Florence, Italy

"Florence is like a diamond that I keep looking at from different angels to find more of her to love."

-unknown

CIAO-DWY there!

(ciao + howdy)

I have no interesting antidote to introduce this blog post. Let's just dive right in, shall we???

This past weekend, our class hopped on a train to Florence, Italy. Bright and early Friday morning, we shuffled through the busy train station and set our sights towards Florence.

We arrived and immediately hit the ground running. We threw our bags in the lobby and got rooming assignments.

Please take note of this ridiculous room key... It is extremely heavy to remind you to give it back. You are to unlock your room and take it back down to the front desk.

We walked around the corner to our first scheduled tour. We started the weekend by visiting the Laurentian Medici Library. It was built to show that the Medici family were no longer merchants, but intellectual members of high society. Not only does it house historic manuscripts and books, it is home to the Michelangelo staircase.

In this time, architects were concerned with proper proportions and following a strict set of rules. Here, Michelangelo is playing with curves and asymmetry, proving his inventiveness. This is considered to mark the beginnings of the mannerist movement.

Thanks, Big Mike!

He also played with exterior elements in interior spaces. Here we saw windows that serve only a visual purpose. This theme was consistent in our time in Florence.

Next, we made way to Santa Maria Novella. Compared to Rome, Florence is small. It doesn't take very long for us to get around which was a refreshing change of pace.

Masaccio's Holy Trinity is the first attempt of creating depth by perspective. This fresco, created in 1426, shows the crucifixion with figures of The Eternal Father, Christ, The Virgin, and St. John. The two figures below are the patrons.

Masaccio's fresco also uses hierarchy to show importance. Christ and the Father first, Mary and St. John second, the patrons third, and the viewer last.

This was a special moment for me. I specifically remember studying this image for class and to see it in person was surreal. Even though I've been in Italy for five weeks and have had moments like this, it still sparks excitement.

THE DAVID.

We had wayyyy too much fun with this...

After violating an iconic piece of statuary, we rested in our slightly tacky yet charming hotel room.

We had a group dinner where we enjoyed great wine, food, and laughs. Mandy and I bought our clothes from a man named Marco back in Rome. His brother hand paints one of a kind images on each piece.

Mandy has an oriental face on her pants and I have cats on my dress.

Saturday morning, we visited the Ufizzi gallery. Here is TJ looking like Jane Goodall.

The Venus of Urbino, Titian 1534

The Duke and Duchess of Urbino, Piero della Francesa, 1472

The Birth of Venus, Botticelli, 1486

Medusa, Caravaggio, 1596

This gallery was packed full of great pieces! Half way through we took a small break...

After the Uffizi Gallery, lunch was on the brain. I haven't had a protein shake in a month and this one was calling my name.

We were free for the rest of the day and roamed around!

Florence is known for having fabulous leather products. Some girls and I went shopping for leather goods and last minute gifts for friends and family.

We ended the day by running into an outdoor concert.

Sunday we continued our tour schedule with the Medici Chapel. The most beautiful detail of this chapel is the mosaic tile. All the different stones combined make breathtaking imagery!