Finding Florence – Page 23 – FUA-AUF Student Blog

International Women’s Day, Every Day

Detail from Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi

By Madison Landau

In today’s society, there seems to be a holiday to celebrate just about anything. There’s a national holiday for Nutella, siblings, and even for French bulldogs.

Here in Italy we recently celebrated on March 8th an important holiday that won’t just be swept under the rug like the others; International Women’s Day was celebrated proudly by allowing free admission to state and municipal museums for women.

Even though Women’s Day is just once a year, you can make exploring female themes in the local culture a regular part of your daily routine. If you like exhibitions, for example, try to find special shows in your area that may focus on female artists or artists who focus on female sources of inspiration.

In Florence, the famed Uffizi Gallery Museum houses historic artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, who is considered to be one of the most successful painters after the Caravaggio era. It’s important to not just see her artwork, but to know all that went behind it. Being an artist wasn’t easy back in the male-dominated Renaissance era, and being a female artist made recognition much more difficult.

Artemisia overcame such obstacles within her lifetime to achieve the fame she enjoys today, and for women across Italy to have the opportunity to see her artwork firsthand can prove to be a real inspiration for all. At the FUA campus, the Artemisia Room is dedicated to this important artist, and often hosts experiential learning students who collaborate on special projects related to videomaking, visual communication, and journalism.

To commemorate International Women’s Day as more than a “hallmark holiday” shows a great deal of respect to the women of not just Italy but internationally. During your studies and your daily life in Florence, seek to uncover the great as well as lesser-known women who have contributed to the artistic and civic culture of Florence and Tuscany.

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Talking Stones of Florence

By Aaron Klevan

What do Florence’s “talking stones” have to do with modern-day journalism and civic awareness? FUA’s Writing for Digital Media students recently explored connected readings of the city’s political and cultural history through its talking stones. Next time you take a walk around the city center make sure to look up and see if you can spot some.

Florence is a city with a rich history that dates back centuries. One of the unique ways that the city actively communicates its vibrant past is through “talking stones.” These stones, containing inscriptions of both writing and art, are adorned on walls throughout the city and tell Florence’s most fascinating tales. The stones also portray the art of journalism in its truest form, exhibiting many principles still applied today in an authentic breath.

The idea of social awareness can be seen in the way the stones project the stories of Florence.
The principle of connected reading is presented by the way the stones link current Florentines and visitors to the city’s political past.
The stones also share visual information with supplementary images and drawings in addition to pure text.
Finally, at the time they were created, the stones were a form of enhanced technology requiring specialized knowledge and methods for chiseling messages into stone.

The first talking stone shown on the left of the photo is one of the first known forms of graffiti, located near the main entrance to Palazzo Vecchio. As the legend goes, it was a self-portrait of Michelangelo. It is a fascinating way to look at the technology artists used at the time, and also offers a glimpse into the booming art community during the Renaissance, connecting people today to those who walked Florence’s streets and drew on its walls in the past.

The second stone is perched atop a bustling intersection near the city center in Via delle Oche. It textually denotes that the building on which it is placed was once home to the prestigious Adimari family, of which Alemanno Adimari was a member. He was a famous Italian Catholic cardinal and archbishop. This stone serves the purpose of displaying the famous residents that played a fundamental role in shaping the city.

The final stone is a beautiful bust and description of Saint Antoninus in Via dello Studio. He was an Italian Dominican friar who ruled as an Archbishop of Florence. This talking stone is found on the exterior façade of the Pierozzi family home. It is a perfect example of combining visual information with written texts, much like an article, that allows viewers to see the subject and read about it.

The city continually talks to us every day through its surfaces, signs, and symbols. What unexpected discoveries have you made through Florence’s talking stones?

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Put your Phone in your Pocket (and get lost!)

By Madison Landau

Walking down the streets in an unknown city in a foreign country can seem very overwhelming, especially in Florence’s winding neighborhoods. A great rule of thumb is to let yourself get lost and put your phone away…in trying to find your way back home you might just discover something new.

When arriving in a new country, my first instinct is to take my phone out to see if I have cell service or Wi-Fi. Arriving in Florence for my study abroad semester at FUA was no different, and I held my phone in a death like grip for the first week of living here.

Even though I was provided with great maps of the city by FUA, I still felt as if my phone was my lifeline here in Florence and that without it I would get lost forever among the streets of the city center. Little did I know how much nicer and productive my first week being here would have been if I had just allowed myself to actually get lost.

I had my face buried in my phone, looking at my maps instead of actually taking in my surroundings and understanding the streets of Florence. I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable in this city, yet I was so new to my surroundings that I refused to listen to everyone around me encouraging me to get lost.

My presence here in Florence was artificial in a sense that I really didn’t focus and appreciate where I was until I put my phone away and learned the streets of Florence.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still capturing and recording my moments here in Florence as much as I could. But instead of having my maps app constantly open, I had my camera open, or the TripAdvisor app open.

The difference between being too consumed within your electronics and being just consumed enough is a very delicate and thin line. While you want to photograph and remember every moment you can while you’re here in Florence, it’s so important to make sure you’re actually appreciating where you are and not just focusing on surviving.

Trust me, put the phone away when possible. Don’t just survive day to day while you’re abroad; thrive as much as you can here. Grow as much as you can. Put yourself in a world that you’re not familiar with, and learn to be okay with it.

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A Slimmer Suitcase in 3 Steps

By Aidan Loughran

Whether you’re packing for a semester, quarter, or single short session, these suitcase-slimming tips come in handy for everyone and may even provide a head start to making new discoveries at your destination.

As I was preparing to depart for Florence to study abroad for a semester, my main concern through the pre-departure process was how and what I was going to pack. A semester is a long time to be away from home and it is hard to know what will be needed in a new country that you’ve never been to. I know myself fairly well and I knew I would over pack, but I also don’t want to leave anything behind that I may potentially want to wear. Once I started filling up my suitcase, I realized that there were many things I wouldn’t wear and by limiting myself, I ended up packing much lighter than I originally would have. Here are three main tips you may find useful while packing.

1. Slim Down: Buy Vacuum-Sealed Ziploc Bags

These bags saved my life! While I had a decently large suitcase, being a girl, I still packed more than I needed (of course!). I was able to fit about ten, thick sweaters in one of these bags and it shrunk them down a crazy amount. It took up very little space and made ten sweaters look like two.

2. Remove When in Doubt: Toss Any “Maybe” Items

When packing, I have always had the problem of packing “maybes” or “options.” By this I mean packing clothing items that I think I may want to wear, but usually never end up doing so. DO NOT bring these items. You will not end up wearing them. If you don’t wear them at home, you won’t while abroad. Limit yourself.

3. Buy There and Make New Discoveries

Unless you are going to a country that has little access to grocery stores, pharmacies, salons, etc., do not buy your toiletries in advance. It is a waste of space and you can get anything abroad that you will need. Sure, bring along that face or hand cream from your favorite niche brand but otherwise wait to buy items such as mascara, eyeliner, and hair products until you get to your country. Florence for example has Sephora, salons, beauty stores, and interesting local brands. For the guys, there are bespoke barbershops and well-stocked men’s sections at stores. Checking out what’s available can also lead to local discoveries, such as the antiche farmacie, the historic pharmacy shops that produce their own collections, or contemporary perfume makers that you’ll only find in Florence.

I hope these tips will provide you with a simple, easy and slimmed down packing process. Enjoy!

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Castello di Sammezzano

By Steven Scaglione

Sometimes the well-traveled roads lead to unexpected finds, such as the Sammezzano Castle that is at the center of a movement to save a now-abandoned architectural gem.

After stepping out of a two-story charter bus in little Leccio, Italy, I took a breath and surveyed my surroundings. I was at The Mall, which is not a luxury shopping mall but a luxury shopping “destination,” specializing in high fashion brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry and – maybe more fittingly named – Billionaire started by Italian entrepreneur Flavio Briatore. Though the stores would not open for another 20 minutes, already a line of eager shoppers had neatly queued in front of the Gucci and Prada outlets, talking among themselves with an electric excitement. Soon they would be pulling green suits and bright dresses from the racks, but I would not be among them. I was headed for a different kind of treasure: Sammezzano Castle, only a short hike away.

The castle lies at the top of Sammezzano Park’s central hill, overlooking the town below like a silent, stoic patriarch. The park is home to many exotic species of plants, including the species of giant sequoias native to California. One of them, known as “Sequoia Gemella,” or the “Twin Sequoia” in English, is more than 8.4 meters (27 feet) in diameter and 50 meters (164 feet) tall.

From the outside, the castle’s Moorish-style architecture is a mix of Spanish, Arabic, and Oriental influences. Inside “La Sala dei Pavoni,” or “The Room of the Peacocks” in English, is arguably its most beautiful feature, with mosaics of every color stretching from floor to ceiling.

Unfortunately, the castle is currently closed to the public, falling victim to littering and vandalism. One organization, Save Sammezzano, has been fighting to preserve and protect the now abandoned castle and surrounding park. A petition by the group ended with over 30,000 signatures, but the castle is now privately owned, making it difficult for the municipal government institutions to safeguard it. The future for any restoration is uncertain, but the cause has found great support on social media. For now, the castle remains as it has been for many years, the hands on its clock stopped at 11:28, waiting for the day they might turn again.

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Lose Yourself, Find Your Way

By Abby Moran

Embrace the uncomfortable, enjoy the bewilderment of studying abroad.

Studying abroad may have been the most difficult thing i have ever done. 21 years of figuring life out, myself out and now a new culture is an incredible adventure. To step away from all that is familiar, to acknowledge that you will get lost mentally, emotionally, and physically but all of this will make you grow in ways you could never imagine is daunting. After a couple weeks in Florence, I am less afraid and regaining pieces of myself I thought would be lost back home forever.

Being in a situation where in order to save time, effort, and my roommate’s energy involves being outgoing, assertive, and confident in new situations has turned out to be the absolute best scenario. I love it. I love walking in the rain here. I love the puzzle of streets that could lead anywhere but often times lead me to the Duomo, that I’ve come to see as a safe haven. I love the different languages filling my ears. The uncertainty of who and what can be encountered around the next corner. Gucci, Prada, Valentino, your shop windows bring a spark of life to my longest walks. Even in the most unfamiliar places we find objects to cling to, people to relate to, and places to become accustomed to.

Home is truly where the heart is and when we open our hearts to the culture and lifestyle of others we are given a priceless gift. Be scared, intimidated, and get completely lost because it is there, in this state of initial uncertainty where we find our strength. Find your home away from home is what study abroad offers, despite the voice in your head that says “but it will be hard.” It’s often said that nothing good comes to those who wait, so let’s proactively reach for that which seems the most intimidating. Find your landmark, in my case the Duomo, and learn something about it instead of just passing through the piazza.

Don’t shoot for the stars, shoot for the Duomo.

Surviving the Cold: Florence’s Indoor Activities

By Jess Pitocco

Since January is the coldest month of the year in Florence, it may seem difficult at first to find indoor things to do that don’t include the Uffizi Museum. The city however is full of great indoor activities, here are some ideas of things to do to stay out of the frosty weather.

Palazzo Strozzi is a great place to spend a day indoors without getting bored! Currently, the Ai Weiwei exhibit is being shown until January 22th, 2016 and is a great way to look at some modern art (instead of the Renaissance art you are used to seeing.) The Strozzi Café is open Tuesday throughSunday from 8:00 AM to 00:30AM (Monday until 8:00 PM) and serves breakfast, lunch, cocktails and dinner. It’s a great place not only to bang out a homework assignment or study for finals but also to experience some wine tasting and classic Italian cuisine. There are even a bookshop and a contemporary space to hang out on the bottom floor. Palazzo Strozzi is truly a great place to spend an afternoon sight-seeing, eating and studying.
If you haven’t visited the Gucci Museum yet in one of your fashion classes, it is a great place to learn more not only about fashion but also about Hollywood. The museum has everything from a history of bags, their double G logo, and even dresses for the stars. The Gucci Museum also includes a great café and bookshop to hang out in. In the same Piazza della Signora, the Palazzo Vecchio stands tall. I know that even though I’ve lived here for months I still haven’t had time to see some of Florence’s most beautiful monuments. If you haven’t seen Palazzo Vecchio, it is worth the look. You can see it’s glorious rooms, gold-plated ceilings, and even climb the tower to see a beautiful view of the city. Afterwards, you can dine at the restaurant/café on the top level overlooking the piazza and its many statues below. Definitely take the time to explore this Piazza della Signora because it’s wonders and museums are unique and grand.
Palazzo Pitti is known for the sprawling Boboli Gardens, however, these gardens are not the most enticing in the cold. What you may not know is that the Pitti Palace is a series of 6 museums and gardens, not just the Boboli Gardens. Take an afternoon to explore these museums: The Palatine Museum, The Gallery of Modern Art, The Costume Gallery, The Medici Treasury, and the Porcelain Museum. Among the galleries and museums that range from jewels to plates, there is a wonderful little restaurant and café on the entrance floor to relax, do homework, or write in your journal. To explore Pitti Palace is to absorb all facets of Florentine culture from art to history.
The new Museo degli Innocenti is something interesting and unusual to check out. The former abandoned children’s hospital established in the Renaissance still continues to help Florentine families today through social services and educational programs. The new museum in Piazza Santissima Annunziata will highlight the building’s works, architecture and documentary records which make the Institute’s heritage so unique. The institution’s history and many original paintings tell of the people who lived in the Hospital, so this is a great, unique spot to visit in order to discover a different perspective of Florence.
The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum is another great spot to explore art and fashion, with multiple exhibits that not only focus on the shoes of the stars but also experimental and international fashion and art. Along Via de’ Tornabuoni there are endless shopping opportunities to stop in on your way back from the museum. The list includes Valentino, Burberry, Tiffany, Co., Fendi, Montblanc, Giorgio Armani, Prada and even Gucci again. Not only do these high-end shops stretch seemingly a mile long starting at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, but there are also more manageable spots to shop Tod’s, Olfattorio, and more. Take an afternoon or evening to window shop and explore one of the coolest and most progressive museums I’ve ever seen.
La Specola, the Museum of Natural History in Florence, is another great spot for a day indoors. This museum features Medici collections of fossils, treasures, animals, minerals, exotic plants; there are 24 rooms of zoology and 10 of wax modelling. There is also the Hall of Skeletons featuring over 3,000 archaeological finds! Open year-round and on Via Romana near the Pitti Palace, this museum is definitely worth a look inside for a totally different view of Florence’s scientific findings and discoveries.

Obviously, these are not the only indoor activities to do in Florence: you can see a movie at the Odeon Theater or even take a single cooking class at FUA’s culinary department facilities. However, these piazzas, streets and museums offer a range of possibilities for a lazy afternoon on a cold day in Florence. Take the time to explore new museums and places, and don’t forget to bring a hat and scarf!

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Farm to Table Focus: Vivanda

By Anastasia Finney

A typical student living in Florence has likely already seen many of the famous sights, tasted their fair share of Italian food, and interacted with a good amount of locals. However, classes at FUA often include field learning sessions around that city in order to take students off of the usual pathways and into experiences they might have otherwise missed.

During the “An Introduction to Italian Food Traditions,” taught this past fall semester by Prof. Cecilia Ricci, students often incorporated real food experiences into their learning. Rather than simply receiving long lectures about the food and culture of Italy, the class conducted tastings, cooking projects, and visits to relevant food locations in the city. One such visit took place at a local restaurant in order to analyze fresh pasta. Before embarking to Vivanda, the students first learned about the differences between and characteristics of fresh and dry pasta through a lecture component in class.

Vivanda is a small and cozy restaurant located in Oltrarno, on the other side of the Arno River. It prides itself on organic ingredients, natural wines, fresh pasta production happening right in the restaurant, and options that can please meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free people alike. At the restaurant, the class was given three types of pasta to taste: gorgonzola gnocchi, traditional spaghetti, and ricotta and spinach ravioli. They were also served Arialdo wine with the meal.

Student Nick Tyndall shared that the tasting helped his understanding of Italian pasta traditions. “The restaurant had an authentic and inviting ambience, consistent with the best establishments I’ve visited in Florence,” said Tyndall. “We got to see how the staff made the fresh pasta and learned about the company’s food philosophy. The pasta was probably the best I’ve ever had.”

The class had time to enjoy and experience both the food and setting, while also listening to the owner talk about the restaurant. Professor Ricci also talked with the class during the visit about the food tasted and the way it paired with the wine. The students were encouraged to think critically about what they were consuming, in regard to production, presentation, and longstanding Italian traditions. Naturally, the group also got to enjoy the conviviality of delicious food too.

Experiencing a guided tasting in close contact with industry professionals gives a different perspective to daily activities that we all experience, such as trying new restaurants. “I wouldn’t have even known this restaurant existed without this class,” said Tyndall. “Now I definitely want to go back for a full meal!”

Vivanda
Via Santa Monaca 7 (between Pz. S. Spirito and Pz. del Carmine)
For further details visit the restaurant’s website.

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The Great Synagogue of Florence

By Caroline Angelini

Though Italy is a predominantly Catholic country, its religious landscape represents other traditions as well. The relationship between the Jews and the city of Florence dates back hundreds of years, and this community is one of the focal points discussed during the FUA course “Shoah: The Holocaust in History.”

This course, taught in Fall 2016 by Valentina Nocentini, focuses on the history of the Jews, specifically in Italy, and how their treatment eventually led to the the Holocaust. To give her students a better grasp on exactly what happened to the Jews in Italy during the Holocaust, Prof. Nocentini brought her students to the Tempio Maggiore, or the Great Synagogue of Florence. Based on the experience and how it helped to contextualize the treatment of Jews in Italy, students wrote a reflective assignment as an outcome of the visit.

The Synagogue dating to 1882 is truly breathtaking. The intricate detail of the hand-painted walls, and the ornamentation of the women’s balcony were like nothing else that students had witnessed both in Florence and beyond. The mosaics and frescoes are reminiscent of Christian art, but have their own character that makes them unique to the Jewish culture of the Synagogue.

While the artistic ornamentation was magnificent, the mood that most students had while in the Synagogue shifted once they reached the museum. The Synagogue separates a portion of its space dedicated to the Florentine victims of the Holocaust. There are stone slabs with each victim’s name and videos depicting the lives that they carried out while being exploited during the Shoah. “It was something difficult to experience—the contrast from first seeing the beauty and grandeur of the Synagogue to then learning about how the Jews were treated during the Holocaust,” commented student Emma Dunleavy.

The visit to the Synagogue helped the students of the Shoah course gain a deeper understanding of the past lives of Jews in Florence. It also provided insight into how Florentine and Italian citizens in general aided those in need of protection especially during WWII, which gave students food for thought as they themselves experience daily the hospitality of a foreign host city with whom they must forge a new relationship, one day at a time.

To visit:
The synagogue is located in Via Farini 6, near the Sant’Ambrogio church. Details about visiting hours, synagogue history, and much more can be found on the website of the Jewish community of Florence – moked.it/jewishflorence

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My Journal: A Priceless Souvenir

By Amber Wright

“I’m a fickle girl who falls in love easily. It’s happened about a million times since I started my study abroad journey four months ago. I get off the bus/plane/train and it’s love at first sight. No matter where I am, every street, corner shop, and coffee bar seem as if they’re covered in gold. In Siena, I fell in love faster than the horses ran in the Palio di Siena, and in Cinque Terre I could feel the warmth of the sun all through my body – at least for the ten minutes it was out. I’m in love, and I can’t imagine leaving this feeling behind.” – A reflection from my personal journal.

It wasn’t until a month after arriving in Italy that I realized I hadn’t actually bought any souvenirs. At first, I was a little bummed I didn’t buy a bunch of things from the places that I had been exploring, but as I thought about it more, I was thankful I didn’t. Being abroad did not have to be something I did to acquire things. I didn’t have the budget for that, nor did I want to have to carry pointless souvenirs. Instead, I had accumulated memories, feelings, and stories. I hadn’t wasted any time in souvenir shops, instead I was just present where I was spending money on museums and experiences rather than keychains.

I’m one of those individuals who has always kept a journal in some form or fashion. I also have a problem because when I see a new one that catches my eye, I have to have it – which also means I have about a hundred half-finished notebooks. My travel writing class here at FUA requires you to keep a journal for class, which I’m very thankful for. I get so caught up in the exciting day to day, that I often don’t take a breather or moment to reflect. Being held accountable on a constant basis, to journal makes me sit every so often and really reflect on what I’m seeing, doing, and encountering. I have a running list of “things I’ve learned traveling,” “places I need to go back to,” and “favorite memories.” I also have multiple entries about things I’m missing from home, things encountered that I dislike, and general grievances from that day. It’s me and my thoughts put down onto paper, and nothing could accurately represent my time abroad more than this journal.

My journal has actually become the best souvenir I could have asked for. In it now holds the memory of when I went wine tasting for the first time in beautiful Vinci in Tuscany, and I absolutely did not like the glass I had. In addition to my memories of living and studying in Florence, it contains the story of when I went to Portugal with my best friends and walked home in the rain, lost, but somehow wound up in front of a beautiful monastery. It holds the account of each outlandish costume I ran into in Barcelona on Halloween. My journal is also full of visuals – i.e. funny photostrips from the photobooth across from a favorite pizza slice stop in Florence – every photo features at least one friend taking an overly ambitious bite.

Other than the photostrips, I would say you can’t buy memories. Your thoughts and memories will last longer than any tee-shirt or key chain would. Invest in a journal and constantly reflect and write down what has been happening during your studies abroad. Keep a list of your favorite spots in Florence and jot down the funny moments you have with your friends on the train. Write down how the interior of Santa Croce made you feel, and what you thought about the view from the Duomo. Instead of just being able to say you’ve been to this place and purchased a trinket, a journal will reveal the true fruits of your experiences. It will safeguard your memories, thoughts, feelings, and lessons all associated with a new place, and it will be completely priceless.

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