Submitted by Alison Spiller on the 2022 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
We started out week three by visiting a church that had a beautiful Caravaggio painting. It is famous for its realism because the bare feet of the pilgrims are covered in mud and dirt and you can see every detail he put into the painting. The next day, we visited San Croce where Galileo, Michelangelo, Dante and Machiavelli are buried. Their tombs are incredibly elaborate and colorful with many different sculptures surrounding them. In Florence, we went to the Uffizi Gallery to see many paintings such as the Birth of Venus and other works by well known artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci. The most breathtaking sculpture of all was the David by Michelangelo. I could’ve spent hours looking at the intricacy of the veins on his arms as well as his hands and fingers.
We climbed to the top of the Duomo in Florence; it wasn’t as many steps as Saint Peter’s Basilica which was over 500, but the view was still incredible. While walking around, we saw street performers singing in Italian which was interesting to see since I do not see that many back home. When we returned to Rome, we toured the Vatican Museum and gardens; everything was beautiful and in such pristine condition. While at the Vatican, we entered the Sistine Chapel. Talking and photos are not allowed, but after we left the chapel, our tour guide explained everything. I was in awe of just how massive the chapel was and the fact that Michelangelo did it himself. We ended the week visiting Ostea Antica which is an ancient seaport on the coast as well as the ruins of Pompeii. In some of the ancient bath houses and saunas in Ostea Antica there were fires underneath the floor where steam came up from pipes to heat every single room so that they would never be cold. The engineering is fascinating.
