Day 2: Venezia

Buon Giorno!

As I said, I don’t have a greatly consistent access to internet, but I seem to have figured out a trick to let me get some information out to you all fairly quickly. I simply type what I have for the day on a Word document on my laptop and then run down to the lobby and send it out on the computer there on my blog.

Anyhow, yesterday (5/20) was our day to visit and sing in the beautiful city of Venice (Venezia). The city was a historically significant seat of power in the fledgling stages of the early republic because of its location on the Adriatic Sea. The farmers of the mainland fled into the lagoon that was once unusable land in order to escape from the marauding invaders that were menacing Italy and instead of perishing in the marshes, they converted their livelihoods to fishing.

The cool part of the city is that there is no other main way to get around other than by boat. The noise is reduced so much because the only engines are boat motors and then there are some (gondolas) which are not even gas-powered. We had to take a private boat in the canal just to get from our bus stop to the actual city center of Venice. Needless to say, we enjoyed it very much and had some good photo ops.



Next, we stopped at the dock and made our way to the outside of the Basilica di San Marco. Saint Mark’s Cathedral was the venue where we were singing during the night and we were allowed to get a private tour of the Doge’s Palace and the inside of the Basilica. A quick snapshot of the Campanile (bell tower) outside the Palace proves I was there.



The Doge’s Palace represents the area where the Duke of Venice would live. He entertained international guests and conducted orders of state within these walls. Venice’s republic was a huge force in all of Italy during its height and the ornate walls and architecture were designed to represent the power and prestige of the republic. This picture shows the world’s largest canvas, containing more than 500 paces, painted by Tintoretto. The photo is a bit off-kilter because I had to take it in secret!



This picture is of Saint Mark’s Cathedral. We were able to sing a mass here and the architecture, as well as the acoustics, were simply stunning!



Following these tours, we had free time in the city. Me and a few friends chose to take a Valporetto (a water taxi) down the Canale Grande and then walk back through the city. We spent about three hours walking and it was a really great way to see the city and feel engaged at the same time.



Afterwards we made it back for our rehearsal before the mass and we really got a great performance in. Afterwards, we posed for some photos outside and were ready to head home after a great day.



As we pulled away, we could see a beautiful sunset over the architecture and it made, at least me, feel like I would definitely want to come back to this beautiful, romantic city!