From Venice to Verona

---

It's a love story, baby...

Today, we had class in our regular place in the Venice Jewish Center and discussed an article by Benjamin Ravid that discussed the so-called "Myth of Venice, the idea that Jews loved la Serenissima (the Venetian Republic) because the government treated them exceptionally well and the seemingly contradictory idea about the "lachrymose" history of the Jews that view Jewish history as an endless succession of misery and persecution.

We analyzed the importance of the Jews for the 16th century Venetian economy and how their unique position as money-lenders, second-hand goods dealers, and (occasionally) physicians guaranteed a certain amount of safety through their necessary function within Venetian society. I found most interesting how religious faith so often trumps material reality. For example, even though in nearby communities of Northern Italy, blood libels and anti-Jewish sentiment forced the Jews out of their towns to the detriment of the economy. But in the case of Venice, economic needs trumped religion and religious-inspired anti-Jewish hatred and the government kept the Jews around because they saw them as crucial for the economy of the Republic. The way religious ideology has functioned in the rest of the world has been so very different from this. Yet another reason as to why the Jews in Venice have such a rich and fascinating history.

After class, our group took a day trip to Verona and it was so amazing! It was our first experience on the train in Italy and we miraculously figured out how to navigate around the station very quickly. We had no set plans for when we got there, so upon arrival we took our time strolling through the city taking in the beautiful sights. I had no idea how gorgeous it would be! It is a so different Venice because there are many few tourists and their are cars! The buildings and churches were very different as well, so it was fun to see another side of Italy.

We found a quaint osteria near the Duomo (cathedral) and had lunch in their outdoor garden area. The restaurant had amazing food and we asked our waiter for advice on some places to go around the city. We walked across the street to the Duomo and bought a VeronaCard there, which for €10 can get you access into tons of the museums, churches and sights around Verona. The Duomo was beautiful and so different than churches in America because the interior artwork was so detailed and the ceilings so high and the open spaces were breathtaking.

After the Duomo we were all eager to see some of the Romeo and Juliet sights because Verona is the setting of Shakespeare's play. We went to the Casa di Giulietta (supposedly Juliet’s house) and inside there were thousands of notes people post on the wall with love stories or little sayings. We all posted something on the wall and felt awesome leaving our mark somewhere in Italy. We walked around the house and, of course, took plenty of pictures on the famous balcony. Then, as usual, the rain started pouring down, so we decided to spend the rest of the day looking around the shops and the town. After a great dinner near the Arena (similar to the Roman Coliseum but much smaller) we took the train back to Venice, exhausted! My roommate Keren and I returned to our apartment by the Palazzo Albrizzi and passed out almost immediately. I'll add many pictures of the trip to the blog soon!

—Veronica Victor

---