From the Other Side

Venice, Italy, April 1984. We're at the Campo dei Frari.

February Weather ...

... in Venice:

Venice, Italy, February 1984. I'm on my way back to the Archivio.

A spot where few tourists go.

Venice, Italy, April 1984. The gondolieri don't get much business at the Campo dei Frari.

Campo dei Frari

Venice, April 1984. On the left stands the Archivio di Stato, where I worked. I walked across that bridge each morning as I headed to the Archivio.

A Touristy Walk

Venice, Italy, November 1, 1983. Most Italian businesses and libraries—like the Archivio di Stato, where I worked—close on All Saints' Day. The best thing to do is to take a long walk.

Bridge of Sighs

Venice, Italy, November 1983. I pass this spot every morning as I walk to the Archivio di Stato.

Pioggia in Piazza

Piazzetta San Marco, November 1983. Morning rain arrives in the Piazza. The building on the right houses the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. The "Marciana" is the library at which I worked when the Archivio di Stato closed. It's also the place to go for secondary sources.

Dawn

When I lived in Venice, I rented a room from a padrona who lived on the Lido, the narrow barrier island that separates Venice from the Adriatic Sea. The spot at which I worked, the Archivio di Stato di Venezia, stands in the city proper, at the Campo dei Frari. As a result, I had a considerable commute every morning. I rode a motonave from the Lido to San Marco, and then I made a thirty-minute walk from the boat, through the San Marco district, over the Rialto Bridge to Campo San Polo, and then on to the Archivio.

Because seating was at a premium at the Archivio, I tried to arrive there each day when the "sala di studio" first opened, namely at about 7:30. This meant that most mornings, I stepped off the motonave at San Marco just as the sun was rising.

Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, Italy, January 1984. To the left stands the Doge's Palace. Could there be a better way to start the day?

Il Caffè Florian Reunion

It's never too late to enjoy a Campari Spritzer at Il Caffè Florian.

Venice, Italy, May 1984. I often stopped here on Saturdays, the end of the Italian work week.

When you get home from work ...

... take the dog for a walk.

Rio Tera, S. Silvestro, Venice, Italy, March 1984. I capture this moment as I make my way, from the Archivio dello Stato, through Campo San Polo, to a motonave at San Marco.

Archivio di Stato di Venezia

Venice, Italy, April 1984. My Mom and I—the two figures on the left in raincoats— stand outside the entrance to the Archivio di Stato, where I did research while I lived in Venice. This is what Venice looks like when there are few tourists around. Even the gondolier has time on his hands.

A New Path

In 1980, I enrolled in a graduate program in the History Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I studied there for six years. It was during that interval that I also moved to Venice, Italy, to gather research at the archives for my dissertation.

When I arrived at Illinois, I feared that I would be overwhelmed by the demands and expectations. I'd never worked as hard as I did there.

I had a great time!

Wright Street, Urbana (on the left) and Champaign (on the right), Illinois, June 1983. I took this photo at about the time when I was studying for prelims.

Banca Nazionale del Lavoro

Sometimes my thoughts feel like a cluster of gondolas at a quaint bridge.

Venice, Italy, April 1984. The view on my walk from San Marco to the Archivio dello Stato.

Sweet Memory

Venice, Italy, April 1984. My Mother and I relax at the Campo dei Frari, near the Archivio dello Stato, where I did research for my dissertation.