Submitted by Andrew Olbrich on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
The last week of my program was split between Venice and Rome. Venice is probably one of the coolest and most unique cities in the world. To get to the city, you have to take a boat. Once you get into the city, you’ll see no cars, no bikes, and no motorcycles. Everyone walks to their destination, as it is never more than a 30 minute walk to get anywhere major on the islands. But this walk isn’t boring whatsoever. As you walk throughout the city, you are constantly going over beautiful bridges and past many expensive designer stores. Even repeating the same path each day is exciting, as there’s always something new to see.
Since Venice was built on top of of marshlands, it has been sinking ever since it was built. Coupled with rapidly rising sea levels, Venice is prone to flooding. While this is concerning, it is always interesting to see. In San Marco Square, the lowest point in Venice, the water rises up through the cracks in the ground. This gives the illusion that these puddles came from a huge thunderstorm that just passed through. During a sunny day, the surrounding buildings reflect in the puddles. Venice was a city like I’ve never seen before.