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

Under the Tuscan sun

We are currently in Florence. I like this city so much better than Rome already. We have had very little time to explore but there is a lot of shopping that I am very excited to tackle. So far the trip has been great. We have seen so many beautiful sights. Today we went to Assisi which was absolutely gorgeous. The language barrier hasn't been as difficult as I imagined, however this keyboard is different so please ignore any typing errors. I am very excited to get the ball rolling in Florence this week. Ciao!

Bibliography
"Lorenzo de’ Medici." 2010. Biography.com. 7 Nov 2010, 09:02 .
This source gives a good description of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s lifestlyle. It discusses his love for the arts and his popularity. It does not however discuss much about his wife and children or how he came to be in power. Without outside knowledge I would not have had an understanding of the importance of the Medici name in Florence at the time. There is also a quick summary of the Pazzi conspiracy that does not go into detail. There is no author to this source which may decrease its credibility, however it is from a reliable site with biographies of many important people.
Horth, Susan. The Magnificent Medici. PBS. WOSU, Columbus, OH, 02 Nov. 2004. Television.
I gained the majority of my information from this program. This was aired on PBS and discussed Lorenzo de’ Medici’s entire reign over Florence. The program did a great job of describing his influence over the culture of the city and the enemies he made in the process. I gained a better understanding of the Pazzi conspiracy and its effect on the country. This also discussed Savonarola and the difference in opinion between the two. It ended by discussing the rapid change in Florence after Lorenzo’s death and the beginning of Savonarola’s role. The program came from a reliable source since PBS produces many historical documentaries to accurately portray the subject matter.
“Lorenzo De' Medici." Renaissance Art, Artists, and Society. 2007. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .
This site provided evidence of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s humanism. It discusses his education before coming into power. Also his attitude towards art and life in general is discussed and allows you to infer his humanistic beliefs. I am unsure as to the reliability of this site. There is no author and it is a site dedicated to the Renaissance time period.
"Lorenzo De Medici - Definition." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - WordIQ Dictionary. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .
This is another short biography of Lorenzo de’ Medici. It gives quick descriptions of his life and his claim to power and popularity. This website did not describe the Pazzi conspiracy, however it gave information about the effects of the conspiracy and Lorenzo’s need for powerful allies. The website has no author and again there is no evidence of its reliability aside from the fact that much of the information is the same as previous sources.

I am definitely not an expert in the field of art, however I think the status symbol of art is still the same as during the Renaissance. Artwork from respected artists is something that is expensive and to have the ability to pay for a piece of artwork shows a higher class standing. For example, when considering architecture a building with more artwork rather than a building made simply from concrete gives a feeling of higher importance. Also, take a stroll downtown in the Short North through the galleries. The paintings and artwork are very expensive and the ability to own this artwork would prove your high social class.
As for artists, I believe they are treated very differently from Renaissance artists. As many of you have already said I could not name a single current artist, however could pull out 3 or 4 names of Renaissance artists and not simply because I am taking the course. Their names are remembered after all these years, whereas present day artists struggle to get their names heard. I also believe that artists now have more say in the piece they are making. The contract we read in class was extremely strict and required the artist to pay up front for their supplies and if the buyer did not like the finished product they had the right to reject it and pay for nothing. I think now artists have more control in the artwork they are making.

Importance of Travel

I think that the purpose of traveling is to analyze the culture of another country. I think we become very narrow minded when we fail to appreciate the way other people live. Without travel we would know nothing more than our own town. Travel doesn't necessarily have to be to another country in order to have an effect on you. Just traveling to another state could give you a better appreciation of the landscape there. I have two entirely different opinions about traveling and how to get the most out of the experience. Part of me says that you need to see key landmarks of the area you are traveling. For example, Rome has many landmarks that anyone going to the area should make it a point to see. This website gives you insight into the most important landmarks in Rome such as the Colosseum, and Roman baths. http://library.thinkquest.org/26602/landmarks.htm Seeing these things allows you to understand how Rome had so much influence on the country. Look at the size of the Colosseum in the attached picture. To me it represents that the country had enough wealth to build something of that size and the man power to do it. Also, the stadium was used as a form of entertainment which gives insight to the kinds of things the Romans valued. I think that seeing the "tourist attractions" is important to learn about the history of the area you are traveling to. At the same time I think it is important to blend into your surroundings and throw yourself into the culture of that area. Spend a few days with no specific agenda, just ending up wherever you end up. Appreciate the landscape and small towns of the area. Traveling isn't just about seeing important artwork or buildings of our history. It is about learning how other people live their lives and what they value.

Seneca

I read Seneca's letter on good company. This letter discusses that the time you have to spend with others is your free time and it is in your control what you do with it. This idea is represented in the technique of dicotomy of control. In order to avoid disappointment you can control the people you spend your free time with so surround yourself with people in good standing and that you enjoy being around.
http://www.stoics.com/seneca_epistles_book_1.html#‘LXII1

I also read Seneca's letter on the friendship of kindred minds. This letter was interesting, I got the feeling it was referring to self denial. Seneca talks about not allowing yourself to be friends with someone until they develop themselves into the type of person you want to spend time with. He says "such a joy is light and fleeting" referring to spending time with someone you love, but when the person you love is the sort of person that you desire them to be then the joy is sustained. This phrase is what made me think of self denial because this technique enables you to enjoy things more and for a longer period of time instead of having fleeting joy.
http://www.stoics.com/seneca_epistles_book_1.html#‘XXXV1

All the world heritage sites were places that held something worth saving or some sort of memory worth preserving. For example, the city of the Renaissance, Ferrara was a city that attracted important figures in the 15th and 16th century and became a model of the ideal city for the rest of the country. The memory of the city's importance is remembered through world heritage. Another site, Verona is known for its outstanding military background as well as many structural monuments that deserve to be remembered.

hello everyone!

Hey everyone, my name is Ashley Wilson and I am a senior nursing student. I am very excited to be going to Italy with you all. I don't know very much about the history of Italy or much about the philosophers and artwork there, but I am eager to learn as much as I can before we go.