italy...
land of the thousand gelati, and not a single good Net connectionJuly 2006
When going to Italy, people always mention the whole love/hate relationship...
I loved it. From a designer's point of view, it's a dream come true. Photography-wise, it's brilliant, not just for the major sights (I think I filled my "tacky" quota at the Leaning Tower of Pisa very quickly) but for the absolute love that went into the little details. I could easily go back and spend an entire trip photographing the ceilings of all the incredible churches, the small statues and gargoyles that adorn the capitals (tops) of the columns, and the wonderful architecture from the Renaissance, Roman times and so on. Mussolini added something incredible to the architecture and look of it all, and even Armani has his say, having designed the uniforms for the Carabinieri, the ever present security force - who look incredibly smart (and proudly Italian) in their tailored, red-trimmed uniforms. Then there are the train rides, which are filled with crumbling buildings, rocketing carriages, delays, crowded corridors and loud voices.
The Italians seem to be like the Chinese of the Mediterranean – it’s all about family, food and football. Watch your wallet, look both ways before every step onto the city streets, then just walk and expect the traffic to stop for you. Be loud, stand firm in the crowds and stare openly at interesting people going by. The Italians spit less, and seem to have better service though…an interesting divide.
From an inspirational/design point of view, it is also wonderful - there is a life to the chaos of Italy that is incomparable. It reeks of sweat, joie de vive (joy of life) and everything else in between. There is a vibrancy that I have only otherwise encountered in the crowded streets of Shanghai, Tokyo and New York. This ends up being extremely inspiring as a designer, as it is has a personality in everything that is otherwise a mess of chaos. It is the fine balance that we try to achieve in our work, between our own choices, the needs of the client and the needs of the project itself.
rome
The epitome of "the process is what matters". So many ideals, so many rulers, so many concepts were thrown into the pot. Rome has been redesigned, torn down, rebuilt, overrun, overruled and re-envisioned so many times that it combines so many loves. But in all this chaotic history, it is the process of creation that inspires - the obvious love and ambition that went into the city. So many little details, so much history, and so much love. It doesn't matter whether it is love of people, love of ambition, or love of God - the city embraces you with its love of life.There are many highlights in Rome – but one of the most moving is going to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum at sunset. As the sun sets, things like the Colosseum becomes a wonderful monster, old, creaking and broken. But still brimming with personality.
florence
Where Rome is love of life, Florence is the love of art and high culture. This love in itself is inspiring to a designer, as the power of art and culture are nowhere as strong as in the city built by the Medici family. That there are incredible original statues in the Piazza della Signora standing in the open air (including the brilliant "Rape of the Sabine Women" and "Heracles and the Centaur" by Giambologna) speaks much of itself. The city is a museum, creaking and ancient.Housing is stricttly structured, and never overshadows the focus of the city - the Duomo. Il Duomo is like the central piece in an advertisement, the hook - the focal point of the photo. And everything else flows around it. The Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace are also highly recommended for their incredible art and structure. Not recommended is visiting on a weekend, when the piazzas are filled with tourists getting in your way.
And yes, we saw Michelangelo's famed sculpture of David. A great statue, but to be honest it is not worthy of the praise. David’s eyes are wonderful, as are his jawline and, according to the giggling girls, his testicles are a work of genius. The details are incredible, but it lacks the oomph that some of Michelangelo's other statues possess – the unfinished statues of slaves that inhabit the same corridor/hall as David are wonderful creatures, all passion and doom.
venice
Venice is interesting, but probably my least loved in all of Italy so far. The history is deep, and the chaotic streets (even more maze-like than Rome) intriguing and inspiring, but unfortunately I found it lacks the same love of life that the rest of Italy champions. Instead, it has a love of itself, and a deep-seated connection to its history that it does not want to relinquish – Venice seems like the old witch-queen constantly asking the mirror “who is the fairest of them all?” Unfortunately, this passion for the past does not have the same elegance and maturity as places like Florence. The art is not particularly remarkable - aiming more for intimidation than the love and wonder of artists in Florence and Rome. The Doge’s (Duke's) Palace is incredible in scale and grandeur, but the work and details lack the depth of passion. And in the end, it is a dying city, preserved as a decaying, open-air museum while it slowly sinks into the water. Interesting, yes, but not welcoming. Venice was the only place where I felt the oft-described Italian arrogance.The Basilica of San Marco is also not a nice place to visit. Not least that the security is tighter and more anal than even the Vatican, but also that they restrict your ability to wander,, stop, take photographs, inspect the beauty of the place, feel any connection or even (I suspect) scratch your back; instead placing all sorts of extra fees to see other bits of a building that is rapidly crumbling into the canals below.
An addition – the people of Venice, the “real” people behind the tourist veneer, seem to have a real passion for their home city. This is something I respect deeply, and it a wonderful thing. We were told the story of a lady hotelier, who has not seen a car in some few decades, since she has never left the city since she was much younger. She loves it, and this love is a wonderful thing. But it is hidden below the surface – unless Venice is poked and prodded, it never opens up like that. Instead, you are faced with San Marco’s Square, which has the most expensive coffee in Italy, and its thousands of pigeons being hand-fed by eager tourists.
other places to visit?
Oh yes, there is so much to see in Italy. From the mediaeval town of Lucca, which bustles with life and activity (and some great cheese shops) to Asti and Alba, the twin towns at the centre of the Piedmont region, where even the land itself seems to be designed around wine, cheese and truffles as a way of life. Some very nice design is being done there which highlights the elegance and strength of the wine industry.Likewise, Lucca had some wonderful design for the Puccini concert which we saw in the old church – nothing special, but beautiful. They have operatic highlights from Puccini and Mozart sung in an old church – the acoustics are incredible in a very austere setting that inspires with its simplicity and heritage.
Cinque Terre (the dramatic coastal region) and Lake Como are also beautiful places – very scenic, quiet, wonderful rest stops that encompass the friendly chaos of Italy. Even then, though, there seems no place in Italy that is not infused with that chaotic Italian vibe – the joie that I mentioned before. These small towns are lively, energetic, loud and full of the same love of life that the big cities have.
Milan? Well, we were there for a few hours, but it was a good visit. The place tries to intimidate with its fashion, culture and massive architecture, and in the end is not a pretty city, but there seems to be something to it. Something that is not a horde of Porsche’s driven by long coiffeured hair, skinny legs and oversized sunglasses. I will have to visit again to find out what, and whether I like it. There is much reason to visit again, as the design culture truly is established there – massive sections for design books in their stores and newsagencies with design magazines I couldn’t find anywhere else in Italy. I will also have to contact their design associations, which seem based in Milan.
And the Net connections in Italy are horrendous. Not only cost-wise, but quality-wise. It is depressingly hard to find a way to connect to the Net in Italy.
