I was sitting in the U. S. Military compound in Vicenza, Italy assigned to a nuclear site nearby, it was seemingly built during WWII, I presume so, it looked much before my time anyhow, larger bricks than normal, than contemporary that is, old mortar in-between them. At first I took a liking to the place, it wasn't big by acreage, but the city would tranquilize me much more, later on. It was a short bus ride away. And the nuclear site was beyond the city limits out in kind of an isolated area, more rustic geology.

I had arrived to this duty station from Fort Rucker in Alabama, where I had been a Staff Sergeant, aviation school for helicopter pilots, in the United States. During the in processing, at this Italian compound, my new duty station (for a month), I was ordered to attend a two-week class on Italian culture, and its language; the building was on the compound and not all that from barracks. I didn't really care to jump into my new duties, it was much more revitalizing to take it at a slow pace and I got my wish.

It was the first of April 1980, a chill was in the air, one that provoked you to wear a sweater, or a ting heavier cloths; also, it was starting to rain, and the big toads of the nuclear site were carrying their young on their backs, I think the mud was too much for them.

""It is finished!" said my instructor of the cultural program (it was Friday), I do not think there were grades handed out, I can't remember, only attendance was marked each day and afternoon; so we all passed with flying colors. There were perhaps twenty of us in class, the new troops on the block, you could say. I put my hat on my head and motioned farewell to the teacher with a quick 'Thanks,' and started to leave the room.

"Wait a little," said she to the class, as they had also stood up to go to lunch at the mess hall. ",,,today if you want I can take a group of you after lunch to the downtown area to see a few sights, the market, and [a pause as if she didn't want to commit herself too deep], and we shall see what is open to visit."

So now, going along the busy streets in a bus were several of us uniformed soldiers, with an Italian lady that spoke not perfect English, but good enough, "Use your new words..." she suggested to us as we had previously entered the bus, and now I was indeed using them to excuse myself from constantly bumping into everyone; the bus, or the driver or perhaps the cobblestone road made me look clumsy, it was ever five minutes I had to pardon myself.

The inner-city center was about three miles away, there was a marketplace we stopped at first, a long row of large umbrellas, and a long building to its side, I walked up to the second floor looked over the balcony, and then joined the rest of the group again: checking out some of the merchandise in the process. They were selling cloths, fruits, and other items, many things.

"Your Italian is already useful to you," she commented to me, as we wedged through the people of the city on the city's streets, then we went through an archway and down to the 16th century (1550 AD) building known as Palazzo Chiericati the Museum of Vicenza now; this building was once completely surrounded by water. Like the basilica (completed in 1617 AD), it follows classical prototypes with the Doric order. Similarly, this civic building has open loggias; the strong horizontality is countered by statues on the flat roof, which punctuate the vertical elements; this building, along with others was designed [architecture] by Pallidio; perhaps that is why the city is called, "The Designers City."

The Biblioteca [Library] founded by Demetrio Zaccarie, has some 35,000 books. And the river that runs through is the Bacchiglione. But even more than the renowned Palazzo Chiericati, what stuck me was the Tleatro Olimpico (1580 AD) [Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza] a most beautiful three-dimensional stage type theater. We all sat on the wooden rotunda like step-seats, and listened to the history by its caretaker of sorts. Like a number of other buildings in Vicenza, Andrea Pallidio also designed this one. Actually this was his last work, and perhaps his best. Your eye will be rapidly caught by the stage as mine was, at the center of which is a large arch capped by the emblem of the town. The main body of the stage represents a square, while behind it are the five streets of Tebe, created by Scamozzi who went beyond Palladio's original intentions. We all were kind of uncultured, but we could not help but be taken in by this masterpiece; it was across from the Museum.

In addition to its building designs, I learned this city was famous for its wine, as well as its gold, as well as its underground tunnel system. Hence, we walked, or I walked her streets until dark that evening, and I'd return a number of nights to visit her streets again, and buildings throughout my stay in this wondrous city, I had no idea would be so amazing.

I was sitting in the U. S. Military compound in Vicenza, Italy assigned to a nuclear site nearby, it was seemingly built during WWII, I presume so, it looked much before my time anyhow, larger bricks than normal, than contemporary that is, old mortar in-between them. At first I took a liking to the place, it wasn't big by acreage, but the city would tranquilize me much more, later on. It was a short bus ride away. And the nuclear site was beyond the city limits out in kind of an isolated area, more rustic geology.

I had arrived to this duty station from Fort Rucker in Alabama, where I had been a Staff Sergeant, aviation school for helicopter pilots, in the United States. During the in processing, at this Italian compound, my new duty station (for a month), I was ordered to attend a two-week class on Italian culture, and its language; the building was on the compound and not all that from barracks. I didn't really care to jump into my new duties, it was much more revitalizing to take it at a slow pace and I got my wish.

It was the first of April 1980, a chill was in the air, one that provoked you to wear a sweater, or a ting heavier cloths; also, it was starting to rain, and the big toads of the nuclear site were carrying their young on their backs, I think the mud was too much for them.

""It is finished!" said my instructor of the cultural program (it was Friday), I do not think there were grades handed out, I can't remember, only attendance was marked each day and afternoon; so we all passed with flying colors. There were perhaps twenty of us in class, the new troops on the block, you could say. I put my hat on my head and motioned farewell to the teacher with a quick 'Thanks,' and started to leave the room.

"Wait a little," said she to the class, as they had also stood up to go to lunch at the mess hall. ",,,today if you want I can take a group of you after lunch to the downtown area to see a few sights, the market, and [a pause as if she didn't want to commit herself too deep], and we shall see what is open to visit."

So now, going along the busy streets in a bus were several of us uniformed soldiers, with an Italian lady that spoke not perfect English, but good enough, "Use your new words..." she suggested to us as we had previously entered the bus, and now I was indeed using them to excuse myself from constantly bumping into everyone; the bus, or the driver or perhaps the cobblestone road made me look clumsy, it was ever five minutes I had to pardon myself.

The inner-city center was about three miles away, there was a marketplace we stopped at first, a long row of large umbrellas, and a long building to its side, I walked up to the second floor looked over the balcony, and then joined the rest of the group again: checking out some of the merchandise in the process. They were selling cloths, fruits, and other items, many things.

"Your Italian is already useful to you," she commented to me, as we wedged through the people of the city on the city's streets, then we went through an archway and down to the 16th century (1550 AD) building known as Palazzo Chiericati the Museum of Vicenza now; this building was once completely surrounded by water. Like the basilica (completed in 1617 AD), it follows classical prototypes with the Doric order. Similarly, this civic building has open loggias; the strong horizontality is countered by statues on the flat roof, which punctuate the vertical elements; this building, along with others was designed [architecture] by Pallidio; perhaps that is why the city is called, "The Designers City."

The Biblioteca [Library] founded by Demetrio Zaccarie, has some 35,000 books. And the river that runs through is the Bacchiglione. But even more than the renowned Palazzo Chiericati, what stuck me was the Tleatro Olimpico (1580 AD) [Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza] a most beautiful three-dimensional stage type theater. We all sat on the wooden rotunda like step-seats, and listened to the history by its caretaker of sorts. Like a number of other buildings in Vicenza, Andrea Pallidio also designed this one. Actually this was his last work, and perhaps his best. Your eye will be rapidly caught by the stage as mine was, at the center of which is a large arch capped by the emblem of the town. The main body of the stage represents a square, while behind it are the five streets of Tebe, created by Scamozzi who went beyond Palladio's original intentions. We all were kind of uncultured, but we could not help but be taken in by this masterpiece; it was across from the Museum.

In addition to its building designs, I learned this city was famous for its wine, as well as its gold, as well as its underground tunnel system. Hence, we walked, or I walked her streets until dark that evening, and I'd return a number of nights to visit her streets again, and buildings throughout my stay in this wondrous city, I had no idea would be so amazing.

In Spanish Translated by Nancy Penaloza

Vicenza en abril: Y el Teatro Olmpico

Yo estaba sentado en el complejo estadounidense Militar en Vicenza, Italia. Asignado a un sitio nuclear cercano, aparentemente fue construido durante la segunda guerra mundial, supongo eso, esto pareca de todos modos de mucho antes de mi poca, ladrillos ms grandes que lo normal, que el contemporneo es decir el viejo mortero entre ellos. Al principio tom un gusto al lugar, no era grande por el rea cultivada, pero la ciudad me tranquilizara mucho ms, ms tarde. Esto estaba a un corto viaje en autobs. El sitio nuclear estaba ms all de los lmites de la ciudad en un rea un poco desolada, geolgicamente ms rstica. Yo haba llegado a esta estacin del deber desde la Fortaleza Rucker en Alabama, donde yo haba sido un Sargento de Personal, de la escuela de aviacin para pilotos de helicpteros, en los Estados Unidos. Durante el proceso, de ingreso, a este complejo italiano, mi nueva estacin del deber (durante un mes), fui ordenado para asistir a una clase de dos semanas sobre la cultura italiana, y su lengua; el edificio estaba en el complejo y no del todo eso desde las barracas. Realmente no me import precipitarme a mis nuevos deberes, esto era mucho ms reanimante para tomarlo a un paso lento y consegu mi deseo.

Era el primero de abril de 1980, un fro intenso estaba en el aire, uno que te provocaba llevar un suter, o unas ropas un tanto mas pesadas; tambin, comenzaba a llover, y los sapos grandes del sitio nuclear estaban llevando a sus mas jvenes sobre sus espaldas, pienso que el fango era demasiado para ellos.

-"se acab!" dijo mi instructora del programa cultural (esto era el viernes), no pienso que hubieran grados repartidos, no puedo recordar, slo la asistencia era marcada cada maana y tarde; entonces todos pasamos con gran xito. Haba quizs veinte de nosotros en la clase, las nuevas tropas en el barrio, usted podra decir. Puse mi sombrero sobre mi cabeza e hice seas de adis a la profesora con un rpido "Gracias", y comenc a salir del cuarto.

-"Espere un poco", dijo ella a la clase, mientras ellos tambin se haban puesto de pie para ir a almorzar al comedor militar. "hoy si ustedes quieren puedo llevar a un grupo de ustedes despus del almuerzo al centro de la ciudad para ver unos monumentos, el mercado, [y una pausa como si ella no quiso comprometerse muy profundamente], y nosotros veremos que est abierto para visitar",

Entonces ahora, pasando por las calles atareadas en un autobs ramos varios de nosotros soldados uniformados, con una seora italiana que hablaba el ingls perfecto, pero lo suficiente bueno, "Usen sus nuevas palabras..." ella nos sugiri cuando nosotros ya habamos entrado en el autobs, y ahora yo de verdad los usaba para disculparme por constantemente golpe con cada uno; el autobs, o el conductor o quizs el camino de adoqun me hizo parecer torpe, fueron algunos cinco minutos que tuve que perdonarme yo mismo. El centro de la ciudad estaba aproximadamente a tres millas de distancia, haba un mercado donde nosotros paramos al principio, una fila larga de paraguas grandes, y un edificio grande a su lado, sub al segundo piso mir por el balcn, y luego me un al resto del grupo otra vez: verificando algo de la mercanca en el proceso. Ellos vendan ropas, frutas, y otros artculos, muchas cosas.

"Su italiano ya es til para usted" me coment ella, mientras nos apretamos con la gente en las calles de la ciudad, luego fuimos a travs de una va de arcos y abajo del edificio del siglo XVI (1550 Antes de Cristo) el edificio conocido como Palazzo Chiericati el Museo de Vicenza ahora; este edificio fue alguna vez rodeado completamente por el agua. Como la baslica (completado en 1617 Antes de Cristo), esto sigue prototipos clsicos con la orden Drica. Asimismo este edificio cvico ha abierto logias; las fuerzas horizontales estn contrarrestados por las estatuas sobre la azotea, el cual punta los elementos verticales; este edificio, junto con otros fue diseado [la arquitectura] por Pallidio; quizs por eso la ciudad es llamada, "La Ciudad de los Diseadores".

La Biblioteca [la Biblioteca] fundada por Demetrio Zaccarie, tiene aproximadamente 35,000 libros. Y el ro que corre atravesando es el Bacchiglione. Pero an ms que el renombrado Palazzo Chiericati, lo que me peg fue el Teatro Olmpico (1580 Antes de Cristo) [Teatro Olmpico de Vicenza] el escenario mas hermoso tri-dimensional tipo teatro. Nos sentamos todos sobre la rotonda de madera como asientos escalonados, y escuchamos la historia por una clase de portero cuidador. Como un nmero de otros edificios en Vicenza, Andrea Pallidio tambin dise ste. En realidad esto fue su ltimo trabajo, y quizs el mejor. Tu ojo rpidamente cogera el escenario como lo fue el mo, el centro del cual es un arco grande capsulado por el emblema de la ciudad. El cuerpo principal del escenario representa un cuadrado, mientras detrs de ello estn las cinco calles de Tebe, creado por Scamozzi cuya intencin original fue ms all de Palladio. Todos nosotros ramos una clase incultos, pero nosotros no podramos ayudar sino para ser tomados por esta obra maestra; esta estaba a travs del Museo. Adems de sus edificios diseados, aprend que esta ciudad era famosa por su vino, as como su oro, su sistema de tnel subterrneo. De ah, anduvimos, o anduve sus calles hasta el anochecer de esa tarde, y yo volvera un nmero de noches para visitar sus calles y edificios otra vez, en todas partes de mi permanencia en esta ciudad maravillosa, no tuve ni idea de que sera tan asombroso. -

Dennis Siluk

Writing is more than a hobby for me. It's a passion, one of the ways I capture and celebrate life.