FLORENTINE WEEKENDS

Buongiorno! the internet has been down at my pensione so i have not been able to write as much as i had hoped lately! The weekend here was beautiful, it was sunny and warm(ish). On Friday & Saturday we walked around the city and explore this city that I love so much. Everything is so much more beautiful here; I could walk around the Florentine streets for the rest of my life and still feel like I havent seen everything. My Renaissance Art class is awesome because I'm learning about all the architecture that I pass in the streets everyday. I learned that the street where my pensione is located used to be a city wall and it was knocked down in the 1800s. Now that I know that I can spot some of the last standing walls and the city gates.

UFIZZI POSTERS EVERYWHERE

I'm going to get something called the Ufizzi Pass which will let me get into almost all of the Florentine Museums for the next 6 months, very convenient. I cant wait to explore that Ufizzi. Im hoping that by the time my Mom and my sister get here, Ill be able to tour them through Florence like Ive lived here for years!

ON THE PONTE VECCHIO

Caroline, my roommate Amanda, and I went out walking around the Ponte Vecchio yesterday. It was a stunning day out!

EXPLORING FLORENCE

Im very excited because Carrara, the teacher whom I love so much, told us in my Modern Art class that we are going to go to her husbands castle to see her art collection! Also, she told my friend Caroline and I a great story about the history of the castle. During WWII, her husbands family would hide Jews and if Nazi's came into Florence to bring them to a concentration camp, the family would run all the Jewish people up to the castle tower and help them jump over the castle wall into a different part of Florence so that they could escape! I also just got my first project assignment; researching a piazza here in town. Most of my other classmates have much more famous and popular sites to write about so I asked Carrara how to find information to research my site and she told me that she wrote two published articles about the piazza I chose, of course!

CAROLINE ON OUR ART HISTORY TOUR

I went out dancing with my friends last night. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I was very safe and I went with a huge group of friends from Gonzaga-in-Florence. Dancing is so popular here! It's not like the U.S. at all. I'm very happy with everything here; the city, my classes, my friends, the food! Everything. I miss everyone from back home though, but Im so glad that some people are reading my blog. It makes me feel connected with everyone that I love and miss. Also, a quick thank you to my Aunt Beth for helping me to get to know Caroline Ekstrom. She is one of my closest friends here and she shares my passion for Italy, Florence, the Renaissance, and Art. Our professor Carrara invited us into her office after our class on Thursday and showed us all the photos of her "special students" who come back to Florence and visit her. I can already tell that one day Caroline and I will be among those special students, coming back to Florence to visit Carrara. I'm off to take a shower and explore the city! Ciao!