SPQR Fellowship

Venice has been an incredible place to live. Two months is not enough to see and experience everything that Venice has to offer, but I was fortunate to have the opportunity to live in such extraordinary surroundings.

I really enjoyed the architecture, art and Venetian life. The city is so unique in how everything functions: from taking out the garbage to needing to take a water bus to get to school. Every day was a learning experience, and I truly valued my time in Venice.

Another great experience that I had while living in Venice was the opportunity to travel throughout the Veneto area. We took two trips to see the work of Palladio and Carlo Scarpa in Verona and Vicenzia. They were wonderful! To see the work of these architecture masters was amazing! It was great to experience first-hand architecture that I have studied.

I also took an overnight trip with my roommates. Here are some of my thoughts on that adventure:

Pictures and words cannot begin to describe the awe and beauty of Italy’s Cinque Terre on Italy’s western coast. It was an incredible journey.

In our whirlwind trip, we visited seven cities in slightly over 24 hours! Cinque Terre is an area of five towns connected by a network of hiking trails along the coast. We visited each of the towns, as well as Bologna on the train ride there (we had a time to explore in between trains). Our hostel was outside Cinque Terra in La Spezia, and we toured that city too!

The first night we explored the city of Rio Maggiorie and hiked from Rio Maggiorie to the next city, Manarola. This was along the most popular route (the blue route). Unfortunately, the first leg, and part of the second, from Manarola to Corniglia were the only ones open. They were closed due to construction from a landslide and were not safe for people.

Though we didn’t get to take the most common paths near the other villages, that allowed us to do a different path the next morning. We hiked from the last city, Monterosso up the bluffs to a point where there were the ruins of a small church of S. Antonio del Mesco.

I have never been a hiker myself, but I now know why people enjoy it so much. The path was a challenging trek up the bluff, but it was certainly worth every minute. When we got to the top, and all along the way, the natural beauty surrounding us was inspiring. The feeling of wonder was amazing!

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