First of all, a very very Happy new year to all of you. (In Italia it is called 'Capodanno', Capo = Boss, Anno = Year!). This is going to be a long post. Sorry in advance to those who actually have the patience to read it. Those who delete it sans reading, nothing gained nothing lost.
Where was I at the end of my last mail? In Firenze. I forgot to mention that I saw Dante's house and the church where he first set eyes on Beatrice. From Firenze I moved to Bologna which is often...
First of all, a very very Happy new year to all of you. (In Italia it is called 'Capodanno', Capo = Boss, Anno = Year!). This is going to be a long post. Sorry in advance to those who actually have the patience to read it. Those who delete it sans reading, nothing gained nothing lost.
Where was I at the end of my last mail? In Firenze. I forgot to mention that I saw Dante's house and the church where he first set eyes on Beatrice. Anyways.....
From Firenze I moved to Bologna which is often called the Red City for both its leftist political leanings and because of the fact that a large number of buildings are built in red brick stone (depressing memories from IIMA?). What differentiates it from the other cities/towns is that it has porticos ( i.e. covered walkways like in inner circle CP) but, hold your breath, Bologna apparently has 40 kms of such covered walkways. That is a lot of shopping and eating!
The 2 main piazzas of Bologna straddle together - Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Del Nuttuno. The latter has the famous fountain of Neptune with a trident (quite similar to the one at Firenze) but this fountain has 4 sirens at the four corners with water gushing out of their...er.....nipples. Overlooking the piazza is a statue of Pope Gregory XIII (the one who was responsible for the Gregorian calender). There is, surprise surprise, a church in the Piazza (Basilica di San Petrino) which was, when it was being built, planned to be the largest cathedral (each city, as you have read in my previous mails, wanted to build the 'largest' cathedral so that it would become an important religious centre). Anyways, the Basilica at Bologna never got completed so it is an interesting sight from the outside - only a third upto its height it is covered in marble. Thereon upwards (when they stopped building), one can see only red bricks. As usual, there were people sitting quietly inside the chapel but a few of them had their heads bent down. Communicating with God I thought. But then I saw that they were furiously punching into their mobiles - communicating with earthly entities, sadly! The chapel has a really interesting sundial to tell the time. There is a small hole on the top-left of the church roof from where a ray of sunlight streams in on 50 feet long meridian on the floor and tells the time!
Anyways, enough of history. Bologna was so cold and foggy that one could barely see the top of the buildings and the domes of the churches. So most of my photographs will be hazy. Apart from that, because of the subzero temperatures, I was also reluctant to take off my gloves and take photographs. And surprisingly, whenever I asked a Bolognian (still haven't found the word for the natives) to take MY photo from MY camera they would cook up some excuse, say 'mi dispiace' and carry on. One particular gentleman (?) came up with the lamest excuse 'sono in ritardo' (i am late) when he was clearly sauntering at a gentle pace across the Piazza in no apparent hurry to get anywhere. As if he had a ragazza waiting for him!
Bologna has, not one but two, versions of the leaning tower - though less famous than their inclined cousin in Pisa. These towers are known as 'Due Torre', one of which stands at close-to-100 metres. The tilt is not apparent from a distance but when one sees both of the towers together the tilt becomes obvious. 498 steps take one to the top of the taller one (Torre di Asinelli) but I refrained from exercising my legs to get a foggy and misty view of Bologna (maybe on a sunny day later in life. Hopefully).
Bologna is famous for (like the rest of Italy) food which is called 'La Grasso' (fat) referring not to the circumference of the average Bolognian but to the kind of food that is cooked. Spaghetti Bolognese is not known as such there. It is called 'Tagliatelle Ragu' (Tagliatelle being the fettucine or ribbon shaped pasta and Ragu being the meat sauce in which it is cooked). But Bologna did keep up to its promise for good food when I had one of my best Spaghettis with wine in one of the better placed Trattorias in town.
From Bologna, I moved on to the commercial capital Milan to use it as a base to explore the nearby regions. Milan is a huge sprawling city which comes across as grimy, unsafe and dirty (reminded me a lot of Mumbai). But the central part of the city (where the Duomo is situated) is extremely pretty. It is dotted with beautiful monuments (many of which were destroyed in WWII and then subsequently rebuilt). The Duomo did not take my breath away this time (as it did last time) because it is covered in scaffolding (restoration work is going on) so parts of it are not visible. However, the top with its spires and statues (over 3500!) still leave one open-mouthed. Inside the Duomo I saw a sardarji sitting peacefully and communicating with God. It was a heart-warming sight.
Next to the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II which is a beautiful covered indoor arcade. It has four galleries, one of which opens to the Piazza where 'La Scala' is situated. 'La Scala' is the Milanese opera house (it is really elegant and beautiful from inside). Ofcourse, I just loitered around to catch a look at the elegantly dressed people waiting to go in. They were as unnecessarily overdressed as the women at our big fat punju weddings!
Leonarda Da Vinci's Last supper is also housed in a church in Milan. Most of the church was destroyed in WWII except for the wall on which the last supper mural is painted. It is really much bigger than one imagines it. One can gaze at it for hours and study the different expressions on each of the 12 apostles. It is indeed a humbling experience. Photography is strictly prohibited there but I did, at considerable peril to myself, manage a quick hazy snap of the masterpiece. What is interesting is that they don't allow more than 25 people to see it every 15 minutes and consequently one has to book in advance. One cannot just show up there and stand in a queue. Thankfully, LP informed me of this and I was able to avoid a situation in which a bunch of Japanese tourists found themselves in when I was there.
I also met up with a friend in Milan and she cooked up a great Indian meal (Italian food is good, but Indian food is the BEST!). Another night I had a meal at one of the most popular trattorias next to the Duomo. As I was waiting in line outside, one gentleman arrived in a Ferrari sports car. I could imagine him sitting in the front row of a show in the Milan Fashion Week with young leggy ladies on both sides. Later when I was eating my meal, I realised that I was helping him maintain the Ferrari (he was the owner of the Trattoria). The Trattoria had an F1 theme with photos and memoribilias from various F1 tracks and drivers.
People in Milan are really elegantly dressed. Faux-furs, hats, capes, ponchos you name it and it is there. Picture Bianca Castiafore (sp?), the one who had a crush on Captain Haddock, and you will understand what I am talking about.
Montenapoleno is where all the brands have their showrooms - all in one street - Gucci, Armani, YSL, LV, Valentino........Of course, not having anything to splurge and not having anyone to splurge on, I just decided to window shop. But just for the heck of it I did enter a few of those showrooms. They are all more or less the same - Ridiculously overpriced but beautiful stuff, intimidating guards who size you (and your wallet) the moment you enter, breathtakingly beautiful women who show you around and frown when your heart misses a beat when they say that the purse is for (only) 11,999 Euros (true story, Gucci showroom!) and men with the Italian male lothario look (unshaved and wearing designer suits). People with fur coats and hats step out of Ferraris and Porshes to spend the equivalent of the GDP of a few third world countries on a purse or a dress. Anyways, I did shop but at the local post office where I bought a First Day Cover for a stamp commemorating the Italian win in Football world cup (much cheaper, and much better than any overpriced scarf or shoe!). So that was my shopping in the fashion capital of the world !
Lago di Como, an inverted Y-shaped lake, is about 50 kms north of Milan. As my train covered this distance, it was extremely foggy and I was worried that my visit would be futile and I wouldn't be able to see the lake. But as soon as I reached Como (the town the base of the left-leg of the inverted Y), the fog cleared up. The beautiful lake has mountains on both sides and I took a steamer ship that took me right upto the north of the lake (Colico, about 80kms from Como). The ship zigzagged the lake and stopped at beautiful little townlets (with elegant names such as Bellagio) that nestled in these mountains. Everyone in the steamer had their faces peering from the windows (glass windows, so the quality of the photographs will not be very good) to see the elegant villas with terraces, fountains and statues (George Clooney also has a villa here), dramatic granite cliffs, the snow-clad Rhaetian alps, roads running next to the lake, mist, ducks, little towns, swans and churches (my creative writing teachers discourage the use of lists in writing but I couldn't resist here).
I could literally imagine Cary Grant driving Ingrid Bergman on one of those roads snaking next to the lake, or Pierce Brosnan cavorting with a Gywneth Paltrow on a yacht, or fighting it out with a villain with a claw (in place of a hand) and a golden tooth on the steps of one of those villas. Back in Como after the steamer ride, it was mind-bogglingly relaxing as I sat eating a risotto watching the tranquil waters of the lake and this noiseless ambience was only broken by the sound of a gull, or water lapping the edges, punctuated by the ocassional peeling of church bells. Paradise indeed.
Next stop. Fair Verona. I expected it to be a small town but it was pretty large. And pretty. Verona was teeming with tourists. The town has its usual share of obligatory churches, a snaking river (Adige) and a 1st Century Roman amphitheatre (which can house upto 20k people and is still used as Verona's opera house). But THE sight to see in Verona is courtesy of a gentleman from Stratford-upon-Avon who, ironically, never visited Verona. I am, ofcourse, talking of the Casa di Giulietta (Juliets House). The Capulets (called Capello) and the Montagues did exist but Romeo and Juliet only existed in Shakespeare's imagination and now in the minds and hearts of every star crossed lover. No visitor to Verona (including those who are Juliet-less like me) can escape the Romeo and Juliet theme in Verona. Bars, Restaurants, Hotels are named after them and there are souveniers aplenty with their image and names. Miss Juliets house does have a balcony where modern day Juliets pose to be photographed by their Romeos. The walls of the whole house are covered with graffitti (much in the manner of our very own 'Bunty loves Sweety'!) by love-struck Romeos confessing their love for their Giuliettas. (One exception was a large poster put up by a star-struck fan of Del Piero). Apart from the balcony, the other attraction is a bronze statue of Juliet - if one rubs her right breast one is assured luck. I did the needful but am still waiting for lady (luck or otherwise) to smile on me. The main market square (Piazza dell'erbes) has a giant whale rib hanging on the top - it is said that it will fall on the first 'just' person who passes underneath it (it has not fallen so far). Needless to say, it did not oblige when I passed under it. So much for rubbing Miss Capulet's breast!
From Juliet to Shylock. When I had first visited Venezia (Venice) on my last trip, I was really disappointed - maybe because of heightened expectations. So this time, I was pleasantly surprised (since I went with no expectations, duh!) and it seemed much more beautiful and much more clean than it did on my last visit. Since most of you have been there I will not bore you with historical or architectural details. I did the usual-suspect round of the sights - Piazza San Marco, Rialto, Accademia and the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs). The most common sight in Venice is the face of a bewildered tourist, with a map in hand, as he/she tries to make sense of the small signs that are put up on the walls at every street (if it can be called that) corner. There are signs which say that if you go right you move towards Piazza San Marco. The same sign says that if you go in the opposite direction you will ALSO reach Piazza San Marco. Which is why one regularly overhears 'Didn't we just pass from here' (and often one is also thinking the same!). Maps don't help as streets snake and there is no way that one can even make approximate sense of where one might be or try to find their way to a monument.
Venice is comprised of 118 Islands, and the sight of all that water, coupled with the beer I had with lunch, made me desperately 'want to go'. Remember, this is not India, so one can't do the needful at any corner - one has to either pay to go to the loo or find the nearest McDonalds!. Confused by the winding streets, I couldn't find my way to either. For me, it was near panic as it started drizzling and added to the 'pressure'. Finally, I entered a 'bar', ordered a Cafe Latte and 'did the needful' (my facial expression, by now, was similar to that of Peter Sellers in 'The Party' when he was in a similar predicament!)
Today is, sadly, my last day in Italy. I am already pre-feeling the withdrawal symptoms. On Via Dante in Milano today, I saw an exhibition on the beauty (natural and manmade) of Italy. As I went through that photo-exhibition I realised that there is so much which I have yet to see in Italy. It will be soon hopefully. As they say here 'Arrivederci' (till we meet again).
Tomorrow I move to Munich followed by a few days in the Austrian alps. Ergo my next (and last) mail of these holidays will be from E'burgh after I return.
This'n'That
1. Whenever some one leaves a restaurant or shop it is really interesting to hear the Ciao Ciao Ciao (it sounds a bit like the bell that people ring in Pizza hut!). Everyone seems to know everyone else.
2. One fashion popular here these days is for men (weird ones) to dress up in large coats with numerous buttons. These coats are of dark blue or bright red colours (much like a bandmaster. Or those of you who have seen St. Exupery's original drawings for the Little Prince can picture it immediately).
3. Modern day mother's of Juliets use the balconies for drying clothes - a practice prevalent in contemporary Italy. Look up on any street and you will see balconies with linen and clothes (even intimate ones) hanging prominently. Furthermore, these women don't use Mr. Bell's invention and prefer to use their lung-power to communicate in loud voices with their neighbours across the street.
4. Most shops in Italy are closed from 2-4 as it is Siesta time.
5. Anything in Italy can be used to make a fashion statement. The different types of spectacles and number of specatacle shops is proof of this.
6. Time constraint at this internet cafe has prevented me from proof-reading this post!
(Jan, 2007)
