Ponte Vecchio and Galleria degli Uffizi

Yesterday, we had class from 9:30-1:30 as usual. My teachers, Cecilia and Eleanora, are really sweet and make the four hours we spend in class go very quickly. It took awhile to get used to learning in a class where only Italian is spoken, but I'm understanding almost everything now. It's so amazing how much easier it is to pick up a language using the immersion method! Maybe by the end of this month I'll be speaking Italian fluently :)

After class, Madeline and I headed over to the Ponte Vecchio to explore. There are tons of vendors lining the streets, but the majority of the shops along Ponte Vecchio are super expensive jewelry stores. We wandered into a few leather stores to try on and price jackets, but didn't end up buying any since most of them were really overpriced. We saw the portrait bust of Benvenuto Cellini (an Italian goldsmith, painter, sculptor, musician, and soldier from the 1500s) and the fence in front of it where there are many locks attached. Legend has it that couples that attach a lock to the Ponte Vecchio, then throw the key into the Arno River below will remain "locked in love" for eternity. Now, however, the Florentine government does not allow the attaching of locks to the gate (since it became overcrowded and took away from the beauty of the Ponte Vecchio), and if tourists are caught doing this, they are given a huge fine!

Portrait bust of Benvenuto Cellini and the Lovers' Locks

 Ponte Vecchio from the inside

 At 4 we were supposed to meet in front of the Palazzo Pitti so that all of the students in our program could walk to la Basilica di San Miniato al Monte for the 5:30 mass. This is celebrated daily at the church, and monks chant the mass in Latin. I was really excited to see how much Latin I remembered from freshman year in Mr. Wilson's class, but unfortunately, it started to rain, so we decided to postpone the outing and go on a nicer day. No worries, though... After our outing got cancelled, Madeline and I got gelato at this really cute gelateria called La Strega Nocciola (the hazelnut witch), and it was absolutely amazing. So, getting rained out allowed us to find awesome gelato! "Quid pro quo," as Mr. Wilson would say :)

Palazzo Pitti and part of la Basilica of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito

Fragola and cioccolato gelato at La Strega Nocciola

When we got home that evening, Marisa made an AMAZING dinner. Probably the best meal I've had here in Italy so far, and there has been TONS of incredible food. The first course (primi piatti) was tortellini stuffed with spinach and ricotta. For the second course (secondi piatti) we had chicken in some sort of sauce (no idea what it was, but it was delicious!), green beans, roasted potatoes, and bread. With our meal, we drank red wine made by one of Paolo's friends on his vineyard. Dessert (i dolci) we had provolone cheese (Italians eat cheese during the dessert course!), fresh strawberries, apricots, cherries, and stracciatella (means "striped." Basically chocolate chip) gelato. Safe to say, I've already accepted the fact that I will probably come back to the U.S. 20 pounds heavier...but the food here is so worth it!

Today, we had class in the morning and our first written exam at 3. Between school and our exam, Madeline and I visited la Galleria degli Uffizi and looked at the art. I know... I'm such a nerd for getting so excited about an art museum, but it was SO incredible to see in person so many of the works that I studied in the Italian Renaissance art history course I took at KU. Just to name a couple, I got to see the "Holy Family" (also known as the Doni Tondo) by Michelangelo, "The Battle of San Romano," by Paolo Uccello, and many other works that I studied in that class. We didn't get to one of the floors and didn't get to stay for very long, since we had to get back to the school to take our test, but luckily we have student passes that get us into the museum for free, so I'll get the opportunity to go back again soon.

Tonight, a bunch of us are going to a discoteca... I'm sure I'll have much to report in my next post :) So excited for everything to come this weekend. Tomorrow, I'm meeting one of my Italian cousins for the very first time! Her name is Rosalba, and she and her husband live in Bologna, which is less than an hour away from Florence by train. I'll head over there after class tomorrow and spend the evening with them. Saturday, I'm going to Venice and Sunday, I'm going on a wine and cheese tasting tour through Tuscany. We'll be visiting a few vineyards and cheese farms in the Tuscan countryside!

Ciao, for now! Baci :)