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Our Lander group went to Scrovegni Chapel that has the oldest and yet most important artwork of Giotto in 1305. They are very strict with their rules and for good reason too. The artwork is so old that they only allow a maximum of 25 people to enter at a time. The visit is for 30 minutes and for 15 minutes of it you are in a waiting room which is just the right amount of time to stabilize the interior microclimate so the art will not get damaged. Once you enter you can see some of the damage but still amazing how they managed to restore majority of it! From left to right on the opposing walls has biblical stories in order like the birth of Jesus or the Annunciation. I really enjoyed the Last Judgement by Giotto where Jesus is enlarged (so again focal point) to display importance and has those who will be saved on his left and see those who are suffering in hell on his right.


A small group of us went to Verona consisting of Haley, David, Jill, Lindsay, Bailey, and myself. It started off being one of the worst trips to one of the most memorable! The train ride was a lot longer than we anticipated which was about two to two and a half hours. We were afraid we would not make it in time to do gondolas with the other group we had planned earlier that day. Since we made it so far to Verona, we found ourselves a taxi that took us straight to Juilet's (Guilietta) balcony but on the drive we got to see the Arena. The Verona Arena is one of the biggest and well preserved amphitheaters that was built AD 30. Today, it still performs famous operas holding more than 30,000 visitors where people all over the world come to hear. When the taxi arrived to Juilet's balcony we had to run a short ways since 1) there was a crowd 2) the taxi meter was still running (we had only an hour venture until our train back to Venice would arrive). We did it! Miraculously, I got to see the balcony, Juilet's statue, write my boyfriend's name & mine on the wall with all the other couples, and go to the gift shop. The meter didn't cost practically anything split between six people and made it in time for our train ride. 
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Made it to Verona!
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Guilietta's statue
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Lovers put their name on the locks and chain it to the gate to solidify they will be together forever :)
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Where I wrote my boyfriend and I's name (I'll have to go into photoshop to make it more noticeable)
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Part of the Arena!

We made it back in just the nick of time to meet up in Ca d'oro with others to do a gondola ride in the evening! I can also check that one off my bucket list now too. What's an Italian adventure without gondola rides? I absolutely loved it!! Our group was so huge we took two separate gondolas. The gondola ride I went on had the following passengers: Lindsay, Oscar, Caesar, Brandy, and Anne. We had a great gondolier who even sang a little for us and told us the history of the buildings we paddled by. I think we chose a great time to go because about towards the end of the gondola ride, the sun had gone down and the lights of the alleys and restaurants lit up. Simply stunning. Good news too I didn't fall over aboard nor did anyone else!
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The passengers (except Caesar since he's sitting beside me)
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What a view!
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The subtle lights gave such a lovely atmosphere
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Our other group!
Gondola ride!!



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    Erin Ferguson

    A senior at Lander University. Visual Arts major with an emphasis of Graphic Design. I'm excited to blog all my adventures that I will encounter in Italy!

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