Pitti Palace and The Accademia

During our final week in Florence, Randall took the class to see a couple of art galleries in Florence. The Pitti Palace was a palace owned by some of the wealthiest dynasties to live in Florence. The Medici’s, the most powerful family during the Rennaisance in Florence and possibly Italy called it home, as well as Napoleon in the 19th century, and the King of the unified Italy during the 20th century Over the years, especially when the Medici’s were the residents, the palace started being filled with artwork, from great Florentine artists like Raphael. In fact, the Pitti Palace has more artwork by Raphael than anywhere else. I was not that big of a fan of his work. Maybe that is because a majority of them are just portraits, but I think it could be after seeing the Vatican Museum and the Van Gogh Museum, the work really has to be stunning to catch my more cultured eye now. We walked through the Royal Apartments after, and I thought about sitting on everything that was set up in there. After our tour there, a few of us decided to see the Boboli Gardens behind the palace. This was a nice walk through the woods (something we really haven’t done in Italy) and through the amazing gardens that are there. It also gave a great overhead view of the city. Again, after seeing what the Vatican and Van Gogh had to offer, I was unimpressed with the Pitti Palace. Not that it was bad, but it was not knock the cover off the ball type artwork like the other two places own.

I felt the same way about the Accademia except for the 20 foot naked guy that people are staring in awe of. That naked guy is The David, which is one of Michaelangelo’s greatest works. There are replicas in Piazzale Michaelangelo and near the Uffitzi, but just like the rest of the artwork in the Accademia, they pale in comparison to the actual structure. David dwarfs everything else in the main room and the security guards try to stop people from taking pictures but that is an impossible task. Other exhibits I liked in the Accademia were the sculpture room and the music room, but it does not capture you like David does. While much of what I saw was not incredible, being in Florence for three weeks meant I had to see these places.

Amsterdam

A.J., Ana, Lauren, and I left Friday night to go to Amsterdam, a city that is known for its culture (and other things illegal almost everywhere else.) A.J. and I stayed in a different hotel than Ana and Lauren, and since phones the Italian phones didn’t work in Amsterdam (except with a 6 euro/minute charge), we did not see them at all during the weekend. A.J. and I still had fun.

Saturday morning, we set out our plan of action to tackle everything we wanted to do there. The first thing we wanted to do was go to the Anne Frank house, the office with the hidden annex that Anne Frank and her family hid during the Holocaust until they were caught by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps. It was an incredible museum that truly captures Anne Frank’s precocious level of writing and the tragic story she told through her diary. It was one of the most moving exhibits I have ever been to, and it was a great start to the day. Next, we ate lunch on our way to the Van Gogh museum. We went by a coffee shop on our way which had Bob Marley in the middle of the Star of David. It was an awesome sight to see but also very random. The Van Gogh museum was also incredible, and by putting his works side to side with an annotated look into his life, we were able to see how his art reflected what he was going through. This was evident by the angrier strokes with the paint only months before he committed suicide. Still, he was a very influential and genius artist, and his work was incredible. After the Van Gogh museum, A.J. and I ate a waffle. To everyone who reads this, get a waffle if you go to Amsterdam. They are unbelievable. After the waffle, we continued to our final museum for the day: The Heineken Brewery. We were able to see how the beer was made, complemented by frequent bar stops for a cold Heineken beer. Heineken tastes a lot better out of the keg, even if it is already good bottled. We walked around and took in the rest of Amsterdam after the Heineken Brewery, and went back to the hotel to retire for the night.

As I have tried to show throughout this blog, Italy is a laid back place. However, Amsterdam takes laid back to a whole different level. No one cares about anything there. People will ask policemen for where they can get high. I was offered hash by the bartender my first night. There is even an organization that I read about that will check your hard drugs to make sure they aren’t tampered with. Drugs are explored very openly there, as is sex. It is a little uncomfortable coming from such a strict rules system, but also very entertaining. It ended up making a great weekend destination that I won’t forget.

Pisa

On Friday, we took the train to Pisa, about an hour train ride down the Arno to Pisa, once a major port on the sea. It was a beautiful city that had a rich Jewish heritage. We went to the Synagogue and learned about Pisa’s relationship with the Jewish community in Livorno. Livorno, which is very close to Pisa, took many people into the city because it always had problems with Malaria and other diseases. Since the death rate was high, the city just needed people to fill the labor force. This came as a great opportunity for the Jews because they were able to live freely and equally as a valued member of the society (mainly because everyone that survived was a valued member of society). We learned about the differences between Pisa and Livornese Jews. At first people thought the Jews were bad people in Pisa and the Livornese Jews left to start a classier community. However, it was actually the other way around. The Livornese Jews were kicked out of Pisa because they were not good people.

After this, we moved on to the Jewish cemetery outside the walls. This is when we walked by the Leaning Tower of Pisa, an amazing structure that is even more incredible when you are there (even though we saw another leaning tower in Bologna a few days earlier). I tried to do the picture where I was holding it up but it didn’t work so well. I also did not go up the bell tower because we had to rush out of there to catch our flight to Amsterdam. I guess the Leaning Tower of Pisa will join the Uffitzi as something else I have to put on my “To Do” list in Europe. Anyways, we got to see the cemetery, which was very different to the Jewish cemeteries in the United States. Since much of Italy was Sfardic, they were more accepting of elaborate gravestones (sometimes with animals and sometimes with paintings of the person). However, the Ashkenazi Jews are against anything that is decorative anywhere, including gravestones. So, here in Pisa we see a clash between these two sections of Jews, as some of the Jewish inhabitants in Pisa were Ashkenazim.

After we were finished in the cemetery, we rushed to the train station to get to our flight in Milan, a very long trip. On we go to Amsterdam!!!

The Uffitzi...or not.

On Wednesday, the class was set to go to the Uffitzi (means “office” in Italian). It is world renowned as one of the most amazing art galleries in Europe, filled with works by all of the great artists that lived in Florence during the golden years of the Renaissance. It is nearly impossible to get into without reservations made months in advance. In the afternoon, we begin walking over to where the Uffitzi is, only to find out on our walk that the museums in Florence were on strike that day. I was very disappointed that I was not able to go to the Uffitzi, but it is looking good for me to be back in Florence in a few years (hopefully as Professor Cooperman’s TA next summer). I still think that it is incredible how Italians can go on strike with little fanfare and can come back a day later like nothing happened. Essentially, they create a holiday and take the day off. It seems like it would get annoying to most Americans, but Italians take it in stride. I really am enjoying the organized chaos that Italians live in, and how laid back they are about it. However, I wish it did not happen on the day that we were goin to the Uffitzi because we lost our reservation. I’ll take the Italian approach and just say, “Eh, It happens.”

Outlet Stores

Tuesday after class, we went out to the Outlet Stores that were located outside Florence. Getting to the suburbs is extremely hard compared to New Jersey. We had to walk to the train station, get off the train 45 minutes later and take a shuttle to the stores. Maybe it is having a car that makes it easier, but even when I have to take public transportation here it takes less time.

When we got to the Outlet Stores, I was a little unimpressed with the prices. In the US, everything is usually heavily marked down. The prices in Italy were not as good as I thought it would be. However, the stores there are all the top of the line Italian designers. Plus, it could have been affected by everything being in Euros and me taking that into account. I guess the outlets there could also have a different mission than the ones in the United States, one being a place to have the newest lines and the other being a place to get rid of older styles. Anyways, I had a fun time and left with a nice dress shirt and tie, but I went really far to do it.

Bologna

On Monday, the class took the train to Bologna for the day. Bologna is known for being a college town, home to the prestigious University of Bologna. From Professor Cooperman and our tour guide, we learned a lot about the Jewish influence during the Renaissance. Since there were a lot of college students frequenting the city during that period, Jewish money lenders were able to play the role of student loans. It must have been as big a cash cow then as it is now. We walked through the area where the Jewish ghetto was located, and it seemed very cramped compared to the Sienese ghetto. One way that they were similar was how the Synagogue in the ghetto blended into the neighborhood. We also stopped at the Museo Ebraica, the fact that it is located there shows that there was a large Jewish community in Bolognese history.

After our tour of the ghetto and the Museo Ebraica, we went to the University of Bologna. The end of our lecture for the day took place in a refurbished classroom for medical students. It was a beautiful room, made out of wood with a table in the middle for bodies to be examined on. It was a complete 180 from the high-tech, modern classrooms that are in Van Munching Hall, but it was good to get some sort of comparison between American and European classes. I think that our time in Bologna gave us that experience.

Most of the class was impressed with Bologna, but I enjoyed Siena a lot more. Bologna was a beautiful city with great shopping and great food, but I did not really get into the scene. It probably had to do with me still being exhausted from my weekend in Rome.

Ancient Rome

On Sunday, our last day in Rome, we toured Ancient Rome with Randall. After taking four years of Latin and Classical Studies in high school, it was great seeing everything that I’ve learned about ad nauseum (See, I still know some Latin phrases). We went into the Colosseum, walked up the Palantine Hill, saw what was left of the Circus Maximus, and strolled through the Roman Forum. It was one day filled with Latin Moments that could’ve gotten me extra credit from Ms. Kniffin for my entire high school career. I have tried to tie in my blogs to the course or the “How Europe differs from the United States” theme. However, this was a day where I did not want to find something that I wanted to discuss in a blog. I just wanted to take in something that I have been interested in for a long time, and I accomplished it. This was another thing that if I did not see in Italy, I would have been disappointed.

Anti-American Rally

After a long day at the Vatican, A.J. convinced us to eat dinner near the Colosseum. I was fascinated when I noticed that the Colosseum, a 1st century symbol of Ancient Rome stood across the street from the subway station, a staple of the 21st century modern urban center. I thought that was very ironic. We walk down the street to find a nice restaurant to eat at passing by what seemed like the entire Roman police force. Naturally, we did the touristy thing; took pictures and kept walking. We soon figured out why all of the cops were there to make sure the anti-American Rally did not get out of hand. Of course, we decided to get up close and watch, although we later found out that the United States government sent a warning out to all Americans to stay far away from this rally. Not knowing this, we decided to sit at a restaurant right next to the thousands of people walking in protest of Bush, Prodi (the Italian Prime Minister), and United States imperialism.

It was an eye-opening experience. Even though Italians have an affinity for protesting, we knew that they loathed Americans for the way we act as citizens, as companies, and the way our government acts. We even saw a sign that compared the United States to Nazi Germany. It is a shame some people have to have so much anger, but it is not completely unwarranted. I am going to try to stay away from politics, but delve more into the way Americans act abroad that makes Europeans dislike us. In the United States, customer service and satisfaction is embedded in our culture. Everything has to be done quickly and be as directed. The customer is always right. That is not in line with the culture of Italy. So when Americans travel and go to places where we expect the same customer service (because that is what they are used to), we come off as spoiled. It isn’t entirely Americans fault that we are uncultured. The majority of Americans live so far away from any other country, so our customs and our way of life is all that most know. This differs from Europe, where one can travel cheaply and effortlessly to many different countries and are more in tune with others customs. The way we act is a product of the way we were brought up, and we get impatient with the relaxed state of Italians causing them to think about us the way they do. Europeans do not understand that since Americans are not exposed to different cultures, that same way as we do in the United States. This creates a superiority complex of sorts as well as a lot of tension.

This was a very hard thing to watch, but I was able to take a lot out of it. Experiences like this is what will make my trip what I wanted it to be, an understanding of the world I live in and the world that I know very little about.

Vatican

For my first free weekend in Italy, A.J., Joe, Rachel, and I went to Rome. Rome is a giant city compared to Florence, complete with a subway system to get everywhere, unlike Florence where just about everything is a walk able distance. On Saturday, we took the subway to Vatican City for a tour of the Vatican Museum. Since this was the day President Bush was meeting with the Pope, we knew going in that it would be a tough day getting into the Vatican due to the heightened security. It took us about 2 or 3 hours to get into the walled city, waiting patiently in scorching heat. Joe ate twice to give you an idea of how long it was.

It was worth every moment spent waiting and every penny for the tour guide and entrance fee. There is no comparison to the Vatican Museum in terms of the quantity and quality of brilliant artwork. The place is filled with sculptures, paintings, and artifacts from all over the world. It was definitely great to have the tour guide there because I was able to learn about the art instead of just looking at it and saying “Wow that is incredible.” Anyways, towards the end of the tour we get to the crowned jewel of the place, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Despite it being a masterpiece and a place I was in awe of for the twenty minutes I was in there, I thought it was a little overrated. Everything else in the museum is a masterpiece on par with the Sistine Chapel, but that is the only thing that people talk about.

After the Sistine Chapel we go through the rest of the museum and finally come to St. Peter’s Basilica. The basilica was filled with sculptures of all the popes that have come and gone along with a few more mummified corpses. Each pope would pick a great artist of their generation to make a sculpture encompassing who that pope was. These sculptures would be unveiled after the pope has passed and are placed in St. Peter’s.

Overall I would have to say that the Vatican Museum is the home of some of the most brilliant artwork ever created. I was glad that I came down to Rome a day before the rest of the class because I would regret coming to Rome but not seeing the Vatican.

Siena

On Wednesday, we took a bus to Siena, about an hour ride from Florence. This was my first time traveling through the countryside of Tuscany, a beautiful area of Italy known for its endless supply of rolling hills. In Siena, we walked through the Piazza Del Campo, a giant public square in the center of the city. In this Piazza there is an annual horse race known as “Il Palio.” Like much of Italian culture, this race is a little chaotic with tons of people packed cheering inside the track. This differs substantially from the upper class, organized population that frequents horse racing in the United States.

The location of where the ghetto once stood was not far from the Piazza Del Campo. Between the location of the Florentine and Sienese ghettos, it is apparent that to me that the goal of the ghettos was not to exclude Jews but to include them in the society. Both of the ghettos were placed near huge town squares, places were merchants and moneylenders (a.k.a. Jews) could partake in commerce. However, one major difference between the Jewish communities of Florence and Siena is the location and structure of the Synagogues. As said earlier in my blog, Florence has a enormous Synagogue that looks like a church. This was built in the 19th century and was created to make a statement that there was a bustling Jewish community in Florence, a city that was dominated by Christianity. The Sienese Synagogue, on the complete other side of the spectrum, looked like an apartment, blending in with the rest of the neighborhood. This was the Synagogue that stood when the ghetto still existed back in the 15th and 16th century. To be honest, it would have been destroyed if it looked like the one in Florence. The Papacy was much stronger during the time the Siena ghetto stood, and if they saw Jews building a house of worship similar to their cathedrals, they would not have stood for it. And if they had let it be, the Nazis would have destroyed it during WWII. The Sienese Synagogue, was not made to be a statement, merely just a gathering place for the Jewish community and a place to pray.

After the Synagogue and a nice lunch outside the city walls, we went into a cathedral on the outskirts of the Siena. This was a great way to look at Synagogues and Cathedrals in Italy side by side. Despite Judaism and Catholicism being relatively similar religions, they surely had different ways of expressing it. The church we went into was enormous and shaped like a cross. Throughout the building, there would be the main alter but it would be accompanied by smaller alters all around. These other alters had different saints, etc. portrayed. Some even had mummified saints on display that were from the area. This was so people could pray to these holy people for they stood for different things. This would be borderline idolatry according to Jews, so Synagogues are very plain, only having the bema that everyone in the community sits around to pray together.

Just before we left Siena, Rachel, Adam, and myself went up to the bell tower right in Piazza del Campo. This, along with Brunnelleschi’s Dome, has made my legs sore. Too many stairs but both were worth it once seeing the view from up top. After this we went to the bus about 10 minutes before it was supposed to leave. It actually left 5 minutes earlier than the schedule said. If I wasn’t so laid back, this would really irritate me since the United States is a country that always tries to have things run on time. Well, buses leave whenever they feel like it here. Welcome to Italy.

The Duomo

Wednesday afternoon, we went to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome in the Duomo. I was very excited to do this, as I walk by the Duomo quite a bit and it is an enormous and intriguing structure. Our group began walking up the stairs in single file, as the path was very narrow. On and on we went, until the path opened right under the inside of the dome.

The dome is an incredible painting, not only because of the sheer size of the painting but also because of the quality craftsmanship. The artists needed to be able to paint on the curve of the dome so the pictures looked lifelike from the bottom. This is a very hard task to do, but everything looked great in the painting. The bottom portion of the painting is a representation of hell. Then, going upwards there were angels, followed by a collection of saints, Mary, Jesus, etc. and the top was the 24 Elders of Apoc. 4. I did not know what all of these levels were, but luckily for me I have a Wikipedia addiction.

After seeing this, we went up more stairs on our way to the top of the dome. From here, there was a gorgeous view of Florence that was worth every step up to the top. Unfortunately, then we had to walk down.

Trip to Fiorentina

On Tuesday, Adam, Nick, and myself took a walk out to Fiorentina’s Stadium. For those of you that don’t know, Fiorentina is the Serie A football team in Florence. It was great going out to see the stadium for a couple reasons, mainly because I am a huge soccer fan but also because we were able to see a different part of Florence.

We started walking out away from the center of town and we went underground to get past a train station. While underground, we saw some incredible graffiti. I noticed that there is a lot more graffiti in Florence than in American cities. I have come to the conclusion that it is because a very relaxed and small police presence and the easygoing culture of Italians in general. Since there is little chance of getting punished either by the police or the tenants of the graffiti-laden houses, the artists do as they wish. With that being said, the underground walls looked as though they were professionally done.

Moving on, we entered a beautiful section of Florence. The streets were lined with trees, shops, and a few small bars and clubs. This section of Florence reminded me of a downtown area in a suburban American town. There was also a beautiful church (of which there are many in Florence) that we walked past. From here, we kept walking onwards to the stadium.

The stadium was located in sports complex, along with a rugby stadium surrounded by a track, a baseball stadium (or it at least looked like a baseball stadium, a gym, a pool, and a few more athletic facilities. We walked around the stadium, hoping to find an entrance so that we could go inside (kind of like my dad does at EVERY college football or basketball venue). There was one opening which only led to the Fiorentina offices. After asking a worker where to go to get a glimpse of the stadium, they directed us to a gate that may or may not have existed. Following our disappointing walk around the circumference of the facility, we still did not give up on our mission. There was a team shop across the street that we walked into to see if the cashier could help us. She gave us the brilliant idea of ringing the doorbell of the stadium. This would never work in the United States, but somehow it works in Italy. We buzzed to the person working in the office behind the gate and he opened it for us. Finally, our journey out to the stadium was paying dividends.

The stadium seats approximately 47,000 people, and has ACF Fiorentina in bold blue lettering across the bleachers one of the sidelines. It was definitely a stadium I would enjoy watching a match in. However, for a team that is in a large city and is consistently a top level team in the biggest sport in Italy, I thought it was odd that the facility was as small as it was. Almost every NFL team has a stadium over 65,000, and Fiorentina’s is not pushing 50,000. When I found out the truly elite teams (Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, AS Roma) boast stadiums well over 70,000, I realized that there was a huge dichotomy in Serie A. The European powerhouses can afford to build these facilities and also bring in world-class talent because they have significantly more money then the rest of the teams. Despite the stadium’s small stature, I enjoyed our walk there. Hopefully the next time I’m there, the stadium will be packed with rabid Fiorentina supporters.

The Jewish Synagogue

On our first Monday, Professor Cooperman decided to cancel class in favor of taking a tour of the Jewish Synagogue and Museum. The first thing I noticed about the Synagogue was the tight security they had. There was a huge gate with two entrances on the side that had security posts. I thought this was odd due to the lack of violent crimes here, but it could have been set up for a different reason in a different time.

When we entered the Synagogue, it was unlike any other Synagogue I've ever been in. From the outside, the building sticks out like many cathedrals here do. This could be due to a couple of the architects of the Synagogue being Catholic, but from our tour we found out it was to make a statement that there was a thriving Jewish community in Florence. The inside was just as impressive. However, I couldn't fathom going to services here because it is not in an intimate setting. This place does not cater to how Jewish services are. Since the synagogue was created to make a statement, the acoustics played a distant second to the original purpose.

While we were at the Synagogue, we learned about the history of the synagogue; when it was built (19th Century), how it was financed (Levy), how the synagogue was affected by the flood of 1966. After our discussion in the sanctuary, we went into the museum on the 2nd floor and saw some of the Jewish antiques and a torah scroll that were not in use anymore. There was also a section of the museum that was dedicated towards how Jews in Italy were affected by WWII and the Holocaust.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing the Jewish Synagogue in Florence. It was a beautiful building and I was impressed with everything I saw there.

Tour of Florence

On Sunday, we went on a tour of Florence. For those that don't know, Florence was one of the most influential cities during the Renaissance, and so it is filled with amazing structures and beautifully done statues. The tour was led by Holly, another person who is working for CET Academic Studies. Randall and Professor Cooperman also added their insight on what we were seeing on the tour.

We started off between the Duomo and the Baptistery. The Duomo is a huge cathedral, taking about 150 years to build. The cathedral is in the shape of a cross, and has a giant dome on the top that was built by Brunelesschi. Across from the entrance of the Duomo are the Baptistery Doors. These bronze doors are also referred to as the "Gates of Paradise", a name made famous by Michaelangelo. On these doors are 10 panels reflecting different stories from the Torah (Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, etc.).

From the Piazza Del Duomo, we went to the Piazza della Repubblica. During the Roman Empire, this was where the town's forum was. Here, we also saw where the Jewish Ghetto once stood. Then we went over to the Piazza della Signoria, Florence's political center. This is where the Uffizi Gallery is, along with varius statues. Statues include Donatello's "Judith", Michaelangelo's "David", "Fountain of Neptune", and others.

We then made our way to the Ponte Vecchio (Italian for "Old Bridge"). It was built in stone in 1345, and was the only bridge to make it through World War II. It is one of two bridges that have shops on the bridge, the other being in Bath, England (where I also visited). It is also believed to be where the concept of Bankruptcy began.

After we crossed the bridge, we walked outside the remains of the city wall up a huge hill (it puts "Big Bertha" at the old Franklin HS to shame). This led to the Piazzale Michaelangelo, which gave a breathtaking view of the city and the Tuscan hills.

That was the end of the tour. I'm glad we got to see the sites in the beginning of the trip, so I can now begin to focus on things other than what the casual tourist comes to see.

The First Days

Italy has been quite a learning experience already. I was expecting to have some problems switching from living in an area that I was born and raised in to a foreign land that I know very little about in a language that I did not know. When I arrived in Florence, I picked up my bags and there was no security whatsoever. No one checked who I was, what I am doing here, and what am I bringing in. This is very different from if someone here was visiting the US, where a series of questions would be followed by finger prints among other things. Randall, who works for CET Academic Center and is our group leader, picked me up and we took a taxi to the hotel that we stayed at for the first night went to the hotel.

Going to the hotel, I realized how different transportation is here. Everyone drives motorinos (similar to a moped) or these tiny cars (picture a VW beetle cut with the back half cut off). These vehicles are prevalent because gas is significantly more expensive then in the US and they need efficient vehicles to keep costs lower. The motorinos and cars zip around on larger roads that have no set lanes and also the narrow windy roads that go through parts of Florence. These I dropped my luggage off at the hotel, and walked over to the CET building. It’s not as I expected, but what I expected does not really matter because we will only be over there for a couple hours each day, at most. When we got to the hotel, I had problems with acclimating myself. I couldn’t figure out how the shower worked or the toilet or the lights. Everything is different here.

Later in the day, when everyone from the group arrived, we went out to dinner with Randall and Professor Cooperman. We learned how to order food here and also learned common phrases and customs we would need to know so we can try to assimilate into the culture. After dinner, a group of us bought some wine and got to know each other better, and then I went out with another group to a Japanese restaurant. I tried sushi for the first time here (I never got around to trying it in the US, but it was there so I went for it) and we split a bottle of Sake.

The next day, we went to the apartment we will be living in for the next 3 weeks. The place is incredible. All of us joke that we are on the Real World because that is how nice our set-up is. It is a communal living arrangement, with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, a common room, a dining room, and a huge terrace overlooking a gorgeous Russian Orthodox Church.

Well, I am about to leave, so I am going to wrap this up. I have a lot more to write about my first 5 days. Not only because I am required to keep this blog for the course but because I would like to give everyone the chance to feel like they are a part of the incredible experience I am partaking in. A lot more to come…