Submitted by Alyssa Mojica on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and the Honors Program…
My study abroad group has been in Florence this past week. We have seen both the Uffizi and Accademia Museums, which both house a myriad of artwork including various paintings and statues. The group was excited to see the famous Statue of David we have all heard about. Upon entering the first room of the Accademia Museum, there were grand Florentine paintings which were similar to the similar-looking paintings housed in the Uffizi. The main hallway that opens to the rest of the museum is lined with unfinished statues by Michelangelo. The hallway culminates with the Statue of David under a dome that indubitably garners the attention in the room once it is spotted. The Statue of David was larger than I had anticipated. It is a whopping 17 feet tall and over 6 tons in weight. Knowing this, it is truly captivating that this statue was carved from a single piece of Carrara marble and is as detailed as it is.
The group also toured the Basilica of Santa Croce, a church and the burial place of several noteworthy figures such as Michelangelo and Galileo. The stained-glass is stunning and vibrantly colorful. The interior of the Basilica is much more ornate than the Duomo of Florence, which is interesting considering how alike they look from the exterior. Some pieces of art that were damaged by the flooding of the Arno River in 1966 were displayed in the church museum as a reminder of this event and the several decades it took to repair the church and art. There was even a leather school, the Scuola del Cuoio, adjacent to the church where visitors can watch artisans craft leather pieces. Thus far, the group has experienced a vast amount of beautiful art and merchandise and delicious food here in Florence! We never lose our excitement to learn and explore these marvelous regions of Italy!
