Immersed in Italy: Ciao, Venezia, by Renisa Maki

Immersed in Italy

A blog by Renisa Maki

 

- Renisa Maki is one of the 2012 recipients of the Wright Family Scholarship for an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Musuem in Venice, Italy. She has completed her Bachelor of Arts degree with a Double major in Art History and Political Studies from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where she plans to continue her postgraduate studies in 2013. She is also a valuable member of the Art History Society.

Ciao, Venezia!

Venice. I land, its cold, its captivating. Its like seeing picture perfect postcards spring to life. I disembark from the bus at Piazzale Roma, the main bus terminal, and ironically the first thing I think of is “Man, Miley Cyrus hopping off the plane at LAX with a dream and her cardigan ain't got nothing on this view.” Cobble stoned streets, bridges gracefully draped across a myriad of canals, small colourful boats bobbing up and down in the water, patiently waiting for passengers. And then I see it. The basilica dome, just like I saw in powerpoint slide after powerpoint slide of university art history lectures. These were the architectural and engineering marvels of Renaissance Italy; knowledge to construct a free standing dome had been lost since antiquity and then revived, ‘reborn’ in the Renaissance.

I began strolling to my apartment and a contemporary scene from Shakespeare’s ‘A Merchant of Venice’ emerged before me; but here the stage set includes tourist stalls bulging with souvenirs ranging from colourful Venetian masks to t-shirts with the Italian flag emblazoned across the front. I immediately felt on stage (I’ve been watching way too much Glee) the adrenalin pumping through my veins like it used to just before the curtains opened during performances at high school, “One half of me is yours, the other half is yours, Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, And so all yours.” All yours indeed, Venezia.

 

For the first 2 days, I simply recovered from jet lag, decorated my room and explored no further than my neigborhood.

 

And then, on my third day, at around 10.15 pm, a wildly loud siren blasts through the city.

The Italian family I stay with dons gumboots, I look at them quizically, and they tell me the loud sirens wailing are a flood warning, and that they were the same ones used during World War Two during air raids. I guess my eyes would have widened comically, because they laughed and said “don’t worry, its fun! Put on your gumboots we’re going to see it, bring your camera.” So I hesitantly go along, take one step outside, and it's, it's… indescribable, I felt the cold of the water through my rubber gumboots, though my feet stayed dry, I felt the ripples of laughter travel up me and escape in a shocked “ha!” sound like someone karate chopped me in the stomach, and I felt my head shake side to side in disbelief. Water, about 30 to 40 cm, all over the street overflowing from the canals, and yet, all the people, splashing, eating at restaurants whilst water seeps in, children swinging from parents arms, gumboots going squish squish squish but best of all, the reflections of light, of boats, glittering on the water. Beaut.

Tomorrow I begin my training at the Peggy Guggenheim museum, and begin work the following day. A domani!