Lake

During my time in Florence I had the chance to see some of the greatest works of art created during the Renaissance and explore ancient Etruscan ruins. And while these things were amazing and life changing to get to see first hand, for the purpose of this final project I want to focus on three things that, while weren’t apart of our program, are aspects of Italy I’ll always remember.

There's no doubt that Florence is home to some of the most amazing artwork in the world. Throughout the almost 2 months here we got the opportunity to view so many beautiful Renaissance pieces that most only get to view in photographs. But while many tourist come and only see the most famous of works in Italy, being here for 6 weeks allowed us to explore the city and stumble upon the underground world of Florentine street art. One of the most popular artists Blub can be found almost anywhere you go in Florence. At first, I passed by a few of their works while wondering the city. Then I began to notice more and more, always being the same design, as the weeks went by. Blub's signature street art is recreating famous artworks or artists, making them appear under water. After weeks of seeing their work on almost any street, it became a game to see if we could find all of the different pieces around town. This led to finding an art studio across the Ponte Vecchio with a collection of different street artists with different signatures that can be found all around Florence. Even while visiting Rome, I got to see a funny stencil of the Pope with the superman logo on his chest . I think the fact that it became exciting every time we found a new different piece done by any one of the street artists we became familiar with over the course of these weeks just shows how localized I became here. While I'll always remember my first time getting to see The Birth of Venus and The David when thinking of the art I saw in Florence, I'll also always remember the street art.

Again, I can’t reiterate enough about all the amazing art we were given the chance to see during our time in Florence. And while viewing the various collections of art we would travel to different galleries and palaces in order to see the vast majority of the works sponsored by the many wealthy families of the Renaissance. When we got to visit the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Vecchio both were filled with amazing paintings. But what caught my attention the most were the ceilings. The ceilings were fascinating. Some had detailed patterns with bright golds and vibrant colors, while others depicted stories from Greek mythology or Bible passages. Either way, the attention to detail throughout the palaces was so thorough that it even reached the ceilings. I found myself glancing up to try to see the perfection of each different room almost more than looking around at the paintings on the walls. What was most interesting to me was the fact that artists spent so much time on art that would only be seen if one was to look up.

When I think of food I enjoy, Italian food does not come to mind first. Sure, who can hate pasta and pizza? But it’s never something I would really go out of my way to eat at home. So after a few days in Florence I began to realize that the majority of my diet would consist of foods I wouldn’t normally eat at home. Plus, being a pescaterian made it all the harder to find something to eat other than marinara pasta, pizza, and caprese sandwiches. At first I’ll admit I was discouraged, I figured I would have to survive off food I bought from the grocery store. But after a week or two I decided to expand my search for something new to try. I soon discovered all the wonderful dishes that Italy has to offer. Something I never would have tried in my life in the states are mussels and clams. But I saw it on the menu one day and gave it a chance. I will forever have a deep love for mussels and clams, and I can’t wait to eat them when I get home. I’m a huge veggie person, but eggplant and mushrooms honestly disgust me. But while being here I’ve eaten them both multiple times. And with all the eating out, we felt we gained enough experience with cheese boards and bruschetta to make our own and enjoy it while watching the sun set around the city. So, while I used to claim to not be the biggest fan of Italian food, I can now claim that there are parts of the Italian cuisine that I genuinely do love and will continue to eat back home.