A world with the same cold*Barcaccio* and the Pitti Palace*

Ok so apparently there is a cold epidemic..are you aware? I have had this same stupid cold for a week! I don't feel that bad, but I have used about a walmart stock house full of toilet paper to blow my nose... Our group has had the crud ever since we have gotten here, and it is still making its way, paying a personal visit to everyone who has a nose and throat- awesome. haha enough of my moaning...next topic: our onsite class today!

we have been stuck in the villa every morning for class till today!! We started off (of course) in a cute little bar near our destination- The Brancacci Chapel. We were only allowed to stay inside for fifteen minutes, so our tour guide, the lovely Cindy, told us the important words about what our eyes were about to see as we scribbled in our moleskins. The Brancacci chapel was almost destroyed in a fire in 1771, and the only thing that remained is the left and right chapels in the trancepts of the church. This is why it is so precious to the Florentines. The chapels include frescoes done by very famous artists including Masaccio, Masolino, and Fillippino Lippi. The scene that you might be familiar with is the expulsion of Adam and Even from the garden. The picture is absolutley dreadful. Eve is in terrible pain and Adam is bending over in anguish- I am beginning to appreciate how these artists can make these still pictures show humanistic emotion- they are my favorite. There are also frescoes of the stories of St. Peter including his martyrdom on the upside down cross.
The next place we traveled was to the Santo Spirito. It is a beautiful church and it is the first time in ten years that the HUF group got to go inside!! So as you can imagine it was quite a treat! The gray stone columns, and arches designed by the AMAZING Brunelleschi of course took my breath away. I love his style!

then we moved on to the AWESOME PITTI PALACE!!!
it is unbelievable how much artwork, frames, paintings, tables, SATIN WALL PAPER!!!, and other apolstries is still here! from hundreds of years ago!! The Palace has several museums inside of it- costume, silver, sculpture, modern art, a buffet of wonders... isn't that so freaking cool!!! We went to the painting gallery and saw works from Rafael to Andrea del Sarto. There were hundreds of paintings, and all in these extravagent rooms with satin on the walls that were original from the days of the Hapsburg rule. That blew my mind. And they say that the fabrics are so delicate and beaufifully made that they cannot be copied...

The Boboli Gardens

Beautiful

go there asap

we ate lunch in the Boboli Gardens, and let me just say that once again i have found another favorite spot and WILL be going back ( i hope Brett takes me on a date there :) i threw a little hint today haha)

then we went back to the villa because we have tons of homework and tests tomorrow :) Phillipians 4:6

ciao

:) ti amo

a few broken bones, concusion, and an overall amazing trip... :)

SKIING!! number one- i love skiing
number two- i love snow
number three- i love lodges with hot chocolate and cappuccino
number four- the Italian Apennines mountains are LEGIT


We went skiing for three days in Abetone. It was a BEAUTIFUL bus ride!! I am telling you there is nothing ugly about Italy. You can see in my pictures (which look like paintings) that the countryside is breathtaking. I felt like I was in a fantasy world! It took about two hours to get there, and we were on the mountain by eleven. It was a little icy the first day, but it was still awesome. The sunshine was out, hardly any wind= perfect ski weather. I had a blast! We didn't get off the mountain till about 4:30. The next morning we all got up and had breakfast at 7:45 and hit the slopes by 8:30 haha. We were skiing till 4:30 again. It truly was a dream come true. Everyone had so much fun. I skied with Brett the second and third day, and he was great! Oh and the lodges are super nice! I had a pannini for lunch the second day and a cappuccino and pastry for a snack :) The last day Harding paid for our lunch. We picked out a pasta, meat, drink, and desert ( i got fruit mom :) ) One of the girls broke her tibia and fibula around three and she is going back to the states tomorrow. Probably the worst story in the world. My friend Rosie got a concussion. While we were there three people (Italians) died!! Oh and the Italians are all great skiers! But is was a pretty dangerous place if you didn't know what you were doing- alot of cliffs...


On another note

I have a NEPHEW!!! YAY!!! he is absolutely gorgeous and I wish I could be there to kiss him and hold him, but I will just have to wait...


Tonight we are going to an opera!! I am so excited!!

I have to go get ready now!!

A Domani

St. Valentino :) 14 Febbraio

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! this morning we had classes boo.. but we were told to dress up, so we all knew something good was coming..so we were all not paying attention but awaiting the surprise to come...at lunch!!
Mona and the cooks put petals all over the ground of the dining room and decorated it with candles, chocolate, little hearts with sweet nothings, and we had champagne glasses (haha got ya...they just had red punch in them ) ! Spaghetti and meatballs was the first course (Lady and the Tramp style!) and we had our favorite bread, salad, cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, and fresh fruit of course! We had assigned seats and the boys were missing...

We started eating, and then they all came in, dressed up with roses in both hands. They all had a verse from the bible about love it was adorable! then they gave us our roses and an italian kiss...Brett had my rose of course :) and he gave me a kiss on each cheek and a cute one on the lips. then we all ate ...WAY too much ahah. after lunch we got our espresso like everyday...and then Brett and I played ping pong...I'm getting alot better, watch out forest gump..

tonight Brett is taking me to dinner at mom and dad's favorite Florentine restaurant :) I am super excited..it's our first Valentines..haha


:)

A domani

I wish it was brighter...itsn't it beautiful though!

The courtyard :)

Tessa and Kels in the courtyard of Sante Croce

This is where Michelangelo (my hero) is buried!!! use your x ray vision..

Sante Croce

Santa Croce and the Bargello

Today started off.. early, and I did not get enough sleep..haha no matter, I still had to be alert and ready to learn :) It is getting harder and harder to take notes in our moleskin. I just want to look at the art and study it and listen, not keep my head down so I can put my pen on the line..but I know I will thank Robbie later for making us do it.. Sante Croce is beautiful of course! There are tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machievelli, and Rusini and a commemorative tomb for Dante. It was freezing today by the way... side note... the best part of Sante Croce to me is the courtyard, it is absolutely beautiful. We were very rushed today so it is kind of a blur, I am trying to remember everything and it is super hard..The Bargello was an>awesome. It is the museum for sculptures and bronze statues.. it's like walking into a marble stone, haha. Donatello's David is there ( really weird and historians are starting to think it is not actually david...) and many others of his works..all supernatural and breath taking.. Michelangelo also has many things on display there. My favorite sculpture today was probably Donatellos Amore-it is a bronze little boy with wings, a tail, snakes at his feet, he is smiling, and they are not sure what he represents- that is the cool part- he has so many hidden meanings in the cute boy. He looks so real you could just pinch his cheeks and hear his little giggle. Donatello is known for his realistic work.. I really enjoy his art.

Lunch


ALL of us got to eat at a very nice restaurant. two types of pasta, two types of meat, salad, fried veggies, icecream with melted dark chocolate, and espresso :)

then Jonathan, Nicole, and I stayed in Florence and went to the San Lorenzo market to get sunglasses. I found some ridiculous yellow ones :)

now its time for homework...

:) ciao

San Gimignano! The only modern things = cars..

Inside my favorite church in Sienna. I call it Santa Zebra :)

The Duomo of Sienna

Looking out over San Gimagnano

starting off the day :)

San Gimignano e bella bella Sienna

Today was a LONG and exciting day. We left the villa at 8, got on our charter bus, and made the trip about 40 minutes to San Gimignano. I had no clue what to expect, but I was not let down at all. This town is one of the most medieval towns I have ever seen. Nothing has changed hardly, I felt like I was walking around in the 12th century...which is a pretty cool feeling... all the doors are tiny and the buildings are ancient. First thing we did ...I bet you can guess

went to a cafe for cappucino and pastries :) all on Harding..haha well all on us from tuition..but its still awesome when you think its free
The town is known for their leather and beautiful ceramic. My favorite part about the town was the view on top of La Rocca. The streets got more narrow, and we entered a courtyard...which looked like what I think the Garden of Eden would resemble..and climbed up a tower and looked over miles of beautiful rolling Tuscan hills...it never gets old. We ate real fast, I bought a ceramic mug...and ran to the bus...I wish we had more time..or that I could go back.


Then...we went to Sienna.



I am still catching my breath.



Sienna was and is the rival city of florence. The people of Sienna are very wealthy. the houses there are very expensive, but you can't tell from the outside...it looks ancient and somewhat run down but still beautiful..this is because they are supposedly very humble, and don't like showing off..

There are many freaking sweet things about Sienna...I wish i could tell you all of them. The most famous perhaps is it being the only city that still has the Palio horse race... look it up, it's pretty wild. I found my favorite church (I will probably say that ten more times this trip..haha) It is different because it has alot of pagan art in it..also...it is filled with stripes..haha I will put pictures and you'll see what I mean. Sienna is home to the most famous road to Rome, so it had many different cultures coming in and out. The most exciting art is also on the floor...the church is totally decorated, and your eyes never stop moving.. I am so tired haha I will have to fill you in on more stuff later.
dinner at the villa was awesome to come home to.
and i have a new favorite fruit that I have almost everyday

kiwi

Caio

Italian brotherhoods and firemen ...

Yesterday was another day I will never forget. Nicole and I (we go on a walk every morning) went into Scandicci to our favorite cafe Mario's for a cappucino. It was our first time to go alone!! I felt very adultish..haha what a feeling.. Then we took the bus into Florence by ourselves to meet the rest of the group at the gates of Paradise...just reread that...we met at the gates of paradise...haha wow...sometimes I cant believe the words that come out of my mouth..ha. We went with the group to get ANOTHER cappucino..haha it was free..who would say no? We then made our way to a very special building. Only twenty of us out of the 39 got to experience this tour of a building belonging to an ancient brotherhood of Italian men (and as of twenty years ago women) that have taken care of the sick and elderly for free. They used to wear tunics and hats that actually look exactly like black kkk suits...ha ironic. It was very exciting to hear about these men that do random acts of kindness and make sure they are not seen so that noone can pay them or give them gifts.... God is alive.

After this we climbed the DUOMO!!!! it cost us 8 euro....but I would have paid so much more..it was breathtaking. We went to the very top and ate our sack lunches looking out over all of Florence and the Tuscan hills. I cant explain how wonderful it is...you will just have to go yourself. :)

We then met up with the rest of the group at the Santa Maria del Fiore Baptistry ( the Duomo's baptistry). The baptistry has three sets of doors...including the gates of paradise. Ghiberti is the artist that sculpted the doors. He entered a contest with Brunelleschi ( the genious that designed the impossible dome of the Duomo) and won. He was commisioned to sculpt the doors while Brunelleschi left to go to Rome and studied up so that he could one day blow the world away with the largest self supporting dome in the world. After the baptisry we went into the Duomo. Spectacular. It is amazing to see the frescoed dome from the ground and remeber that the small objects you see are actually three times bigger than yourself when you get up next to them...

Everything is so beautiful ...not just the art, but the history and stories that go along with the art.

The facade of the cathedral looks just like a dream. A french man actually designed it...and the Florentines say it is too much icing on the cake...but it is still the best tasting eye candy.

Today we had classes all day...lets just say the highlight of the day is going to be going to get gelato after dinner with Brett..its our 6th month anniversary :) haha anyways...

I'm super tired...and about to go take a little nap ...my first one of the trip ha

Buono notte

the Jewish Synagogue :) beautiful, but we didnt get to go in....sabbath..

The amazing David. His hands, feet, and head are larger than anything else..you might think..come on Michelangelo...I thought you were the best why is David misproportioned? Actually, David was meant to be up high and for sake of perspective, Michelangelo made these bigger so that you could see them better when looking up...genious...

haah at lunch..thats our friend Allen...

San Marco

The ugly outside of the San Lorenzo Church...the inside blew my mind

WOW!...DAVID

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ok soooo yesterday was our first onsite class! I was so excited the night before I could hardly speak. It is so much different knowing the history (say of the Medici family) and then seeing where they lived, where they worshipped, what they commisioned to be painted, sculpted, and built. We started in the Medici Chapel crypt. It was breathtaking- all of it was. This family was a rock solid piece of pure intellect, creativity, and oh they all had eyes and passion for the arts and books. I cannot express to you how interesting their history is. It is so amazing to see and find out that every little decoration, every single piece of art has symbolism. These people didn't just paint; they told stories with their creations. Brunelleschi was PURE GENIOUS. not just an architect... but one of the smartest engineers on Earth. Did you know that? I sure didnt,... not a clue. Did you know that Michelangelo hated painting? he was a sculpture.. and thought painting was cheating..and one of his best known projects is the frescoe in the Cistine chapel...I feel like I can not begin to tell you close to anything of what I have learned...maybe i will publish my moleskin..ha. next we went to the San Lorenzo Church. BREATHTAKING. HEAVENLY. ahhhhh Lapis Lazulie...onix..mother of pearl ...not just on some decorations on the wall. BUT ALL OVER. it is called the Florentine mosaic. This huge church is purely mosiac with precious stones. It amazes me the talents that God has blessed man with..... After this we went to San Marco. It used to be a monastary. home of Fra Angelico and Savanorolla ( the dominican monk that went crazy on the florentines when the Medici was temporarily absent from the city- they were thrown out..) His story is unbelievable..look it up. After this we ate sack lunches in a Piazza next to San Marco. Then we went to the Academia!!! This is where a massive collection of Michelangelo's sculptures are INCLUDING the giant David (how ironic ha) He is beautiful. Did you know that Michelangelo is the only sculptor known to be able to skip the steps of measuring the stone and making sure the proportions are correct for the sculpture? he dove right in and created masterpieces ...ha wow. Im still a bit overwhelmed.


I love this Country

I love this history


This morning we got up to go to the Saturday market in Scandici. We were given a piece of paper with something we had to buy in italian. We had to ask and emerce ourselves into the marketplace to find our object. Number one... I love the market..number two... i love this language. I am not nervous at all talking to the italians. They are so helpful, and I just love hearing the beautiful words coming from their mouths and trying to come out of mine hah. After the market we went into Florence to start our scavenger hunt for our humanities class. We are in groups of nine and we have a list of things to find, learn about, visit, and take pictures of. They gave us an allowance and made reservations for us to eat at various ristorantes :) It was awesome. My favorite place so far is the Piazza della Signora...right beside the Ponte Vecchio. We went on top of a huge building to the roof and all got cappucinos. this was one of our assignments ...haha The view was gorgeous...and the Duomo....right beside us!! We also got gelatto haha and then came back to the villa for another amazing three course meal. I loveeeee our italian cooks :)


Gotta go study

Arrivederci :)
A Presto


PS...the lily ( one of my favorite flowers) is the symbol of florence..and of purity. Look for it in various frescoes of the Annunciation

Classes Classes Classes

Salve!! so Tuesday we had class in the morning, and then headed to Florence after lunch. I love being in a small group and exploring :) we went to the san lorenzo market which is leather and scarf central! I found a jacket called the suzanna (gorgeous) I lingered too long and they immediately started selling..haha I stayed strong though and said not today... yesterday and today have been long...we have had alot of classes and homework. Today Brett and I went into Scandicci to explore. We went to an art supply store and met some friends at our favorite coffee shop Marios :) Dinner was at 6:30 wonderful again..of course..and I am about to hit the sack. Tomorrow is our first On site class!!! I am so excited! We are going to the Medici chapel, San Lorenzo church, and San Marco church. We were given mole skins and part of our grade for our humanities is to take detailed notes. Which I am excited about. Now I will have a good journal to look back on! well I have to go fix tea for everyone... A presto!

Gesu all around :)

Today we went into Florence for church. It was in Italian and English. The church was in chapel that belonged to a family and it was beautiful!! The congregation was about thirty strong. It was quite an experience. We sang beautiful italian hymns..I love this language. :) After church we all ate Italian pot luck, and I must say it was much better than good ole madison pot luck. After this only a few of us stayed in Florence. Kelsey and I went with about five boys and went to the piggy market. We got our first postcards and Scarves!! I got mine for 4.50 euro :) it is gorgeous. We went to the Piazza della signoria with statues of Perseus (spelling?) holding Medusa's head, the rape of the Sabine women, Hercules and the Centaur, Menaleus holding Perculas dead body...they all took my breath away. We had to leave early to make it to the villa for our devo. We are about to start it so I gotta go..

Looking across the Arno ..we saw river rats that I mistook as Otters....

We ate lunch with this view..

Michelangelo's apartment

The market :)