Adventure Awaits: Florence Life

So it has been two weeks since my last post, and so much has happened that I'm not even sure I can recap it all! But I'll give it my best shot. We've settled into a routine in Florence: Go to class, stop at the store, lunch, nap, adventure, read for class, dinner, wine, repeat.
Our classes are split into two sections, literature and discussion. So far we have read (okay, skimmed) The Book of the Courtier, Orlando Furioso, and Michelangelo, Life, Letters, and Poetry. The book about Michelangelo was the most entertaining and relevant for me because we spend so much time admiring his works in person on our museum visits. We have had several guided tours through school. One tour was of the Bargello, where were were able to see Michelangelo's Bacchus (one of his earliest sculptures) and Donatello's David, and another tour was of Capelle Medici and the Galleria dell'Academia. Michelangelo's David, housed in the Galleria dell'Academia, definitely lived up to the hype. Because there are so many re-creations of the David all around town I didn't think seeing the original would be any different, but for some inexplicable reason it was an entirely different experience. We stood in the gallery looking at it in awe for quite some time.

Michelangelo's David

Donatello's David

Details on Donatello's piece

For the other part of class, which has been deemed 'discussion', the professor encourages us to talk about how we perceive italian culture and our experiences so far. We are also able to ask him questions about the culture and language. Last week I asked the professor if there were any restaurants in town that served good seafood (this was before I had gone to Cinque Terre and had all my seafood dreams fulfilled) and he said he didn't know of any. But in a show of thoughtfulness that I have come to learn is very typical of him, he took the time to research restaurants in town that are known for seafood and about a week later he gave me recommendations for places and the best day to go (Friday, apparently, because that is the day that meat usually isn't served in Florence for religious reasons).
Admittedly, we haven't gone out to eat much because we're trying to save money for our upcoming backpacking excursion. So usually on the way home from class we stop at the grocery store to pick up snacks and supplies. Our first trip to the store was a little traumatizing because things are done quite differently. We ended up getting scolded for not weighing our produce before checking out, and the cashier proceeded to complain about us (loudly) in Italian to all the other patrons in line (I may not have understood what she was saying, but body language and intonation are universal). Now, however, we are pro's. We weigh our produce and bag our own groceries with lightning speed so as not to hold up the customers in line behind us. I am so thankful that we have an apartment with a fully supplied kitchen so we can save money by cooking for ourselves. I still try to cook Italian though so we don't feel like we're missing out on too much : )
It took almost two weeks before I could get a full night's sleep (jet lag is no joke) but I have finally established a regular sleep schedule. Up until recently though, we were taking naps every afternoon before going out and taking on Florence. Our adventuring usually consists of visiting different monuments and attractions around town. There are so many amazing sights to see, and I'm afraid to admit that seeing beautiful churches and works of art has become a bit commonplace. When we went to see the Palazzo Pitti (the enormous former residence of the Medici family) I was overwhelmed with the sheer number of paintings on the walls. There were so many works of art in each room that it would take a lifetime to stop and admire each one. It felt rude to walk through room after room without stopping to look each of the paintings, but even just glancing at all of them on our way through took several hours. It was a beautiful palace though, and I look forward to going back to visit the Boboli Gardens soon.

Palazzo Pitti

One wall of art in the palace

We made a trip to Palazzo Vecchio as well

Gorgeous views on our way to the top

Breathtaking

I heard a lot of advice and stereotypes about Italy before arriving, and a surprising number of them are true. Yes, it is hot, and humid. Yes, there are killer mosquitos. Yes, people drive like maniacs. Yes, I needed walking shoes more comfortable than the ones I packed. However, there are a lot of things I didn't expect too. For example, nearly everyone does speak English. I hardly ever have to speak Italian, which is a little disappointing. This is because in the summertime Florence is overrun with American students and nearly everything is catered to (American) tourists. I don't really feel like I am getting a "true" Italian experience. Not that I'm not having a wonderful time, because I am, it's just not what I was expecting. And, for the record, Italian men seem to be perfect gentlemen. They do not, as I was warned, go around cat-calling and harassing young women. Though the lack of actual Italians in the city may be leaving me with a bit of a skewed sample.
Though we live in the touristy section of the city, we have found a local haven across the river. Nearly everything on the other side of the Arno is fresher, cheaper, and more genuinely Italian. Luke and I found an adorable little piazza (thanks to our Florence guru Taylor Brock) that has a great bar, a delicious restaurant, and the most wonderful little gelato shop. We've kept it a secret from all of our classmates because we want it to stay "our place". The gelato shop makes unique flavors with local ingredients. My favorite is Orange Chocolate, and Luke's is pink grapefruit (I swear it tastes like you're eating an actual grapefruit, but better). We usually sit on the piazza eating gelato and people watching as the sun sets over the buildings. Sometimes, we'll follow it up with a spritz from the bar next door. It is hands-down my favorite place in the city. A few days ago we went for our evening gelato and decided to walk around and explore more of the neighborhoods nearby, and were lucky enough to stumble upon the workshops of some amazing Florentine artists. They keep the doors to the workshops wide open so passersby can watch them create, and we saw several beautiful metalworks and wood sculptures being made. In a couple of the workshops there were multiple men working together on a single piece, and it reminded me of the Renaissance artists guilds we read so much about during class. It was nice to see the tradition being continued, to some extent.