Three of us went up Thursday night after class for an extra night in Florence. We stayed with my roommate Laura's friend from home who is studying there through Syracuse. She was so sweet to us and was so concerned about showing us a good time, even though she had to be on a train to Rome at 9am the next morning. That night, she took us out with her friends to their Irish pub that they go to all the time, followed by a club that was giving away free Nutella. I kid you not, this place had JUGS of Nutella on the bar with plastic spoons on the side for the bartendars to give to customers. I had two spoonfuls of course. A club in Italy giving away free Nutella? I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
The next morning, Liz, Laura, and I got up and attempted to wander the city until the rest of our friends came and Liz and I had class at 3. We walked into the center from the apartment and stopped for little pizzettas (mini pizzas) for breakfast, natrually. We walked into the center and the first thing I see is the Duomo. Even though I've seen it before, I was blown away. That church is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. Immediately I was pumped to be in Florence.
That afternoon, after we found our hostel to put our bags down, Liz, Laura and I went to the Uffizi Galleria. I had been there before with a private tour that BC arranged for us on the Parma program, but this time we went through with an audio tour which makes all the difference. To someone going, I suggest arranging a private tour or taking an audio tour because there is nothing cooler than being told the story behind a painting or interesting facts about it. It makes walking through an art museum that much more interesting. Our teacher had given us a sheet of paper with some paintings on it, and it was our responsibility to find the name, artist, year, and three adjectives describing the paintings. At first I was annoyed by the assignment, but as I was doing it, I found myself thinking about the paintings even more and noticing the details on the expressions of the figures and the colors. Of course, I spent the most time in Botticelli's room. My favorite painting of all time, the Primavera, is in the same room as Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and both are absolutely breathtaking. I also fell in love with another painting, Venus of Urbino, by the late Renaissance artist Vecelli. I am not much of an art museum kinda person, but after taking this class I have a whole new appreciation and love for the Renaissance.
Liz and I left the museum just in time to meet our class in front of the Duomo. Little interesting fact for you: the Duomo had no roof for 50 years because no one could figure out how to build proper scaffolding to complete the dome. Enter: Brunelleschi who invented scaffolding and machines to lift things to the top. It is considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance.
Anyway, that afternoon our teacher took us to other sites around the city. After my onsite classes, I am the best tour guide for both Rome AND Florence! She talked about the Baptista and the Bronze doors (the artist, Ghiberti, won a competition beating Brunelleschi, and Brunelleschi, the little girl that he is, was humiliated and left the city for Rome after that). We also visited Palazzo Medici (Medici palace near the Duomo), Brunelleschi's Ospedale degli Innocenti (orphan hospital he designed and created this famous architectural element called the loggia, which is an outdoor porch created by perfect arches...my teacher's FAVORITE thing to talk about) and a few more churches.
After finishing class at 6, Katie, Liz and I met up with the rest of our roommates and headed to Tijiuana, a Mexican restaurant in Florence. I know I know, are you kidding Caitlin? A mexican restaurant in Italy? Some would say a new low, but I disagree. As amazing and incredible the food I have been eating is, there is nothing like some beans and rice, tacos, and a pitcher of margaritas to remind you of home. And we all know my love for Mexican is right up there with my love for Italian food. Anyway, at dinner I was dared with the promise of gelato from the best gelato place in Rome to eat a chili pepper, and I never back down from a chance of free gelato. So I did it. I ate half a chili pepper. It was SO painful! Nothing I did stopped the pain, and we didn't have any bread, only tortilla, to mask the taste, and that wasn't strong enough. It actually reminded me of when I got stung by a Jelly fish. The pain wasn't the worst pain I've ever felt, but it was constant and seemingly never-ending, thus more annoying than painful. Now I can say that I've eaten a chili pepper...another thing to add to my lists of accomplishments in life. We all had a really good time and enjoyed the food, but Katie Flynn had a weird allergic reaction to something in her food and started breaking out in hives and her skin was turning bright red all over her body. She and I left to find a Farmacia to buy some Benadryl, but no such luck. Finally, Laura called us telling us she had some in her purse so all was well again. The night ended up being a perfect night, as we went to bed at 11 and got an amazing night of sleep. Katie even said that she was happy she went to the mexican restaurant because it was so good. I need to find one in Rome.
On Saturday morning, we met our class at 10 and went to the Borgello Museum to see scuptures of Donatello and Michelangelo. We saw Donatello's David which was cool to compare to Michelangelo's David. From there we went to Santa Croce, a medieval and renaissance church, where Machiavelli, Dante, and Galileo are all buried. After that, at around 1, it was lunch time. The BC students in the class, Jack, Andrew, Liz, Katie and I all grabbed lunch together and climbed to the top of the Duomo. Just like last time I was there, it was again one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Its one of those sights where no matter how many times you've seen it, it gets better and better every time. The cool thing is last time I was up there, about a year and a half ago, I asked my friends "I wonder when the next time I'll be up here is". I remembered asking that when I was up there, and it was pretty cool to think about my life then and my life now, with so much in between.
Anyway, that afternoon we went to see Michelangelo's David. Just like last time, I snuck a picture or two, but this time got caught. As I was going to take a picture, the woman saw me and I ran back to where my teacher was talking to the class, and the woman came over and yelled at me in front of the entire class and the teacher, saying things like I didn't need to be there and I could be out shopping instead of in the museum. Needless to say, it was one of the most offending and embarrassing experiences in my entire life. It might be awhile until I try and sneak pictures again.
So after we finished class, I met up with my roommates Laura and Suzy, and the three of us bought a bottle of wine and hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo, one of the best views of Rome. Its high up on a hill across the river, a semi hike to get to, but absolutely worth it. We were there just in time to see the sun set over the city "skyline", of which comprises only the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio, the palace next to the Uffizi. It was beautiful and I am so glad we got up there. Apparently I can't get enough of aerial views of Florence and its surrounding Tuscan hills.
So the story gets better. The next day, Laura and I left Florence early to go to Parma to visit our host family, Anna and Aldo Bonomi. As soon as we got to Parma, the memories came rushing back. We went to the place where we got our first pizza (I forgot how good/different pizza is in the north compared to the south...don't ask me which is my favorite), walked from the train station all the way to their house which took us along the same road we walked every single day and right by our apartment. So many things that I had forgotten about I remembered that day. Parma is and forever will be my home in Italy.
Our family had us over for lunch, and they cooked us an unbelievable meal, as per usual, and entertained us with great conversation. Laura and I were both surprised how much Italian we understood and spoke during that lunch, as we both have problems here in Rome. Aldo even played us the harmonica while Anna sang, which was one of our favorite memories! Anna had the postcard I sent her from Sydney on the fridge, and the picture book I made her on the coffee table. They are truly the most amazing family in the world, and will always have a special place in my heart. When we left, Laura and I both talked about how part of us regretted not going back to Parma, and we know that it would have been an amazing experience, maybe even better than Rome, but both of us know it would have been different than the last time we were there, and we would never want anything to ruin that month that to this day is the most amazing month of our lives.
We plan on going back sometime in late April...I can't wait.
1 comment:
cait -- make sure you read "birth of venus" given how you love firenze.
XOXO
mammas
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