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Travelogues

European Diary: Part 2


U. Shridhar Rao fulfils a long cherished desire to tour Europe. After a visit to Switzerland, he drove to Italy, visiting Venice, Florence and Rome.

On the third day of our tour, we set out to visit Venice, the romantic 'Canal City'. The drive from Switzerland to Italy took us via picturesque lakes and tunnels, including the world's longest 17 km road tunnel, St. Gotthard Tunnel. On either side of the road varieties of flowers bloomed on sunlit hillsides. We would get tantalizing glimpses of clusters of tiled houses in a variety of shapes, shades and colours, with flower pots artistically arranged on balconies and windows. We crossed a railroad bridge over Lake Lugano. Switzerland was simply stunning in its beauty.

Reaching the border at noon we converted our Dollars into Lire. We were amused to see ten US Dollars equivalent to 20,000 Lire and joked at or immediate status of becoming millionaires. However, the money as swiftly flowed through our fingers, with 1000 Lire, equivalent to Rs 40, being spent to use toilet facilities.

Travelogues
Dubai
Land of Rising Sun
Norwegian New Year
European Diary: Part 1
European Diary: Part 3

Leisure
Wildlife
Heritage
Pilgrimage
We reached the enchanting city of Venice, a conglomeration of three lagoons, by motorboat in the afternoon. The entry through Guidecca Canal presented a beautiful view with palaces and clock towers lining the canals. The renowned gondola, used as transport, affords easy maneuverability. A few years earlier most of the city's buildings had been submerged due to floods.

Venice is a charming city with enthusiastic and friendly people. Tourists crowd St. Mark's Square, watching pigeons flying and resettling to peck the grain offered them. With the beautiful Doges Palace, St. Marks Basilica and the Clock Tower adjoining it, the picturesque Square has been the subject of many colorful paintings by well-known artists. 'The Bridge of Sigh', was crossed by convicted prisoners after their trial. It was from this bridge that they saw the world for the last time, before their execution on the other side.

St. Marks Basilica, the 11th century Byzantine Cathedral, is one of the most awe-inspiring and magnificent churches of the world. Inside is Titan's famous painting, the 'Last Judgement'. The Doges palace, Palazzo Ducale, next to the Basilica, is a pink marble structure with immense rooms and is one of the treasure houses of the world.

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The population of Venice city is a mere 100,000 but it draws 8 million tourists every year! The city, founded by Romans in 1st Century AD, became a wealthy independent trading republic in the 10th century. The enterprising people of Venice have long been trading quality merchandise like jewellery, glass, lace and carpets.

Italy recognizes no cultural barriers. Roman Frescos of Pompeii, brilliant mosaics of St. Mark's, paintings of Angelico, Bottacelli, Leonardo-Da-Vinci, Michelangelo, Ballimis, Titan, Tintorello, Modigliani, Giorgeode and Chirico, all add to the glory of this mighty historical land. The Romans, who discovered cement, used it to build Europe's first sky scraper, the Colosseum. Italy has also produced great musicians like Bellini, Donizzeli, Verdi, and Puccani.

Next on our itinerary was Florence. En route, we stopped to check out the famous Italian leather products. We reached Florence at midday and had lunch at an Indian dhaba run by a Sikh gentleman from Punjab.

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Florence is the capital of Tuscany region and has a population of over 4,00,000. The ancient monuments are located at the center of the city while the suburbs sport a modern look. Renaissance citizens, including writers Dante and Boccacio and artists like Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, were from Florence. Established by the Romans in 1st century B.C., Florence reached the peak of its prosperity in the 16th century AD.

The Architectural treasures of Florence include the Ponte Vecchio, the 1345 A.D Pitti Vecchio palace, the churches of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Nivella, Cathedral of Santa Meriodel, Flora of 1314 A.D, and Uffizi Gallery, which has an exceedingly fine art collection. The Giant Dome of Piazza del Duomo, designed by Brunellochi has an immense fresco, Universal Judgement, rendered by Vasari & Zuccari. Beside it, the beautiful 14th century bell tower, the Campanile, rises to a height of 292 ft. On the opposite side is the Baptistry of San Giovanni with Ghibert's greatest work, the East Door, also nicknamed by Michelangelo as the Gate of Paradise. It took 27 years to complete this matchless work in bronze. An easy walk from Palazzo Del Duomo, is the City Hall, once the palace of Della Signora also called Palazzo Vecchio (the old palace) built between 1298 A.D and 1314 A.D.

There is a replica of Michelangelo's David, on the right of the old palace. The original marble sculpted David is with the Academy. Next to Palazzo Vecchio is the 14th century Loggio Della Signora with famous sculptures by Giamobolegno, Benevanto, Cellini and others. Nearby is Piazze Degli Uffizi, the Uffizi palace, which houses an important collection of paintings. The memories of these monuments and sculptures will remain with me forever.

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We visited Santa Croce Church, the largest and most beautiful of all Italy's Franciscan churches, in whose burial grounds lie Michelangelo, Dante, Gelilio and others. We also explored the lovely four-mile promenade, which reaches a height of 340 feet at Piazzale Michelangelo. Here we caught a glimpse of Michelangelo's statue of David and were rewarded with a splendid view of the city.

The next morning, we drove to the eternal city of Rome. Founded in the year 753 B.C., the all-conquering Roman Empire ruled for centuries and its end saw the dawn of Christianity. We first visited the ruins of the mighty Colosseum. Built in 76 AD, this monument could house 5000 spectators and was the hub of activity for hundreds of years. Here gladiators fought, chariot races run and Romans ruthlessly punished followers of Christianity in the arena.

Romans believed that when the Collosseum falls, Rome would fall marking the beginning of the end of the world.On one side of the Collosseum is the Arch, erected by Constantine, the first Christian Monarch of Rome. Its beautiful structural design was duplicated by Napoleon for the Victory Gate at Paris and reminded me of the Gateway of India at home in Mumbai.

Half a mile from the Colosseum is the marvelous white Victor Emmanuel Memorial known as the Country's Altar, built to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Italian reunification. A little distance away lie Rome's greatest archeological treasures, the ruins of the mighty old Roman Empire.

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There was bright sunshine at noon when we reached St. Peters Church, .the heart of Vatican City. The Vatican is the world's smallest independent sovereign state and St. Peter's Cathedral here is the world's largest church. On both sides of the church are impressive statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. In one hand, St. Peter holds the key to the gates of Heaven. We entered St. Peter's Basilica where stunning images and sculptures adorned the interior and exteriors. In the Portico, is Michelangelo's, Pieta, the sculpture of Mother Mary holding the emaciated and immobilized body of Jesus.

The enormous Piazze San Peibro, a quadruple colonnade, took Brunni ten years to build. The beautiful square can hold 40,000 people. Since our visit coincided with St. Paul's day, we were fortunate to witness the Pope addressing a huge gathering from a window in a building next to St. Peters Basilica.

Later, we proceeded to Trevi Fountain. This fountain, with a splendid white palace-like structure in the backdrop, draws huge crowds of travellers who drop coins into the fountain in the legendary belief that it will ensure another visit to Rome.

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Early morning, we headed to one of the Wonders of the World, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The huge bell tower, tilts to one side, giving it an incredible image of a six-storied structure in the process of falling down. This tilt is the result of a flaw in the structural design at the time of its construction in 1173 A.D

That same evening we again took a scenic drive to return to Switzerland. Early next morning we visited the snow-clad Jungfro at 13,000 ft. A cogwheel train took us from the base of the mountain through snowy mountain passes and glittering lakes. From the Spinx Terrace at a height of 11,133 ft., we could see the Aletsch Glacier as well as the Jungfrojoch peak. We marveled at the magnificent ice sculptures in the Ice Palace.

European Diary: Part 1    |    European Diary: Part 3

Photo Credit: U.Shridhar Rao


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