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I have been back from Italy for almost a week now, and I can explain my feelings in one word: reflection. When I was anticipating the trip to Italy, I imagined it as a space filled with delicious food, stunning architecture, and laughter between friends. While these three aspects did make up the majority of the trip, I never expected the change within myself I experienced during my time in Italy. Something I was very worried about when I was getting ready to board the plane

Throughout Italian Discoveries, I have visited numerous Italian cities, and they all represented very different eras of Italian history. Three I would like to focus on are the medieval towns of Venice and San Gimignano and the postmodern city of Milan. Although these cities contrasted each other in many ways, the one that stuck out to me was the speed and efficiency of their transportation methods. We began our stay in Venice, the city without cars. Instead of getting in th

For this assignment, I was tasked with analyzing architectural elements in a campo of my choice. I chose Campo Santa Maria Formosa primarily because this was the campo that I walked through almost every day, so I saw it from many different lenses. An analysis of the architectural elements is shown below. A balustrade held up by corbels accompanies an arched window on the building to the right of Palazzo Querini Stampalia The bell tower (or campanile) shown in Baroque design.

The visit to the Venice Biennale was one of the most formative experiences of my time in Italy. It’s no surprise to anyone that I love art, so it would make sense for me to love an international art festival. However, the experience in the Biennale was radically different from any art museum I had been to in the past. The day began in the Uffizi gallery, where we travelled from the Byzantine era of art through the 17th century. While beautiful, these artworks were separated

“Why are there so many representations of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic church?” This was the question I asked my classmate after leaving the Padua Baptistery. This was also the question that would lead to the most beautiful moment of my trip to Italy. When most of us think about beauty, we think about a specific person, landscape, or object. I would like to make the argument that beauty is present not only in tangible objects but also in ephemeral moments. The gears in m

Warning: This blog post deals with a possibly triggering topic, so proceed accordingly. Sopra-sotto, troverai lo scafo rovesciato, Scatta una foto al teschio di Zorzi, apprezzato. English Translation: Upside-down, you’ll find the hull Take a pic at Zorzi’s skull Above is the clue Madeline and I were given for a scavenger hunt around Venice. On our last full day in Venice, we were tasked with finding this mysterious “Zorzi’s skull.” Without the crutch of Google, we interacted

America’s reliance on convenient dining allows for the abundance of fast food restaurants, take-out, and delivery services such as Door Dash or Grubhub. In my experience, most meals I’ve had were either alone, in a rush to get to school or work, or in front of a screen. In the United States, food is often treated as a necessity rather than an experience. Instead of taking the time to enjoy their meals, Americans tend to view it as a task to complete before moving on with the

A discussion on the impact of Leonardo's Mona Lisa and Giorgionne's The Tempest in Renaissance art.

Before boarding the plane, these are my thoughts and expectations of Italy.