Florence, Verona, and Venice

After my week of independent travel, I traveled with my program to northern Italy to visit Florence, Verona, and Venice.  From Monday, March 14 until Friday, March 18 I was once again living out of my backpack from hotel to hotel.

Baptistry and Duomo

We stayed in Florence for two days and visited many architectural sites and was able to meet up with a few friends.  I saw the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Ospedale degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital), Pazzi Chapel, Laurentian Library, Palazzo Medici, Baptistery, Duomo, Piazza Republica, Palazzo Pitti, and many other architectural significant buildings.  While the architecture was amazing, I was able again to see my Smith roommate who is studying Italian in Florence.  I was also able to connect with one of my high school teachers from Rocky Hill.  The week before I left for Greece and Turkey, my mother emailed me saying that a group of Rocky Hill students would be traveling to Italy for Spring Break.  She thought that I should meet up with them when they were in Rome.  Oddly enough I wasn't going to be in Rome when they were, but I was going to be in Florence at the same time they were going to be there.  So, I was able to meet up with the group from Rocky Hill one night for gelato.  I sadly only knew one of the students who was a freshman when I was a senior.  I couldn't believe that she was now a senior!  Did I feel old!  It was great though to reconnect with students who went to the same high school I did.

Ponte Vechio

Meeting up with RHS

Michelangelo's David

Mid week we went to Verona.  It rained the entire day and Verona did not become one of my favorite place.

For the last two days of the week, I was in Venice.  It was absolutely amazing!  Venice is a collection of islands; it is a city built on silty clay.  The architecture is specifically built for the land.  Instead of having a lot of vertical qualities, the architecture is more horizontal.  This is because the vertical pressure ultimately causes buildings to shift.  Ultimately, there are very few towers in Venice.  In 1903, the Tower of San Marco collapsed in the middle of the night.  Besides observing architecture and art history, I was able to enjoy the Venetian ways.  I took a gondola ride with three other people among the canals of Venice.  It was great!!

Tower of San Marco

Gondola ride!

During the week, Italy also celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary of its unification.  It was an amazing sight to see such a patriotic spirit among everyone.  It made me feel proud to be in Italy during such an important time in Italian history.