A Semester in Firenze

I can’t believe that I’m actually leaving Florence tomorrow. It still hasn’t hit me yet. As all of my belongings from the semester are being packed into suitcases, I’m still thinking that I’ll be walking past the Duomo next week on my way to class….but I won’t be. It will be a very long time (if ever) until I walk these streets again. By the time I’m back in Florence, things will be completely different. The boisterous homeless man on my street, the aging yellow labrador sitting next to the news stand off of Via de Calzauoli, the violinist who always plays next to the Duomo, and the three men who always stressfully prepare panini bollito at Nerbone will most likely all be gone when I return. Now, these people who have subtly entered into my life are abruptly exiting! 

Goodbyes are so weird. Kaitlin and I just said goodbye to both of our roommates which was incredibly sad. We honestly couldn’t have had better roommates this semester—they’re both so kind, funny, genuine, fun, and caring. It’s so strange that I’m leaving people and places I’ve seen every single day for 4 months! I will miss Florence and the people I associate with Florence so much. These past four months have been some of the most incredible months of my life and I’ll always treasure the time I’ve spent here.

above: Annie, Kaitlin, me, and Emma next to the Via dei Servi tree. As pathetic looking as it is, I love that our street in Florence has its own tree!

Though I’m sad to leave, I’m excited to see friends & family I’ve missed so much back home, to not have to premeditate everything I say as much, to see my pets, to be able to drive my car again, and to use the dollar. This will without a doubt be the best Christmas ever!

So now I better go jam a few last things into my bulging carry-on bag before I wake up in the morning to leave the country I’ve spent four months of my life in and start readjusting myself back into America.

Thank you to everyone who has been following me this semester and I can’t wait to see you when I come home!

Ciao

Elizabeth

So I forgot to mention that as soon as I opened the door to my apartment on Thursday after returning from Siena, I frantically showered, packed, and left (again) that same night for….Austria! My roommate Annie went as well and though we immensely struggled trying to sleep overnight on the bus, I’m so glad I was able to make it to Austria this semester!

We spent the majority of the weekend in Vienna, first visiting St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where Beethoven discovered he was deaf. We spent a lot of the afternoon in one of Vienna’s art galleries, the Belvedere Palace. This museum holds the largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings in the world, including The Kiss, which is hanging up in my dorm room in Georgetown right now! 

above: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

The museum also has a neat Intervention series right now, in which contemporary artists create works to interact with the Belvedere collection and architecture. The current artist is Marianna Gartner. I loved her work and also loved seeing contemporary pieces hanging in the midst of paintings from the 1800s.

above: Maria Gartner work alongside a painting from the Belvedere Collection

In the afternoon and evening we decided to visit several of the Christmas markets scattered all around the city. The markets were so elaborate, crowded, and full of delicious food!

above: one of the biggest Christmas markets in Vienna

At night we went to a Mozart & Strauss musical concert! I hadn’t been to anything like it yet this semester and Vienna was the perfect place to do so since there is Mozart paraphernalia everywhere. The concert was neat because it featured an orchestra, ballet, and opera singers. I could listen to string instruments for days and I’m really glad we decided to go.

On Saturday we walked through Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace, which I loved. I didn’t know very much about the Austro-Hungarian empire before visiting the palace and now I want to learn a lot more about it!

above: Angie and I eating homemade potato chips from the Christmas market while walking around the Schönbrunn Palace gardens

That afternoon, we drove to Salzburg! I was so excited to visit and loved watching “The Sound of Music” on the way there.  Unfortunately it was pouring down rain when we reached Salzburg, but we still enjoyed walking through the cute little town and exploring the Christmas markets.

For dinner we walked to a popular beer hall in Salzburg called Augustiner Brewery. The place was filled with Austrians and many of them were wearing traditional German clothing! The food was similar to the kind of food we ate in Prague and it was funny to enjoy dinner while listening to a very drunken rendition of “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) from the people sitting nearby.

above: Annie at Augstiner Brewery

Because our time in Salzburg was so short, we didn’t have time to visit Mozart’s house! Annie and I were so upset—we wished we had more time in Salzburg to walk around!

The only thing we did in Salzburg on Sunday before leaving was the “Sound of Music” tour. It was so funny! I loved seeing many of the places where the film took place. Our tour guide was a cute, old, Austrian man and he would sing along to all of the songs from the musical as we drove to each location. On the tour we were able to see both of the buildings used in the film for the Von Trapp house, the lake where Maria & the children fell out of the canoe, some mountain views from the movie, the gazebo (!!) where Liesl and Rolf danced, Nonnberg Abbey, and the wedding church in Mondsee. 

above: Annie and I pretending to fall into the lake just like Julie Andrews.

above: in front of the gazebo! Unfortunately a couple of years ago an 85-year-old woman fell down and broke the glass windows trying to reenact “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” inside. Needless to say, the gazebo is locked now.

above: Mozart chocolates all over Austria!

After some soup and the most delicious apple strudel I’ve ever eaten, we returned to Florence. The bus ride returning to Florence was much better than the trip to Austria, even though “A Muppet Christmas Carol” was vetoed. I tried to hide my disappointment for Annie’s sake. Muppets scare her.

Austria was such a wonderful place that I would return to in a heartbeat. Though I wasn’t there long, the people were so friendly and there was so much to do! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to travel this semester! Every trip has been fun and I’ve loved getting to meet so many people while traveling!

Ciao

Elizabeth

Last Thursday Kaitlin and I decided to take a day trip to a small town in Tuscany called Siena. It was our first time using the Italian bus system so there was a lot of confusion in the morning. We ended up waking up entirely too early so we got cappuccinos in a bar by the station until the bus left, which was fun. We even splurged and paid extra to sit down at the table!

Siena was such a beautiful place! It is definitely one of my favorite cities in Italy. The city is known for its beautiful Duomo and a bi-annual horse race called El Palio. The race takes place in the main piazza, Piazza del Campo, and each summer thousands of people visit the piazza to watch the different regions of Siena compete. During the race there is also a traditional flag-waving ceremony full of flags representing each of Siena’s regions. It was fun to walk around Siena and see these flags everywhere! They are even hanging up in the famous Duomo. 

above: flags for sale in Piazza del Campo

above: the piazza. The crowd stands in the brick center while the horses race around on the stone pavement.

above: from google

We spent a long time walking around the cathedral and admiring the gorgeous floor mosaics and wall paintings. It’s one of the most beautiful cathedrals I’ve seen in Europe. Most Italians consider Siena’s Duomo to be the prettiest cathedral in Italy.

above: the Duomo on the outside

above: the Duomo on the inside

Next we explored the Basilica di San Domenico, which houses the relics of St. Catherine of Siena. I think it would feel strange to go to mass in the same room displaying a mummified head and thumb. Though the basic architectural structure of the building was simple, the stained glass was so unique and beautiful! 

We found a delicious restaurant right next to San Domenico, where Kaitlin and I both decided to try a Sienese specialty…wild boar! It was actually really good. However, I had a hard time taking my pasta seriously after seeing all the plush wild boar hats all over the city. Though the hats were tempting, there’s no way one of those would fit in my suitcase. Though it broke my heart, I had to refrain from buying a wild boar hat for me or my younger sister Erin.

above: wild boar pasta

I absolutely loved spending the day in Siena because it was so beautiful and peaceful. I’ve found myself enjoying these smaller Italian towns the most this semester— you can spend all day just wandering through the narrow streets and admiring the beauty surrounding you rather than worrying about having enough time to visit all of the tourist attractions.

The wonderful day was made even better upon our return to Florence. Being December 8, the day of Immaculate Conception, all of the Christmas lights in Florence were finally turned on! The Duomo’s tree was absolutely gorgeous all lit up. I’m sad I’m only around Florence to experience the tree for 11 days!

Ciao

Elizabeth

It’s finals week in Italy and to be honest, finals in Italy aren’t any more fun than finals in America. It’s true, my course load has been a lot easier this semester. Even though I feel like I’ve learned so much while I’ve been studying in Florence, there aren’t as many papers and tests. The lectures and museum visits are wonderful but one paper, midterm, and final for each class form the semester grade for every class I have here. 

However, because there isn’t as much homework to do here compared to other colleges in America, everybody goes especially crazy during midterms week, final paper week, and finals week just because nobody is used to all of the work! It’s honestly ridiculous. Last night I found myself just sitting at the kitchen table until six in the morning trying to muster up the motivation to study. The general consensus among other study abroad students in Florence is the same; it’s hard to study for finals when you somewhat feel like you’ve been on vacation all semester.

Tonight my friends and I decided to skip the studying for a quick second (okay, maybe more like an hour) and get gelato! It’s not that cold in Florence (though some Italians disagree) so gelato still tastes delicious. It was a fun to walk around looking at the Christmas lights while eating gelato—I’m sad that this sort of study break won’t be an option next semester!

above: Kaitlin, Annie, and Alyssa walking to GROM for gelato

above: Alyssa, Lindsey, Annie, and Emma like to eat gelato instead of studying or cleaning apartments

Now I have just THREE finals left and it’s hard to believe that in THREE nights I will be setting my alarm to wake up in the middle of the night and fly home! 

Ciao

Elizabeth

On Saturday morning I left with my school for a trip to Murano, Burano, and Venice. It was such a neat place—I felt like I was in a different world! Because Venice used to be its own republic, there is even a Venetian language! Though it’s not very common, you can still occasionally hear Venetian, though it’s now just considered an Italian dialect. This was my third trip with Franco and Stefano, the two LdM professors who lead weekend trips throughout the semester. They are so funny and I’ve loved all the trips I’ve taken with them.

After boarding the boat, our first stop was Murano. This is the island famous for glass blowing and glass factories. We stopped at the Gino Mazzuccato factory, one of the most famous Murano glass factories that has been in establishment since 1958. We saw a glass blowing demonstration and it was amazing to see how quickly the pitcher and glass horse were made!

above: working on the pitcher at Gino Mazzuccato factory

After the demonstration, we went to the gift shop. Everything was incredibly expensive but Franco & Stefano are friends with the owner and head glass blower, Gino Mazzuccato, so we were able to get really great discounts. I even talked with Gino for a little bit. He was so funny!

Next we stopped at Burano for lunch. Burano is so peaceful because it’s incredibly quiet! It’s also fun to walk around the island because the buildings are extremely colorful. According to Stefano, it’s forbidden to change the color of any building. I wish that we had spent more time in Burano because it was so neat and picturesque. Because the island is also famous for lace, there were several stores with lace making demonstrations, which I thought would be fun to do if we had spent more time in Burano.

After lunch, we traveled by boat to the final destination of the weekend—-VENICE! First we checked into the hotel. Five other girls and myself stayed in a separate hotel from everyone else on the trip, but Hotel Fontana felt much more like a cabin or apartment than a hotel. We opened the hotel room to find a room with small porcelain objects and fancy chairs, leading up a wooden staircase to five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a chess table. 

above: one of the bedrooms in my hotel room

Later that afternoon Franco and Stefano led the group on a walking tour of Venice. It was pouring rain but the rain made Venice much more beautiful at night! We walked past the Bridge of Sighs, across Rialto Bridge, and into St. Mark’s Square. I loved St. Mark’s Basilica. The remains of Mark are inside and the church is absolutely breathtaking, inside and out. When explaining the cathedral, Franco said, “The church is a combination of styles, okay, but you can see many characteristics of the Venetian gothic style, the Venetian gothic style, such as the pointed arch, the pointed arch, the quatrefoils, the quatrefoils, the columns under the loggia, the loggia, and so. and so. and so. and so on.” It was a really neat area of Venice!

above: outside St. Mark’s basilica

above: Rialto Bridge

The next morning we went to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which I absolutely loved! I didn’t know very much about her before so it was fun to learn about the eccentric art collector. The daughter of a Titanic victim and member of the wealthy Guggenheim family, Peggy amassed a huge collection of art, married artist Max Ernst, was the last owner of a private gondola in Venice, and had 15 dogs over the course of 2 years before dying on December 23, 1979.

above: Peggy Guggenheim with dogs on her private gondola in Venice, from google

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is located in Peggy’s palace home in Venice and features a collection that includes works by Max Ernst, Henri Moore, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and countless others. Visiting the collection made me want to read Peggy Guggenheim’s autobiography. Apparently it is so scandalous that the Guggenheim family attempted to buy out the printing press during publishing! I’m convinced she must be the most scandalous and eccentric Venetian since Casanova.

above: view of the museum from the canal

Because it is obviously the off-season for tourism in Venice, me and 5 other girls were able to ride in a gondola for an extremely good price after visiting the art museum. Expecting gondola rides to be expensive, I wasn’t planning on riding in one, but I’m so glad I did! We rode around Venice for thirty minutes and were able to enjoy Venice from a completely different angle. It’s neat that boats are the main form of transportation in Venice and the surrounding islands, but I’m not sure I would be able to live in that environment. Our gondolier said that Venice is actually a pretty dangerous place to live in because the ambulances are motorboats, which are unable to run when the water level is low!

above: view of a waterbus from the gondola

above: on the gondola!

After the gondola ride, we tried on lots of masquerade masks (which are EVERYWHERE in Venice) and spent a long time in St. Mark’s Square watching people play with the pigeons. There are SO many pigeons in Venice and apparently nobody in Venice has seen the movie “Birds” because there are always people feeding them! There was one tiny little boy who probably had ten birds on his body at one time, before finally trying to catch a pigeon with his hands!

The final place I visited in Venice was Palazzo Ducale, which is a palace and political city center for the Venetian Doge that connects to prisons for people who commit political crimes. The bridge connecting the prisons with the interrogation room of Palazzo Ducale is called the “Bridge of Sighs” since the view from the bridge is the last view prisoners would see of Venice before being led to their cells. Palazzo Ducale was an interesting but sometimes creepy building to visit!

above: the Bridge of Sighs

After Palazzo Ducale, we boarded the boat for the bus, dropped Franco off at his house outside Florence (“Ciao ragazzi! See you in school!”) and landed in rainy Florence, which is still only half-decorated for Christmas since the decorating began last week. It was funny to walk past the Duomo’s Christmas tree, which over the weekend acquired little red fleur-de-lis ornaments hanging on only the top half of the tree.

I loved my weekend in Venice and am sad that my travels through Italy and Europe are almost over for the semester! Next week is our last week of class and before I realize it, I’ll be home. Everyone’s feelings towards the end of the semester are bittersweet. But as for now, my friends and I are are savoring our last days in Italy by celebrating tonight at the free LdM end-of-the-year student dinner at a restaurant in Florence!

Ciao!

Elizabeth