Submitted by Kerry Doring on the 2014 winter session study abroad program in Florence, Italy sponsored by the Department of Art…
We just completed our first full week here in Florence, Italy. I wish I had something a bit more profound to say than “Wow!” Trust me, there are no words to describe such an experience and my fumbling words could never do it justice. We were shuffled from the airplane in Rome onto a bus, which then took us to Florence. We were a bit wobbly, dragging our luggage across the cobblestones, around tight corners and down the narrow walkway that would be our temporary home. We settled in, got lost here and there, were surprised by an Italian holiday, La Befana, that delayed the commencement of our classes. Once we were a bit more comfortable with the streets, we were assigned drawings to do of the sights we were witnessing. We sketched Michelangelo’s David, among other famous sculptures, and attempted to capture the Uffizi’s arches and passageways. Back at home, we see these works through a lens, on a screen, or in a book. Nothing compares to walking around a sculpture or scrutinizing a painting while you have the locals interjecting their knowledge and a historian explaining their significance.
So far, we have taken one excursion as a group to the cities of Sienna and San Gimiagno. What a contrast! We had just gotten used to Florence, the Renaissance City, with all of its bustling glory and grand architecture. In Sienna and San Gimiagno, which are medieval cities preserved by the locals, we got to dive into the culture. There were no signs with Italian and English translations. If you wanted to pick out a gift, you gave it your best shot with the Italian language to buy a hand crafted treasure from the artisan him/herself. No wonder such a culture feels so different to us. How can you not be mesmerized by the rolling hills of Tuscany, the fluidity of the language or the freshness of every food, flower or breeze? Few Italians are ever in a rush; they do not consider time as fleeting as we do in America. Time simply allows them to cherish their relationships, take pride in their heritage, and delight in the skill of their craft, the achievement in their work, or gratification of their family life.