Compare and contrast the 4 cities we have visited, Salzburg, Vienna, Venice, and Milan. Which appeals to you the most, and why? Which city appeals least to you, and why? Would you want to live in any of these cities, why or why not? Be descriptive and analytical.
As my class has traveled across Europe, we have stayed in Salzburg, Vienna, Venice, and Milan. I have loved traveling to all of these places and embracing everything that each city has to offer. However, with that being said, these cities are very similar and different from one another in each their own unique ways. Even though both Vienna and Milan are predominantly modern cities, they both uphold religious values and traditions. While touring Vienna, I visited numerous churches such as Saint Stephen's Cathedral and Saint Peter's Catholic Church. While visiting both of these religious institutions I noticed that similar to Milan's churches, Saint Stephen's Cathedral and Saint Peter's Catholic Church have tombs where society is able to honor past religious leaders. The Duomo in Milan also has tombs of past religious leaders in which people are able to read about the impact they made on the world and honor their spirit by lighting candles and offering flowers. Although Salzburg and Venice are much less industrial and modern compared to Vienna and Milan, they also still uphold religious values. In Salzburg, I had the opportunity to visit Petersfriedhof which is a cemetery where past religious figures are buried and religious paintings are honored with multiple offerings such as flowers, candles, and even jewelry. In addition, I was able to visit the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa in Venice. Although the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa did not have any tombs to honor, the church was filled with religious sculptures and paintings that are honored by Venetian society.
While Salzburg, Vienna, Venice, and Milan are very similar to one another in their religious traditions, Salzburg varied from the rest of these cities in its tourist attractions. Vienna, Venice, and Milan are very popular tourist destinations that have numerous tourist attractions. Although Salzburg is somewhat of a popular tourist destination, it does not have quite as many tourist attractions as the other cities I visited. A possible reason why there are fewer tourist attractions in Salzburg is likely due to the fact that it's a much smaller city and less industrial compared to Vienna, Venice, and Milan.
After noticing these similarities and differences between Salzburg, Vienna, Venice, and Milan, I was most appealed to the city of Venice regarding its unique qualities. Although I appreciate the quaintness of smaller cities like Salzburg, I grew up in the city of Dallas, Texas, so I am naturally more appealed to large cities while traveling. Although Venice isn't the largest city regarding its land mass, Venice felt much larger while exploring its canals rather than viewing it on a map. I was also attracted to the unique canals of Venice considering there are very few cities in the world that are completely surrounded by crystal-clear water. Although I thoroughly enjoyed visiting all of these cities, I was least attracted to Milan. I loved the Italian culture and tourist attractions in Milan, but I felt somewhat unsafe while traveling around Milan. There were a couple of times when I was approached by groups of men on the street trying to talk to me and ask me where I was from. There was also an instance in which my classmates were harassed by an Italian man spitting on people walking out of our hotel. With that being said, I would love to live in Venice not only because of the extraordinary cuisine but also because of its unique waters. I grew up loving big cities but also loving to be outside and active. Therefore, Venice is the ideal city for me to live in because it's predominantly a walking city with gorgeous scenery and delicious seafood.
This photo was taken while touring the Duomo in Milan, Italy. In the photo, one is able to see the tomb of Beatro Andrea Carlo Ferrari, who is the former archbishop of Milan. While I took this photo I noticed people lighting candles next to his tomb and honoring his spirt through prayer. This experience made me realize that even though Milan is a very modern and industrial city, it still emphasizes religious traditions regarding prominent religious figures and artifacts.
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| This photo was taken while visiting the Petersfriedhof cemetery in Salzburg, Austria. I took this photo while standing inside a crypt within the cemetery. The outside cemetery had many religious figures that were honored with candles and flowers but this was the first time on the trip that I saw a religious piece of art being honored. The stool in front of the painting is there for people to pray while honoring the artwork and I was deeply intrigued by this because I had never before seen a piece of art honored in this way. Typically, people tend to pray/honor tombs or religious artifacts such as sculptures depicting Jesus' crucifixion. This experience made me realize how Salzburg is heavily dependent on religious traditions similar to the other cities I visited including Vienna, Venice, and Milan. |
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| This photo was taken while on the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. In the background of the photo one is able to see crystal-clear waters even though its a very busy city with large amounts of pollution from boats. I was most appealed to Venice because of the crystal-clear waters, intricate canals, and delicious seafood. I was unfortunately unable to take a photo of the delicious shrimp scampi I had while in Venice, but one is able to see in this photo that Venice is absolutely surrounded by water and therefore they have super fresh and appetizing seafood. I would definitely live in Venice as I believe its the perfect mix between being a large city and being completely unique from anywhere I've ever been before. |
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