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Student Reflections

Sightseeing in Rome and Venice

Erika Grudzinskas
June 5, 2015

In Rome, my favorite thing to see was the Palatine Hill. It is one of the tallest hills in Rome, located near the Colosseum. In ancient times it was the location of private gardens for one of the wealthier families, complete with beautiful fountains. There is a grotto-type waterfall fountain in the hill that was especially cool to see. Once reaching the top, there is a lovely rose garden- and incredible panoramic views of the entire city. Palatine Hill is also a great location to see the whole site of the Roman Forum from above. In Venice, there are a ton of churches, each with their own unique and distinct architecture. It is really interesting to be able to see three churches built around the same time but with totally different looks and feels to them. My favorite church here in Venice is the Church of Miracles, so called because of the portrait of Mary which centuries ago was believed to have miraculous powers. Our architecture professor calls this church a “little hidden jewel” in Venice. The small church has beautiful colored marble decoration, and it is really hidden away and hard to find- but very worth the visit. My favorite excursion, however, was to the World Expo in Milan. I was fortunate enough to be close enough to travel to the World Expo, which was a short day trip away. The next one is in 2017 in Kazakhstan, so being able to see this was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me! The expo was very fascinating, with over 200 pavilion buildings built by architects from the different countries around the world at the expo. At its end, the building materials will be recycled. The theme of the expo was food and they had a wonderful exhibition done by the United Nations that showed how food insecurity impacts people around the globe, and how different techniques can promote sustainability and food access. This year is also a biennale year for Venice, which is the contemporary art festival that is held biannually on the island. The majority of the exhibits are free, and many countries who have art installations rent out old Venetian palaces, so it is a great opportunity to see the palaces that often are closed to visitors, as well as the art. Overall there has been so much to see and do, and I am very fortunate to have these opportunities in my undergraduate career!