Part III Gelato Heaven

With the temperatures exceeding 115 F, we decided to take a day trip to Lido Beach which is a small island on the Adriatic Sea. Getting there takes some work on the vaporetto and then a bus. Once there you can rent an umbrella and chairs or if you want to go extra lux you can rent a little hut that has a private change room, a canopy roof and walls. They place people along this private beach much like they would at stadium parking. The water is FREEZING! And the seashells make the walking crunchy and very hot. Staying there was a relief from the heat and from the crowds.Leaving Venice to go to Lido Beach - it is a beautiful view don't you agree?

In this picture you can notice the houses are built right on the water with their pilings deep into the water. They don't want speed boats to come along and create erosion or damage on them so the boats all have to slow down in this zone.

Venice at night. Yes it is beautiful and other worldish.

From the air one can see how the water is the lifeline of this city. The houses all have entrances from the water. And it is quite crowded along these water paths - no street lights but or traffic jams but definitely very busy. It cracked me up to watch them move goods along the water. The vaporetto in the picture is their version of public transportation. Watching the crew use the ropes to anchor and then pull the boat to butt up against the platform sometimes distracted me from leaving the ship on time. Cruise ships spill their passengers out into St. Marco's square where there are too few garbage cans and too many pigeons. I can't imagine enjoying a pigeon eating out of my hand but apparently there are people who are eager to do so everyday. Even have them sit on their heads. Seems like the statues have enough pigeon activity that the tourists would refrain from this thoughtless endeavor. We did not go up that tower but did go up the one across the water at San Giorgio Maggiore Church. From the church tower, you can see in each direction quite far. I found it breathtakingly beautiful though disgusted that I had to pay such an exorbitant price to do so. The Catholic church's population continues to diminish and so I guess they need to find income from other sources than tithing.

Venice has a fantastic fresh market just passed Rialto Square where we saw the most unappetising eel. Who eats that? How do you cook it? The market has fresh fish that rivals anything I ever saw at Pike's in Seattle though there is none of the showmanship. The fresh fruits and vegetables were beautifully displayed and only after I left did I wish I had a picture.
Right outside our hotel room we found a delicious gelato shop where the portions were generous and the flavors plentiful. I confess that coming home and leaving each day were punctuated with a stop at this shop. Bacio and cioccolata every day - sometimes twice a day. Ah life is good. We took in the glass factories in Murano and the lace shops in Burano. These are such sleepy wonderful little villages. I found some lovely red glass elephants that I couldn't resist. We had the opportunity to attend a concerto in San Marco's square at the Ateneo di San Basso to hear their Chamber Orchestra place Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The lead violinist brilliantly played and you just knew that this was someone with extraordinary talent.

We also had a gondola ride - okay this is kind of cheesy with the black lacquer boats, the black and white striped t-shirts, the red velvet upolstery. There was a guy paid I am sure by the gondolier company to play the accordian and serenade the passengers. Despite all that cheesiness, the ride was very very enjoyable. From that perspective on the water, you saw things about the city that stimulated our imagination of another place and time.

B had trouble navigating himself around Venice - the streets are a maze - a water spider's web. It was too hot. There were too many crowds. There really isn't much to do after the first day. Four days in Venice is just way too long - and way too much gelato. We are glad we saw it but were very ready to leave. We took the train to Florence. Ah paradise.

I loved it here. You will recognise the Ponte Vecchio where the jewellers have the smallest shops but the most exquisite jewellery. Some of these have existed for many generations. The top of the bridge was a private tunnel that the Medici family could take from their palace into the church. The Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace just south of the Ponte Vecchio are must sees. Higher up the hill, they provide a wonderful view of Florence. The gardens are splendidly kept and groomed to perfection. Imagine how impressed visitors were to see these a few centuries ago.

This is Luca who was our guide for the morning. He speaks English exceptionally well and is a walking encyclopedia on Italian art, history and culture. His comment about how Florence has a past and a present but they seldom ever discuss its future reminded me that perhaps too much ancient art and sculptor can be hinder progress. The tower on the left side in back ground of this picture was near our bed and breakfast which was housed in a building over 500 years old. Unlike England and France, Italy does not identify any of their statues or monuments. Perhaps they think people already know what they are called. I confess I do not remember now what this statue is but it was huge and beautiful and near the train station. One of the perks with having a guide who knows the city really well is his recommendation of the gelato store called Grom. You find the tower on the basilica and then go down the alley and voila you have this amazing gelato store that does not display its products in the typical Italian fashion. The gelato is in metal containers and they use only the purest ingredients. I had limone which was really quite exceptional. We attended vespers in the Duomo Cathedral more to see the Duomo without having to line up. The organ music filled the chapel and demonstrated how excellent the acoustics were in the building. The church was started in 1296 and finished some two hundred years later. It is massive and beautiful and gothic and ugly all at the same time. You can go up to the dome for a view but the steps that lead up there are in between two walls and it gets very hot and very tight in there with people coming and going. The marble and the intricate designs impress from every point of view.We met a young man from Manhattan School of Music who was studying double bass cello at the Bel Canto Music School in Florence and his mother was studying painting in the Caravaggio method. We enjoyed getting to know them and enjoyed the recital the following night where he and many of his classmates performed. These are exceptional musicans - they must audition for the right to study there and only the best are chosen. I especially loved the music composed by Scarletti.

We visited the Galleria dei L'Academie which houses Michaelangelo's David from the 15th Century. We saw one painting entitled Aquainted with Grief of the Saviour that touched a deep spiritual nerve of gratitude for Jesus Christ. We visited the Uffezzi museum where we saw way too much art and sculpture to remember. It starts to all blend into one big orgey of art after awhile. I did like some paintings by Notti and Manfredi though I could not tell you now what they were. Art history might be a fun class to take and then go back there again where perhaps some of it might stick longer.

One night we walked up to the Fortezza de Basso where they had an outdoor concert with a rock band and a classical orchestra and choir. They played Pink Floyd - yes that Pink Floyd though I confess I did not recognise Shine On You Crazy Diamond. We stayed as long as we could before the cigarette smoke just became too thick and too disgusting. Italians LOVE their cigarettes. No attempt seems to be made to have public smoking banned. Too bad.

The holiday was starting to get old and we had eaten too much pasta and seen to much art and been in too many churches. I suggested we go shopping for a change. Big Mistake!!! Leather. Leather gloves. Leather shoes. Leather boots. Leather coats. Leather purses. Leather heaven. Leather as an art form. Beautiful, wonderful and EXPENSIVE leather. We visited the Manni's shoe store where you can purchase custom shoes. We bought a journal from the Giannini paper store which has been in business since 1856. The craftmanship, the quality and the pride in which these stores produce their products make Made In Orient products pale in comparison. I found a marble inlay table that was intricately designed with all kinds of precious stones. The price tag? Oh that will be $35,o00 Euros please.

Now on to Rome. Another train ride. Again I must repeat myself: travelling by train in Europe is a wonderful experience both in comfort and in speed.

Okay seeing St. Peter's square is a must simply to understand the magnitude of the place. How many people do you think can fit in there? This is the Trevi fountain made famous in movies like La Dolce Vita and Three Coins in a Fountain. Eclipsed on either side by older buildings the fountain is rather a surprise to stumble upon. Facing the fountain veer to the left past the gelato store and continue until you will find an amazing men's store when they have men's wool suits (Zenga brand) which we could not resist. Just west of the Trevi Fountain you will also find the Fountain of Four Rivers

I have heard about the Sistine Chapel. I have seen pictures of the Sistine Chapel. I have read about the Sistine Chapel. Now I can say I have seen it. Oh my. Stimulation overload. My eyes simply could not focus on any one spot long enough because another part of the wall or ceiling was vying for attention. On the way to the chapel you go through a long hallway with maps of the Roman world as it was and through another corridor with carpets depicting the life of Jesus on one side and on the other the life of one of the popes. These were made by one woman - I guess she didn't have time to worry about making supper or hanging out her laundry. When could she have? These are massive and very detailed.

I could spend a lot longer in Rome but will NEVER do it again in the summer. Wow it is hot there. Hot. Hot. Hot. And people don't use deodrant there. So it is hot and stinky. Stinky and hot. But beautiful too and you can just keep seeing one wonderful thing after another.
While Michaelangelo busied himself with the Sistine Chapel's paintings, he was first and foremost a sculptor. And this picture of his Moses found in a little tiny church really does magnify his talent. He has captured that moment just before Moses will break the plates where God has written his law but to his disappointment, Moses sees that the children of Israel worship a Golden Calf instead of God. You can see his anger and his disappointment. Apparently there is a small crack in his knee where Michaelangelo threw a chisel and demanded "Why don't you speak?" I don't know if that is just folklore or true but certainly the statue does seem to have a presence as if it could speak. The horns represent enlightenment - because he was a Jew, Michaelangelo could not express the idea of his being enlightened by God with a halo as in the Christian tradition.

I loved this Pieta the most. Look at Mary as she cradles her adult son. Look at his body - you can see the veins in his hands and the muscle in his legs. You feel her loss and you sense his magnitude as a being. I saw another version of La Pieta in Florence where Mary has helpers lifting him but this one in Rome is my favorite. Certainly these sculptures made of stone yet living and flowing reveal some of Michaelangelo's genius.

We had a guide who took us to the Coliseum, the Pantheon, and explained Roman history to us as we walked in +40 temperatures. I forgot until she reminded us about Rome being built on 7 hills. About how it is the eternal city and that the stone and metal used to build the Coliseum was scavanged and used to build other things.

Five million people call Rome home and who knows how many more visit each day. The World's Swimming Championships were taking place and Bruce Springsteen had performed there just a few days before our arrival.

I saw a poem about The Borghese Gallery which suggested that it was the Theatre of the Universe, the Collection of Wonders and the Longing of the Human Gaze". Certainly one could see every art form known to man there. I am completely ignorant about art history. I will not remember 1/3 of what I saw though I am left with an impression that at some point Jesus was no longer the subject of art. His birth and his crucifixion are depicted in so many ways and yet for me it is his resurrection, his ministry and his healing that provide so much comfort and strength in my life. And wow! John the Baptist's head severed and sitting upon a platter is repeated many times by various artists. What was it about that story that inspired them to paint? What story would you like to paint from the Bible?

While our holiday was a dream come true, there are some aspects of travelling that are not amusing. We saw too street people in every city who sleep on the doorsteps of church's filled with gold.

I watched this woman and many like her who were so stooped and unbelievably over dressed for how warm it was outside. It was not uncommon to see young people with deformed bodies begging in the streets. One girl in particular just near our hotel was begging in the street. Clearly from her stench, a bath and soap had not been used or seen in a very long time. She was barefoot and her body was contorted in such a way as if she were trying to make herself disappear into the crack in the sidewalk. As I passed her, I thought about how she was at one time someone's baby. Someone loved her enough not to abort her. Someone must have cared about her. And yet here she was on the streets begging and dying more rapidly than her age should suggest. What good is all this art, all this music, all this richness, if we still have the poor and wretched?

Our holiday was extended a day with flights cancelled and then rebooked. We enjoyed another night in London - well Crawley near Gatwick airport. Taking a cab the following day to Heathrow airport was an experience I do not want to repeat ever. We took all these side roads to avoid the congestion on the freeway.

And now we are home. The celery replaces the gelato. I am so grateful to have had this experience. I am not sure where or when our next adventure will occur. Until then...