Date: July 20, 2024
Location: Florence
Blogger: Barrett Brown ‘26
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Howdy Again!
Today was a big day for the freshmen! We got an early start to the day with a short walking tour and a visit to the Uffizi gallery. The Uffizi Gallery is a former Medici palace in the heart of Florence on the Arno river that hosts a massive collection of paintings and sculptures. We started the tour with a reminder to our tour guide, Giovanni (the best tour guide in Italy), that he needed to turn off his mic when he went into the restroom (crisis averted). Then, he showed us several important religious paintings from the early 12-14th century, pre-renaissance. We then got to see what are in my opinion the best paintings in that museum- La Primavera and The Birth of Venus, both by Boticelli. Giovanni told us tales from the Medici time, including about the resurgence of the family and their political influence, and about the risorgimento, or Italian unification.
After the Uffizi tour and a short pizza break, we gathered in the Piazza della Signoria, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Giovanni showed us around the heart of Florence, including Il Duomo, his favorite Gelato Place, “Grom” (It was really good), and Dante’s house when he lived in Florence (& the church he got married to Beatrice in!). Then, about two-thirds of the group broke off because they were “tired” of all the “walking”, and Giovanni led us on a more extensive tour of Florence, including the other side of the river. We got to hear Giovanni’s take on the state of Italian Economics and Politics, but more exciting was that we found out he had run (and lost) for a position on the Cortona City Council! (We’re in the presence of a real-life celebrity!) After a quick look around the Ponte Vecchio, Giovanni bid us farewell, and we thanked him for being the best tour guide in all of Italy.
Then, about ten students went to a Vivaldi concert, and after dinner, another seven to a production of “La Traviata”. It was an excellent cultural experience, and as the resident Opera expert, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I can’t wait to hear about all of the other adventures that your freshmen have been having, and all of the gelato they’ve had!
Grazie e arrivederci!
Barrett Brown