Firenze e Siena

Ciao...I'm back from a short, yet wonderful weekend away in Florence and Siena. We were only in Florence for exactly 24 hours, but with that small taste of the grandeur and beauty of art and culture in this Renaissance town, I am already anxious to go back.

My first train ride in Italia was quite the experience. We had the train to ourselves for the first half of the trip, so we unknowingly chose the first class seats, in the rooms with sliding doors. It was perfect, we could stretch out and relax in a little room by ourself, with 3 seats facing 3 seats. Well, this backfired when the train got busier and busier as we inched through Toscana. First came the creepy man who sat down across from Caroline with his fanny pack...more about him later. Then, I was abruptly awaken by an old Italian lady, who smelled of cheap perfume and beans, who wanted me to schooch over so she had more room. All my hopes at sleep were completely dashed when another large Italian mamma sat across from me, staring at me the rest of the way to Firenze. Ok, so back to the creepy man, this is a little gross, but I have to share it because it was part of my first European train experience. As I was squished in the middle seat, I looked around and noticed that this man (not necessarily an Italian, but definitely European) was rubbing his belly - gross to begin with. Upon a second glance, it was not his belly, but a little south of there!!!!! I was absolutely mortified and disgusted...so I tried to turn away and look out the window, but every time we went through a tunnel, I could see him through the reflection! I decided to just close my eyes, imagine not being on this terrible train and just hope to get to Firenze as soon as possible. Hank and Caroline were oblivious somehow, so it wasn't until after I got off the train that I could vent to someone. AHHH I really don't know what people are thinking sometimes. So let's just say it wasn't the most elegant way to enter Florence, but the trip had nowhere to go but up from there.

Some other St. Mary's girls were on our train and were staying at the same hostel, so we all navigated our way out of the station and through the streets to Plus Florence, a new hostel and one of many in Italy and Europe. It was surprisingly clean and offered all sorts of activities and amenities, especially for people staying throughout the week. I felt like I was at a dorm...with nightly themed parties (Wednesday Toga Party, Spaghetti Saturday, etc.), internet cafe downstairs, pool tables, daily outings in the city and throughout Toscana, even a spa (hostel-style, mind you). We obviously didn't have time to spend in the hostel, with only 24 hours to explore this amazing city, but it was nice not to have a horror of a terrible hostel, especially my first experience in one. I forgot to take a picture of it, but we were able to get a 3-person private room with a bathroom, for only 15 euro a night! It was clean (most important thing), comfortable (relatively), and safe.

After dropping off our backpacks, we set out for the David! The Accademia is the museum where the David is housed, but we were told we would need a reservation in order to get in. We decided to wing it, and just stand in line. It only took about a half hour, before we paid the steep 10 euro admission fee. One downside to Florence...you pay to go in just about anywhere....churches, museums, towers, etc. But I definitely thought it was worth it, to see such an amazing piece of sculpture and beauty. The first room of the Accademia (a very small museum) is filled with Renaissance paintings and Giambologna's beautiful Rape of Sabine Women (another copy is also outside in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence...I saw it as well). However, the excitement of everyone in the museum to see the David is clearly apparent. Everyone, including me, seemed to browse past the paintings, feeling the necessity to pay them respect; meanwhile, the mind is consumed by the anticipation of the grandeur that awaits in the next room. When you walk into the next room, Michelangelo's David looms in the vaulted room, standing 17 glorious marble feet tall. His sheer size, as well as Michelangelo's incredible genius are unimaginable until you see him up close, from all angles. As one girl in the museum said, you wonder how huge Goliath must have been :) All around him stood beastly women guards shouting "no foto!!". Well I believe that Michelangelo would have wanted his audience to come home with a visual memory of his masterpiece...which is why I secretly took 2 pictures!! I couldn't help myself!

After the Galleria dell'Accademia, we wandered (getting lost many times) to the Duomo, Piazza San Giovanni, and Giotto's Bell Tower. We went in the Duomo, which is mostly void of artifacts because they are housed in museums now, but it was still beautiful. The outside is overwhelming, as there are too many focal points, too much to look at, a feast for the eyes!! We opted not to climb the tower and the dome, which I now regret. But maybe next time. Brunelleschi's dome is unbelievable, and the Duomo is one of the world's largest churches. Michelangelo's dome over San Pietro was modeled after Brunelleschi's. The whole masterpiece is a wonderful example of the mastery and accomplishment of the Florentine Gothic period. It is the jewel of la citta.

From there, we stumbled upon an open-air market (il mio favorito!!) with stands devoted solely to apples, wine, cheese, meats, other fresh fruits, clothes, etc. It was late in the day, and the Florentine shop owners looked weary and overheated, yet they still offered samples and engaged in broken Italian with us. The apples were unbelievable, definitely as good as or better than the Wisconsin varieties back home. Something about their sweetness and texture - not tart, not sweet...perfectly juicy and delicious. A table with pasta sauces was giving out samples, which were wonderful, homemade and jarred by the women sitting in front of me. The wines were abounding, which was to be expected being in the Toscana region. An old woman gave us sample cups and continued to refill them until we purchased a bottle. Luckily, Hank and Caroline are fans of vino rosso (red wine), my favorite! We got a local variety for only 3 euro (1 euro each!!), and enjoyed it later that night. Santa Croce stood at the end of this piazza, and we ventured over to the famous church after our purchases at the market.

Resting at Piazza della Signoria for an afternoon siesta, we people-watched among famous sculptures and fountains in one of Italy's most beautiful squares. Michelangelo's David once stood in this square, but was moved inside to prevent damage. An inferior copy stands in the square today, but is under renovation currently. In the Loggia della Signoria, we sat on the steps surrounded by a gallery of sculpture, protected only by an overhang.

Its an amazing feeling to be sitting among such famous pieces of art and architecture, to walk where the greatest artists, politicians, royalty, writers, scientists once strolled, even to visit a place where millions of people throughout the world have been, and where millions more will someday come. In the same moment, you feel important and grateful, but also so insignificant and small in the scope of the world - present, past and future. Its a feeling unknown, at least to me, in the States; but it is an altogether necessary feeling, putting your life in perspective. As Americans (especially young Americans), you feel as though the world revolves around you and your every move, and there is often little sense of what came before this very day, before your lifetime. But here in Florence and Roma, and throughout Europe, if you open your eyes and truly see, you understand and appreciate history and your existence in it. Rather than becoming overwhelmed and disheartened by the reality of your small place in the world, I have found it encouraging. Yes, so many greats have come before me, but so many are still to come....and I could be one of them, in large and small ways.

Ok sorry to be philosophical...anyway, back to Florence. The nighttime in Firenze was definitely my favorite. The city seems to come alive. All the filth, all the tourists, all the vendors, all the traffic seem to disappear with the sunset over the Arno; the sparkle of street lights, the musicians playing on street corners, the small cafes opening for dinner, the lovers sitting on the Ponte Vecchio, the Italians taking their passeggiatas....amongst the commotion, there is a serenity about it. We ate dinner at Trattoria Buzziono, a small restaurant hidden on a small street we just happened to pass by. Not only was it delicious, but the atmosphere made it a perfect end to the day, red-checkered table cloths, an old man taking our orders (speaking only Italian) while his wife cooks our food and clears our tables in the back, and a younger man (maybe their son) seats people and socializes. Many locals came in for dinner while we were there, kissing the old man on the cheeks and sitting in their "usual" spot. After a long day of tourism and exploration, I felt so at ease here...I felt at home.

Taking our wine from the market to the Ponte Vecchio after dinner, we found a great spot among the couples, young and old, on the center of the bridge. The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) is one of the only original bridges which survived the Nazi invasions and bombings during WWII. During the day, it is flanked with shops and vendors, selling everything from the finest leather and jewelry, to cheap Florentine souvenirs. However, at night, everything is closed, and the bridge is filled with some tourists, but also locals, enjoying the romance and beauty of the view of the Arno and the city from the bridge. A middle-aged man sat down and set up his guitar and played the most beautiful music throughout the night, including Andrea Bocelli (my favorite). However, being there amongst the beauty of the city, the serene river, the music, the vino, you can't help but want to be with the one you love. I can't wait to come back here with you some day sweetheart. But until then, my friends made for great company, and put up with my singing! I couldn't help but sing along with Andrea Bocelli!!

Getting up the next morning for mass was difficult, but we did it! We went to Santa Maria Novella, located near the train station, for 8:30 mass. Its a beautiful church, with black and white zebra stripes on the outside, and ornate frescos and statues inside. I was surprised by how few people were in mass, but I guess that Italians aren't really the best mass-goers. It was all said in Italian, and I found myself so tired, trying to translate everything in my head. But, its always a cool experience to go to mass when you travel, especially in Italy (as mamma always said!)

Then, we were off to Siena, a short train ride along the Chianti Road (the region producing the delicious wine). It was beautiful, looking out the window to rolling hills of grape vineyards and villas scattered throughout. The colors are like nothing you've seen...its actually fall here, despite the warm weather. But autumn here is much different. The colors are vibrant, but there is still so much green, with spotted purples from the vineyards. Some areas reminded me of the Midwest, but electrified with color, lit on fire by the warm sun. I definitely want to travel back to Italia one day, and devote my entire visit to the rolling hills of Toscana. Renting a villa and wandering the countryside would be perfect. Better yet, moving there permanently would be perfect!! Don't worry mom and dad, I know nothing about running a winery, but the idea sounds wonderful.

Arriving in Siena, we had to take another bus to get to the heart of the city (uphill). We got off the bus too early though, so we found the rest of our way up on foot. It worked out nicely though, seeing some of the neighborhoods, the soccer stadium for A.C. Siena and then visiting Basilica di San Domenico. The soccer stadium was pretty pathetic, about the size of a high school football stadium/track. But we were able to walk right in and stand in the stadium! Despite my disappointment at its size and glory, it was exciting to be able to see it up close. There was barbed wire in front of the seats, to prevent the psycho fans from storming the field. If you didn't know, futbol is a pretty big thing here, and it can get very violent and competitive, very quickly. I'm trying to see a A.S. Roma game, but tickets are expensive, unless you buy them outside the stadium....but there is no guarantee you'll get a real ticket. It would be a great experience, but we would definitely need to bring Hank for protection. Roma fans are some of the worst/most notorious.

Basilica di San Domenico is a beautiful 13th Century church, with a chapel dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena. Inside, Santa Caterina's head and thumb are kept in glass cases on display for visitors. Her head is covered in a wax recreation of what she would have looked like, but it is still slightly creepy. There are frescoes, stained glass, paintings, and sculptures, many of which depict the life of Santa Caterina. We also visited the Casa di Santa Caterina, where she lived most of her life, before dying in Roma in her thirties. It is a simple home, however, decorative elements have been added throughout the years, including paintings and sculpture. In the square outside of her home are several of past pope's busts, including JP II!

From there, we made our way into the center of the city, which resembles Assisi, being built on mountainous ground, and is a perfectly maintain example of the Renaissance life. Because Siena was conquered and economically/politically destroyed by the Florentines during the Renaissance, the city never recovered, and therefore, never progressed architecturally, academically, politically, etc. Because of this, the city is one of the best preserved Renaissance cities. Its beauty is very subtle, yet powerful at the same time. The famous Duomo is an architectural fantasy, known for its black and white zebra interior. From the outside, its similar to its Florentine counterpart, in that it is a feast for the eyes, with a dramatic facade reflecting the Italian Gothic and Romanesque period.

For lunch, we stopped at a bar for panini and coca cola light, and sat on Il Campo and relaxed. Piazza del Campo is shaped like a scalloped shell and slopes downward toward the city's town building. Its has been called the finest of any city in the world, probably because of the harmony with which it fits in to the city and with the people. All day long you'll see couples, families, friends, young children lounging on the Campo, relaxing, people watching, snacking and enjoying the city. We spent about 2 hours there, but I could have sat there all day...plus it helps that the sun was out and its still in the 70's throughout Italia!

I started a book on the way home, Four Seasons in Rome, by Anthony Doerr.....and I read 120 pages just on the train! I couldn't put it down, it was so good. Its a true story about this man and his family who move to Roma for a year while he works at the American Academy for Arts and Sciences, writing his third book. The catch is, he and his wife have just had twins 4 months prior, and they are picking up their entire life in Idaho and moving to a foreign country. The place they lived is right near my location is Roma, and many of the places he writes about I have seen or plan to visit. I definitely suggest it to anyone...its an easy read and very well-written.

Since being home, I've been super busy and trying to catch up on school work. But I'm HOME...yep that's what I called it...HOME! Its been 4 weeks, and I finally feel comfortable here, no longer a tourist. Its a great feeling, almost an accomplishment. Anyway, this week has started off quickly, with exams and papers and projects piling up. I have my first philosophy exam tomorrow morning, my Italian cinema exam Friday, as well as a theology quiz Friday! Tomorrow is my one night to go out....so I think we're going to go to a bar and watch the Roma vs. Chelsea game with some locals!!

Ok well that's enough for now. I'm going to try to get my pictures up tonight, but if not, tomorrow then. Sorry to be so long and wordy! Hope everyone is well.

P.S. Mom and Dad are on facebook...what has the world come to?!?!?!