The City of Masks

Every semester, CYA/DIKEMES offers its students three optional trips that are planned by the university and are guided by the faculty. Part of my travel stipend from the George A. David scholarship went to participating in two of these trips. The first, a three day trip to Venice and Ravenna took place this past weekend.

The trip began with a 5:45am meeting time in front of the Kallimarmaro Stadium from which we boarded a bus to the airport of Athens. I am always surprised by the different security measures upheld by different countries. For my flight to Italy I did not have to remove my shoes for scanning or show my passport prior to the departure gate. Greece also has a policy with the Schengen coutnries which allows travelers to travel between these countries without custom declarations. 

When we landed in Milan it was snowing! Athenian winters are really mild and it was really nice to see the snow, as if  a small piece of home joined me on my trip to Italy. From Milan we took a three and a half hour bus ride to Tronchetto, a port of Venice, where we boarded a vaporetto (ferry) which took us to the main island of Venice. We spent the night taking a guided walking tour of Venice, from San Marco to the Rialto Bridge and back. I was really exciting, and more than a little proud, that I was able to recognize streets and landmarks from my previous trip to Venice, as I take great pride in my navigation abilities. After the guided tour, we were given time to walk around the Piazza of San Marco, where we were able to see the carnival floats being constructed.

Piazza San Marco  and Carnival Floats

After the walking tour, we traveled to Mestre, the center of mainland Venice, where our hotel was located. For dinner my roommates and I went to a local dinner where I got an Italian gyro... the Greeks definitely do it better. 

On Saturday, we had breakfast at the hotel before traveling back to Venice for the day. We started our morning at the Basilica of San Marco. We were able to see the evolution of the city of Venice, from its beginnings to its rise as a commercial power, to its Byzantine, Ottoman, and eventually Italian influences, through the different art adorning the church. We saw the external and internal narrative mosaics, as well as the alleged body of Saint Mark. While we were in the Basilica, a morning mass was being performed, and although the mass was being held in one of the peripheral sections of the church, I am glad that we got to see the Saint Mark used for its primary function, as it was a reminder that the church, despite its art, also serves as a holy place of worship, putting the art and architecture in context. While I had seen the Basilica during my previous trip to Venice, I was able to see the Pala d'Oro and the Treasury for the first time.  

Pala d'Oro (from google images) - This does not even do it justice.

The Pala d'Oro is a giant icon (3 meters x 2 meters) that is located behind the main altar and the tomb of Saint Mark. Not only is this piece breathtaking it is also overwhelming to see in all of its splendor. The Pala d'Oro is made of gold, enamel, and over 3,000 gems and precious stones.  The piece contains depictions of the Life of Christ, the Life of Saint Mark, the four Evangelists, the apostles, prophets, and the Virgin Mary. This icon is an extraordinary example of Byzantine craftsmanship as well as the tremendous wealth of the Venetians in the middle of the fourteenth century. My favorite part was the icon of the Byzantine Empress Irene, who is depicted in the center of the bottom row, to the right of the Virgin. Though Irene was an empress during the late eighth century, she takes the position of importance to the right of the Virgin, while the reigning Doge is placed on the left. This placement emphasizes the role of women within the Byzantine sphere of influence, as both are placed in positions of importance, recognizing their individual roles in Christianity - the Virgin through her birth of Christ and Irene, who fought against iconoclasm during her time as the sole ruler of Byzantium. In fact, it could be interpreted that the artist considered Irene one of the "patrons" of this icon set due to her dedication to upholding icons. 

Empress Irene (also from google images as we weren't allowed to take pictures)

After the Pala d'Oro we were able to see the Treasury of the Basilica, which serves as a museum for some mosaics, column capitals, and statues. My favorite part of the treasury was seeing the Prophyry Tetrarch statues, that depicts the four tetrarchs embracing. This statue was looted from Constantinople in 1204 and brought back to Venice. The tetrarchs were the precursors to the Byzantine Empire, and therefore hold a special place in my heart. We also got to see the Four Horses of Lysippos. While these bronze horses have been inaccurately attributed to the Greek sculpture Lysippos, the craftsmanship needed to express the bulging veins of exertion and the mouths bleeding from the bridles is impressive. I did not know that the horses and tetrarchs of display in San Marco were replicas until I saw the originals in the Treasury, so I really enjoyed seeing the originals - which are of much better quality once a comparison can be made.

 

Tetrarchs and the Horses of Lysippos

After finishing our tour of the Basilica, we toured the Doge's Palace, which contained the residential suites of the Doge's, the legislative and judicial  center of Venice, as well as the attached prison. We got to walk up the golden staircase, through the armory and then across the Bridge of Sighs (named so due to the fact that it was a prisoner's last look at the sun) into the actual prison.

Bridge of Sighs

We were then given two hours of free time in which we could eat lunch and explore some of Venice on our own. My roommates and I joined a few other CYA students and went to the Correr Museum, where we saw Venetian artifacts, including maps, globes, coins, statues, and even the ball room of Napoleon and the residences of Empress Sisi of Austria. After a quick lunch, we sought out one of the top ten bookstores in the world - Libreria Acqua Alta. Here, they keep books in bathtubs and gondolas in order to prevent water damage as a result of frequent flooding and have a stairs of books overlooking the canal. This was my second time at the bookstore and it was exciting to go again, as if  establishing a Venetian tradition of visiting this bookstore.

Acqua Alta

Acqua Alta

We were in Venice for the opening weekend of Carnival. The streets of Venice came alive with decorations, while locals and tourists alike donned masks and costumes to celebrate the beginning of the Carnival season. Venice has always held a sort of magic for me. When walking in Venice, it feels as if the streets and bridges come alive, as if one never quite knows where they are or where they are going. Seeing Venice during Carnival was one of the items on my bucket list, and I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to not only return to Venice, but also see the islands transform with the magic of Carnival. It is not hard to picture the grand parties, dancing, and revelry of times past when the masks fill the city.

My roommate Amy (right) and me (left) in our carnival masks.