Tutti Quanti Vogliono Restare in Firenze

March 12

After a long day of reviewing for finals in Saints and Italian, I decided that I needed to visit the Boboli Gardens one last time before I left Florence. I justified this by telling myself that I was going to do homework, but I ended up exploring. It was nice to see all of the tourists and Italians taking advantage of the beautiful day, but I was beginning to miss having the sites of Florence to myself (it’s so weird to walk down the street and hear more conversations in English than Italian). On my way out, I noticed that the Grotta di Buontalenti was actually opened. I finally got a closer look at the interior, which must have been Disney’s inspiration for the setting of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It must have been awesome to see the entire thing dripping with water.

March 13

One last site visit with Jodie for the Medici course. We started out at the Galleria dell’Accademia and then segued to the Medici Chapels, all while talking about one of my favorite artists: Michelangelo. The perfect way to end the course, my last class of the program, and last session with Jodie and her wealth of knowledge. We had one last day of crazy Italian class, singing, figuring out what Italians think squirrels look like, and demonstrating our overall “pazzo” for Tessa’s family, who were visiting for the week. After class, a small group of students and professors went to Americani a Firenze: Sargent and the American Impressionists, an exhibit at Palazzo Strozzi. John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, James Abbot McNeill Whistler, William Merrit Chase, and so many, many more. I loved being able to see these American artists’ impressions of Florence, how they were inspired by the city’s beauty, and compare it to my own experiences.

March 14

After turning in our Saints final, Lori and I hit San Lorenzo market to continue our last minute souvenir shopping. After Italian, Callie and I enjoyed our daily scoop of gelato and geeked out over the fact that the column of Saint Zenobius was out of restoration. That evening was the Final Art Show and the Farewell Dinner. The studio art students displayed their charcoal and pencil drawings that they had been working on over the last seven weeks. To see how much skill had developed over such a short amount of time was so cool. Afterwards, we returned to the restaurant that we had eaten at on our first two nights in Florence. All the memories of the last ten weeks all rushed over me, so when Michelle suggested that our table make goodbye speeches, I knew that I was going to cry. I’m going to miss Florence, the museums, the history, my professors, and of course, all of the wonderful new friends I’ve made. They are the ones who helped make this experience truly memorable.

March 15

I thought that my stomachache was an accumulation of finals stress and oh-my-god-I-have-less-than-two-days-to-do-EVERYTHING anxiety physically manifesting itself in my body. So I tried to ignore it. In the early evening, Lori and I took the bus up to Piazzale Michelangelo to see the panoramic view of Florence one last time. We had planned to watch the Gregorian chants at San Miniato, but I got the times wrong. However, we did get to see the very beginning of a mass.

American dinner had been postponed on Tuesday because Katie and Andrea were both sick, and as soon as I sat down to chop tomatoes, I knew that I was the next. Thank you so much to Katie for preparing a wonderful meal of macaroni and cheese, tacos, and peanut butter cookies for our host parents while I attempted to recover.

March 16

Having the stomach flu is not the best way to end a trip or face one’s last final, but that’s how my day began. I finished my paper, hauled the rest of my books to Linguaviva, said some more goodbyes to my classmates, had my last final with Jodie, sold back my phone, and then said my goodbyes to the art. I probably shouldn’t have dragged myself so far around the city under the influence of a fever, but I couldn’t leave Florence without visiting the Galleria dell’Accademia and Uffizi Gallery one last time.

Beautiful, Terrible, Ruined

March 10

First class train ride to Naples! Lori, Duncan, and I walked out of the train station and into the busy streets and immediately felt uncomfortable. Jodie had warned us to be extra careful of pickpockets, so I was already a little on edge. Naples is dirty, sketchy, and modern—there’s garbage everywhere, street venders piled on top of each other everywhere, and construction, yes, everywhere. Before taking the next train to Pompei (the modern-day city is spelled with one i, while the ancient ruins are spelled with two), we went off in search of some famous Napoli pizza. We ended up waiting in like a Da Michele, but this was all part of the experience. The restaurant only has two kinds of pizza—they sit you down, bring out the food, and you inhale it as quickly as possible, then you’re back out the door. We spent more time waiting than eating, but it was so good! Also, Julia Roberts ate at Da Michele while filming Eat Pray Love.

Back to the sketchy train station, crowded between a bunch of middle-schoolers, and about half an hour later, we were in Pompei. The sea on one side, the mountains on the other. Mount Vesuvius, to be exact (every time a train went by, I was convinced that it was the volcano about to erupt again). Lori and I could see the ruins of Pompeii from our balcony! The entrance was literally a five-minute walk from our hotel, which was awesome. The three of us got radio receivers, and then took off to explore the city. I knew that Pompeii was a city, but I didn’t quite comprehend just how big it was. We ended up getting lost several times and didn’t get to see everything, but the weather was overcast and dreary, so we didn’t have to fight with many tourists.

Facts that you should know about Pompeii: in 63 AD, an earthquake hit the city. It was still being rebuilt in 79 AD, when the infamous eruption happened. Mt. Vesuvius exploded, sending ash twelve miles into the air, twice the speed of sound, and hovered for twelve hours before hitting the earth again. The citizens of Pompeii thought that it was just a harmless cloud, so most of them didn’t bother to evacuate. When the volcanic material started raining down, the people didn’t even have time to move. Excavations found empty cavities in the hardened rock, which turned out to be where bodies had decomposed. They poured plaster into these holes and captured the last moments of the ancient Romans’ lives. One man is curled up into a ball, another is screaming in terror. It was so eerie.

After the park closed, we hunted down some gelato and went back to the hotel to rest. I brought homework (finals are coming up…bleh), but I ended up just relaxing. Lori and I watched the original Doctor Doolittle in Italian and I was asleep before eleven.

March 11

We headed out early the next morning in order to stop in Ercolano on the way back to Naples. Ercolano is home to Herculaneum, a seaside town that was also hit by the volcano. Herculaneum has been preserved a lot better over the years—some of the three story structures are still standing. The ruins have been carved out the rocks and the walls of volcanic rock remain. The shoreline was extended by quite a bit by the amount of volcanic material, so archaeologists assumed that the lack of bodies in the houses meant that these citizens had more time to escape. However, further excavations uncovered a mass of bodies all huddled down by the water’s edge, which is truly tragic.

Although I enjoyed the historic value of the ruins, I realized that my true identity is an art geek—I would perk up whenever we found an intact fresco or mosaic still preserved on the walls or floors. I was also determined to make it down to the seaside, but after wandering into the sketchiest part of Ercolano, I was ready to abandon all hope of making it to the shore and run back up the hill to the train station. After arriving back in Napoli, we decided that we needed some more pizza. Da Michele was closed, but we found a non-touristy place right next to the Porta Capuana, which was an ancient city gate. Afterwards, we trekked around the piles of garbage…erm, city in search of some churches (because you can never see enough of those in Italy).

As Far As the Eye Can See

March 9

Our trip into the countryside signifies our last trip as an entire group in Florence—let the nostalgia begin. Per usual, we had our own bus that carted us around the winding roads (I’m still not sure how the bus driver managed to get around some of those curves). Our first stop was the Convento Bosco ai Frati, a Franciscan order than is still in use (however, the friars were light blue habits instead of the usual brown because this specific branch of the order is dedicated to the Virgin Mary). Tucked away in one of the side rooms is Donatello’s Crucifixion, which is honestly one of the most haunting pieces I have seen. Brunelleschi criticized Donatello for this piece, saying that Christ looked more like a peasant than a divine being. However, I think the emphasis on his suffering makes up for the lack of holiness.

After a very quick stop outside the Villa Medicea Cafraggiolo (we literally hopped off the bus, ran across the road, and stood in front of the gate for as long as it took our bus driver to turn around—we couldn’t get in because the building is being renovated for a hotel), we continued on to the Villa Medicea di Poggio a Caiano. We had an hour to break for lunch, during which time I made several kitty friends. After regrouping, we took a tour of Lorenzo il Magnifico’s summer residence (well, he died before it was completed, but it still stayed in the family). The allegorical frieze (a nod to antiquity) and the chandeliers (intricate leaves, vines, and flowers) were absolutely beautiful.

Our last stop was the Tenuta di Capezzana, which is another former Medicean residence, but is now one of the oldest and most famous wineries in the world. The owner’s granddaughter gave us a tour of the wine cellars, where we saw wine that was older than us, as well as barrels that were taller than we were. Despite the presence of mold, the smells were incredible. Even in the olive oil production rooms smelled great and there wasn’t even any product in the terra cotta barrels. To top off the visit, we were treated to a wine tasting. I don’t really care for wine (yes, I know, I’m in Italy, shame on me), but I did attempt a couple of sips of each glass.

From the very edge of the estate, the Duomo is visible through the hills. It’s just a little speck, but it’s still visible. Its presence is impossible to escape—not that I mind in the least.