foundations for buildings, a whole city the size of 2 central parks in New York sits on these islands. Plus, it's been here for over 1000 years. Amazing!
Leaving San Lucia train station, I immediately am on the Grand Canal - it's a sunny day and simply breathtaking. I cannot wait to hop on a vaporetto and ride the length of the Grand Canal to San Marco Piazza. It's a busy afternoon. True to form this summer, Venice is teaming with tourists just like every other "big" city I've visited thus far. (maybe that says something good about the global economy?, I don't know but there more people here in Europe than I've ever experienced). Watching all the boats on the canal while waiting for my vaporetto (water bus) is fun. There are private boats, water taxi, vaporetti, work boats, police boats, gondola ... all sorts of boats. On the vaporetto, I find a spot in the front to stand with a good view. I chose boat # 2 because it travels the length of the Grand Canal but doesn't stop at so many stops as the #1 boat.
On the Grand Canal, I am looking especially to spot the Palazzo Barbaro which was discussed at length in a book I read last week called The City of Falling Angels. It was a non-fiction about Venice and people who lived in Venice - really some guy visiting Venice for a long time talking to people and learning stories, interesting. The Palazzo Barbaro is easy to spot and very beautiful. At the Piazza di San Marco a herd of people disembark and another herd gets on the boat. I stay on the boat admiring the lagoon while the boat heads back up the Grand Canal. I get off at the next stop, cross the bridge and wander through the streets to find La Fenice, the opera house. Sadly, the opera house is not open to visit, but I do peek around from the gift shop. I would love to attend an opera here one day (bucket list!). The building was re-built after a fire in 1996 (detailed in the book I referenced above).
Wandering around the streets of Venice is a happy way for me to spend my afternoon. I find my way to the San Marco piazza to have a look around.. yes, lots of people here. I do find that they've finished the work on the bell tower since my last visit as the area is clear now at the base of the tower. However, now they are working on St Mark's Basilica as there is some scaffolding there now. Something is always needing restoration and fixing in Europe. This piazza is one of my favorites (the very best time to visit is early in the morning before Venice wakes, say 6:30/7:00am. No chance for that this trip but I remember my early morning walks here with the pigeons fondly).
My happy wanderings take me through the little streets, over little bridges and down narrow paths to the Rialto Bridge. My destination is a wine bar called Cantina Do Mori which was established in 1462... hey that's 30 years before Columbus sailed off into the blue yonder. Not on a map, I know the general area. Luckily, I wander only a little before finding the spot. At this early hour, I'm the only customer but the wine is a welcome refreshment. I also select some cicchetti to make a small dinner, some pecorino cheese, a zucchini crochette, and a boiled egg with anchovy. It is all tasty. The wine bar sure looks old - it's dark wood and lots of old things hanging about. I have another glass of wine before it's time to head back to the train station to end this brief visit to one of my favorite cities in the world.
I make my way more quickly through the streets of Venice following the signs to the train station because I don't want to miss my train to Bologna - it's the last train out tonight that can take me home. I rarely use a map in Venice as the way is usually marked by signs pointing the direction. With plenty of time to spare, I find the platform by checking the departure board. My train is high-speed direct to Bologna (on it's way to I think Napoli or Roma). Because online when I bought my ticket the price was the same, I am booked in a first class car. I find out that you get a drink and some cookies in first class, very nice. My caffe is tiny and very strong but after the wine bar I need some coffee, even a shot. The journey to Bologna is fast on this high-speed train. I arrive at the Bologna Centrale to find a bus still running that takes me to my neighborhood across town. Feeling tired, I hit the sack with a smile on my face... Venezia !!