Italy Through My Eyes
Kathryn Klink
Italy Through My Eyes
Italy
Through My Eyes
Kathryn Klink
For my cousins, who have yet to follow their dreams. CHRONICLE BOOKS Published by Signet, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 680 Second Street San Francisco, California 94107
Table of Contents Introduction
1
Florence
3
www. chroniclebooks.com First Chronicle Book printing, February 2012 11 10 08 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright © 2012 by Kathryn A. Klink. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials. Your support of the author’s right is appreciated.
Pisa
27
Cinque Terre
32
Arezzo
57
San Giamigiano
60
Siena
66
Venice
70
Rome
80
All photographs are copyright of Kathryn A. Klink A book of my travels and experiences from studying abroad in Italy for the month of June in 2009. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 978-0-8118-6042-1 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN: 978-0-8118-6042-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) NC997.L87 2012 741.9—dc22 2012033805 Printed in the United States of America Designed by Kathryn A. Klink
Introduction D
uring the month of June in 2009 I chose to study abroad in Italy. It was a faculty led trip so two of my teachers came with me and about 20 other students. I stayed in an apartment in Florence, really close to the Duomo and Santa Croce. Monday through Thursday I had classes all day. Thursday’s were fun because it was like a field trip day where we went to different museums and churches. On the weekends I was able to backpack around the country. The first weekend I went to Cinque Terre, on the way I had an hour layover in Pisa ( just enough time to see the famous tower.) Cinque Terre ended up being my paradise! The second weekend I had to go where the teachers wanted us, it was part of the program and they chose Arezzo, which is a small Tuscan town that takes part in afternoon siestas. San Giamigiano and Siena were next and those were medieval Tuscan hilltop towns where the tallest tower represents the most power. Then I went to Venice to experience the Biennale which is a modern art festival held every odd year. The last weekend I visited the capital, Rome and ended my trip spending several hours at the Trevi Fountain. This book is to hold those memories of my stay, and hopefully I will find my way back to Italy.
Cinque Terre A
s I stepped off of the train in Monterosso I was immediately amazed at the sight.
I knew that when I saw the shore with the exotic flowers, the colorful buildings and the sea that this was my paradise. One of the first things that I did was run down the steps to the Mediterranean to stick my feet in the water. To this day I still plan on returning because it definitely made an impression on me. Cinque Terre means five towns in Italian; there are five seaside towns, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. They are actually located in a national park in Italy off of the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. To get to each of these towns there are two different ways, the first is by train. A special train goes back and forth from the towns all day every day. You have to buy a special ticket for this train at the Monterosso train station, but it comes in handy, as the only other way is to hike. There are hiking trails between the towns, some are really easy such as the “lover’s walk” others are rough and
scared me so much that I took the train. I stayed in a town called Spezia up in the mountains. It was nowhere near the sea, and it wasn’t my choice, however the hostel that I stayed in was very nice. I’ve been in the mountains before so the view was not new to me as it was to others. Actually my nose was out of joint because I arrived in this beautiful land only to be taken away from it. We arrived here on Friday and left on Sunday. The train was a few hours but it was a great experience. We met these kids that were traveling to Switzerland and some of them spoke English, they stepped in to help us order from a trolley cart with food. It reminded me of Harry Potter only it was sandwiches and stuff. The kids were brilliant; they spoke like four different languages and were only thirteen to fifteen years old. Every morning there was a green bus that picked us up in front of the hostel and took us into Riomaggiore, because it was the nearest stop.
The bus took us as far as it could into the town, because the roads get so narrow, they couldn’t go too far. The journey from the mountains and into Cinque Terre is very curvy; we were weaving in and out of vineyards. Then the bus would honk his horn at certain curves that had blind spots but it wasn’t a normal honk, so it was really entertaining. The bus was so full that there was a standing room only and it was difficult for them to keep
their balance. With my clumsiness I managed to always get a seat, and that was for good reason. Especially since I don’t know how to apologize for being a klutz in Italian. I did learn enough Italian to survive though, like ordering food, water and how to find the bathroom. It was here that the group split into different directions, some hiked the trails, where as I shopped and explored while taking advantage of the railways.
Monterosso is the main town as it connects from the regular railway to the special Cinque Terre one. However there is more to it than meets the eye. Most of my group didn’t walk down the shore far enough to find the actual town; they thought there was just a train station. I found out by exploring that there is a tunnel to go through before you reach the actual town. It was a beautiful sight as it is somewhat hidden. All of the towns are built into hills so you are either walking up hill or down hill and the buildings are extremely close together. I immediately found that there was art hidden all over the towns, between mosaics, paintings, and churches raising money to be repaired complete with frescoes and sculptures. I discovered two beautiful churches that were raising money to repair; they were in desperate need of reparation. But the architecture and the hidden art were beautiful. The only part about it that I didn’t understand was the skulls and skeletons. I’m not sure if it was common in this part of the country or if they represented something. My last day there as I was waiting for the train I laid out on the beach in Monterosso. The beach however was surprising because it is made of rocks instead of sand, but it felt like I was having a hot stone massage, so it was actually pleasant. I also enjoyed swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, afterward there is a handy little shop that charges for it’s showers, I think it was only 1 Euro, but it was enough to wash my hair and the sand from the sea off of me to be refreshed for my couple hour journey back to Florence.
The next town that I ended up in was Riomaggiore. It was a beautiful morning and after the green bus dropped me off, I enjoyed breakfast at a nice cafĂŠ where I watched as the green bus dropped off people from the hills of Spezia. There are rumors that cats rule the towns, and I enjoyed finding them in random places, such as doorsteps and napping in boats that are on land and covered. The green cross signs that light up are signs for pharmacies. This was where I discovered art in random places such as paintings on walls and mosaics in tunnels. There is a big tunnel that leads to the train station, the tunnel is filled with mosaics of starfish and suns, basically beach related, and as you come out of it there is a beautiful mural about the people from the land and how they have evolved as a group into what they are known for today, as well as a fountain. And of course with my obsession for fountains I had to not only touch it but also take a picture of it. When waiting at the train station for the train to go to the next town I was able to look down and see the sea crashing into rocks. What I found interesting was the steps that led down into the water. The steps looked slippery and I never saw anyone on them so I wondered if they were still used today. Little details such as kayaks, rope, and other items told me that they were still used. Although I think that I would slip and fall in, probably hurting myself. At the train station I met a group of people that were on a tour from a cruise line. I thought that would be an awesome shore excursion. I ended up talking with a nice couple about the experience and the different ports of call that they had been to on their cruise. The morning before I left I ended up in Riomaggiore again and was shopping at the local grocery store for snacks to last me the day. As I recall I bought a bag full of cherries and biscotti.
Vernazza was the next town, and it happened to be my favorite. The train station is sort of raised above the main road through the town. Kind of like a giant bridge. I went down the stairs and enjoyed browsing through shops of clothes; wine and I remember seeing these giant chocolate chip cookies. As I was walking down the road I found a break in between the buildings, there was a very low tunnel that led to the sea. To get through I would have to crawl under. There was a fountain to the side of this brick tunnel. It was a little beautiful view in the middle of all of the stores. As I was passing a butcher shop I happened to see a painting of fishes. It was really fascinating where I found such a beautiful piece of art, and a little random. There are boats that just line the sides of the streets as if it is the most normal thing. And the waters edge is right there for easy access; it kind of looks like a little beach. The hills that surround these towns are filled with vineyards. Cinque Terre is known for their red wine that is actually a sweet dessert wine. I managed to bring back a small bottle. The buildings are so colorful here and with the water I could see myself coming back, and possibly going out in a boat when the weather is better. During my stay it was actually rainy and windy not the type of weather that boats go out into no matter what country you are in.
Manarola has a tunnel as well; it’s a bright yellow tunnel that leads from the train station to the town. As I emerged from the tunnel there was a fountain below a landing type of thing. There were two sets of steps and to get to the heart of the town you had to climb them, however there weren’t that many of them. As I climbed the steps I looked down and discovered that I was standing on top of this giant mosaic of seagulls flying in a circle. I found more steps to the sea including the ropes as well as large rocks that I could climb on top of, although I had to be careful.
Corniglia was sort of interesting. The train station is at the bottom of the hill, and I mean a huge hill. There is a bus that takes people from the train station to the top of the hill with the town. This is the smallest town in Cinque Terre, and I didn’t explore it much since the roads were narrow and the town is up so high that it feels like your on a cliff. I did however have the best salmon pasta that I have ever had. It was just warm and wonderful, with a great view. It was here that I bought the bottle of wine that I took home with me.