The Comfort of Belonging

During the first week of my classes, things were pretty rough. But by Monday I think I've finally fallen into the swing of things!

This weekend I was able to meet up with some of the other girls studying at SRISA, and we had another run-in with the Jersey Shore. Two of them, Vinny and Pauly D, were sitting outside at a restaurant. One of the girls I was with got excited and went to ask Pauly if he would take a picture with her. His response was, "no, but you can make out with me."

I am so glad to say she walked away. Gross.

On Sunday it was so beautiful out! I packed up my books for class and went out looking for a spot along the Arno to read and for Tara to do some painting. But unfortunately there were not public access paths along the river! I was really disappointed... but by the end of the summer I'm determined to find a spot! And also, there are about a million other amazing places to sit in this city. So I headed for the Duomo and sat out on the steps for a few hours. Tara joined me for a little while and then the skies turned a little dark so we figured it was best to head inside.

It was a perfect lazy Sunday. And I am no longer pale. I am just very very pink.

On Monday, our class went to Palazzo Davanzati, a pre-Renaissance palace in Florence. It was built by the Davizzi family, and later owned by the Davanzati family from which it gets the name. It's now a state museum and they've attempted to restore the house back to what it would have been while the Davanzati family was living there.

Some of the architecture form the courtyard inside.
It was where all of the women would have
hung out during the day.

This one column had all of the family' faces
carved into it

Davanzati family tree

So then we headed upstairs to the dining room, where they would have gatherings and events and stuff like that.

It was really amazing!

And then I got yelled at by an angry Italian woman for taking pictures... but I snuck a few more anyway (and even that was almost impossible since she followed us from room to room!).

They have one of the largest collections of lace in this museum. And lace might not sound all that impressive or interesting, but it was incredible!

And that was it for the pictures from Palazzo Davanzanti. I don't get why you're not allowed to take photos in museums. Especially if you're not using your flash... hmm.

In batik on Monday I finished my first scarf! I get it back from the laundromat tomorrow, so I'll have pictures then! Also, on our way to the school we once again ran into the JS crew. There was a huge crowd around them blocking our path. So in an Italian frenzy, we shoved and pushed right through not giving a single glance towards the "celebrities." This gave us quite the sense of belonging, and it was very satisfying. :)

Today, our class met at the Bargello, which is now a museum, but was the first public palace in Florence. It was used for the city council, then used for public executions, holding cells, and housed the Florentine police chief. It now holds tons of sculptures from the Gothic and Renaissance eras.

The courtyard, where public executions
would have taken place- now surrounded
by hundreds of works of art.

Fountain from the Renaissance

Giambologna - Oceano

Giambologna- Bacco, or Bacchus.. the God
of grape harvest and wine!

Giambologna- Mercurio

Bad picture, sorry, I was afraid of getting in
trouble again. But there were Robbia works,
which were the ceramics and they were the school
that came up with the formula for that blue.
All other blues would come out differently
after being baked.

Renaissance combs made from ivory

The palace chapel -
where Dante's funeral was held

Lots of jewels and royalty-like objects

HUGE rings

Painting of a festival taking place outside of the
Baptistry in Florence around the Renaissance

Donatello - The David 

Donatello - Marzocco

Marzocco is the symbol, other than the fleur de lys, of Florence. He was used during battles and just kind of stuck. You see lions around everywhere in the city, but this is the most important and famous. It was sitting in Piazza della Signoria until it was replaced with the replica.

Beautiful museum, with beautiful original
painted ceilings.

Unfortunately, a lot of museums close around two in the afternoon, and since we don't have class until one we're usually rushing around trying to get as much stuff in as possible. There was definitely tons more to be seen in the Bargello, so I'm going to try to go back again some time.

The rest of the day went by really quickly. I started a new scarf in batik...

SO MUCH TRACING!

And now, I'm home, finishing a glass of wine and a bowl of pasta. Tara and I have to watch a documentary on the Medici family for our class, so that's tonight's plan! The video is actually really interesting. Italy, and probably most of Europe and the rest of the world, was so screwed up haha.. I feel like I'm watching a historical soap opera.

I feel so content and happy here now. Not that I hadn't been happy here before, but it's a different kind of happy when you actually find yourself becoming familiar with your surroundings. Transitioning into belonging, instead of being lost. My batik teacher keeps talking about all of her students that she has had over the years, and how so many of them have come back or just never left. She says once you've had a piece of Florence, you can't let it go...

Con amore,

Kelly