The entire group was going to leave right after my Italian class was over. As usual, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was sending last minute emails, making sure I had my charged camera batteries, and deciding what food in the kitchen I could scarf down so I wouldn’t be starving all the way to Florence. After gathering our belongings, we briskly headed towards the bus stop, climbed on our beloved bus to Arezzo, and we were off. The fifty minute bus always seems to feel like a ten minute ride. This could be because we were so excited about our trip that the time flew by, or because I fell asleep as usual.
After arriving to Arezzo, we crossed the street and headed towards the train station. There we learned about purchasing tickets, checking the departing and arriving schedules, and how to locate your desired train. Fortunately, Dr. Webb had already purchased our tickets, so we did not have to work with the high tech machinery. We boarded our train and, once again, we all fell asleep to the calm buzzing of the country side passing by.
Once arriving in the Santa Maria Novella Train Station, Dr. Webb and John Rose pointed out the useful locations: the baggage storage facility, pricy but clean bathrooms, and the information center. After grabbing our complimentary map, we were off to the hotel, Convitto della Calza. It is fair to say we were all blown away by the beauty of the city, even if the weather was a little dreary. Once we came upon the Duomo, all of our jaws dropped to the ground. Even though we wanted to stop and stare for hours, we pressed on. After a quick group picture on the Ponte Vecchio, we continued across the famous bridge and we were dazzled by all of the overpriced jewelry in the window shops. A few more turns and streets later, we finally reached our hotel. After settling in and choosing our beds, Hilary, Jess, and I decided to go on a quick walk to explore the neighborhood. Our real motive was to identify a local gelateria for some gelato. Unfortunately, we did not come across a gelateria; however, we did come across an enticing pastry shop that we couldn’t refuse to pass up. There I had a traditional pastry called un fritelle di riso and this wonderful chocolate brownie item which consisted of stacks of phyllo dough with layers of chocolate in between. I must say, my expert taste buds informed me the brownie was much better than the traditional puff pastry..JPG)
We then all met back up at the hotel for a scrumptious dinner courteous of Dr. Webb and John Rose. We had delicious pasta with pomodoro sauce, grilled chicken with potatoes and cauliflower, and a warm liquid chocolate filled brownie. You can guess which course was my favorite, the dessert! I ate it too quickly before I could take a picture of its glory. 
It was then back to our rooms to read our guide books and prepare for our adventures the next day. After a full night’s sleep, we woke up early to have a quick breakfast and then split into smaller groups based on everyone’s individual interests. I went off with Hilary, Kelsey, and Megan and our first stop was the Santa Maria Novella Church. I found the facade, exterior front of the church, to be my favorite part. The facade is a Romanesque design because of its rounded arches and different colored marble design. The interior of the church is actually a Gothic design because of the many pointy arches that line the nave of the church.
Our next stop was Piazza San Marco, but it took us longer than we hoped to get there because we came across this magical paper shop, Il Papiro. Inside we were greeted by the shop owner who immediately started to explain to us the process of how the historical marble paper is made. To make this paper, the artist starts with a box filled with wall paper glue. He then sprinkles various colors of paint on top of the glue. Once the paint hits the glue, it begins to disperse evenly throughout the top of the glue; however, the colors don’t mix because the glue holds the blotches of paint together. Then the artist can run combs through the gel that are of different sizes and lengths to create a pattern. A piece of paper is then placed on top of the glue since the glue is keeping the paint from changing design. Once the paper touches the paint, the design is printed. The paper is then held up to dry until it is ready to be made into a book, lampshade, pencil, or any number of items. I was already fascinated with his explanation, but when he offered to demonstrate, I was thrilled. Hilary and I fell in love with this store. The gentleman was so sweet he even gave us the paper he had made as a demonstration as a present. He also gave us discount cards if we ever return to the area.
Once we finally arrived to Piazza San Marco, we went straight into the Museo di San Marco. The building that houses the museum was originally a Dominican convent. Inside, the walls are covered with beautiful frescoes done by Fra’ Angelico. My favorite fresco we came across was The Annunciation. A fresco of the angel Gabriel telling Mary she is going to become pregnant with baby Jesus. I was drawn to this fresco because of its simplicity, yet the colors in Gabriel’s wings are vibrant and every shade of the rainbow. After the museum, we met up with the rest of the girls and grabbed a quick lunch at Il Chibellini. There I had gnocchi in a pumpkin sauce and it was delightful.
After lunch, we all headed to towards the Duomo in hopes of climbing to the top. I found it very interesting that when Florence started to build its Duomo, they were unsure of how they were going to close the dome at the top. I would hope that if you were going to build the tallest structure in Florence, you would have a plan on how to complete it before starting. Half way up the climb to the top, the never ending stair cases end on the inside of the cathedral along the bottom of the dome. This was one of my favorite parts because as you walk around the rim of the dome, you are right beneath the frescos depicting the last judgment which were massive, vibrant, and remarkable. After continuing up more stairs and squeezing into tight places, we finally arrived to the top. The panoramic view of Florence was worth the hike up the 463 stairs. We all took heaps of photos to prove we had endured the long journey. My favorite views were of the Campanile, which was close by, and being able to spot the church Santa Miniato al Monte, the beautiful Romanesque church on the hill. My hope of visiting this church was not possible this particular time, but that is just another reason to come back in the future, which I am sure I will.
After our workout for the day, we reenergized with some delicious gelato because our next stop was the Duomo Museum. This museum contains the most precious and valuable artworks from the Duomo, Baptistery, and Campanile. It also contains early sketches and ideas that people had proposed for the design of the cathedral. Hilary, Kelsey, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the various sculptures, but after an hour and a half, our stomachs were telling us it was getting close to dinner.
After walking back over the Ponte Vecchio to the hotel, we made reservations for a local restaurant at the front desk. The food was fairly good. I tried their gnocchi in a cream sauce and their tiramisu. While in the restaurant I made a quick stop at the WC. Once inside, I heard these children come running in and they started banging on my door. I responded “un momento,” hoping they would stop because I was becoming embarrassed. As they persisted they started to chant “Occupata, occupata,” which means occupied in Italian. I then firmly responded with a more serious tone, “un momento, per favore!!!” When this didn’t work, I was left no other option but to bang back on the door. As I was leaving to go wash my hands, I came upon the culprits, four little Italian children who appeared 8-10 years old. I then made sure to carefully give them the “Betty Webb” glare, a very stern, serious, and mean glare, to each child for at least 2-3 seconds. I was hoping this would clearly demonstrate who the superior was. As I peered at the last child, he replied with a “scusi,” in a very sympathetic tone and I was sure I had won this battle!!
After returning to our hotel, we decided to have an early night and went straight to our rooms. After planning our second day, we were fast asleep and dreaming about our adventures! Next to follow will be day 2 in Florence and a wonderful trip to Siena!!
Ci vediamo la settimana prossima! (See you next week!)
Kayley
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