The Institute at Palazzo Rucellai - Study Abroad in Florence, Italy

Yesterday we had the chance to go sight seeing in both Pisa and Lucca. We arrived at the train station at about 8:15 that morning and departed for Pisa first. Our primary focus was the Pisa Cathedral, home of the famous leaning tower of Pisa. Although we didn't get the chance to climb the tower, we did get the opportunity to go inside the ever-so-impressive baptistery, view the stunning cathedral filled with masterful oil paintings, and wander around the cemetery viewing the ever-so-impressive sculpted tombstones. The cathedral, though, was so impressive it's hard to even put into words. There were so many intricate details that made its interior phenomenal. The cemetery was filled with ancient frescoes, tattered sculptures, and even the tomb stone of Leonardo Fibonacci, the great mathematician. After taking all this in and snagging a couple pictures of the tower we caught the bus to Lucca and rented bikes for 2.50 euro for one hour. We got to ride around the wall that once acted as a barricade and is now a pedestrian road. You could "tour" the whole city in about half an hour. We then went and saw Lucca's old colosseum, home of ancient gladiators. Although much smaller than the Colosseum in Rome, it was still neat to be in an old site of such entertainment. It's now filled with bars, stores, and restaurants and I'm sure very different than ancient days. We ended our journey with a view of San Michele, the old church with various colors on the facade that was once the center of the city during Roman Ages.

So today we arose and arrived at the train station at nine in order to depart to the Villa of Vignamaggio for the Chianti Excursion. Though excited about the food entailed, I don't believe that Fernando or myself was quite expecting what was in store. Although there was a quite impressive view as well as an ancient wine cellar, the most impressive part of our journey was what the guide had to share. While we stood in the Italian gardens (for those who have seen the movie Much To Do About Nothing it was filmed here in the gardens) we learned that the house we were visiting belonged to the Gherardi family who sold it to the Gherardini family in the sixteenth century. The Gherardini family had a daughter born on its premises and chose to call her Mona Lisa. This charming little lady married a local business man, Francesco Giocondo, thus claiming the title Lisa del Giocondo. Hints why the Mona Lisa in Italy is often referred to as "La Gioconda". I don't think either of us had a clue so much history was approaching. With this to take into consideration, we got to share a traditional luncheon with wine tasting, breads, cheeses, and of course, what is an Italian meal without lasagne? We also were free to roam around the vineyard (being sure to avoid electric fences to keep out the wild bores) and sample all the figs, pears, and grapes our hearts desired. The grapes I must say were the best part. I've never had anything so sweet, fresh, and delectable. I guess point of story being, you never know where history may find you, or what you'll stumble upon. I'm sure Italy, however, will have a lot more to offer, and if not, we've had our fair share already.

We have seen and done many things this past week. First, we visited Santa Croce's Basilica. Santa Croce is the world's largest Franciscan church. Frescoes done by Giotto and his students were on almost every wall. Also, lots of famous dead guys are here. The tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are here, just to name a few. Next, we visited the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo. Many artifacts from the original facade of the Florence Duomo are housed here. We got to see many of Donatello's original sculptures up close from his Mary Magdalene to my personal favorite Zuccone. Then, on to the Siena Cathedral, which was Cate's favorite. It has a very intricate interior and various colors. Touring it is almost like walking through a maze since they've roped off the majority of the flooring so that people won't walk on the marble inlaid tiles. After touring the cathedral, we had the opportunity to squeeze into a claustrophobic stairwell and climb to what was planned to be the facade of the church. Like many plans of the church though, this project fell through and to this day just remains a rather large transept that's been converted into a museum. The museum housed some pretty neat relics and works of ancient artists like Giovanni Pisano. We found a new artist named Sano di Pietro. His work utilized some concept of perspective and had a very surreal vibe. We both thought he was particularly interesting, and I'm sure the surrealists pulled from him. We saw the Fortress built by Cosimo Medici during Siena's high and mighty days. I'm sure it served its purpose quite well, being so ginormous and all. San Gimignano was up next. Some beautiful views but I must mention the best part. We had gelato from "The world's best Gelateria". They held a pretty impressive four year record, and might I add, thus far, I wouldn't argue with the prize- they were superb. Planning to sleep in tomorrow for the first time the whole trip and a visit to Venice on Sunday. Planning hasn't always been the most efficient thing here though.

So, we've been to all our classes now and I must say I'm really excited. We'll start working in our Buon Fresco class on Monday, and purchase the supplies for a grand total of 33.50 euro (haven't found the euro sign yet). We mixed and spread all the plaster today and it was a lot of fun. It made me really want to throw some pigment on top but I guess we'll wait for Monday. We're managing the 90 degree weather and lack of air conditioning quite fine but we're appreciating the luxuries of American life a little more than normal (i.e. microwaves... however food's tasting much better here so beyond the time convenience I'm not convinced this is a problem.) My roommate was DJing at a bar called Joshua Tree last night so we ventured out to a local bar for the first time since we've been here. It was nice to hear some American tunes beyond Bon Jovi, and all the while getting to experience some Italian culture. Surprisingly enough, people don't drink as much here. It's as though having exposure to alcohol at younger ages is beneficial since Italians aren't concerned with getting drunk and view beer and wine as a drink to order with dinner (especially since you have to pay for water ordered with meals). We've been shopping at a local supermarket, but it is much smaller than grocery stores at home. You don't really worry about brand names since if they even have the item in stock that you're looking for they don't tend to have more than one option of a type. I'm interested to go to the open air market, but since it's only open till noon our classes are conflicting. Hopefully we can get to it Friday a week from now. I'll be certain to let you know.