Transportation in Italy

None of what follows applies to Venice, although transportation in Venice is a story in itself (see prior posting on Venice)--Venice is all about boats. I also previously commented on trains. The trains in Italy are great. If you ever travel there, use them! What follows is about forms of wheeled transportation in the cities.

While in Florence and Rome, Kathie and I became increasingly aware of the interesting ways in which the people of Italy's cities approach vehicular transporation. Streets in these old cities, especially in the city centers, can be very narrow. Though I took the following photo during mid-afternoon, when traffic was light, you can see that a mix of vehicles and pedestrians on such streets can be a challenge.


As a pedestrian, one supposedly has the right of way if in a crosswalk, but Italy is not California (where one is strictly obligated to yield to pedestrians), and so you really need to maintain eye contact with drivers and to be assertive when choosing to cross a road (shadowing or "tailgating" the locals is a good strategy). For the drivers, parking is a challenge, and stategic vehicle choices matters. Anyway, we found the things pictured in the following photographs to be both funny and interesting.

Small to very small vehicles are the norm. One model, as you can see, has even been granted special status in terms of permitted approaches to parking.





Scooters are thick! They weave in and out of traffic. Everyone wears a helmet. The well-dressed use them as much as others do.



Electrically powered vehicles, including scooters, are not uncommon. There seems to be municipal support for them, as you can see.



Then, there are these novel approaches.

Roma, Italia (Rome, Italy)

Our last four days were spent in Rome, a city of about 2 million people. There is so much to see and to do in Rome, that it can be almost impossible to know where to start. There is an incredible amount of art and architecture there, although I don't think the city has the charm that Florence has. On the other hand, Rome has the Roman ruins to offer as well as the excitement of a busy metropolitan region. Vatican City sits within Rome too, of course, and offers much to see.

On our first day, we did a walk recommended in one of our tour books. This took us through the Piazza Navona, a lively public gathering place which was very close to our hotel. We enjoyed evenings there viewing the fountains and watching the musicians and other street performers, artists, food vendors, and other nightlife. From there we walked to the Pantheon, a 1st century AD temple to "all the gods", which has an amazing dome--this is Rome's best-preserved ancient building. We also walked by the famous Trevi Fountain--it is said that if you throw a coin into the fountain over your shoulder, you will return to Rome some day. You can see someone doing this in the picture below. Continuing on, we walked to the Spanish Steps, the Piazza di Spagna, and the Palazzo di Spagna, the 17th century embassy to the Vatican.






We took two guided tours in hopes of getting a better introduction to some rather complex sites, these being the Roman ruins and the Vatican. Our first tour gave us an introduction to ancient Rome, including the Roman Forum, St. Paul's Basilica (outside the city walls), the Colloseum (only a view from outside), and Circus Maximus, where the chariot races took place (Charleton Heston was not racing that day).






Another day was spent walking along the Tiber River, through the Borghese Gardens, and touring the Galleria Borghese. The sculpture and art in the Galleria are very impressive, and every ceiling and wall is further decorated with paintings, frescos, and sculpture. We couldn't take pictures inside, but you might click here to view the Galleria's website and to look at some of what we saw. The photo below is the exterior of the Galleria.



On the Saturday before we came home, we did our second tour, which included a frustrating 1-1/2 hour wait in line to get into the Vatican Museum. When northern invaders threatened to overpower Rome, the Vatican collected as much of the available artwork as it could and protected it from looting or destruction. That collection is what makes up much of the Vatican Museum, although more has been added over the years. After only a brief introduction to some of the museum's vast collection, we moved into the Sistine Chapel to see the very famous ceiling that Michelangelo painted. Finally, we stopped at St. Peter's square and viewed the Basilica itself.




On our last day in Italy, we spent a delightful time strolling through streets closed to traffic for the day, enjoyed musicians and other performers. We began at the Victor Emmanuel Monument, built in 1885 and dedicated in 1911, to honor Victor Emanuelle II, the first king of unified Italy. Next we worked our way up the Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Colloseum and toured its interior. We strolled back to our hotel, traveling through an area called the Jewish Ghetto. In the 16th century, Pope Paul IV forced all Jews to live within a walled enclosure near the Tiber. This formed the hub of the present-day Ghetto, where you can see an impressive synagogue, enjoy interesting restaurants (we did!), and see many of the kinds of shops available throughout Rome.

Venezia, Italia (Venice, Italy)

Days six through eight of our trip were spent in Venice. We took another delightful Eurostar train trip from Florence to Venice, passing through numerous mountains and tunnels along the way and then into flatter land as we approached Padua, the coast, and then Venice itself. Perhaps all of you have a good sense of how Venice is placed geographically, but I certainly did not. I had always imagined the city as flowing out from the coast. In other words, I imagined being able to drive up to the edge of the city and then having to rely on boats or gondolas for travel through the city as you extended away from the coast. However, Venice is actually completely away from the coast in a lagoon. There is a causeway that vehicles and the train use to reach the city. There is some limited parking there for the vehicles, and then transportation throughout the city consists entirely of water craft, even for construction workers, utility services, and the like. This can all be seen well by looking at aerial shots found at a PBS website (click here) related to the NOVA program. Once you get to the website, click on "Venice Under Siege" and then click on "Venice Under Siege" once again to select from three different aerial shots showing the entire region, the lagoon, or the city. The lagoon choice shows the causeway quite well, the Grand Canal (the one that snakes in a southerly direction through the city), and the Giudecca Canal (the larger one that runs west to east). Of course, this website also gives interesting information about the sinking of the city, the floods it has to regularly tolerate, and prospects for the future. While we were there, there was no flooding, thank goodness. Those who established the city were attempting to flee from invaders in northern Italy (6th century AD). Over time, they drove millions of wooden pilings into the lagoon in order to establish the city.

Literally just outside the Venice train station, we boarded our first boat. They have a system of boats that run much like a city bus system from stop to stop. Our very first view of the Grand Canal as we departed from the train station is just below. It was amazing to be in a city that has no wheeled vehicular traffic and companion sounds.


Venice has appeared in so many movies, and some of the architecture really brought that back to me. I couldn't help but think of James Bond movies and others, as I looked at some of the buildings. The one below, for example, is particularly characteristic of architecture in Venice and did seem familiar somehow, maybe from some movie I saw at one time or another. All of the buildings and walks come literally to the edge of the canals.


In addition to the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, there are numerous smaller canals (think of side streets) that wind their way throughout the city. There are many bridges that make it possible to walk the entire city. In the shot below, a gondola is passing through one of the smaller canals. One of our first meals was in a restaurant whose side wall was adjacent to such a canal. We sat by a table with a window looking out on the canal and watched gondolas passing by. At one point, a gondoleer came right to my window and gestured for me to open it, which I did. He then began to call to one of the restaurant waiters to bring him a beer, which the waiter did. I got the impression that this particular gondoleer was a regular and that this scene occurred frequently. It seemed to impress the passengers in the gondola. By the way, we never chose to do a gondola ride. Something for another trip, perhaps.


On our first full day in the city, we boarded one of the regular boats and traveled out to Murano, which is a part of Venice on an island somewhat separated from the main city. Centuries ago, the many glass blowers in Venice were moved to Murano, because they were creating fire and odor problems in the city. There are many fine glass blowers and shops in Murano, and they make some incredible pieces--art works as well as fine serving pieces, such as wine glasses and decanters. We watched a demonstration by the glass blower you see below and then did some shopping. We bought the piece pictured here, which now sits in our front living room window. It is quite beautiful we think. One is obligated to negotiate the prices of such pieces. If you are interested in the details, please ask us for the story sometime. Suffice it to say that we ended up paying only 1/6 of the price originally quoted to us!



On another day, we visited the Accademia museum, which contains an amazing collection of paintings, coins, and sculptures. We would have liked to tour the Peggy Guggenheim Collection as well, which contains modern art collected by Ms. Guggenheim, who once lived in the city. However, the museum was closed that day, so we took a boat further up the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge, which spans the canal in the commercial heart of the city. It is quite picturesque. Here are Kathie and I on that bridge followed by a picture looking back at the bridge itself and another looking down the canal from the bridge.




We stayed in a very nice hotel near the Piazza San Marco, which is just east of the south end of the Grand Canal. This piazza is perhaps the main public gathering place in the city and is the site of the grand Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale (palace of the Doge, the original rulers of the city). We toured both of these magnificent buildings and also enjoyed some of the night life, music, and people watching in the piazza. Below is a shot looking back toward the Piazza, the Basilica, and the Palazzo. The high tower is a Campanile and clock tower. The domes of the Basilica are clearly visible, and the Palazzo is in the foreground of the Basilica nearer the water. By the way, the Piazza is one of the areas most affected by flooding when it occurs. The floor of the Basilica is very wavy and uneven from the settling and sinking that continues to occur. Nevertheless, Venice simply is one of the most unique cities in the world. It is both beautiful and fascinating.

Lucca, Italia

On one of the days that we were in Florence, David, Donna, Kathie, and I took a day trip by train to the city of Lucca. Lucca is still completely surrounded by the walls built to protect it from warring neighbor city-states or northern or eastern invaders. Today, the wall provides a pretty walkway, bike path, and park area all along its top and in parts of the cleared areas outside the walls. Lucca was the birthplace of the composer Puccinni. The city was once ruled by a sister of Napolean's. (After conquering parts of Italy, Napolean placed sisters and others in positions of prominence there.)



Walking through the city, we visited the gardens at the Palazzo Pfanner, saw extraordinary mosaics on the church of San Frediano, and stopped at the site of an old Roman amphitheater, now Piazza Mercato.




Of course, we enjoyed another fine Italian lunch before returning by train to Florence.

Firenze, Italia (Florence, Italy)

The first five days of our trip to Italy were spent in Florence. After landing at the Rome airport, we immediately traveled there by train and along the way enjoyed views of the countryside, including feathery umbrella pines, vineyards, and the buildings we would see throughout the trip that featured what I think of as Mediterranian colors (golds to tans to salmons, along with tile roofs). There we walked a few blocks to the apartment of our hosts, David and Donna Curry, who were spending the entire month of October there. Their apartment was on the third floor of a building facing the Arno river, and doors leading to a balcony allowed us to enjoy a great view of the southern part of the city and on into the Tuscan countryside. We spent more than one evening on that balcony enjoying a glass of wine, conversation, and watching the sunsets over the hills.




Florence is the prominent city in Tuscany, which is one of 20 named regions making up the whole of Italy. It is, perhaps not arguably, the birthplace of the Renaissance. Accordingly, the city is literally filled with art and architecture, often commingled. Moreover, one is easily drawn into the fascinating history of the city and the region, which is woven together with the art and architecture. We began our introduction to Florence with a walking tour, led by a very knowledgeable history and art history student originally from UW-Madison. A little of what we saw is described below. Not surprisingly, one is not usually allowed to take photographs of interior artwork, so most of our pictures are exterior shots. However, with the numerous frescos, mosaics, and sculptures, there is still plenty to capture.

Orsanmichelle, originally a grainery but eventually converted into a church, has a number of exterior niches holding sculptures of patron saints of the powerful guilds (trade unions) that controlled Florence prior to and throughout the Renaissance. For example, here is a sculpture by Donatello of Saint Mark, which was commissioned by the textile guild. Another shows our guide describing the Saint George bronze sculpture, also by Donatello, commissioned by the armor guild.



The Medici family played a dominant role in Florence through the Renaissance and beyond, especially in the early years as they established a strong banking business. Below is an example of their family crest which appears frequently in the city. The balls, which appear in red on painted versions, are the subject of much speculation, but may represent pawn brokers. Click here for more information.


Central Florence contains several piazzas or public gathering places. One, the Piazza della Signoria, is where much of the politics and history played out in the 14th through 16th centuries. Surrounding that piazza is the Palazzo Vecchio (palazzo means palace), which is pictured below. Its clock tower stands out in most long distance or aerial view of Florence. You can see that in front of the palazzo is a replica of Michelangelo's famous sculpture of David. The original stood here until sometime in the 1800s, when it was moved to the Galleria dell Accademia further north in the city. We visited that Galleria too and saw the original, which is truly breathtaking. You will have to make do with the picture of the replica here, or you can click here to see and read about the original.



Also bordering the Piazza della Signoria is the Loggia dei Lanzi where bodyguards of Cosimo I (a Medici) were billeted. It now displays a number of Roman sculptures. Also nearby and pictured below is the Uffizzi, a museum bequeathed to the people of Florence by the last of the Medicis. We toured the Uffizzi, which is thought to house the world's greatest collection of Renaissance art and sculpture. Fabulous! We saw many pieces that are very well known and recognizable (e.g. The Birth of Venus [sometimes known as "Venus on the Half Shell"]). We also toured The Institute and Museum of the History of Science, which among other things, contains one of Galileo's fingers! Really!! We saw it!!! The museum is filled with fascinating instruments, clocks, and other scientific devices. We really did enjoy it.



Very close to the Uffizzi is the Ponte Vecchio. Several bridges (ponte) span the Arno River, but this is the oldest, dating back to 1345. It is the only one to have escaped destruction during World War II. It is also the only one to be lined on both sides with small shops. These shops once housed butchers who threw carcasses and other waste into the river. In 1593, they were evicted, and the shops were replaced by jewelers who remain there to this day. We also learned a bit about the 1966 and other Arno floods that seriously damaged much of Florence, including reaching most of the structures described above.


One of the most fascinating structures we saw was the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)--Europe's 4th largest cathedral. Its dome dominates the Florence skyline and is an amazing architectural story in itself. Referred to as Brunelleschi's dome because of its designer and builder, it was the first to be constructed without the aid of interior supports. I bought and read a very interesting history of the dome and of Brunelleschi which you can find here. The interior of the dome is covered with frescos. The exterior of the Duomo comprises several different colors of marble--green, rose, and white. Beautiful! And I could go on and on about the architecture and engineering of the dome, but I won't.




Finally, here is a shot of me rubbing the snout of a bronze boar. It is said that if you do so and leave money in its mouth, you will return to Florence some day. This is not unlike throwing coins in the Trevi fountain in Rome. Alas, I didn't have a coin to leave, so I'll either not be back or I'll just have to defy the tradition.