Venice in the Modern World

Venice should be a must for everyone because of its preservation of history. Although today palazzos from the 1500s and 1600s line the canals, you can go back even further to understand that early medieval folks literally built the islands from nothing. At first a route of escape from invaders, later a major economic and commercial empire. Venice's history takes us further eastward so you can see traces of influence from Constantinople and the Turks. If you can't feel the history while visiting Venice, it is because a wild horde of tourists are feeding pigeons during a 4 hour visit to the piazza San Marco. Get off the beaten path and walk everywhere, and walk at night too. You can take ferries to various islands, explore the first Jewish "ghetto", and enjoy the glimmer of water just about everywhere. Visit the market. Eating well is more difficult, so be willing to do picnics or do some research. Food will be a bit pricier, but see how it is brought in by watching the produce come in on boats in the morning. Then it makes sense.

Here's an article about the growing need to boost the economy while retaining its historical relevance.

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/18/155131818/locals-fear-venice-becoming-a-big-shopping-center?ft=3&f=1001&sc=nl&cc=nh-20120618

Lady Gaga at the Circus Maximus

Click here to see Rome's iconic chariot-racing stadium used for Lady Gaga's free performance, June 12 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVwvb_MQVMc

Restaurants-Student Recommendations

Post here on your fav restaurants so that future students have a chance to have your amazing meals and opportunties. A meal for 20 E, a "best" pasta, a great dessert--post those recs here. It's helpful if you give the name of the restaurant or bar, and also helpful to list what you ate and the street or what it's near.

Pantheon with Bell Towers

Few cities in Europe offer the scope of the various layers of history--from Ancient Rome to the present. Here is a great image of the Pantheon from 1835; notice the bell towers added by Bernini and removed in 1883.  You'll come to admire this magisterial artist at the Galleria Borghese, especially his sculpture. But these bell towers were perhaps a bit of a disaster!

Note: the shape of the buildings are still similar; we'll get gelato just to the right of the Pantheon.

Note: the height of the fountain; in the Roman period, there was a staircase to reach the portico of the Pantheon. Ancient Rome was far lower than today's Rome.

Fun Fact: Each massive column is about 40 feet high. Architectural specialists suggest that in actuality they should have been 50 feet to balance out the proportions. Is that why Bernini added the bell towers?