OLIVIA

Here lies my personal journey, told through photos, of my time during Florence study abroad. Before we begin, my name is Olivia Smith and I am a going to be a sophomore at San Diego State University in the fall of 2018. I embarked on this adventure to Florence with the hope of fully immersing myself in a different culture, while getting a once in a lifetime learning experience. I can confidently say that I achieved both of my goals and so much more along the way. Below is just a glimpse into some of the indescribable opportunities I got to participate in over the past month and a half. Enjoy...

I will never forget our trip to Siena. The day before we were learning about relics, a topic I was not familiar on at all, but we were told that they were parts of deceased holy figures or holy artifacts from the past that were kept in spiritual places and were thought to be able to heal and create miracles. We discussed different relics such as belts, teeth, or even fingers, but I was not expecting anything like what we got to see in Siena. I remember walking up to the church alter and our tour guide casually saying that this distant object she was pointing to in an enclosed case, was the head of the deceased St. Catherine of Siena and I was absolutely speechless. Once I took a closer look I was feeling two very different emotions, I was a little bit uneasy by the fact that there was a decayed head being displayed, but at the same time I was so fascinating I couldn't stop looking. Once I got home that day, I went right to my computer and started to do more research on this specific relic, while also reading about many more around the world. When looking back on this entire journey, this specific day is one of the best examples I could give for a once in a lifetime learning experience and one I will never forget.

DAY TRIPS

Here's just a glance into some of the various day trips we took over the past 6 weeks. From getting to hike up to the old Etruscan village now known as Fiesole, to walking through ancient Etruscan tombs in Chiusi, and trying the World's Best voted gelato in San Gimignano, we got to partake in so many truly indescribable experiences.

RENAISSANCE ARTWORK

The Renaissance was a time of rebirth of culture and identity within Europe. In Florence specifically, some of the most famous pieces of artwork in the world were produced during this period of time. I had learned about the Renaissance prior to this journey but this time I gained a much greater appreciation for this material. Getting to see these pieces in person rather than admiring pictures in a textbook was truly an indescribable experience and could not have been achieved in a traditional classroom.
These pictures resemble just some of the amazing paintings, sculptures, and architecture that was produced during the Renaissance. I'm going to touch on just a couple works that stood out to me throughout this journey. My favorite would have to be the Birth of Venus, which was painted by Botticelli around the mid 1480s (left). I love this piece because of how peaceful and angelic all the figures look. The detail on the clothing gives the illusion of movement within the painting and it's really a remarkable piece of work. Next, I would have to say the statue of David created by Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504 (right). Until you have seen the statue of David in person it is impossible to comprehend just how unbelievable it really is. This statue is 17 feet tall and is still one of the most impressive statues ever made. Lastly I wanted to discuss the Duomo but more specifically the dome, which was designed and finished by Brunelleschi in 1436 (inside of dome pictured above). The reason this dome is so fascinating is because still to this day some of the most famous architects can not replicate it. Brunelleschi spent time in Rome and learned skills that led him to created one of the most unexplainable pieces of architecture still to this day.

ETRUSCAN ARTIFACTS

Prior to this trip, I knew absolutely nothing about the Etruscan civilization. I wasn't sure who these people were because I had never even heard about them in any of my previous history courses. For a little background, the Etruscan civilization was a very powerful and wealthy population who inhabited ancient Italy, more specifically the region of Tuscany. The reason the Etruscans are so fascinating, but are not discussed as often as they should be, is because archaeologists actually know very little about them. Everything that we know about the Etruscans today was either written by those who conquered them or is interpreted by the artifacts that they left behind. We have thousands of tombs left by the Etruscans (right) and hundreds of elaborate pots and artifacts that were buried in these tombs along with the dead (top right). These tombs give us insight into what was valued in Etruscan culture and help us gain an understanding of who this civilization was.

Even though I came into this course knowing very little about the Etruscans, I have finished this course with a much greater appreciation for this civilization. Not only have I enjoyed learning about the Etruscans, but I am also extremely proud of how much knowledge I have retained. Growing up, I always thought history courses just weren't for me. After having the experience to learn about these people while also getting to visit countless museums and actually see the artifacts discussed in our textbooks, it completely changed my perspective on history. I am a very visual learning and that is why in the past I just accepted that history was not for me. This journey has really helped me develop a much greater interest in history and has led me to want to pursue more experiences similar to this in the future, where I can really immerse myself into the material I am learning.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

Over the past 6 weeks, not only have I gotten to explore the beautiful city that I get to call my home, but I have gotten the opportunity to travel to other places and experience other cultures that I would never have gotten the chance to at this stage in my life. My roommates and I have always loved the beach and the coast of Italy was one of our top priorities. The first weekend we took the train up north to a really popular coastal location, Cinque Terra (left and top right). Every town in Cinque Terra was so unique and unlike any coastal location I have been before, I loved it! The next location we went to was none other than Paris. Paris was so pretty and reminded me of Italy yet also was so different at the same time. It was really interesting to see the differences in the Italian and French cultures, along with comparing them to our own. While in Paris, we had to stop by the most famous macaroon store, Ladurée and took our treats to the Eiffel Tower and had a picnic on the grass. I also couldn't forget about Pisa. One of my friends was visiting for the weekend and we took the train up to see the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was shocked at how far right it actually was! Finally, for our last weekend getaway, we found a beautiful little island off the coast called Elba. We had to take a train and then a ferry but we finally made it there and it was absolutely breathtaking (top middle). I could not have thought of a more perfect place to spend our last full weekend in Italy, I definitely will have to go back!

I have never felt more grateful for the opportunities that I have been given than throughout my time here. With every new place I visited and every person I met along the way, I have grown so much more as a person, which is the best experience I could have asked for.

I have been to Florence one time before with my family around five years ago and we only stayed in Florence for less than a week. This time around it was such a drastically different experience and was very eye opening at the same time. Being in a city such as Florence as a tourist does not compare to living in Florence for a month and a half. The first week, I was waiting to wake up from a dream because I still couldn't believe that I got to go on this journey. I had to type the address into my GPS everywhere I went and was still getting lost on every corner. Knowing no Italian, definitely made it more difficult to communicate at times, but google translate became my best friend. After I got the hang of things, my roommates and I began to plan out all of our days since there is so much to see and do in Florence. We got to go to the Gucci Gardens (above), the Boboli Gardens (right), and walked along the Ponte Vecchio (top). These were just some of the various activities that were right in our backyard. It was so interesting to experience the everyday Italian culture because that is not something that you get the chance to do as a tourist. One of my favorite memories of my time here had to be the music festival that we went to with a couple people from our class. We had absolutely no expectations, but had heard about this festival happening in Florence and spontaneously decided to go. It ended up being one of the most fun and entertaining concerts I have ever been too and it was really interesting to see the difference between Italian and American music festivals.

MY DAILY LIFE

Florence is such a beautiful city and getting the chance to fully immerse myself in the Italian culture is an experience I am extremely grateful for. Florence will always be one of my favorite cities and I will never forget the time that I got to spend here.

FOOD

One of the biggest parts of Florence that I will miss is the amazing food. You can stumble into any restaurant and are served some of the best food you will ever have. The culture around eating in Italy is so different than home and something I'll really miss is how you can sit at a restaurant for hours and relax instead of being always feeling rushed. That is definitely something I want to try and integrate into my own personal life when I get home.

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