Today we had our Orientation at the James Madison University Piazza today. We met with a representative from the American Consulate and set up our computers for the wifi in the classroom. We also went on a walking tour of the boundaries of the “Roman City” of Florence. This is a bit smaller than the city that is known as modern Florence. On this tour we hit a few markets, the Piazza della Signoria, Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore, among other important places that we will later visit. The Duomo of the Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore is HUGE. When I say huge, I mean larger than any other structure I’ve ever seen. A few of us plan to climb to the top of it at some point and I’ll be sure to take pictures of my view. I will go in to more detail about the other locations that we visit after those trips! The tour today was mostly for us to get our bearings. We concluded the tour by walking across Arno River on the Ponte Vecchio, which has a bunch of fine jewelry shops on it. I was amazed by all of the shopping we passed. I can’t wait to get started on that and explore the various markets with hand made Florentine goods.
After the tour we were on our own until 7 for dinner. A few of us decided to test out a place called “Gusta Pizza.” Let me tell you, that was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had in my entire life. Luckily, it’s located right across the street from the JMU Piazza. After lunch, Kelsey and I decided it was time to take a little mid day nap. (We’re still pretty jet lagged.) After that we did the readings for class tomorrow: one on Dante, a few Medici letters, and an Art History reading.
Tonight we had a six course dinner at Trattoria Ginone. The food was absolutely fantastic. We started off with an antipasti of salami and bruchetta, followed by a tomato, bread, and olive oil soup. Then we were served a tortellini in meat sauce followed by a plate of pesto. Our main course consisted of a roasted herb chicken and potatoes. We were also given a glass of red wine along with our meal. (For the Americans out there, mostly my family, Wine is an integral part of Italian culture and I am also of legal drinking age here in Italy. Don’t want you to be alarmed! :P ) For desert we had a fresh whipped cream pie with fruit. Surprisingly, I ate the dessert! Anyone who knows me, knows how picky I am about sweets; however, this pie was beyond delicious and I enjoyed it immensely! After I finish this blog post, I am going to finish up my readings for class tomorrow! We're being kept busy and I'm definitely trying to pace myself. Everything is just so exciting and different!
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