For some unknown reason the program decided to let us out of our cages to roam the canals of Venice. Perhaps not their finest decision, but definitely our finest weekend. Upon arrival, our teachers got us pleasantly lost as we searched for the Hostel. To be fair, the hostel was in a confusing place and the beauty of Venice is highly distracting. Venice is a great place to get lost because no matter what, you're trapped on an island so you can't go too far.
A lot of people talk about how touristy Venice is, but I think this reputation comes from the shops you see as you first enter the city. The further you go, the more beautiful the place becomes. While shopping is everywhere, the amount of things that say "Venice" or look like mass produced crap decreases. The masks and glass that make the city famous become more original with each shop, just as long as you keep walking.
We finally found our hostel, and then got lost looking for the Peggy Guggenheim museum. This was a refreshing treat because I have not seen anything produced past the 15th century in an awful long time. There was Chagall, Pollock, Picasso... It was a small museum but an extraordinarily beautiful one. I think the best part was the wishing tree, donated by Yoko Ono. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but there was something cathartic about putting my wish into words and sharing the experience with everyone else. I guess this program is really getting me in touch with my feelings. That's art.
Anyway, after the museum we began one of the most ridiculous nights of my life. It all began with dinner with our teachers, Claudia and Gianni. Most people got seafood pasta, but as it was shrimp I enjoyed spaghetti vegetarian style. There were also almond biscotti in Marsala, a sweet but STRONG dessert wine. Of course this was after we sampled both the red and white house wines, so things started getting a little strange. It all began with Claudia's game of food charades, where we acted out our favorite Italian dishes. Aka, lasagna turned into people lying on top of each other. Pasta involved a lot of flopping around... you get the picture. Claudia and Gianni then took us through another "tour" of the city. Well, it started with one of them yelling, "stay inside the square" as we ran around a confined space. That turned into a Tarantella circle dance of stomping, singing, and clapping. From there, we sang on a street called, "Calle de amore di amici" (Street of friendly love. or something), did headstands anywhere there was a flat surface, went ice skating in our sneakers on an abandoned ice rink, and took an excessive amount of pictures in shadows. We put our movement and voice classes to good use. And probably gave Americans a very odd name. Here is some documentation just to prove this all actually happened:
The next day we took a "bus" aka boat to the island of Murano to see some glass. We didn't have long there, but there really wasn't that much to see anyway. Then we had class with Gianni and Claudia. Claudia started off with some more touching (contact improv. in theory.) Then we found inspiration in photographs of our choice, finding the feelings and movement expressed. We then used our individual explorations in quartets, finding ways to do what we had done but relate it to others with very different stories. Gianni then took over. We moved with the water in our bodies, and then were all drawn into the center of the room to form an amoeba. I kid you not, this is the language we use here. The amoeba involved everyone rolling all over each other and breathing together. I am getting class credit to cuddle with people. From there, we separated into pairs. One person became G-d, the other his creation. G-d made noises that inspired the creature's creation. Once we were all creatures again, we formed another big circle to dance the tarantella. The tarantella feels awfully familiar to the horas and other Jewish dances we've done, which is not surprising at all. It is nice feeling so comfortable while learning about another culture.
Speaking of Judaism, as soon as class let out some friends and I wandered over to the first Jewish ghetto to crash Shabbat services and dinner. Yes, there was dinner. And a mighty fine one at that. And it was outside, next to the canal. Free seafood, and chummus, and babaganoush, and other words that are ridiculous to spell. The best was the wine. It bubbled and sparkled and it just kept flowing. You know what they say about Chabad, better food better alcohol. I did not realize how universal that rule is, but I'm glad it is. Besides the freeness and the tastiness, it was so nice to know that I can go to any Jewish community and not only be welcomed, but really connect. I could talk to everyone there in Hebrew as the conversation entered strange transitions between English, Hebrew, and Italian. We also bonded with some lovely American students, who helped us get lost one more time in the city. We asked everyone for directions but the streets were desolate. And we were all a tad loopy. Somehow, we turned a strange looking corner and as I prayed I would turn around and the hostel would be there, a Shabbat miracle occurred and we were home.
The best part about Chabad was that after we ate all their food at dinner, they invited us back for lunch. And obviously we took them up on it. So, to say goodbye to the lovely city of Venice we toured San Marco's Basillica, which has ceilings and walls of mosaics. Talk about getting distracted by shiny objects. Then, we headed to another lovely, religious lunch, and I departed on a train for Milan.
1st piece of advice, don't sit in the wrong class on an Italian train. The ticket collector will yell at you for 15 minutes in Italian even if you respond in English to show that you clearly don't understand. And he will make you pay for sitting in 1st class even if you just try to leave. What made the whole experience particularly confusing was that the only words I understood seemed to resemble "police" and "documentation" and I REALLY don't want to get deported. So, that became an issue.
Finally, I got to Milan to visit with my cousins. In the actual city we spent most of the time in traffic, but it was well worth it because I spent the evening on a vineyard called Cave di Moleto in Piedmont. I tried 4 different kinds of wine, all grown on that vineyard. I also tried really hard to retain information about the wine and between my memory and wikipedia here is what I have: I liked the Barolo the best, made from the Nebbiolo grape. I also enjoyed the Barbaresco. I'm getting there on the wine information.
Also, we had the most marvelous leek flan in cheese fondue, cheese platter, peppers in non-fishy tasting sardine sauce, and pasta with porcini mushrooms. I shall never again eat cheese in America because Italian cheese actually has a strong taste. It's a revolutionary idea to be able to taste your food. The pasta with mushrooms was decent but the shrooms were clearly not fresh, so I'm sure the dish could have been better.
What really mattered was the dessert. I finally ordered tiramisu and, while it was good, it was not as good as what they serve in the Villa. The tastes were right, but the proportions were not. There was not enough lady finger for my taste. The villa's sheet cake of tiramisu, however, is perfect in every way.
We did have the best dessert I've had so far. It's called "Zabaione freddo all'Oro dei Saracini." It literally translates to Egg Nog. It's a custardy mousse made out of a dessert wine. It was a perfect consistency and perfectly sweet. My cousin and I were fighting over that one.
The next morning was the first time I saw the place in the sunlight, and I discovered this:
Aka, miles of vineyards that overlook the French Alps. Not a bad deal.
I had to transfer trains in Milan so I took a quick stroll through the city. I went to the Duomo and shopping area for some epic people watching. I also found out that the best way to find five star hotels is to ask to use their bathroom. Milan really is high class. The people were interesting, but not as intimidating as I expected. The prices, however, were. Decent looking restaurants charge more for 1 course than I usually spend on 2 meals. Supposedly there is also a 7 star hotel nearby, which I plan to find on my next trip to Milan. Overall though, it was a perfect brief introduction to a city that usually gets mixed reviews. I found the city to be pleasantly lively and I realized how much I miss the hubbub. I left invigorated enough for my 5 hour train ride back home. And ready for a fantastic week before spring break.
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