VENETO - Northern Italy

August 2012

         August was a month of travels as it is summer. Most Italians take a vacation during this summer month and most school and offices are closed. I had planned to go several places visiting friends residing in different parts of Europe.

         I travelled for a few days in Prague. The amount of diverse architecture there is just astounding! It is impossible for me to catch up with sketching Prague, so I did the best - I do not sketch at all. Haha! Well, I will prefer to focus on Italy.

       I reached Prague through Venice, so I thought it might be a good idea staying in North Italy rather than catching a train back to Florence before heading to The Netherlands. I was fortunate to find willing hosts in Padova and Verona. I spent half a day in Venice, with the company of a very generous friend Ale who picked me up from the airport and took me around Venice.

05.08.2012

            Venice is too beautiful not to take home some sketches with me. There is still so much I wanted to sketch on Venice and half a day is not sufficient to see this amazing place. So to Venice from me now, just Ponte Rialto, which reminded me so much of Ponte Vecchio back in Florence.

06.08.2012

How could I have missed one of Giotto's masterpieces? Padova is the home to the fresco Last Judgement by Giotto. It is located in the Cappella degli Scrovegni, also known as the Arena Chapel. During my short stay in Padova, I only managed to see the Prato della Valle and the two churches in my sketches below:

          I reached Padova, my second stop in the region of Veneto to meet my wonderful host Francesca. That was the first time we met, after chatting on Skype once. I realized the characteristic of the two main churches in Padova are the many domes in pale blue. I sketched this Basilica di Sant'Antonio on the spot and presented it to Francesca, in return for her kind hospitality. Saint Anthony is also the patron saint of Padova, though born in Portugal, he died in Italy and this is where he rests.

            This was where I sat for about 3 hours to capture the church before entering to admire its glory. It is also here that I got acquainted with Martina and Maria, two lovely girls from Salerno who stayed abit to watch me sketch.

             I sketched another main church of Padova, Monastero di Santa Giustina. It is just a small distance away from Basilica di Sant'Antonio. For this of Monastero di Santa Giustina, I tried using a different technique. I used fine horizontal lines to define the edges. I was trying to display different textures on the brick wall from the tiled roof.

          There is such a stark difference in the interiors of both churches. While Basilica di Sant'Antonio is covered with frescoes and marbles, Monastero di Santa Giustina has a much simpler interior. Nevertheless it has a vast collection of paintings and sculptures that are also valuable. 

        

           This is the beauty of simplicity inside the Monastero di Santa Giustina. I also omitted all other details as I only wanted to focus on the design of the dome interior.

07.08.2012

            My next stop in the region of Veneto is Verona, which I have longed heard of ever since I met my old friend Federico. It's unfair that some places just have everything - the beauty of the mountains and lake from nature, beauty of monuments from men. That's what Verona offers.

             Here's Scala della Ragione, I love this perspective as well as the shadow made on the adjacent wall and the steps. However, if I am to improve on this, I will highlight only the staircase, which is the main focus of this sketch. I will darken the stairs and sketch the rest of the structure in lighter tones.

           The last I took with me is Juliet's Balcony, perhaps the most visited place in Verona. I could not get within a metre of the bronze Juliet, not to mention the balcony. Well, I didn't want to join the crowd or harrass Juliet. I was happy to catch a glimpse of her, knowing she's doing alright and her balcony is well-kept and still standing.

        It's true that people are most productive during troubled times. Just like the birth of the Renaissance was at its height in the midst of political turmoil in Italy before her unity. Apart from the first sketch of Basilica di Sant'Antonio, all the others here were sketched looking at photos I took on my trip. I was back home in Singapore for about two weeks as dad was sick and hospitalized. After he was discharged, I stayed at home most of the time just to spend some time with him. I was thankful I could be back in such times.