Monselice

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. -Lao Tzu

We have just finished our second day of the program and I am starting to get an idea as to how this will work. It is very complex, a matter of finding questions and searching for answers in a very deep almost philosophical sense that will inevitably result in more questions. It is challenging, not being an architecture major, but not impossible and I am learning to observe things and look at things in ways that I have never thought of before.

We are staying in Monselice, a town several miles from Venice and taking the train in every day. The town is an old 16th century fortress town, though there are some castle remains here from the sixth century. It is a very interesting place. We are staying in an old villa converted into a hostel and Shun managed to arrange for us to use Villa Duodo, an old sixteenth century villa as our work space. I’ve been up to the Villa a few times now and it is incredible, but I haven’t had a chance to go in the day more than once, so I’ll have to find another time to get some pictures.

During the days we have been going into the city. We eat breakfast at around 8:00 and leave for the train at around 8:30- simple, and fortunately for some, flexible. On our first day our assignment was to go around the city observing different signs to better understand a calle, a campo, etc. On top of this we were told to go alone so as to individually observe the city and not risk having our opinions influenced by others and we were told to get lost and find our way. Some did, some didn’t, but we all made it back to the train station when we were going to leave and I had no difficulty getting around. I did get fantastically lost though. Venice is very nice and very safe. There are lots of little alleys, lots of dead ends, and lots of surprises, but it is all very welcoming and as long as one is aware of their surroundings (the point of the assignment) it is harmless.

We did end up meeting as a group partially during the first day and we visited several interesting sites: fantastic squares, incredible churches, and very nice gellaterias (for gelato). But the most incredible part of the day was our visit to the oar makers. We met Sevario, the master, and Pietro, the assistant, who both make oars and forcole for a living. The oars are very interesting, and made for gondolas or other types of rowboats and take a few days to make. But the true art is in the forcole. At the end of a gondola there is the forcola, in to which the oar is set and rotated to a particular gondolier’s stroke. They are all custom made to fit the stroke of the gondolier and take around 3 years to make. They are incredible pieces of art.

Today we had the same routine, wandering Venice until around 2, but this time paying keen attention to our senses to understand the different sounds, smells, sights, etc, of Venice and how they change in different spots. For example Soto Portegos are dark, and they echo magnificently, but then open to a very light campo or calle. Campos however are loud and wide and bright and there may be restaurants within or nearby to create sounds and scents.

At 2:00pm we met to begin an assignment studying a work by Carlo Scarpa, the architect of study on this program. It was a courtyard and we were supposed to study it to understand how it worked, how it was special, and how it was Venetian. It wasn’t easy work, and Shun does not provide many answers, but he listens and we eventually garner some understanding, though it is an ever self-improving process. There is no right or wrong, and Shun never tells us any specific interpretation. This is very much an independent, and personal experience, one that will likely lead to personal growth through deep reflection. It is not so much the architecture itself that will lead to this but the thought process associated with it. The push for individuality and understanding, leaving our comfort zones, and independence will likely change all of us. Perhaps not in the next three weeks, but with further reflection and experience, we will change because of this program.

We caught the train back to Monselice in time to grab a quick slice of pizza (delicious and cheap) and then watched the Manchester United v. Barcelona championship. I sat next a guy associated with the Villa Duodo who I am becoming friends with and also next to a guy here from Northern Ireland making his way around Europe. It was a good match and just about everybody was happy that Barcelona won.

Everybody on the trip is friendly and I like to think that I am making friends with them. Whether or not they will be deep lasting friendships remains to be seen, but I certainly hope that they will be. There are some very interesting people here ranging form a 35-year-old student pursuing his masters in architecture to a sophomore in college majoring in material sciences. My major is certainly very different from the others' but it has not been a problem yet and the way the program is tailored, I do not think it will be too much of a hindrance to me.

It is getting late and we are getting our first night of rain. It is not unwelcome though; as it will take away the scorching heat we have had for the past few days. For now though I retire looking forward to another day in the city.

Buona notte.