Florence: July 7

July 7
More touring. This time we got to go in most of the buildings. I was surprised at the Duomo (which is gothic-style with outta-control detailing on the exterior) because of the simplicity of the interior. Not what I expected at all. Almost refreshing, actually. Same with the baptistry. I didn't even see a font! Maybe it was more of a sprinkling ritual. But the mosaics were gorgeous. I found one that looks like a bull. Go Big Blue!
So we saw the DAVID! I sketched him twice. He's magnificent. I'd always sort of wondered what the big deal was, but I don't feel that way anymore. He was chiseled from a 40 ton piece of marble. How they even transported it to come to Michelangelo is dumbfounding. I'm starting to appreciate art more, I think.
We also saw Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" which I LOVED! I learned that the story says roses were created from her birth, she was ashamed of her nudity so the woman to her right is cloaking her, and there is wind, all of which is depicted in the painting.I enjoyed the "Birth of Spring" painting as well. All the women in the painting appear to be pregnant, and it is said to have taken place in March, which is 9 months away from December 25- signifying the birth of Christ.
We also saw da Vinci paintings, Donatello sculptures, and Raphael's works. It made me want to watch the Ninja Turtles.

I learned that Mary is always holding a book even though she couldn't ever read to symbolizes the foretelling of Christ and her submission to the prophesy. If she has a wall with a garden behind her it symbolizes her fertility, which is much too private for us to see.

We ate at Aqua's Ristorante, where we had the sampler for pasta and dessert. We tried 5 pastas and 3 desserts! It was our favorite spot to eat in all of Florence, so if you go I highly recommend the spinach pasta and fruit pizza. Let me know and I'll tell you how to get there. :)

This pic is faded, but it was a purple nun!

Ash, Scott, Megan, Jeanette, Josie, Laura, Erica, and Allie

View of Florence

Creature in the middle sort of looks like Big Blue, no?

David replica outside of museum with the real one in it!

Florence: July 6

July 6
Transfer day to Florence! The train ride was beautiful! We saw fields of sunflowers, rolling green hills, and old stone homes. Hard to sleep when you want to look out the window the entire time! Getting off was a bit of a joke. Luggage is a pain- especially on uneven cobblestone.
I knew next to nothing of it prior to arrival. Our hotel is in the city center and everything is about five minutes away. I did all my laundry in our sink before we hit the town for our tour. The bridges are picturesque and the streets are tall and narrow. Very quaint. Warmer than Rome (and I don't mean temperature). We saw the Duomo, the Baptistry, Grom's Gelato shop (best gelato in Italy! Made with melons the man grows himself for the love of Pete), the Ponte Vechio, the Library, Dante's Museum, and the Medici Spirito Church with the most amazing thing: it was Michelangelo's first sculpture. A naked portrayal of the crucifex, made by looking at a body in the morgue (which was very illegal at the time). Wow.

Ponte Veccio (sp?)

Duomo

Laundry in my sink

Tuscany (pretty sunflower field)

Happy little mini-truck that could be a character in "Cars"

Rome: July 5

July 5

Happy Birthday Jackson!
Today was our free day and we decided to spend it at the beach in Nettuno. I wish I had pictures to show you of such a blessed event, but unfortunately we never made it there. After missing three trains (that's right- we managed to miss THREE), we called it quits. Problem #1: We do not speak Italian, and apparently they reserve the right to switch your platfor at the last second, which they kindly announce over in intercome in their native tongue. Problem #2: Apparently weekends have a different schedule and don't match up to the departure board.

Trying to figure out the dagnab moon-language on the departure boards

Watching the train leave... One minute too late.

Jeanette, Erica, Becky, Allie, Josie, Laura
SO depressed

Anyway, we're mildly convinced that God didn't want us to go, or at least that is what we have been telling oursleves to feel better about completel.y wasting one of our free days in a train station. When we got back to the hotel (after missing our shuttle- don't even worry), we jumped into the pool for an hour (where they force you to wear a blue cap). I saw a lot of skin, if you know what i mean. Oh and hair. Haha... yikes.

Synchronized Swim Champs

Lovely

Rome: July 4

July 4

Today we left Italy and entered the state of Vatican City. I watched "Angels and Demons" like a month ago and got TOTALLY stoked for this day. :) The museums were over a mile long. I learned so much! They were exquisite. I saw frescos, sculptures (all the "offensive bits" had been destroyed or chipped off and hidden somewhere in the Vatican!), marble ancient flooring, tapestries made with real silver and gold thread, and detailed coffered ceilings. I feel so cultured! Ha ha. The Sistine Chapel is one of those sites that actually lives up to its expectations. I learned about the wall of judgement (and the scandal about all the naked bodies in a chapel that Michelangelo had hidden from the pope until it was too late), and the man getting his special bits (our tour guide always called them "bits" which I've now adopted) eaten by a large serpant because Michelangelo didn't care for him (it was a cardinal). My favorite part in the chapel was the creation of woman, which is in the very center.
Next I entered a truly indescribable space: St. Peter's Basilica. Hundreds of several story mosaic murals, 20 foot sculptures, pillars, gold, and an enormous dome. Most of us opted to climb hundreds of stairs to the top level of the dome to see the view of Rome. Darrin says it's #2 of his bucket list, it's THAT beautiful. Later we went to the Pantheon and attended Mass. It was there I met my Italian boyfriend, Mario. Mmmm.
To celebrate the 4th of July I got really hyper back at the hotel with Jeanette, Allie, and Erica. We sang the National Anthem pretty loud in commemoration.

Laura and Josie with St. Peter's Basilica in the background

On top of St. Peter's overlooking Rome (SO BLASTED HOT UP THERE)

Wall of Judgement (so so cool!)

Creation of Man

Tapestry of Jesus who's eyes follow you down the hall

Pantheon

Rome: July 3

July 3
Because of the swift arrival of the hail storm yesterday we were unable to go inside the Colosseum, so we returned confidently with umbrellas and parkas in hand (regardless of the fact we wouldn't need them). The structure is magnificent. Larger even than I had expected. Laura and I had to swallow our normal inclination to feel embarrassed and replace it with pride (or at least a false sense of it anyway, knowing we'd never see these people again), as we attempted to recreate an "America's Next Top Model" photo shoot. As luck would have it, we actually like a handful of the photos and had a good laugh doing it.
We then met a tour guide and walked for about a hundred or so miles... She took us to see the Church of St. Clemente, Church of St. Peter in chains, Church of St. Maria Maggiore, St. Carline, the President of Italy's palace (where they happened to be changing the guards with a full band of handsome men), and finally to the Trevi Fountain. I threw in one coin in hopes that I would one day return to Rome (an old legend).

Colosseum


Allie-Berry


In front of the fire statue in Angels and Demons!


One of the thousands of adorable doors


Erica and Josie


Arch

Rome: July 1-2

On July 1, 2009 a group of USU Interior Design students left bright and early for a study abroad to Europe. Laura Andersen picked me up at 3 am for the airport. Somebody, for financial purposes no doubt, had the bright idea of giving us 3 flights wich came hand in hand with 2 long layovers. We lost a full day and arrived in Rome, Italy on July 2 at 10:45 am.

View from the plane

Tired, perhaps? Nonsense. Jetlag? Never heard of it... That's right, we began touring the city immediately. I felt like I was on drugs or something because I was so disoriented, but no time to complain: I'm in Rome!
We started by walking through some of the city, seeing the exterior of the Colosseum, ancient stonework, and bridges along the roads (so great in numbers were they, it was as if they were nothing special), and the Capitolini Museum.

Ruins we saw on the walk in the Rain

Building erected for Italian Independence

Pretty view from museum

Just keeping it G-rated :)

The part of the day most worth noting was the near flash flood we experienced right outside the Colosseum. It's like we, the teachers included, jjust thought it would stop as quickly as it had started, but we poorly misjuged mother nature. An hour later, after never seeking shelter, we were all drenched from head to toe... and so was our stuff. Many lost Metro passes, sketchbooks, and more. But I don't think a single student would tell you it wasn't outrageously fun. :)

At the Borghese Museum we saw gardens and sculptures. My favorite was the Apollo and Daphne sculpture. The story goes that Apollo was in love with Daphne and was chasing her to show her his love. In doing so Daphne prays to her father, a god, fork a solution. As a result she becomes a Laurel tree. The sculpture captures the moment of transformation as Apollo reaches for her.
Italy is charming. The buildings with their flower boxes, their shudders, and their rod-iron balconies. Most of all I am loving the doors. Such a variety I've never known! I've made a personal note-to-self that I would like to instal round topped blue Italian doors in my dream house.

Ireland

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