Cioccolate e Compiti

My week consisted of a lot of both (chocolate and homework, for those of you who don’t have an Italian-English dictionary nearby). However, one took up more of my time than the other one, I’ll let you guess which one was which.

February 12

I started my day with homework, but then my host parents had family over and I felt weird hanging around, so Katie and I ventured downtown to visit the chocolate festival. After drooling over the numerous booths, we settled on chocolate covered strawberries, possibly the best that I’ve ever eaten. It’s amazing to see how elaborate some of the venders had gotten with their creations (I thought that kind of work only went into Food Network Challenges). We finally tore ourselves away from the Piazza della Repubblica and I went on a hunt to find somewhere quiet to do homework. And failed. Every café that I’ve become familiar with was closed, so I ended up wandering around for an over an hour before finally hiding away in the corner of a café near Santa Croce. When I got home, I found out that Daniella and Andrea’s grandchildren, Marco (ten months) and Massimo (five years), were staying for dinner. They are so cute! Andrea, Katie, and Massimo had a sword-fight after dessert while I held onto a giggling Marco.

February 13

For some reason, I thought it would be okay to wear only one pair of socks to my Saint’s class at Santa Croce. Big mistake. Pros of visiting in the winter: fewer tourists. Cons of visiting in the winter: while the churches may provide protection from the wind, they’re often even colder than the outside. Between the cold and being faced with overwhelming frescoes and sculptures, we’re completely exhausted after a three-hour class. Thankfully, my energy was replenished during Italian when Umberto taught us how to sing “7000 Caffé.” My Spanish professor at Knox also used songs to help us learn—and when you sing a song for fifteen minutes, it tends to get stuck in your head…

February 14

…which explains why I woke up with the chorus stuck in my head. The Medici class met at San Marco—a church that is actually heated! We entered the museum to find a group of elementary school children seated in a semi-circle around an altarpiece and decided to do the same while listening to each other’s reports. Upstairs is Fra Angelico’s Annunciation, a fresco that I’ve been fascinated with since I can’t even remember.

On the walk back to Linguaviva, one of my classmates suggested that I stop by the Medici Chapel (connected to San Lorenzo, which we visited a couple weeks ago. I had planned to visit later that day, but it was closed by the time I got back). We had gotten out of class a bit earlier than usual, so I went. All I can say is that the Medici really know how to flaunt their power by making you feel so small and insignificant. And that was the most beautiful altar that I have ever seen in my life. And then just around the corner is Michelangelo’s unfinished sacristy. So many treasures in one space!

After Italian, a group of us went back to the chocolate festival (it never ends!). We found a vender that sold a cup of strawberries drizzled in hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream. Worth it. Every time I go back, I find a vender that sells more chocolate for less—if it’s a bargain, then I have to buy it (best deal so far: 100 grams for 4 Euro). To get away from the food, we walked to the river, where we eventually split off into little groups. Christina, Joanna, Lauren, and I ended up walking out onto an outcropping on the Arno River, taking pictures and enjoying the sunlight. Valentine’s Day ended with pizza, Skype dates with my roommate and boyfriend, and more homework.

February 15

None of my classes met on site today, but I had fun nonetheless. Umberto handed out the lyrics to “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” in Italian: “Tutti Quanti Voglion Fare il Jazz” (which actually translates to “Everybody Wants to Play Jazz”) and we sang that at the beginning of class before delving into review for our next quiz. After dinner, Professors Ruth Caldwell and Uwe Rudolf had a get-together at their residence, which also doubled as a birthday celebration for Sherie. We sat around, tasted wine, ate desserts, and talked for a few hours.

February 16

The Medici class met at the original Medici Palace to view one of their famous chapels. The frescoes are all portraits of family members, artists, and other important people whom the Medici associated with (kings, emperors, probably some popes—normal acquaintances). We learned about the exciting life of Fra Filippo Lippi: studied under Masaccio at the Brancacci Chapel, was kidnapped by pirates, climbed out of windows using bed sheets to “frolic in the meadows” (as Christina put it) with nuns (yes, that’s meant to be plural).

After a rather grueling Italian quiz, I had some free time. And instead of going straight home and doing homework (I promise, I’ll start reading again as soon as I post this), I took a walk. I spent most of the walk at the Parco delle Cascine, which is to Florence what Central Park is to New York City. It’s right along the Arno and the Florentines were out enjoying the almost sixty degree weather. According to Wikipedia, the park stretches 3.5 kilometers long and 640 meters wide (over two miles by a little over a third of a mile), so that was a really long walk. Which was enough justification to play “I hope this bus goes by somewhere that looks somewhat familiar” in order to find my way home.

I found flowers in the park! That means it'll stay warm, right?