Zoe Larson Typography & Printing in Northern Italy Summer 2018
Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto.
Typography & Printing in Italy
This book was written and designed by Zoe Larson for Printing & Typography in Italy 2018. Copy set in Messenger & Cheltenham. Photos taken by Zoe Larson using a Canon EOS Rebel T3. Printed at Jayhawk Ink. Special thanks to my instructors Andrea Herstowski & Linda Talleur for making this trip a wonderful experience.
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Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto. Eat well, laugh often, love much.
Typography & Printing in Italy
contents
Milan 06
Verona 26
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Cornuda 42
Venice 60
Florence 76
1 MILAN
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Duomo di Milano
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
day one
5.17.18
Ciao from Italy! It’s been quite a long day but also a great one. I’m writing from my bed at the New Generation Hostel in Milan, Italy. I departed Kansas City around 1 pm on the group flight with everyone. We arrived in Milan around 10 am and met a man waiting for us with a University of Kansas sign in his hands, following him to a humongous bus (like a charter bus) for about a 45 minute drive to our hostel. We got all checked in and put our bags in a room until we could later settle into our rooms. We walked around “our neighborhood,” as Linda calls it, exploring its wandering streets and mysterious nooks and crannies. Milan reminds me of our old home in California in the way that it’s quiet but also busy kind of city, with wonderful scenery and scattered parks at every block. Although it was supposed to rain today, the sky was a beautiful blue and it remained a comfortable 75 degrees most of the day. We walked past this dog park along a cobblestone road, which I compared to heaven earlier today. I mean, first of all, it’s
Naviglio Grande
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Macchiato, New Generation Hostel
in Italy, and also, there is beautiful green grass and dogs running everywhere. There are plants on almost every windowsill, adding to the city’s charm. It’s only been a day and I decided I might have to do what Frances did in Under the Tuscan Sun and drop everything and move to Italy. After we walked around a bit, we got lunch at this authentic Italian pizzaria near the river. I ordered the prosciutto e fungi pizza and a Heineken. Later after settling into our rooms, we walked to the Duomo Chapel. The grand detail in the architecture of this chapel amazed me. I cannot believe human beings built that with their own
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
hands. Apparently it took about 300 years, and it’s sad to think the men who started it never got to see it finished. We climbed many flights of stairs to the top of the chapel where we oohed and awed at the beautiful landscape of the city. Once we got to the very top, we sat for at least an hour just admiring and talking. Afterwards we wandered in the towering arches nearby which have high-end fashion stores like Gucci, Armani, Coach, Louis Vitton, etc. I guess Milan is the fashion capital of the world after all. Anne told me about this tile on the ground near one of the stores that people spin around three times for good luck. At this point we were all exhausted but walked around some more in order to find the perfect spot for happy hour. We stopped at a place with a cheap snack buffet and cocktails, and I enjoyed a chilled glass of Chardonnay while looking onto the boardwalk. Afterwards we all decided to go for gelato (I got cinnamon) and headed home. I can’t wait for the next three weeks!
Piazza del Duomo
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Porta Ticinese
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
day two
5.18.18
Today we walked to the Trianelle Museum. The first part of the exhibit is a round pathway where on your left is a big wall that takes you through the decades of furniture design with framed photos, sketches, and notes from famous designers. On your right is a line of chairs, tables, dressers, and other furniture designs popular in the time. I felt like I was walking through time itself. My other favorite part was near the end when you walk through this maze of industrial and graphic design objects throughout history. It was pretty amazing to see Marinetti’s Zang Tumb Tuuum book right in front of my eyes after studying it in art history for so many semesters.
La Trianelle gallery
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Mini Cooper exhibit
Cyclopica exhibit
Dinamo-Azari, DeperoFuturista, 1913-1927
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
Interior of Duomo di Milano
After the Trianelle we walked to the Duomo. The interior has huge ceilings beautiful, lively stained glass windows. Then we took a metro ride to a printmaker’s studio in the city and talked about his typography and letterpress work. His name is Lucio, a very sweet, quiet, middle-aged Italian man. We all crammed into his little workspace and he talked about his current projects and previous books he’s published. After taking Book Arts this semester, I understand the process of letterpress and I really enjoyed Lucio’s professional approach.
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At the end of the visit a few of us took turns using his letterpress machine, which is much different than the Vandercook we use at school. Since I was standing next him, I got to first, and everyone got a good laugh from my struggle to pull the heavy crank. I got to keep one his alphabet pieces which is pretty awesome looking and is definitely going on my bedroom wall in Lawrence. After a long day, we went out for dinner. A few others and me went for beer and snacks and we all ended up having two rounds of Bulldogs. We all were laughing pretty hard by the end of the night.
Lucio Passerini
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
day three
5.19.18
Today we are walking through Cimitero Monumentale in Milan. Our tour guide James is leading us through, discussing the letterforms and unique style on each gravestone’s inscriptions. Each one is so different, although many of the styles are Art Deco or Roman. Many have statues of crying women or praying men, some stones are smaller, some have entire crypts for the wealthier families. James specified that on the stones are not fonts, but unique lettering invented by architects. The simplest ones were my favorite; the idea that more is less is an idea that still holds today.
Entrance to Cimitero Monumentale
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Cimitero Monumentale
Cimitero Monumentale
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
“A cemetery is a wonderful place for peace and quiet.”
— James Clough
Cimitero Monumentale
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Ginette Caron
Apartments outside geltato shop
After our visit to the cemetery, we got to go to Ginette Caron’s studio near the Basilica. She is a graphic/packaging designer and has her own personal studio right next to her husband’s, who is an architect. Her work was incredible. It’s hard to describe it in words but packaging is hard and she makes it seem effortless. She has a reason and concept behind every decision and is great at listening to what the client wants yet putting her own twist on it. She’s done a wide range of work from sleeping bags to books. I asked her if she had a whole team of people to help her and she replied that she has one Japanese assistant. I’m truly amazed she does all that great work herself. She’s so creative, and I aspire to have a life like hers someday.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
Since the Basilica is right next-door, James took us on another little tour and explained to us in great detail the history and characteristics of ancient Roman letterforms outside and inside the church. Afterwards we stopped for some gelato and said goodbye to James. We all tried speaking Italian to the cute boy behind the counter but he seemed pretty fed up with our American accents.
St. Ambrose Basilica
Walls outside St. Ambrose Basilica
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5.20.18
day four
A wonderful last day in Milan. We left the hostel early this morning to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting, The Last Supper. I’ve studied it so much over the years in my art history classes so it was pretty cool to see it in person. After an intense security check and multiple sets of locked doors, we entered a room with high ceilings and stone walls. I was completely surprised to see how enormous the painting is, on a wall of about 15x28 feet. A woman gave us a little art history lesson of the panting while everyone took pictures and admired, her voice echoing because of how huge the room is. After ten minutes and some quick selfies with Jesus, we exited through the gift shop.
Leonardo Di Vinci, The Last Supper
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
Church of San Maurizio
Scene of Noah’s Ark by Bernardino Luini
We walked around after that and stumbled upon this giant marble sculpture of a hand with all the fingers broken off except the middle one so it looks like it’s flipping off the building next to it. Got a good laugh out of that one. We explored some more churches, all with incredibly elaborate paintings decorating the interior. The walls are covered in religious scenes and beautiful patterns. I especially liked one of Noah’s Ark showing all the animals walking onto the ship.
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In the afternoon we were free to explore on our own, so a few other girls and I took the metro to a Wes Anderson bar called Bar Luce in a further part of Milan where I got an amazing sandwich. We spent the rest of the day wandering into stores and coffee shops. In the evening the group ate at a local pizza place, where I ordered a cream cheese pizza so rich I could only eat half. The perfect last supper.
Bar Luce, Milan
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
2 verona
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Hotel Giulietta E Romeo
Typography & Printing in Italy / Verona
day five
5.21.18
Tonight I’m writing from a new city! Early this morning we left our hostel in Milan and dragged our heavy suitcases to the train station. It was chaotic getting everyone on, but we finally managed to sit down for a short ride to Verona. We took a car ride to our hotel, unloaded our bags, and walked around the city. I immediately found Verona to be more appealing than Milan. They try to keep the city looking the same as it was in Roman times as opposed to Milan where everything is modernized. There are so many beautiful old alleyways and buildings that I couldn’t stop taking photos as we walked around. We found a tall tower overlooking the city called Tonne dei Lamberti. It was 300-something steps to the top and man my legs were sore afterwards, although the view at the top was worth it. All the rooftops are the same reddish scaffolding color but seeing it from that high was breathtaking.
Piazza Bra
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Streets in Verona
View from Tonne dei Lamberti
Typography & Printing in Italy / Verona
Letters to Juliet
We continued walking between the piazzas, pizzerias, and local shops, and eventually stumbled upon an alleyway covered in graffiti. This is the entryway to Juliet’s courtyard, looking like it’s straight out of the 16th century. Verona served as the setting for three of Shakespeare’s works, including Romeo and Juliet. There are seemingly hundreds of letters on the walls and at the far end is a statue of Juliet for an ideal photo op.
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For lunch we stopped at Pizzeria Trattoria. We were the only ones inside and the owner didn’t speak English so Linda translated for us as we yelled out our orders. They served us a full course meal including fettuccine al fungi, beef, ham, pork, veggies, and salad. It was all amazing, but he seemed disappointed that we couldn’t finish it all! The rest of the day we were free to explore Verona on our own. My roommate Emily and I decided to walk to a restaurant patio nearby where we talked, I read my book and she journaled while we had drinks and people watched. For dinner, some friends and I went out for drinks and food. Afterwards we sat on a curb outside the arena in the center of the city, drinking beer and listening to an Italian pop signer playing there. Every day I spend in Italy I love it more and more. Seriously may have to move here one day.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Verona
day six
5.22.18
Wow what a big day this was! In the morning we went to this museum full of “old stones” as our tour guide called it with lots of Roman inscriptions, sculptures, etc. He walked us though almost the entirety of the exhibits and talked a lot about gladiators in what sounded like an Australian accent. Near the end we got some free time to sit around and sketch. After lunch, we went into the big arena in the middle of the city which is now basically a big concert venue. It’s weird to think people are just chillin’’’ in there now when back in Roman times gladiators killed each other in there.
Maffeiano Lapidary Museum
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Maffeiano Lapidary Museum
Typography & Printing in Italy / Verona
The next part of the day was a lot of fun. We walked to this community center where we had a calligraphy class with a young woman named Claudia, who is a professional calligrapher/graphic designer working in Milan and Verona. We all sat around a few tables and she led us through some exercises. First, using a pencil, we warmed us with repetitive lines, circles, etc. to get our finger movements flowing. She made us hold our pencils the correct way which made it hard for me, and we had to have good posture and hold our paper straight and not at an angle. We continued with letterforms, looking at some example letters she made for us. When she demonstrated it was flawless of course. Eventually she broke out the fancy calligraphy pens and different colored inks.
Handlettering workshop
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She walked around as we tried it out and gave us advice in her broken English (she kept saying “e” instead of “i” and “…how you say…,” which I thought was funny). She passed around some nicer paper and we wrote phrases for postcards and whatever else. I made one that says “Greetings from Verona, Italy” and one with “Italia” and some little illustrations. The whole thing lasted four hours which is crazy but it seemed to go by a lot faster.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Verona
We split up for dinner, and me and some other girls found a restaurant nearby our hotel and ordered a couple bottles of wine. Later, me and a couple friends decided to walk around and we ended up outside a bar smoking cigarettes with a group of Italian guys. One of them was getting married soon and invited us inside to buy us drinks. We talked for almost two hours in this crowded bar. They didn’t speak great English at all but enough to hold a conversation. This guy Erico told me about his band, and we talked about Game of Thrones. They also taught me how to say “my name is Zoe” in Italian which is mi chiamo Zoe. Now at least I know another phrase besides ciao and grazi.
View outside Arena di Verona
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5.23.18
day seven
Our last day in Verona. This morning we walked to the University of Verona to look at a special print collection in the Fritz Library. Claudia lectured us about private printing presses and we looked through some amazing printed professional works. They were flawlessly done. The library was full of Italian college students studying for their finals, who gave us all funny looks as we walked in and out.
Print collection in University of Verona
Typography & Printing in Italy / Verona
Cathedral of St. Giovanni in Fonte
For lunch we all ate together and I got lasagna. After some macchiatos we all felt a little more energized and were on our way. Now we are on a Verona church tour. Currently I’m sitting in the pews of the Cathedral of St. Giovanni in Fonte. The halls and ceilings are beautifully decorated. Inside it’s so quiet even the slightest movement creates and echo that feels like it lasts forever. I’ve been taking lots of pictures of ceilings. Also, Anne counted 59 Jesuses in the last church, 51 in this one. After a long day of churches, some friends and I went out for dinner. We were all craving something that wasn’t Italian food for a change. We stopped at this place that had great American food for cheap. I got a Caesar salad and snagged some of my friend’s French fries. Afterwards we grabbed a beer and sat and talked near the fountain. Bye Verona, I’ll miss you!
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3 cornuda
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View outside my room in Villa Bolzonello
Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
day eight
5.24.18
This morning we left beautiful Verona and piled in a few cabs headed toward the train station. Once we arrived in Cornuda, a couple boys took our luggage up to the villa in a van and the group marched up the hill. It felt a little too similar to KU’s hills, which I thought I would be avoiding in Italy. The villa where we’re staying is the most picturesque view I’ve ever seen. We’re staying right on a vineyard behind the mountains of Italy up on the hill. I went exploring and found lots of fruit trees, lizards, and other gems.
Villa Bolzonello
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Le Corderie
Chef Christina preparing gnocchi
After unpacking and settling into our rooms, we trekked two miles down the hill for our cooking class. We stopped at Le Corderie for snacks after a long morning of traveling and I decided this is definitely the classiest place we’ve eaten at. The snacks were more of a high-end meal, with fancy potato salad and turkey, goat cheese, and pickled onions.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
The chef, Christina, came out to greet us. She doesn’t know a lot of English so Linda translated. She told us the story of tiramisu, which apparently translates to “pick yourself up.” We all piled in the small kitchen for our cooking lesson. It was very fast paced, with Christina speaking quick Italian while I jotted down notes and took photos. It was awesome to watch her process. She let each of us take turns rolling and cutting the potato/flour/egg mix while she prepared the pasta sauce and tiramisu. At the end, we did a little taste test before we headed to Tipoteca for a quick look around while she finished preparing everything.
Rolling the gnocchi dough
Preparing the tiramisu
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Finished gnocchi dish
At last we got to eat our fancy gnocchi and tiramisu meal that we all helped out with. They set up a nice long table for us outside and brought us a few bottles of Prosecco, on the house. The servers brought out the gnocchi, which tasted so amazing I was the first one to finish it. Afterwards we stuffed ourselves even more with delicious tiramisu. They continuously refilled our wine glasses, and at the end of the meal we passed around grappa shots, an Italian brandy that contains 50 percent alcohol. We walked home as it was getting dark, and now I’m lying in bed listening to cows mooing outside my window, which reminds me of home.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
day nine
5.25.18
Today we are exploring the Tipoteca museum. Sandro Berra is giving us the full tour, giving us lectures about monotype, linotype, type design, and other things. I can’t believe there’s an entire letterpress museum but it’s very cool to see how it all works in more detail. Afterwards, we walked over to Le Corderie for lunch. Marro, the waiter, had his birthday and we embarrassed him by singing Happy Birthday.
Sandro Berra, Tipoteca
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Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
Later we started our workshop. Over the course of our trip, we each wrote a haiku every day, and now we’re incorporating it into a book we’re printing here at Tipoteca. We chose our top three haikus and voted for everyone’s best. Mine is “Do you think Jesus wishes he had cream pizza for his Last Supper?” We put them in a somewhat chronological order and decided the theme was starting off by noticing cultural differences, then complaining about walking, and ending on a happier note.
Letterpress work in Tipoteca
Metal plates on display in Tipoteca
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“A book, in its noblest kind, should always be a work of art.” — Giovanni Mardersteig
Exploring drawers of metal & wood type
Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
Arranging our hand-set type
We started by hand-setting our type. We opened up some drawers on the table and began picking up our letters and arranging them in the bar. Then we began choosing wood type for our layout. I chose to pull out the words “cream pizza,� and picked out a bunch of different fonts for each letter, arranging them into a collage style. The process is tedious and difficult, especially since mine has a bunch of different type that doesn’t align easily, but I figured it out eventually. We ended up walking back to the villa around dusk again, spending a whole ten hours in the studio today. For dinner, some friends and I went to find a pub near the church by our villa. It took some serious searching, but we found a green door and assumed that was it. We ordered pizza and a giant pitcher of beer called Kwak. Afterwards, we walked back to the villa and drank cheap bottles Prosecco, a great ending to the day.
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5.26.18
day ten
Early this morning we all made the trek down to Tipoteca to continue working on our letterpress book. We voted on the title “Quattordici,� meaning 14 in Italian, for the 14 girls in the group. We finished locking up our layouts, took proofs, and made adjustments. We took a break for a full three-course meal at Le Corderie with salad, Bolognese spaghetti, and ravioli. I was stuffed!
Finished plate
Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
Vineyard outside Villa Bolzonello
We went back to work at Tipoteca, and everyone finished their proofs while I went exploring and did some sketching. It took the full day for everything to get done but I’m excited to see the final book tomorrow. Since there’s not a lot of restaurant choices in this small little town, some friends and I decided to eat at the pub again for dinner. Once we got back, Anne and I decided to go explore the vineyards. We used our phone flashlights and wandered toward the back part of the villa. We stumbled upon this one spot in the grass covered with slugs and snails, careful not to step on them. Then further down we found this dirty white cat with no ears. He was surprisingly friendly and cuddled up next to my legs. Further on we found a huge cow stable, which I guess is the source of all that mooing I hear at night.
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5.27.18
day eleven
Writing from Tipoteca again. We are so close to being done printing! For lunch we went to the usual spot, and I think it was my favorite meal yet. We had melon and prosciutto for appetizers which surprisingly is a great sweet/salty combo. The main course was the best risotto I’ve ever had, and I definitely need to learn how to make it at home. For dessert, they brought out this amazing chocolate-y raspberry cake which I gobbled down in two minutes it was so good. Le Corderie is probably what I’ll miss most about Cornuda honestly.
Printed book covers
Typography & Printing in Italy / Cornuda
Back at the studio, we finished printing page numbers, collating, and trimming. Once we were ready to start binding, we all stood around a big table. An Italian man who looks like Johannes Gutenberg named Danielo taught us (in Italian) how to Japanese bind the book, and Linda translated and helped during the process. It was a little confusing and hard to sew in the thick pages, but finally everyone proudly held the finalized book in their hands. We took a group photo and called it a day. After dinner, we all went to bed early since it’s been a long weekend of studio. I can’t wait to get to Venice tomorrow.
Finalized spread
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Made it to Europe.
Everywhere I turn,
I am an American.
with creepy beady eyeballs,
Do people notice?
feathered bodies swoop.
Pigeons, oh pigeons
Took a train today
So many round, fearless.
Three hundred sixty-eight stairs
KU squirrels got nothing.
And not one caffe.
I never knew love
The stairs never end
‘Til banana gelato
Legs are shaking, calves burning
Burst into my life.
They def. betrayed me.
Ties string on my wrist.
Do you think Jesus
No boyfriend? I love you.
wishes he had cream pizza
Well that’s really weird.
for his Last Supper?
It’s like blue bleu cheese
Cooks in the kitchen
but dry & I don’t know why
Gnocchi and Tiramisu.
Gorgonzola cries.
I can’t wait to eat.
Metros and buses,
Distant mountains roll.
people, bags, germs, seats, oh jeez
Dark blue shapes with the sunset.
Need to wash my hands.
Abstract the walk home.
Brie you dirty dog
With an ass so fine
Tasted so yum in my tum
I have no choice but to say,
You came right back up.
“Dang, look back at it.”
4 venice
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Venice, Italy
Typography & Printing in Italy / Venice
day twelve
5.28.18
Writing from a train towards Venice. Happy to leave Cornuda although I will miss that beautiful view from the villa. After about an hour we arrived in Venice. Here they have vaporettos, the public ferry system, but I just call it a water bus. We carried our luggage to our hostel, called We Crociferi. We ate a quick lunch in the lobby and took the vaporetto to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. This one is much smaller than the big Guggenheim museum in New York. First I walked through the Josef Albers in Mexico exhibit. It showed his film photographs of Aztec architecture which was inspiration for a lot of his work. It sort of enlightened me on his art because when I studied him I thought his work was just cool-looking abstract colorful squares, but the way they showed his process it made a lot more sense to me.
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Peggy Guggenheim exhibit
The rest of the contemporary art had lots of Picasso, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, Dahli, Kandinsky, and some of my other favorite artists. I ooed and ahhed at these amazing works I’ve only studied in textbooks. It’s surreal to see them in person. Later we explored more churches, and went to the top of the campanile of Saint Mark’s Basilica (an elevator this time), viewing the whole city. At another church we stopped at, it was all silent except for a couple old Italian ladies praying and reciting the Rosary.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Venice
After that we went back to the Guggenheim because our tickets from earlier allowed us two free cocktails. We walked in and this big fancy conference was set up in the courtyard with a spritz bar and catered snacks. Spritz is an Italian cocktail made up of soda water, aperol, and prosecco, not my favorite drink but the ones here are really good. Once we finished our two free drinks, the usual crew left to go get dinner and ended up at this pizza place by the hostel. Our waiter was crackin’ jokes and an accordion player stopped by our table and played us a song. We wandered off by the canal to see the water and city at sunset, which was of course beautiful.
The Grand Canal
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Josef Albers
Jackson Pollock
Typography & Printing in Italy / Venice
day thirteen
5.29.18
Today we started off our morning early and took a vaporetto to the glass-blowing island called Murano. We walked around a lot until we reached the glass blowing factory where we went into this hot little demonstration room and got to see a few guys blowing glass. There were these huge kilns where they would stick a long steel rod, pull it out and spin it around, blowing on the end of it, molding it into a vase or whatever else. It was amazing to watch because I’ve seen crazy glass sculptures and always wanted to see the process. Someone in the crowd asked if they drink a lot of water (it was sweltering hot in there) and a man responded, “no, a lot of beer.”
Glass factory, Murano
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Typography & Printing in Italy / Venice
Burano, Venice
For the rest of the afternoon we continued walking around the island, stopping in glass shops and galleries looking at intricate glass sculptures. I bought some cute little glass earrings, and afterwards some of us sat down for a beer before we went to lunch. Next we took another boat to Burano, and island full of colorful houses. The whole island was almost all tourists who are really just there to take pictures, like ourselves. We had some time to kill before the ride back so the girls and I stopped somewhere for a bottle of Chardonnay and sat by the water.
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Typography & Printing in Italy / Venice
day fourteen
5.30.18
Today was our last day in Venice, sadly. We began the day by exploring a local fish market with the craziest fish I’ve ever seen! There were lots of squid and octopi, snails, crabs, you name it. The most magnificent fish was a tuna the size of a person, with tourists lining up to get their picture with it. We had a full day of visiting famous churches. They’re all starting to blend together at this point, but there were some amazing paintings I’m glad I got to see. I mostly spent my time sketching a sculpture in Santa Maria and a crucifixion painting in San Rocco. After a short lunch break, we headed to San Marco, one of the most famous churches in Italy. We waited in a long line, and at the entrance they’re very strict about dress code. If you don’t have a scarf to cover your shoulders they make you buy a poncho that makes you look ridiculous. The Basilica is known for its gold mosaic decorations on the walls and ceilings. The ushers yell at you if you try to take photos, but I snuck in a few good ones.
Fish market in Venice
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Campo San Rocco
Basilica di San Marco
Typography & Printing in Italy / Venice
Our last group activity for the day was visiting the Doge’s palace and seeing the John Ruskin exhibit inside. He studied Italy’s architecture for many years and created these amazingly detailed illustrations. It’s hard to sketch architecture but I aspire to be at least half as good as he is someday.
Interior of Basilica di San Marco
John Ruskin exhibit
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Gondola ride
We had some free time before group dinner, so my friends and I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a gondola ride. We walked a long ways out of the more crowded part of Venice and found some nice looking boat guys. We rode around the canal and the whole time our gondolier was talking to the gondolier on boat next to us in Italian. Hopefully the couple in that boat wasn’t on their honeymoon or something. For dinner, we went to this fancy restaurant and Linda’s friend cooked us an amazing three course meal. We had bruschetta, melon and prosciutto, and some delicious red wine. Next was a risotto similar to the one in Cornuda but with a different sauce. Then they brought out sea bass and potatoes and I managed to eat every crumb. For dessert we had a glass of lemon gelato and prosecco and some little shortbread cookies. Definitely a top five meal, I feel so spoiled! Back at the hostel some of us sat outside drinking beer and laughing until late at night. A great last day. I’ll miss Venice.
5 florence
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View from Campanile di Giotto
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
day fifteen
5.31.18
First day in Florence! After our train ride this morning, we took taxis to our hotel called Anna Lena. It’s a couple miles from the main part of the city and the Duomo, and its entrance is through a big door tucked into the wall. It’s an old building with creepy Renaissance portraits on the wall and I have a feeling it used to be a brothel or something. We walked around to explore our area for a while, sometimes stopping for Linda to explain something or take photos near the river. Eventually we got to the Duomo where it was packed with tourists and there’s a huge cathedral in the center of it all. As we traditionally do on our first day in a new city, we climbed to the top of the campanile. This one, however, had the most intense staircase yet, 463 stairs to be exact. The few of us that decided to take it on were sweaty and breathing heavily at the top, but the view was worth it. By the time we got back down I felt like I did a full body workout at the gym.
Ponte Vecchio
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Campanile di Giotto
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
Then we went into a museum full of medieval Roman sculptures and architecture. It felt like a giant maze inside going from room to room. Afterwards we walked around outside where vendors were selling genuine leather handbags, scarves, jewelry, etc. For dinner I decided to wander on my own for once. I walked around the city with my headphones in, enjoying the chaotic background noise of people hustling about. I sat down for dinner and a glass of wine in front of Palazzo Pitti, sketching and journaling.
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6.1.18
day sixteen
Another museum & church day. We met for breakfast super early this morning so we could beat the crowds at the Uffizi gallery. Like yesterday, we got our tickets and had two hours to roam around. This museum was huge with three different levels of medieval Roman religious art and sculpture. This is definitely not my favorite period of art history but it was interesting to see the progression throughout that time. We got headsets for this one, which I think helped me understand the works much better. I especially liked seeing Michelangelo and Donatello paintings on the lower levels of the exhibit because those works are so recognizable. Next we went to see the Duomo, and the line to get in went clear around half the building. We also went into the Medici museum, which was full of relics, religious art, and gravestones built into the ground. I always found this family interesting because they were so rich and powerful that they ruled over everything and could commission any work of art they desired.
Bargello Museum
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
Lastly we trekked on to see Donatello’s statue of David at the Museo del Bargello, another Renaissance sculpture garden/museum. Seeing the statue in person, I was shocked at how small it actually is, the size of a boy. In the evening we went out for a nice group dinner at a place called ZaZa. I got a fancy dish of crab and gnocchi pasta, but the crab was actually a full crab sitting there on top of the pasta, so I messily picked it apart.
Donatello, David c.1440-43
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Crab & gnocchi
Since there is only a few days left of our trip, some of us decided to go bar hopping after dinner. First we went to this beer place called Brew Dog, where we played a few rounds of foosball. Next we found this karaoke bar called Red Garter. In one room was more of a nightclub scene and in another people were lining up to sing karaoke, mostly American songs from the 2000s, which is obviously the best genre of music. We danced all night and finally decided to head home around 3am. We got a little lost on the walk back, and once we got to the front door of our hotel it wouldn’t open and we assumed the door guy must have fallen asleep. Some cute Italian firemen happen to walk by and asked us if we needed help, so they tried opening the door by shaking it really hard. It eventually magically opened, we thanked the nice firemen, and we finally made it to bed. A good night for sure.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
day seventeen
6.2.18
Got up early today to go see Michelangelo’s David sculpture at the Galleria dell’ Accademia. By 9am it was already packed with tourists, and most of the gallery was Roman religious art. The David statue stands tall at the end of a long hallway, everyone crowded around the 17-foot tall sculpture. He is beautifully sculpted with perfect abs and huge hands and head.
Michelangelo, David 1501-04
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Santa Maria Novella
Galleria dell’ Accademia
Later we visited more churches, my favorite one being Santa Maria Novella, right outside the train station. On the outside it looks like a mini Duomo but on the inside it’s even bigger with multiple rooms and an extensive courtyard. By the end of the last church, our last group activity of the trip was over. The rest of the day was ours to explore and we also have a free day tomorrow. The first thing we did was walk back to the hotel to take a well-deserved nap.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
Afterwards, my friends and I got all dressed up to go out and found a place to eat. We got beer and lasagna as usual, and although I hate to say it, I can’t wait to not eat Italian food because it all tastes the same at this point. Our first bar stop was a pub called Lion’s Fountain. It’s basically a bar where all American study abroad students hang out, and I classified it as the Hawk of Italy. I don’t think I heard one word of Italian in there. The ceiling was full of college t-shirts (I found KU’s) and the walls were covered in people’s writing. We drank beer, did some shots, and ended up talking to a guy from New York who spoke three languages. We eventually left to find this club called Babylon. For a 10 euro cover we got two free drinks. It reminded me of the Cave in Lawrence, a big center dance floor with creepy guys everywhere. It ended up being probably the most fun night I’ve had in Italy. My friends danced all night and had a fun walk home at 4 in the morning.
Lion’s Fountain Pub
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Restaurant in Florence
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
day eighteen
6.3.18
Last day in Italy! This last three weeks has been absolutely amazing but I’m definitely ready to be back home. Today we have the day to ourselves, and after our wild night I enjoyed sleeping late this morning. I walked around by myself to find a place for lunch and stopped at a place near the Duomo with a nice outdoor patio. Andrea recommended this modern art gallery in Palazzo Strozzi so I decided to check it out after lunch. This exhibit, called “Dawn of a Nation” was all this political contemporary style art about Italy in the 1960s. Italy went through a lot of political change during that time because of Mussolini and World War II. I don’t know a lot about Italy’s history but it was interesting to see all this unique art. The exhibit was a lot about changing the concept of art and how anything can be art, so there was lots of crazy 3D stuff, collage, fabric, video kind of stuff. I’m definitely glad I went because it was a nice change from old religious paintings.
Dawn of a Nation exhibit
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After that I walked down by San Lorenzo to go to the market and try to find some sandals or jewelry. I wound up buying some beige linen pants I liked. They were marked as 25 euros but I talked the guy down to 17. He said I was too tall and pretty to turn me down. The men here love flirting with Americans. I then walked back to the Duomo and sat down at a table to sketch and have a beer. I spent probably two hours patiently drawing all the miniscule details of the Duomo. As I got closer to finishing, some people stood next to me and watched, sometimes asking me if I’m an art student, and one person even took my picture. A family from Texas was sitting behind me and the dad started talking to me about my study abroad experience and asking me about good bars in Florence because his two daughters are my age. It was nice to talk to a fellow American.
Typography & Printing in Italy / Florence
My last Italian pizza
I walked back to the hotel so my friends and I could meet up for our last supper. We ate at this place where they served us heart-shaped pizzas. The salamis on mine made it look like it had a sad face, like Italy was telling me “don’t go.” We also went to the Pitti Palace to see the famous Boboli Gardens. It was so gigantic inside that we didn’t even have the time or energy to walk through the whole thing. We stopped at the candy shop with a big chocolate wall and I got some dark chocolate bars for my parents and a crepe for myself, which was so yummy. It felt good to finally get rid of all my euros. Tomorrow I have a full day of traveling so I turned in early, reminiscing on all the good memories I’ve made here. This country is beautiful and full of surprises. I didn’t expect to make such great friends or see so many unforgettable things. Ciao, Italia! Until next time.
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View from the plane ride home
A special thanks to my friends who made this trip unforgettable.
arrivederci!
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan
Typography & Printing in Italy / Milan