The two weeks spent on this trip have been two of the best weeks of my life. I saw stunning art works, met extraordinary people and rediscovered my sense of self. The entire trip I had such a strong feeling of joy - this confirmed a lesson my parents have always taught me - you become truly happy by doing what you love.
I thought I would break down my observations from the trip in to sections - it makes reading and organising my thoughts that much easier.
Venice
Venice is an extraordinary place to be. I first visited Venice for my mum's birthday celebrations a couple of years ago (the only place on the trip I'd been to before). I expected that because I'd been there previously it would be a less astonishing place for me to visit - I was wrong. When I first visited Venice with my family I had barely skimmed the surface of what it is like - we stuck to well known areas and carried out little exploration. The benefit of being on the art history course is that our tutors took us to places it would be hard to discover by yourself. Things I loved about Venice were the romantic side streets, hidden art treasures, being near the water and the relaxed social atmosphere. There really is no other place like it in the world. Venice was a maze I could happily get lost in for days - each corner brings a new discovery.
Specific experience:
A specific experience I will always remember is being on the water bus. I know you're now probably thinking 'Rachel you were in Venice for crying out loud and all you can write about is transport?!?' Well I once had a particularly long journey on it (45 minutes or so) and got to take in a little bit of what it must be like travelling around Venice every day. Whilst on the water bus I was thinking about travelling on buses in England. The atmosphere on a water bus is so much friendlier and I found it such a novelty to be on the water. I kept thinking 'whilst this seems so incredible to me - for some people this must just be every day life'. A particularly funny moment was when a commuter in his smart work suit got utterly drenched as a boat sped closely by the water bus - no one in London would be expecting to get showered in water on their regular journey to work.
Florence
My only form of reference for what Florence would be like was the novel and film 'A Room With A View'. Sadly George Emerson was not there crying out poetry in the Tuscan countryside but hey maybe next time? Florence is one of the loveliest cities I have ever been to. Whilst having large buildings with more commercial areas it also had some lovely hidden places - the perfect balance. I'm not entirely sure why but Florence had a particularly calming influence upon me. It was a place I immediately felt comfortable in and I loved taking my spare time to mooch around the streets to find a quiet place to do some rather poor drawing. In terms of art, Florence holds the majority of my favourite works. A lot of the art in Florence got the most emotional reaction out of me - Donatello's Magdelene, Michelangelo's Deposition, Aretmisia Gentileschi's Judith and Holofernes, Santo Spirito, Donatello's St George etc. (More will be written about them in my nerdy blog!) For me, Florence was a relaxed environment where I got to indulge in some of the loveliest things I have ever seen. Oh and it has the best steak in the world (a very important part of the Rachel Prosser diet!)
Specific experience:
An experience in Florence I will never forget is going on the carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica. This was a moment of pure joy. Before going on the carousel I had spent my morning in awe of the sculptures in Orsanmichele, Museo del Bargello and Museo D'Opera. A lot of the works I had seen triggered thought beyond the art work and the last sculpture I saw (Donatello's Magdelene) produced the most powerful impact a piece of art has had on me in my life (I'll write properly about it in the nerdy blog). After reacting so strongly to Donatello's work I felt slightly drained and not entirely present. One of my friends on the trip was particularly sensitive to this and suggested we go on the carousel in our free time that day - it was the perfect remedy. We skipped up to the carousel like five year olds and genuinely started debating fanatically about which horse we wanted to go on. We were surrounded by children no older than four behaving with far more decorum than we were. Once on the carousel we were in absolute hysterics and having the time of our lives. I kept repeating 'I'm turning twenty in October!' and crying with laughter at the bemused faces of onlookers. It was a wonderful experience because we were without inhibition and having a moment of escape to the joy of being childish.
Rome
For me, Rome was the most overwhelming city. Everywhere you look there is something going on! It was amazing to move from the narrow streets of Venice and the calm atmosphere of Florence to the bustle of the large roads in Rome. I have never been in a place where you get such an intense sense of history. Standing in the middle of somewhere like the Forum has you in awe of the skill of those in the past. I'm conscious that we often think of how primitive people like our grandparents were, let alone people like the Ancient Romans. However, standing in the middle of the Forum or in front of the Pantheon reminds you of the overwhelming talent of man - regardless of the age they lived in. In terms of art, there was one idea that particularly struck me. My final afternoon in Rome was spent looking at the work of Caravaggio in different churches. For me, his work is particularly powerful (I could get very nerdy about this but I'll save it!) and I really feel like I could stand in front of it, perfectly content, for hours. I think it is so wonderful that there is the possibility of walking in to numerous churches in Rome (in Italy generally) and discovering masterpieces - it's a real contrast to often having to travel to galleries to see important works. I think it's appropriate for these works to remain in churches and not be transferred to collections - they were designed to be accessible and inspire man frequently and should remain so. I also think accessing these works in every day environments summarises my feelings about Rome - being there is like being in a constant work of art - everything is beautiful.
Specific experience:
I have been to a couple of operas in my lifetime but there is now one that will constantly stick out in my mind. Whilst in Rome we were lucky enough to be taken to see 'Tosca' one evening. What made the performance particularly special was that it was outside in the Baths of Caracalla. It was extraordinary to have the ruins of the Ancient Roman Baths as the background to the dramatic performance. The entire time I couldn't quite believe I was there and experiencing something so magical.
Food
How could I go to Italy and not talk about the food?! After studying tourism in Social Anthropology at university I am aware of trying not to build expectations upon stereotypes. However, the Italians totally ruined this approach. The first thing I saw when arriving in Venice was a woman carrying a stack of pizza boxes home for dinner! I have never eaten so much pizza, pasta and ice cream in such a short space of time. Coinciding with expectations, it was the best Italian food I have ever had - pizza bought for two euros on the street was better than anything I've paid for in an English restaurant. A funny thing is that I would often find myself thinking 'How do I ask for this food in Italian?' and then realising the name of it in English is an Italian word! (e.g. carbonara)
Weather
As an Englishwoman I think it's my duty to talk about the weather? The heat... and often the humidity was incredible. After spending a year at a Scottish university and accepting that I'd never see the sun again this was a shock to the system! I was still wearing cardigans or jackets to lectures in May! In Italy the temptation to go 'Oh to hell with it' and embrace your birthday suit was overwhelming. And you know what? Despite all this sun I'm still as pale as a ghost. In fact one of the most entertaining and bizarre episodes of the trip was when an Italian woman approached me in a shop, held her arm against mine and loudly shared how unbelievably pale I was with her friend! Haha!
Men
No worries here - this blog isn't about to get particularly racy. Italian men are an interesting subject. Before I went on this trip I was often told 'Oooh you can go and eye up some lovely Italian men!' Actually, my conclusion would be that Italian men are not particularly lovely - quite the opposite. Italian men are not at all reserved in their approach to women (this was proven in Venice, Florence and Rome). They yell things like 'very nice' in the street, openly stare with no embarrassment and sometimes whistle. They have a very predatory approach that I found particularly uncomfortable. I had an interesting conversation about their approach with a friend on the course and we reached a shared conclusion. We found their behaviour particularly uncomfortable because they are not treating you like a person - just a body really. Still, if you ignore them then the initial shock over their behaviour lessens and they never did anything that would truly ruin my visit.
Now this is a man I have time for! I was sad when I learned that I would probably not be able to see the final film for a while because I would be away - but heck I was going to be in Italy! Then whilst in Florence our tutors arranged to take us to see the final film - yessss! I dressed up with my friends at university for the first half of the final film - our red academic gowns worked particularly well as robes. For the final film our tutors encouraged us to go all out for the occasion and I was more than happy to! With my other diehard friends I wrote 'I <3 HP' on one cheek and drew a lightning scar on the other. My friend then had the amazing idea of drawing the sign of the deathly hallows on the back of my neck - I loved it! We went to a beautifully designed theatre to see the film. It seemed appropriate that I got to see the film I had waited most of my childhood for in the nicest cinema I've ever been in.
Overall, my experiences in Italy have been extraordinary. Upon my return home my family and friends noted a change in me. I think in spending a lot of time with one of my great loves (art) I had been reminded of the extreme happiness we are all capable of experiencing. I've had a pretty exhausting year at university (utterly amazing but there was a lot of change which can become overwhelming at times) and returning in a simpler manner to what I love was a good balance to this. I had some tough experiences before going to Italy and, as I told one of my tutors, I feel like the trip was a healing time for me. The people on the trip helped me build up my strength and provided me with incredible support, despite only knowing me for two weeks.
Like I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, taking a little time to focus on yourself and reconnect with what your true passion is can help you rediscover strength you weren't aware you had.
