European Literary Trials

Director: Professor Jolanta Wawrzycka

Jason Jobse's Web Site, 2007

Florence, Italy

David Replica Dante



Although I  was disappointed that our Ireland portion of the trip was over, I  was ready to see what Italy was all about. Besides being excited about all the amazing food, sports cars, and beautiful scenery, this was my first time entering a country were English was not the primary language. A big mistake on my part was not taking the time to even learn the simplest Italian phrases. I  learned this the hard way after we got off the plane and I  was trying to get some food. During a quick rest stop I tried to order fresh prosciutto and mozzarella on a roll and quickly realized how ignorant I was coming to Italy without any prior studying. Although I did bring a very nice electronic translator, the time it took to look up phrases was way too long. If I  ould go back in time, I would have definitely studied some Italian, at the least some key phrases. Although a lot of Italians also spoke English, the language barrier is not something to be underestimated. I  was also very careful with my body language trying to be respectful and not to offend anyone.

Hotel Room View



Dinners in Italy are treated more like a social gathering. Dinner usually comes later on in the evening and can last into all hours of the night, there is no rush or urgency. When you’re eating, you are supposed to seize the moment and take pleasure in all the fresh foods, surroundings, and the company of your friends -- the way a meal is supposed to be enjoyed. One thing to note is that soda is very expensive and most of the time comes sans ice, so I would advise trying the house vino bianco (white wine); it is very good and usually cheaper than soda. I must have eaten 5 meals a day while we were there and ended up loosing weight because everything is so fresh; and yes, all the stories you heard are true: gelato is one of the greatest tasting treats ever.


Niccola Pisano  Leonardo Davinici  Dante Allighteri  Niccolo Macchiavelli  Giovanni Delle Bande Nere

Perseus Cellini



Florence was absolutely beautiful; the only way to really enjoy all the beauty is to see it through your own eyes. Everything from the backstreets to the open markets seemed to have an awe-inspiring feel to it. Every single piece of stone or building block seemed to be hand crafted down to the smallest detail. It was hard for me to pick subject matter for my photos because I  was snapping off pictures of everything I saw. Throughout Florence. the streets were filled with many different statues. Outside of the Uffizi. every column included a very detailed sculpture of different figures in Italian history including Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli. Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. Florence is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and is famous for its beautiful architecture and art.

 
Ponte Vicchio



Located over the Arno River, The Ponte Vecchio connects the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti. Originally butchers occupied the shops along the bridge; now high priced jewelers are located along the Ponte Vecchio. While I  was walking across the bridge, I  saw every window shop glittered with diamonds and gold, but there was not one item even close to my price range. The bridge originally built out of wood was rebuilt in stone after being destroyed by a flood in 1333. Above the bridge is the famous Vasari Corridor built by Cosimo de Medici so that he may cross over the river without having to walk by the lower class butchers. The concept of bankruptcy is also said to originate in Florence, when a merchant could not pay his debts and soldiers were ordered to break the table holding his merchandise.

Campanile Duomo



A truly amazing site had to be the cathedral church of Florence or the "Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore" (aka "the Duomo"). The outside alone had so much detail that every time I  looked at it, it was like the Duomo was popping out of the scenery. Built on the previous site of another cathedral, when completed, it was the largest cathedral in Europe. Designed by the same architect who worked on the church of Santa Croce, the Duomo is a true masterpiece. Inside there is a massive mural painted on the inside of the dome with a great amounts of detail. Started in 1296, the cathedral was designed but was not completed until 1469.

In order to avoid a massive lines, the best time to visit any of the attractions is Florence is early in the morning right as they are opening. Only taking about 20 mins to climb, I  really enjoyed making my way to the top of the Duomo. This gave me a chance to get up close to the mural painted on the ceiling, as well as to enjoy a breathtaking view of Florence from above.

Santa Croce Santa Croce



Another place to visit in Florence is Santa Croce church and museum. Santa Croce is the burial place for the great and the good in Florence. The interior of the church is most well known for its artwork and tombs on display. As soon as you walk in, to your right Michelangelo is buried; he picked this spot so that on judgment day, when all the graves of the dead fly open, he was the first one you see. There are also the remains of the robes of St. Francis -- amazing that they have survived about 700+ years.



Casa Sola Vineyard Wine Barrels



While in Florence I  was lucky enough to take a day tour around the Tuscany region. Our tour started at Casa Sola, a small winery. Here we learned about the process involved in converting grapes to bottled wine. After our tour of the winery we were treated to bread with fresh olive oil and wine tasting of the Chianti Classico. I  learned here how to really enjoy the wine you drink and how to get the most taste out of it.

After our stop at Casa Sola, we drove off to San Gimignano, a small walled city on top a hill. We got to enjoy the scenery of San Gimigano for a few hours. Sitting on top a hill, this ancient city hardly changed since the Middle Ages. When our short stay was over we made a quick stop at the almost deserted Monteriggioni castle, before heading off to Siena.

Looking as if it were still in medieval time, stretched over hill tops Siena sits enclosed by massive walls. Siena is also home to the centuries'-old Palio, a twice yearly horse race held in the main piazza. After relaxing in the main piazza for a bit, we continued on to the Siena cathedral. Right as you walk into the cathedral, starring at you from above are sculptures of every pope's head. I  would suggest picking up an information book at every stop you make -- they are very inexpensive, and for me this was a big help because I  had trouble understanding a lot of the meanings behind the art work. Our tour came to a close with a wonderful dinner in a small castello. After a long and exciting day in the Tuscany region, I  couldn't have asked for a better ending to our excursion.



Church of Dante 



While in Florence, we made stops at both at the Casa di Dante, and Chiesa (Church) di Dante. Casa di Dante was a museum set up on three different levels, each of them offering different information about Dante and event significant during his life.


View on top the Duomo Casa Sola



For my free days in Florence I decided to visit all of my destinations early in the morning so that I could avoid the massive lines. I  made my way to the world famous Uffizi , and later, to the Galleria dell' Accademia, home of the David. The Uffizi Official Guide sold at the entrance was a big help explaining the meaning and motives behind the artwork. There was room after room of art work, so I had to set a time limit for each room in order to not loose track of time. Each room is dedicated to a different style of art which was easy to find and navigate through thanks to my guide book. I ersonally enjoyed many of the 17th and 18th century art works the most, specifically Caravaggio's Medusa which is illustrated on the outside of a "rotella" or tournament shield. This caught my attention immediately because of its unique canvas, I  also enjoyed the sculpture room, where some work was still unfinished. After a short two hours of looking around the Galleria, the late rising tourists showed up and it soon became too packed to sit and admire the works of art. Once afternoon rolled around, it was hard to go anywhere without standing in a huge line so I  took this time to do some personal shopping in the open markets of Florence.

My next personal destination Galleria dell' Accademia. It has housed the original David of Michelangelo since 1873. Wow. I  must have sat in front of Michelangelo's David for the better part of an hour, and not because it took us 4 hours to get in, but because it was animated with such perfection it almost looked alive. The sculpture was truly an amazing sight: it was easily my favorite piece of art in Florence. The amount of detail put into this sculpture and the attention paid to the smallest vein in his arm make this a must-see piece of art. The massive statue is placed in the center of the galleria; one cool tool they used was a touch screen computer that patrons could use to view a digitally mapped image of the entire David in high resolution detail so that you could see how true to shape the sculpture is. Along with the David, the galleria also held the unfinished Slaves and painting ranging from the 13th to 18th century. The Slaves were also a unique sight, the partially finished sculptures appeared to be breaking out of the bulky slab of marble.


After making it up the Duomo

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