Submitted by Christopher Pfeifer on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
On the next leg of our program, we spent a few days in Venice. Our professor continuously told us Venice will be, “unlike anything you’ve ever seen before”, so I was really looking forward to going to the city. I knew that the city consisted of plenty of man made islands and that there were no cars, but I didn’t know how the boat and bridge system actually worked. The second we got to Venice via water taxi, I was blown away. There were gondolas and boats everywhere and the buildings that lined the canals had tons of character. The views down the canal were picturesque and the air was some of the cleanest air I have ever breathed. Venice was definitely the most touristy city we’ve been to so far and it’s only January—I can’t imagine how crowded the city must be in the summer months.
The hotel we stayed at was right near St. Mark’s Square, which is the lowest point of all of Venice. Because of this, the square experiences flooding from time to time, which we even got to see. But the city uses elevated paths to help pedestrians to walk down the streets when there is water. It’s incredible that the islands of Venice have been able to stay afloat and intact for so long, and although flooding is still an issue, there are numerous environmental projects in the works to help protect the city.
Some of the things we did in Venice include touring the Doge’s Palace and the prison within it, attending a string orchestra concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, riding a gondola, and exploring the beautiful city itself. We are now on the final leg of our program and we have returned to Rome. Although we have already been here, I’m excited to explore a different part of the city, so we can really capture everything that Rome has to offer.
