WTI Magazine #48 2014 November, 26
Author : Matthew Lofstrom Translation by:
During my experience abroad in Rome, I have been fortunate enough to have my parents come to Italy to spend some time with me. They were with me for a week at the end of October and we spent three of those days in Florence. This allowed both my parents and I to experience a new side of Italy, offering its own distinctive art, history, architecture, and culture.
Upon leaving the train station in downtown Florence, my parents fell in love with the city they had always seen in travel magazines and dreamed of one day taking me to. The first day we saw Ponte Vecchio and we walked through the Boboli Gardens. I have to say, I enjoyed the picturesque view of Ponte Vecchio stretched out over the Arno but I found the tranquility of the Boboli Gardens even better.
In that we were visiting the gardens in mid-Fall, there were not many flowers blooming. However, once you reach the top of the towering staircase, the sitting area is absolutely perfect for relaxing and appreciating the fact that you are no longer in a city. The garden is comprised of well-kept trees, beautifully designed fountains, and centuries old statues that gracefully blend in with their surroundings to make this place the peaceful sanctuary my parents and I found it to be.
The first night we asked our hotel for a recommendation on where to find traditional Florentine cuisine. They suggested "Alla Vecchia Bettola", a small, cozy restaurant found south of the Arno. We were seated next to Florentines and the long, communal wooden tables were set with rustic silverware, glassware, and bottles of wine. That evening I enjoyed fried rabbit for the first time and my mother had ribollita, a tasty Tuscan soup thickened with bread.
The following day, we walked to Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. In my art history class, we have been discussing the different techniques of Michelangelo and it was astonishing to see how accurately he captured the image of the human body. The perfectly rendered face and muscles make it appear as if the sculpture could spring to life at any moment.
The Galleria dell'Accademia also has another characteristic unique to the other museums I have seen, a room full of musical instruments dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Seeing these instruments was very special for me because I have been playing the violin for the past fourteen years. The craftsmanship and details in some of these instruments was simply marvelous and to my surprise, the museum had two Stradivarius violins, possibly the most well made musical instruments the world has ever seen.
For me, the most exciting part of Florence was climbing the bell tower next to the Duomo. After a short wait, my dad and I bought our tickets at ground level and made our way up the winding interior of the bell tower. Fortunately there were stops along the way where you could rest and observe how high up you were because the journey to the top was no easy task. Additionally, the views provided us with an incentive to reach the top of the tower.
Although the stairways grow narrower and narrower, the reward at the end makes the discomfort entirely worthwhile. The top of the bell tower was easily the highlight of my weekend. Although my legs were shaking with the thought of how high up I was, I did my best to relax and take in the extraordinary view that I felt I had worked so hard to achieve. From the top of the tower, I was able to see the hills surrounding Florence as well as the numerous historical landmarks that can be found within the city!
On our last day in Florence we went to Basilica Santa Croce, a magnificent church in the center of Florence. The basilica houses the tombs of several famous Italians including Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo. Coincidently, the day prior was All Saints Day and as a consequence, we walked into a weekend festival in Piazza Santa Croce composed of different tents of various European nationalities. They were selling German beer, Polish sausage, French cookies, Italian pastries, and even Finnish clothing!
We had absolutely no idea there would be anything going on that day so this came as a real treat for my parents and I. Sitting on the steps of the church and enjoying the different European foods reminded me of how close I was to other countries. It was something I would not be able to find back in the United States. I admire the geographical closeness that Europe has because it creates an easy gateway to experiencing other societies and cultures.
While my weekend in Florence was wonderful because I had my parents by my side, I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to experience the art, history, and culture of another Italian region. Those three days in Florence flew by, but thankfully, they provided me with me with memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Although it is another Italian city, Florence very much has its own sense of identity and its own unique atmosphere that one may be hard pressed to find anywhere else.