Italy, Politics, and Twitter

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/anti-berlusconi-tweets-fill-summit-screens/?scp=5&sq=italy&st=cse

Thought all might find this interesting.

From Courtney: Once in a lifetime

Its over... i cant believe it. We have actually finished our two week trip to Italy and there are not even words to describe this experience. I would have almost have to say while i was here i felt as if i was living a different life, living in a dream. No classes, no work, no stress (for the most part)... visiting some of the most beautiful and famous locations in the world, eating out for literally almost every meal, shopping... it all seems too good to be true. And although as i sit here and look back on all the great things we got to do, all the amazing places we got to go, and the beautiful pictures i got to see those are not the things i am going to remember most. What i will remember most is these 14 fellow students and the relationships i formed with them. I was so scared when i signed up for this class because I only knew 2 people. Then a little bit of the fear went away as i got to know a hand full of others throughout the duration of the 10 weeks during the class. But as we boarded the plane 2 weeks ago to leave the united states i was worried because i didnt know anything about at least half of the people i was leaving the country with, heck i couldnt even remember a few peoples names.
But now... after two weeks of living with these people i can say i couldnt have asked for a better group. Not only do i know everyones name, and not only have i had converstations with each individual on this trip, i have created friendships. People who i never even spoke too during the 10 week class i was going to dinner with or shopping with on a regular basis. We shared amazing experiences together, enjoyed gelato together, we even cried some... we got sick together, we laughed together, we even beleted out old school songs together while playing cards. I know that visiting the Vatican and the Uffizi and the canals of venice are experiences i will never forget but what made this trip and what i cherish most are the memories i have at those locations because of the people who surrounded me.

Thank you Ashley, Erin, Kelley, Jimmy, Jeff, Kailee, Andrea, Olivia, Melissa, Jazmyne, Kayleigh, Anna, Lisa, and Kat for being the coolest people I could have asked for to hang with in Italy!!!

Ciao Italy!...I will be back :)

So I have to say that I have a bitter sweet feeling right now. This experience has been one of a kind and truly amazing. I have gained a lot from this trip and feel so thankful to have been given the opportunity to have this experience. Being on this trip has allowed me to grow so much as a person in many different ways.

Learning about the history of art and philosophy in class allows you to receive only an idea of what the masterpieces are like over here. Seeing works of art like the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the David were such an awesome experience. The pictures of these simply do not grasp the beauty of these pieces. I have a whole new level of appreciation for artists. It has been such a cool feeling to think that I have been in the same building as Michelangelo.

Besides the amazing history that lies within Italy that has allowed me to grow as a person, so has the culture. Being in a foreign country is a completely different experience than traveling around the United States. I have experienced trying to communicate with people who have no idea what I am saying to them, and to also try and understand what they are saying to me. Being in Italy has made me reflect even more on my life. I have experienced parts of a different culture that I do and do not like, which has allowed me to realize what I want more of in my life and what I also appreciate in my life. The beauty of Italy has helped me to grow in my faith even more. I am so thankful for having this experience, and even more thankful to have been lucky enough to experience it with such a wonderful group of people. I have made more friends than I had before, and have grown in relationships that I already had formed.

Thank you so much to Dr. Mills and Dr. Johnson for setting up this trip, and traveling around Italy with the class. Your guidance and friendships have been so awesome!
Thank you also to my family and boyfriend for the support and help, so I was able to come! :)

I am so excited to go home and share all of my pictures and stories with people....and to plan my next trip back!!! :)

Ciao Italy, see you soon!!

Kailee

Peace Out.

I could start with a cliché like "all good things must come to an end." Or something banal like "veni vidi vici." However, it's not true that all good things must end (truthfully, as far as we know all things end, not just good things but maybe I'm equivocating on 'end'). And its not necessary for this to end. We could choose to stay here and never return. And as far as I know, we came, we saw, but conqueror is an overstatement. Simply, we came, we saw, and we grew. 

Italy was the experience of a lifetime. A facebook message from my grandfather (yes, he's on facebook) told me to enjoy my time here. He spent time here while serving in the US Navy, and he said one never knows when he/she might see this side of the world again. He was sure that he wouldn't have another opportunity. This made me realize my fortunate nature, and the blessings my family and education have bestowed upon me. Traveling abroad has become commonplace in many institutions, and it's widely encouraged. However, many friends and peers of mine do not have the means to pursue such options. And those that do don't necessarily recognize the value within an experience as such. In all, I must thank Dr. Mills and Dr. Johnson for encouraging us in this adventure and giving us the opportunity to grow personally and intellectually. 

So it is that we depart in about 18 hours. Perhaps we leave with some positive anticipation to return to our normal lives, jobs, and loved ones. But there are small frowns within each of us. We've bonded to form new friendships, created memories, and grown to love a culture other than our own. But it's not that we come home completely. In some unconscious state we will always be here (no it's not that I'm pushing a conception of time like the Tralfamadorians from 'Slaughterhouse-Five'). Some might be here through photographs, others through stories, and some through language. We can't leave something like this behind. Soon we are headed out for dinner together. Our own "Last Supper." Corny, I know, but I had to say it. 

Its been amazing, but now it closes. We'll be home soon. 

Ciao, Italia. 

-Jimmy

Goodbye Italy

 I can't find an appropriate word to describe today. Odd.. Maybe? It started out with all of us lugging our suitcases all over Venice to get on the vaperato, then a four hour train ride, and more exercise while we drug our bags to our hotel in Rome. First of all I was a bit proud of myself for navigating the city fairly well. I was oriented and haven't needed the map... Yet :). After lunch we went to a crypt which was very.... Interesting. Pretty much it was just bones arranged to decorate several rooms. Some of the skeletons were full bodies, but a lot of them were just skulls or clavicles or scapulae that ornamented the walls. Even the chandeliers were made from bones!! 

I also find it hard to describe my day because it's our last day in Italy. Yes, I am ready to be done living out of a suitcase but am I ready to leave? Not in the least. Being here has intrigued and challenged me in so many ways. It's hard to explain. This has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and I thouroughly enjoyed it. Learning about art history and philosophy is one thing in a classroom, but seeing and experiencing them firsthand is incredible. I could have studied the Sistine chapel for a week in itself, but we have gone, done, and seen so much more.

Inevitably I will be asked what my favorite part of the trip was, and honestly I can't say. Yes, it sounds cliche but each experience has had a different effect on me, all of which I value. The beauty of Assisi brought me serenity and a new appreciation for life, the hustle and bustle of Rome brought me to consider all the unique lifestyles people have, and Florence brought me a sense of home because we were there for the majority of our time here. 

I'm excited to come home, see my family, and decorate Christmas cookies, but I'm sad to leave Italy. However, I've had an amazing time and I am lucky to take away new memories and all in all, a new me.  

Our Last Day in Italy

We arrived this morning in Rome coming off of a 4 hour train ride from Venice. Venice was beautiful and it was so neat not to see any cars and just to see people getting around either on foot or boat. We had really great weather this weekend, the best that we have had all trip. I really enjoyed going to the Jewish Ghetto, I did not know anything about it before going and it was so interesting to see 3 of their synagogues and learn about the first ever ghetto. It was neat to see the hand made glass in all the different stores, it was all so unique. We went to a contemporary art exhibit and also the Guggenheim art museum, which is a modern art exhibit. I have never been to either kind of art exhibit and it was neat to be able to compare a different style to all the ancient and Renaissance art that we have been viewing the past couple of weeks.

For me these past 2 weeks haves been incredible!! I have so many great memories from the trip and I have really enjoyed being able to share so many great experiences with everyone in the class. This is the first time I have traveled overseas and I feel like I have learned so much about myself. It has been amazing to be surrounded by so many people who have such a different lifestyle and culture than what we are used to, and adjusting to being surrounded by so many people who speak a different language than us. I feel like we have all picked up a few words while we have been here, and even with the language barrier we have been able to make it through. It is also neat because even when you can not speak to someone you can always smile and sometimes that is just as good.

We have a long day of traveling tomorrow and even though I am going to miss being in Italy, I am also really excited to be home for Christmas and see my family.

Last Night in Italy

Hello everyone,
So we arrived back in Rome this afternoon by train from Venice. The train ride back wasnt bad, it was just interesting watching our line of students pulling our luggage from the train station to our hotel. But the trip to Italy has been great, for me its been my first time traveling overseas and to a country that speaks a different language.
Venice was great, the first day we arrived the water level was higher than normal so we got to experience walking on the planks because the ground in some areas had about a half of foot of water at least. One thing in particular I noticed about Venice was there are no cars, people either walk or take the water taxi. Both days it was a little cold but the sun was out so I couldn't complain.
I am looking forward to heading home and cutting back on the number of carbs I have ate in the past two weeks :) But to also get to see my family and to start feeling like its Christmas.
Tonight the whole group is going out to dinner to end our Italy trip on a good note, then its back to try to make everything fit in my suitcase :) Tomorrow we are looking at a 10 hour flight back to the U.S, stopping in Philadelphia to go through customs, and finally home to Columbus! -Ciao

Update from Lisa

Hey,
We arrived in Rome and tomorrow we head home, which I am very excited for because even though Italy is beautiful I am ready to see my family. I cant wait to show everyone all my pictures. So I will try to remember everything we have done since my last update.

Tuesday- We tried to go to the museums, but the workers at the museums went on strike and all the museums were closed. Instead, we climbed to San Miniato church and it was a beautiful view. The church was gorgeous inside. This has nothing to do with my trip, but that night I did learn how to play a new card game so mom will be happy about that.

Wednesday- We went to the Uffizi Gallery and there I saw a lot of pieces of artwork that we talked about in class. For example, Madonna with the Long Neck, Primavera, Judith Slaying Holofernes, and The Birth of Venus. Then we went to the Academia and saw The David and it was amazing. It stands 16 or 17 ft tall and there is so much detail it is incredible.

Thursday- That day we arrived in Venice and it was raining at first, but it cleared up and it was beautiful. The next two days there were clear skies and sunny. I think that Venice was one of the most beautiful places we have seen. We went to a couple museums while we were in Venice. It was a fun trip there.

While we were there we went to the Jewish Ghetto and traveled to Padova and went to Saint Anthony and the Scrovegni Chapel.

Then of course we arrived in Rome today and I go home tomorrow:)
Cant wait to tell everyone all about my trip.

Love, Lisa

Venice :)

Tomorrow is our last night in Italy and it's an odd feeling. Although we've only been here for less than two weeks it seems like so long ago that I was walking around the remains of ancient Rome. Overall, it has truely been a life changing and memorable experience. People told me that I would return with a new perspective, and now I understand. Being in italy not only allowed me to visit many historically important sites, it also showed me a lot about myself. Part of our journal assignments are to write about ourselves and the things we've learned on a deeper level and I canhonestly say that this has been an extremely valuable experience for me. 

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit the jewish ghetto and the guggenheim museum. I thought the synagouges were particularly intriguing because I knew so little about the Jewish faith. I can not imagine being segragated from my community based on the way that I act or the things that I believe. Being locked into my neighborhood At night would be hard to deal with I would imagine. The guggenheim museum was my favorite part of yesterday. Seeing works by pablo Picasso was so interesting, I absolutely loved it. 

I'll talk to you from Rome!! Ciao!!!  

Leaving Venice

Our internet has been expensive here in Venice, which is why there haven't been a lot of posts (we had free and ample internet in Florence). We leave tomorrow morning for Rome, and, I think, we have enjoyed it here. The food is always a bit problematic--more expensive than we want, and not as good--but the group discovered falafel (at a little kebab shop, and then later at Gam Gam, a fantastic restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto), and I think one take away from this trip will be the fact that many of our group are now falafel (and maybe hummus?) fans.

We've kept busy in Venice. We visited San Marco, the Accademia, Verrochio's statue of Colleoni, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Jewish Ghetto (the very first ghetto in the world--indeed, the word "ghetto" derives from the Jewish ghetto that was founded here in the early 16th Century), then a day-trip to Padua today to see the Scrovegni Chapel, the "Bo"--the original building of the University of Padua where Gallileo and Copernicus taught--and Saint Anthony's Basilica. And we still managed to find gobs of time to shop, so I think friends and family of our travelers can expect to get some nice Italian gifts. That is, if we can fit them all on the plane!

Tomorrow, we return on an early train to Rome, and then have time to see some more sights before returning to Ohio on Monday. We hope to update more from Rome, where the internet is, again, free!

Ciao a tutti!

Venice :)

We arrived in Venice today and it is unlike Anywhere that I've ever been before. It's true, there's water everywhere! The locals function as in every other city; instead of hopping on the city bus, they just ride the city water bus into work. Their lifestyle is so interesting. Carrying, actually dragging our luggage to our hotel was quite a site to see, but we mAde it. It's a weird feeling to not see any cars around, and to see the wooden planks they put up for when it floods or the tide comes in.

The contemporary museum we visited tOday was really interesting. The exhibits were completely different from the mostly religious affiliated works we've been seen thus far.

Yesterday we finally got to see the David. Let me just say, his feet were probably as big as I am. I was shocked at the size of this sculpture and the talent it took to create this sculpture. I'm really glad the strike took a break!!

I think that's all for now other than to say if you ever come to Venice, bring a map! :)

From Courtney! The city of water :)

We are in Venice, and it is beautiful. For my family at home you will understand when i say its like an upscale lake erie, but with even more water and a lot more shopping lol. There literally is water everywhere, we even had to walk on some wooden blanks to get around to certain places in the city because the tide was high so there was a few inches of water! Its soo pretty though i dont think that i will get annoyed with the water because its just too beautiful! There is Gondolas with the guys with the fun hats and striped shirts singing to the passengers of the ride and it looks so romantic, wish i had that special someone here with me :) But i am really excited to be in a new place and the hotel is amazing here as well. There is carpet and real showers! Cant wait to see what these last few days in Italy has in store :)

Venice!

We are on the home stretch. Today we arrived in Venice; our last stop before returning to Rome. To our surprise, there was no rain and a bit of sun.  Unfortunately though, the Italian air showed no mercy and breathed chilling air on our necks as we ventured the narrow streets. 

Venice is a unique city in that it's built on water, more or less. To navigate the city the options are by foot or by boat. Every corner there seems to be a canal, and it takes just a morning of rain to flood the streets. This brings out the walking planks, allowing residents and tourists to move about. The best option though, rain boats. Never had I thought I'd be jealous of the silly rain boat fad that's struck women across the world. However, for the next three days I fear I might. Let's not mistake my want, though. It's the envy of dry, warm feet that drives my desire, not the fashion statement. 

We saw the church of San Marco today, and a modern art exhibit as well. The rest of our day consisted of learning the ropes of the city and finding our way about. Not the most stimulating day intellectually, but it was great to see what Venice is like and get a feel for the area. Well that's all for now. Take care, all!

Jimmy

We're in Venice

We don't have as frequent and easy internet access here in Venice, so this will be a brief note to let our readers know that we arrived safe and sound to Venice. There was the remnant of some high tide as we walked around after lunch, but the waters receded and we had a pleasant stroll around the city. Tomorrow, the Ca' Do'ro, the Jewish Ghetto, and maybe the Accademia. Saturday, Padua for the Scrovegni Chapel, San Antonio and the Bo, the University of Padua. Maybe even a Vivaldi concert on Saturday night--who knows!

Ciao from La Serrenissima--the Most Serene one--as Venice is known.

Last Night in Florence

So tomorrow morning we will be heading to Venice and leaving Florence. Florence has been great, its nice to have stayed in a city for a longer time to get a chance to get familiar with the city. Overall its been rainy but not freezing cold, like we hear it is in Ohio. Today we went to see the David, which I had no clue how much detail would be in the model, you just dont see things like that today. We also were given time to go to any optional museums and a small group decided to go to a photography exhibit which was really neat. It had a range of photographers ranging in different subjects and topics. It was a different change of pace. Tomorrow we wake up bright and early to catch a train...with all our luggage so that should be fun :) So until Venice.....ciao!

Last night in Florence

Today was a rainy day in Florence, but the museums that we visited were really interesting. We visited the Uffizi and the Academia, which housed 100s of paintings and scuptures. Seeing the David in person was probably my favorite part. The detail that you can see on the sculpture is amazing. It was awesome to have the opportunity to experience this piece of work in person.
Tonight is our last night in Florence, and it ended great. Most of us in the group went out to dinner together at an awesome restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was great. After this a few of us went to get some gelato at Dr. MIlls' favorte place! While walking back we stopped to listen to music being played by a great musician that was sitting outside of the Uffizi...it really was a wonderful way to end the week here!
Tomorrow we will be heading to Venice! I heard it is cold and rainy there, but I am hoping for better weather!! I will update once I make it there.

Kailee :)

The end to Florence

Today marks the end of our last day in Florence. I'm kind of upset because I have enjoyed our stay here (especially due to the amazing hotel staff and the leather market didn't hurt either). Today was one of my favorite days yet. It was really cool to visit the Uffizi and be able to see some of the most famous works of art that we have studied all year in person. The Birth of Venus and the The Primavera by Botticelli were by far my favorite, and were much larger in person than I expected. It was interesting to be able to see the actual brush strokes and detail even in the grass of the paintings. You can not see those same details when looking at it on a powerpoint in class.
My favorite part of the day, and what I've been waiting the whole stay in Florence to see, was Michelangelo's DAVID!! Kat has seen him and told me I would not be disappointed with him in person, and boy was she right. He was one amazing specimen :) I could have sat there and stared at him all day. Once again, in class we discussed he was really tall, but I was just amazed at how tall he really was. I was just in awe and stared at him for most of the time that we were at the Accedemia. Seeing him in person was a completely difference experience. You could see all of the detail that Michelangelo put into sculpting him. His veins were visible in his arms and hands, you could see his achilles tendon, his ribs and sternum were sculpted, and his muscle definition was unbelievable. It was really cool to be able to see his back side (not for the reason you're thinking), but to be able to see his strap from his sling shot. I never really noticed that from the powerpoint in class. As Dr. Mills pointed out, it was also nice to be able to see the unfinished slaves in the room to see how rough marble sculpting really is, and helped me appreciate Michelangelo's effort in creating David.
In defense for the poor souls who ate Ben & Jerry's today, it was gelato, not ice cream. It was much smoother and creamier (or so I've been told). I also heard it was pretty tasty ;)

Last day in Florence

Florence has been an amazing experience. The weather was cold and rainy at first but has been warming up. I will take the rain over the snow back home.
Today we were in the Ufizi museum and I saw The Birth of Venus. I have seen a million posters of this, but none of them can compare to the real thing. There are so many elements of the painting that you don't notice until you are up close. We also saw David today. These two pieces of artwork are what I have been waiting for. The churches we have gone in and various museums have had gorgeous pieces of artwork, however these two are by far my favorites. They make someone like me, that knows nothing about art, admire the skill it takes to make something like that.
Erin and I went to Perugia on Saturday. The town is on a mountain and has an absolutely gorgeous view! When we first arrived we couldn't find a map and were rather disappointed. We didn't see anything other than a street with a few shops. We finally found a map and made our way to Piazza Novembre. On our way we stumbled across a market with many handmade jewelry and crafts. I definitely made a few purchases. The day turned out to be worth the 2 hour train ride and I learned a lot about myself. We made it there and back using public transportation in a country that we could not speak their language. The experience showed me how independent I am. It doesn't hurt that I got some amazing pictures and bought some gorgeous earrings.
Oh, by the way, I had some amazing GELATO today!

Ciao!
Ashley

Ciao Firenze!

Well today is our last day in Florence, and it is bitter sweet. The city is absolutely gorgeous, I think I would live a very happy life if I could look at the Duomo every day. It is the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen! A lot has happened since my last post; I survived a day trip to Arrezo with Kat where we wandered around the gorgeous city which was filled with booths selling antiques. I saw my favorite works of all time: Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, I got to see Parmigianino's creepy Madonna and Child as well as Fra Filippo Lippi's serene one, and the wonderful Venus of Urbino all in the Uffizi Gallery and of course Michelangelo's DAVID in all of his glory in the Accademia Gallery. I look forward to dinner every night, it is always an adventure! My future husband, Elton, the front desk host at the Belletini Hotel recommended a restaurant to us that we have visited twice already, the most delicious pizza I have ever tasted in my life! And I don't think I have missed out on gelato a single day of the trip! We have hit up every gelato store in Florence (even Ben and Jerry's, we don't discriminate!!! Har har...) We have had a lot of fun at the leather and Christmas markets and we visited a meat market with some very interesting sights....? The weather has been mostly rainy but occasionally we get lucky and have nice weather for a few minutes. Last night we reveled in the warmth and dryness and wandered around the Ponte Vecchio for a while, taking some amazing pictures. I am looking forward to scrap booking! Tonight after dinner we stumbled across a tree lighting ceremony in the Piazza of the Duomo! There was a marching band with some feather-clad men throwing flags around, then they turned the lights on on the giant tree. I feel truly lucky to have witnessed it. The hotel here is so great, I hate to leave it! We have made several friends from all over the world during our night time hang-outs in the lobby. I am thrilled to move on to Venice, but it symbolizes our trip coming to an end. I am looking forward to meeting up with my Italian "brother" when we are in Venice. He was an exchange student living with my family for a year a few years ago and I haven't seen him since. Ciao for now, see you in Venezia!

Our last day in Florence

Today the strike ended and the museums were open again. We started out at the Uffizi, and got to see a lot of the great paintings that we have been talking about in class all quarter. It is so much greater to see the original works of art in person rather than just a replication or a picture. I really enjoyed seeing the 3 paintings by Leonardo, it was the first time I've seen an original work of art by him and it was an awesome feeling, it is hard to describe. This afternoon we went to the Accademia to see The David. It was amazing and so realistic and perfect. I think Andrea and I just stared up at it for about 10 minutes straight. After that Kailee, Melissa, Andrea and I went to the Palazzo Strozzi to see the Bronzino exhibit. I really liked one of the paintings called the Holy Family with St. John the Babtist. It is usually in the Uffizi, but they moved it to be in the Bronzino exhibit, and I'm really glad we were able to see it. We also went to a comtemporay photography exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi, and that was really neat to see too. The way some people are able to catch certain moments and feelings in a photograph is amazing. Tomorrow we're leaving bright and early to catch a train to Venice. I'm excited to see the canals and see what Venice is like. Hopefully we don't have too much trouble pulling our luggage all the way to the train station. I think I might have packed too much! Ciao!

Arrivederci a Firenze!

Our last day in Florence has been a full one. We started out at the Uffizi, took a break for lunch, and then visited David in the Accademia. Then some of us went to the Archaeological Museum to visit some fantastic Greek, Roman, and (especially) Etruscan antiquities, while others went to see the Bronzino exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi.

The day was somewhat marred by the fact that three students (who shall, so that their crime shall not be attributed to them) purchased ice cream from a Ben and Jerry's store right in front of the Duomo. Now, there's nothing wrong with Ben and Jerry's--I'm a fan of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream, myself--but when one is in Italy, one should not eat at Ben and Jerry's. One should only eat gelato. I will take suggestions here for appropriate punishment for this horrible infraction.

We depart early tomorrow morning for Venice, where the weather (according to the forecast) will be clear but cold. We have enjoyed beyond words our stay at the Hotel Bellettini. For anyone looking for a clean, comfortable, friendly, affordable, well-located hotel in Florence, you could do a whole lot worse than the Hotel Bellettini. A big shout out to Elton whose hospitality knows no limits, and to all the other friendly staff here who have let us take over their lobby, and who have plied us with free hot chocolate and fantastic restaurant recommendations. Here's hoping that our hotel in Venice is as hospitable as the Hotel Bellettini!

A dopo.....

Day of Climbing

There has been a strike the past few days in the Florence Museums. So, today we explored a few churches, which included San Miniato al Monte. And as the name suggests, it is on top of a mountain so we had a lovely morning of climbing. After that we grabbed some lunch and since everything was closed, we had the afternoon free. Everybody in the group explored some more of Florence. I decided that with the free time I wanted to do something I might not get a chance to do again. So, I hoped on a train and took the hour ride to Pisa. I realized upon getting off the train that people are right when they say the only interesting thing to see in Pisa is the Tower. So, I made my way through the city and saw the amazing sight of the Leaning Tower. I spent about two hours in Pisa and during this time I climbed the tower. The view from the top is AMAZING!!!! It was a little frightening because you can tell that it is tilted when you're on top of it. So, that was my day of climbing and now I am sore.

Ciao-

Jeff

San Gimignano

What a beautiful place. It reminded me of Assisi because it was such a small town. I think that this town is family oriented because you saw children with their parents everywhere you turned. San Gimignano was set in a medieval setting. There were castles and old stone buildings.

Besides the freezing weather and the little driblets of rain the scenery was amazing.There were small side streets that led to even more scenery and small houses and shops.

Jimmy and I started out at 9:15 to catch the train. We were on the train for 50 mins and we finally arrived there a hour later. While we were on the train we saw a lot of vineyards and they were all in a perfect straight line. We started out at the church of San Agostino because we made a wrong turn when we first started, where we saw frescos and paintings. After that we went to the Collegiata, and saw more frescos cycles, featuring Old Testament and New Testament stories. In the New testament we saw alot of depictions of angels and demons than we have before within
the frescos in Florence and Rome.

Next stop Venice :) Super excited for that
Ciao for now
Jazmyne

Siena

On Saturday, one of our free days, Courtney, Jeff, and I all went to Siena for the day. We took a bus there and it took about an hour and a half to get there. While we were there we saw a lot of really cool things! We went in the Duomo which was a gothic church that had really cool green and white stripes inside. There were carved marble bible stories on the floor and one was by Donatello. We went in a crypt that was under the Duomo and it had brick walls with some partial frescos on them. We then went across the road to the Santa Maria Della Scalla. It had a really scary underground chapel and some more underground brick rooms. We also went to the baptistry that had some bronze sculptures by Donatello. After this we went in a museum and saw Duccio's Maesta that Jeff did his project on. The last thing we did was see the Campo where the Palio is run each year. We were really cold by this point so we all got on the bus and headed back to Florence. It was a really good day!!!!!! :)

Update from Lisa

Today we went to the Piazza Santissima Annunziata where we saw the Statue of Grand Duke Ferdinando I, The Spedale degli Innocenti, and the Santissima Annunziata Basilica. There was a story about the statue and it was about Ferdinando seeing a beautiful woman in the second window and they fell in love, but they both were to marry someone else. Well he wanted the statue built with the man's head looking a that same window.The Spedale degli Innocenti first European Orphanage was the first European orphanage where women would drop their babies off there with a tag on them so in the future if the women wanted to find their baby they could by the tag. We tried to go into the basilica twice, but there was a mass going on and we could not. We went to the Palazzo Medici today as well and it was interesting because we got to see a bed room that was still in the same place it was when people lived in it.

Dr. Johnson, Kat, and I went to the San Marco Church today after the Palazzo Medici. There I lit a candle for my Grandpap John because today was the ceremony and since I could not be with my family during the acctual ceremony, I had my own ceremony and prayed. I got pictures of the church and Kat got really good ones of me while I was lighting the candle. It was really emotional, but I am glad I did go to the church.

Lisa