Campo Assignment - Piazza Baldassare Galuppi

Today, we had the afternoon free to roam about Venice and discover it for ourselves. My roommates and I decided to take a vaporetto out to Murano, an island known for its glassmaking, and Burano, an island known for its lace. Since today’s assignment was to find and describe a campo (or a square where people can meet and spend time), we decided to explore these islands and find a campo. We found one, Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, in the middle of Burano.

 

Here's a typical picture of the colorful buildings on Burano.

Burano is a charming island located about 30 minutes (by vaporetto) from the main area of Venice. The Pinterest photos of brightly colored buildings labeled “Venice, Italy” are actually buildings on this island – though no one ever mentions on Pinterest that it takes so long to get there! The houses and buildings were originally painted so brightly because Burano is one of the northernmost islands of Venice and the inhabitants wanted their island to be visible to approaching boats. Nowadays, the houses are brightly colored to keep up with tradition – and to keep a sense of individuality. I expected to just see the brightly colored buildings in rows when I traveled to Burano, so I expected that this campo assignment would be very difficult. However, in Piazza Baldassare Galuppi I found a large church and a museum, both with very different architectural styles, placed alongside the normal bright buildings.

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi – located off of Calle Baldassare Galuppi in Burano

The church appears to have been built in a Gothic style. This is evident because it is not decorated much on the outside and is not particularly beautiful to the eye (especially when it is considered among the surrounding bright buildings). It towers over the campo, much like Gothic churches tower over the people inside.

Most of the windows of the church are thermal windows with three separate pieces in a semicircle.

The border where the wall meets the roof of the church – looks like dentilled molding.

Thermal window above a door to the church. The door has pilasters (rectangular pillars, slightly out from the wall) on either side. There is an entablature above the pilasters with a dentilled molding at the top and a decorated frieze (middle section).

Entrance to the current church alongside the Canonica, which appears to be a much older building. The Canonica is also in a Gothic style without much adornment. It has some corbels along the roofline for support.

The bell tower, or campanile, of the church. The campanile is built out of brick and looks different from the rest of the church, suggesting that they were built at different times. The campanile has some dentilled molding and appears to have three pilasters per side with an entablature at the top. Additionally, there is a triangular pediment near the top of the campanile.

Doors to the Burano Lace Museum, formerly known as the Scuolo del Merletto di Burano, located opposite the church. The arches above the doors appear to be stilted. I found it interesting that each of the three sets of doors has a slightly different shape.

All of the windows on the Lace Museum have ogee arches above them. This is in contrast to the Roman arches on the windows in the church, though the buildings are located just across the campo from each other. There is a decorative tondo located next to this particular window.

A religious tondo (circular decorative panel) on the side of a building on the campo

People, many of whom are parents and children, milling about on the campo. The building in the middle, background, is the Lace Museum. The building next door also has ogee arches on its second-floor windows.

One final view of a side of Piazza Baldassare Galuppi. Many people are relaxing on the square, and many children are playing.

This piazza was a surprising find in the middle of Burano. Because of Pinterest, Burano has become a coveted destination for many tourists wanting to take pictures of the brightly-colored buildings. Our vaporetto to Burano, the largest water bus we have taken yet, was absolutely full of people wanting to go see the buildings and purchase lace! However, these tourists were nowhere to be found in the campo. This campo was full of children playing and parents discussing life. Being in Piazza Baldassare Galuppi allowed me to spend time alongside normal Venetian families, which was completely unexpected. Normally, people think of Venice as being a touristy city, full of shops and different sights to take pictures of. However, being on Burano and spending some time in a campo allowed me to see what daily life is like for the citizens of this city. Life with children here is much like it is back home: the parents let the children wander and play within a safe distance while they talk to their neighbors and friends. This campo functions as a meeting place for the families of Burano; it allows the parents to communicate while the children play together. Though Burano is on the outskirts of Venice, I believe that what I saw can be applied to the city as a whole. The citizens of Venice do live like this every day. They like to spend time with friends as well as family, and spaces like the Piazza Baldassare Galuppi in Burano allow them to do both at the same time.

Venice in the Details - Biblioteca Marciana

In 1468, Cardinal Bessarion (a great Humanist scholar) donated his large collection of Greek and Latin manuscripts to the city of Venice. The Classical texts and studies were very important during the Renaissance, so Cardinal Bessarion’s donation was a great honor for the city. One stipulation of the donation was that the collection be housed properly; however, Venice did not get around to creating a proper home for the volumes until 1537. This building, the Biblioteca Marciana, was the first public library available for scholarly use in Venice.

The Biblioteca Marciana, or St. Mark’s Library, was designed by Jacobo Sansovino, an Italian architect known for his many works around Piazza San Marco. The library is known as Sansovino’s masterpiece and is his most beloved project among Venetians. It combines the classical Renaissance architectural style with the typical Venetian surface decorations. The library is similar to other Venetian buildings in that it has a large piano nobile (first floor), many arches, and windows. It also adheres to Ionic and Doric orders of Greek classical architecture. Many Roman symbols, like obelisks and naturalistic statues, cover the exterior of the building (“The Marciana Library”). 

A combination of styles: typical Venetian decorations with Roman Naturalistic statues and Greek architectural details

The combination of all of these architectural details highlights Renaissance Venice’s focus on Greek and Roman culture and architecture, which would later be studied by various scholars inside the library.

The interior of the library is decorated with many different works in many styles from Renaissance artists. The vestibule contains a collection of Greek and Roman sculptures donated by Cardinal Grimani in 1596. The vestibule’s ceiling portrays Wisdom, a late work by Titian. The main room of the Biblioteca Marciana has a large ceiling with seven rows of allegorical medallion paintings from Venetian Mannerist artists. The library also contains Fra Mauro (a Venetian monk)’s map of the world from 1459, which shows the great extent of Venice’s geographical knowledge at the time (Time Out Venice).

The main room of the Biblioteca Marciana

After construction was completed, the Marciana collection was moved to its new home. The collection grew steadily by personal donations and acquisitions of monastery libraries. After the fall of the Venetian Republic, the Library obtained portions of the collections from religious institutions. In 1603, a law was introduced to require all Italian printers to donate one copy of every published book to the library; this also helped the collection to expand.

The Biblioteca Marciana currently houses about a million volumes and 13,500 manuscripts. It contains 2883 incunabula (booklets printed before 1501) and 24,000 other works printed between 1500 and 1600. The Marciana collection also has many illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The library plays an important role in Venetian culture and studies, conserving Greek culture, Venetian history, and Venetian publishing (Arounder). It stands as a symbol of Venice’s dedication to intellectual and artistic pursuits, especially those in classical Greek and Roman styles.

Me, presenting in front of the Biblioteca Marciana earlier today

Originally, I chose to study the Biblioteca Marciana because I like libraries. I figured that a Venetian library would be interesting, if only because it is a library in another country! I started doing research on the Biblioteca Marciana last week; most of my research involved taking information from the Internet and putting it into my own words. I saw a few pictures, but I was not fully able to understand what I was writing about because of the inherent disconnect between words on the Internet and real life. I knew a lot about the library, but I didn’t really get much out of this information until I saw the building in person. Seeing the Biblioteca Marciana, and actually standing in front of it while I gave a presentation, changed everything! I feel much more attached to the library now – it feels like it really is my own little piece of Venice. I was finally able to understand that the library’s architecture tells the story of what information it holds inside. I really enjoyed presenting the Biblioteca to my classmates. Since we were not able to see the inside today (it was a Sunday), I am excited to go back and see the main room and the vestibule. I got much more out of this assignment than I was expecting; I feel much more knowledgeable about both the library and Venetian culture in general. Not only that, but I also learned a lot from my classmates’ presentations on other parts of Piazza San Marco. This square is a tourist hotspot, but these tourists generally do not know anything about the sights they see and the scenes they take pictures of. After today’s activity, I definitely do not feel like these tourists; I feel well-informed. I believe I can enjoy Piazza San Marco more than the average tourist, simply because I have this knowledge!

Resources:

"History of the Library." Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. Ministero dei beni e delle attivata culturali e del turismo, 3 Sept 2012. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://marciana.venezia.sbn.it/storia>.

"Museo Correr, Biblioteca Marciana & Museo Archeologico." Time Out Venice. Time Out Group Ltd, 23 Oct 2013. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://www.timeout.com/venice/museums/venue/1:22473/museo-correr-biblioteca-marciana-museo-archeologico>.

"The Marciana Library." Venice. ARTH 470z Class at the University of Mary Washington, 11 Dec 2008. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://venice.umwblogs.org/exhibit/the-myth-of-venice-in-the-architecture-of-jacopo-sansovino/libreria-di-san-marco/>.

"The Marciana Library - Historic building - Venice." Arounder. VRWAY Communication, 2014. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://venice.arounder.com/en/historic-building/the-marciana-library>.

Biblioteca interior image source: http://www.elfikurten.com.br/2012/07/bibliotecas-tesouros-da-humanidade.html

First Impressions

As day one of my Venetian adventure draws to a close, I am completely in awe. My jet-lagged brain cannot comprehend that I am actually here! Not only did I arrive in Venice less than 12 hours ago, but I also experienced quite a bit of the city today. I walked so much my heels ache, but I got to see parts of Venice that are basically untouched by tourists. 

Beautifully colored Venetian buildings surrounded by trees and green space - who knew?

These were gorgeous and surprising sights: who knew there were so many trees on the island, and who knew there were large green parks where families could spend time together, chatting at tables or playing a nice game of soccer? All the pictures and articles I have seen only mention the touristy areas and buildings, most especially those in Piazza San Marco. Yes, I admit that I was overwhelmed when I saw Piazza San Marco in person, but I was absolutely speechless when I saw beautiful buildings and corridors in other, lesser-known areas of the city. 

I'm amazed by buildings like this - the shutters match the water, and even the drying laundry is picturesque!

I could not have guessed that these other sights would affect me more than the ones I had seen online before my travels. My Internet research could not possibly have prepared me for the amazing things I saw today. I have come to the conclusion that I was right: Venice already has surpassed my expectations! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week brings, though I am sure that Venice will continue to surprise and amaze me.

Venice Imagined

In the first chapter of his book The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton suggests that our destinations are never quite what we imagine them to be. He quickly adds that the reality of travel is not necessarily disappointing but that it is inherently different than what we expect.  I have traveled abroad a few times, and none of those experiences have been exactly what I expected. That, in my opinion, is what is great about travel. I have traveled places and experienced new and unexpected things, and because of those experiences my life has changed. I hope to continue having life-changing experiences in Venice this spring break.

 

A typical picture of Venice, complete with gondolas

When I think about Venice, the images that pop into my mind all involve gondolas and canals: gondoliers in striped shirts maneuvering their boats through the city’s winding canals, lovers being serenaded by a gondolier as they pass by dimly-lighted buildings on either side of the water. Venice has so much more to offer than just gondolas and canals, though. It has museums, cathedrals, shops, and restaurants. All of these things draw me in; still, oddly, I focus on the images of gondolas and canals!

De Botton once traveled to Barbados just because a travel brochure made the island look beautiful and desirable. My research into Venice has been largely image-based as well. I have seen many gorgeous pictures of Venice, though in this technological age I have found them through Pinterest rather than brochures. The vast majority of these photos are canal scenes, most of which include a gondola. Some are at night, some during daylight hours, but all are equally vivid and beautiful. De Botton found that, upon his arrival in Barbados, nothing was quite as he expected. He stood in a position to see one of the exact scenes pictured in his brochure and still found it different just by his being there. I expect to have the same experience in Venice. I am sure that seeing Venetian scenes in person will be different, since I will actually be there instead of viewing edited pictures through my computer screen. However, I do not expect this difference to be bad. I believe that seeing the scene in person, hearing the sounds of passersby, and being immersed in the Venetian culture will make the experience exponentially better. Though the picture I see may not be beautifully edited for the consumers’ enjoyment, it will be real and I will be experiencing it in person.

 

I can't wait to see this in person - even though the colors won't be so vibrant, it will still be fantastic to experience!

Though these visual expectations I have of Venice seem great, I believe that actually being in Venice will be much better. I plan to see the scenes immortalized in Pinterest photos, and I may even ride in a gondola (to be the quintessential tourist). I will try a Venetian cappuccino, as I have been advised to do, and I will eat as much gelato and pasta as I possibly can. I will visit museums and see all kinds of architectural beauty. I will even attend mass at the Basilica de San Marco! Though these plans are all exciting, I am most anticipating the experience of just being there. I have heard about people being enchanted by a city, and I sincerely hope that happens in Venice. I know that this destination will not be what I expect, but I believe it will surpass my expectations. After all, Venice is like no other place on Earth—I hardly know what to expect!