Study Abroad: what I saw in Italy

Crossing the water

Venice stretched out across the river bank

San Marco: with all of its treasures 

Piazzo San Marco, Palazzo Ducale,

every small alley spilling out into the river where gondolas pass languidly

the shouting and laughter of gondoliers 

~Buongiorno~

the massiveness of the Doge Palace

the modern art collection of Peggy Guggenheim

I almost feel as if Venice was a world of its own - but then, aren't most places?

And yet, its very unapologetic, with its winding pathways and abandoned waterways

that are as ancient as the city itself. 

Venice is its own. 

Walking through the streets of Florence

baggage bumping along in tow

I was struck breathless by the magnificence of the Duomo de Firenze 

So unexpected, but so reverent

a flute player busking

amidst the sleepers of florence 

who look on with envy

wishing life into their stone limbs

if only to dance 

The gaze of Michelangelo's David 

and his other children 

still emerging from the confines of marble

the vibrance of Botticelli 

the regal Birth of Venus and the shadow of Spring
Florence is sacred.

Sunset in the Italian vineyards of Riomaggiore 

rough stone paths weaving through the hills

the sun reluctant to slip over the horizon and leave us with darkness 

this city

with all of its 18th century buildings 

clinging to the cliffs, and the turquoise water

crashing on the rocks 

Cinque Terre is ancient.