I didn’t realize how amazing of an experience it would be to
see this art in real life until I was actually there, seeing the original works
with my own eyes… but… as excited as I am to tell you about it all… we’ll get
to that in a minute.
First, we traveled by bus Monday morning. Our first stop was Cortona, one of the
oldest hill towns in Italy surrounded by medieval walls, similar to Viterbo.
Though we were to be staying overnight in Florence, the trip included scheduled
tours in other important cities during the week. So, as far as schedule went, it was: Monday: Cortona. Tuesday: Lucca and Pisa. Wednesday and Thursday: Florence. And, Friday: Siena. So, the week was planned out to the T,
with tour guides meeting us each city to tell us the history of these ancient
towns.
Cortona has become recently famous because it was the
setting of the novel and movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. It
is largely due to this that the center of town was very geared towards
tourists, from gelato featuring American candy bars like Snickers and Twix, to
souvenir shops dotting the circumference of the main square of the town, Piazza
Comunale. But with only the afternoon, only a small amount of time was
spent perusing the small shops with local artists selling everything from
handmade jewelry to hand thrown pottery.
There were several ideas thrown out but I decided my afternoon would be
best spent finding the Basilica of Santa Margherita, a church built to house the body of Santa
Margherita, who dedicated much of her life to helping the poor of Cortona in
the early 13th century.
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| The corpse of Santa Margherita at the altar |
Because Cortona is a hillside town, some sort of a steep and
narrow hill climb is usually included in any destination you are trying to
reach in Cortona. Our trek to the
Basilica was no exception, as we had to zigzag up the hills several times until
we reached the church. But
luckily, the climb offered us some great views of the Chiana Valley, a large
alluvial valley that runs along the Apenine chain.
When we finally reached the top, we were met with a serene
and quiet area surrounded by wild growth and trees, with the Basilica standing
quietly at the corner. The façade
of the church from the outside seemed pretty simple, compared to other churches
I’ve seen, but the symmetry was quite intriguing. Once I stepped inside though, I was completely astounded and
at awe of the beautiful colors used to cover every inch of space in the
church. A lot of the colors
reminded me of ones from the Mexican tradition, from deep blue to scarlet red
and serpentine green. At the altar
though, was where Santa Margherita slept quietly in her tomb. It was decorated very beautifully,
adorned with everything from candles and flowers, to tapestries and
sculptures. It was an intimate
moment being able to experience the Basilica in quiet contemplation, just with
the simple knowledge of the importance of Santa Margherita to Cotona’s heritage
and culture.
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| My first view of the magnificent Duomo |
After cooling
off and snacking on some delicious gelato, it was back on the bus and off to
Florence, where we would be staying overnight for the week. We didn’t arrive until later in the
evening, so most of what I saw the first night was beneath the cover of
dark. But, as a bustling city, it
wasn’t exactly a problem, and it was a cool experience to see the city so alive
at night, with people wandering the busy streets chatting with friends, dining
out, or shopping around at the few shops that were left open. I decided to just wander around a
bit, staying near the hotel, which wasn’t too big of a deal sense most of the
city’s boasted architectures, historical sites, and shopping streets were
condensed within a few mile radius.
It only took a few moments until I bumped into the Duomo and
Bell Tower. After turning a
corner, these infrastructures just stood right in front of me, towering into
the sky, so high, so detailed, so large, I could barely take it all in at
once. It was like trying to catch
a constellation of stars at night, all and every part of it was so beautiful, I
could barely pause to take in one aspect of it. I literally couldn’t comprehend the amazing detail of every
square inch of the building. From
small sculptures lining the columns and edges, to the rich and detailed color
of the mosaics framing the door tops, to the unique coral and turquoise color of
the marble… it was amazing. I
literally just stood there and stared in complete awe, just so confused as to
why I’ve never in my life seen this place in a history book or in a picture
somewhere.
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| A rainy yet splendid day in Lucca |
It wasn’t though until later that I finally figured out
why. After scrolling through the
photos that I took of the church and bellower, it just simply didn’t match up
to what I saw that evening, right there in front of me. There is no photo, no painting, to
description, that could ever truly do it justice. The space it took, the grandiose size of it, is just
something you can only capture if you’re right there, seeing it with your very
own eyes. But hey, it gives you
one more excuse to come and experience Italy for yourself! Stop 1: Florence, Duomo &
Belltower. There ya go, already
got the first stop on your itinerary!
The next morning we met up in the hotel lobby after
breakfast to head to our next destination for the week: Lucca. Lucca is also similar to Viterbo, as it
is surrounded by medieval walls still intact today. The city sits on a plain by the Serchio River and is well
known for it’s musical heritage.
It was home to the famous Giacamo Puccini, who composed several operas
such as Madame Butterfly and La
Boheme. Though I wasn’t well read of the city’s history, it
wasn’t difficult to quickly fall in love with the quiet atmosphere, narrow
cobblestone streets, and medieval quarters just beckoning for exploration.
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| Once a moat, now a public park in Lucca |
Though we arrived in the pouring rain, there were moments
when the sun just perfectly peeked through the heavy gray clouds, giving the
architecture and colors of the town the justice they deserved. The walls surrounding the city were a
perfect backdrop, with expansive green fields lined with different tree species
just beginning to change color with fall looming in the air. It was so nice just to finally spend
some time outside and experience an outdoor getaway for city locals. Lucca is
definitely at the top of my list in the event I come back to Italy, for there
is just so much to love about the small town: and it was just impossible to
experience all it had to offer in the short time we had. Because, before I knew
it, we were packed away on our tour bus to see Pisa, the city world famous for
it’s leaning tower.
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| Pisa! Need I say more? |
We arrived in Pisa in less that an hour where we parked in a
large parking lot filled with men from Africa selling everything from
sunglasses and scarves to purses and watches. They bombarded us as we got off the bus, so we eagerly
awaited our shuttle to take us to our final destination. Though I didn’t know exactly what to
expect, I knew the afternoon would entail capturing some great cliché tourist
photos. As soon as the shuttle
dropped us off, we walked down a pathway lined with vendors until we reached a
wall with a large arched entrance.
With all the hustling and noise, I was not really in tune with my
surroundings until… bam… there it was, the leaning tower, right in my line of
vision. I cocked my head, and just
kind of giggled… the tower really was leaning… its no joke! It wasn’t nearly as tall as I thought
it would be, but it definitely was leaning a lot more than I expected. Also, contrary to many people’s
understanding, the tower is not standing alone. Several other buildings, including the cathedral and
baptistery surround it on the piazza known as Piazza dei Miracoli.
The Baptistery of St. John particularly stood out to me
though. The building itself is 55
meters high with a circumference of 107 meters, making it the largest
baptistery in Italy. It was
immensely large in the inside, with a beautiful octagonal baptismal font in the
center, and bronze statue of St. John the Baptist proudly displayed in the
center of the font. Adjacent was a pulpit, adorned with carvings of The
Nativity and the Crucifixion with each pillar supporting it representing one of
the four virtues. There was a
curving staircase that led you to the base of the dome so you could get a
better view. The highlight though,
was when one of the ticket collectors performed an impromptu performance (done
every 30 minutes) to demonstrate the perfect acoustics created from the echo in
the dome.
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| The baptistry floor from the base of the dome |
After a busy two days, I was happy to spend some time in
Florence, where we were actually staying for the week. Wednesday morning we met up for a
guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest and most famous museums in
the world. The Uffizi Gallery was
originally a palace owned by the Medici family that they used to store several
works by artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vince that the family had
commissioned. It is located in a narrow
courtyard, so it could be easily missed if it weren’t for the hoards of
tourists crowding outside the entrance.
It was a little overwhelming entering the museum at first,
but after gearing up with a headset, notebook, and pencil, I was quickly entranced
by the wonderful stories behind each piece of art that the guide covered. We were ushered from room to
room, where we were able to admire beautiful pieces of art from famous painters
such as Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Raphael.
It’s difficult for me to admit, but before my trip to the
Uffizi, I never appreciated art in the degree I do now. I always admired the talent and
creativity it took to create such masterpieces but beyond that, paintings and
sculptures never really exactly interested or intrigued me. But one of the first paintings we
stumbled upon in the Uffizi, happened to be one of the most famous pieces of
art in the world, The Birth of Venus, by
Sandro Botticelli. Now, when
I walked into that tall room, faced with white empty walls, and the painting of
The Birth of Venus hanging there
right in front of me, I nearly keeled over. It was literally amazing… right there… right in front of me…
was the actual painting that I had seen everywhere in history books, art books,
and on people’s walls ever since I can remember. And there it was.
I almost tapped the shoulder of someone to double check that this indeed
was the original… but I quickly changed my mind… realizing that it had to
be. After all, this was the Uffizi
Gallery!
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| The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli |
But this moment was just one point that kind of gave me a
turn around when it came to appreciating art. As an English major studying poetry, it was easy to take my
experience in studying poetry and apply it to art. For example, there are several ways to read a poem. First you can read for its aesthetic
qualities, paying close attention to the sounds, rhythm, and imagery of the
piece. Then you can reread to
gather it’s intrinsic qualities: both from a personal perspective and meanings
imbued by the writer (history, symbols, analogies, etc.). Of course, I could delve into further
details, but these are just the generalities. But basically, now, I do the same thing with a piece of
art. I look at it, appreciate the
detail, the colors, the form, then I begin to look for it’s representation of
history, the story behind it, the meanings I personally derive from it, and
ending with understanding what the artist is trying to portray. I guess it sounds a little scientific,
but it’s really helped in allowing me to really appreciate all the wonderful
pieces of art I’ve had the privilege to see!
After touring the Uffizi for a few hours, we were free for
the day to explore Firenze and see all there is to see. Being in the middle of a large city and
having left my map at home, I decided to stick with a few friends who ended up
deciding to do some shopping. From
the plethora of open air leather markets to the high end fashion stores like
Gucci and Prada (which I really had not interest in anyways), we definitely
didn’t have trouble finding some favorable shopping destinations. It was my first time to H&M
Fashion, which was a bit overwhelming, but I found some nice clothes. I ended
the day with some friends spending time just walking the streets of Florence,
just taking in the new surroundings and atmosphere. We found a delicious gelato shop for only a Euro so we
picked our favorite flavors and headed to one of the bridges crossing the Arno
River and sat and enjoyed our gelatos with a great view of the Ponte Vecchio
and surrounding city.
It was a great day taking in the city atmosphere, but with
only Thursday left, I had other things on my agenda which included taking in
the more historical aspects of the city.
So I made sure to plan out the few key things I wanted to do Wednesday
night, and stashed my map in my purse so I’d be ready to venture off on my own
come Thursday.
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| The David by Michelangelo |
My class woke up bright and early Thursday morning, but
before we were left on our own, the day began with a tour of the Academia to
see the David by Michelangelo and his
unfinished sculptures. After a
long wait, and gearing up once again with our headphones and notebooks, we
entered the building. Like most museums
I had visited, the ceiling was extremely tall with white walls and columns
guiding the way. I guess they go
for the simplistic feel to make the art the center of attention… something I
hadn’t quite realized until I turned the corner… and down the aisle lined with
his unfinished sculptures stood David himself, all 17 feet of him. His head was cocked to the left, with
his slingshot slung over his shoulder.
I could almost feel the tension and worry in his glare… almost as if I
was there with him, ready to too face the King Goliath. From his furrowed brows to his intent
stare, my eyes hung steadily on every detail of his presence. Every bulging vein and every muscle was
most perfectly carved out of the white marble, only heightening the fact of his
intentions. But with these details
in contrast to his contraposto
pose, I was even more intrigued as I finally understood exactly why this statue
has earned such acclamation not just throughout Italy, but the entire
world. The artistry and talent
that took to create it was astounding, and the piece almost commanded a certain
respect as gallery patrons just stood quietly at its base, in stunned
admiration.
Obviously, seeing David is something I know I’ll never
forget. I honestly didn’t know I
could have appreciated such an experience until I was standing right there,
seeing him with my very own eyes.
It’s hard to put a finger on, but it was definitely a surreal
experience. We ended our tour of
the day with the Santa Croce Church, a beautiful basilica that happens to be
the largest Franciscan church in the world. It was actually founded by St. Francis himself and is now
the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli, among others. The
basilica is located on the Piazza di Santa Croce, so it was just a short walk
to reach the Duomo, the first piece of architecture that stunned me beyond
disbelief when I explored the city streets during the first night of my stay.
The Duomo is another name for the Basilica di Santa Maria
del Fiore and as I said earlier, the façade of the church is just so gorgeous,
so detailed, you have to not only see it to believe it, you have to feel it.
That might sound a little weird, but it’s difficult to comprehend
something so magnificent that you are unsure of weather it is a figment of your
imagination or if it is actually a real church standing right there in front of
you. The Basilica itself was
constructed in 1436 and boasts an elaborate façade that faces every inch of the
church, and its brick dome is actually the largest of its kind in the entire
world. And for that reason, hey… why not climb it?
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| The amazing view of Florence from the top of the Duomo |
So, 460 steps later, I was standing at the very top of
Duomo, with the most breathtaking view Florence had to offer. Lines and lines of terra cotta rooftops
spanned off into the distance, with deep blue mountains quietly beckoning their
liveliness against the horizon. It
was a small place with people packed in reminiscing of the moment, trying to
take in every last piece of it.
Despite the hustle and excitement though, it wasn’t difficult to just
take a moment and breathe. My
camera in hand, I tried to let it swallow every bit of color and liveliness
that emanated from the dollhouse sized city streets. But snap and snap as I might, I again couldn’t capture the
majesty of the view. It was simply
magical that I could do nothing but allow myself to be filled with the joy and
beauty of the moment. With a smile
eagerly sweeping itself across my face, I turned to the steep staircase that
awaited me, only wishing this magnificent experience was something I could
steal and stuff inside my pocket, so I could relive it at any moment.
But this is reality, as I oftentimes must remind myself
being the romantic that I am. So,
after the climb down, I pulled out my map and scanned over my next quest
listed: The Pitti Palace and Baboli Gardens. The Pitti Palace is a Renaissance palace only a short
distance from the world famous bridge: the Ponte Vecchio. Though a Florentine banker, Luca Pitti,
originally owned the palace, the Medici’s eventually purchased it, making it
the residency of ruling families as well as a place to house valuables such as
paintings and jewelry. It wasn’t
though until 1919 that the Palace was donated to the Italian government, when
it opened its doors to the public, making it one of the world’s largest art
galleries. It wasn’t too difficult
to find, which is a lot to say given my history with directions, and it was a
wonderful atmosphere with people just basking in the sun and enjoying the day
in its large and open courtyard.
The entrance that I found actually led me directly into the Baboli
Gardens, which I decided I’d walk through before my visit inside the Palace.
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| The Baboli Gardens |
The Baboli Gardens are one of the largest and most elegant
Italian style gardens today. This 11-acre garden has actually undergone several
stages of expansion since its beginnings in the early 1500s and it still
requires constant restoration and maintenance. But all the work put in day in and day out in the garden is
completely worth it, because it was a beautiful getaway from the hustle and
bustle of the city confines of Florence.
Upon entrance, you are greeted with the songs of Tuscany’s native birds
and the sounds of fountains spewing out water against the cool fall sky. I soaked up every bit of the sounds,
colors and tastes in the air as I began to tour around the garden, walking up
and down the long gravel paths lined with a plethora of sculptures and
perfectly arching trees. It took
me awhile to adjust, as I am accustomed to gardens encompassing hoards of vegetables,
fruit trees, and berry bushes, but I quickly realized that the term garden
encompassed far more. It didn’t
take long for me to fall in love with the atmosphere of the gardens though, as
I loved the long strolls that took me from fountain to fountain, curling along
pathways lined with Cypress trees and perfectly kept hedges.
Though I was in quite a rush to reach the gardens and the
Pitti palace, as I was trying to fit so much in my last day in Florence,
something about the atmosphere of the garden calmed my nerves and let me at
ease for the few hours I was there.
I didn’t pay a worry to the time and I simply scurried around the garden
pathways, almost skipping at times, just enjoying the small moments that I had. It was fun to just pause in the center
of the extremely long tunnels of trees that curved around me, making a perfect
arch, and just almost let myself be transported into another reality. I imagined the Medici’s, the people
that once enjoyed these walkways and treated it as such a usual thing, it being
just simply their backyard. But
here I was, on vacation almost, trying to steal a small glimpse into the
reality of these aristocratic families from centuries ago.
My favorite part of the Gardens though, was the walk up to
the small courtyard. From there, I
had a splendid view of a grove of olive trees, decorated with the occasional
country home and even a small castle that sprung up into the darkening
sky.
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| A hillside view from the gardens behind the Pitti Palace |
“I wonder about all of the olive trees, their precisely
lovely placement along the campagna (counryside); bordered with a gallant
history... the turrets silhouetted
against the open sky, along with cypress trees. Tuscany, the soft edges, the emerald green of envy, then yet
again against peach creamed homes, tucked beneath cypress and sycamore. Let me
go to this land, live in this land, be present in this land. Dancing while others begin to fall
asleep to the music. A tide
against the silence of waters. The
Baboli Gardens, a garden sprung silently from the essence of dreams.”
After taking in all the sweet moments that lingered in the
air, I made my way to the Pitti Palace.
It was quite funny as an Italian woman asked me for directions (one of
the several times I’ve had to disappoint here when it comes to directions) just
as I was looking for the entrance.
I told her I didn’t know where they were so she just decided to choose
her own route, so I decidedly followed which was slightly awkward given the
circumstance. But obviously her
instincts were right as I was led straight into the entryway after passing the
small cafes that sat at the base of the palace. Even after I entered though, I was a bit confused of where I
was supposed to go because of the number of doorways and entrances at every
corner and down every hallway. I
just kind of walked until I found the beautiful room just dripping in
glistening chandeliers that hung from every available inch of ceiling. I kind of just stood and stared until I
realized this entrance was specifically for a concert that was going on in a few
hours. So I bid my apologies and
turned around headed for the place I was supposed to go… though I still hadn’t
a clue.
But soon enough, after asking a number of people, I found
the costume gallery which my ticket to enter the Baboli Gardens fortunately
covered. So I made my way through the suites full of theatrical costumes that
dated all the way back to the 15th century to the present. It was a suite of 14 rooms, all full of
beautiful dresses and garments. It
wasn’t difficult to imagine myself wearing one of the beautiful scarlet red
dresses adorned with flowers and dripping with delicate pearls. I mean, what girl wouldn’t want to be a
princess for a day? From there I
was led into another room where a Native American exhibition was being
held. Inside there was everything
from Indian headdresses, saddle blankets, and delicately beaded papoose. It was
a little weird seeing all the historical pieces that obviously came from my
home country, and viewing them all the way in Italy. But it kind of gave me a sense of identity, and I felt proud
and appreciative of my country’s beautiful and rich history, as recent as it
may be.
After finishing up perusing the suites of historical
artifacts, I landed at the gift shop.
I asked where the Medici apartments were, because I really wanted to see
them, but after realizing how late it already was and with the added fact it
was a 13 Euro entry fee when it closed in only 20 minutes, I knew it was
probably best to pass. So I did,
planning in the event that I would return to Florence to make this one of my
favored stops (I unfortunately have been doing this a lot during my stay in
Italy…) But I was excited for my next event on my personal travel itinerary: to
get a good view and picture of the Ponte Vecchio.
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| The famous Ponte Vecchio |
The Ponte Vecchio (old bridge), originally built in 1345, is
a bridge crossing the Arno River that is lined with a plethora of jewelry shops
selling everything from small sterling silver charms to the finest hand crafted
diamond rings. Butchers actually use to occupy the shops, but the waste that
accumulated from carcasses discarded in the water created an awful stench. Because of this, an edict was emplaced
to replace the butchers with goldsmiths.
After its several repairs it still stood strong, even with the rage of
Hitler damaging the certainty of its longetivity. But luckily, Hitler specifically named this bridge to be
saved, even amongst the several bombings that left most historical bridges in
Italy in ruins. It was definitely
an experience walking across the bridge, with its narrow pathway hovered by
windows glistening with diamonds and jewels. I wasn’t planning on purchasing anything, as I don’t exactly
have the kinds of funds to be coming home with that kind of jewelry. But I found a small pincushion adorned
with simple charms of the lire (the earlier currency of Italy) and the Ponte
Vecchio. I decided for 8 Euros it
would be a perfect way to remember such a wonderful day journeying through
Florence.
The charm and pictures were the souvenirs that I hoped would
do some justice when it came to remembering my time spent in Florence. It was such a beautiful city. The cradle of the Italian Renaissance
and the home to some of the world’s finest art, it was a city that I would
recommend anybody who had the chance to visit. And again, it is a city that I hope to return to, with the
hopes to share the experience with close family or friends.
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| Piazza del Campo in Siena |
Friday was the last day for our field study, and it was to
be spent in Siena. Siena is a hill
town well known for its cuisine, art, museums, and the Palio, a world famous
horse race held twice a year. We
spent time with a guide touring the Siena Cathedral, a beautiful church that
was completed between 1215 and 1263.
The church was so large and complex, with the inside housing several
chapels, frescoes, and marble inscriptions. At the very back of the church was a beautiful stain glass
window depicting the Last Supper with the dome being one of the main focal
points, covered in small golden stars. What was most impressive though was the floor of the
church, entirely covered in mosaics that took a total of 500 years to
finish. We were lucky enough to
visit during the 4-6 weeks when the floors were left uncovered (they are
usually covered to protect them from the thousands of visitors that pass each
year); so we all had the special privilege of getting to view all 56
panels. They were all etched in
great detail and depicted several scenes of biblical stories of the Old
Testament to inscriptions featuring the wolf suckling infants, Romulus and
Remus.
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With Siena being our last stop, we all boarded the bus for
our trip home. The week seemed to
pass by so fast, but I definitely learned and took so much in during the short
5 days. The bus ride home was just
as enjoyable though, passing through the countryside of Tuscany, with the
sunset perfectly playing out between the sleeping hillsides, and the cypress
trees silhouetting themselves against the evening sky. It was hard to comprehend that these
vast and natural areas were just moments away from Florence, one of the biggest
cities in Italy. And though the clouds stubbornly hung in the graying sky, the
sun peeked from it’s cover just enough so that we could catch a glimpse of a
beautiful rainbow that showered the sky with tinges of blue, purple, and lemon. It was the perfect ending to a
wonderful week, I couldn’t have asked for more.
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