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

Every year Palazzo Rucellai plays in a soccer tournament, the “Fiorenza International School Cup” against other American students who are studying abroad in Florence. Because of the overwhelming interest in playing on the team this semester, Palazzo Rucellai had two teams that played in the tournament; Palazzo Rucellai 1 and Palazzo Rucellai 2. While Palazzo Rucellai 2 gave the tournament their best efforts, and won quite a few games of their own, Palazzo Rucellai 1 dominated the field and eliminated any competition that stood before them making it all the way to the playoff rounds.

Into playoff week Palazzo Rucellai had back to back games that tested their skills and strength as a team, but they always came out on top winning game after game. Going into the semi-finals they had to play a really tough team from another American University. With an overwhelming number of supporters and fans from the school, the team kicked into gear and dominated the playing field scoring goal after goal. It was an intense game with fans from both sides screaming on the sides lines; from our side the cheering “Vai Vai Rucellai!” roared throughout the playing field. The team could feel the energy and became an unstoppable force. From the sidelines you could tell the game was getting intense but in the final minutes of the game, Palazzo Rucellai managed to hang on to the lead and win, securing their spot in the Finals.

The Final Game would be played only 30 minutes later on the next field over against a team that had proven in the past to be tough.  Having played the team before, the Palazzo Rucellai players knew what to expect and were ready to take on the team.  At the end of the first half the other team had lived up to its expectations and taken the lead early. Nervous and excited, fans from Palazzo Rucellai jeered and cheered on the players to keep their spirits up and their minds focused on the game.  When the second half started the crowd was going wild! Quickly, Palazzo Rucellai picked up their game and scored two goals, tying up the game.  The game was so intense; players were getting fouls here and there, fans and players screaming back and forth “Vai Vai Rucellai!!”, showing their support for the school and the players on the team, and as the game continued into the last few minutes, Syracuse once again took the lead. It didn’t look good for our players from Palazzo Rucellai, they were tired and getting restless; they needed to score a goal. And in the next few plays, they did! The sidelines and the fans went wild as the players celebrated the tied score.  The game wasn’t over yet though, with a few minutes left to go the players had to keep the ball out of their goal and try their best for a game winning shot. The game ended a few minutes later with a tie score and only one solution to resolving the winner and overall champion of the tournament: penalty kicks to decide their fate.

The fate of the game now rested upon the hands of the goalie and the players who would be taking shots at the goal. The fans and the players on the sideline were all screaming; the cheers could be heard throughout the streets of Florence.  As one by one the players lined up to take their shots, our goalie saved a few, their goalie saved a few, we made a few, they made a few, all the while the fans went wild. When it came down to the final two shots everyone held their breath. Our player lined up to take his shot at the goal. A different kind of anxiety filled the air now, all with hopes and prayers to just get the ball in the goal. And finally with the anticipation building … GOAL! The team celebrated the goal, but not for too long because now it was left up to one last penalty kick that would define the outcome of the game.

The kicker lined up to shoot, the whistle blew, the crowd went silent, the player booted the ball and for a split second while the ball was hurdling through the air towards the goal every single person surrounding the playing field was tense and anxiously watching. We held our breaths and watched as our goalie reached into the air and blocked the shot for the final time. They had done it! Palazzo Rucellai was the Fiorenza International School Cup Champions for the first time!

As the team cheered and rejoiced in their win, fans on the sidelines cheered them on.  Pictures were taken, players shook hands, and in the end the players from Palazzo Rucellai walked away from the playing field with a victory both for themselves and in representation of our school, Palazzo Rucellai.

Later that night we all headed to the big awards ceremony. Palazzo Rucellai 2 got an honorable mention, and the teams that had played in the playoffs were all given medals to wear around their necks. Amongst the crowd people were congratulating each other on their good efforts and games well played.  When they announced the award for Best Coach, our very own Daniele Forlino was awarded the title and everyone from Palazzo Rucellai screamed and cheered his name! Next, Best Player of the tournament was announced, and that also went to a Palazzo Rucellai member, Jeff Stanton, who had proved to be a key member of the team for Palazzo Rucellai. As the third place and second place teams were announced the players and the fans sat in anticipation. Finally, the winners, the champions, Palazzo Rucellai were announced and as they came up to receive their medals and their Gold Cup Trophy the entire place was echoing “Vai Vai Rucellai, Vai Vai Rucellai!” It was a moment we’ll never forget. The team passed around the Gold Cup Trophy, kissing it and admiring it, and celebrating all the hard work they had put in to win the tournament.  The team celebrated their win well into the night wearing their medals, while other players and people from everywhere congratulated them on a great tournament and a solid victory.

Submitted by Erin Wingert. Spring 2010.

April 11, 2010. Cinque Terre: by far the most amazing and breathtaking weekend in Italy yet. It has finally been starting to warm up in Florence and we have had some really amazing weather [after school sometimes we go lay out in the piazza in front of Santa Marie Novella Church]. On Friday, a few of us decided that we wanted to take a day trip to Cinque Terre, five towns [Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare] in the Italian Riviera that people go trekking through the coastal mountainside from town to town. We wound up with seven of us going on what turned out to be one of the coolest trips and craziest adventures I have ever been on.

We met at the train station around 6ish in the morning. The train ride was pretty long, about 2 and a half hours to La Spezia, which is a city to the east of Cinque Terre in the Liguria Region of Italy. From there we took a 7 minute train ride to the first town in Riomaggiore; and thus began our hiking journey. The mountainside, the water, and trails that you hike through in Cinque Terre were all declared to be National Parks so we had to buy a ticket for €8.50 to hike through the towns. The path you take to get to the second town is called Via dell’ Amore and at the end there is a railing with locks on it next to a ‘statue’ that is supposed to represent people being in love. I cannot explain in words or in pictures how amazing the hike was. It was so surreal. I also could not have asked for a better, more beautiful day to do this trip on. It was gorgeous outside, probably around 70°F and not a cloud in the sky. 

Anyway, the hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola only took about 25 minutes but it was full of beautiful views of the coast line and lots of Kodak moments. I think one of the cool parts about the trails is that once you get to one town you actually have to walk through it to get to the next trail and you get to see how cute and breathtaking the little towns are. Manarola was cute and there were sailboats & fishing boats everywhere. Thus far, the “hiking” part of this trip wasn’t at all difficult. It had been mostly just walking paths, kind of like a sidewalk. We wanted to keep up the pace and were excited to see what was in store for us on the next trail and in the next town so we kept on with it on the way to the next town, Corniglia. 

From Manarola to Corniglia I would guess probably would have taken a little more than an hour, but we stopped a few times for people to get some trailside gifts and to go exploring down by the water for a while. This path led to an area where there were all these little bungalows lined up in rows overlooking the coast. I’m not sure if they are completely abandoned or just only used during the summer months, but they were closed off for us to see. To get to town #3, Corniglia, which is situated on the top of a promontory 100 meters high, we had the pleasure of walking up [struggling up] 382 stairs. At the top of the stairs there is a sign to congratulate you on your accomplishment; Thank You town of Corniglia, I needed that!! It was around lunchtime when we were walking through the “touristy” parts of the town and as we walked past the ristorantes the aroma of fresh cooked seafood wafted into our noses and smelled absolutely delicious. I wanted to stop and eat so bad at this point but none of us were really that hungry and hadn’t quite yet worked up an appetite. Little did we know that the next trail was brutal and we would all be starving by the time we got to town #4. 

In Corniglia we stopped for a bathroom break and headed on our way to the next town. The trails finally started to turn into actual hiking trails at this point. A lot of the Cinque Terre region is known for wine-making so we started hiking through vineyards and woodlands on the mountain side. And up and up and up we went until we climbed higher, higher, higher; so high that at one point I have pictures looking down on Corniglia, which was pretty high up to begin with. Like I said before there really is no way for me to explain in words or show in pictures how beautiful the scenery really was, all I can say is that it was breathtaking and a place I could never dream up because it was so beautiful. We stopped to take a break for a couple minutes and get some water at one point, and we all just sat staring out at the open sea taking in the view and talking about how this place can’t be real. It is unimaginable how beautiful these coastal towns are. Definitely a must see place in Italy.

As we continued onward the trails got a little rougher. Steep slopes and steps for us to climb down or climb up, walking along the narrow coastal paths with only a railing separating you from what is sure to be imminent [but a most spectacularly, beautiful] death. And up and down we go hiking along, straining our muscles, trying to catch our breath for the next 2 hours until we reach the most beautiful, and my favorite, town #4… Vernazza. 

The trail into Vernazza takes you right into the heart of the town where at this point we can’t ignore our stomachs or our noses and it’s definitely time to eat. We took kind of a long lunch break, got some pizza and ate it sea side just enjoying the little town and being able to look across the sea, around the cove to admire the next town we’d be coming to where tiny little ant people were sprawled out across the beach. Vernazza was by far the coolest town. It remains one of the truest fishing villages on the Italian Riviera in that there is no car traffic, a road only leads to a parking lot of the edge of town where from there you have a choice between walking and biking. I think it was probably one of the bigger towns too, and definitely one of the bigger tourist attractions. There were people everywhere. There was a ferry boat bringing people to and from the towns which we contemplated taking for a while but us being the good little hikers that we were decided to finish out the hike, no matter how difficult it would be.

After eating and taking in the beauty of Vernazza we mapped out our last trail and kept on our way. This hike was supposed to be 2 hours long and pretty difficult. After having eaten and rested we thought we were ready to take on the trail, little did we know what was in store for us. This hike was by far the most strenuous hike of all. The trails were narrower, it was a constant battle between legs and stairs, and it was around 4pm so it was the hottest part of the day. During this hike we had to stop several times for water breaks [when you do this hike make sure you have lots of water!!] and periods of rest to catch our breaths. When we finally cleared the treacherous trails and could see the beach and Monterosso, town #5, in sight there was so much relief and excitement. We had done it! 9 kilometers of hiking through a coastal mountainside, 7 hours of sun blazing down on us, and taking in the most beautiful sites there ever was to see; we had the most amazing and accomplished day. 

We rewarded ourselves by relaxing on the beach in Monterosso al Mare, puting our feet in the [cold!] water, and just enjoying the moment. Shortly thereafter we headed back to Florence on the train where the tiredness finaly crept into me [after being awake since 4:30 in the morning] and I drifted off. It really was the most accomplished feeling having finished the trails and seen the beauty of the Italian Riviera like I will never see anything again in my life. I had just had the most amazing day and made new friends all while on an adventure of a lifetime. It was truly spectacular; words cannot describe. When we got home I showered and fell right to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It was the epitome of a perfect day. :)

Submitted by Erin Wingert. Spring 2010.

On February 28th my Anicent Rome class took our field trip to Rome. Rome was amazing and I am completely in love with the city, although I’m glad I chose to study and live in Florence because Rome is so huge. I would to try and go back another weekend to visit more of the city and get to the Vatican, which I didn’t get to on this class field trip. Very early on Saturday morning we met at the train station and took the fast train to Rome. When we got there we checked into the hotel and headed straight to our first site visit, The Ara Pacis. The Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace, was built during the age of Augustus, was used only once a year for performing sacrifices to the Roman Gods. The significance of the Ara Pacis is the decorative carvings on the short and long sides of the altar. They signify peace and safety during the time of Augustus. The procession of the long sides show members of Augustus’ family including Tiberius who would become Emperor after Augustus died in 14AD. The Ara Pacis is enclosed in a building that was designed by an American, Richard Meier.

After the Ara Pacis we broke for lunch and a couple of us walked to the Spanish Steps to take pictures before going to lunch. After lunch we walked through the streets of Rome on our way to the Pantheon. We saw remnants of Tempio Adriano which has been restored and turned into a bank. Around the corner stands The Pantheon in all of its glory. It really is an amazing site to see. The Pantheon is the best preserved building from Ancient Rome. It used to be a pagan temple which was later turned into a Catholic Church. It was originally built by Agrippa in 27 BC but after burning down twice, the Pantheon we see today was commissioned and restored by Hadrian in 120 AD. The oculus in the top of the dome is 9 meters in diameter and even though it looks small, a school bus could fit through it. The dome is the 4^th largest in the world in and it was largest until Brunelleschi built the Duomo [here in Florence!].

After the Pantheon we walked backed to our hotel through Piazza Navona which used to be a stadium where they would hold chariot races, etc. The only remains of the stadium are of a single arch that was used as the entrance way. From 4 pm on we had the rest of the night to ourselves so a couple of friends and I decided to explore the streets of Rome. We ate dinner and walked around for a while. There happened to be a Rugby match in Rome the previous day against the Scotland so there were men dressed in kilts EVERYWHERE. We ran into and chatted with some Scottish people for a while, but we could barely understand them because of their accents. After Campo di Fuori we headed to the Fontana di Trevi. We hung out there for about an hour until we decided to make the walk back and get to bed because we had to be up early for the site visits the next day.

On Sunday morning we got up and were out of the hotel by 9am. We headed to Via del Fiori Imperiali which is where Mussolini built his fascist capitol building and covered up most of the Imperial Forum. The Imperial Forum is a continuation of the Roman Forum [which was built between the Palatine and Capitol hills] and it was a series of private squares built by five Ancient Roman Emperors: Caesar [who was in actuality not an Emperor], Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva, and Trajan. The Imperial Forum were built between 42 BC and 112 AD. The forum is a contiguous series of enclosed areas, each with a temple placed axially at the back and flanked by porticoes on each side. Part of the Imperial Forum was covered by the street when Mussolini decided that he wanted to connect his building directly to the Colosseum. What we saw that was left of the Forum was Trajan’s Forum, which was the biggest and most extensively excavated. It was built by Apollodorus of Damascus [who also built the Pantheon] and it had Trajan’s statue, two exedras, the Basilica Ulpia, two libraries on either side of Tranjan’s column and Trajan’s markets, which was the first mall in the world. We also saw the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Caesar.

After the Imperial Forum we went to the Colosseum which was amazing to see. The Colosseum actually has an interesting history of why it was built. When Nero was Emperor, the city of Rome burned down in a huge fire in 64 AD and instead of rebuilding the city for the people, Nero built himself a huge GoldenPalace. Inside of the golden palace was a huge lake that Nero used to “play” naval battles, etc. When Vespasian became Emperor and the Flavian dynasty took over, he buried Nero’s golden house underground and drained the lake. He then built the Flavian Amphitheater in its place [that’s how big this lake was!]. Later the Colosseum got its name because it was built next to a huge statue of Nero dressed as Apollo the Sun God which the Romans referred to as “The Colossal Statue of Nero”, and thus the building next to the Colossal became The Colosseum. Another interesting fact about the Colosseum is that the cut in stone that you see today wasn’t always like that. Slowly overtime bricks of marble were taken from the Colosseum to build churches and other important buildings.

After The Colosseum we went to the Palatine Hill, which was the foundation of the city of Rome; then down into The Roman Forum. It was so interesting to see all the ruins of Ancient Rome and how preserved they were. I was in awe just standing in the middle of it all trying to picture what it must have been like to live there during the times, and also how old the ruins were and how long they have survived for. In the Roman Forum we saw The Curia – the meeting place of the Senate, The Temple of Vesta and The House of the Vestal Virgins – the temple where the vestal virgins kept the sacred fire going continuously [if it went out the vestal virgins, who were bound to a life of chastity, were accused of disobeying their vow and were executed by being buried alive, which was considered the worst form of punishment], The Basilica of Massentius, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, The Arch of Titus, and the burial site of Julius Caesar [among many other ruins].

The last place we visited before heading back to Florence was The Theater of Marcellus and the Jewish Ghetto. Pictures really don’t do Rome justice at all. I can definitely say that it is one of my favorite places so far, but I feel like I have been saying that about everywhere I’ve been! I am definitely going to try my hardest to make it back there though and I highly recommend that you go and see it because it really is a beautiful and amazing city!

Submitted by Erin Wingert. Spring 2010.

This past week my mom and brother came to visit! On Friday we went on a tour of Siena, San Gimignano, and Chianti. It was raining, but it was still a great time. San Gimignano is a really small town, known as “The Town of the Towers”, because during the Middle Ages all of the nobles built towers so they would be "above" the proletariats. They would then build bridges to connect the towers to one another. Smart thinking.

Siena was a cool medieval town as well. Saint Catherine was from there and is buried in the church in the center. Fact of the day: Saints always have a part of their body on display, (I'm not sure why, for good luck?) and so her 800 year old head is on display in a glass case. Crazy. Siena is broken up into 16 or 17 provinces in the city and they all form their own neighborhoods. Cute, right? 

Chianti was my favorite part. The rolling hills with grapes growing everywhere really is stunning. We also went to an organic winery and got to try 3 types of wine, 30 year old balsamic vinegar, 8 year old balsamic and olive oil. The olive oil was the best I've ever had. The 30 year old balsamic vinegar was good but strange, it wasn't very “liquid-y” since most of the water had evaporated. It tasted good on ice cream though (yes, sounds very strange indeed but good nonetheless). The 8 year old balsamic was absolutely amazing and delicious. The wine, of course, was great. While the owner was building his winery he found an original wine recipe from the 12th century. He mastered the recipe and we were able to try some of what wine tasted like so many years ago. We also tried a wine made from strawberry grapes--it was really good and had a hint of strawberry. All in all, it was a great trip. 

Submitted by Lynn Mraz. Spring 2010

While I'm not entirely certain of the origin of the Festa della Rificolona (and quite frankly, I'm not completely convinced anyone else here is, not even the Florentines), I definitely participated on Monday night! A group of us waited in the Piazza della Santa Croce underneath Dante's imposing statue, went for gelato, and then danced along while a brass band played. The festival is an annual tradition, and brings people out from all over the city to follow the band around from piazza to piazza, all the while holding beautiful colored lanterns. The music was a lot of fun, and it was a beautiful night. During the daytime there were some vendors set up in the Piazza SS Annunziata, and I was able to buy some homemade hazelnut toffee―delicious!

On Tuesday, my roommates and I attended the weekly cooking seminar at Mrs. Finnochiaro's house. We cooked an antipasti of foccaccia bread, a first course of a fancy-named pasta soup (similar to pasta fagioli, but with chickpeas instead of white beans), a second course of turkey fricassee stuffed with bacon alongside green beans in tomato sauce, and a blackberry torte for dessert. It was quite a feast! We're always really hungry for the two and half hours of cooking that precedes setting the table, but about half-way through the meal everyone gets really quiet and kind of sleepy. The wine definitely doesn't help :)

Today was our last mandatory trip with the Institute, marking the end of orientation. Anyone who decided to skip out on it though should really be hanging their head in shame, because those who showed up got to go on to an excursion to the Chianti region of Italy, about a forty-five minute bus ride north of Florence. We left the Santa Maria Novella train station at 9.15 AM, and arrived at Castello del Trebbio (Trebbio Castle) around 10 AM. A man named Alberto greeted us at the door and then led us on a personal tour of the private estate.

The castle was originally built around 1100, and belonged to the Pazzi family of Florence. The Pazzi are famous in Florence for always being second-best. They were extremely successful bankers, but not as successful as the Medici. The Medici were unquestionably the most wealthy, most powerful family of Florence. Not coincidentally, they are the family everyone knows about, and the Pazzi are not. As private citizens, the Medici effectively controlled the Republic through their political contacts and financial influence. The Pazzi family had no such political control, and was always envious of the Medici. The oldest of the Pazzi brothers, Salviati and Francesco di Pazzi, determined that the only way to rise out of the Medici family’s large shadow was to murder the head of their household, orenzo de’ Medici (also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent) and his brother, Giuliano de’ Medici. In order to carry out such a plan, they turned to their ally, the Pope, Sixtus IV. The Pazzi conspired to replace the Medici, the then de facto rulers of Florence, with the pope’s nephew. On April 26, 1478, Sixtus IV ordered the papal army to the gates of Florence, where they were to wait for a signal from the Pazzi brothers. The army, however, was never needed―during Mass on that Sunday morning at the Duomo, a gang (including a priest!) stabbed Giuliano de’ Medici twenty times in front of a crowd of nearly 10,000 church-goers. Lorenzo de’ Medici was stabbed at least twice, but then managed to hide away within the church.

The following day, Florence grieved the death of Giuliano, and the day after that, the retribution began. The Pazzi family was stripped of its nobility, its land, its investments, and its seal was removed from every public and/or visible space in Florence. Almost all the Pazzi family were beaten and hung to death in the city streets, including the Bishop of Florence; Salviati hung from the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio, where Leonardo di Vinci famously sketched his lifeless body. Lorenzo de’ Medici did his best to keep innocent people from facing undeserved onviction, including the almost-certainly innocent nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. Although the pope himself faced no immediate response from the Medici, after Sixtus IV’s death, the following two popes were from the Medici family: one was Lorenzo’s son, and the other was the son of Giuliano.

We got to walk through the room in which the Pazzi Conspiracy took place ―pretty creepy! It was strange to think about men plotting murder in the same place where we were standing. The castle remains pretty much in the same condition today as it was in 1478 when Lorenzo de’ Medici took it from the Pazzi as retribution for his brother’s death. The latest renovation was the changing out of the courtyard floor, but that happened during the mid 1400s. The Medici eventually sold the castle, and its surrounding 800 acres, and it changed hands of different families, eventually sitting vacant for fifteen years during the 1950s. The castle also comes with a love story, of course! A young woman came from Austria to Italy when she was 20 years old because she wanted to study Italian. On the train-ride across the border, she met an Italian man with whom she fell deeply in love. Two or three weeks later they were married. The catch? The man was 60 years old. But, as Alberto explains, “These things happen when you fall in love.” The man’s first wife had died, and he had no children; he felt that meeting this young Austrian woman was a second chance at life, and he asked his wife if they could have a big family. Six years later, they had five children. The man was an extremely successful businessman in Milan, where they lived, and he bought the Trebbio Castle as a summer home for his family so they could get away from the city. When his wife saw the castle, she decided that she wanted to move into it permanently. The family consequently moved to the castle, where they began to produce wine for a living. When the man was 82, he passed away. The following month, at 43, his widow died in a tragic car accident while on vacation in Switzerland. Four of the five children, now orphans, elected to sell the castle and its land because the roperty was so enormous and cost so much to maintain. However, one daughter, Anna, decided to keep the castle and continue to run her family’s olive oil and wine business. Anna, her husband and their three children continue to live there to this day, and allow selected tour groups to come through and view the castle’s vineyards and lower levels (Alberto, the only tour guide, is her husband’s cousin). Anna paid off the debt she owed to her other siblings (who also inherited a portion of the estate) from 1990 – 2007, and now is the sole owner of the property.

We also had an opportunity to view the cellars, where the majority of the wine is kept in enormous oak barrels, easily ten feet in height. These barrels cost over one thousand euro each, but can be used for up to 75 years if properly maintained. Alberto led us through the dungeon (which still had the rings in the ceiling to which prisoners were tethered) and into another cellar room where there were smaller oak barrels. The smaller oak barrels cost 600 euro each, and can only be used for three years!

Alberto spoke to us about the fallacy of the olive oil industry, in which the family is trying to once again become involved. A terrible winter in 1985 destroyed 85% of the family’s olive groves, and while new trees have been planted, it will take awhile for them to yield olives large enough to produce profitable quantities of olive oil. Anna and her mother replanted the trees together in 1987, but it wasn’t until three years later that they finally produced their first olives, and Anna’s mother died one month later. Anna has chosen to continue the olive oil business in honor of her mother, and hopes that one day it will become profitable again. The importance of recognizing the fallacy of the olive oil industry, though, is that anything that is not up to certain quality is incredibly bad for you. Olive oil should have less than 0.3% acidity in order for it to have the correct taste and be good for your organs and blood. Such oil is called “extra virgin olive oil.” Regrettably, the food regulators allow any olive oil that has less than .8% acidity to be called “extra virgin.” If it has .9 – 1.2% acidity, it can still be called “virgin olive oil;” the real trouble is the stuff that is simply called “olive oil,” because it contains very little oil actually derived from olives and is sometimes filled with animal byproducts and other plant oils, giving it 3+% acidity. The moral of the story? Spend the time and extra money on extra virgin olive oil – it’s worth it.

Lastly, though, I have to convey the story of Mario, the gamekeeper. Mario has been the effective caretaker of the Trebbio Castle since 1952. He lived here by himself, maintaining all the grounds and helping the farmers with the vineyard while the castle sat vacant from 1953 – 1968 under its previous ownership. Mario, in effect, comes with the castle. According to his previous contract, as is tradition, the gamekeeper is not permitted to get married because his sole focus must be on the property. When Anna’s family bought the castle, Mario petitioned for a new contract, and the family broke tradition and permitted him to get married. Two weeks later he and his girlfriend were married, and nine months after that he became a father. Mario is now 82 years old, and still wears his uniform to the castle, where he works (although technically retired) seven days a week, as he always has; you can find him easily – he’s dressed in a green felt hat with a pheasant feather, matching green overalls and handmade leather boots with handmade half-chaps overtop. He gets around without any help, although he speaks in a very soft whisper. He really seemed to delight in the tourists, and enjoyed taking pictures of us all. We were told that his only other highlight during the year after tourist season is the annual plucking of a new feather for his hat. I’ve stolen one of Allie’s photos of him, so you can love him as much as I do!

We enjoyed a beautiful wine tasting with our homemade, light lunch provided by the family’s cooks. The family produces two different red wines, one that is young (bottled after only 6 months in oak barrels, and therefore sharper) and one that is older (bottled after three years in oak barrels, with a much more powerful taste). I’m still learning to appreciate wine, but I can at least tell you that what they produce is pretty darn good by me.

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.

A group of nearly 40 Institute students braved a damp and rainy evening for the chance to see rival teams ACF Fiorentina and F.C. Internazionale Milano (Inter) go head to head on the Fiorentina’s home turf at the Campo di Marte stadium. Despite the relatively unexciting outcome of the game, which resulted in a 0-0 tie, the students greatly enjoyed themselves. The evening turned into an improv Italian class as the students sought to decipher the various chants and Fiorentina fight songs; by the end of the evening we had gotten the hang of “Alèèè, forza viola alè, forza viola alè!!” (“Alè, go viola alè, go viola alè!”), and to their delight they had significantly improved their knowledge of Italian curse words, which were shot relentlessly at the opposing team’s fans. The game was an excellent opportunity for the students to partake in an activity that is at the heart of Italian culture and to witness first hand a national passion for soccer which is akin to the United State’s excitement for football and baseball. After a full two months in Florence, the pride and excitement that the students have developed for their adoptive “home” city shone through as they cheered on the Viola team; let’s hope that the second half of the semester proves to be as memorable as the first.