So, we left off at the Academia. After that, we had a Renaissance Dinner at a Medici Palace, which was incredibly cool. I'm pretty upset I didn't write about it sooner, because it was too long ago and I'm too crunched for time to explain it in great detail. But there were games and dance and music, and a 5 course meal, and of course an amazing atmosphere. It was very fun.
The next day, we went to the Bargello, the National Museum. It was my favorite thus far, altogether very impressive. I was happy for that, as I was a bit afraid I was becoming desensitized to great art, and this was almost a reawakening. Though I have to say, I discovered there that I much prefer the sculpture of the artist Giambologna than I do Michelangelo, which feels somewhat like a betrayal to being an artist, but it's true. His sculpture is much more engaging, and moving. Michelangelo's is BEAUTIFUL, there's of course no doubt, but Giambologna's is just mind altering.
That night we went to a cooking class, where the woman kept forgetting I'm a vegetarian and therefore I couldn't eat two of the courses. Of course, there was still plenty of food, and she brought out this huge chunk of fresh cheese to make up for it, and I left absolutely stuffed. The menu was garlic bread, bruschetta, risotto (made with chicken stock, so unedible to me), lemon chicken with a side (or meal to me) of sauteed vegetables, and finished by tirimisu. It was all delicious.
The next day we went to Pisa, and now I have forty minutes, so I'll just tell you, it wasn't altogether that impressive. The tower leaned... yay? The cathedral was of course ornate as always, but not uncommonly so. We did visit a cemetery there, which was fascinating, and David showed us his favorite demon in all of Italy, the "Mickey Mouse from Hell". On our way back from Pisa, we stopped by Lucca. There was something eerie about that whole city to me, it had a completely different feel from Florence or any city I'd been to in the US. We saw the strange facades of churches, before entering one particularly unsettling one. From the second we walked in until the second we left, my hair was on end. I can't really explain it and don't know why. It was the first church that didn't appear to be there for the tourists. It emanated spirituality. There, we saw the mummified body of David's favorite saint, Santa Zita.
Wednesday was a free day, I went to the Archaeology Museum on my own, which was truly cool, but I really must go get ready so as not to miss the train to Venice. I'll see you all in three days!
Some pictures blah blah blah:
IUP group at the Renaissance Dinner in Medici Palace
Statue of Poseidon/Neptune in the Borgello
Megan and our Instructor in the Cooking class
David showing us his favorite demon
David's favorite Saint, Santa Zita.
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