Medieval Alleyways

In the medieval part of Genoa, down closer to the port, the city streets become a zig-zagging confusing web of 5' wide alleyways...add insane moped drivers to the mix and you have a very hazardous environment. Many of the alleys actually used to feature arcades which made the places not so claustrophobic, but in order to make more room for housing and commercial buildings, the city filled in the arcades making the narrow streets you can see above. In this picture my hands weren't touching the walls BUT yesterday we were walking around and I found one alley that I could press both my palms against. One guy took some pictures of himself bracing himself horizontally between the walls with his feet and hands.

Personal Space (or the lack thereof)

They told us in advance that the Italians have a different sense of personal space, I have decided that its different in that it is non-existent. There is NO CONCEPT of the entire idea! We were sitting on these steps, sketching the facade of the church across the plaza when this camera guy comes up in front of us and starts filming. He started over by the guy in the red shirt and we were watching Averette as the camera guy got right up in his face as he was sketching (apparantly there's no zoom on Italian cameras, you have to physically get up in there). So we were laughing and whatever as the cameraguy kept moving along the line of us, narrating in Italian as he went. When he got to me I tried to stop laughing and started sketching intently so that he could get whatever film he needed...but then his head banged into mine because he was so freaking CLOSE. My head shot up because I was kinda grossed out, but when I looked up the camera was pointed straight in my face...he'd actually hit me with the fuzzy gray microphone on the camera.

I just started busting out laughing (as did everyone else), we just could not believe that he was getting sooooo close! So when the guy circled around behind us some of the other students with us got a picture of him violating our space. You can't really see me in this picture, but I'm sitting closest to the column on the right.

Milan, Italy

The building to the right is by Renzo Piano (he's a really famous architect whose office is actually located in Genoa). Piano did the addition to Richard Meier's High Museum in Atlanta, GA.


A bit more modern architecture...


When we got to the older, more central part of town, there was more traditional Italian architecture...lots of the palazzios (palaces) had these beautiful little couryards inside them.


Milan is supposed to be the height of European fashion...


But we kept finding these skanky unitards with random holes cut in them...(???)



The Piazza del Duomo was full of pigeons...


And this goofy looking guy would come up to you and put corn kernals in your hands, and you're like "ok this could be fun, I'll feed the birds"...


...then they decend upon you and its maddness, but the guy keeps refilling your hands with food...I think he does this to amuse himself all day. You can tell by his face (in the picture above) he's getting a kick out of the stupid Americans (I'm serious, click on the picture with him in the yellow jackt, look at his little smirk, and tell me that turd doesn't know exactly what he's doing to the poor tourists! I can't be too hard on him though, its actually a good idea...someone should set this up on one of the beaches or docks in Charleston and we can get the tourist to feed the seagulls hehehehe...)



another helpless victim...


El Duomo de Milano (1386-1887)
This cathedral is HUGE, and its unique because it was done in the Gothic style but in a white stone, so because it has a "lighter" look the style is called "flower gothic". Also, it took 5 centuries to complete and they maintained the original design and producion process throughout the entire construction as they built it from back to front. With the heavy clouds, it made the place look really misty...and very beautiful...

They had prayer candles set up along the side isles with smaller prayer alters.


(smaller places of meditation)


(the nave...or main isle)


(the side doors in the front)

The door is made up of these tiny religious vinettes that are amazingly detailed. You can see the Roman gaurd's leg (I think its a Roman guard) and Jesus' leg has been rubbed so often that its stays "polished"...the whole doors are actually this bronze/copper metal, not the greenishness.

Man, those Catholics know how to BUILD a CHURCH! (what, what!?!?) There are over 40 churches in Genoa...and all of them are Catholic.

You can tell from the pictures that it was really cloudy (kind of depressing) and absolutely FREEZING, but we had a good time.

We also saw the church that holds Leonardo's The Last Supper but we couldn't see it at the time because in order to get a group our size in there, you have to call in for reservations. Our prof. called in September, and nothing was available until JUNE! Some of us are planning to go back and see it as a smaller group.

The most amazingly massive cookie I have EVER encountered

I wish I had put something next to this thing so you can actually see how big it really is, but it is most definitely bigger than a man's head.

I found another one in Milan, Italy...now I see them all over! I don't understand why our cook can't construct something like this for dessert...

We're walking along (up-hill of course) and I'm looking into the store windows, just checking it out, and all of a sudden I spot (one of) the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life....yes, it was a massive cookie. I tell you this thing absolutely blew my mind...I was in such a state of shock that I didn't insist we stop to investigate further and then later I couldn't find the store again. However, I did re-locate the giant cookie only to discover that its actually more like an un-cut biscotti (which means it's hard as a rock). Nevertheless, I know that one day I'm going to break down and buy one and I think it'd be good if I dunk it in some coffee or milk (BUT I'D HAVE TO USE A BOWEL BECAUSE THIS THING'S NOT FITTING IN A GLASS!) I still think it's just too cool, just because of sheer size...it has actually made me want to try to make a cookie of these proportions...I think it could be something wonderful.

The stairs from hell

It looks nice, but all I see here are more stupid stairs that Sarah has to climb...we go down the stairs and then down that ramp by the yellow house.

Please notice that this is not just an incline (its a very steep incline) and like most of the walking roads in Genoa its paved in cobble stone and uneven brick.

A typical Genovian vista...all of the roads look like this.

Cute little Italian lady putting us to shame.

There is only one word to descibe the streets in Genoa: INSANE, ridiculous, wish-you-were-dead-miserable! You can probably count on your hands (maybe just one hand) how many level streets there are in the city...we are always walking at an incline of some degree. And its absolutely amazing because there are tons of old people in the city who can definitely take on these monsters and I (almost) can't. And they never end, you get to what you think has to be the top and...oh, no you've actually just begun.

So even though I'm eating pasta and bread like its going out of style...I am walking at least 3 miles a day, up-hill both ways. Really though, because we work, eat, and sleep in the same building we absolutely have to get out of the villa or we'll go crazy...plus a lot of our classes involve walking tours. To get to the center of the town, because that's where all the stores are, you have to go down a mountain to the port. And honestly I don't know which is worse: going down, bracing yourself against the slope (and knowing you have to come up again) OR coming back up and realizing how embarrassingly out of shape you are. Stair-master's got nothin on this place...I'm going to have buns of steel before I leave here.

Via Privata Piaggio XIV

Our villa is the pistachio colored one...malto bella

The academic floor: off to the right is one studio and the general classroom, to the left is my studio. The walk-way directly across connects the two studios.

Italians put marble on EVERYTHING

The main "classroom"

The Gardens...and the grotto (like Hugh's except we have goldfish, not bunnies)

My room has the balcony above the classroom...there are 6 other girls sharing the same room...

The orange grove, there's also a banana and lemon tree...I saw some calla lillies and camellias in the garden as well.

I was actually surprised when I got to the villa and realized we were pretty much still in the city...I'd always thought a villa was more of a country home. But its really a pretty nice set up (except for the whole sharing of the room thing...my room looks like one of those orphanages that you see in the movies because of all the beds). We all have to share bathrooms but there plenty so that's not a problem...the problem is hot water which we are all being deprived of (the whole stinky European thing might be explained by this hot water shortage because I cannot STAND cold showers). Hair driers and curling irons (that work) are also a hot commodity around here...we had a communal hair drier but one day it just disappeared (like magic!) and is yet to be found. Thankfully we rounded up another one, which I keep in my personal drawer, and all is well (currently).

We have a cook who prepares 2.1 meals (breakfast is only fruit, bread and coffee so I don't think she gets credit for preparing that one). But the meals are set up so that there is always a pasta or soup of some sort, then usually a meat or fish of some sort, usually a salad (made of very bitter lettuce), and occasionally a vegetable like zucchini or broccoli. My favorite food is currently rolls with honey.

While all the food is great, I am very disappointed with the desserts...because there are none. I think the cook is holding out on us because I know those Italians can whip out those pastries...nobody's fooling me. And I'm sure we would all agree that fresh fruit is NOT a proper dessert (there's not even any cool whip or anything to go on top...definitely NOT a dessert).