Verona

This Saturday our class took our first weekend trip. We decided that we were going to take a day trip to the beautiful city of Verona. It was a trip that we planned sort of on a whim. The idea had been mentioned and on Friday night we got together to plan the next day. We decided that we wanted to get an early start so that we would be able to spend the greater part of the day in the city. Maria looked up train schedules and we decided that we would take the 10:00 regional train. We were uncertain about how to buy tickets, which train to get on, and how to even get to the train station, so we took our 7:35 vaporetto from San Servolo in order to have plenty of time. We certainly had plenty of time and even managed to spend several minutes in one of the stores at the station.

We hopped on the train and after the initial amazement from being on our first train together wore off we all opened up our readings in order to not fall behind on homework. Some of us were reading the essays while some of us got cozy with a novel. Once in Verona we encountered a map and began to plot out our day. Our first stop?? Lunch! We were all so hungry and we decided to stop at a nice pizza place in the city center. I got vegetarian pizza and it was incredible! After lunch we split up into two groups and began to explore the city. We all purchased Verona cards which allowed us access into several of the museums, churches, and other attractions for only ten euros! It was too good of a bargain to pass up. My group did a little bit of shopping, saw the Roman arena, stood in amazement of la Chiesa S. Anastasia, had a photo opportunity with Juliet’s balcony, and climbed all 368 steps to the top of Torre dei Lamberti. We of course managed to make time for gelato on the way back to the train station too!

My favorite thing that we saw was la Chiesa S. Anastasia. This church was so simple on the outside and inside was the most beautiful building. It was done in the Gothic style and since we’ve been studying this I was able to point out several features while walking through. Right inside was a holy water bowl being held up by a unique man of some sort. It was something Ruskin would just love. My favorite part of the church was the incredible ceilings.  Pictured below are the holy water holder and the ceilings.

Heading home we had a bit of a delay on our train but all in all everything went smoothly. We shared a lot of funny stories on the way home and definitely enjoyed each other’s company. Once in Venice, we went out for a nice dinner. We then realized we were going to cut it close with our vaporetto and ran for twenty minutes across Venice in order to make it. From start to finish our day was filled with adventure.

To me, this trip to Verona was more than an enjoyable time. It marked the first time where I really felt that Venice was beginning to feel like home. We have talked so much about tourism and all along I have felt as though the characteristics of a tourist were characteristics that I still possessed within Venice. I stop to take pictures, I don’t fully speak the language, and I still love to look into all of the shops with Carnevale masks and Murano beads. One aspect about tourism that we focused on today especially was the idea that a tourist searches for something different than what they have at home. I feel like our trip to Verona was fulfilling that desire within me to search for something new. Stepping off of the train after our return trip felt to me like I was coming “home”. It felt as though Venice was becoming normal.

While I still have so much more adjusting to do in order to fully immerse myself into the culture of Venice, I feel like this weekend was a big step in that direction. Although I may never be a Venetian, I will continue to strive to no longer be just a Purdue student in another part of the World.