Archive for February, 2008
Getting Lost in Venice in February
When I first arrived back in Venice on this trip, I dropped my bags off at my hotel and went right back out to wander and get myself lost. I’m not usually the type who likes getting lost - I’m the navigator in my family, and I really prefer to know exactly where I am and where I’m going. In Venice, however, it’s always best to try to get yourself as lost as humanly possible. The worst that can happen is that you need to ask someone how to get back to Piazza San Marco, or the Rialto Bridge, or something familiar and nearby your hotel. It’s an island, after all, so there’s only so lost you can get!
So, my camera and I set off to get lost in Venice. I wandered through San Marco Square and photographed the gondolas lined up next to the Doge’s Palace, bobbing in the thick fog. The cold was biting, and I was surprised at how many people I saw actually riding in Venice gondolas. Of course, I’m always surprised people pay so much for those things, but I digress. I wandered past the Bridge of Sighs and then turn a sharp left down a small alley-way back behind the Doge’s Palace where I didn’t see many people going. That paid off handsomely, just the way Robert Frost taught us it would.
Date: February 29th, 2008 |
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Bargello in Florence
The Bargello might have once been a prison, but by telling you to visit the Bargello in Florence I’m not saying you should commit a crime and get yourself arrested. Actually, I’m advocating that you visit an excellent museum of sculpture.
Florence’s Bargello was once a palace, then later a prison (even a place where executions once took place), and was turned into a museum in 1865. The building now contains some famous sculptures from the 14th through 17th centuries. It comes in a distant third behind the Uffizi and the Accademia in terms of number of visitors, but it’s no less artistically important - so if you’re looking for outstanding examples of art without having to wait in long lines, then the Bargello is a good bet.
Some of the more famous pieces housed in the Bargello are a few lesser-known works by Michelangelo (his “Bacchus” actually looks drunk), Donatello’s bronze statue of “David” (the first free-standing male nude since antiquity), and two entries submitted to the contest held in 1401 to determine who would create the now-famous Baptistery doors.
Date: February 27th, 2008 |
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The Milan Metro’s Colorful Handrails
Getting around in an unfamiliar city can be tough to get used to, especially when you don’t speak the language. If a city has a subway system, it’s likely that it’s the most efficient and most inexpensive mode of transportation - but when you’re underground you can get disoriented even more easily, so some tourists avoid the subway in favor of slower buses just so they can keep their bearings.
One of the things I noticed about Milan during my visit in November was that the folks who take care of public transportation in the city (they go by the name Azienda Trasporti Milanesi, which shortens to the acronym ATM, which causes all kinds of confusion for tourists thinking they’ve finally found the bank machine) was that the three Metro lines are not just assigned different colors on maps, these colors are fully embraced by the Metro system. Each line has a number, as well, but as long as you’re not color blind there are not-so-subtle clues to help you make sure you’re getting on the right train.
Date: February 25th, 2008 |
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Making Friends at the Pasticceria
We spent Sunday afternoon wandering around the Brera neighborhood in central Milan, having a lovely little lunch, visiting an art museum (more on that later), and re-visiting a gelato shop we liked from our last trip to Milan. Then, on our way back to the apartment, we passed by a pasticceria near our place and stopped to peek at the window. Little did we know that would lead to one of the more delightful encounters we’ve had so far.
The windows of most pasticcerie are filled with Easter displays these days, including some gigantic chocolate eggs dressed in what seems like acres of colored metallic foil, and I wanted to get some photos of this window near our apartment. I didn’t notice that the proprietress inside wasn’t waiting on anyone at the moment, so she came out to say hello. Thankfully, she wasn’t angry with me taking pictures - on the contrary, she was just being chatty. The husband talked with her while I took a few photos and when he said we were American she asked if he was originally from Italy because of his language skills. Well, we don’t let that kind of compliment go unnoticed, so the husband immediately grabbed her and gave her “due baci,” a kiss on each cheek! She was so delighted, she invited us inside for samples of the delicious pastries in the shop.
Date: February 24th, 2008 |
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First Italy Logue Photo Contest
The Italy Logue has been up and running now for just over a year, so I think it’s time to celebrate with our first Italy Logue contest. This one is going to be simple, so you should all enter it. Really.
First Italy Logue Photo Contest
Yes, folks, it’s a photo contest! While I’m here in Italy happily snapping pictures to be added to our Italy Photos page, I’m also excited to see what pictures you’ve taken in Italy. So as long as you took the photo, it’s good enough for me.
The photos can be of anything, so long as they were taken somewhere in Italy (or the city-states within its borders, like San Marino or the Vatican). You’ll just need to tell me where you took the picture (city and sight/attraction/restaurant/etc. if applicable) and when you took it. The contest will run throughout my trip - the final date to send me entries is March 31, 2008 by midnight Pacific Time, and I’ll announce a winner on April 7, 2008. I may choose to narrow the choices down to a few and poll my co-workers, but I’ll maintain veto authority. I’m a control freak, what can I say?
Send your photos to me at italy@logueit.com - please try to keep them under 2MB per image. And remember to include the following:
Date: February 23rd, 2008 |
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Bonus Italy Photo of the Week: Venice Gondoliere
Don’t forget to send in your entries for our Italy Photo Contest!
For this extra Italy photo of the week, here’s a picture I took two days ago in Venice:
While the role of a gondola driver (a “gondoliere”) may seem boring and not require much skill, if you pay attention you’ll see that those tight corners and other passing boats in narrow canals means that the person steering that impossibly long gondola has got to be pretty adept at not crashing into things. In this picture, you can see the driver using the nearby walls as a …
Date: February 28th, 2008 |
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Wine Tours in Italy
You don’t have to be a wine snob to think about going on a wine tour in Italy. This is a country known the world over for the magical transformation from grape to vino, and the bottom line of any wine tasting is just whether or not you like what you’re sipping. If you want to learn how to talk about wine like a true connoisseur, that’s fine - but certainly not required.
A simple web search of the words “wine tours in Italy” will turn up countless results, so you certainly shouldn’t lack for choices of tour companies which offer wine-focused itineraries. If you’re hoping to learn about the wine you’re tasting as you enjoy the stunning views around you, an organized tour of a region’s wineries is a good option. This way you don’t have to plan out your route or even worry about driving after sampling one too many Chiantis - and many of the tours you’ll find will come with a guide who’ll help you understand the different wines you’re tasting. An organized wine tour is also a good choice if you don’t already have a rental car, and don’t want the hassle of navigating your way through Italy’s back roads. Plus, if the tour you’re looking at is an overnight trip you’re also likely to be spending the night in excellent accommodations and eating fabulous meals, too. These trips can be a food lover’s dream come true.
Date: February 26th, 2008 |
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Italy Photo of the Week: Easter Window
Don’t forget to send in your entries for our Italy Photo Contest!
For this Italy photo of the week, let’s get seasonal here in Milan:
It’s coming up on Easter here in Italy, and every sweet shop worth its salt has a gorgeous Easter display in its window. There are chocolate (and other) eggs of the sizes we’re used to back in the States, but the ones that get the prime real estate in the windows are the eggs that are almost the size of a human head. I’m not joking. You can’t get an accurate idea of …
Date: February 25th, 2008 |
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The Keys to an Apartment in Italy
Well, the husband and I finally got to move into our apartment yesterday - we’re renting a furnished apartment from an agency in Milan, and thankfully the place matches the photographs exactly. Between those pictures and doing a little neighborhood research via this maps site (where you can do a bird’s eye view of places), we felt like we already knew what to expect. And the neighborhood itself, called the Città Studi (it’s near a school and apparently full of international students), seems like it’ll do nicely - at least for the time we’re here. The name on the apartment, and therefore on the buzzer outside the building, is Sangiovanni. So until the end of March, we’re calling ourselves Signor and Signora Sangiovanni.
That’s a picture of our keys up there; and I have to say I was more than a little pleased that one of the keys was a giant skeleton-key looking thing. It just makes me smile that there are doors that really open with those things. And it makes me smile even more that I’ve got one of those doors. Frankly, just having the keys to an apartment in Italy is making me smile right now.
Date: February 24th, 2008 |
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Italian Idiomatic Expressions: Hearing the Other Bell
I love Italian idiomatic expressions - those sayings you just can’t translate directly but which make the Italian language the colorful and charming language it is.
Today’s saying offers a musical take on fairness:
Sentiamo anche l’altra campana.
Date: February 23rd, 2008 |
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