I haven't written in ages and if I don't blog now I'll lose all ambition to ever blog again. This may be healthy, though. Compulsive blogging is a hairy problem. I'll start where I left off before my 7 hour train to the jade-green canals of Venice. On the train to my destination I met a remarkably fit 80 year old Roman named Luciano who has sailed around the world twice (once as a retirement present to himself when he was 62-66) and spent time with Kerouac and Henry Miller at Big Sur in the fifties. We had gorgeous weather in Venice as the pictures concede, and even the pouring nightime rain afforded us the chance to see St. Mark's flooded. Venice struck me for its uncanny, near implausible beauty and its strangeness--a very strange city indeed. I visited the Accademia, Santa Maria dei Frari, San Rocco, and an excellent exhibit on the early photographs of Stanley Kubrick. These black and whites portray characters the margins of society (circus freaks, the handicapped, poor families, orphans, etc.) which speaks to how fringe characters (those living in Edge City as Tom Wolfe would say) make compelling narratives.
I certainly met some Edge City dwellers during my stay in Venice. The hostel was a fabulous old palazzo with marble floors, coffered ceilings, and hall length mirrors, as well as Venetian chandeliers, but with 90's West Coast rap music playing day and night and instead of cash you could trade goods--a tattoo artist, a guest for the weekend, earned her cot by tattooing the manager. There were plenty of friendly New Zealanders and Aussies traveling and working there and an 18 year old Briton who'd run away from "Me mum for a bit."
Other recent trips have included Naples, Pompeii, and most recently Florence where our hotel gave us tablecloths and napkins for towels and washcloths.In Naples my class and I studied ancient frescoes at archaeological digs at Stabiae and Pompeii where we took a closer look at Pompeii's "Living Statues"--the plaster body casts of the victims of the Vesuvian quake nearly 2000 years ago. Our program had lunch on the slopes of Vesuvius at a winery called Cantina del Vesuvia where we were served excellent food and after lunch we were allowed to romp about in the vineyard and eat grapes by the bundle.
Field trips for my other classes have been extraordinary. We've studied the Vatican necroplis on the Scavi Tour (that Mom's friend Jackie Molligo recommended), have traipsed throughout the Vatican grounds, with our high ranking Vatican official/professor, and have been all over Rome in my other Art History course. Professor Clarvoe never fails to impress me and I am very thankful to study under her.
Recently, in the past two weeks or so, I've begun to feel fully at home in Rome. I know how to get everywhere by foot and I can navigate the bus routes fairly well. Rome is the first city I've lived in, and Trastevere has become my first village. I'm buddies with the neighborhood coffee bar attendees and I know a few local dogs by visage.
In the past couple of weeks I've had the wonderful chance to see my family. First, Dad and Bonnie came out and we enjoyed a few lovely meals and some Roman walks together as well as a tour of the impossibly expansive Vatican Museum. Next, a week later, Mom, Mamaw, Kathleen, Pat Ann, Mary, and Sue Ford visited. We walked all over Rome together and spent some great family time together at a few restaurants and we also toured the Borghese Gallery. I've been immensely fortunate to be able to see my family--I know not everyone is able to do this and it really provided me with a lot of comfort to see my loved ones.
I know this has been a quick skim of the past 5 weeks or so but I hope it's legible. I'm off to Amsterdam next week to see a few college buddies and to check out some Vermeer and Van Gogh, etc. I've already bought my tickets to the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum so you can't say that my purposes are entirely Dionysian. In fact, there is an excellent Van Gogh exhibit here which I graced with my presence last week and I am looking forward to learning more. I will write either immediately before or after my Amsterdam trip. Much love to all.
