Emma

A Day in Florence

Ciao!! My name is Emma and I am going into my senior year at San Diego State and have been looking forward to studying abroad since I started college. My time here in Florence has been one I will never forget. It was my first time going abroad, I didn't even have a passport yet. Since I have been abroad I have been to three different countries and get to continue my trip and visit two others. Out of all the places I have visited I love Florence the most. I would look forward to coming home to my adorable apartment with a view of the Santa Croce Church. Getting to learn about the Etruscans and the Renaissance, while living in the place it all happened has been an amazing experience, and one of the coolest ways to learn. Here is a look into my incredible study abroad trip...

Day Trips in Italy

During our time here in Florence we got to go on multiple day trips as a class. We first went to Fiesole where we hiked up to an incredible view of Florence and ate lunch as a class. Then we went to Siena and San Gimignano where we go to explore the city and learn about its rich history as well as tour an incredible church. Chiusi day trip was next and one of my personal favorites we got to visit an archeological museum filled with Etruscan artifacts, there were two floors filled with different pottery, urns, and household objects all buried with the Etruscans in their tombs. After the tour we got to visit three different tombs. The tomb of the Monkeys was by far my favorite it still had frescos on the tomb walls. We also got to visit Orvieto and got to explore some of the underground tunnels that run under the entire city of Orvieto. One of the tunnels was cold and used for donkeys and the making of olive oil. While the other tunnel housed pigeons and was used for a business, where people would come there to buy for food. Our last day trip was to a winery, it was so beautiful and I was fascinated to learn about the process of making wine and see the underground cellars where the wine was stored. We tried different glasses of red and white wine, it was by far the best wine I have ever had, it tasted so fruity and natural, you could taste the actual grapes with nothing added.

Etruscan Ruins

Before coming to Italy, I knew nothing about the Etruscans. While studying abroad I have gotten the opportunity to learn about their culture, religion, burial techniques, and their way of life. What truly captured my attention while learning about the Etruscans was discovering what the Etruscans valued in their lives, and even continued to value until after death. The Etruscans loved everything about the Greeks, from their religion focusing on the Greek Gods, to their art, they especially loved the Greek pottery. Etruscans would often purchase Greek Pottery through sea trade and would collect them, and they later began to create their own pottery unique to the Etruscans. This pottery tells the story of what the Etruscans valued in their time and the lavish lifestyle they once lived. They valued family and marriage and strongly believed in equality for women. Getting to see Etruscan ruins in real life has been an incredible experience and really brought the learning to life. My favorite piece is an urn lid depicting a man and woman sitting next to each other on what looks to be a couch. Their faces are so serene and they look happy with life, you can sense the intimacy between the two of them and it is a very sweet innocent piece.

Renaissance Art

Our other class while studying abroad, focused on the Renaissance, with Florence being such an important place during this time. With the growing power of the Medici Family, the expansion of religion, and the fantastic art being made here, Florence was the perfect setting for our class. I enjoyed being able to learn about the different churches being built during this time, and then getting to tour it myself and learn the history within the walls. One of my my favorite places we went to see Renaissance art was at the Uffizi. The gallery had hundreds of Renaissance art, most had religious meaning relating to what we were learning in class. To see the famous works of the artists we had learned so much about these past couple weeks was an incredible experience. One of my favorite paintings I saw today was the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. I had seen this painting so many times when learning about the Renaissance in school, but in person was a whole different experience. I loved how light the colors were and how simple the painting was with only four people pictured in it. One thing I found very interesting about the painting is that Suzzie told us a man was used to model Venus for Botticelli, and when you really look at her naked body you can tell it is a man with muscular long gorilla looking arm and uneven proportions.

Weekend Trips

During my study abroad trip I got to go on a trip every weekend. First weekend I went to Lake Garda and Verona, Italy. The lake was so beautiful and not very touristy which made it a fun cultural experience. Verona was so beautiful and had a big town square, I also got to see Juliet's house and see where Romeo stood in her courtyard, there was even an area to sign your name down to Juliet. Next weekend, Maddie and I went to the Amalfi Coast and got to go to Sorrento, Positano, and Capri. The water was perfectly blue and Capri is by far my new favorite place. I loved swimming in the ocean there and laying out on the rocky beaches of Italy. After that we went on the Rome weekend with the class, I loved learning about the history of the Colosseum, seeing the beautiful Vatican City, and throwing my coin in the Trevi Fountain to make a wish I hope will come true. After this fun weekend our next stop was outside of Italy. We went to Prague for a weekend, it is such a magical city and reminded me of a fairytale with the cobblestone streets and colorful houses. The food there was so good and we went to some pretty authentic places, my favorite place Letna Beer Garden over looking the whole city. My last weekend abroad I went to Barcelona to visit my friend Shannon on her study abroad trip. We got tons of Tapas and even tried some Paella. Barcelona was such a huge city with so much to see and explore, my favorite thing was touring the Sagrada Familia it was unlike any church I have ever been inside and it was fun to learn about the building process. I had so much fun during my weekend trips and I am so thankful I got to explore other parts of the World while abroad.

Food

One thing I was really excited about when I chose to study abroad in Italy was the food....and it did not disappoint. Pizza, Pasta, and Gelato have become apart of my every day meals, and calories are not counted here. I have had so many amazing foods since being here some of my favorites include Gusta Pizza, Yellow Bar, Gelateria de Neri, The Pizza Man, Osteria del Gatto e la Volpe, Le Vespe Cafe, and of course Tasty Toscana which was the cutest little coffee shop below our apartment across from Santa Croce Church, and became our frequent stop before class for a cappuccino and croissant. The pizza here is amazing and so fresh, I do not know if I can go back to pizza in America. But by far the pasta here stole my heart. Homemade pasta at every restaurant, it makes me hungry right now even thinking about it. Italy you will be missed and your food will be especially missed.

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