Well, it's been months since I've posted anything, but hey! That's how I roll. This summer Aaron and I went to Italy! It was AMAZING. It has always been a dream of mine to go there and we finally went! This trip was going to be a graduation present, funny thing is, since I changed my major I won't graduate until July 2010. Owell...I really enjoyed my pre-graduation graduation present!We went to Florence mainly, but also visited Pisa, the Cinque Terre coastline, and some small medieval hilltop towns in the Tuscan countryside. Like I said...it was AMAZING! I can't wait to go back for another trip.
The first day we hiked to the top of Santa Maria Del Fiore (or the Duomo). This is the inside staircase you take to get to the top. I studied this dome, built by Brunelleschi in the 1420-30's, during my senior seminar class for Humanities. It was so amazing to see the fishbone brick pattern as you get closer to the top (where the dome begins to curve).
You can see the entire city of Florence from the top...
The Duomo (Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore)
All of the outdoor cafes were so charming and quaint. We dined 'al fresco' (outside), every day
This is a set of frescoes created by Masaccio depicting the life of Christ...I did my Senior Seminar Capstone project about them, so having the chance to see them up close was a real treat for me.
This is a set of frescoes created by Masaccio depicting the life of Christ...I did my Senior Seminar Capstone project about them, so having the chance to see them up close was a real treat for me.
Artists would make these incredible chalk murals on the street with a small "Grazie" box to accept donations. Fabulous.
This is the lucky boar of Florence. You rub his nose to ensure a second visit there...that's why it's nose is all shiny!
This Caprese salad was the hugest disappointment ever. My mom makes better Caprese salads and we paid $17 for this one...never buy food close to the Palazzo Vecchio.
This is the Palazzo Vecchio. It's been Florence's town hall ever since the powerful Medici family ruled there in the Renaissance.
Behind us is the Baptistry and Dome. The Baptistry contains the famous "Gates of Paradise" sculpted out of bronze by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
4 comments:
How did I not know that you did this?
How amazing! You'll have to tell us all about it when you visit! Looking forward to seeing you! = )
So fun! We are jealous, of course, but so exciting!
It was a lot of fun! I highly recommend Italy to anyone. We did it on a really small budget and still saw alot. Mandy...I probably just never said anything about it... I don't know why! Guess what? We went to Italy for my "graduation" present!
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