Ti mancherò, Firenze…

How does one spend her last day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world after three magical weeks?? By eating, of course… we’re in Italy, the land of food! And there’s no better place to eat food than in a piazza that overlooks the whole city of Florence. Great food, new friends, and a beautiful view–sounds like a good arrivederci to me!

After our art history exam in the morning we went to the grocery store to buy the essentials for a picnic lunch…crackers, tomato and onion spread for the crackers, grapes, raspberries (my favorite!), prosciutto, salami, 2 different types of cheeses, wine, and water. Then we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo (a fitting final outing because it was my first Florentine outing) and sat on the steps overlooking the Duomo and city as we ate our delicious meal.

the BEST raspberries I’ve ever eaten

After finishing our lunch we walked around the piazza taking silly pictures, talking about our favorite and least favorite parts of Florence, and what we’re looking forward to in Parma. We had nowhere to be, no more art history final to worry about and we were prepared to get silly and have fun…

my friend Bridget

Esther, Jackie and I (R to L)

Jackie taking a long last look at Firenze

We were all so excited to see this statue because we could tell you exactly what each of the figures represented, where the originals can be found, and all about the symbolism behind them. Thank you, Rocky and your awesome art history class!!

Bridget, me, Jackie, Cynthia, Esther, and Cynthia’s visiting friend Audrey– I look like a giant compared to all these girls!

Bridget and Esther 🙂

On our way back down into the city we passed a giant pile of confetti left over from a wedding photo shoot so naturally we decided to stop and have our own…

the confetti pile!

We walked through the gardens to get back to our hotel, taking our time walking so we could enjoy every last second of our time in Firenze.

I will miss you, Florence…

❤

An Eagle’s eye view of Firenze

(really bad pun, I know, but my other titles were getting boring)

After getting back from our class trip to Siena, I decided to take a trip of my own to the nearby town of Fiesole, which was about a 15 minute bus ride up the mountain. I wasn’t expecting to see anything but a gorgeous view of Firenze, so I was pleasantly surprised to find an archeological museum and beautiful church there! Although the people in my group are amazing, it was really nice to be able to take some time away to do exactly what I wanted to and go through the museum at my own pace.

a typical Italian street

I love learning about the ancient Greeks and Romans so walking through this museum was really interesting. From what I understood (not all the signs were in English), Fiesole was originally founded by the Etruscans (native people), but then redeveloped by the Romans so it has a history rich with both native and Roman culture. The museum itself had an amazing collection of pottery, sculptures, sarcophagi, figurines, coins and even a skeleton from the different periods of the town’s history. I loved taking my time looking at everything and reading the descriptions (skipping the few that I didn’t find interesting, of course).

view from the archeological museum

Hercules, anyone??

view of the other side of the mountain from inside the museum– Although the mountain was extremely small and you could walk all the way around the top in about 20-30 minutes, Florence couldn’t be seen from the museum.

By far, my favorite part of the museum was its coin collection… there were so many! I loved that you could see Caesar’s head on some of them and then others just look like pennies that were made by flattening an M&M (y’all know what I’m talking about). I could’ve spent an entire day there just looking at those coins. I just wish I could’ve had someone explain all of them to me, with the story of when and where they were used. The little plaque just didn’t give me the detail that I wanted!!

coins from ancient Fiesole– The coins were by far my favorite part of this museum. It was fascinating to see all the different ones from various regions/time periods and read about their histories. If I didn’t know before, I know now… I’m definitely meant to be a business/accounting major!

I have bad eyesight but I can definitely read the word “Caesar” on there!

After leaving the museum building, you can walk around outside through the ruins of the temples and theater. I loved Fiesole because it was so quiet and peaceful. It was a great escape from the city of Firenze where I was always moving from one museum to the next or finding some place to eat or going shopping in a crowded market with a group of people. Fiesole was my chance to relax and just stroll through the ruins enjoying the quiet and beauty.

The archeological museum is also used as a museum for more modern art. This was on the path between the museum building and the ruins.

the ancient Fiesole theater

ruins of one of the temples

Visitors were actually allowed to walk right up to and wander through the ruins (without actually touching them)… it was really cool.

all of the different temples, though distinguishing between them seems impossible to me

just another view from the ruins

Fiesole’s main piazza

After having my fill of stillness and relaxation, I walked around the piazza and headed over to Fiesole’s church because I had heard it was gorgeous. It was. I loved its simplicity in comparison to the churches in Firenze.

The church was so beautiful that I had to take a picture even though it wasn’t allowed…

the outside of the church

I left the church in search of a good view of Firenze. It took me a couple minutes to find somewhere that wasn’t private property (I made a friend with an elderly man who was looking for the same thing), but eventually I found a few good places along the busy mountain road. It was a fairly hazy day, but you can still see the Duomo standing tall and proud along the skyline.

walking to get a good view of Firenze

the view of Firenze from someone’s driveway

la bella Firenze ❤

the Duomo is on the left hand side near the horizon line

can you imagine these previous views of Florence from your living room window?

It was only a short trip to Fiesole, but I enjoyed every second of it, from the relaxation and history to the beautiful setting.

Living life the Italian way

yummy risotto with mushrooms from the cafe around the corner from our hotel

I know it’s been such a long time since the last time I’ve posted, but I’ve been so busy squeezing every last ounce of fun out of my last week in Florence (oh yeah, and I was studying for my art history final too). We did so much in the last week… mostly we were were trying to act Italian by eating delicious food, people watching, picnicking, relaxing in piazzas, and meeting new people!

the sandwich "shop" I Due Fratellini (or more like a stand because it's literally just 2 guys behind a counter in the wall)-- really cheap sandwiches that are wildly popular among locals because of the fresh ingredients and delicious bread. It's been around since 1875!

eating on the curb outside I Due Fratellini just like the locals do 🙂

lunch from my favorite cafe in Piazza San Marco-- I spent my last Sunday afternoon leisurely eating my lunch by myself at an outdoor table and people watching. I felt so Italian.

a close-up of the dessert because it was just so delicious

pigeons are EVERYWHERE

Cailin and I just grabbed a bench in a park between our classes and sat there for 2 hours just talking, eating gelato, and watching the children get picked up from school.

making new international friends! This is Yves from Switzerland, whom we met while we were relaxing in the piazza in front of Palazzo Pitti before going in to see a museum.

lounging in a piazza before class... I have such a hard life 😉

experiencing my first Italian train strike while on the way home from Cinque Terre-- Now I feel like I'm truly Italian!!

More will come soon about the other things we’ve done in the last week… plus my first few days in Parma! Let me just tell you now, Parma is amazing and I love it here already. (Though my tailbone is sore from riding my bike on the bumpy cobblestone streets… any tips on how to best avoid this problem??)

A presto, mia famiglia e amici!! ❤

Seaicorns 4 Life!!

Santa Croce—the Franciscan church I mentioned in an earlier post—is where we spent our next day of class. In addition to the history of art and Florence that the class focuses on, we’re now learning about architectural development, St. Francis of Assisi, other saints’ lives, and the history of the Catholic Church!

about 1/3 of the BC gang in the program

inside the Santa Croce

Santa Croce is the burying place of many famous historical figures—within about 50 square feet I could see the tombs of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and Galileo among many other famous Italians.

Machiavelli

Michelangelo

Galileo

I’ve missed the Disney store so much since they took it out of the Trumbull mall in CT. We were all SO excited when we saw this near the Duomo on one of our first days. I’ve been into this store about 2 or 3 times already and I’ve only been here for a week… I’m still a kid at heart!!

After our art history excursion to Santa Croce, Cailin and I decided to tackle the dome of the Duomo. To get to the top you need to climb 463 stairs, but these aren’t just regular stairs… They’re tiny spiral staircases that can only handle a single file line. A few sets had stairs that barely fit my big feet on them. These stairs are actually within the two layers of the dome. Brunelleschi’s innovative design of this dome is simply amazing and a technological miracle for his time. While climbing through these tight spaces at a practically vertical angle, I found myself amazed that people in the early 1400s could build in such a tight space… I could barely walk in it while standing up straight!

a spiral staircase for climbing up to the dome

climbing between the inner and outer dome– look how steep the incline is!

view of the fresco on the dome from the uppermost inside level— Though they don’t let you stop to look at the fresco for a long time because they want to keep the line moving, it was really cool to see it at eye level because you notice all the detail of the figures the artist included that you can’t see from the ground. The figures themselves are huge(!), which makes it so much easier to understand what the artist is portraying.

views of Florence from the very top of the dome…

just some random graffiti on the top of the dome that we thought was really funny… Charlotte, I thought of you as soon as I saw this!!

Cailin is smiling on the way down because she knows that the end of the 900 steps is within sight! (Only figuratively, of course, because you can’t see the end of a spiral staircase.) Notice that Cailin’s hand is on the wall to go down the stairs. When she was actually in the staircase she had both hands on the walls so she didn’t fall over and she’d wobble when she stepped off the spiral staircases. Cailin, who I will probably never see tipsy because she doesn’t drink, looked drunk when she was walking through the dome. Yup, the two sober girls of the trip gave Americans a bad name for being drunk at noon. Awesome 🙂

Odds and ends of my everyday Florentine life

the welcome dinner on my third night in Italia… great food, wine and company

Though I love my time in my art history class with my professor Rocky, I also enjoy the time I spend sightseeing on my own, eating good food, dancing at the discotech, and having fun with my new friends. Most of these pictures are self-explanatory but the captions will fill you in if not…

my new best friend… the Playmobile pirate 😀

the sign on the tip jar at the discotech… I love it haha

the most delicious pizza I’ve had in Florence so far!

a beautiful Tuscan sunset as seen from the hotel window

I dare you to guess what this thing is… I doubt you can… This is a coffee machine believe it or not. I went into a pastry shop asking for a cappuccino and she points me to this. I stared at it for a good 5 minutes looking for a money slot or a cup to put the coffee in as the woman behind the counter just laughed and pointed. After what seemed like an eternity, she took pity on me and came out to help. It produces the only take away cup of coffee I’ve ever seen in Italia! Though you still stand at the counter to drink the most delicious cappuccino I’ve ever tasted…

Cailin and our very delicious sandwiches… hot tomato and mozzerella panino anyone?

the prosciutto, cheese and wine shop in the central market… Mom, you’d love this place. It had more types of cheese than you could ever imagine!

people wandering around the marketplace

a beautiful fruit stand in the market

Mommy, look at all the cheese!! It’s never-ending!

All throughout the market there were stands that looked just like this with huge bags of dried and sliced mushrooms of many different kinds. Then there were sun-dried tomatoes, spices, and homemade pastas filling up the rest of the little stand.

the outdoor portion of the market… While inside market veggies and other food was sold, outside vendors sold leather goods, touristy souvenirs, scarves, and other clothing. I actually controlled myself and didn’t buy anything! Be proud, Dad 🙂

Everywhere you go in this city you can see the dome of a church. This one happens to be the Duomo, as seen from the piazza in front of another church, Santa Croce.

Santa Croce, a Franciscan church, and its piazza which is a beautiful place to sit and hang out when it isn’t too hot

This one is for you, Andrew! Little kids here chase the pigeons just like you used to chase the birds in Cape Cod. It’s still so cute to watch!

We spent yesterday’s class at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo which was a really beautiful, air conditioned (yay!) museum filled with all the statues and decorations that used to fill the Duomo along with architectural plans for its design. Once again, I love my art history class and I learn so much more in those 2 hours than I could have in any BC classroom. If you ever come to Florence visit this museum!!

Mary Magdalene by Donatello– I’ve seen pictures of this a thousand times but never appreciated its beauty until it was standing right in front of me. Pictures just do not do this sculpture justice.

Michelangelo’s 2nd Pieta (unfinished)– Not to repeat myself too much, but art really means so much more when you know the story behind it. Apparently when creating this sculpture, Michelangelo noticed that the piece of marble was bad about halfway through so he got angry and started to destroy his own work. His assistant stopped him and glued some pieces back together but Michelangelo never touched the sculpture again. After his death, his assistant carved Mary Magdalene on the left, which is why she is so much smaller than the others. Interesting, isn’t it?

Intense sightseeing… with an exam at the end

After these past 3 crazy days I don’t even know where to start this next story!

September 11, 2011… It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years and I was a little disappointed when I noticed I wouldn’t be in the country for the memorial and the patriotism that I thought this day would bring. Luckily, Cailin (one of my roommates) and I were able to watch part of the memorial in NY from the tiny TV in our hotel room.  *Note the picture with the American flags on the TV screen and the beautiful Italian landscape in through the window… I thought the juxtaposition was kinda cool but that the globalized nerd in me showing itself.*

watching the 9/11 memorial service in NY

Cailin hanging out in our room… notice the computer screen with no internet connection 😦

When you’re living in a city as full of history and art as Florence, it can sometimes be overwhelming as to where one should start. We’ve now decided that the best plan of action can sometimes be just wandering aimlessly through the streets, deciding only at an intersection which direction we should travel. This day we walked past the Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery before choosing to see the Ponte Vecchio… again. (I just can’t stay away from it…. I love how different it is from bridges you see elsewhere in this city and throughout Italy!) This time we walked across it and admired the views, shopping, and people.

the Duomo! I see it many times a day and I’m still amazed by its scale and beauty

I love the Ponte Vecchio ❤

Ponte Vecchio crowded with people

view from side #1

view from side #2

yes, it’s the same view zoomed in… but I wanted you all to notice the beauty of the river and the mountains

On our way back to the hotel we passed a statue of Dante Alighieri and I took a picture… little did I know that there’s a statue of Dante on almost every street.

Dante Alighieri… namesake of my study abroad program, author of The Inferno, and a prominent Florentine man

The next day, Monday was our first day of “classes”. Now before you get mad, Mom and Dad, you have to admit that you knew I was coming to Italy to sightsee. But this is the most intense sightseeing you could ever imagine. We spent two hours sitting at the base of the column in Piazza Repubblica with our notebooks, scribbling furiously as our art history professor told us 2000 years of history that had occurred at that very spot. Just imagine that… we sat in 1 spot… for 2 hours… and discussed 2000 years of social, technological, political, linguistic, and economic changes that had been taken place exactly where I was sitting. I can’t say I have ever been in love with studying history before but now I can’t get enough. And we didn’t just limit our topics to the historical figures that bore us to death in history textbooks. We translated the inscription above the triumphal arch and he told us how it was an allusion to Dante, once again showing his importance in reviving the city after the Black Death. All of you, come to Florence at the end of these 3 weeks and I will be able to give you a personal guided tour with more information than you could ever possibly want to know. 🙂

the forum of the old Florentia… the Temple of Jupiter (their supreme god) was located where the building with the Edison sign now stands

the column that marks the cuore, or heart, of old Florentia

a beautiful arch built in 1895 to restore Florence’s marketplace to its old glory

the inscription is another allusion to Dante, the man who gave birth to the Renaissance and restored Florence’s glory after the dark ages

For the second part of class we sat in another Piazza (Piazza della Signoria) and learned some of the political history of Florence because within this piazza is what used to be the town hall, built after Florence broke from the Holy Roman Empire. I won’t get into the details because I’m sure you all don’t really want to hear, but I absolutely love hearing the history of Florence while sitting in the spot where it happened. This is the way all history classes should be taught!!

Piazza della Signoria! one of the first places I found in Florence and one of the sights on my first day of my art history class!

After a decent lunch (we’ve only had a couple outstanding meals here which I’ll have to write about in a later post), a few of us went on our own into the Baptistery which is absolutely gorgeous. See for yourself in the pictures. Then we walked around and did some window shopping before our Italian class!

dome of the Baptistery includes a mosaic of the Last Judgment (of course– is there an Italian church that doesn’t have this scene??)

the light streaming through the windows made for an ethereal atmosphere suitable for a Baptistery of such beauty

ornately decorated Baptistery walls

mosaics on the Baptistery ceiling

the floor behind the Gates of Paradise remind one of the Islamic world… and how Italy and Europe were the crossroads of the world in the medieval era

the beautiful altar of the Baptistery

random pictures from around Florence…

it’s amazing that both horses and buses share these tiny back-roads

such an awesome store but couldn’t buy anything… I know it’s Ferrari and Ferrari is an expensive brand, but 10 euro for a simple pen is a little ridiculous

I’ll post again soon about the social life and food. I was just too excited about my art history class to talk about anything else. I love and miss you all!! ❤

Arrivederci, Connecticut… Ciao, Firenze!

suitcases packed and all ready to go!

I’ve been told by many of my friends that I’m an awful storyteller (you girls know who you are ;)), but I love to take pictures so I’ll let my photos tell the stories of my adventures for me.  I wish you all could experience these sights and wonders with me, but enjoy my pictures and we can both pretend you’re here…

view from my room in Firenze

Today 7 other BC students and I walked to Piazzale Michelangelo for a gorgeous view of all of Florence. To get to the top we had to climb stairs that rivaled the infamous “million dollar stairs” on the BC campus, but the view was worth it. After stopping and admiring the view for a few hours, we meandered back down through the back streets of Florence, pausing only to admire a church away from the touristy side of the city. It’s amazing how something as beautiful as this church could go unnoticed in this city simply because it lacks the fame of the Duomo or the prestige of the Medici family.

the Duomo

the Pontevecchio, the only bridge in Firenze not destroyed during WWII

view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

ahhh… beautiful Tuscany 🙂

the Pontevecchio as seen from Piazzale Michelangelo

the pretty little church…