ITALIAN JOURNEYITALIAN JOURNEYJanuary 23 – February 5, 2003

• By Wen-Chung Chiang

Rome (Roma, 羅馬 ) I

Chia-Wei and I just came back from a two-week vacation in Italy. We went to Rome, Florence, and Venice -- same places where I first visited in Italy fifteen years ago. It's Chia-Wei's first time in Italy, and I was as or even more fascinated than I had been during the first visit. I am not going to write much in this letter. The beauty of Italy is beyond any description that words can deliver. I believe everyone in his life should at least once experience the illustrious past of Rome, the great display of Renaissance in Florence, and the legendary existence of Venice. Winter seemed to be a good time traveling in Italy. There's no tourist crowd, the weather was still shinny, and the temperature was not too bad in Rome and Florence (Venice was quite cold though). The stores had a lot of clearance items -- shoes, leather and decorative goods, were gorgeous and inexpensive. The only drawback was the short day-light time. The sun was normally set before 5 PM. Compared with the 9-10 PM sunset time of summer, the sightseeing hours were quite reduced. But there're evening activities too. For instance, we attended an opera performance in the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. It's one of the best we've been to. The program was "Faust" by French composer Charles Gounod (too bad it was not Verdi or Puccini). It was brilliantly produced in a semi-modern costume, the casts were beautifully sung, and the acoustics of the opera house was heavenly.

The planning of this tour was quite successful. All transportation and connections were smooth. The hotels we were accommodated in were very nice and conveniently located. The average quality of restaurants in Italy, I must say, was better than I had previously experienced in France. We enjoyed a lot of good meals, coffee, and of course, the famous Italian dolci (desserts) and gelato (icecream). Italians were friendlier too. But English-speaking Italians were fewer than I had imagined. Thanks to my two-month practice of Italian prior to the trip. I was able to handle very simple conversations with local people, and that turned out to be quite helpful.

Italy surely touched our hearts. We were moved by the great ancient architecture and the masterpieces in the museums. The experience of sitting in a quiet cafe, having a cup of hot cappuccino after a walk in the chilly weather was all unforgettable. In Italy, time seemed to advance more slowly. The magnificent history imbued the places with a special glow. To immerse ourselves in the glow and to practice my Italian again, we have decided to go back next year, with possible destinations of Milan, Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano,and Naples.

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II (day & night), Rome. This huge memorial is the landmark of Rome, facing Piazza Venezia. All roads lead to Rome, and all major roads in Rome lead to Piazza Venezia. Many photographs taken this time under dim light with shutter speed up to 1/2 second without using a tripod came out fine. Not bad, wasn't it?

Pantheon, Rome — an

ancient building (founded in

27 BC) perfectly preserved.

The interior of Pantheon is a

masterpiece of harmony and

majesty. Raphael was buried

here.

The fountain at Piazza Pantheon. One of the best Cafes in Rome, Caffe Tazza d'Oro, is nearby. Don't forget to get a cup of fine coffee next time when you are in Rome!

Villa d'Este, Tivoli. Tivoli is a charming small town on the lower slopes of the Apennines about one hour northeast of Rome by bus. Villa d'Este was founded by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este in 1550. The elaborated terraced gardens with statues, pools and fountains enhance its natural beauty.

Villa Adriana, Tivoli. This

was probably the richest

building project in antiquity

and was designed entirely

by Hadrian (AD 76-138)

Rome (Roma) IIHope you are not bored yet. I have tried to cut down the sizes of these image files (they were scanned from the original photographs taken by a conventional SLR camera), therefore the picture quality is not up to the normal standard. You are welcome to view my photo albums if you have time to stop by. There are much more than the ones shown here.

Arco di Settimio Severo,

Foro Romano, Rome. Built

in AD 203, this Arco is one

of the three triumphal

arches in Foro Romano, the

remains of the Roman

Forum. The light in the dark

really brought out the

splendid sculpture and

carving of the arch.

Foro Romano -- the religious, political and commercial center of

ancient Rome. Diocletian, Julius Caesar, and Augustus played

their roles and made contribution to the constructions here.

Chia-Wei and friend walking in

Colosseo, Rome. Fights between

men and beasts, gladiatorial

contests, races and mock naval

battles took place in the arena.

Fontana di Trevi, Rome. This late-Baroque fountain is probably

the most popular one in Rome. Tourists continue the tradition of

throwing coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome.

Santa Maria Maggiore,

Rome. It's one of the four

major basilicas in

Rome and its campanile is

the highest among them.

Besides the outer

beauty, its interior contains

remarkable mosaics.

Atrium of Basilica di San

Pietro (St. Peter), Vatican.

The supreme head of world's

churches.

Basilica di San Pietro

Florence (Firenze)佛羅倫斯 ( 翡冷翠 )

Florence (Firenze) is set in the heart of a serenely beautiful

countryside of Tuscany in central Italy. It‘s the city where an

exceptional artistic and intellectual movement was cradled.

Renowned figures who have flourished the western civilization

such as Dante, Machiavelli, Giotto, Michelangelo, Botticelli...

were from Florence. It is a city of elegance and charm too. Those

of you who are familiar with Chinese modern poet Hsu Chih-Muo

( 徐志摩 ) and his notes know what "Firenze" is about.

Ponte Vecchio (Vecchio Bridge) & Arno River, Florence. This unique and beautiful bridge is the oldest one in Florence. The photograph was taken behind a window from Galleria degli Uffizi (see the reflected light at the up-left corner), one of the finest art museums in the world.

Piazza della Signoria,

Florence. The many

statues make the piazza

virtually an open-air

museum of sculpture.

The one shown in the

picture is the Fountain of

Neptune by Ammannati.

Roofs and the bell-tower

of Palazzo Vecchio,

Florence. The bell-tower

is one of the trademarks

of Florence. In front of it

stands the copy of

Michelangelo's “David”

(not shown in the photo).

Palazzo e Museo Nazionale

del Bargello, Florence. This

austere palace is a fine

example of medieval

architecture planned round a

majestic courtyard. There's

an exceptional collection of

fine sculptures here. Too

bad that I couldn't recall the

artist of this beauty.

Duomo (S. Maria del Fiore). This huge Gothic cathedral is an example of the Florentine style, with its sheer size, the predominance of horizontal lines and its polychrome decoration.

Venice (Venezia, 威尼斯 ) I

The existence of Venice (Venezia) is legendary.

There's no other city in the world like or similar

to Venice. It is built on 117 islands, with 150

canals and more than 400 bridges. There's an

admirable link between Venice and the sea, the

link that made the city great for many centuries

and that still gives it its beauty to this day.

Rio Marin, Venice. A canal is called a "rio" in Italian. Venice is all about water. See how beautiful the light reflected from the surface of the water! There are hundreds of similar places in Venice. Finding ways in Venice is like walking in a maze game. You need a detailed map, a marker, and a good sense of direction. It's also part of the fun in Venice.

Basilica di San Marco

(St Mark's), Venice. St

Marks combines the

Byzantine and Western

styles. Visitors are often

overcome by a feeling of

awe, owing to the

extremely rich

decoration and the

beauty of the golden

mosaic.

Basilica di San Marco,

Venice. The decoration.

Gondolas, the sea, and S. Giorgio Maggiore on Isola di S.

Giorgio Maggiore, Venice. The picture was taken from the

main island of Venice, at Piazza San Marco.

S. Maria della Salute

and the Grand Canal,

Venice. The church is

a distinctive feature

with its modillions and

concentric volutes.

The Grand Canal

affords one of the best

views of the church as

well as many other

palazzi.

Venice (Venezia) IIThis is the final set of my Italian photos/reports. Hope you enjoy the lengthy work. If you ever need travel information of Italy (accommodation, restaurants, transportation, attractions, ...), I'd be glad to help (with my limited knowledge). Also, on our way back from Italy, we stopped by Amsterdam for a night. If you are taking KLM flights, it's a good place to rest after the strenuous trip and before the long flight. We attended an evening concert at the Concertgebouw and walked relaxedly in Van Gogh Museum the next morning prior to the flight time -- a wonderful ending, wasn't it?

Gondola in Venice. For

centuries gondolas have

been the Venetian

traditional means of

transport. This picture is

one of my favorites.

Our good-looking gondola guy, Venice. Too bad he didn't sing probably because we hadn't paid him a good price. This picture was taken by Chia-Wei.

A lovely window in

Venice

The splendid stairway

of Palazzo Contarini di

Bovolo, Venice

Sunset on Grand Canal, Venice. This view could make you

really want to cry. The photo was taken from Ponte di Rialto

(Rialto Bridge), the main crossing between the two banks in

Venice.

References

The Green Guide - Italy, Michelin Travel Publications,

UK, 2001

知性之旅 - 羅馬 , Discovery Channel, APA Publications

GmbH & Co., 1999