Erin Miller

The big adventure for this week was a trip to Venice for the biggest party in
the world, Carnevale! Carnevale is Mardi Gras Italian style and Venice is the
New Orleans of Western Europe. Venice is an amazing city, the canals and
gondolas add a distinct charm to the place, though they also seem to make it
OK (it’s an Itlian phrase too) to charge 11 euros for a cup of coffee. We took
a ride in a gondola and the gondolier sang to us, very romantic. He also told
us that he took Julia Roberts and Matt Damon for a ride when they were in
Venice for the filming of Ocean’s 12. We were all quite impressed
with the story until I learned that the gondolier that took my little sister
on a ride in Venice last year told her the same thing. Venice is sinking
a little every year. While on the gondola I couldn’t help but wonder why
anyone thought that building a city on this town that is cut through with
canals and 417 bridges was a good idea.
On Saturday, the Venice train station exploded and the streets filled with people
wearing masks and costumes. That night Piazza San Marco was filled with disco
fever. A horrible band played American disco songs all night, and the place
was packed with people in costume. We ran around causing a general ruckus. Its
amazing how much one is able to get away with while wearing a mask. We are
pretty convinced that we were at the biggest party in the world. After the
disco, I went to a real discoteca in the city. I was nearly the only American in
the place and talked to and danced with people from Greece, South Africa, New
Zealand, Spain and Mexico. Not a person left the discoteca from the time I got
there around 1 to to when it closed at 4 in the morning, at which time I
walked back to the apartment we had rented in the city.
I have been learning some Italian history and culture since my English classes
started last week. Carnevale is derived from carne — the Italian word for
meat. Everyone tried to eat all of their meat stores during carnevale because
they would not eat it during lent. The only explanation I was able to get
about why the Italians gave up meat during lent came from my Italian teacher.
She explained that the Italians ate so much meat all year that carnevale
provided a “pausa” for the sake of one’s health.
Now, onto the sciopero — the Italian word for strike. Since the late 1800s
when trade unions formed all over Italy during the socialist movement, a
strike has been the laborer’s best bargaining tool. There is a train strike
planned for this Friday, to last 24 hours. My teacher explained that the
strike may happen and may not, but that if you are on a train when the strike
begins, they will leave you wherever the train is when it stops. Well, they do
take you to the nearest city, the don’t just leave you in the “compagna”
(country). Now, the government is concerned with the threat of a strike and is
attempting to negotiate in order to limit the strike to a mere 8 hours.
There’s an Italian solution for you. They are not attempting to advert the
strike altogether, but merely to limit the amount of time passengers are
stranded in random towns like Chiuso.