Santa Croce

Chalk drawing

Panino with prosciutto and mascarpone cheese

In love with espresso "take away" cup!

Wednesdays are definitely my most hectic day. I had class at Santa Croce this morning, you know - casually, and then immediately went to Piazza della Signoria (as casual), switched books, got a bus and had another class on campus. While it can be taxing to run around the city and stand in crowded public squares, it's completely worth it! There's nothing more amazing than learning about a work while standing in front of it. In my previous art history classes the professor has shown a tiny slide of the work on art on a power point. It's the most incredible feeling getting the full impact of a work of art and also learning it's history. Today I saw works of art by Cimabue, Giotto and Donatello!

Santa Croce was a church founded by the Franciscans. It was located on one extreme end of the city, in the poor section of town, since St. Francis's teachings were based on the idea of giving up wealth. St. Francis also made religion more relatable to the people and as a result changed the idea of how art should be represented. I got to see the shift in art from the static, byzantine figures to the naturalistic renderings of Giotto. I apologize for some of the pictures, the lighting was strange. 

Last night I ran into someone I knew from Colgate. I didn't know he was in Florence, so it was such a huge coincidence last night when we made eye contact and started freaking out. It was even weirder today when I saw him on the street in between my two classes! I keep getting small world happenings, even more so in Florence. It seems like seven might be two many degrees of separation, it seems like it's about two degrees!

My diet has been consisting of espresso, panini with prosciutto and nutella on everything. Not healthy, but so delicious. Every meal is a constant struggle where I try not to order a panino with prosciutto and then end up getting it anyway, my self-control is lacking. SIDE NOTE: panini is plural! One panini is a panino.

A picture I drew in Italian class