Robert Capa

I recently went to an exhibition in Verona which had a collection by photojournalist Robert Capa. Capa spent the majority of his life documenting wars, but unlike many others he is particularly noted for his up close shots and photos of children. He believed that war was an emotion which he aimed to capture in the expressions of those affected by it. Born in 1913 in Hungary, he covered at least 5 different wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War. He died at age 40 in Vietnam where he stepped on a land mine in 1954. I was so moved by his work I wanted to share a few of his photos in my blog with you.

"If your photos aren't good enough,

 then you're not close enough"

Japanese Boy Soldier

Probably Capa's most well known photo taken during his time documenting the Sino-Japanese War.

Taken during the Second World War in Naples. A Neapolitan man is pointing out the direction in which the German Soldiers went to an American Soldier. I love this photo because I see the same acts of kindness and helpfulness in Italy today, although they are usually pointing out the directions of train stations than soldiers.

Women crying at funeral of twenty teenaged boys who had fought the Germans before the Allies entered the city. This is clearly an example of Capa's ability to capture an emotion and make felt by the viewer.

After the liberation of France from the German occupation those women who had collaborated with German soldiers had their heads shaved as a sign of humiliation. This women is carrying a baby which she had with a German soldier and is being marched back to her house.

Spanish Resistance Soldiers using the corpse of a horse as a barricade during fighting.

French Resistance Soldiers hiding behind an army truck.

Robert Capa spent over 20 years documenting the effects of War all over the world, and eventually his dangerous lifestyle got the better of him when he stepped on a land mine, ending his life prematurely. 

"The pictures are there, and you just take them."

Robert Capa - Magnum Photos

Verona, Che Bella!

This weekend I decided to take a trip to Verona to see the sights and my lively friend Alice who is doing her Erasmus there this year. I think Verona is a really beautiful city and well worth a visit if you’re in the Veneto region.

Firstly getting from the train station into the centre is not easy, unlike most cities where the station is situated usually at the bottom of the main street leading into the centre, in Verona you have to take a right and head as if you’re walking towards the motorway. I used my age old trick of following the people out of the station who are clearly Italian, walking at a brisk pace with a clear sense of direction. Luckily by doing this I found myself on the main street Via Porta Nuova in no time. (Warning this doesn’t always work and you may find yourself in some random car park - but the majority of the time it pays off.)

Piazza Bra and the Arena - On a beautifully sunny weekend like I had this is such a nice place to come and sit in the shade, rest your feet and maybe have a gelato. It’s also a great meeting place as everyone who passes through seems to be stopping for a chat with somebody they know. The only drawback is that it does attract a few weirdos, and tramps can be found taking their morning wash in the fountain but other than that it’s great. The Arena is right next to Piazza Bra and although it isn't as big as the Colosseum in Rome, I think it's just as impressive. I really want to go watch one of the operas held in the summer there, we’ll have to wait and see. Interesting fact: They soundproof the Arena when there are performances on so people cannot hear the music from the outside.

La Casa di Giulietta - So you can guarantee one of the busiest places in Verona will be the infamous Juliet’s balcony. The hype surrounding this place really sets my teeth on edge since IT’S NOT REALLY HER HOUSE! IT WAS BUILT IN THE 60s!!! But once you can get past this it’s fine. The place is amazing for one thing I must admit the thousands and thousands of signature declaring their love and padlocks all over the railings. The padlocks or love locks which can be found all over Italy have become a spectacle in itself within the courtyard. Apparently both lovers have to be present at the time and it is seen as an expression of their love. Perhaps I’m cynical, or just jealous, but i don’t really see the fascination. However they do make for pretty pictures. There is also a statue of Juliet which if you rub her breast it's meant to give you luck. But what many people don't know, as Alice informed me, you have to touch it with your left hand otherwise it doesn't count. Even if all of this doesn't appeal it's worth a visit simply to go in the gift shop. Now I don't mean the one filled with overpriced tacky souvenirs, but go into where they do the embroidery. Literally anything and everything from aprons to baby bibs, embroidered with any lettering. I got a sample of my name and watching the man work was incredible, the speed and dexterity with which he worked was amazing!

Piazza dell'Erbe - A great Piazza, full of bustling little market stalls where you can buy souvenirs. It's also a lovely place to sit with a spritz and do some people watching. But be warned the bars are much more expensive in this square than most other places.

Piazza dei Signori - Perhaps not as busy as Piazza dell'Erbe but worth a look for the beautiful frescos on the buildings. Just a little way along are the extravagantly gothic tombs of the Scaligeri family, the nobility Verona. Being down a small side street they can be easily missed

Duomo - Although I didn't actually go inside the outside is still pretty impressive. 

Castel San Pietro - This was perhaps one of my favourite places I visited whilst in Verona. On the top of a hill overlooking the whole of Verona the views are incredible.




Castelvecchio - It seemed to me to have similar architecture to that of the Castello here in Ferrara. You can walk across the bridge and through into the castle interior. Recently it has been the set for some of the shots in the new Romeo and Juliet film. But only a handful of scenes were actually filmed in Verona itself, the main site was in Mantova, a near by town, a bit smaller than Verona and a hell of a lot quieter, making it easier to film.

Overall as well as Verona being a great city to visit it was just as lovely to catch up with Alice and meet her friends. We all went out for drinks on the saturday night and was lovely to get to know everyone. I also branched out from my usual prosecco to try something a bit different. Firstly Alice had bought a bottle of Soave white wine which is from the Veneto region and it was lovely. Then we went to a bar that did Spritz bianco, which was like a white wine spritzer with mint leaves and lime. Then I had an apple mojito, so refreshing!


Gnocci EVER!

All in all a wonderful weekend filled with interesting people and places. I will definitely be returning soon!

Who says you can't Party when you have an Essay due!

Ok, I know I promised to be better at blogging more frequently but i honestly have a valid excuse this time. The French Department at Birmingham Uni thinks it’s not enough that we have to gets to grips with new culture/language/university system, we also have to write a language project and essay as well. Great, thanks Brum! Anyway this is what has been occupying my time - that is to say when I haven’t been making the most of my new Italian lifestyle.

4th - 5th Feb:

Grazia’s Festa di Masquera

Carnival season is upon us and you can’t walk around the centre of town without some child trying to throw confetti at you. My housemate, Grazia, told me that she has always had a masquerade themed party ever since she was little as her birthday is the around same time as the beginning of Carnevale the famous masked festival in Italy. 

It was such a pleasant weekend spent with my housemates, we cooked the desserts on saturday afternoon ready for the sunday evening. Grazia’s friend Sara made Bignès (chou pastry with crema pasticcera) and Grazia cooked a beautiful Pan di Spagna (equivalent to sponge cake) with crema pasticcera inside. The following morning we went for a wander around the centre taking photo’s of Ferrara in the snow, although I felt rather inferior with my little digi compared to Chiara and Grazia’s SLRs. That evening we donned our masks and face paint and sat, drank, ate and overall had a wonderful time. 

Later we went to Clandestino our local for a drink and a game of Taboo. For those who have never heard of Taboo I will explain briefly: You pick a card with a word on it which you must describe without saying said word. There are also a list of words underneath which you are also not allowed to use in you description e.g if the word was Father Christmas, the words underneath might be, reindeer, jolly, sleigh, presents etc. Well in Italian Taboo becomes much harder, especially when you don’t know the word that you’re trying to describe. Somehow all my descriptions revolved around the kitchen (goes to show where my vocabularly lies). All in all a fantastic weekend with the ladies of via Borgovado 26.

11th - 16th Feb

Roma, Not La Dolce Vita in the Snow:

Let it (not) snow! Unfortunately my prayers went unanswered - my train to Rome was cancelled. Fortunately I was able to use the same ticket to get the eurostar instead - which is 1. a nicer train, and 2. 2hrs less travel time than the train i should’ve got. Rome was not as I expected when I got out at Termini station. I just found that architecture was so mismatched in the city that there didn’t seem to be that same coherency as in Ferrara, admittedly Roma is much much bigger and the historical movements have been etched on the landscape. Particularly striking is the Fascist architecture in the city, no greater example of this than in Piazza Venezia with the incongruous Monument dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II sitting a stones throw away from the Roman Forum. 

Piazza Venezia

Furthermore Roma/Italy can not cope with snow! To be fair the day I arrived it was like a blizzard, I didn’t even venture out of the hotel. However the following day, only a small amount of snow remained, and yet the Galleria Borghese was shut! This being said the Villa Borghese is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever been in. I found the most lovely little orange tree groves there along with a replica of Shakespeare’s Round Playhouse where they perform his works in the summer months.

Finally my parents got a flight into Roma after their first one had been cancelled. Although again thanks to the stupid snow, the Colosseum and Forum were shut so we only managed a couple of photos outside. 

Colosseo

However we did get to wander around some of the many piazze to be found in Roma. Piazza Navona was definitely a hub of activity for artists as all kinds of painting were being sold around the central Fountain of Neptune.

Piazza Navona

Piazza del Popolo

Whilst Piazza del Popolo was swarming with street performers for Carnevale and made for a lively atmosphere throughout the week.

Statue of St Peter

Tuesday is the day to go to the Vatican, Fact. Usually swarming with tourists and people trying to sell you guided tours don’t think about going an other day. We arrived at the entrance of the Vatican Museums at 8:30am (it doesn’t open until 9am) and although there was a queue it moved very quickly once the doors were open. The Vatican Museums are so densely stacked with amazing and rare items that it is impossible to mention them all. Of course the Sistine Chapel and the painting by Raffaello are absolutely breathtaking when you see them up close, however I particularly enjoyed the gallery of Maps which shows how Italy was before Unification. After that we were able to walk straight into St Peter’s Basilica without even queuing. For a Church it has to be one of the most grand that I have seen, with incredible statues not just Michelangelo’s Pietà, but also the stature of St Peter himself which tourists would line up to touch his foot, as pilgrims did many centuries ago, in prayer. For this reason the foot has been worn smooth - it’s obviously seen a lot of love.

Mum and St Peter

Whilst in Roma I also got to catch up with my friend Rosie who is on her erasmus year there. We went to Trastevere, a little out of the way from the main tourist attractions of Roma, which was great to avoid the crowds of tourists and also find cheap cafes and restaurants.

Despite the snow we managed to see a fair bit of Roma, however there is still so much which I want to see. My housemate, Grazia, informed me that she has been visited Roma every year since she was little and still hasn’t seen everything... next time I will have to work faster.

18th Feb 2012

Venice Carnival:

I think that I would definitely have to say that you can’t be an erasmus student in Italy and not go to Venice Carnival. However to my mind perhaps it is a little over rated. Firstly getting there. Normally I can get an 1hr40 train straight through to Venice without much difficulty, however during Carnival season you’re lucky to even get on a train never mind a seat! So after playing sardines with a bunch of Italians for 2 and half hours, I probably wasn’t in the best mood. This being said the costumes and masks are exquisite.

Luckily my friend’s Italian friend, who was from Venice showed led us along a route to St Marc which avoided the huge crowds. As well as the huge show on in St Marc’s square, there were also mini street performances dotted all over the place.

My issue is, around St Marc’s you couldn’t properly enjoy the atmosphere because there are so many people.

I’m not exaggerating, a sea of people.

Ah well it’s one to tick off the bucket list. Although I think I’d prefer to be in Venice any other time of year to Carnival.

8th March

La Festa della Donna

In Italy the 8th of March is a cause for celebration for the female population.... possibly. In Italy it is tradition for the men to give the women in their life mimosa (a yellow flower). In Ferrara we were lucky enough to also be allowed free entrance into the city’s museums that day as well. Although I enjoyed taking full advantage of this, it does make me annoyed that there has to be a set day to celebrate women (shouldn’t everyday be like this?). It also seems to me that Festa della Donna in Italy is not used to the same affect as in Britain for example where we really emphasise the importance of equality (or lack of) between men and women. I watched a great video of Daniel Craig who dressed as a woman in a campaign for International Women’s Day, with a voice over from Judi Dench.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/07/james-bond-video-womens-day

It’s incredible that there is still so much inequality even now in the 21st century which is why Festa della Donna, in my eyes, perhaps is regressive here in Italy.

10th March

I’M ON A BOAT!

(I couldn’t resist I had that song in my head the whole night.) For Emilia’s birthday we moved from our regular haunt, Sofistis, to try out Sebastien’s Pub. It’s basically this old boat which has been transformed into a huge restaurant. We we lucky enough to be seated in our own little upstairs cabin which was full of sailing memorabilia. The pizzas were HUGE, and delicious, and they also served beer by the metre (yes, metre!) Overall it was an excellent evening, can’t remember laughing so much!

16th March

I’VE FINISHED MY ESSAY!!

It’s all been printed and sent off, and now I have my life back!!! Such a load of my mind, but however much I have complained about this essay (and believe me it’s been a lot) I think I might actually miss it a bit. I wrote about modern french novelist Benoît Duteurtre who writes really satirical novels on contemporary society and how he has been compared to Molière. It’s been a bittersweet relationship between me and my essay, for although I resent the amount of time it’s taken me, now that it’s over i feel like there’s a big void in my day which I now need to fill - Ah well it’s St Paddy’s day tomorrow I’m sure a cheeky Guiness will help.