January 15th: Getting to know Florence

Today was a beautiful day in Florence for several reasons. It was the first day that we did not have any activites scheduled in the morning and the sun was out. I started out the day by getting a latte. NOTE: one major cultural difference that my roommates and I are dealing with is that Italians do not drink coffee the way we do. I am used to running into Starbucks every morning and running out with a huge coffee in my hands, then drinkning it on the go. No where in Florence is this possible. Instead you must either sip the much smaller espresso drink at the bar, or pay to sit down.

At two my roommates and I met in the Piazza della Repubblica for an Art History walking tour in the city. One of the things that I love so much about Florence is that the Art is deeply engrained in the city. It surounds us all the time and even helps us find our way around (without the giant Duomo to use as a landmark, we would literally never know where we are). My school is located in the Piazza della Repubblica which is a stones throw from the Piazza del Duomo which is right near the Piazza della Signoria etc.

I heard an overwhelming amount of information on the art history tour but this is some of the information that I actually remember:

• symbols of Florence include a lion and the Fleur-de-lis 
• The bronze doors which are called the Gates of Paradise on the Florence Baptistery are FAKE. They are replicas of the originals which are being restored. Still--everyone poses for pictures in front of them and obsesses over them.
• The Baptistery which is a little nugget-looking building right in front of the Duomo has 8 sides which are intended to represent the infinity symbol and thus eternal life.
• The building of the Duomo spanned several centuries and the outside of it represents the Neo-Gothic style while the inside represented the Gothic style. I have yet to climb to the top of the Dome, but it is definitely on the Florence Bucket list.
• The tour guide basically gave a summary of all of the art in Florence, we didn't go in to any of the famous museums like the Uffizi or the Accademia. She definitely sparked my interest in the art of Florence though and I will be returning to many of the monuments and museums at a later time.

It's kind of strange to see such iconic art work and statues at night, when we're hoofing it to the bar. I guess that's what's so great about living in a city like Florence.

These are the people I share an apartment with: Jules, Teague, Nikki and Sloan. They are very cool. Our apartment is pretty great too. We live near the Piazza di San Marco which is a few blocks from the Duomo. At first we were a bit dissapointed because some kids got to live right in front of the Duomo, directly in the center of town. However, after some time we have really gotten to know and love the neighborhood and we are beginning to appreciate its charm. We are already becoming regulars at several caffes and we are very close to several markets and many cute shops.

I realize this was a very scattered post, but I've been kind of all over the place lately. I look forward to visiting Siena and Bologna this weekend with some of my roommates and then Rome next weekend!