Updates from Florence

I want to apologize for my lack of blogging as of late; I don’t think I’ve provided any updates since I’ve been here in Florence, so I’ll do my best to let you know what I’ve been up to in the past week and half.

First off, thank goodness for Star Internet Café…all of us students found this place that’s only €25 for unlimited internet access for a month, so we definitely gave that place some hefty business for this month.

So, our first day in Florence was last Sunday, and we were all a little intimidated at first. Our hotel, Hotel Patrizia, is right next to the Arno (we’re very close to the Amerigo Vespucci Bridge, if you’re interested), and exploring the city the first day was a little difficult since we hadn’t quite gotten our bearings yet.

Florence is a very distinctive and unique place. The first thing I noticed when I stepped off of the bus was the smell of honeysuckle. There are a lot of other “smells” in Florence, but that is one of the most pleasant and permeating. The streets, too, are unique. The cobblestone has taken some getting used to, and my Florence map has become a close companion. Some of my favorite places around the city have included the Santa Maria Novella Piazza and walking along the Arno, passing the various bridges.

Classes in Florence have been really great. I’ve drawn in the Signoria, inside the Duomo, and on various streets of Florence. Coming to Italy, I thought a lot of my time would be spent working with live models, but all of our drawings have been based on paintings or sculptures; I’ve really enjoyed that because it’s been a great way to really get to know a piece of artwork. You can take a million pictures of places you’ve been, but when you sit down with something and draw it for a couple of hours, you really get to know it.

Last week, I drew Hercules and the Centaur in the Signoria. I’ve never seen such a kinetic statue, and drawing it really made it come alive for me. This week, our sketchbook assignment was a trio of drawings of faces: one from the Byzantine Period, one from the Early Renaissance, and one from the Late Renaissance. One of these drawings had to be cross-hatched; although I’ve done a bit of cross-hatching, it was still a challenge for me. It was great to experiment stylistically in a place like this, though; inspiration is everywhere. Once I’m back home, I’ll work on posting pictures of my drawings from here.

We also visited the Uffizi Gallery last week. We only got about an hour and half to spend there, and the amount of priceless paintings there was overwhelming. From there, a couple of friends and I began the search for dinner, and I had my first taste of real Italian spaghetti…and oh my goodness, it was nothing short of amazing. From there, the three of us took a walk along the Arno, and I had my first taste of cheesecake gelato. Friends, let me tell you that there’s nothing in the world quite like that. Cheesecake is one thing, but cheesecake gelato…divine.

On Friday, Alyssa, Joe, and I went to Pisa for the day. The thing about Pisa is, it’s actually a pretty small town; from the train station to the other end of the town is only about a 30 minute walk. So…we started walking. We stopped at a little place near the Arno for lunch, and for just €1, I had the best croissant of my life. Those who know me know that I’m a lover of all things bread, so for me, this was a heavenly experience. (I have a feeling that upon my return to the States, I’ll be in need of Italy detox…no bread or Nutella for a while!). After that, we just kept walking for a while, hoping to find some sort of something that directed us toward THE Tower. After about 20 minutes of walking, we came around one not-so-important corner, and we were greeted by architecture’s most famous blunder. The tower isn’t too tall, but it’s definitely still impressive. What I didn’t realize is that it’s surrounded by other Pisan architecture. We ended up paying €6 to go into the Baptistry and the Duomo of Pisa; going inside the Tower alone cost €15, so we opted out for that. After wandering around for a couple of hours, we grabbed some gelato and headed back toward the train station.

Instead of heading straight back to Florence, we decided to be adventurous and stop off at San Miniato on our way back. This place is known for its castle on top of a hill as well as some restaurants. “Why not?” we thought. Oh, how sadly mistaken we were! This place was a ghost town besides for the castle, which was a hike from the train station. We were all exhausted, so after walking around this place for about 30 minutes, we headed right back to the station to head back to the comfort of Florence.

This week has been pretty great so far. We visited the Academia yesterday which houses Michelangelo’s David and a plethora of altarpieces. The David is just as majestic and beautiful as everyone says it is. Thankfully, we caught it at a non-busy time, so we weren’t herded in and out like cattle. What I found particularly interesting, though, was the four unfinished statues of Michelangelo’s called the Slaves. I loved standing as close to them as I could and knowing that Michelangelo stood in that same spot. Because they’re unfinished, you’re given a real glimpse of Michelangelo’s process, an experience that really humanizes the genius we’ve all heard of.

One of the most fun experiences I’ve had in Italy has been watching the World Cup with the locals. Last week, we watched the US play, and a couple of nights ago, a group of us went to an Irish pub (yes, haha) to watch Italy play Paraguay. Watching the World Cup surrounded by a bunch of Italians is just priceless. There was such enthusiasm and passion in that room…you couldn’t help but root for Italy. J

Last night, I had the best Mexican food experience of my life! We’d all been craving some Mexican food, and one of the girls on our trip had been raving about this restaurant called Tijuana. After wandering the streets of Florence for a good 30 minutes, we finally found it, and oh goodness, it was all you could ever ask for in a Mexican restaurant. I got a chicken burrito, and it was fantastic. We also got chips and salsa (you have to order them here) and just feasted for a good hour, haha. The prices were fantastic, and we definitely plan on visiting it again before we leave.

After eating, we started walking back, and it came the most torrential downpour of rain I’ve seen in a while. I brought my little mini-umbrella (thankfully), but it didn’t do much good against the wind and rain. There’s this one piazza that we always pass through on our way around the city, and at that point, Alyssa and I were just soaked. We ended up running around in the rain, acting a fools (haha). It was fantastic fun, and Florence is gorgeous in the rain…at night. The lights just make everything come alive, and the rain really brings that into focus.

The rain in the day, however, is not as magical and fun. Today, we went to the Borgelo, which is basically Florence’s crowning jewel of sculptural collections. Our walk over to this place was marked by yet another downpour, and this time, it wasn’t as fun. We were all soaked by the time we reached the museum, so we all had to take a breather moment to get back into the art appreciation mode.

As Teresa my drawing teacher said, just the first room of the museum was worth the €4 entrance fee. I saw a few pieces by Michelangelo, my favorite being the Bacchus. I sat and drew for the majority of my time there, working on the amazing sculpture Mercury. Alyssa and I walked around a bit more after that, and then we headed back to the room.

This week has been cooler than last week because of the rain, but we think that the rain has made the mosquitoes seek shelter. We’ve all been getting extra-bitten in our rooms, so that’s a downside…but I’ve been loving the cooler weather.

I’ve been admittedly getting a little homesick. Kayla Beth tells me that the first three weeks in a new place are the hardest, and I believe that. I miss Seymour and the comfort of home, but I’m starting to really enjoy the growing familiarity of Florence. I’ve begun to frequent certain restaurants and gelato shops rather than just peruse random ones, and faces have become more familiar. I have a little less than 2 weeks left here, and even though homesickness takes hold every now and again, I take comfort in knowing that the people and places I cherish most are not going anywhere. Tennessee will still be Tennessee on June 30, and until then, I plan on soaking in every last bit of Florence that I can.

I turn 20 on Friday, and we’ll be spending the day in Venice. I can’t imagine a more exciting birthday, and it should be great fun.

If you’ve read this entire thing, you’re amazing, and I truly appreciate it. I’m going to do my best to continue to update this as my time in Italy comes to a close, so stay tuned. J