5/21: Fast Times in Florence

This day came with our earliest wake up call at 6:15 AM in order to hit the road to Florence as early as possible. The three and a half hour drive took us through Tuscany. Many of us slept during this ride, but those who were awake were able to see the rolling green hills that lined the highway in perhaps our prettiest drive so far. We were greeted in Firenze by grey skies and drizzling rain. Despite the cloudy weather, we tried to make the best out of our brief stay in the city. Unfortunately the museums are closed on Monday, so we were not able to visit the Academia or Uffizi to see the treasured art that is housed there.

After briefly stopping in the Piazza del Duomo to discuss the schedule for the day, Sarah led our group to a wine and olive oil shop. The woman who worked there certainly knew her stuff, and dove into telling us the intricate process of making the various degrees of olive oil in addition to its various health benefits. The team had the opportunity to taste three different types of extra-virgin olive oil and two kinds of balsamic vinegar. We used pieces of bread to taste each kind, and for the most part were able to taste the subtle differences between all of them. Sampling completed, some people made purchases and we were off to the next store. Next, Sarah brought us to a leather factory/shop, a product that Florence is famous for. The distinct smell of leather took over as we browsed the wallets, jackets, purses, and belts that made up the store. Some girls purchased leather jackets, many purchased gifts for other loved ones. One of the cool things from this store (in addition to the 50% minus 10 euro discount) was how they were able to imprint an individual’s initials into any of the products. We were lead to the back of the store where an employee selected the appropriate letters, heated them, and then pressed it into the leather to give all of our purchases a more personal feel.

Most of the group split up after the leather store. Myself, Kaele, Lee and Merrill grabbed lunch at a restaurant within Piazza di Santa Croce. Waiters, hosts, bartenders, and chefs were buzzing around the entrance to the restaurant. A frantic nature that in America would be identified with disorganization and chaos somehow fell into some sort of efficient harmony for them. Once seated, we skimmed the menu and noshed on bread, olive oil, and balsamic. I ordered a salad, Lee got carbonara pasta, Merrill got spaghetti and meatballs, and Kaele got the classic Florence dish of barley and bean soup. While we were dining, we also befriended one of the waiters who turned out to be American and lived in Texas. Apparently his family lives in Florence, but he is returning to University of Texas next year. Later on into the meal, he asked us what we were doing in Italy, how long we were in Florence, and more about our plans. We later learned that the (really, really good looking) Italian waiters  had been using him as a middle man to converse with us as they were interested in seeing what we were up to that evening. We told him that we were only in Florence for the afternoon and had a match later that evening before transferring to another city. As we were paying for our meal at the bar counter, the same waiters were also very eager to help us figure out the check.

Following lunch, we headed back to the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore to explore its interior. This by far was the most sizable and enormous structure we had seen so far. When inside, the main dome towered over our heads at a height of 295 feet. Though the interior architecture was fairly simple compared to the other churches we had seen, its sheer size was enough to draw awe and amazement. As our free time was drawing to a close before the tour, the four of us set out to find the restaurant and bar Astor that Kaele’s family friend owns. Coincidently enough, the bar is the same restaurant where I watched the World Cup finals with my family when we were visiting Italy two years ago. We chatted with the owner and enjoyed coffees on the house as they were having a promotion for the first day of many study abroad programs. At 4:00 we headed back to meet the group for our tour.

Beginning at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, our tour guide Paula discussed the historical, architectural, and religious background of the church. We learned how its exterior is made up of three different types of marble and its interior is able to hold 30,000 people (which Rachel pointed out to be the entire population of San Marino). We moved from there to the Piazza della Repubblica, the historic political center of the city. The Medici palace dominates the other architecture around the square, and is flanked by numerous marble and limestone statues. The scale replica of the David rests outside the doors of the palace, distinguishable from the original as he has all ten toes. Other statues in this area included one of Perseus’ defeat of Medusa, in addition to Neptune guiding a chariot through the sea. The last stop on our tour was the footsteps of the Uffizi museum so Paula was able to inform us about Ponte Vecchio. If you have not seen Ponte Vecchio before, it almost looks like a miniature apartment complex has been built across the water. The artisan shops (mainly jewelers and tourist shops) line the edges of the bridge, their windows overlooking the river. Some of us who had not been on the bridge earlier in the day ventured over to explore and take photographs after the tour

 

As our afternoon in Florence drew to an end, we began to get prepared for our game. The clouds ominously overshadowed our drive as the rain temporarily picked back up. After we made it through the warm up mostly dry, it began to drizzle again which unfortunately continued much into the first half. The team we played was much better than the first one even though they were in a division lower. The rain added to the fast paced nature of the game, which ended in a 3-4 loss for us. Lidija put away two goals while Charlotte had one of her own. After the final whistle blew, we shook hands with their team before heading out. The rain continued to fall as we bussed to our next location at a hotel outside in Montecatini for the next two nights.