My life as a Florentine
So, now that I've been in Italy for just over a full week I'm sure the burning question on everyone's mind is: What has she actually been doing there??
The start of this study abroad program (SAI) was pretty convenient, because it just overlapped with Jenna (from Sils) and her friend\travel companion Rebecca's visit to Florence. Last Thursday morning I met up with them on the steps of the Duomo and spent most of the day with them. The cathedral is a really remarkable piece of architecture; aside from its aesthetic flawlessness (I had no idea it was such a colorful building, but the facade is composed of green, pink and white marble) it seems to crop up everywhere in the city. I was getting worried that I would be late when I stepped out of a side street and there it was, as tall as the sky. Amazing.
We went inside and marvelled at the Duomo's frescos, then climbed its 487 steps and checked out the beautiful view of the city. That's something I'd like to see again, especially now that I'm getting familiar enough with this place that the second time around it would be fun to pick out places I know. Next stop was the Museo de Bargello, a medieval prison\stronghold-turned-museum. Chock full of Renaissance relics, my favorite displays were of the middle eastern tapestries, the clocks and the gigantic skeleton keys (and I thought the ones I used were complicated...). I also saw my first Michelangelo sculpture, something he fashioned around the age 0f 22. Looks like I have a bit of catching up to do before I can consider myself an accomplished person.
This past Saturday I booked myself a spot for a bike ride ambiguously titled 'Chianti Bike Tour'. Glad I took the gamble, because I had a terrific time. A group of us met in Florence at 10 that morning, drove out to the Chianti countryside (the region of Tuscany between Firenze and Siena) and after getting fitted for bikes, went just down the road for a tour of Machiavelli's house and winery - complete, of course, with wine tasting. One of the women on the tour was from Raleigh and turned out to have a daughter that goes to UVA (this is rare enough as is, but to meet her in Italy?! The world shrinks daily, I swear). We biked a bit more, stopped in a quaint town for lunch where we ate and ate... and ate... and ate... and then biked the longest and most challenging stretch. It was tough, but biking along, I became aware of the huge grin plastered across my face as I watched the Tuscan hills roll by. Good default reaction, no? (Also very glad that during my week at home I dragged Ainsley out of the house to bike around the neighborhood with me so I could get some embarassingly-needed practice.)
Early Sunday morning found me on my way to Siena, just an hour away, for il Palio. This is a horse race that's been around for hundreds of years and still takes place in the sizeable main town square - Piazza del campo - twice a year. I went to mass in Siena's Duomo (an interesting mix of the familiar and not-so) and wandered around the place with some friends I've made in my study abroad program, but a few hours before the race some of us set up camp in the piazza to ensure a seat. By 6:30pm or so the place was officially packed (with other UVA students that I happened to run into, might I add!) and by packed I mean there were probably 15-20,000 people crammed in this space. Standing room only... After over an hour of parades and pomp and circumstance, the horses were off; three of them riderless after rounding the first sharp corner. What a spectacle. Another instance of how terrific this trip's timing has been.
This week has been full of me getting more familiar with the city and all it has to offer, celebrating a friend's 21st birthday, starting class, watching tons of World Cup games and spending a lot of time in any one of Florence's multiple piazzas just people watching, picture-taking, eating, reading and writing. The place is just bursting with life and the tourists can be a bit overwhelming (especially when I accidentally get caught up in one of the enormous tour groups and have to fight my way out... trust me, it's a struggle) but for the most part even they add to the place's charm.
This morning I went to the Mercato Centrale for some grocery shopping, and I went back to the same shops that I visited last Friday. The fruit and vegetable vendor must have recognized me (and my valiant attempts at Italian), or maybe he just felt generous, but in a really charming act he gave me - upon my request for two peaches and one tomato - four peaches and five tomatoes. He charged me what I would have paid for the three pieces of fruit, so I didn't notice until I walked away and became aware that my bag was abnormally heavy for such a small purchase. I think I'll be back at his shop many more times in the weeks to come.
The start of this study abroad program (SAI) was pretty convenient, because it just overlapped with Jenna (from Sils) and her friend\travel companion Rebecca's visit to Florence. Last Thursday morning I met up with them on the steps of the Duomo and spent most of the day with them. The cathedral is a really remarkable piece of architecture; aside from its aesthetic flawlessness (I had no idea it was such a colorful building, but the facade is composed of green, pink and white marble) it seems to crop up everywhere in the city. I was getting worried that I would be late when I stepped out of a side street and there it was, as tall as the sky. Amazing.
We went inside and marvelled at the Duomo's frescos, then climbed its 487 steps and checked out the beautiful view of the city. That's something I'd like to see again, especially now that I'm getting familiar enough with this place that the second time around it would be fun to pick out places I know. Next stop was the Museo de Bargello, a medieval prison\stronghold-turned-museum. Chock full of Renaissance relics, my favorite displays were of the middle eastern tapestries, the clocks and the gigantic skeleton keys (and I thought the ones I used were complicated...). I also saw my first Michelangelo sculpture, something he fashioned around the age 0f 22. Looks like I have a bit of catching up to do before I can consider myself an accomplished person.
This past Saturday I booked myself a spot for a bike ride ambiguously titled 'Chianti Bike Tour'. Glad I took the gamble, because I had a terrific time. A group of us met in Florence at 10 that morning, drove out to the Chianti countryside (the region of Tuscany between Firenze and Siena) and after getting fitted for bikes, went just down the road for a tour of Machiavelli's house and winery - complete, of course, with wine tasting. One of the women on the tour was from Raleigh and turned out to have a daughter that goes to UVA (this is rare enough as is, but to meet her in Italy?! The world shrinks daily, I swear). We biked a bit more, stopped in a quaint town for lunch where we ate and ate... and ate... and ate... and then biked the longest and most challenging stretch. It was tough, but biking along, I became aware of the huge grin plastered across my face as I watched the Tuscan hills roll by. Good default reaction, no? (Also very glad that during my week at home I dragged Ainsley out of the house to bike around the neighborhood with me so I could get some embarassingly-needed practice.)
Early Sunday morning found me on my way to Siena, just an hour away, for il Palio. This is a horse race that's been around for hundreds of years and still takes place in the sizeable main town square - Piazza del campo - twice a year. I went to mass in Siena's Duomo (an interesting mix of the familiar and not-so) and wandered around the place with some friends I've made in my study abroad program, but a few hours before the race some of us set up camp in the piazza to ensure a seat. By 6:30pm or so the place was officially packed (with other UVA students that I happened to run into, might I add!) and by packed I mean there were probably 15-20,000 people crammed in this space. Standing room only... After over an hour of parades and pomp and circumstance, the horses were off; three of them riderless after rounding the first sharp corner. What a spectacle. Another instance of how terrific this trip's timing has been.
This week has been full of me getting more familiar with the city and all it has to offer, celebrating a friend's 21st birthday, starting class, watching tons of World Cup games and spending a lot of time in any one of Florence's multiple piazzas just people watching, picture-taking, eating, reading and writing. The place is just bursting with life and the tourists can be a bit overwhelming (especially when I accidentally get caught up in one of the enormous tour groups and have to fight my way out... trust me, it's a struggle) but for the most part even they add to the place's charm.
This morning I went to the Mercato Centrale for some grocery shopping, and I went back to the same shops that I visited last Friday. The fruit and vegetable vendor must have recognized me (and my valiant attempts at Italian), or maybe he just felt generous, but in a really charming act he gave me - upon my request for two peaches and one tomato - four peaches and five tomatoes. He charged me what I would have paid for the three pieces of fruit, so I didn't notice until I walked away and became aware that my bag was abnormally heavy for such a small purchase. I think I'll be back at his shop many more times in the weeks to come.
posted by Kendall Singleton | 10:29 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home