1 week ago
There’s a reason why we call the travel bug ‘wanderlust,’ not ‘wanderwhim’ or ‘wanderhobby.’ It’s an urgent, passionate thing.
- Ken Jennings, Maphead
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The English-Italian-Shakespearian Paradox
As it turns out, I sort of don’t want to stop writing about Italy. Life isn’t a book, in that you can finish one chapter and never have to read it again — little things keep popping up here and there. Enough to merit some commenting from a wanna-be writer, at any rate.
For instance, I found myself reading online the other day about the botanical garden in Siena. Why? My mother has had a picture of it hanging in our powder room for as long as I can remember. The description, Orto Botanico, Siena, Italy, never made sense to me until returning home this summer. Questioning my mom about it, she said she bought it at a garage sale for around five bucks.
“Mom, I’ve been to Siena.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
“Did you go to the garden?”
“No. But one of my favorite duomi was there — the striped marble one.”
“Oh, that’s nice honey…”
10 months ago
The Last Place
Assisi is quite literally a town on a hill — it gently rises out of the lush greenery of Umbria and can be seen from quite a ways. But Saint Francis (like Jesus) was a man who lead by example — shedding all of his own worldly goods to pursue a simple life of faith — which gives Assisi an additional connotation, subtly hinting at something as awe-inspiring as the Basilica.
Allora, I’m going to take you through Assisi the way Rick Steves (borrowed from Chris, who had made the trip two weeks prior) took me. From the train station, it was advised to take a bus all the way to the top of the town, and meander downhill through the city. At the top then, is the remains of a Roman Amphitheater, and even more interestingly (secondo me), an old public wash basin!
Perugia
— is famous for its chocolate and for being the capital of Umbria. June 27th was the first and last time I set foot in Umbria this semester. An old dance friend of mine had studied there herself last year, however, so she had advised me on what to see and do. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or money to pursue a treat (or six) for my taste-buds, but I saw the central piazza, the duomo, the fountain, a old Etruscan arch and a couple of good views before getting lost trying to find the train station again, because Perugia was more of a pitstop on my way to Assisi!
Sunday, June 26
If there was one more thing that I had to do in Milan, it was climb up to the roof of the Duomo. Chris finally took me up there on Sunday afternoon, while pursuing his own bucket list, which also consisted of Cioccolati Italiani, Parco Sempione, and figuring out how to cancel his internet.
Versailles et Paris — Fin
We spend the majority of the next day (lemme see… June 23, I think it was) at Versailles. Once again, books upon books have been written on the topic, so I’ll hit you with the highlights:
Golden gates for the “Sun King:”
The Chateau:
Louis XIV:
Plus sur Paris
— In which I learn how to use the hyperlink function in Tumblr.
The next morning, we got up early again to wait in line (in the rain!) at Orsay… Closed indefinitely — come ON, Paris! So we, like every other tourist who was waiting in line with us, hightailed it over the the Louvre instead. The line moved quickly, however, and we did some of the Denon wing and some of the Richelieu one.
You don’t usually see all the outdoor statues from this view. Also, rain.
Some of my favorites:
Paris, d’être Poursuivi
So, how does one go about describing Paris for the second time? Well, it’s immeasurably helpful knowing the city a bit already, being able to prioritize, and having Rick Steves guide us a little. Honestly, there’s not much about Paris that you can’t just Google (as I often do so I don’t sound like a complete idiot when I’m writing this blog), so I’m just going to narrate a little and let the pictures do the talking.
The train from Milan runs about seven hours, so we got to Gare de Lyon station around midnight. What better time to go visit the Sacre Coeur Basilica de Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, and a cemetery.
Aosta e Cogne
Valle D’Aosta is one of Italy’s most Northern regions — nearly sandwiched between France and Switzerland. It’s known for its wines and is comprised almost entirely of the Italian leg of the Alps. Matterhorn looms in the distance on the border shared with the German-speaking neighbors, while most streets are marked “rue” instead of “via” because of the largely French-speaking population.
With a switch of a train in Chivasso, Chris and I found ourselves in Aosta — the capital of the region — around ten thirty in the morning on Sunday the 19th. Though very, very small, the city itself held a few surprises, far off the beaten path of intercontinental tourism.
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