Florence

Allison and I started the day at the Uffizi Galleries, the major art museum in Florence and Italy in general. I was able to see some of my favorite artists and paintings, including Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes. While in the museum, we found out the pope had died, throwing the Rome leg of our trip, which would happen in two and a half days, into chaos.

We saw the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge lined with shops, and got gelato. Then we met Regan and Vanessa, who'd had later Uffizi tickets, outside a restaurant our Italian program director had previously recommended to another USAC student. The restaurant, when we finally found it, was closed for Easter Monday. We ended up at another restaurant, as they're plentiful, where the staff was very pleasant. The Italians in general are much politer with tourists than the French, even if you can't attempt Italian. Italy also feels significantly more touristy--I swear I heard more French people and Americans than actual Italians. I ordered a delicious pear and ricotta ravioli dish.

We browsed the House of Dante Museum, which features various projections and information about Dante, the writer who was largely responsible for transitioning Vulgar Latin into modern Italian. Allison and Regan led us down a rabbit hole of leather shopping, and Regan successfully negotiated for a beautiful leather bag. I tried not to let the leather salesmen notice the faux leather jacket I was carrying, which is great for its zipper pockets but falling apart. Then we split again, as Regan and Vanessa decided last minute to take a day trip to Pisa. The two of them went to the Boboli Gardens, and Allison and I walked around the outside of the Duomo di Firenze, formerly known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. (Firenze is Italian for Florence, by the way. Don't be like the ignorant tourist I overheard at a gift shop asking if she was actually in Florence!) The cathedral closed at 3:45, so we couldn't go inside. We got groceries and went home. All four of us had dinner--pesto, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar sandwiches with strawberries--on the patio with a sunset view.

The next day, Regan and Vanessa headed to Pisa at 9:00 a.m., and Allison and I finally slept in. I worked on this blog post on the patio for a while. Then we visited the Pitti Palace, a former residence of the Medici family and current art gallery--Florence is known for art the way Rome is known for history. After the museum, we walked through the adjacent Boboli Gardens--more of a park than botanical gardens--in the hot spring day. It was supposed to rain but never did. Then we visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Dante are buried. We got more gelato and groceries and returned home.

On Wednesday, Allison and I left the Airbnb at 7:00 a.m. to go to the Galleria dell'Accademia, where Michelangelo's David is located. We didn't have tickets because we hadn't realized how far in advance they sold out. Our next best option was arriving forty-five minutes early and hoping the line wasn't too long. (We shouldn't have worried too much, as Europeans don't tend to do anything before 10:00 a.m.) We got to the unassuming doors around 7:25, and there was no one there. We actually walked around the building to make sure there wasn't a different entrance, but there wasn't. When we made it back to the doors, there was one other group there. I went to a café across the street for a latte. Slowly, more people began to arrive, forming a line with no clear beginning. Then some employees arrived to sort us into a ticketed and an unticketed line and to set up stanchions in the narrow street. In line, we talked a bit with a young married couple from Michigan, who gave us recommendations for a cannoli place and when to do certain things in Rome. At 8:15, when the museum opened, the ticketed line started moving, but they didn't let in the unticketed line until 8:30. We made it through security and got 2€ discounted tickets with our student visas. We hurried through rooms of other art to The David in the back rotunda, under the bright morning light that streamed through the glass domed ceiling. The 14 ft statue was certainly worth the wait. After circling The David a few times, we browsed the other artworks in the museum.

Afterward, we crossed the Ponte Vecchio to Gino's Bakery, which the Michigan couple had recommended. The cannoli were incredible. Then we circled back to the Duomo, which opened at 10:15. We got to the front and saw the line. It didn't seem too bad at first, just across the front façade of the building. It was 10:10. We walked toward the end of the line, around the corner...down the side...around the transept...and all the way to the back of the cathedral. The line moved slowly. We thought it would be about thirty to forty-five minutes. Two hours later, we made it to the front, where it became clear that several dozen people had to leave the cathedral before a new segment of the line could enter. We finally got in and through security. The inside was massive and surprisingly spare. But the crowning glory was the done. The architect, Brunelleschi, had to revive various forms of ancient engineering, invent new techniques, and create a new kind of scaffolding to build the dome, as the cathedral was so large and Florence had banned flying buttresses because that was a style favored by Florence's enemies. The interior of the dome was intricately painted. Unfortunately, we were unable to get tickets to the top of the dome because those had also sold out before we planned our trip.

For lunch, we met Regan and Vanessa at I Buongustai, the restaurant that had been closed on Monday. We waited a bit for a table in the small dining area. The waitress seemed to understand some English but really only spoke Italian. The menu was poorly translated. I thought I was ordering gnocchi with cheese and spinach, but the dish ended up being gnudi, a type of Italian dumpling made of semolina and ricotta instead of potato. It was still quite good. I also got tiramisu. It was a little undersoaked but still delicious.

Allison and I spent the afternoon visiting a few more churches, including the Medici Chapel, which was made of extravagant marble and feature a dome painted with biblical scenes. The treasury behind the altar displayed various luxurious reliquaries and relics. Then we turned in for an early night again, exhausted by the day's activities.