Porca Vacca!

…which basically translates to “Holy Cow!”

January 28

Katie and I met up with Callie, Lori, Carmen, Carrie, and Shayla at the train station and took a bus to Panzano in Chianti. Jodie had recommended that we visit Solociccia (“Only Meat”) for lunch. Dario Cecchini, who is a famous butcher who can recite Dante from memory, owns the restaurant. While we didn’t get to meet the famous butcher, we did get our burgers (your American is showing…). We each got a huge plate of food, including the burger (no bun, no cheese), onion, carrots, parsley, and fries. The burger was a little rare for my taste, but the seasoning was amazing. I don’t know how to describe Italian ketchup, but Italian mustard is delicious (kind of like honey mustard, but with a little bit more of a kick). The bottle kept being passed back and forth throughout the entire meal.

All for ten Euro!

Afterwards, we split up into smaller groups to explore the town. Panzano is very small, probably even smaller than Fiesole. We hiked up a hill to Santa Maria Assunta, which wasn’t as impressive as the little chapels we’ve visited so far (the painting above the altar was so modern that the figures were wearing blue jeans). However, the view around every corner was breathtaking. We split up into even smaller groups to putter around the surrounding country roads, passing by the olive groves and grape vines. Before I left, my grandpa requested that I take a picture of a cow or a tractor. Well, I got a picture of the ceramic cow outside of the restaurant. Mission accomplished!

Olive groves in Panzano

January 29

With no set plans for the day, I decided to take off on my own and explore all of the monuments that I pass by on a daily basis, but have never taken the time to stop and actually visit. Here’s a map of places I went:

Google maps says that I walked about ten kilometers, but I figure it’s more than that because I backtracked, sidetracked, and wandered off of the roads onto paths that aren’t on the map. Also, if you want to know more about taking a walk in Florence, click here.

 

My first stop was unexpected: Giardino dell’Orticultura. I saw locals milling about and decided this would be a good place to start. A Renaissance loggia (covered in modern day graffiti) stands in the middle of the park and there’s a huge greenhouse tucked away behind some trees up on the hill. It looks as though it has been abandoned for a long time (the glass is still intact, but there aren’t any plants). After the gardens, I wandered over to Piazza della Libertà. It’s the home of the triumphal arch of Florence and can be seen from quite a ways away (I use it as a reference point when I’m lost).

I wandered in the direction of downtown to the fountain that the bus passes by on my way home. I watched the ducks swim around in the pool at the Giardini di Fortezza before heading around the entire exterior of the Fortezza da Basso. From what I can tell, the historical structure is used as an exhibition place and fancy galas (Jodie told me that there’s a place for restoration projects inside). Since it was Sunday, it didn’t look like anything was open (and I didn’t really feel like getting in trouble for trespassing), so I kept going. I stopped by the park that I pass everyday on the way to school and had lunch (while warding off all of the pigeons) before heading off to admire the Duomo. Again.

After seeing all of the little parks and monuments along the way, I needed a museum fix. I followed the signs to Galleria dell’Accademia. However, the entrance is just a hole in the wall and I ended up missing it and wandering over to Santissima Annunziata, which is right next to the Archaeological Museum. I walked in right as they were trying to close up, but I really really really hope that one of my classes visits this place because it’s beautiful. But I wasn’t there for more than two minutes and to get out, someone had to unlock the big, ancient deadbolt.

Then I finally found the entrance to Galleria dell’Accademia and walked into the first room to find the plaster cast model that Giambologna used to sculpt The Rape of the Sabine Women. A quick walkthrough of the Museum of Musical Instruments and then I headed towards the main galleries. Just around the corner—Michelangelo. I was not prepared. I didn’t study the layout of the museum ahead of time, so for some reason, I assumed that his works would be towards the end, encouraging visitors to look at lesser known works before being wowed. But no, you walk around the corner and there are Michelangelo’s unfinished slaves. These sculptures were originally intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II and ended up in the hands of the Medici at some point. Although this series was never finished, they are still elegant. Like, if you tap just the right place, the figure will break free from the block that it’s encased in (kind of like a person breaking free of a block of ice in a cartoon).

One of Michelangelo's unfinished works (image found)

However, I did not fully appreciate the slaves during my first viewing of the hallway because Michelangelo’s David was RIGHT THERE. I tried to be nonchalant and not freak out, but that didn’t work. So I settled on a bench in the corner and just stared. Caught up on my journal, looking up to gawk after every sentence. Stood directly in front of the statue, took two steps to the right, stopped, and gawked some more. Three hundred and sixty degrees. Sneaked a picture (shhh). But seriously, none of the replicas I’ve ever seen could ever measure up to seeing him in person. He’s just so majestic and elegant and regal and I could basically go on forever.

Michelangelo's David!!!

But there is more to the Galleria dell’Accademia. There’s an entire room filled with plaster casts of sculptures from all over. Sometimes, I think these casts are more interesting, just because they represent the artistic process that many seem to forget about. The rest of the galleries focus on Renaissance and Gothic interpretations of the Madonna and Child, the Enunciation, the Deposition, the Lamentation, the Assumption, you get the idea. I visited all of the rooms at least twice, but I kept going back to the David. And I wasn’t the only one; there was one man who brushed passed me, muttering, “I have to go look at that statue one more time, I’m not coming back here in my life.” And I thought, “How lucky am I, I could come back tomorrow if I wanted to.”

I finally tore myself away from the exhibit and told myself that I couldn’t return home until the battery on my iPod died. I wandered back towards home, stopping to explore the creek bed and the park nearby, where I stumbled across the Museo Stibbert, which my host mom had mentioned upon arrival. I had no idea that it was three minutes from my doorstep. Of course, it was closed by the time I got there (that’s becoming a common theme…).

On Monday we will be joined by the fifteen week students and start our real classes. I have never been so excited to learn in my entire life.

Le Strade di Firenze

Things you should know when walking through the streets of Florence:

• Florence is a city; therefore, most people live in apartments, surrounded by concrete instead of grass. And those of them who have dogs don’t always take the time to walk their pets to the park. They just let the dogs go on the sidewalk. And then neglect to clean it up. Basically, be careful where you step.

• Italians have no qualms about public displays of affection. Walk through any piazza or park and there will be about three pairs of couples making out wherever you look. And this activity isn’t limited to teenagers—oh no, there are people of all ages necking all over the place. This can be rather annoying when you’re trying to take pictures of monuments, especially churches.

• Look out for gypsies. Usually you can hear them coming because they’ll rattle around their little cup of coins. But they will barge right on into your tour group while your professor is lecturing. Don't make eye contact—just shake your head and cover up your pockets. And then there are the people who sit on the side of the street with their dogs (who just happen to be wearing little sweaters…), using their cute faces to guilt tourists even more.

• If you are a female, I suggest investing in a pair of ear buds or headphones. Personally, I enjoy being able to block out the catcalls and leering comments of creepy Italian men while I wander around the city.

• However, there is a downside of listening to music: you can’t hear the cars. And pedestrians don’t have the right of way. That car, bus, or Vespa will just honk and keep on going. Many of the (very narrow) streets are one way, so walking against the stream of traffic is safer because you can see what’s coming. But if you’re trying to dart around one of those couples, make sure you aren’t taken out by someone’s side mirror.

• With all of those one-way streets, it’s easier to find a place to cross. With time, you’ll become a pro at judging how far away a vehicle is, how fast it’s going, and whether or not it’s safe to cross (even if the crosswalk sign is yellow or red). When disembarking from a bus, use the rear exit, then dash across the street while the bus is still stopped. Because by the time you wait for it to depart, there will be a line that stretches three blocks back and if there isn’t a stoplight, good luck finding someone who will be willing to slow down long enough to let you cross.

• Even when those cars are parked, they’re still a nuisance because people will park anywhere. On bridges, across sidewalks, in the middle of the road, too close to somebody else who doesn’t know how to parallel park. And when the sidewalks are as narrow as they are in Italy and everybody’s in a hurry, it’s difficult to squeeze through.

• Oh, and there’s always the group of lost tourists stopping in the middle of the street with a map, or the tour group following their guide around (the latter of which I know I’m guilty of, just from being in class. Luckily, our class is fairly tiny and we know how to be discreet, aka not obnoxiously loud. Also, I love that our group has gotten to the point where we roll our eyes at “those American tourists”).

After being here for three weeks, I know that I probably still stick out as a foreigner. Nevertheless, I’m doing my best to blend in and knowing how to get around, even when I’m purposely trying to get lost, is probably one of the best ways to do so.

Ho il raffreddore

I have a cold. Which is why my blog posts and pictures are late this week, I’ve just been so exhausted. Also, homesickness is beginning to hit, but I’ve come to the conclusion that being homesick isn’t going to make time go faster, so I’m just going to enjoy the seven weeks that I have left in this beautiful city and distract myself with paintings, sculptures, and actually memorizing Italian verbs and their tenses…

January 22

Why is it that any time I ask for directions in Italian, people respond to me in English? Let me practice! Anyway, after finding the right street, I met up with Lori and Carmen around noon to take a twenty-minute bus ride up into the hills to a small town called Fiesole. The sky was somewhat hazy, but even from the panoramic view we were able to pick out the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the soccer stadium. We continued climbing up the hill and visited Sant’ Allesandro’s Church and the Convento di San Francesco. They were old, small, dark, and nowhere near as elaborate as the churches I’ve grown accustomed to, but it was a nice change.

Fiesole is beautiful

It turns out that we took a little too long looking for a place to lunch, because the Archaeological Museum stopped selling tickets four minutes after we arrived. But Fiesole is so gorgeous that I wouldn’t mind taking another afternoon to come back to see the Roman baths and Etruscan temple (meaning: it’s gonna happen before I leave). I still needed my museum fix for the day, so after we got back to Florence, I took off towards to the Anthropology and Ethnology Museum. I was a little frustrated with the exhibits because very few of the display cases were labeled (not even in Italian. When that happens, I just take a picture and translate the information later). But nevertheless, it was still interesting, if not a bit creepy (preserved Peruvians…enough said).

January 23

After class, there was an optional visit to Cecil Studios, where some of the students will be taking a drawing class. The building was converted from a church into an art studio and when we arrived, the owner was working on his version of the Lamentation of Christ. Turns out, Cecil’s teacher was a pupil of John Singer Sargent (I may have gasped a little too loudly upon learning this). Those in the class will be learning the sight-size technique, which involves a lot of moving back and forth in front of the canvas in order to create correct proportions (I don’t remember much of the details about the technique because I was groggy from my cold).

January 24

Highlight of Italian class: watching Mr. Bean (and then writing sentences about what happened in past tense). After lunch, we finally had an official visit to the cathedral that I pass by almost every day: il Duomo. We me up with Professor Solberg, who explained to us that there can only be one cathedral per city and the Duomo is the only church in Florence to be completely wrapped in marble (the others only have marble façades). Usually, churches are built from the altar up to the façade, but Santa Maria del Fiore (basically, the Florentines invented a specific version of Mary to distinguish their cathedral from those being constructed in Siena and Pisa around the same time) was constructed over Santa Reparata. We visited the excavated portion of Santa Reparata, where you can see the remains of several layers of history (while looking nervously up at the ceiling two inches away from your head).

The Duomo has some mosaics, the main one being just above the main door and representing Mary’s Assumption into heaven. The rest of the artworks are frescoes, including the interior of Brunelleschi’s dome. I almost tripped and fell into a gate while admiring Vasari/Zuccari’s The Last Judgment (at this rate, someone’s going to have to hold me up when we go into the Sistine Chapel…). I have yet to climb up into the dome, but on the next clear day…I’m going.

Not as decorated as the cathedrals in Siena and Pisa, but still impressive

For dinner, Daniella and Andrea had guests. We had a four course meal (we usually have two, plus fruit), which included bread with eggplant and tomatoes, soup with beans, chicken and salad, then the Italian version of ice cream cake. One thing I noticed: Italians eat fast, but talk even faster. Katie and I could barely follow the conversation, yet we were the last ones to finish eating each course.

January 25

After Italian, we met up with Jodie at Palazzo Pitti to visit the Galleria Palatina. Palazzo Pitti used to be a palace of a Spanish princess, but it is best known for being one of the residences of the Medici family. The galleria is set up like any nineteenth century gallery would be, which means that paintings are crowded on to each wall. There were over twenty paintings per room and there were so many rooms. I cannot begin to describe how enormous this palace is, we only spent two hours in the Palatina and we barely had time for more than just a quick walkthrough. My museum pass gets me into every gallery free, so I think I’m going to end up spending a few days exploring each gallery thoroughly.

January 26

Our second meeting with Professor Solberg was to view the Baptistery. This Baptistery is probably the most famous for the competition between Ghiberti and Brunelleschi to design the doors. Ghiberti won the contest and completed the first set of doors, depicting the life of Christ during the New Testament, in 1427. Later, he was commissioned to design a second set of doors, which he completed in 1452 (the originals are in a museum, and Solberg called the door currently in its place a cheap Japanese replica that does not do justice to the real thing). The third set of doors were designed by Andrea Pisano and subsequently completed in 1336. Ghiberti was expected to adhere to Pisano’s style for his first set of doors, but you can tell he felt limited by the quatrefoils. Just walking around the exterior and seeing the differences between artists, as well as the progression of Ghiberti’s work, is astounding. And I get to write a paper about it next week!

And then we went inside. It’s probably a good thing that the original baptismal fountain is no longer in the middle of the room, because I was so transfixed by the ceiling that I probably would have run right into it (I’m very graceful, can’t you tell?). The mosaic was completed by Venetian artisans and it depicts (what else?) The Last Judgment. There are at least four levels of stories around the curve of the dome, including the book of Genesis, the dreams of Joseph (…and his amazing technicolor coat…), the life of Christ, and then the life of John the Baptist. I wish there were a way to get a closer look at the mosaic, but I have an Italian test tomorrow that I really need to study for.

MOSAIC

January 27

Considering that we learned two of the four tenses that were on the test just this week, I think I did okay. I still haven’t had what I would call a “successful” conversation in Italian because I keep tripping over the pronunciation of words (there’s a lot of tripping over things in this post). Instead of having class afterwards, we watched “Ti Amo in Tutte Le Lingue del Mondo” (I Love You in Every Language of the World), which is an Italian romantic comedy (the other class watched “La Vita é Bella” and emerged from the classroom in tears). About half of us went to a restaurant for lunch (the same one as last week), where I had some kind of penne with various vegetables in it.

Afterwards, we walked to the theatre across town and used our Maggio cards to purchase tickets for a ballet. We got tickets to see “Il Lago dei Cigni” (Swan Lake) for only TEN EURO. Plus, these Maggio cards are valid for all of 2012, so we could have a little reunion in December and see “Il Mago di Oz.” I think I need to go back and visit il Porcellino a few more times, just to be safe. The theatre is right by the River Arno, so we wandered along until we found a little path that took us down under the bridge and along the water (which is low right now). There was graffiti and litter, yet it was still gorgeous. How do you do it Firenze? How?

Florence from under one of its bridges

A Piece of Pisa and a Dash of Lucca

January 21

Whenever you hear that the Florentines don’t like a particular city, expect it to be absolutely beautiful. Which leads us to Pisa. After an hour or so on the train, we arrived to almost sixty-degree weather (IN JANUARY. I simply cannot get over this!). We celebrated Shayla and Ruth’s birthdays with cappuccinos and pastries from Salza before trekking across town to the monument that Pisa is most famous for: the Leaning Tower.

But what you don’t see in everyone’s touristy photos is the magnificent Cathedral, Baptistery, and Churchyard behind the Bell Tower in the Piazza dei Miracoli. These structures lean as well, but it’s nowhere near as noticeable. There are blocks and columns of different colored marbles, some of which are still inscribed from previous use on the exteriors of each building. Being able to have these stones was considered prestigious, as if they were precious jewels in their walls.

The bell tower, cathedral, and churchyard

After gawking at the Bell Tower some more, Jodie ushered us into the Baptistery. There is a huge eight-sided baptismal basin in the center of the room and Nicola Pisano’s pulpit off to the side. I’ve studied this particular pulpit before, which can be confusing because Nicola’s narrative is not linear—on one panel, the Enunciation and the Nativity are interwoven. However, this pulpit, as well as the one that his son, Giovanni sculpted, has been extremely influential, especially in the work of Botticelli (example: the Modest Venus pose). Moreover, we were lucky enough to witness a demonstration of the amazing acoustics of the dome!

These cathedrals keep getting better and better. Pisa’s Cathedral is a five aisled basilica with a cross plan and a forest of columns. It is not entirely symmetrical, but it has heavily influenced by the rules dictated by the Council of Trent as well as the patronage of the Medici family. Off to the side were the relics of Saint Rainerius, who is the patron saint of Pisa. All of these relics are starting to creep me out…which is why I wasn’t exactly thrilled to walk through the Churchyard. The structure was gorgeous, but the floors are composed of family tombs. It was partially destroyed during World War II when a bomb accidentally went off nearby, causing the lead roof to melt all over the frescoes. The remains of these frescoes are still undergoing restoration, and we got to see two by Buffalmacco in one of the side rooms.

The interior of Pisa's Cathedral

While we didn’t get to go up in the Leaning Tower, we did manage to take several more touristy pictures before splitting up into groups for lunch. Sandwiches, as usual, but then we went back to Salza for dessert, where I got a small cannoli and a raspberry truffle. We had the rest of the afternoon free, and a lot of us ended up going to a Picasso exhibit at the Palazzo Blu. Which was absolutely astounding. The exhibit, which is called, “Ho voluto essere pittore e sono diventato Picasso” (“I wanted to be a painter and I became Picasso”), does not show off Picasso’s most famous artworks. Instead, it shows his creative process through sketches and lithographs. Seeing the progression of his work was absolutely amazing! There were two series that I found the most fascinating: one of a bull and another of two women, which combined and transformed from “normal” to cubism.

Picasso's Toro progression

After the exhibit, we fell into different groups, one group going back to Florence and the other to Lucca. I wanted to go to the Chagall exhibit in Lucca, but we had spent too much time in Pisa and there wasn’t enough time. However, Lucca is famous for having its original city walls still intact. We were a little disappointed that the walls weren’t as “wall-y” as we had expected (there’s a stone wall on one side with a sloping hill down into the city on the other), but nevertheless we enjoyed exploring. We didn’t have enough time to walk all the way around the wall due to the train schedule, so we picked a side street and went on a souvenir hunt.

The walls and a bell tower in Lucca

We arrived home just in time for dinner. I have to admit, there is one type of food that is better at home than in Italy: cheeseburgers.

Questo e Quello

January 18

Began the day with a race to see what the fastest way to get to Linguaviva was: Katie took the bus and I walked. She ended up beating me by about three minutes. Class was cut short by a field trip to the market with our Italian professors. Most of us had already visited, but it was interesting to hear Luigi and Umberto explain things (and snack on free samples of cheese and salami). After lunch, we got our opera/ballet passes, which will help us get discounts on even more cultural events!

After lunch, we met up with Jodie at “Money and Beauty: Bankers, Botticelli, and the Bonfire of Vanities,” an exhibit that is closing soon and wasn’t originally on our itinerary. It was fascinating to see how the florin evolved and shaped everyday life. There were elaborate books recording how bankers and merchants paid each other (which I still don’t completely understand, so I won’t try to explain it because I’ll just confuse myself and give the wrong information…) and artists’ interpretations of bankers greedily counting their money. Other paintings depicted what happened to the greedy and how bankers went about their business. The “Bonfire of Vanities” refers to objects that people believed led to sin, such as manuscript, art, mirrors, etc. Botticelli destroyed several of his own works, but thankfully not “The Calumny of Apelles.”

Botticelli's The Calumny of Apelles

That evening, we attended our first Italian football match between Florentina and Juventus. We had great seats on the first level, right in the middle of the field. The teams were both B-Teams and nobody scored, but the game was still interesting. I had more fun listening to the fans (and probably could have picked up some swear words if I had listened a little harder) and talking with the people around me than watching the game.

Watching nobody score...

January 19

After Italian, we had about forty minutes to find our way from Linguaviva to the Galileo Museum, which is over by the Uffizi. I wasn’t sure what to expect—this is an art trip, not science—but the museum was absolutely awesome. There were several devices of optical illusions, various sundials, and other trinkets of the Medici’s wealth.

One of the most fascinating pieces was the Armillary Sphere. It was completed in 1593 as a wedding gift to a member of the Medici family. The entire structure, which is over twelve feet high, is coated in gold leaf. Most of the parts are original, which is quite fortunate because the museum is right along the River Arno and was hit quite badly by the flood of 1966. The sphere shows the rotations of the planets around the Earth (this was before Galileo introduced his heliocentric model).

Armillary Sphere

Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa and originally wanted to be a monk (because monks had the best opportunity for education). His father, on the other hand, wanted his first-born son to have a more prestigious career, so Galileo went to the university. He never married, but had three children, and ended up paying the church a sum to legitimize his son. In order to convince the Medici family to become his patron, Galileo named some planets (wandering bodies) after the Medici brothers. The creepiest part of the museum: when Galileo’s body was moved to Santa Croce, people took relics, including a couple of fingers that are on display at the museum, (the grossest part of the museum was the terra cotta replicas of the womb that doctors used to study the birthing process).

All of these relics are starting to creep me out

After the tour, Shayla, Christina, and I visited il Porcellino, a bronze statue of a boar. If you rub his nose and put a coin in his mouth, you’ll have good luck and return to Florence. Sounds like a good deal. We stopped at Grom, because even on a cloudy, drizzly day, there’s still time for gelato.

January 20

After struggling through a second week of Italian, a group of us went out to lunch at a restaurant around the corner from Linguaviva. I need to start trying foods other than pizza whenever we go out, but it’s just so good! Tagged along for a little bit of shopping, but then went on a hunt to find a museum.

My first stop was the Anthropology Museum, but it turns out that closes at 1 PM during the week (really?). I had glimpsed another Archaeological Museum at the library that the ACM students are members of, but when I arrived, I found out that it wasn’t open during the latter part of the week. So I ended up going to the Uffizi. I wasn’t planning on it, because I know that I’ll probably end up there with a class and I don’t want to have a bunch of repeat visits because there is still so much to see. After visiting, my only regret is that I didn’t go sooner.

By the time I made it up to the second floor, I was so excited that I almost walked in without handing over my ticket. Whoops. Walked into the first gallery and encountered a Madonna and Child that is in almost every art history book. Started to get a little light headed. Recognized Piero della Francesca’s Duke and Duchess of Urbino. Saw the sign to the Botticelli room. And that’s when I forgot to breathe.

When I walked into the Botticelli exhibit, the first thing I saw was Spring on the opposite wall. I made a beeline for it, glanced to my left, then stopped dead. In front the Birth of Venus. I just froze in front of the painting for several minutes (sorry to the tourists and tour guides who were trying to look around me, I physically could not move). There were benches in the middle of the gallery, and for a good reason. When I was able to move again, I went over and collapsed onto one, only to sit and stare for a few more minutes. I’ve never been so overwhelmed by a painting before, and I never expected this reaction from The Birth of Venus. The Sistine Chapel, perhaps. I remember looking at the piece and thinking, “This isn’t paint. It’s magic.”

Primavera (image found)

The Birth of Venus (image found)

There were many paintings on loan or in restoration, which just translates to I’M COMING BACK. Especially for Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes (1567). It’s usually right next to Caravaggio’s Bacchus (!!!), but it’s at an exhibit in Milan until the end of January. I wrote a paper on it, I have to see it in person! I ended up buying a guidebook, which goes through each gallery and lists all of the paintings and sculptures. When I go back, I’m going to make sure I don’t miss anything.

Bacchus (image found)

When Life Gives You Lemons, It’s the Best Day Ever!

January 15

Finally, a morning to sleep in. After a slow start, Katie and I explored the park outside of our house (seriously, how is this January? Everything is so green) before wandering downtown to the market. We met up with a few more classmates, then split up into different groups and took off. I joined Anna, Sam, and Tyler in search of the Ponte Vecchio, or the Old Bridge. There are several bridges that span across the River Arno, but this one is famous for the shops that line its sides. Today, most of the stores contain really expensive jewelry, so after taking a few pictures, we just took off in a direction that looked interesting. And stumbled upon the Palazzo Pitti. That’s the thing that I love about Florence: I can wander anywhere, turn around, and fall in love with a new piece of art. Either I’m just that easily impressed or Florence is really that beautiful.

The buildings along the River Arno from Ponte Vecchio

The Palazzo Pitti, which was also the home of the Medici family at one point, just happens to be one of the places that our museum pass lets us get into free. Anna randomly picked out tickets to the Costume Gallery, but we never made it into any of the galleries because we were distracted by the Giardino di Bobli. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous right now; I can’t imagine what they will be like in the spring. There are sculptures scattered around every corner, fountains, tiny forests, and of course another breathtaking view of Florence. From up on the hill, you cannot hear a thing from the city below and the buildings are so close together that you can’t see any people or vehicles. It was eerie, looking down upon what seemed to be a deserted city. I love that Florence has such an abrupt division between city and countryside.

Palazzo Pitti from the Bobli Gardens

While wandering, we found a sign that pointed towards the Lemon House. Assuming that, of course this place would offer free lemons, we headed down the hill. When we were understandably disappointed that there weren’t any lemons (but we did find a black and white cat sitting on the porch, whom we immediately named Lemon), someone said, “When life gives you lemons, it’s the best day ever!” Looking back, I think that’s a pretty good quote to sum up this last week. Life has given me a ton of new challenges and experiences, and while I am homesick and way out of my comfort zone, I’m still having the time of my life.

If you look closely, you can see Lemon sitting in front of the door

January 16

After three hours of Italian and a trip to the local market, Jodie took us on to the Orsanmichele. This church used to be an open-air market, but it is most famous for housing the patron saints of various guilds in its many niches. The original sculptures have been relocated to the second floor, but the replicas gave us a feel of how people would have viewed the originals—for example, the leg of the Doubting Thomas leans out into the audience’s space, drawing the viewer in, despite the fact that scene takes place well above one’s head. The statues are either sculptured from marble or molded from bronze using the lost wax process. Both methods are time consuming, but bronze was more valuable and therefore only the wealthier guilds could afford this luxury.

The Doubting Thomas at Orsanmichele

The inside has now been converted into a church where the Madonna and Child with Angels now resides (“No foto!”), as well as an altar to St. Anne, Mary’s mother. We climbed some more steps (seriously, no wonder everyone is so skinny) to view the original sculptures. By Donatello, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, and Verrocchio (who’s most famous student is none other than Leonardo da Vinci). It was amazing to view each of these sculptors’ works side by side, as they were constantly trying to outdo each other for commissions.

January 17

We’re beginning to learn past tense in Italian. I need to catch up on my flashcards; I’m only a little bit OCD when it comes to reviewing my notes each day to make sure that I’ve recorded every word that Umberto has ever mentioned in class. I was never this meticulous while taking Spanish at Knox, but then again, I could walk out the door and be confident that the first person I saw would speak English.

After another delicious meal from the market (seriously, this food is like a drug or something), Jodie took us to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze. We started the tour in the gardens, which is full of reconstructed Etruscan tombs. The Etruscans were a group of people who inhabited Tuscany before the Greeks and Romans (the museum is also home to an extensive collection of Egyptian art, so it’s interesting to compare how the cultures were influenced by each other), and their influence on the arts is mapped out wonderfully in this museum. The tombs were moved to this garden and rebuilt in order to preserve them (so much has been lost due to flooding). The construction reminds me of the pictures I’ve seen of Machu Picchu’s walls—the stones are cut very precisely in order to ensure that the tomb will withstand time (brick and mortar was introduced by the Romans at a much later time).

Reconstruction of an Etruscan tomb

Back at Linguaviva, I had checked out a book, a field guide to Florence, in hopes of diminishing my chances of passing out after rounding a corner and coming face to face with one of my favorite works of art. There was only a small blurb about this particular museum, but there was one name that caught my eye: the François Vase. Last fall, I took a Greek Art and Architecture course at Knox and we spent an entire class period on this vase. Honestly, I forget the details of the very complex story that is inscribed upon it (it relates to the Trojan War, of course), but I recognize that this is an extremely influential piece and it is an honor to be able to view it in person. So we were getting towards the very end of the museum, my classmates were getting restless, and I was frantically searching for the room with this vase. I went to catch up with everyone at the end of the hallway, passed a doorway, and quite literally skidded to a halt and backtracked into the room. Found it! Spent a few moments enjoying the piece by myself before people started to wander in. Fun fact: In 1900, the vase (which is incomplete to begin with) was shattered by an angry guard. The chair that he used is still sitting in the corner of the room, with a small sign that says, “Not to be used for sitting, except in case of emergency.”

The François Vase in all its glory

On the way home, Lori and I wandered through the market where I bought my first souvenir, a purple scarf. And if the day couldn’t get any better, we had real Italian pizza for dinner.

Sunny Siena

January 14

In order to be early, Katie and I woke up just after six and took the 7:16 bus into the station, where we joined the rest of our classmates and boarded a charter bus to Siena. The morning was foggy, but the sun broke through as we traveled through the gorgeous Tuscan hills. Even though Siena is to the south of Florence, it must be at a higher altitude because everyone froze as soon as we got off the bus. After Jodie took us to get cappuccino—that succeeded in waking us up as well as warming us up—we were ready to appreciate the beauty of Siena (and crowd into the sunlight whenever possible. Seriously, it was chilly—I know, these forty-degree days have spoiled me. No snow!).

We started out with a tour of the Basilica di San Domenico, which houses the relics of Saint Catherine of Siena. Her head and thumb are kept in Siena, while her body resides in Rome. She played an important part in the return of the papacy to Rome and was involved in trying to keep peace between different cities. Florence and Siena have a huge rivalry, which is fine by me because it resulted in some beautiful art and architecture. Jodie took some time to elaborate on Guido of Siena’s Virgin and Child Enthroned, the first of many depictions of the Madonna and Christ that I will see in the next few weeks.

Basilica di San Domenico

After passing by St. Catherine’s birthplace (she was the youngest of twenty-five children), we hiked up the ravine (that’s how the Italians are all so skinny) to the Duomo di Siena. Upon seeing the extravagant façade, we thought we were at the entrance—oh, nope, that’s just the back. Remember the rivalry? Well, Siena wanted to out-do Florence and have the biggest church in Italy. Unfinished walls and arches still remain, but unfortunately, the city ran out of money and the Black Plague hit, which halted construction. However, the basilica was expanded later on (about seven hundred years ago), but it destroyed and covered up several thirteenth century frescoes that have only recently been rediscovered. Jodie gave us a tour of the crypt, which has still not been fully excavated (and can’t be without compromising the structure of the church). The scenes from the Old Testament have mostly been destroyed, and support beams for the basilica cut into what remains of the scenes from the New Testament.

The best view of the frescoes from the crypt that I could find online

The Duomo di Siena has the most elaborate façade I have seen to date. Famous philosophers, saints, angels, and animals are strategically placed all over the building. I say strategically because the originals were supposed to be conversing with each other, but the some replicas that are on display now were put back in the wrong place. Siena has pink marble instead of green on the exterior and the interior is composed black and white (colors associated with Siena) horizontal striped marble. And it is GORGEOUS. Every square inch of the interior is decorated: the floors have scenes of delicately inlaid marble, the busts of former popes and emperors line the tops of columns, and the ceilings (I. LOVE. CEILINGS.) were decorated with stars.

The façade of il Duomo di Siena

And its amazing interior

Also, I saw a sculpture of Saint John the Baptist by Donatello. Wait, it gets better! The Piccolomini Library, which houses ancient choir books of Gregorian chants, not only has a beautiful ceiling—said ceiling was painted by Bernardino di Betto and supposedly influenced by Raphael. No big deal or anything (!). But then we went across the way to the Museum. All of the original statues from the façade have been restored (if you restore marble incorrectly, it ends up looking like sugar) and are preserved in one of the unfinished areas. Jodie insisted on showing us one more painting, despite our growling stomachs. And it was Duccio’s Maestrá. Anyone who’s studied art history knows that teachers love to use this particular painting to demonstrate how perspective developed over time, so I’ve seen this painting in several books and written several comparisons of it, but nothing prepared me for seeing it in real life.

Duccio's Maestrá (image found)

So, still reeling from seeing the Maestrá in person, we took a quick detour before lunch and climbed up the claustrophobically small spiral staircases of the unfinished walls of the basilica, which provided the most awesome view of all of Siena. The buildings were constructed along the hillside, so from above they look clustered, but still quaint. Plus, there’s the added bonus of being able to see all of the hills fading into the distance, so it was worth the slightly terrifying climb.

Piazzo del Campo

We split up into groups for lunch and re-congregated in the Piazzo del Campo, where il Palio, the famous horse race, is held here twice a year (apparently it’s quite dangerous—Jodie said that only the horse is required to finish the race in order to win). Jodie explained how several of Siena’s towers were basically decapitated so that the Torre del Mangia would be the tallest structure in the area. Attached to the tower is the Palazzo Pubblico, or the town hall, which is still in use today. After discussing another version of the Maestrá by Simone Martini, Jodie ushered us into a side room. At first, I just saw the slightly ruined fresco on the opposite wall (water destroys frescoes very easily), but then I turned around. Again, straight from my art history books, was the most famous of Lorenzetti’s panels depicting the Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government. I suppose I should start studying my itinerary more closely so I can mentally prepare myself for these artworks. Then again, I would probably still react in the same way, because the opportunity to see these masterpieces in person is absolutely astonishing.

Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government (image found)

Ho fame. Sempre.

January 11

Adjusting to life in our new homes has been interesting. Katie and I each had to battle with the shower breaking, then walked passed our bus stop, only to have the bus show up late. Fifteen minutes late to class, we ran up to the fifth floor of Linguaviva for Italian. Usually we have a half an hour break in the middle of the lesson, but instead our professors took us on a tour of places to study (including a beautiful library that has a wonderful view of the Duomo) and an Italian bookstore (three stories!). Our afternoon orientation included buying phones (which have very entertaining games and even a flashlight!) before Jodie gave a quick introductory lecture about the city. Concluded the day by getting lost for almost an hour—apparently, our street is located in two different places and there are train tracks and it’s all very confusing because street signs either don’t exist or are hidden. Dinner consisted of some kind of bread pudding with Tuscany vegetables, the best cheese EVER, and banana marshmallows covered in chocolate.

January 12

Italian with Umberto is always hilarious. He loves to play music in the background and there’s this one catchy Italian pop song (it’s on his CD at least twice) that he’ll place while we conjugate verbs from the workbook. Whenever someone sneezes, he stops the entire class and conducts us to chant “SALUTE!” You need a good sense of humor to be able to teach a language, just because people (me) get frustrated so easily. During lunch, I realized that I need to learn more ways to talk about food so I can do more than point and say, “Grazie.” The food is just so fresh here, I feel like I’m hungry ALL THE TIME.

Our afternoon orientation was a tour of Florence with Jodie. We took the bus to San Miniato al Monte, climbed some stairs and then there it was. Florence. Words cannot describe how beautiful the view is and pictures cannot do it justice. It had been cloudy all morning, but the sun was finally breaking through in the afternoon when we arrived, which made the scene even better. The Duomo and its bell tower dominate the city, but there are other towers and domes that poke out from all of the buildings clustered together along the river and into the distance. The city ends almost abruptly river and some of the original city walls can still be seen. It was clear enough that we could see all of the little cities nestled in the hills around Florence—at the risk of sounding cliché, it looks like a fairy tale.

Florence from San Miniato al Monte

And then: my first basilica. San Miniato al Monte is named for Saint Minias, who was decapitated but still managed to pick up his head and climb up the mountain. The church was built around his relics. I didn’t realize that most of the basilicas were brick until Florence became the capital city for five years. The white and green designs that you seen on most of the landmarks would not exist and the layout of the city would be quite different. Walking inside San Miniato, the temperature dropped several degrees. The floors are lined with tombstones commemorating who is buried in the crypts below (until they decided that it was unhealthy to bury people in such a public space and created the cemetery outside). Some of the columns were actually taken from Roman buildings. Other columns try to mimic them, but the difference is obvious, especially in the Corinthian capital. I also learned that frescoes can be removed from the walls in order to save them from damage (such as flooding). I would love to see that process. And I would love to go back during the monks’ Gregorian chants. On a sunnier day so I can take more pictures.

The facade of San Miniato

Jodie could have talked about San Miniato all day, but instead she took us past a replica of Michelangelo’s David, down the hill, and back into the city. And across the River Arno, which is absolutely beautiful at sunset, when the water is calm (and the cars are speeding by, spitting fumes in your face…unfortunately a lot of the statues have to be removed from their original place in order to preserve them from all of the pollution). We didn’t spend as much time at any of the basilicas or museums once we got back, Jodie just wanted us to know our way around for future reference. But we followed the streets that curve along where the Roman amphitheatre used to be and emerged at the Palazzo Vecchio, which might be my new favorite place in Florence. Another replica of David stands in the piazza—it’s an exact copy, yes, he really is that tall. Seventeen feet! And the Uffizi is right there! And then there’s Loggia dei Lanzi! And it’s just a wonderful place (!).

Palazzo Vecchio

On the way back to Linguaviva, Jodie took us to Grom, which supposedly has the best gelato in Florence (my host mom disagrees). I tried stracciatella (chocolate chip) and creama de grom (egg cream, meliga biscuits, and dark chocolate). I wish I could bring gelato back from everyone in the States and I know I’m going to have to resist the temptation to eat it for lunch every day. But I have to go back and get hazelnut because apparently it tastes like Nutella. Speaking of food, after getting not as lost as we had before, Katie and I arrived home to a dinner of spaghetti, some kind of tuna/vegetable casserole, and fruit salad. Usually I don’t like tuna or bananas (they smell funny), but I’m trying everything that’s put in front of me and being pleasantly surprised.

Gelato...om nom nom

January 13

I passed my first Italian quiz, successfully used an ATM, and got a library card at the awesome library that used to be a monastery. We had a free afternoon and really, all I wanted to do was get lost. Up until this point, I usually picked homework over exploring. But one of the reasons I’m here is to experience a new culture and see as much as possible, so I needed to get out there. After saying goodbye to classmates outside of the library, I took a turn that I hoped was going to lead me to the river. Well, I got my wish. I was lost. And just as I was about to turn around and retrace my steps, I happened upon the Basilica of Santa Croce, which we had walked by the night before.

It was about mid-afternoon and the piazza was fairly deserted, save for a couple of children chasing pigeons around. So I walked up to a bench, smack dab front and center of the façade, and just sat and stared at it. I need to do this more often. I know that I don’t always stop as long as I should to examine my surroundings and it felt wonderful just to be able to sit and not worry and just take in the beautiful architecture. Then tourists started to emerge and a lady asked me to take her picture in the middle of the piazza and I failed at communicating with her in Italian so I decided it was time to move on.

And back to Palazzo Vecchio. I had planned on going to examine the frescos in the courtyard during the daylight, but I ended up making a beeline for the Loggia dei Lanzi and plopping down next to what I *thought* was a replica of “The Rape of the Sabine Women” by Giambologna but turns out IS THE REAL THING (in this case, rape means abduction). I sat next to this mannerist statue and caught up on my journal and felt a little homesick. But then I sat back and just watched the Italians hurry by and got in the way of several tourists taking pictures and felt like I belonged here, among the statues.

And *this* is my life.

I could tell you all about how I went to the supermarket, walked home without getting lost, and had pumpkin soup, mozzarella omelets, and lemon yogurt for dinner, but we’re taking a field trip to Siena tomorrow so I need to get some sleep.