Churches & Gardens & Wineries, OH MY!

This morning I started my day off by going to the San Lorenzo Basilica which is right across the street from my apartment. Needless to say it was beautiful inside. It's the oldest church in Florence, and houses the remains of Donatello. It was really cool, my favorite part was the portion of the ceiling that was done based on the Northern Hemisphere constellations. The ceiling had all of the mythological creatures drawn out (the crab, the bear, etc), but then the mosaic pieces that were done with gold leaf actually represented the stars in the sky and were within the ceiling to give the idea, when squinted at, that you were looking at the sky at night.

After that wonderful adventure I went on a field trip to the Giardino dell'Orticultura, basically the Horticulture Gardens. I'm not going to post many of these photos yet seeing as how they're for class and I have no idea what I'm doing with them yet... well I kind of do, but I haven't put my artistic touch on it yet. So here is one of the photos I took just to give you a preview!

After that I came back to the apartment, then Jess and I decided to go and see the Battistero di San Giovanni. It is this little place right outside of the Duomo and was absolutely gorgeous. The ceiling was done completely in mosaics and it was amazing! The detail and care with which this place (and many others in Italy) was created is something people don't take the time to appreciate or create themselves. Below are a few pictures from inside/outside of the place.

This is the beautiful mosaic ceiling in the San Giovanni

After this mid-day adventure it was time for me to go with my wine class to the winery 'Fattoria di Bagnolo' which is known for the Chianti wine. The owner of this winery is also a very talented olive oil producer, and salami/meat/cheese ager. I tried some of the most delicious red wines (Chianti) today, and the olive oil was fantastic. The salami do delicious and tastey. Truly all of it was amazing. Plus I'm pretty sure I geeked out numerous times as we were explained all of the fermentation processes, and because I was also able to explain what one of the parts on the barrel was for (it was to keep out any direct contact of oxygen with the wine). It was pretty much amazing, and as I've stated numerous times... this could become a passion and a career for me. I'm loving every second of it. Below I've posted some exciting photos from the winery.

Ya... I could live in this villa easily! Rumor has it he rents out the upstairs as an apartment.

The vineyard area and the olive trees.

The Winery/French Barrel aging room. Yummy!

After that the API group went on a cultural event to the Piazza del Michelangelo. We had the chance to see a beautiful sunset. I have posted some of my photos below. It was truly a beautiful experience. I loved it!

This is the St. Croce church where we met today before heading to the Piazza del Michelangelo which is pictured below!

Our group of friends that all hang out just sittin' and chillin' at the Piazza del Michelangelo after the excursion and before our 'dinner!'

Other then that (ha ha ha... I did so much today)... I have nothing going on until Thursday night when we head out to Sorrento/Amalfi/Capri/Pompeii for the weekend... tough life right?

Love you all! Ciao!

Florence Sunset, Lake Garda, Venice, Verona, Valpolicella Winery Tour

Where to begin... I guess I'll start with this past Thursday night!

So after a week of class and before our weekend trip to exscursion to Venice, Verona, and Lake Garda, my roomies and I took a sunset walk to a bridge, and then took pictures of the Ponte Vecchio at sunset. It was so breath taking!

LAKE GARDA

After the beautiful sunset Thursday night, we had to get up super early Friday morning to drive 3+ hours to Lake Garda and the peninsula of Sirmione. When we got there we took one of the craziest boat rides ever around the peninsula. Our driver got pissed at the other boaters and started doing loops, flying up over waves, and rocking from side to side to the tune of 'Barbie Girl,' needless to say it was a blast! The next few photos are from Sirmione and they are beautiful!

Castle in Sirmione

Down the river/moat that surrounds the castle


The view from the other side of the castle and the surrounding peninsula, it was beautiful (I have many more photos)

One of the board walks where people relax

A really cute beach front!

A view from the paddle boat we rented for 30 minutes. We paddles along part of the peninsula, over to where the Hot springs began, and you could tell when you got there because of the strong sulfur smell (needless to say I geeked out and felt like I was back in Aquatic Microbial Ecology).

After Lake Garda that night we went to this cute city about 15 minutes away from our hotel. I believe it was by Long Porte. It was such a beautiful night and walking around this city was a picturesque.

VENICE

This was another wonderful adventure. To see a city built in marsh land and supported with logs that is divided into 118 little islands and connected by water channels was awesome. We actually had the opportunity to see 'high tide' in Venice, and the roads would flood, right into the stores and no one seemed to notice or care.

The view of the islands on the way to Venice.

Venice from our boat that brought us from the main land.

A view of the water ways through Venice.

The Bridge of Sighs. This bridge is the only enclosed bridge in Venice. This is the bridge that lovers pass under and will kiss beneath in Gondola for good luck, granted this bridges history is not truly romantic. Convicts when convicted guilty in court would cross over this bridge into the jail, and it's called the bridge of sighs because this would be the final look for some convicts at Venice, therefore they would... Sigh.

This is the Church of St. Marco

This is the 'Big Boss' clocktower. It is the tallest tower in all of Venice.

This is the famous Rialto bridge.

Here are the famous gondolas of Venice!

Venice is sinking as many people know, about 4cm every 100 years. And as you can see the clock tower that is in the background of this photo is sinking and actually leans and has for many many years.





Verona

Today we visited Verona, the city of the famous lovers Romeo and Juliet. This was by far one of my favorite, if not my most favorite place that I have visited in Italy. It was so beautiful that I can hardly even describe it. Verona was originally founded 100 years BC. It survived the Roman rule, Charlamange, and the switching of states and regions of Verona.

This is the 3rd largest Arena in Italy. It was once used for the Gladiator fights and is now used for Operas and Jazz festivals. It's basically a mini Colosseum.

These are the original Roman arches to enter the city of Verona, there were originally two sets of them, but one crumbled in the 15th century I believe.

Here is a modern sculpture that I thought was awesome.

This is a sign that says 'Romeos House!' Romeo and Juliet did not actually exist, though the Montague and Capulet families did exist in Verona and they did actually hate each other because they were members of different political parties.

A famous line from Romeo and Juliet that is posted outside of Romeo's house.

Romeo's House

A beautiful Palazzo and staircase. This is the tallest tower in Verona and contains the two most important bells in Verona.

Here is the market square of Verona

Here is the house of Juliet Capulet.

Another famous quote from Romeo and Juliet that is placed bellow her famous balcony.

JULIET'S BALCONY!!!!!!!!!!!!

The statue of Juliet bellow her balcony. This is a 'Good Luck For Love' statue, and to be graced with this good luck you must rub her breast. Oh ya baby!

So I did!

VALPOLICELLA (Winery Tour)

We went to this beautiful winery that was between Verona and Lake Garda.

This is the back of the beautiful winery

Here are the wonderful vineyards that produce the delicious wine we tasted!

This is the entrance to the villa that is on the vineyard land. I loved it... you can even book your wedding there... Hmmmm...

So as you can see it was quite a busy weekend. I have over 600 pictures from this weekend, and I could have taken more! I hope you enjoyed this, I know I haven't updated for a while, but I will be updating at least once more before I go on my adventure this upcoming weekend to the Amalfi coast and Pompeii!

Until then, Ciao!