Itinerary
Last Updated: May 10, 2013
Itinerary-related FAQ at bottom of page.
Travel Itinerary:
Day 1: Sunday, May 19 We leave from LAX and spend a lot of time in the air.
Arrive in the afternoon and settle into Palazzo degli Angeli (S. Angelo vaporetto stop).
• Finish “Hunt 9: Where Have You Seen…” by the end of the trip.
• Find rooms, buy groceries, snack, talk, and hit the sack.
Day 3: Tuesday, May 21
| Today’s Journal Assignment: In several paragraphs, record your first impressions of your new tourist home. Feel free to sketch, write a poem, or write in prose. Do not tell us what you did — tell us how you felt about what you did. |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Chelsea, Nicole
Morning Mission:
• Up early in the morning to visit the Basilica di San Marco (line up at 9 a.m.; basilica opens at 9:45 a.m., about 1 hour). Remember, bare shoulders, stomachs, and/or knees are not
permitted in the basilica.
— Note: Seeing the basilica’s treasury room and gorgeous jeweled Pala d’Oro are optional & cost extra euro
• Visit the Palazzo Ducale (paid: use Musei ticket).
• Conduct “Hunt 5: Doge’s Palace” from Venetian Hunts & Puzzles.
• For an extra fee, see “Manet Returns to Venice” exhibit in the Palazzo Ducale — compare two extraordinary artists side-by-side. Titian’s Venus of Urbino is here from the Uffizi and the Manets are here from Musee d’Orsay in Paris, so this is a fantastic opportunity. Professor Terry will lecture on the art! (optional)
Afternoon Art:
• Lunch on your own. Use that Italian you’ve been practicing!
Evening Event:
• Regroup & discuss.
• Grade Hunt 5.
• Dinner together at Rossa Rossa (paid).
Day 4: Wednesday, May 22
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Reflect on Venice as a mercantile capital and the site of The Merchant of Venice. Sketch, paint, write a poem, or photograph some aspect of this myth of Venice and discuss it in your journal. Emphasize commerce rather than the experience of tourism; you’ll get to write about tourism later. |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Jenna, Courtney
Morning Mission:
• Walking tour of the Venetian Ghetto in Cannaregio.
• Visit Rialto and Chiesa di San Salvador as we return from the ghetto tour. Finish “Hunt 6: San Salvador” from Venetian Hunts & Puzzles. (San Salvador: 9 a.m. to noon, 3-7 p.m.)
Afternoon Art:
• Group gondola ride. Paid.
• Lunch on your own. Go take some artistic photographs, remembering the Rule of Thirds!.
Evening Event:
• 3:30 p.m. Regroup at the Zattere vaporetto stop with painting gear for our first painting. Take vaporetto to Guidecca to Palladio’s Santissimo Redentore (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and go inside to look around.
• Wander with Dr. Dru & Professor Terry or on your own in Guidecca, a little-visited part of Venice. Snack, because you’ll be eating a late dinner tonight.
• 6:30 p.m. Return to Redentore and paint the view across the canal of Santa Maria del Rosario [aka Gesuati] or paint Redentore from below.
• Grade Hunt 6 over while we’re painting.
• We will finish painting around 8 p.m., after which you’ll get dinner on your own.
Day 5: Thursday, May 23
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Reflect on “Venice: decadent and dying” as we visit the cemetery island. Sketch, paint, write a poem/story/scene, or photograph — reflect on death as symbol and metaphor as you write. |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Bryan, Dr. Dru
Morning Mission:
• 9 a.m. Vaporetto together from Fondamente Nuove to San Michele, the cemetery island — wander on your own: journal, paint, and/or sketch. Photographs are forbidden, so take them discreetly and at your own risk.
• Return together.
Afternoon Art:
• Lunch on your own.
• 3 p.m. Regroup at Accademia Museum: Finish “Hunt 4: Accademia” from Venetian Hunts & Puzzles. (Accademia: 8:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Tickets paid.) Grade Hunt 4 when we leave the museum.
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own.
Day 6: Friday, May 24
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Describe in prose or poetry the light of Venice — find your favorite light/time of day and paint or photograph it. (If it’s raining today, swap with Sunday’s question.) |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Carly, Leah
All-Day Island Tour:
• 9 a.m. Vaporetto to Murano, Burano & Torcello — bring your art supplies and paint, sketch, and photograph on each island.
• Lunch on your own in Burano. (Torcello, the first established colony and cathedral, has no place to eat!)
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own, but remember that we’re getting up early the next morning.
Day 7: Saturday, May 25
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Take some time to reflect on yourself as a tourist in Venice. How do you feel about being a tourist? What changes have you experienced as a tourist from your first day here to this one, almost a week later? Is tourism good or bad for people and places? |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Jesse, Camille
Morning Mission:
• Breakfast on your own.
Afternoon Art:
• 10 a.m. Visit Santa Maria dei Miracoli together and complete “Hunt 7: Church of Santa Maria Dei Miracoli.” (Miracoli is open from 10-4. Paid.) You can leave from the palazzo with us or meet us there. Grade Hunt 7 when finished at the church.
• Lunch on your own.
• 3 p.m.: Meet at Arsenale with painting supplies. Walk together to Basilica di San Pietro di Castello (8 a.m.-12 p.m., 3 p.m.-6 p.m.), the oldest cathedral in mainland Venice. Walk to Giardini Pubblici together and separate. Complete at least one painting on this outing, at San Pietro or the Giardini!
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own. Remember, you’re getting up early morning tomorrow!
Day 8: Sunday, May 26
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Reflect on your experiences as a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language of the country. How might the experience of foreigners in the U.S. differ, if at all? |
TODAY’S BLOGGER: Chelsea, Professor Terry
Morning Mission:
• 6 a.m.: Paint San Giorgio Maggiore from Piazza San Marco, in the style of Turner (@3 hours).
Afternoon Art:
• Get lost and make art!
•• Suggestions: The Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Mocenigo Museum, Ca’ Pesaro Museum, Fortuny Museum, Correr Museum, Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the la Fenice opera house, any church we won’t be touring, or take the elevator up to the San Marco campanile. Take the ferry from Saint Mark’s square across to San Giorgio Maggiore and take the campanile to the top for a beautiful photograph.
Evening Event:
• Regroup at 8 p.m. & share the day’s art and explorations. Take photos of artwork completed to date, to post on blog.
Day 9: Monday, May 27
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Reflect upon your impressions of Venice’s future; be thoughtful, not flippant, but be imaginative. Your thoughts may be as pessimistic or optimistic as you like. Write a poem, story, or scene; sketch; collage; or paint your image of the Venice of the future. |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Gustavo, Sam
Morning Mission:
• 10 a.m. Visit Ca’Rezzonica to learn about 18th century Venice (Wed-Mon 10 a.m.-6 p.m.). Finish “Hunt 8: Ca’Rezzonica” from Venetian Hunts & Puzzles. (paid: use Musei ticket)
Afternoon Art:
• Noon: Visit the 16th-century San Sebastiano church to see the Veronese paintings.
• Lunch together at Pane e Vino (paid). Grade Hunt 8.
• 6 p.m. Meet behind La Salute. Watercolor architectural details of La Salute, Dogana, or San Giorgio Maggiore in the style of Sargent.
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own.
Day 10: Tuesday, May 28
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Write a journal entry reflecting on the food you’ve been eating over this first week in Italy. Compare and contrast Italian food in the U.S. to that of Venice. How do you like it? What differences strike you about the “food culture” of Italy versus that of the U.S.? |
TODAY’S BLOGGERS: Amber, Sami
Morning:
• Leave on vaporetto to Lido. This is the last day your vaporetto ticket will work; after today, you have to buy tickets on your own!
Afternoon-Evening: Free day. Make art on Lido. Come home on your own time. Notice the wonderful view of Venice a la Turner on your way home. Dinner on your own.
Day 11: Wednesday, May 29
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Find and describe — and either take photographs* (these 3=1 for this assignment) or sketch — examples of Venetian Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architecture. See last page of itinerary for reminder. You must include in your description the location of the architectural example you discovered. Don’t simply repeat the examples we’ve provided; that’s cheating! |
Morning Mission:
• Enjoy your last day free. Do some final painting. Mail any souvenirs you don’t want to carry.
• Don’t forget to finish “Hunt 9: Where Have You Seen…”
Evening Event: Regroup for final restaurant dinner together, possibly at Leone Bianca (paid).
• Clean up the palazzo.
• Pack your bags, because we’re leaving Venice tomorrow!
Day 12: Thursday, May 30
| Today’s Journal Assignment: You’re leaving Venice, so now is the time to reflect on what Venice has come to mean to you, personally. This course was called “Imagining Venice” — what has Venice come to symbolize for you, in your imagination? It may be good or bad; be thoughtful and honest. This will form the core of your presentation next fall, so you may end up putting down some preliminary thoughts now and then refining them later as you further reflect and absorb what you’ve learned and experienced on this trip. |
TODAY’S BLOGGER: Optional
Morning Mission:
• Take train to Verona (@1.5 hours).
• Grade Hunt 9 on train.
• Check into hotel.
Afternoon Art:
• Walk and see Roman sites: Forum, Teatro Romana Verona and the Museo Archeologico del Teatro.
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own. Visit the Casa di Giulietta on your own, if you like. Remember that you’re getting up early the next morning
Day 13: Friday, May 31
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Compare and contrast the castle in Lake Garda to the palazzi of the Venetians. Explain the differences from a historic and geographic point of view. Do some sketching to illustrate those differences. |
TODAY’S BLOGGER: Optional
Morning Mission:
• 8 a.m. Go to Sirmione by Lake Garda (@1 hour by bus). This is a 1-kilometer walk, so wear comfy shoes.
Afternoon Art:
• Visit the Scagliar Castle. Sketch, paint, and take photos. Visit the Roman villa, if you wish.
• Lunch on your own.
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own. Remember to pack up for a very early departure to Florence!
Day 14: Saturday, June 1
| Today’s Journal Assignment: |
TODAY’S BLOGGER: Optional
Morning Mission:
• 6 a.m. Train to Florence (paid). Settle into Hotel Ferretti.
Afternoon Art:
• Lunch together but paid on your own.
• Tour Piazza del Duomo to see the duomo, campanile, and baptistry.
It will cost you €8 to climb to the top of the dome.
• Walking tour to Palazzo Pitti. Visit any number of museums and gardens.
Take pictures for a garden painting in the style of Sargent.
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own.
Day 15: Sunday, June 2
| Today’s Journal Assignment: Describe your reaction to one of the Uffizi’s famous paintings mentioned below in depth. Which is your favorite and why? Spend a few paragraphs on this answer, and feel free to write a poem about it if you’re so inspired. What other famous paintings or sculptures did you see today in the Uffizi, and how did your reaction to them surprise you? |
TODAY’S BLOGGER: Optional
Morning Mission:
• 7 a.m. Uffizi Gallery (Paid; reservations.) It’s a big museum, so take your time. There’s a nice cafe on the roof where you can relax between galleries with a cappucino if you need to rest your feet.
Find Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child with Angels, Botticelli’s Primavera and Birth of Venus, Michelangelo’s Holy Family, Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation, and Rafael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch.
Afternoon Art:
• Lunch on your own. Visit other museums, such as Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello (to see Donatello’s David), the Galileo Museum, or go back to the Pitti to catch anything that you missed.
• Wander the markets or the Oltrarno (an artisan neighborhood).
• Consider going to San Miniato for Gregorian chant at the 6:30 p.m. mass.
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own.
Day 16: Monday, June 3
| Today’s Journal Assignment: You’ve now been in three very different Northern Italian cities. Which did you like best, and why? |
TODAY’S BLOGGER: Optional
Morning Mission:
• Breakfast on your own.
Afternoon Event:
• 10:30. Meet at the hotel. Walk together for last lunch in Italy together at Ristorante Boccadama, Piazza Santa Croce (open 11-3 p.m.). Paid.
• Vivoli Gelato is nearby!
• Pack up your suitcases! We will be home late in the evening and tired from a long walk!
Evening Event:
• Dinner on your own.
• 7:30 p.m. Meet at Ponte Vecchio with your painting equipment and walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a panoramic view of the city at sunset and your last evening in Italy. Warning: Long walk and many flights of stairs!
Day 17: Tuesday, June 4
Get to the airport to depart Florence.
*** FAQ ***
Is Venice safe to wander around without a guide?
Venice is very safe during the day and reasonably safe at night, as long as you take the normal precautions: stay in sight of your buddy, avoid getting drunk, and stick to well-lit streets after dark. Pickpocketing is a hazard in any crowded tourist area; keep your valuables in front pockets or a travel belt and keep a close eye on your phone or iPod if you carry one clipped to a waistband. In Venice it’s easy (and fun!) to get lost, but hard to stay lost; ultimately you’ll hit the lagoon or Grand Canal, after which it isn’t difficult to find your way back to a main campo or bridge and get your bearings.
Any clothing restrictions?
Some churches do not permit visitors with bare shoulders, midriffs, or legs, so try to avoid a wardrobe full of shorts and tank tops; the famous Basilica di San Marco, in particular, requires shoulders and knees to be covered. Women should keep in mind that exposed cleavage, stomachs, and thighs may attract unwanted attention and crude behavior or comments from some men. Shorts are generally only worn by children, Germans and Americans, so although you can wear them (as long as you’re not visiting a church), they will scream “tourist!” to everyone around you.
You’ll be doing a lot of walking on hard cobblestones. Sneaker-style hiking shoes would be a wise investment. Bring sneakers, at least.
Bring layers for warmth (average May temps run from 55-70 degrees, though last time we ran this trip it hit the 90s!) and bring your umbrellas and raincoats (average rainfall in May is 2.7 inches). Note that cobblestone streets are slippery when wet!
Is there wi-fi so I can email and blog?
The palazzo we’re renting has wi-fi and Venice has numerous internet cafes where you can pay to use the provided computers or, in some cases, plug in your laptop.
While we’re talking electronics, remember to bring plug adapters for laptops and voltage adapters for other electronics you may bring, such as your electric razor or blowdryer (unless they run at both 110 and 220). You generally do not need voltage adapters for computers or camera battery rechargers.
Is the water safe to drink?
Yes; you can drink it from the faucet. Bottled water abounds if you prefer to be cautious, however.
I have food allergies or restrictive eating preferences; will I find anything to eat in Italy?
Italy is a gourmet’s paradise, but it doesn’t always cater to eating restrictions. You’ll have a hard time finding gluten-free pasta, for example, but as long as you can eat regular enriched wheat pasta, going meatless won’t be a problem for you. There are a few vegetarian restaurants in Venice, as well. If you’re allergic to shellfish, you may want to avoid all seafood dishes as a matter of precaution; restaurants might not be scrupulous about preparing shellfish dishes in separate pots and pans. JewishVenice offers advice on finding kosher food.
We intend to rent a palazzo with a kitchen, so you will have the option of shopping and cooking for yourself during much of the trip, although sometimes we’ll be out all day and eating in restaurants. We recommend that for the duration of the trip you relax any voluntary eating restrictions you’ve imposed upon yourself and enjoy the full Italian culinary experience.
I use a wheelchair; will I have problems getting around?
Unfortunately, yes; the streets of Venice are narrow and paved with uneven stones, and they abound with stairs and bridges. There is very little accommodation for wheelchairs in buildings — most are extremely old and have only stairwells — or on mass transit such as trains and boats. Moreover, there are no railings between the streets and the canals if the crowds get pushy, as they sometimes do. This trip will be walking-intensive and is not a good choice for anyone who has a mobility impairment.
Are there ATMs? Are credit cards usually accepted?
Yes to both. It’s always a good idea to check with your bank to find out about international ATM-use or credit-card-use surcharges that may be incurred and to notify them that you’ll be overseas. Most of the main tourist shops and large restaurants will be happy to accept your credit card, but having cash is a good idea for smaller neighborhood shops, grocery stores, vaporetto tickets, and cafes. Consider bringing an ATM card with you and getting your euros at a bank in Venice, rather than exchanging money at LAX.
Will there be time to shop?
Of course! We’ll ask that you restrain your consumer impulses during the painting/touring part of the class and, in return, we’ll give you plenty of time afterward to browse around; remember, you’ll be in the city over a week, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to pick up souvenirs.
If you plan to buy a lot, consider setting aside enough money to mail it home from Venice. Shipping internationally from the Venetian post office is a bit of a challenge, so set aside an hour or two to take into account the lines and the paperwork. Also, remember that we’ll be traveling by train for the last few days, and your professors assure you from personal experience that you don’t want to do that while hauling around more than one suitcase and backpack.
What if I want to continue traveling through Italy/Europe after the class is over?
Tell Study Abroad before airplane reservations are made. You’ll find it very easy to meet up with friends or family in Florence, which has an airport, or to travel from Florence by train to another destination. You may wish to reserve your train tickets in advance during your stay in Venice; your professors can help you with that.