Monday June 11 and Tuesday June 12, 2012
I can't really remember what happened yesterday, except that I did a lot of grocery shopping after getting back from Rome. By last Tuesday I had cleaned out the fridge of fruit, bread, juice and milk (but unfortunately forgot about a bowl of diced tomatoes and lettuce. Yuck!), and took most of my non-perishable foods like granola bars and pretzel sticks in my suitcase. Since almost everything in Verona shuts down on Sundays, I was left without fresh food until Monday. After getting out of art class at 4pm, my friends Jess and Stacey and I hit up the local markets :)
First, we went to Vera Fruita, which is the BEST place to get fresh produce. It's an indoor-outdoor market about 2 minutes from my front door; the veggies, bread and dairy are inside with the register, but the outside is crammed with giant crates of fresh fruit like apples, peaches, strawberries, kiwis, melons and more. And also, it's dirt cheap. I got apples, peaches, kiwis, and a quarter of a watermelon for under 5 euro (under $6.50). They also have fresh-made loaves of bread there that resemble huge, round mushroom tops with fluffy cotton-candy-insides and crispy outsides. YUM! They are rather difficult to make sandwiches with, and they last forever, so Julia and I have only bought them twice.
Yummy bread! This one we used to make garlic bread for our entire study group a few weeks ago.
On the way back, we went to the little tiny local grocery store, with four teeny-tiny aisles. Here, you can get blocks of cheese and yogurt, soda, wine (and lots of it!), fruit juice, and processed stuff like chips, crackers and granola bars. I was devastated to find that they were out of my favorite pear-juice (more like pear puree), but then felt really bad about my first-world complaints that night when I read Amanda's blog from Guatemala and realized how much they go without. I'm so proud of Amanda for donating her time and efforts to help the women of Guatemala and to keep them company when they need it most. I hope I can someday make a difference to other people in the world like she is.
After the little grocery store that was sold out of pear juice (I got yogurt instead), we stopped in the little local bakery about 3 doors down. I. Love. This bakery. And I love the old lady who works inside it just as much as I love the sweet goodies she sells! She's always so cheerful, and wears a flat straw hat with a ribbon around it. Even though she can't speak a word of English, and my Italian is non-existent, we can communicate just fine. I love everything I get from there, which includes (but is not limited to) a strawberry-topped chunk of cheese-cakey-goodness, a gigantic strawberry & vanilla swiss roll, and the latest addition, half a loaf of apple strudel (which I'm a little embarrassed to say is already gone)!
I took this picture after I had already eaten half of it! I bought half the loaf, but I didn't eat it all in one sitting! More like 4 . . . or 3.
I realize now that when I return to the states I'm going to miss the local markets and cafes. Another place that I've grown to love is the krapfen window! And I love being able to walk everywhere. And follow the river to get to these beautiful cathedrals filled with art and history. And open my shutters in the morning. It's a much more leisurely way of life here in Verona than in Westie. Before I leave I'll have to take pictures of all the places I like :)
SO! Before bed on Monday I studied just a little bit for my Renaissance test the next day. Luckily saved my flashcards from spring semester, so I got to reuse them. I still can't believe how many of these masterpieces I actually got to see in person!
Today, Tuesday, I didn't set an alarm, and slept til an acceptable 9:30am. After getting up and ready, I had a breakfast of a fresh peach and yogurt with cereal in it (yum) before settling back into my bed to practice flashcards. Did the dishes and took out the trash like a good apartment-owner should :) and then went to class with Julia for our test. The lecture came first, and today we talked about Titian. I could say lots about Titan, but considering what he's known for, most of it wouldn't be appropriate for my audience. Instead I'll just say that I was thrilled to see several of these works in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence on Friday and in the Venice Academia two weeks ago. I can really appreciate the composition and organizational tools he uses, and his later style of loose brushstrokes.
The test covered two important rooms that I visited at the Vatican on Friday! First was Stanza della Segnatura, or "Room of the Signatures," which Raphael painted for the Pope in 1509 (it has a different scene on each wall), and second was the entirety of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, 1508-1534 (not just the ceiling, or one scene, or the altar wall. The whole thing). Needless to say, I wrote a lot. I was the second-to-last person writing, and my professor had to hurry us both up, haha (nothing new there).
"School of Athens" is just one of the walls in Stanza della Segnatura! I want to emphasise just how much material I had to cover.
And of course, this is the Sistine Chapel. It is without a doubt the coolest artwork I have ever seen in my life. This also gave me a ridiculous amount of material to write about, even when I tried to cover only the main points. For those who are interested in seeing the Sistine Chapel in more detail, here is a FANTASTIC link to view it in 360 degrees: http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html
After taking the test we were let out early, which was a nice surprise. At 4:30, the photography students had a reservation to see the Robert Capa photography exhibition here in Verona, displayed in a gallery set within the ruins of the Roman city! It was a refreshing change from Renaissance art, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit, it was sometimes very disturbing. Robert Capa was a documentary photographer, and specialized in showing the emotional side of war. Several photos almost brought me to tears, and other times tears of happiness. What an emotional roller coaster ride. You can visit the exhibit's website by clicking here.
The gallery space was interesting enough by itself! The photography weaved in and out of stone foundations that were built before Christ, around stone-paved roads, and alongside an ancient sewer-line that still functioned until the 20th century! I was amazed by the skill and craftsmanship of the Romans, who made structures that far outlast those of our lifetime.
This is the courtyard above the gallery. There are lots of glass windows like this one in the pavement for passersby to look down on the Roman ruins that make up the gallery below!
After the gallery, I walked back to the apartment by myself, which was one of the most enjoyable parts of my day! I love walking on the sidewalk alongside the river, seeing the Verona skyline with it's many churches and hearing their bells chiming from every direction. The balconies and potted flowers are so colorful, and the river breeze is so refreshing. It's never chilly here. After the chaos of Rome and the pushy vendors of Florence, Verona feels very much like home and I really appreciate it. I'm eager to be home with my family, but I'm going to miss this restful, easy-going way of life.
Julia had the great idea of making pizza together in our apartment! She had bought a fresh loaf of bread and mozzarella cheese, while I already had crushed tomatoes and a garlic grinder. We threw it all together, borrowed some basil from our neighbors downstairs, and then tackled the oven. If you remember, the last time we touched the oven, black smoke came out and filled our entire floor. Julia and I and the boys across the hall opened all the windows to let out the smell before the rest of the group came over for a party later. When our landlord came to check on it the next day, she told us it was fine, not to worry, and it always did that(!). She also said something about turning the knob the opposite way, so Julia tried that tonight, and-voila!-no smoke! In the end, we created an amazing meal that tasted better than we had hoped! And it was so easy!
Pizza! Julie and Julia style!
And I ended the day with a wonderful chat with my lovely boyfriend, who I don't think will ever read this, so I can talk about him all I want, haha. We're off to Venice again in the morning, so I've got to get ready for bed. Soon I'll be able to write about Rome, but I never seem to have enough time. Goodnight, world!
