The internet is down at my apartment! :( I'll update when I can & hopefully it will be up and running again soon!!
Love,
Becca
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
SPRING IS IN THE AIR!!! (Although, now I've jinxed it and it's cold outside!)
Greetings! Hope all is well on the home front!
The Roman front continues to be spectacular - especially because the days are getting warmer and the trees and plants are blooming!
So, last week:
I had my last Italian class (wah!!) it was a sad affair... haha, not really. But I was disappointed.
I really need to work on SPEAKING!
After lunch, Tom from Germany and I went shopping and then I just strolled around by myself for a little... where I stumbled across the Colosseum (I really saw it from about 10 blocks away and decided to go see it up-close!) I also strolled around looking at the Forum and all the other ruins in the area. Despite being completely overcast, it was a very nice day.
After this, I went back to the apartment and did some reading and internet-surfing while waiting for my pre-arranged meeting time with McKenzie! 6:15pm Came about and I left for the Trevi Fountain (where I was told to meet McKenzie). I got there around 7:oopm (hooray for public transportation!) and stood staring at the fountain and all the tourists in search of anyone that looked familiar from Redlands. An hour went by without seeing ANYONE. I decided that maybe McKenzie had wanted me to meet her at her hotel, so I headed in that direction. Once I got to Termini, I went searching for her hotel, which, I later decided, did not exist. I didn't have my cell phone with me so I couldn't get a hold of any of my Lexia friends to just meet up with them (I was supposed to call when I'd found McKenzie & inform them of our plans for dinner and the rest of the evening...) So, I trekked home for my phone and in hopes that McKenzie had tried to email me with a change of plans or something -- but not so! I jotted down the phone number for the hotel, called, but she wasn't in. So, I decided to just head over to meet up with my Lexia friends who had some real Italians making pizza! I was starving and irritated so this sounded WONDERFUL. I got to Mike's around 10:00pm and had a couple slices of amazing, homemade pizza, when I decided to call the hotel again. It went through and McKenzie's roommate answered - apparently McKenzie was downstairs trying to call me! So, her roomie ran down stairs to get her and apparently, they had gotten stuck in traffic so their whole day was late. She doesn't have a cell phone or anything, so obviously, she couldn't get a hold of me. At any rate, we found her hotel on the map, and I set off to find her!
I got to her hotel in about 5 minutes from Mike's. It was SO great to see her! Especially because I hadn't seen her for 3 months!! I didn't realize it had been so long! Needless to say, we were both screaming at each other about a mile a minute about what we'd been doing and everything, it was quite entertaining. We returned to Mike's where she met everyone, we ate some pizza and visited with everyone. Then we decided to head over to the pub, Druid's for a bit. Where we sat around some more talking and enjoying the company.
Afterward, I walked McKenzie back to her hotel and decided that I would meet up with her and the rest of the Redlands group the next day to join in some of their tours.
So, Saturday, I was up and out the door at 11 in order to meet McKenzie at the Colosseum metro stop for a trip to St. Paul's Outside the Walls. It was MASSIVE!! What I liked the most was that it had pictures of all the Popes lining the walls... apparently some people believe that when they run out of room for the Popes' pictures, the world will end. Haha. Who knows?!
After this, I brought McKenzie back to my place to show her my digs! She also checked her email and such (and good thing, too, because she didn't know we were registering the next week!!). We also tried to plan out the rest of her time here when she was not with the Redlands group. Then we headed to Campo de Fiori to meet up with some Lexia people and to do some shopping (I had already picked out some shops that I knew McKenzie would LOVE! We bought some souvenirs and then went to the "Drunken Ship" (a bar at Campo where Marlene, Lizz, and Nina were waiting for us)
where we shared our first alcoholic beverage together since both of us turned 21 (it's really not that exciting here though, because you can get a beer or some wine anywhere and not get carded - it's weird!). McKenzie, Marlene and I were starving so after a little while we went off in search of sustenance! We found a nice little place off of Piazza Navona and then returned to Campo afterward. We hung out there for a little longer, but McKenzie was going to go to Mass at St. Peter's the next morning, so we headed home early and decided that I would meet her again the next day at St. Peter's at 12 to be blessed by the Pope and do some more tours with the Redlands group.
12:00pm Sunday, I hopped off the bus and ran for St. Peter's. Little did I know just how MASSIVE this piazza is... and everyone wants to be blessed by the Pope!
My pictures really don't give a proper idea of how many people were there - ie: When I went through the gates, I stopped dead and had a mini-panic attack thinking about how in the world I would ever find her with SO many people!
But anyway, I took a shot and started weaving through the people. It was a beautiful day! (As you can see in my pictures!)
When he finished talking, people began pouring out of the piazza and I just walked in circles trying to find McKenzie, and by some miracle, I found her!! We got a wonderful lunch of Nutella crepes and then headed into St. Peter's Basilica before leaving with the Redlands group for the next stop (Castel San'Angelo).
St. Peter's is one BIG CHURCH!! We saw this sculpture to the right, by Michelangelo, and various other sculptures and frescoes by amazing artists. Anyone could EASILY get lost in this place! It was unreal...
This is the list of all the Saints of the Catholic church (the most recent Saint was initiated - or whatever it's called- in 2005).
Here's a mosaic from St. Peter's, B.A.!!
Afterward, we went to the Castel San'Angelo (the castle the Pope used to vacation at, as well as
where he would retreat during threatening times). One thing I must admit - I am glad I'm here with Lexia because I would be SO upset that I only had 10 days to tour Rome!! The trip to the Castel was only a brief description from the outside - as there was not enough time to do a full tour within, which I will be doing with the Lexia group soon.
(Church in Piazza Navona, I don't remember the name)
When McKenzie's professor finished the lightning-fast tour, we were free to go and do whatever we wanted. McKenzie and I went into the Pantheon for a bit, but it was full of people, we could hardly move around! It was beautiful though - not at all what I was expecting! It looks just like any other post-antiquity/Renaissance-style church inside. You would never guess from within that it has such ancient history.
The Dome of the Pantheon
The hole in the Dome - still open to the elements.
The main altar of the Pantheon.
We decided to head back over to Campo de Fiori, to see if one of the shops that was closed the day before was open and for some more exploring and much needed gelato! And later met up with everyone for dinner at Mike's.
*Vee: Here's a pic of your souvenir from Rome that McKenzie found for you:
Monday was a fun and exhausting day. I had lent my phone to McKenzie so that she could call Marlene when she was finished with her tours with the Redlands group, and meet up with me! She was very adventurous and found her way to my school from the Vatican museums with no problems!! She came in a little after our lunch break and sat in for our afternoon lecture. After class, I took her to the Isola Tiberina, the Jewish Ghetto (mainly the Jewish bakery, which is AMAZING!), and the Trevi Fountain (which she had been to before, but hadn't thrown a coin!!). After the Trevi, we wandered a bit, got some delicious gelato, served to us by a deliciously handsome Brazilian named Diego, who REALLY wanted to take McKenzie out after he was finished with work (I don't know why she didn't go for it!!) But anyway, we did some souvenir shopping and more wandering.
I tried to take her to the Crypta Cappucini and the church with Bernini's famous opera, but by the time we got there, they were both closed!! Oh well... after looking at the outside of Bernini's church (that's not what it's called, but that is what I'm going to refer to it as), I took McKenzie to a Sicilian Bakery nearby (which is also AMAZING!) where she got a cannolo (singular of cannoli) and another type of pastry for her long drive to Assisi the nest day (Tuesday).
We had a lovely dinner, just the two of us, at our regular spot (Il Tavolinetto) and then met up with Lizz at Druid's for a fairwell toast. While we were there, we met a very nice pair of guys - one Italian and one Greek. We talked with them for a while, and the Italian quizzed Lizz and I on our Italian skills (I won't reveal our grades...) and the Greek guy, Nikolaus, told me various places in Greece to visit (mainly clubs and good restaurants) after looking at McKenzie's list of tourist spots. Around 12am, we headed home, I walked McKenzie back to her hotel and said goodbye and discussed last minute plans for me to visit her in Salzburg (hopefully next weekend?)
Tuesday morning McKenzie was scheduled to visit the Villa Borghese gallery in the morning, and then head off to Assisi in the afternoon. As for me, I had a Lexia lecture with Tom in the morning and then a passagiata with Silvia to
the Church of Trinita' del Monti (at the top of the Spanish Steps), the artist's street, and the Orsini chapel within the church at the Piazza del Popolo.
The next day was calm (I was totally exhausted from what I like to call, 'the grand-un-grand tour of Rome' as it was all the cool stuff in Rome McKenzie wasn't going to see with her group). We had class in the morning and afternoon and then came home to rest.
Thursday we didn't have any class, for some reason (I think Tom had to teach at John Cabot that day?). So Marlene and I slept in, and went to the park near our house in the afternoon to do some reading and lounging. We considered going to a DaVinci exhibit in the Piazza del Popolo, but it was the one I had seen in Chicago and that had come to the Palm Springs Air Museum!! How strange is that? I KNOW.
Finally on Friday we made it to Ostia Antica - the ancient Roman port city. It was a glorious day and I have way too many pictures and too much information to put everything up here (Tom is an amazing tour guide - he is literally a walking encyclopedia).
Rome's first and only pyramid, built to house the tomb
of Caius Cestius during the times of Augustus.
Lizz, Me, Nina enjoying the sun.
Hot air was pumped through the hallow terracotta pipes into the saunas of the baths.
After our field trip, we had dinner at Mike's, visited our friend Lizz who started working at the Drunken Ship in Campo de Fiori, and then ended the night at Druid's for a farewell toast to Tom from Germany, who left Saturday for Munich.
Saturday Marlene's friend from Macalester came in from Prague (where she is studying) and we took her around a little to various sites in Rome (Similar to my grand-un-grand tour for McKenzie, but she's got four days without pre-arranged tours).
Well, I've tried to make this entry more bare-bones than my last entry... it's still really long though. Hahah, oh well!
I'm hoping to make it to Salzburg this coming weekend, and then the weekend after that is the start of Spring Break!
Ciao ciao everyone!!
Love,
Becca
The Roman front continues to be spectacular - especially because the days are getting warmer and the trees and plants are blooming!
So, last week:
I had my last Italian class (wah!!) it was a sad affair... haha, not really. But I was disappointed.
I really need to work on SPEAKING!
After lunch, Tom from Germany and I went shopping and then I just strolled around by myself for a little... where I stumbled across the Colosseum (I really saw it from about 10 blocks away and decided to go see it up-close!) I also strolled around looking at the Forum and all the other ruins in the area. Despite being completely overcast, it was a very nice day.
After this, I went back to the apartment and did some reading and internet-surfing while waiting for my pre-arranged meeting time with McKenzie! 6:15pm Came about and I left for the Trevi Fountain (where I was told to meet McKenzie). I got there around 7:oopm (hooray for public transportation!) and stood staring at the fountain and all the tourists in search of anyone that looked familiar from Redlands. An hour went by without seeing ANYONE. I decided that maybe McKenzie had wanted me to meet her at her hotel, so I headed in that direction. Once I got to Termini, I went searching for her hotel, which, I later decided, did not exist. I didn't have my cell phone with me so I couldn't get a hold of any of my Lexia friends to just meet up with them (I was supposed to call when I'd found McKenzie & inform them of our plans for dinner and the rest of the evening...) So, I trekked home for my phone and in hopes that McKenzie had tried to email me with a change of plans or something -- but not so! I jotted down the phone number for the hotel, called, but she wasn't in. So, I decided to just head over to meet up with my Lexia friends who had some real Italians making pizza! I was starving and irritated so this sounded WONDERFUL. I got to Mike's around 10:00pm and had a couple slices of amazing, homemade pizza, when I decided to call the hotel again. It went through and McKenzie's roommate answered - apparently McKenzie was downstairs trying to call me! So, her roomie ran down stairs to get her and apparently, they had gotten stuck in traffic so their whole day was late. She doesn't have a cell phone or anything, so obviously, she couldn't get a hold of me. At any rate, we found her hotel on the map, and I set off to find her!
I got to her hotel in about 5 minutes from Mike's. It was SO great to see her! Especially because I hadn't seen her for 3 months!! I didn't realize it had been so long! Needless to say, we were both screaming at each other about a mile a minute about what we'd been doing and everything, it was quite entertaining. We returned to Mike's where she met everyone, we ate some pizza and visited with everyone. Then we decided to head over to the pub, Druid's for a bit. Where we sat around some more talking and enjoying the company.
Afterward, I walked McKenzie back to her hotel and decided that I would meet up with her and the rest of the Redlands group the next day to join in some of their tours.
So, Saturday, I was up and out the door at 11 in order to meet McKenzie at the Colosseum metro stop for a trip to St. Paul's Outside the Walls. It was MASSIVE!! What I liked the most was that it had pictures of all the Popes lining the walls... apparently some people believe that when they run out of room for the Popes' pictures, the world will end. Haha. Who knows?!
After this, I brought McKenzie back to my place to show her my digs! She also checked her email and such (and good thing, too, because she didn't know we were registering the next week!!). We also tried to plan out the rest of her time here when she was not with the Redlands group. Then we headed to Campo de Fiori to meet up with some Lexia people and to do some shopping (I had already picked out some shops that I knew McKenzie would LOVE! We bought some souvenirs and then went to the "Drunken Ship" (a bar at Campo where Marlene, Lizz, and Nina were waiting for us)
where we shared our first alcoholic beverage together since both of us turned 21 (it's really not that exciting here though, because you can get a beer or some wine anywhere and not get carded - it's weird!). McKenzie, Marlene and I were starving so after a little while we went off in search of sustenance! We found a nice little place off of Piazza Navona and then returned to Campo afterward. We hung out there for a little longer, but McKenzie was going to go to Mass at St. Peter's the next morning, so we headed home early and decided that I would meet her again the next day at St. Peter's at 12 to be blessed by the Pope and do some more tours with the Redlands group.12:00pm Sunday, I hopped off the bus and ran for St. Peter's. Little did I know just how MASSIVE this piazza is... and everyone wants to be blessed by the Pope!
My pictures really don't give a proper idea of how many people were there - ie: When I went through the gates, I stopped dead and had a mini-panic attack thinking about how in the world I would ever find her with SO many people!
But anyway, I took a shot and started weaving through the people. It was a beautiful day! (As you can see in my pictures!)
The Pope went through his shpeel (I know, I know, Heresy!) and I recorded him when he started talking in English (he addressed everyone by language, it was pretty cool...) but he didn't say anything about the
U of R!! I was quite disappointed! (He says something like, "Welcome to all you [language] speakers! In particular .... ") But apparently because Redlands isn't a Catholic group, it would be inappropriate to have him address us in particular (whatever!!).
U of R!! I was quite disappointed! (He says something like, "Welcome to all you [language] speakers! In particular .... ") But apparently because Redlands isn't a Catholic group, it would be inappropriate to have him address us in particular (whatever!!).
When he finished talking, people began pouring out of the piazza and I just walked in circles trying to find McKenzie, and by some miracle, I found her!! We got a wonderful lunch of Nutella crepes and then headed into St. Peter's Basilica before leaving with the Redlands group for the next stop (Castel San'Angelo).
St. Peter's is one BIG CHURCH!! We saw this sculpture to the right, by Michelangelo, and various other sculptures and frescoes by amazing artists. Anyone could EASILY get lost in this place! It was unreal...
This is the list of all the Saints of the Catholic church (the most recent Saint was initiated - or whatever it's called- in 2005).
Here's a mosaic from St. Peter's, B.A.!!
The Swiss Guards in full garb!!
I LOVE their uniforms!
I LOVE their uniforms!
Piazza de S. Pietro from the Church (Imagine this completely swarming with people, if you can. Then imagine trying to find someone within the crowd!! Crazy!)
Afterward, we went to the Castel San'Angelo (the castle the Pope used to vacation at, as well as
where he would retreat during threatening times). One thing I must admit - I am glad I'm here with Lexia because I would be SO upset that I only had 10 days to tour Rome!! The trip to the Castel was only a brief description from the outside - as there was not enough time to do a full tour within, which I will be doing with the Lexia group soon.
(Church in Piazza Navona, I don't remember the name)
From here we crossed the Tiber, going back into the 'Centro Storico' (historic center)
to see Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.
to see Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.
When McKenzie's professor finished the lightning-fast tour, we were free to go and do whatever we wanted. McKenzie and I went into the Pantheon for a bit, but it was full of people, we could hardly move around! It was beautiful though - not at all what I was expecting! It looks just like any other post-antiquity/Renaissance-style church inside. You would never guess from within that it has such ancient history.
The Dome of the Pantheon
The hole in the Dome - still open to the elements.
The main altar of the Pantheon.*Vee: Here's a pic of your souvenir from Rome that McKenzie found for you:
Monday was a fun and exhausting day. I had lent my phone to McKenzie so that she could call Marlene when she was finished with her tours with the Redlands group, and meet up with me! She was very adventurous and found her way to my school from the Vatican museums with no problems!! She came in a little after our lunch break and sat in for our afternoon lecture. After class, I took her to the Isola Tiberina, the Jewish Ghetto (mainly the Jewish bakery, which is AMAZING!), and the Trevi Fountain (which she had been to before, but hadn't thrown a coin!!). After the Trevi, we wandered a bit, got some delicious gelato, served to us by a deliciously handsome Brazilian named Diego, who REALLY wanted to take McKenzie out after he was finished with work (I don't know why she didn't go for it!!) But anyway, we did some souvenir shopping and more wandering.
I tried to take her to the Crypta Cappucini and the church with Bernini's famous opera, but by the time we got there, they were both closed!! Oh well... after looking at the outside of Bernini's church (that's not what it's called, but that is what I'm going to refer to it as), I took McKenzie to a Sicilian Bakery nearby (which is also AMAZING!) where she got a cannolo (singular of cannoli) and another type of pastry for her long drive to Assisi the nest day (Tuesday).
We had a lovely dinner, just the two of us, at our regular spot (Il Tavolinetto) and then met up with Lizz at Druid's for a fairwell toast. While we were there, we met a very nice pair of guys - one Italian and one Greek. We talked with them for a while, and the Italian quizzed Lizz and I on our Italian skills (I won't reveal our grades...) and the Greek guy, Nikolaus, told me various places in Greece to visit (mainly clubs and good restaurants) after looking at McKenzie's list of tourist spots. Around 12am, we headed home, I walked McKenzie back to her hotel and said goodbye and discussed last minute plans for me to visit her in Salzburg (hopefully next weekend?)
Tuesday morning McKenzie was scheduled to visit the Villa Borghese gallery in the morning, and then head off to Assisi in the afternoon. As for me, I had a Lexia lecture with Tom in the morning and then a passagiata with Silvia to
the Church of Trinita' del Monti (at the top of the Spanish Steps), the artist's street, and the Orsini chapel within the church at the Piazza del Popolo.We looked at some artwork that is quintessential of Mannerist style, some Caravaggio, da Volterra, Veit, and others.
Thursday we didn't have any class, for some reason (I think Tom had to teach at John Cabot that day?). So Marlene and I slept in, and went to the park near our house in the afternoon to do some reading and lounging. We considered going to a DaVinci exhibit in the Piazza del Popolo, but it was the one I had seen in Chicago and that had come to the Palm Springs Air Museum!! How strange is that? I KNOW.
Finally on Friday we made it to Ostia Antica - the ancient Roman port city. It was a glorious day and I have way too many pictures and too much information to put everything up here (Tom is an amazing tour guide - he is literally a walking encyclopedia).
Rome's first and only pyramid, built to house the tombof Caius Cestius during the times of Augustus.
One of the gates through the Mura Aurelia (Aurelian walls, which surround Rome)
Lizz, Me, Nina enjoying the sun.
Tombs
The original walkway of Ostia Antica.
Mosaic floors of one of the dozen or so baths within the city walls.
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Mosaic floors of one of the dozen or so baths within the city walls.€
Mosiac floors again.
Mosaic entry to a grain shop.
The whole group - all 7 Lexia kids with Tom and some of his John Cabot students.
Pretty walkway.
Hot air was pumped through the hallow terracotta pipes into the saunas of the baths.
One of the drains of the baths.
The whole Lexia group, minus me.
(Lizz, Mike, Marlene, Scott, Hanna, Nina, two other kids I don't know)
(Lizz, Mike, Marlene, Scott, Hanna, Nina, two other kids I don't know)
Blooming tree!!
Overview of the whole area.
After our field trip, we had dinner at Mike's, visited our friend Lizz who started working at the Drunken Ship in Campo de Fiori, and then ended the night at Druid's for a farewell toast to Tom from Germany, who left Saturday for Munich.
Saturday Marlene's friend from Macalester came in from Prague (where she is studying) and we took her around a little to various sites in Rome (Similar to my grand-un-grand tour for McKenzie, but she's got four days without pre-arranged tours).
Well, I've tried to make this entry more bare-bones than my last entry... it's still really long though. Hahah, oh well!
I'm hoping to make it to Salzburg this coming weekend, and then the weekend after that is the start of Spring Break!
Ciao ciao everyone!!
Love,
Becca
Monday, March 3, 2008
Florence & the week after
Buona sera! Well, actually buon giorno for all you readers out west!
I hope everything is going well with everyone! Mom & Jenny - I hope you had wonderful birthdays!!
So, since my last update on Monday, February 25:
I spent Tuesday afternoon touring and learning about the Jewish Ghetto in Rome and the Isola Tiberina. Of course, I didn't bring my camera (mainly because I decided that day to go on this tour). Afterward, Marlene and Tom from Germany and I went sock shopping, seeing as how a large number of my socks haven't been returned to me (I think Monica gets them confused with GianMarco's or Fabio's). So, we got some socks and then headed to a caffe' to work on homework until dinner time. We were supposed to have taco night at our friend Mike's place, but that didn't work out, so Marlene and I had dinner at our usual weekend hangout, Il Tavolino, where we are becoming "Regs" (regulars) so we get special deals and when they bring the check, they bring us candy, too!! Yay!! :) Then we met up with the whole Lexia group at the Pub and played foosball for a little while. We even managed to get one of the bartenders to play a game with us (Lizz and Nina are in love with this guy, Marco)! It was a lot of fun.
So, we decided then that taco night would happen on Wednesday! After Italian we had lunch, followed by our Lexia lecture regarding Plato's "The Cave" and some other readings. Marlene and I went grocery shopping with Mike after class and managed to find most everything we needed for tacos, except corn tortillas and RIPE avocados (there were a ton in the store, they were all just green rocks!). We dropped off the groceries at Mike's place and then went home for naps and homework. We left around 7:30 to meet up with Tom from Germany at Termini and headed over to Mike's. The tacos were fabulous! Of course, they weren't as good without avocados, but I can't really complain because at least there ARE avocados here! Hopefully by the time we have our next taco night the avocados will be ripe!!
I spent Thursday afternoon napping because I was having trouble sleeping the past couple of nights for some reason. But I got back on schedule. Now for the part you've all been waiting for...
Florence!! a.k.a. Firenze (in Italian)!
Florence has an incredibly long and interesting history. I'll try to keep it short:
Historians are still uncertain about the origins of Florence, however the most commonly accepted theory is that it was founded by Julius Caesar around 59BC in order to create a strategic block between northern Italy and Gaul (modern day Germany) and gaining control of the Arno river. Recent archaeological evidence suggests earlier origins however, possibly as early as 200BC.
In the 12th century, Florence became a 'free commune' (town council) that was ruled by 12 priori, assisted by the Consiglio di Centro (council of 100). This council was made up of men primarily from the merchant class. In 1207, a conflict of factions led to the appointment of a foreign head of state, known as the podesta'. For the next century or so, power was passed between the fighting factions of the Guelfs (pro-papacy) and the Ghilbellines (pro-imperial). In the 1290s there was a further split between the Guelfs to black Guelfs and White Guelfs. Eventually the white Guelfs were defeated, and were sent into exile (including Dante!) in 1302.
After the plague of 1348, the population was halved, and the government faced opposition from the lower classes.
In the late 14th century, Florence was under the rule of a group of Guelfs, who were under the leadership of the Albizi family. The Medicis were one of the strongest families against the rule of the Albizis. After strengthening the family name (and wallet) by becoming papal bankers in the 15th century, Cosimo de Medici lead the opposition of the Albizi, and eventually became the ruler. Under the rule of the Medici (namely Lorenzo il Magnifico, Cosimo's grandson), Florence became the cultural center of Italy, as it was home to Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Botticelli, and Domenico Ghirlandaio, among others.
In 1492 the Medici bank failed and the Medici rule fell. The city was taken over by the monk, Girolamo Savonarola. Under his rule, Florence underwent a religious reform as Savonarola preached against luxuries, vanities, corruption, and even the Pope! The Pope obviously didn't appreciate this and excommunicated both Savonarola and the entire city of Florence! Savonarola eventually lost power, was arrested, and hanged and burnt in the Piazza delle Signoria.
The Medici family was returned to power after the Spanish defeated Florence in 1512, and Emperor Charles V married his daughter into the family and assigned Alessandro de Medici the title of Grand Duke. 7 years later, Cosimo I de Medici ushered in 150+ years of Medici rule of Florence. The Grand Duchery was eventually passed into the French House of Lorraine in 1737, which retained control until Florence was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Florence was the capital of Italy until 1870, when it was moved to Rome.
---Ok, so that wasn't that short at all!! Oh well. Hopefully you learned something you hadn't already known!!
Mike, Lizz, and I booked our hostel and train tickets Thursday after class for Firenze. We left after Italian on Friday at 1:30ish and it took about 3 1/2 hours to get to Florence. The train ride was beautiful! It was just one gorgeous view after another!! Complete with hilltop villages and castles!
We arrived in Florence at about 6:30/7:00pm and hopped on a bus that took us practically to the door of our hostel.
We came in and apparently there were some issues with the booking - the manager/owner/greeter-person only had our reservation for one night! Anyway, we ended up getting it straightened out and got our room for the 2 nights we had originally reserved. To the right is a picture of our room (obviously Saturday morning, hehe). It was a nice room, we had our own bathroom (no shower though) and a TV (with only Italian channels) and fairly comfortable beds. The only problem was that there was a gap about a foot wide that separated our room from our neighbors, and they got pretty loud at times, but oh well! We were probably loud at times, also.
This is a picture of our side of the ceiling. It was painted, not actually carved out or anything.
This is the view from our window to the streets.
I hope everything is going well with everyone! Mom & Jenny - I hope you had wonderful birthdays!!
So, since my last update on Monday, February 25:
I spent Tuesday afternoon touring and learning about the Jewish Ghetto in Rome and the Isola Tiberina. Of course, I didn't bring my camera (mainly because I decided that day to go on this tour). Afterward, Marlene and Tom from Germany and I went sock shopping, seeing as how a large number of my socks haven't been returned to me (I think Monica gets them confused with GianMarco's or Fabio's). So, we got some socks and then headed to a caffe' to work on homework until dinner time. We were supposed to have taco night at our friend Mike's place, but that didn't work out, so Marlene and I had dinner at our usual weekend hangout, Il Tavolino, where we are becoming "Regs" (regulars) so we get special deals and when they bring the check, they bring us candy, too!! Yay!! :) Then we met up with the whole Lexia group at the Pub and played foosball for a little while. We even managed to get one of the bartenders to play a game with us (Lizz and Nina are in love with this guy, Marco)! It was a lot of fun.
So, we decided then that taco night would happen on Wednesday! After Italian we had lunch, followed by our Lexia lecture regarding Plato's "The Cave" and some other readings. Marlene and I went grocery shopping with Mike after class and managed to find most everything we needed for tacos, except corn tortillas and RIPE avocados (there were a ton in the store, they were all just green rocks!). We dropped off the groceries at Mike's place and then went home for naps and homework. We left around 7:30 to meet up with Tom from Germany at Termini and headed over to Mike's. The tacos were fabulous! Of course, they weren't as good without avocados, but I can't really complain because at least there ARE avocados here! Hopefully by the time we have our next taco night the avocados will be ripe!!
I spent Thursday afternoon napping because I was having trouble sleeping the past couple of nights for some reason. But I got back on schedule. Now for the part you've all been waiting for...
Florence!! a.k.a. Firenze (in Italian)!
Florence has an incredibly long and interesting history. I'll try to keep it short:
Historians are still uncertain about the origins of Florence, however the most commonly accepted theory is that it was founded by Julius Caesar around 59BC in order to create a strategic block between northern Italy and Gaul (modern day Germany) and gaining control of the Arno river. Recent archaeological evidence suggests earlier origins however, possibly as early as 200BC.
In the 12th century, Florence became a 'free commune' (town council) that was ruled by 12 priori, assisted by the Consiglio di Centro (council of 100). This council was made up of men primarily from the merchant class. In 1207, a conflict of factions led to the appointment of a foreign head of state, known as the podesta'. For the next century or so, power was passed between the fighting factions of the Guelfs (pro-papacy) and the Ghilbellines (pro-imperial). In the 1290s there was a further split between the Guelfs to black Guelfs and White Guelfs. Eventually the white Guelfs were defeated, and were sent into exile (including Dante!) in 1302.
After the plague of 1348, the population was halved, and the government faced opposition from the lower classes.
In the late 14th century, Florence was under the rule of a group of Guelfs, who were under the leadership of the Albizi family. The Medicis were one of the strongest families against the rule of the Albizis. After strengthening the family name (and wallet) by becoming papal bankers in the 15th century, Cosimo de Medici lead the opposition of the Albizi, and eventually became the ruler. Under the rule of the Medici (namely Lorenzo il Magnifico, Cosimo's grandson), Florence became the cultural center of Italy, as it was home to Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Botticelli, and Domenico Ghirlandaio, among others.
In 1492 the Medici bank failed and the Medici rule fell. The city was taken over by the monk, Girolamo Savonarola. Under his rule, Florence underwent a religious reform as Savonarola preached against luxuries, vanities, corruption, and even the Pope! The Pope obviously didn't appreciate this and excommunicated both Savonarola and the entire city of Florence! Savonarola eventually lost power, was arrested, and hanged and burnt in the Piazza delle Signoria.
The Medici family was returned to power after the Spanish defeated Florence in 1512, and Emperor Charles V married his daughter into the family and assigned Alessandro de Medici the title of Grand Duke. 7 years later, Cosimo I de Medici ushered in 150+ years of Medici rule of Florence. The Grand Duchery was eventually passed into the French House of Lorraine in 1737, which retained control until Florence was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Florence was the capital of Italy until 1870, when it was moved to Rome.
---Ok, so that wasn't that short at all!! Oh well. Hopefully you learned something you hadn't already known!!
Mike, Lizz, and I booked our hostel and train tickets Thursday after class for Firenze. We left after Italian on Friday at 1:30ish and it took about 3 1/2 hours to get to Florence. The train ride was beautiful! It was just one gorgeous view after another!! Complete with hilltop villages and castles!We arrived in Florence at about 6:30/7:00pm and hopped on a bus that took us practically to the door of our hostel.
We came in and apparently there were some issues with the booking - the manager/owner/greeter-person only had our reservation for one night! Anyway, we ended up getting it straightened out and got our room for the 2 nights we had originally reserved. To the right is a picture of our room (obviously Saturday morning, hehe). It was a nice room, we had our own bathroom (no shower though) and a TV (with only Italian channels) and fairly comfortable beds. The only problem was that there was a gap about a foot wide that separated our room from our neighbors, and they got pretty loud at times, but oh well! We were probably loud at times, also.
This is a picture of our side of the ceiling. It was painted, not actually carved out or anything.
This is the view from our window to the streets.
So, we spent Friday evening unpacking and trying to orient ourselves with the city before heading out for some dinner. At around 8:30 or so, we went across the street to a small restaurant recommended by the hostel clerk. I ordered asparagus con parmigiana, and angel-hair pasta with a lemon-cream sauce. It was just unreal! It was like an alfredo sauce, but with just the smallest bite or something! I can't really explain it, but trust me, it was FABULOUS. My friend Lizz ordered gnocchi with a broccoli-cream sauce that was also fantastic! It tasted almost like a pesto, but not quite. Mike ordered a pizza with ham and sausage and I don't remember what else, but I didn't try it because he ate it quickly and I wasn't in the mood for pizza. We topped off this fabulous dinner with some Chianti vino rosso, which was a horribly dry red wine, but hey! When in Florence... or something like that! Haha...
After dinner we meandered around the city a little. We came with an assignment for our Lexia class, so we were scoping out possible locations for this assignment. It was called a "Piazza Study" and we had to observe one piazza at various times during the day/night/week in order to better understand the social importance of these piazzas. We learned in class that the piazza is the main social/political/religious arena in Italian culture, and various piazzas serve either the political/social/religious aspects of Italian life. For example, in the previous blog, I talked about the Piazza delle Repubblica - that is a piazza that serves the political arena. Anyway, there was one piazza that we continuously stumbled upon, Piazza delle Signoria, so we decided that it would be a good place to study - mainly because even if we were having trouble finding it, we would eventually end up there.
While we were looking at the buildings and sculptures within the piazza, we heard some guy playing the flute so we headed over to watch. He was really great and played lots of different styles of music. All of a sudden, Mike started talking to two girls in English- and at first I just thought he was trying to hit on them or something (because Mike is a social butterfly, lol). Then I realized that they were speaking English with an American accent! They were both from small towns in Colorado and both studying interior design in Florence. One was named Nicole and the other was named Becca!! It was pretty exciting! Haha. Anyway, they had been there for about a month already and offered to take us around the city, so of course we went off with them. They took us through the city and across the Ponte Vecchio up to the Piazza di Michelangelo, which sits up on a hill that over looks all of Florence. It was absolutely gorgeous! (And no, I didn't have my camera! The batteries were charging in our room!! But don't worry- we came back!) We spent some time up there just talking and hanging out. Apparently, the other Becca and I have a lot in common! For example: we are both nuts for Nutella (and sweets in general). But it was confusing having 2 Becca's! Someone would call the other but I would think they were calling me and vice-versa, but it was fun. We ended the night when they took us to one of their favorite hangouts- a Mexican club/bar/restaurant (and it smelled fabulous! Like REAL Mexican food!!) We were just there a few minutes when we decided to call it a night.
The next day, we hoped to make it to see the David and various other artwork in the Galleria d'Academia and the Galleria d'Uffizi, however, the lines were way too long and we didn't want to spend the whole day waiting in line (we also hoped that if we tried to go later the lines would be shorter...). But we did walk through the Piazza delle Signoria and here are some pictures:
This is the Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) sculpted by Bartolomeo Ammanati to honor Cosimo de Medici's naval ambitions.
It is pretty much despised by the Florentine people and Michelangelo supposedly said something along the lines of, "What were you thinking? You ruined a perfectly good piece of marble!" when he saw it.
This is the Loggia delle Signoria/Loggia dei Lanzi (1376-82). This was (probably) designed by Andrea Orceguna. It was originally used to house the Swiss guard-like army (called Lancers or Lanzi, in Italian) stationed by Cosimo I de Medici. It now serves as an outdoor statuary garden. It once housed the original "Rape of the Sabines" by Giambolonga and Michelangelo's "David", both are now housed in the Galleria d'Academia.
This is a copy of Giambolonga's "Rape of the Sabines" that is found in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
This is the front door to the Palazzo Vecchio. To the left is one of many copies of Michelangelo's "David." To the right, Baccio Bandinelli's "Heracles" which was intended to rival Michelangelo's "David."
We decided to walk around some more and revisit what we saw the night before and also to try out these Nutella waffles Nicole and Becca had told us about! I was excited just by the name, expecting an Eggo- type waffle with Nutella instead of maple syrup. BOY, WAS I WRONG. Imagine, if you will, an ice cream sandwich. Now, instead of cookies imagine two massive, soft, hot, DEICIOUS waffles; instead of ice cream, imagine some of the best gelato in the world, and add a little Nutella just to top it all off!!! It was the messiest, most delicious breakfast I have ever had in my life!!
Mike just got Nutella and whipped cream on his (what a wuss!) Lizz got Mint Chocolate Chip gelato with Nutella, and I got Mars Bars gelato with Nutella. HEAVENLY. Especially because we ate them overlooking the Arno river from the Ponte Vecchio! It was a surreal sensory experience :)
Quick History: The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge that survived World War II. As the Germans retreated from Florence, they blew every bridge except for the Ponte Vecchio. This bridge is also famous for all the gold jewelry shops that flank the bridge. Lizz and I tried to get Mike to buy us some, but he wouldn't!!! What a meany!!!
After dinner we meandered around the city a little. We came with an assignment for our Lexia class, so we were scoping out possible locations for this assignment. It was called a "Piazza Study" and we had to observe one piazza at various times during the day/night/week in order to better understand the social importance of these piazzas. We learned in class that the piazza is the main social/political/religious arena in Italian culture, and various piazzas serve either the political/social/religious aspects of Italian life. For example, in the previous blog, I talked about the Piazza delle Repubblica - that is a piazza that serves the political arena. Anyway, there was one piazza that we continuously stumbled upon, Piazza delle Signoria, so we decided that it would be a good place to study - mainly because even if we were having trouble finding it, we would eventually end up there.
While we were looking at the buildings and sculptures within the piazza, we heard some guy playing the flute so we headed over to watch. He was really great and played lots of different styles of music. All of a sudden, Mike started talking to two girls in English- and at first I just thought he was trying to hit on them or something (because Mike is a social butterfly, lol). Then I realized that they were speaking English with an American accent! They were both from small towns in Colorado and both studying interior design in Florence. One was named Nicole and the other was named Becca!! It was pretty exciting! Haha. Anyway, they had been there for about a month already and offered to take us around the city, so of course we went off with them. They took us through the city and across the Ponte Vecchio up to the Piazza di Michelangelo, which sits up on a hill that over looks all of Florence. It was absolutely gorgeous! (And no, I didn't have my camera! The batteries were charging in our room!! But don't worry- we came back!) We spent some time up there just talking and hanging out. Apparently, the other Becca and I have a lot in common! For example: we are both nuts for Nutella (and sweets in general). But it was confusing having 2 Becca's! Someone would call the other but I would think they were calling me and vice-versa, but it was fun. We ended the night when they took us to one of their favorite hangouts- a Mexican club/bar/restaurant (and it smelled fabulous! Like REAL Mexican food!!) We were just there a few minutes when we decided to call it a night.
The next day, we hoped to make it to see the David and various other artwork in the Galleria d'Academia and the Galleria d'Uffizi, however, the lines were way too long and we didn't want to spend the whole day waiting in line (we also hoped that if we tried to go later the lines would be shorter...). But we did walk through the Piazza delle Signoria and here are some pictures:
This is Benvenuto Cellini's bronze "Perseus" (1545). In his right hand, he holds the severed head of Medusa, whose body he is standing over.
This is the Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) sculpted by Bartolomeo Ammanati to honor Cosimo de Medici's naval ambitions.
It is pretty much despised by the Florentine people and Michelangelo supposedly said something along the lines of, "What were you thinking? You ruined a perfectly good piece of marble!" when he saw it.
This is a statue of the
Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici (1594)
Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici (1594)
This is the Loggia delle Signoria/Loggia dei Lanzi (1376-82). This was (probably) designed by Andrea Orceguna. It was originally used to house the Swiss guard-like army (called Lancers or Lanzi, in Italian) stationed by Cosimo I de Medici. It now serves as an outdoor statuary garden. It once housed the original "Rape of the Sabines" by Giambolonga and Michelangelo's "David", both are now housed in the Galleria d'Academia.
This is Giambolonga's statue "Hercules and the Centaur" (1599) .
This is a copy of Giambolonga's "Rape of the Sabines" that is found in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
This is the Palazzo Vecchio (in Italian, Old Palace - real creative, I know!).
This is the main building of the piazza, as well as the center of the political sphere of the city (both past and present!).
It was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio between 1298-1314, to serve as the seat of the Florentine Republic's government. It later became the palace of Cosimo I de Medici in the mid 16th century.
This is the main building of the piazza, as well as the center of the political sphere of the city (both past and present!).
It was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio between 1298-1314, to serve as the seat of the Florentine Republic's government. It later became the palace of Cosimo I de Medici in the mid 16th century.
This is the front door to the Palazzo Vecchio. To the left is one of many copies of Michelangelo's "David." To the right, Baccio Bandinelli's "Heracles" which was intended to rival Michelangelo's "David."
We decided to walk around some more and revisit what we saw the night before and also to try out these Nutella waffles Nicole and Becca had told us about! I was excited just by the name, expecting an Eggo- type waffle with Nutella instead of maple syrup. BOY, WAS I WRONG. Imagine, if you will, an ice cream sandwich. Now, instead of cookies imagine two massive, soft, hot, DEICIOUS waffles; instead of ice cream, imagine some of the best gelato in the world, and add a little Nutella just to top it all off!!! It was the messiest, most delicious breakfast I have ever had in my life!!
Mike just got Nutella and whipped cream on his (what a wuss!) Lizz got Mint Chocolate Chip gelato with Nutella, and I got Mars Bars gelato with Nutella. HEAVENLY. Especially because we ate them overlooking the Arno river from the Ponte Vecchio! It was a surreal sensory experience :)Quick History: The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge that survived World War II. As the Germans retreated from Florence, they blew every bridge except for the Ponte Vecchio. This bridge is also famous for all the gold jewelry shops that flank the bridge. Lizz and I tried to get Mike to buy us some, but he wouldn't!!! What a meany!!!
The view from the Ponte Vecchio of another bridge & a crew team
Me & Lizz - she's such a good friend,
she covered up my gelato-stained jacket!! Haha.
she covered up my gelato-stained jacket!! Haha.
Aw! Lizz, Mike, and me on the Ponte Vecchio.
One side of the bridge has arches, but the other doesn't.
From the Ponte Vecchio, we decided to walk along the Arno for a while. It was beautiful! Very much like Rome, but newer or something- I couldn't really put my finger on what was different, exactly.
View of the Ponte Vecchio from down river.
Another view of Florence from the river bank.
From here, we decided to go back to the Piazza d'Michelangelo. It's a long, uphill (or rather, upstairs) 
walk that took us about 20 minutes the night before (without any stops for photoshoots) but took us about 45 minutes that afternoon. But it was wonderful because we took our time and enjoyed the scenery.
This is the view of this tower from the ground level (I have no idea what this bell tower is called or anything).
This is the view of the Duomo (large red dome in background) and Florentine skyline from the second level of the hill side.
This is a church but I don't know the name of it.
View of the Ponte Vecchio from down river.
View of the other end of the river.
Another view of Florence from the river bank.
From here, we decided to go back to the Piazza d'Michelangelo. It's a long, uphill (or rather, upstairs) 
walk that took us about 20 minutes the night before (without any stops for photoshoots) but took us about 45 minutes that afternoon. But it was wonderful because we took our time and enjoyed the scenery.
This is the view of this tower from the ground level (I have no idea what this bell tower is called or anything).
See those tiny dots at the bottom of this picture? That's me & Lizz standing in front of the bell tower!!
This is the view of the Duomo (large red dome in background) and Florentine skyline from the second level of the hill side.
Here's the bell tower from a little farther up the hill.
The Arno river and it's various bridges.
The main bridge is the Ponte Vecchio.
At the top of the hill, we watched the skyline and enjoyed the spectacular views. After, we wandered around the hill and happened upon the Basilica Abbaziale, a breathtaking cathedral and cemetery. It was fascinating to see the HUNDREDS tombs and gravesites. These people were serious about the afterlife:
This is one of hundreds of tombs at this grave yard.
(You can see there are other similar large monuments surrounding this one)
I even noticed on some head stones that there were people from New Jersey, New York, and other states that had died in Florence and one even died in Rome but was buried here.
From here, we went back down into the city to get some sustenance. As we were strolling around, we ran into some kind of demonstration. We snapped some pictures and asked around to see if we could find out what the rally was for when some tar-covered eggs and sparklers started going off. Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there! The rally ended up being about anti-Russian Communism and anti-violence, or something like that. I'm not entirely positive, but it was kind of scary.
Once we made it to the complete opposite side of town, we walked calmly again through Florence's shopping district. It was full of markets and high-end fashion shops. The food all looked gorgeous and the flowers were spectacular!
We ate at a little pizza shop around 4:30 and decided to take a quick nap before heading out again. On our way back to our hostel, we stumbled on the Duomo (it's pretty hard to miss, actually)! The Duomo's building was built in 1296 with the design of Arnolfo di Cambio (the same architect of the Palazzo Vecchio), the actual dome was designed by Brunelleschi. It's the first of it's kind since antiquity. Inside, there is stained glass by Donnatello, Andrea del Castagno, and others, along with frescoes by Vasari and Federico Zuccari.
It started raining as we walked around it, so the white specks are rain drops.
Once we made it back to our beds, we were all out cold! Turns out, we slept until 9:30!! So be careful - Florence will kick your butt!! We got up and got some dinner and walked around to Piazza delle Signoria for some people watching. We ended up in a pub and met TONS of American students who were studying in Florence.
I was warned by the study abroad director at Redlands not to study in Florence because of the abundance of "ugly Americans" in the city. After this night, I realized what exactly was meant by the term "Ugly Americans" - American students who don't know how to appreciate their surroundings; those that only go out to drink all night, every night, and who help to perpetuate the loud, obnoxious American stereotype. Oh well, I suppose. It was still a fun weekend!
Sunday, we had to catch a train at 3:00, and knew we wouldn't be able to see anything within a museum because of the long lines and shorter hours. We walked around the city some more, enjoying the now sunny and cloudless skies and 70-ish degree F weather.
Here are some pictures of the Duomo by day:
This is the bell tower and the back end of the Duomo.
We made it back to Rome around 7:00pm, and I was so excited to be back! Florence was fun, but I belong in Rome!
The following Monday (03/03/08) we had Italian class and Lexia presentations of our piazza studies. Marlene & Nina studied Campo di Fiori and the other two kids (Scott and Hanna) studied the Piazza di Duomo in Milan! It was all very interesting.
Tuesday we had another passagiata with Silvia (our art history teacher). We went to the Crypt of the Cappuccino Monks (Cripta dei Cappuccini) and the St. Maria della Vittoria church. The Cripta dei Cappuccini was absolutely fascinating (and yes, the cappuccino you drink is named after
these monks; apparently their cloaks look like the foam of a cappuccino?). It began as a crypt for the monks, but they soon ran out of room, and began decorating the interior of the crypt with the BONES of the deceased monks. I did have my camera, but we weren't allowed to take photos. If you come to Rome, you have to see this place. It's just bizarre and amazing, beautiful and haunting all at once.
I found this picture online from Google.
After this, we went to the St. Maria della Vittoria church, where Bernini's most famous work is located. It is also considered his most complete because he 'did everything' from painting to sculpting. You have probably heard of this 'opera' within the church:
The painting is above the sculpture and was also done by Bernini. It is spectacular in person, and if you can see it ok, the two baby angels to the left of the eagle in the sun were not there when I first started watching this painting. Some people said the figures were moving, but I just saw more and more figures as I watched it. It was amazing.
Bernini's sculpture, "Ecstasy of St. Teresa"
St. Teresa's face is unusual in that it depicts neither pain nor explicit pleasure,
but rather tranquility.
The dome just before the main pulpit.
The ceiling of the church and the organ at the bottom!!
The main pulpit of the church.
The main bridge is the Ponte Vecchio.
At the top of the hill, we watched the skyline and enjoyed the spectacular views. After, we wandered around the hill and happened upon the Basilica Abbaziale, a breathtaking cathedral and cemetery. It was fascinating to see the HUNDREDS tombs and gravesites. These people were serious about the afterlife:
This is one of hundreds of tombs at this grave yard.(You can see there are other similar large monuments surrounding this one)
I even noticed on some head stones that there were people from New Jersey, New York, and other states that had died in Florence and one even died in Rome but was buried here.
From here, we went back down into the city to get some sustenance. As we were strolling around, we ran into some kind of demonstration. We snapped some pictures and asked around to see if we could find out what the rally was for when some tar-covered eggs and sparklers started going off. Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there! The rally ended up being about anti-Russian Communism and anti-violence, or something like that. I'm not entirely positive, but it was kind of scary.Once we made it to the complete opposite side of town, we walked calmly again through Florence's shopping district. It was full of markets and high-end fashion shops. The food all looked gorgeous and the flowers were spectacular!
We ate at a little pizza shop around 4:30 and decided to take a quick nap before heading out again. On our way back to our hostel, we stumbled on the Duomo (it's pretty hard to miss, actually)! The Duomo's building was built in 1296 with the design of Arnolfo di Cambio (the same architect of the Palazzo Vecchio), the actual dome was designed by Brunelleschi. It's the first of it's kind since antiquity. Inside, there is stained glass by Donnatello, Andrea del Castagno, and others, along with frescoes by Vasari and Federico Zuccari.
It started raining as we walked around it, so the white specks are rain drops.Once we made it back to our beds, we were all out cold! Turns out, we slept until 9:30!! So be careful - Florence will kick your butt!! We got up and got some dinner and walked around to Piazza delle Signoria for some people watching. We ended up in a pub and met TONS of American students who were studying in Florence.
I was warned by the study abroad director at Redlands not to study in Florence because of the abundance of "ugly Americans" in the city. After this night, I realized what exactly was meant by the term "Ugly Americans" - American students who don't know how to appreciate their surroundings; those that only go out to drink all night, every night, and who help to perpetuate the loud, obnoxious American stereotype. Oh well, I suppose. It was still a fun weekend!
Sunday, we had to catch a train at 3:00, and knew we wouldn't be able to see anything within a museum because of the long lines and shorter hours. We walked around the city some more, enjoying the now sunny and cloudless skies and 70-ish degree F weather.
Here are some pictures of the Duomo by day:
This is the bell tower and the back end of the Duomo.We made it back to Rome around 7:00pm, and I was so excited to be back! Florence was fun, but I belong in Rome!
The following Monday (03/03/08) we had Italian class and Lexia presentations of our piazza studies. Marlene & Nina studied Campo di Fiori and the other two kids (Scott and Hanna) studied the Piazza di Duomo in Milan! It was all very interesting.
Tuesday we had another passagiata with Silvia (our art history teacher). We went to the Crypt of the Cappuccino Monks (Cripta dei Cappuccini) and the St. Maria della Vittoria church. The Cripta dei Cappuccini was absolutely fascinating (and yes, the cappuccino you drink is named after
these monks; apparently their cloaks look like the foam of a cappuccino?). It began as a crypt for the monks, but they soon ran out of room, and began decorating the interior of the crypt with the BONES of the deceased monks. I did have my camera, but we weren't allowed to take photos. If you come to Rome, you have to see this place. It's just bizarre and amazing, beautiful and haunting all at once.I found this picture online from Google.
After this, we went to the St. Maria della Vittoria church, where Bernini's most famous work is located. It is also considered his most complete because he 'did everything' from painting to sculpting. You have probably heard of this 'opera' within the church:
The painting is above the sculpture and was also done by Bernini. It is spectacular in person, and if you can see it ok, the two baby angels to the left of the eagle in the sun were not there when I first started watching this painting. Some people said the figures were moving, but I just saw more and more figures as I watched it. It was amazing.
Bernini's sculpture, "Ecstasy of St. Teresa"
St. Teresa's face is unusual in that it depicts neither pain nor explicit pleasure,but rather tranquility.
The dome just before the main pulpit.
The ceiling of the church and the organ at the bottom!!
The main pulpit of the church.Wednesday was a calmer day. We had Italian and a Lexia discussion (we were supposed to go to Juniculum but it was really cold and rainy). Afterward, we went home to work on homework and lounge around. We had taco night again at Mike's house and had a karaoke/sing-a-long. It was a lot of fun. Marlene and I headed home around 10:30pm and passed out.
Today (Thursday) was very uneventful. Our Italian class was only 2 hours today (I'm still not sure why exactly) and afterward Marlene and I came back to do some reading and updating of blogs! It was still really rainy and cold so we couldn't really go for a walk or anything, which was a bummer.
Tomorrow will be my last day of Italian!! I still surprise myself everyday with how much I can understand - still, reading, writing and listening is a lot easier than speaking, but I'm still working on that! After Italian, all the Lexia kids will be off to Ostia Antica with our director, Tom. I'm excited!! It's supposed to be similar to Tarquinia and closer to the ocean, although it's still supposed to be rainy tomorrow (LAME!!). BUT McKenzie is arriving tomorrow afternoon for a 4 day stint in ROME!!! I am so excited! It will be such fun - I just hope that the rain and cold stops!!!
Well, this has been an enormously long post. I'll try to update weekly, because two weeks in one blog just takes too long to read, write, and load photos!!!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend & I will write again soon!
Love, Becca
Today (Thursday) was very uneventful. Our Italian class was only 2 hours today (I'm still not sure why exactly) and afterward Marlene and I came back to do some reading and updating of blogs! It was still really rainy and cold so we couldn't really go for a walk or anything, which was a bummer.
Tomorrow will be my last day of Italian!! I still surprise myself everyday with how much I can understand - still, reading, writing and listening is a lot easier than speaking, but I'm still working on that! After Italian, all the Lexia kids will be off to Ostia Antica with our director, Tom. I'm excited!! It's supposed to be similar to Tarquinia and closer to the ocean, although it's still supposed to be rainy tomorrow (LAME!!). BUT McKenzie is arriving tomorrow afternoon for a 4 day stint in ROME!!! I am so excited! It will be such fun - I just hope that the rain and cold stops!!!
Well, this has been an enormously long post. I'll try to update weekly, because two weeks in one blog just takes too long to read, write, and load photos!!!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend & I will write again soon!
Love, Becca
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