What a great week. We finished off last weekend at the
Amalfi Coast, which made this week fly by as we toured incredible churches and
made progress on our studio projects. On Friday we got to go to Ostia Antica,
which was very eye-opening and inspirational, reminding me of how important
architecture is, and how timeless it can be…a common theme I’m noticing as I
tour more and more places in this great country. We ended the day by going to a
beach in a nearby town, which was a great way to end a day of touring ancient
ruins in the sun.
The highlight of this week was my ad Katie’s
spur-of-the-moment trip to Florence. We took the train there on Sunday morning,
and with the help of a few of our friends that had previously studied there, we
had a giant list of things to do. We started by going to the Uffizi Gallery,
one of the greatest collections of Renaissance paintings in the entire world. This
was my favorite part of the trip because after studying Renaissance art and art
theory for a year, I was blown away to see all of these masterpieces in real
life, and know a lot about their origins and stories. Towards the end of the
museum tour, I turned a corner to see my absolute favorite Renaissance
painting, “Primavera,” by Botticelli. I had no idea that it was in this museum
so I was shocked and overwhelmed by its presence. Honestly, I could have
starred at it for hours, but I starred at it for an appropriate amount of time
before we decided to head towards the heart of the city and check off some more
items from our Florence bucket list. We saw the Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful
bridge with lots of jewelry shops and live music. We also got to see Piazza
Signoria, a piazza outside of the Uffizi Museum with lots of copies of
Michaelangelo’s sculptures, as well as some originals.
The next morning we went to the Accademia Museum to see
Michaelangelo’s “David.” Again, I was absolutely stunned by its power. It’s
hard to believe that a statue so prestine and detailed was carved out of marble
when it looks like it was carved out of butter. We then decided to climb the
Duomo, which was a difficult task, but 500 stairs (that were NOT to code)
later, we arrived at the top where we got incredible views of the city
surrounding us. All of the roofs were different colors of rust, creating a sea
of oranges and reds that went on for miles…an indescribable view. If you plan
on visiting Florence this summer (which I STRONGLY recommend that you do!) here
are a few tips:
1.
Get a hotel/hostel close to the heart of the
city. We got a cheap hotel that was too far to walk to, and what we saved in
hotel costs we paid for in taxi rides.
2.
Get up really early. Lots of the museums that
you’ll go to are very touristy, so the earlier you get there the less you’ll
have to wait in line. OR you can pre-order your tickets online. I think it’s a
little more expensive, but when you don’t have a lot of time to waste it’s
always a good idea to plan ahead. Also check museum schedules. They all have
weird hours.
3.
Sketch the David! This was suggested by a
student from last year, and I didn’t think that I could do it but it was a
really fun challenge. Since you’re not allowed to take pictures it’s a really
good way to analyze and learn about it, too.
4.
Go to Ponte Vecchio. It is a bridge right in the
heart of the city and it is gorgeous, as well as fun to watercolor.
5.
Climb the Duomo. We weren’t able to climb the
dome itself since it is closed on Sundays, but we were able to tour the
clocktower for 6 Euro. I actually really liked this because we got a really
great view of the dome…something only architecture enthusiasts can really
appreciate!
6.
Go to the Boboli gardens. Beautiful gardens
alongside a beautiful palace with great views of the city as you hike towards
the top.
If you plan to go to any of the art museums and want to know
about some of the really famous paintings, let me know! I know tons about the
paintings and LOVE talking about them, and it makes it more impactful when you
know the stories behind the paint.
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