Saturday afternoon we made the epic climb up il Duomo, a feat comparable to Brunelleschi's engineering. Later on we went to the Academia to see the David and Michelangelo's slaves. Tonight we had a group dinner of delicious Florintine steak. Sunday morning we left la bella citta and headed on to Piza. (side note from this day on it did not stop raining except for one miraculous day in Venice.) The Leaning Tower is impressive but I don't recommend climbing it when it is raining, the sloped top becomes a bit slippery.
Sunday night we stayed in Florence. Monday morning we journeyed to Bologna, left our bags in the train station and went to explore the arcades. In Bologna we saw a Le Corb exhibition apartment building and a Carlos Scarpa store front. Monday night we arrived in Venice, thankfully not underwater, although the catwalks were all out. Some time during the night the city flooded, but the water receded by the time we all woke up. This morning we saw a newly christened Calatrava bridge on the way to catch the vaparetto (water bus) to San Marco. We climbed up the Bell Tower in Piazza San Marco where you can see the entire city. We also went in to the Church to see the beautiful gold mosaics that cover every inch of wall and ceiling. Later we went to a gallery turned museum designed by Carlos Scarpa. Being inside we were able to sketch for a while. Wednesday morning we had a wonderful chunk of free time without rain! Abbie, Chloe, Lauren, Alex and I wandered around the city discovering some beautiful churches, great cappuccino and a Leondardo da Vinci exhibit. We finally made our way across the grand canal on a traghetto and arrived in Piazza San Marco with minutes to spare. We then ventured to Isola della Giudecca to see Santissimo Redentore a church designed by Palladio. Before dinner we walked past another Carlos Scarpa but it was too dark to really appreciate anything.
Thursday we went to Vincenza and began the Great Palladian Adventure. Piazza dei Signori, Teatro Olimpico, Palazzo Chiericati and Villa Rotunda. Walking back we went to the basilica di Monte Berico (not designed by Palladio) and the rosary arcades. Early Friday morning we began part 2 of the Great Palladian Adventure took a bus to the country side to see Villa Barbaro and Villa Emo where you can feel the harmony of the universe in every room.
Villa Emo
Villa Rotunda
Palazzo Chiericati
Teatro Olimpico
And a day would not be complete without Scarpa so we saw his designs in Brion cemetery. On the way back to Vincenza we stopped in Marostica where every year they stage a life sized chess match, with real horses. As our trip comes to an end we travel to Verona for the day to immerse ourselves in more Scarpa! We saw a bank facade he designed as well as a museum inside Castelvecchio. Oh and what's a trip to Verona without stopping by Juliet's balcony. Finally we got on the train to return to our home in Roma. I can't believe the amount of beautiful architecture i have absorbed over the past 9 days. We had allot of fun, but I'm glad to be back in Rome.
