Thursday June 1st – Fortresses and Crypts

Alas, this was our last day in Roma, but we were still going to to go a few more places before departing from this wonderful city. Today we went to Castel San’t Angelo which apparently a movie called, ‘Angels and Demons’ was filmed, but I’ve never seen the movie and all I knew was that it looked hella cool from the outside.

It looked like a little paradise that was surrounded by high walls and fences you know, for protection and all. I think the most awesome thing was seeing the actual cannons and cannonballs they were just there in the open and piled high (cannonballs) and getting to touch them was pretty neat too!

The only thing that I was a little hesitant about was on the way up to the top of Castel San’t Angelo, there was a section where after we walked up little, tiny steps, it was just a little incline that continued on, but it went down on either side when you looked over the railings that were on both sides.

Not liking heights and walking up an incline on something like that, I took baby steps, yeah, my professor was laughing at me and telling me I’d be fine, but still! I don’t trust it!

Up at the top of it, they had a mini museum packed with original shields, helmets, swords, military uniforms and flags from past wars. Seeing actual weapons that someone held in the past was so awesome. Just imagining what those relics have been through really makes you wonder.

Emily and I went off on our own for a hot second because I got distracted by something large and colorful and it turned out to be a huge ass ceiling that was decked out in gold trim and a beautiful painted scene spanning the entirety of the ceiling.

Of course we got a wonderful view of Rome from above and the scenery of beautiful as usual. Seeing the top of the Vatican, the flowing canal with the bridges and just how far the city stretched out in front of us – it went on for miles and miles, the buildings becoming little tiny shadowed dots at one point.

After leaving, we went back to our hotel and packed up our bags because we were going back to Florence after dragging our luggage across Rome and visiting the Capuchin Crypts which had to be hands down my favorite part of this day! You enter surprisingly through the front of a church which makes it all the more creepy when you think about it. After going through check-in, you walk through a small museum telling the history about the Capuchin Monks and where they’re located, their mission, etc.

You also get to see relics from different famous Monks of the Capuchin and then at the tail end of the museum there was a giant story of how the Capuchin Crypts came to be and how they were made from I think 13,000 real human bodies.

Walking towards them, it’s down a long hallway with 6 rooms to be exact and they’re decorated with those real human bones from the floor all the way to the ceiling. It’s something so unreal and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before in my life. I know I said I enjoyed creepy shit, but this was a whole new level of creepy that I wasn’t prepared for at all. Everything was made of bones – the butterfly designs, chandeliers and the different designs in each room – all legitimate bones.

Not only was it grotesque in nature, but it was also beautiful, the designs I mean. They were so specific and went with each room it was assigned to. It was obvious that a lot of time and thinking went into the design of the overall place.

It was interesting to see that each room was assigned certain bones like the ribs or skulls. There were also full mummified corpses dressed as the Capuchin Monks themselves were neat yet creepy as fuck I have to be honest. It felt like they were going to start moving the more I stared at them. If you looked hard enough, you could see where the eye sockets were sunken in, some eyes were still closed, their lips were in tact too and you could make our smiles and frowns on certain ones as you walked through.

Of course photos were not allowed within the areas where the actual Crypts were and for good reason – these are actual human beings and to take pictures is a huge sign of disrespect and I wasn’t going to get any bad juju from being a rebel and taking sneaky photos and honestly if you wanted to you couldn’t. They had people posted in there to make sure nobody took photos.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Wednesday May 31st- “Death March” part 3 (The dope Pope and some Catacombs)

Let me start off by saying that I was not expecting to go and see the Pope in person today. Of all the things I thought I was going to do while in Rome, this wasn’t even close to what I was thinking and considering I haven’t been to church in years, I felt pretty weird going to this massive gathering at this holy place and all.

It was a nice thing to experience though, to see all of these people from across the globe gathered in the same area and praising each other and to be engulfed in a sense of love; which is the best way I can describe it.

Being blessed by the “Dope Pope” as our group was calling the Pope was a once in a lifetime thing to be present for. I never thought I would be blessed, I always felt like I didn’t deserve it, but the Pope said everyone deserved it. I felt lighter afterwards, like all my problems were gone for a moment and I remembered how to truly be free- from issues, responsibilities, just problems in general. It was a wonderful feeling that I wish to get back one day.

A few of us did leave early from the Popes service just because there were so many people trying to get in and out and it was just a huge mess in the sense of trying to get to one place or another and being claustrophobic totally doesn’t help anything either!

After finally getting back to the hotel from our little detour from getting gelato, since it was so hot out that day, we got a few hours to relax and have time to ourselves before going to the place I was so excited about – the Roman Catacombs!

I mean, getting there was a bit hellish since we had to walk so fucking far firstly for the bus and then from the stop which took like almost 30ish minutes to reach, we walked a bit farther too – shit, even the cafes wouldn’t let us sit and rest while we used their facilities, but I was already too hot and tired to even argue.

It was a blessing to finally arrive there, though it didn’t really look like a place where catacombs from ancient times would be but of course, looks are deceiving.

Walking in, you’re automatically in the gift shop which was a bit strange, but there was a door on the side they opened that led you down this huge flight of stairs to essentially what’s a church with small windows near the top so sunlight could peek through. After having the tour guide explain to us to stay together, not to wander off since there are 11 miles of catacombs under us and we’d be hopelessly lost if we separated and of course not photo taking down there too – we were led to another set of stairs, of course more rustic in looks and probably a bit unsafe in my opinion, but whatever.

Stepping into the actual catacomb space, I totally felt like I was apart of an episode of Ghost Adventures. Like, I was about to explain where we were and that we were going to find some dope ass spirits during tonight’s lock down and all.

But in all seriousness, it was creepy, eerily so and I loved it! I really dig those creepy, dimly lit places with a messed up history… I know, wonderful things for a young woman to be into, right?

Not only was the cool air welcoming, but so were the other parts of the catacombs our tour guide didn’t take us too. It was so tempting to just split off and explore since I enjoy to look at everything I can in new places, but the thought of getting and lost and dying down there really didn’t appeal to me, so I just stuck with the group and be happy with what we were shown.

Now, the bodies were not in the catacombs since they were taken out in 1994 due to people actually taking the bones of those who were buried in there. So, there were just giant rectangular holes in the sides of the wall and above where the coffins were. Even though it was just a hole essentially, it was awesome just to see where exactly they were.

It was cool to know that whole families had plots there and the grave diggers guild was an interesting aspect – all the grave diggers in the catacombs actually had a plot of their own in there where they were buried and it even had  a beautiful mosaic that was sadly stolen many years ago.

Seeing headstones from ancient times as well as some small trinkets and pottery inside the coffin spaces. It was an experience that I truly enjoyed and I totally want to explore more ancient catacombs because you’re literally walking through history.

After trekking our way back to the main city of Rome, we split off – Emily and I actually and decided to get something to eat. Okay, I’ll say it, I’ve had other food besides pasta and such while I’ve been in Rome which include places like McDonalds and Burger King. I know, I know, it’s totally awful – sue me, but I regret nothing!

Honestly though, it tastes way better than the ones in America- more fresh, no grease and best of all, it didn’t hurt my stomach later on like it usually would back in Illinois. Though the one thing that was a bit off was the Mexican food which I found out from getting some from a take away place that someone in the group suggested.

Most of us decided to eat on the roof with out Mexican grub and have a few drinks, beer and wine of course and just talk and enjoy the view. The food was a bit foreign to me even though I’m Mexican myself. There were some things they got right which was the chile and others that were way off like the beans and salsa, but it’s all about the experience and trying new things that you usually wouldn’t try, right?

Some of us decided that after dinner on the roof, we were going to go back to the Trevi Fountain at night. Wanting to see it again all lit up by the lights and a few drinks in, I was totally in! Getting there, it was even more beautiful at night – the lights shining on the statues and such creating wonderful shadows and making the water glisten… truly a sight I was happy to see.

After 15 minutes of staring and taking in the beauty of it once again, we had to high tail it back to the metro station so we didn’t miss the last train back to our stop. Needless to say, I went to bed very, very late that night, but it was totally worth it!

(Unfortunately, I only have one picture from the Catacombs and it’s on my Instagram if you all would like to see it and I think I have a video from the Pope’s service that I’ll include in my final video!)

Tuesday May 30th – “Death March” part 2 (Ancient sites and holy grounds)

Even though the feeling in my legs have yet to come back, I continue on with “Death March” part 2! The main reason I was so eager and energized this morning was because we were going to see the Roman Coliseum!

The Roman Coliseum, the one you always learn about in history all through your school career. Where battles and games were held, everyone gathering to watch them – that Roman Coliseum. The awesome thing about it was when we exited the metro station, it was literally right there in front of us in all its glory.

Seeing pictures and watching documentaries about this place did no justice to it in all honesty. Because, I was there in the flesh, walking up the stairs and around the Coliseum where year ago, people in ancient times did the same. It’s just insane to think about that. I mean just touching it, I was losing my shit man! I was in nerd heaven!

It was a dream come true to be there and experience it in all of its glory and totally something that I can cross off my bucket list for sure! I mean, I touched ancient history today, fuck, I walked through ancient history! I’m set for life now!

Walking away from the Roman Coliseum, we made our way towards the Roman Forum and oh my gosh, it was so gorgeous. It literally felt like a miniature ancient city we were walking through.

The ruins of old palaces and baths decorated with detailed columns and statues was truly a sight. To have the sunlight shining down on these beautiful pieces of history with the hustle and bustle of the city surrounding it was such an interesting mash-up so to speak. I was all smiles on the inside from this even though on the outside I was a huffing, puffing burnt wheat thin that was lagging behind the group.

I mean, if I ever got separated from the group, all I had to do was sneeze and they’d find me in an instant! Side note here, since my allergies were so bad most of the trip, I was sneezing a shit ton and it wasn’t any delicate, little sneeze, oh no. It was big and loud and it drew a lot of attention. So, it became a running joke in the group if I ever got lost, I just had to sneeze and they’d hear it no matter where they were.

Thank goodness we got to rest after the long morning we had, it was a fun one, but I was already beat. Resting in our hotel room for awhile, we got ready for our afternoon trip to the Vatican – honestly the most holy place in the world, right? I think that’s right.

Either way, it seems like a place I shouldn’t be going to, I might get hit by lightning as soon as I walk in the door with my luck.

Of course, I talked to my mom and told her I’d be going to the Vatican and all and that turned out to be a huge mistake on my part because after telling her, she in turn told the rest of my very Italian and Catholic family that I was going. So, I had messages from that side of the family asking me questions and all kinds of stuff and basically I had no choice and was told to take a lot of pictures and say prayers for certain people and such.

The silver lining was I didn’t get hit with lightning when I walked in, so that’s a plus! I never researched the Vatican, so I was really clueless about it when I walked in which I really don’t like to do with places, but what’s a little adventure gunna hurt?

It was huge, that much was clear and the rooms, gosh, those rooms were filled with marble statues, busts, various pottery, trimmed with gold, red and other rich colors. It was like walking through a millionaires mansion and getting the V.I.P tour.

I wanted to take a picture of everything and anything! The tour guide we had was nice, though, his accent was really,really thick and because of that I really didn’t understand what he was saying half the time so I did what I usually did when I’m in that situation – smile and nodded.

I will say, the main Church of the Vatican at the end of our tour was insane! Everything was plastered with gold – it was just everywhere! I thought I was going to go blind with how much gold was shinning and gleaming.

The one things that caught me off guard and truly surprised me at the Vatican was the fact that we got to see the Sistine Chapel. You know, the one you read about in books and art history articles, the famous work of the Michelangelo – his most famous ceiling painting.

The mere fact that I was in there seeing this masterpiece was really a dream come true. To see the evolution of his art just by looking at this giant art piece. You could see where he started it, but you can tell he made the people too large at first and through the years, they got smaller and more detailed.

The wall piece which he started in his 60’s was magnificent – the detail in the faces, bodies and just overall space was connective. There’s also somebody holding this grotesque body of flesh, no bones or anything inside, just like a sort of shell of somebody that is supposed to be Michelangelo himself.

This information was so great to learn about because this was stuff I was not taught in school or even college about this piece and to have somebody who knew legitimate facts that most history books never touched on was so wonderful.

Now, we weren’t supposed to take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel at all, but there were people around me doing it in secret. So, I decided to try too! I only got about 5 pictures, and some are blurry as hell, but you can still make the shapes out. I did get into trouble though, but it was honestly worth it!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Monday May 29th – Death March Part 1 (When in Rome, baby)

Let me start off by saying that being short and briskly walking through crowded streets with a duffel bag full of shit doesn’t mix well, especially in Rome. I was hitting people left and right, yet I showed no mercy.

In that certain situation, I’m really happy I don’t know a lot of Italian because I might’ve been called a few not so nice words. The hotel we stayed at was very neat and totally reminded me of Girl Scout camp with the whole bunk bed situation.

There were three of us in this room. With two beds on the bottom and one on top in a weird three person bunk bed? Yeah, that sounded weird. But, the room also had a small kitchenette filled with pots, pans and plates. A small two person table against the wall and a small bathroom with an even smaller shower.

Big people and small things really don’t mix, so showering in that small ass space was really interesting to say the least.

Anyways, there was a running joke in the San Zanobi house (my house) that this day was proclaimed as “The Death March” because of how far and long and overall how much we walked on that first day in Rome. I swear there’s a saying of “seeing Rome in a day” or something like that, either way, it sure fucking felt like it! I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down when I finally got to sit on my bed.

Aside from my bitching and complaining and not feeling certain limbs on my body, Rome is absolutely breathtaking.

Seeing the Piazza Novana which is Bernini’s fountain of the Four Rivers was incredible. It was very detailed and put together and the craftsmanship that was put into such a piece is truly mind blowing.

It was a piece that I just stared at and took it in, of course I kind of wandered from the group and I think I did something illegal? There was a railing that circled around the fountain itself that separated the people from the fountain, but I saw kids and other people over the railing so I thought it was okay to do.

So, that’s what I did, I climbed over the railing and touched the edge of the fountain and dipped my hand in the water since it was hotter than Satan’s ass crack out and sat on the edge of it and just relaxed.

Meeting back up with the group, some kids got into trouble for doing the exact same thing I did which made me just walk away. Yeah, I felt like a rebel after that. Moving on from my criminal ways, we went to see the Spanish Steps which were really cool to look at, but in the back of my mind I was howling because of the very thought of walking my fat ass up all those steps, but luckily, we just looked at them and checked out the little boat fountain in from of them.

Being the adult I am, I got water all over myself from trying to get a drink from the fountain like everyone else was doing, but I also got a dope ass Facebook profile picture – so, it all worked out in the end!

Okay, out of everything we got to see in Rome on that first afternoon, hands down my favorite place was the Trevi Fountain. I’ve seen pictures of it online because my mother has always talked about wanting to go there. Of course, I just wanted to take her with me on this adventure, but of course, I couldn’t.

It was unreal. I know I say that a lot, but it’s the truth. The Trevi Fountain was just huge! So many pillars, statues, water spouts, the detail etched into these giant slabs of marble I just don’t know how they did it. The fact that it’s still in tact too, is I don’t know what to think about that honestly.

My pictures really don’t do it justice, but it’s as close as it’s going to get. I stood there for a good 15 minutes, no talking or picture taking, just standing. I looked at the details, the things that people pass over when they look at it. I looked at the expressions chiseled into the faces, the way everything was positioned – everything.

Continuing our “Death March”, we made our way to the Pantheon. Now, I didn’t really know much about this place even from all the history classes I’ve taken.

It was interesting to know that the Pantheon was like the “blueprint” so to say for the Duomoty Brunelleschi later on. It was a nice surprise too seeing the top of the place just being open. There wasn’t any glass or anything covering the top – just wide open!

The next stop wasn’t really a stop, it was just something extra on the way to our next destination. The Trojan’s Column was neat because of the design. The spirals and very small extra fine details were amazing and they even had a story behind it all.

The column itself had to do with an Emperor and his accomplishments, and each detailed spiral was a certain accomplishment in his life time and it told of that accomplishment through the detailed etchings in the marble.

What trip would be complete without another church? That was our last stop, well close to it. Now, if I offend someone, I’m sorry, but all of these churches look that same after awhile and that’s no lie.

We went to three in a row this day – Saint Ignazio di layala, Santa maria Sopra Minerva, and Church of Luigi al Franceri (I think that’s how you spell all of these churches and if not I’m sorry). Looking back at my pictures, I honestly don’t know which church is which at this point, but they’re all pretty in their own right.

Of course, after what I thought was seeing the entirety of Rome in that single afternoon, I was practically dead when we got back to the hotel, but as I laid on my bed contemplating everything in my life, the sights I saw and things I learned that day were great and having a broken down body was worth it!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

 

Sunday May 28th – Pack, pack away!

Nothing really excited happened this day, it was one of our rare free days we had that was incorporated into the month.

Well, Emily and I did try this really awesome Japanese place that was literally right down the street from our apartment. Yeah, yeah, yeah, having other food in Italy besides Italian – if that’s a crime, lock me up.

There’s only so much pizza, pasta and bread that I could take before I lose it, so this was a really nice change!

The thing about the place was that everything was fresh and unlike the states, they had a large variety of options to choose from. I got to try duck and veel which is a first for me and it was so good. I almost ordered another plate of it, it was that good!

Other than that, it was a day full of packing and getting our stuff ready for our Rome trip the very next morning. With some hours trying on outfits and swapping clothes with Emily to see what looked good and what was “church appropriate”, we were ready for Rome!

Saturday May 27th – Beautiful Siena

Today was the day trip to Siena with SRISA. After meeting at the train station super early, we naturally took a bus just like every large group of college students. Even though I was excited and ready to go and explore, I still felt like total shit.

There was no way I was going to miss any part of this trip, I’ll sneeze and wheeze the whole way if I have to an I honestly think I did exactly that this day.

With my allergies going haywire, I was sneezing and sniffling the whole bus ride there, back and in between. Though, I was in higher spirits when we got to Siena! We split off into different groups – of course I was with my school and some school from New York.

Starting in the church was wonderful. I learned more about Saint Catherine. She had followers from a young age, she could read and write and she was a very, very holy and spiritual person. I mean, she died at the age of 33 from basically not eating anything except communion as a way to become even more spiritual than she was. She wanted to become the definition of holy if you know what I mean.

Moving on from the church, we went into the heart of Siena, where I learned that there were actually 17 different neighborhoods that are defined by their mascots on their flags. They range from Owls, Dragons, Goats, and other animals. For example, the church we first went into had the Dragon flag flying all over outside of the church. Making the church in the Dragon’s territory so to say.

Of course there’s a neighborhood rivalry against all 17 neighborhoods and it still goes on to this day. When we were there, a local school was having races – children from various neighborhoods having fun and seeing which would be dubbed “the best” so to say. It was cute and something totally different to what schools do in the states.

Moving on from the fun scene of the children having the time of their lives, we made our way to the Cathedral and I’m not going to lie, I was a little intimidated. Just by the fact that I’m not really a religious person and I haven’t been to church in who knows when. Of course, I wasn’t rude, I still respected the practices and such.

I know what I just said might have sounded weird, but that’s just how I feel and how I think I should go about such things. It was beautiful though – the outside so detailed and bright, it really drew you into it. Going inside was the same, I was left in awe everywhere I looked. The paintings, sculptures, mosaics, alters and the tile floors that told stories – it was all great and decked out of course.

The one things that got my attention was the silver hearts all over the walls by certain shrines. Our guide saw most of our confused faces by the item on the wall and told us it was a sign of thanks. They were thanks for prayers being answered.

The one thing they don’t tell you about Siena is that it’s hilly. I’m not talking about small inclines and such, I’m talking roller coaster type of hills. Up and down like nobody’s business. Needless to say, I was out of breath after a few hills. While I was huffing and puffing up the hills, the locals of course had no problem.

I mean, if the little old lady with bright red hair and a cane can do it and without breaking a sweat at that, I could do it too!

Deciding to eat lunch at a place my teacher went to last year, it was cute and small, but very homemade and fresh. I ate all of my food and I even ordered dessert, but I wasn’t sure which to get so, the waiter being the doll he was made me a dessert platter to try and it was so amazing!

I mean I had to share it with the rest of my group and even then, I had a lot to eat myself, but I managed to. The one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the dessert wine that was given to me. It’s used to dip the biscotti – a very hard dessert type of cookie with macadamia nuts in it. It’s very hard and the only way to soften it is the dessert wine itself. Though, it is strong, very strong and it burns, but the taste of the cookie helped with the strong burn.

Overall, Siena is beautiful in it’s own right, an old city that still has old ways to it, but it has hills that are not kind of fluffy people, but doable and it was enjoyable and I’d love to explore more later in life!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Friday May 26th – The top of the Duomo? …Oh no!

Living in Florence is wonderful and has perks such as living near the Duomo and seeing it every single day. It truly is a beautiful sight and honestly, I never got tired of it! Admiring its beauty on the outside was one thing, but now we got to go inside of the Duomo today!

One of the things we did was climb to the top of the Duomo via a very narrow, tight and claustrophobic stairway. Being on that isn’t too fond on heights or tight spaces, I declined the trek to the top. Yes, I was a bit sad that I didn’t go, but I didn’t want to freak out halfway to the top and have nowhere to go.

Luckily, my friend Emily and our roommate Brittany didn’t go either. So, the three of us decided to check out the Baptistery which is straight across from the Church itself. The outside of the Baptistery had an interesting design with blue and white and the one thing that was extravagant was the gold door that had a very detailed picture – well pictures.

The inside though was something completely different than the outside. It was just so majestic and beautifully detailed. My eye didn’t know where to go, with gold trimming everything, it was literally shinning everywhere.

Other than all that gold being molded into this Baptistery, there was the ceiling of the place, that was also detailed. It told the stories from the Bible – from Adam and Eve to how the Devil himself came to be.

Another interesting tidbit I learned from Brittany that day was the Devil was shown in the color blue most times because he had such a cold heart. I’ve never seen the Devil in blue, it’s always that stereotypical red, like the flames of hell or something like that.

Moving on from the Baptistery, we went into the actual Church itself which was of course huge and detailed just like everything else. The front of the Church was something I’ve never seen. Marble and statues and gold were everywhere along with panels of Biblical stories. Past Popes were looking down at you and there was this sense of how do I describe it… almost like a Holy Spirit?

It might sound unreal and a bit weird to say something like that, especially since I’m not really a religious person – I’m still spiritual and I go by my feelings and that’s what I felt. Yeah, go ahead, call me crazy, but that’s my take on it.

The Church was big and spacious and you had to be respectful of course so, having your voice under a whisper was a must. The most amazing thing of the inside to me was the 24 hour clock that was up on the wall and the most amazing thing was it was still going after hundreds of years of operation. it had all 24 hours on the clock face and a new day would begin when the sun set completely.

From there, we went down to the basement of the Church which contained the excavation site and I wasn’t expecting to see these ancient ruins and floors with old Church relics. There was this one section where the floor was built on top of continuously. The layers told of different eras and years.

The stone work on the old floors was truly amazing – beautiful designs that were put together one by one. The amount of time it took to even make one simple design must have been just unimaginable let alone a huge collage. The symbols and patterns they used to tell a story or to honor someone was amazing.

After looking at the ancient ruins and relics in the Duomo, we went on our way to Piazzale Michelangelo which was an interesting bus ride within itself. Very bumpy and hilly and I was thrown into a few people on up there!

The bus ride was worth it because we were graced with a wonderful view of Florence and the river. Getting to see the fake David statue was cool, but I felt a bit cheated since it wasn’t the real one.

After enjoying the view and the breeze up there at the Piazzale, we did a bit of souvenir shopping of course and then made our way back down to the bustling city.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thursday May 25th -The Uffizi Adventure

I always had an interest in art, all through High School I was in every art course my school offered. Granted, I did make some weird ass pieces of art, but it was something I enjoyed and I still enjoy art – every single aspect of it and viewing pieces of artwork is one of those passions.

Being the tourist I am, I had no clue what the hell the Uffizi was until I was in front of it the morning we were going to go through it. It’s a huge art museum in Florence. Needless to say, I was excited beyond belief, but I didn’t look like it because I was sick with God knows what.

I was excited when we got through security and everything and I just thought that we’d automatically start seeing these art works, but oh no, I was wrong, again.

We had to of course climb up what seemed like endless flights of stairs to even reach the beginning corridor. As usual, I was put in a worse mood as I was coughing from my sickness and wheezing from hauling my fat butt up all those stairs, but I later found out that there was actually an interesting concept behind all those fucking stairs.

Turns out, the stairs act as a stairway leading up to these beautiful pieces of work that were at the level of heaven itself. Very poetic when you think about it, but very tiring for me.

First walking on flat land again, we were greeted by various statues and busts of the ruling family of Florence and then, we entered the hallway that was decked out in gold, maroon, patterns, large windows, statues and doors that led you to the various artworks.

Now, I enjoy learning new things about art and history, so learning about the different eras of art and how it slowly came to be and started to evolve from these blobs of people – being angels and other background character with no real body shape to them and even Jesus and the Madonna were shaped, well, shapeless like that too, to actually having the persons portrayed in the paintings as actually having emotions and a body under their clothing instead of this shapeless blob.

I may not know much about art itself, but I do know of one famous painting – “The Birth of Venus” it’s everywhere and every year without fail in school, there was a short section about it in our history books.

I can’t really explain it, but there’s just something about this certain painting. I’m not sure if it’s the clever positioning of the hair, the fact that she’s basically the embodiment of a pearl since she’s standing on a shell, or the overall calming sensation I get by just looking at her expression as if she doesn’t have a care in the world.

Well, enough with being weirdly poetic, the main thing was, I wanted to see this painting in person and I did. I honestly didn’t know that “The Birth of Venus” was at the Uffizi so it was a pleasant surprise! No kidding though, I stood there for a good ten minutes just staring at it. I didn’t take a photo, I didn’t move, talk – nothing. I just took it in. I just didn’t want to snap a picture and be on my way, I wanted to appreciate it.

Yeah, appreciate it in it’s raw beauty. To follow the brush strokes and see where the colors blended together to make beautiful tones of flesh. I thought looking at pictures of this piece was unreal, but this – standing there and just admiring it was on a whole new level and I didn’t want to leave.

I mean, “The Birth of Venus” was just one of the many pieces of artwork at the Uffizi and I wanted to stay there all day because there was just so much to see and honestly, it felt like we just zoomed past all of it like it was nothing.

After chilling out for a while after walking through the Uffizi, we headed back to our apartment for a few hours of chill time before we went on a walking tour with the SRISA school. It was called, “Unknown Florence”, sounds kinda creepy, huh?

In some aspects it was with where our guide, Lorenzo took us, but it was a historic walk that took us through streets that many wouldn’t think of going and showing us sites that are only where the locals know.

The ever awesome, Lorenzo, took us to Dante’s supposed birthplace which was down a really sketchy ally next to a window that sold third stomach of cow to the locals of Florence which actually smelled pretty damn good. Anyways, we were taken to the original structure of the 13th century dorms which was amazing since it was next to an art studio where they used to and still work on art.

He also showed us where the flood of 1966 happened and exactly how high the waters were during the time with a mark still imprinted into the brick walls of the buildings. It was interesting to see something not only from that long ago, but very destructive still imprinted into the city itself.

The most amazing thing about the whole walk was that I’ve walked past these places a few times already and I was clueless about the awesome history behind these landmarks and that still boggles my mind. It’s like finding a gem in a coal mine – that’s probably a terrible analogy, but that’s what came to mind first so, I’ll just role with it!

What walking tour is complete without Gelato? None! Lorenzo took us to this adorable gelatoria and since I like to try new things I decided to be daring and try the Limone and Rose flavors. It was a very different taste than I was used to, but it wasn’t terrible. It was defiantly refreshing and something you can’t find in the states, that’s for sure!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Tuesday May 23rd – Orientation & Wine

Let me just say that having orientation in a room with some dope ass art on the ceiling, is so freaking awesome! They know how to build lecture halls in Florence, that’s for sure!

It pains me to say it, but I was dozing off a little bit during the boring parts of orientation about class schedules and other stuff, but I was totally awake when the cop showed up. His name was Michele and he was so great.

Not only did he give us advice on how to avoid conflicts in the city itself and to protect yourself from pickpockets and to be smart and not look like a tourist which is something the criminals look for when targeting people. He caught my attention because he was entertaining us while he was teaching us about safety while using people from the audience and stupid accents that were hilarious.

Needless to say, that giant, blunt cope will forever hold a special place in my heart. After orientation, I was dragged back home to get ready for some fancy gala that was going to take place that night.

Now, if you know me personally, you’d know that me and fancy really don’t mix because let’s be honest here – I’m nowhere near ladylike and fancy. I mean, I can hardly sit right when wearing a dress for God’s sake!

Anyways, for a few hours in our apartment the three other girls I lived with were fussing about hair and makeup and such and what matches what. It was pretty entertaining, but I did get a free “makeover” out of it which meant I didn’t have to waste my time putting my face on. One point for Niki!

It was a bit of a trek to get to the gala. It was being held at the Badini-Gattai Palazzo and let me tell you, the outside does not give you a hint of what’s on the other side of the door. It was so beautiful. Walking in, you’re greeting with a marble statue of a woman surrounded by plants and many beautiful greenery.

Walking out into the garden, classical music started flowing through the air giving a calm vibe to the whole place. There were also statues and structures just covered in pastel colored flowers and naturally I snapped pictures because why wouldn’t I? I was also dying a little bit because of my allergies. Being allergic to pollen and being surrounded by a shit ton of flowers really doesn’t mix, but I sucked it up and marched on.

SRISA really knows how to treat their students because the garden had a buffet of fancy foods as well as an open wine bar for all to enjoy. While everyone mingled and got to know each other from the various schools from around the United States. It was a nice and classy event for the most part, but as soon as the sun started to go down and the teachers left – it got freaky.

With the students and the staff still there, the music changed from classical to gangsta rap all in English and let me tell you, that was the loudest ‘whoop’ of excitement I’ve ever heard, but I mean I can’t say anything because I started rapping the lyrics I knew.

With the combo of free wine and dancing, let’s just say a few people partied too hard that night and their dance moves were a clear indication of that! A few people in our group landed in that category and it was hilarious to watch and the walk back home was even more funny.

But, overall, it was a nice evening filled with wine, food and laughter – three things that make things just a little bit better in my opinion!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Monday May 22nd – Dorm sweet dorm

There’s one more thing I have to say about the hotel before we move on – the breakfast was so adorable and something that was a bit new for me. With a spread of cheese, croissants, cappuccino and various other pastries, it was delightful and delicious and something that I can so get used to every day.

Anyway, moving on from the amazing breakfast that I smashed on, we were getting our apartments today through the college in Florence, but first we had to get there and we weren’t getting another taxi. So, 12 of us pulled our luggage through the bustling streets of Florence once more as we trekked our way to the dorms.

Needless to say, we got some stares as we went through the streets, but after what seemed like forever, my group and I were in front of our apartment – our home for the next month. 37 San Zanobi was our home and after lugging our stuff up four flights of stairs, it was nice to see the place and chill out.

It had a similar set up like American apartments, but it was a bit cramped and had a few quirks that I found out such as there’s no dryer for your clothing, but instead there’s drying racks and lines outside windows to pin your clothing to when it’s done in the washer. There were also some weirdly placed steps in our apartment which was interesting to navigate around, but it kept you on your toes for sure.

There’s also the thing in the bathroom that I was highly confused about. It was next to the toilet and I was at a loss of what it was until one of my roommates told me. The name slipped my name a few times so, I just dubbed it the “ass washer”, but the correct name is a bidet which is used to wash yourself between showers apparently. Either way, I refused to touch it and used it to hold things like toilet paper and pads.

Nothing really exciting happened the rest of the day, except doing laundry and letting our knickers dry outside for all to see. At least mind were pretty colors and awesome patterns.