Venice Blog
I look back upon my Venice term abroad with sheer fondness. They were some of the best ten weeks of my life. I think I can speak on behalf of my peers on that.
I have chosen to write this blog entry upon a specific seminar day trip to Possagno, Bassano del Grappa and Altivole that has really stuck with me for several reasons. I had excellent weather, had excellent company, saw excellent art, excellent architecture, at excellent food and saw excellent Veneto panoramas. Although this seminar trip was not situated directly on the Venetian mainland, in all these towns I shall describe their distinct connection with Venice in their links with the seascape and northern Italian vistas.
The aim of the departmental trip (with both the second and third year cohorts) was to gain a greater understanding of the eighteenth-century neo-Classical sculptor Antonio Canova and the modernist Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, both of whom my admiration for was heightened after this day trip.
After about an hour and a half coach journey, we found ourselves in sunny Possagno, outside of the classical temple dedicated to Antonio Canova. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and we truly felt as though we were in the heavens. We stood atop a hill, surrounded by greenery, mountains and quaint Italian villas. We gazed in awe at the temple which undoubtedly seemed like a double of the Parthenon in Athens and so many European and Mediterranean classicist façades, both of a secular and pious nature.
The dome-topped interior of the temple was strikingly similar to Rome’s Pantheon, with a central oculus that spotlighted the fabulous paintings and sculptures upon the marble niches below. It brought one to silence and intrigue. Such perfection curated by the human hand.
Shortly after, we strolled two minutes down the rather steep (yet extremely picturesque) hill down to the Gypsotheca museum and home of Canova. A true gem, with an elegantly manicured garden facing down onto a rolling paddock. We had a detailed tour of the wonderfully wide-ranging artworks on display in Canova’s home, followed by an inspiring tour of the Gypsotheca connected to the courtyard. I got a real sense of his creative making-process and cultural hinterland which informed his aesthetic.
The Gypsotheca essentially contained a plaster hall of Canova’s preparatory works and some greatest masterpieces, with a modernist extension executed by Carlo Scarpa. My peers and I had grown fond of Scarpa. What appeared to be an initially simple, minimalist interior actually, we realised, was filled with intricate detailing that had be engineered specifically for this unique space. The natural lighting was amplified on this sunny day, which enabled the sculptural space to show its beauty off to the maximum.
For lunchtime afterwards, we headed to Bassano del Grappa. As you followed the charming streets down to the River Brenta, we stopped on the red wooden Palladio Bridge. Now even more poignant after the Russo-Ukrainian war unfolding a few weeks later, our professor pointed out to us the bullet markings left from World War One conflict on buildings facing the bridge.
Some of us headed down to the water’s edge after picking up some local pizza and prosecco. It was simply marvellous – the water flowing at our feet and the sun shining on our faces. We skimmed stones, we laughed, and we reminisced on what precious memories we were making on our term so far. We all felt incredibly grateful for being presented with this opportunity to explore and utterly immerse ourselves in this gorgeous part of the world, filled with rich art and architectural histories.
Just as we headed to our final spot of the seminar day trip, some of us popped into an authentic Grappa bar for a taster of the local drink. Then we finished off with some delicious gelato!
Altivole was our final leg of the journey. On the way, there were countless classical villas and churches to admire through the window. Altivole was a rather rural, pastoral part of the Veneto, consisting predominantly of bucolic farmland and agricultural fields. We walked down a tree-lined pathway (evocative of a French Impressionist or Dutch Golden Age landscape) and sent past endless yellow wheat fields bordered by charming villas. A horse galloped past us as if we were in a film! We were headed to the Brion Tombs sanctuary, designed again by Carlo Scarpa (in the late-1960s through to the late-1970s) beyond the original cemetery ground.
The spacious cemetery unquestionably brought us all to silence. It struck me as a tranquil, serene part of the world inducive to the contemplation of the binaries of life and death. The slices of water generated a duality between the land and sky that was remarkably beautiful, despite the solemn setting in which we were in.
Our visit that day was a definite adjustment from the narrow streets and vast canals of mainland Venice. It was the first time we had seen cars in weeks! Nonetheless, the three towns we visited this day undoubtedly had an underlying relationship with Venice. One noticed the layering of history that had taken place across the Veneto, with various invasions, various peoples and various artistic geniuses that had moulded these lands.
To that end, today certainly exemplified that Italian notion of the dolce vita! The lengthy wait for this greatly anticipated and postponed term abroad was definitely worth it!