italyintensives

[italyintensives]

Our final trip together during this spring 20 semester, was a special day in Rome, with very few tourists and relatively empty streets! We took an early bus from Certaldo and had a nice lunch near the monastery where we would spend the night before our airport departure. After arriving to a delicious lunch, we took off on a quiet, outdoor walking tour, stopping briefly to avoid the rain for a gelato. We had just enough time to visit the coliseum, the pantheon, the Trevi fountain, Piazza Navonna and to leave some free time to wander the streets on our own. It was a very sweet though sad ending to our short two weeks together in Italy. This group will long be remembered by our staff for their courage in the face of such disappointment, their patience and cooperation with our rushed packing and departure, their strong bonds of friendship with all 31 students, and their beautiful smiles and gestures of gratitude that lifted our spirits. We  plan a reuinion in Italy very soon!

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MMMMMMMMM---more pasta making!  Next we can try making it at home!

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When the Corona virus came to Italy we decided not to travel out of our very isolated village of Certaldo Alto - so on a quiet Saturday evening we spent 4 hours making pasta and tiramisu at a cooking class with Mauro. Then we ate all the delicious food we made! It was one of the most fun nights we had together and everyone loved it!

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We are excited to begin our classes and also to explore both Certaldo Alto and Certaldo Basso. Everyone walked to our Wednesday market while photo students learned more about using their cameras!!

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Our welcome was so enjoyable we added some more memories!  Afterwards we posed in front of the Palazzo Pretorio for another group photo.  

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We celebrated our arrival in Certaldo with a welcome ceremony from the  mayors representative, Clara Conforti, and we introduced ourselves in Italiano!  Our neighbors, landlords and teachers joined us in welcoming the newly arriving students.

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Just a few more snapshots of the Etruscan experience dinner and the exploration our group enjoyed in Montepulciano. 

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We enjoyed our first few days in picturesque, medieval Orvieto. We visited the famed Duomo cathedral, and climbed under the city into its labyrinth of underground caves. It was a fascinating tour. Dinners were Italian style - long and slow, but delicious, and by the time we finished, our group was well acquainted with many new friends. We left Orvieto by bus, and after a stop in Montepulciano for lunch we were off to our campus and new homes in Certaldo!

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WELCOME TO ITALY SPRING 2020!!!  After our arrival in Rome, our first excursion was the climb to the disappearing Civita di Bangnoregio where we had a look into the ancient world of Umbria. After a steep hike across the wind-swept entry causeway, and some town exploration, we ended with a delicious lunch at La Cantina di Arianna, a family run trattoria in the heart of town.  It was a great first day in Italy and we all look forward to our semester together!

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The day before our trip to Venice, the city experienced their worst flood since 1966 with the high water reaching 6 feet above sea level! We called our hotel and delayed our arrival by a day, but when the water receded and left most of the businesses in the city, we departed by bus to spend our last few days together in Italy. On the first evening we ate a great dinner then attended a Vivali concert in the San Vidal Church. The next morning we toured the city with our guides, ending inside San Marco Cathedral, where we climbed to the top and looked out at the still partially flooded piazza. Our first 2 days were drizzly, but our final day was sunny and bright and many of us attended the Biennale Art show at the Aresnale in the afternoon. We ate great seafood in Venice, enjoyed our pretty hotel on the canal, and wandered the streets along the canals. These few days were a great ending to our 3 month semester abroad. We are off to the airport for our departure to the states in time for THANKSGIVING!  Buon Viaggio tutti!! Arrivaderci!!!  

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Everyone had work displayed in our final exhibition gala, which was attended by many of our local friends in Certaldo. We spent the day cleaning, packing and installing the show and at 7pm our friend Chiara, treated us to a fabulous array of delicious food she had prepared. It was impressive to see our projects displayed together and the gathering was a great way to say goodbye to our friends.  Now off to Venice for our last few days!

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During our Florence overnight trip we visited the Academia museum to see Michelangelo’s David, sculpted when he was only 23 years old!  Art history students visited the Duomo museum and we all had lots of free time for shopping and exploring the city.  Before the sunset, many of us took a hike up to San Miniato al Monte and Piazza Michelangeo, where we took  photos of the beautiful view of Florence below. The day ended with a  memorable evening at the Palazzo Borghese, where we enjoyed a special dinner that included entertainment by Renassaince performers. The palace was beautiful and the dinner was enhanced by musicians, dancers and a jester who moved among us and invited us to participate during the performance, recreating the typical atmosphere of an ancient Florentine banquet!

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We had perfect weather for our weekend in Rome and in addition to our organized tours we enjoyed a free day to explore the sites and do some shopping!  Our tour of the Vatican ended with the incredible Sistine Chapel and then a visit to St. Peters Cathedral. That evening we  enjoyed a sunset tour of Castel Saint Angelo and a delicious dinner together. On our free day we visited the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and a few people went back to Saint Peters to see the Pope! lWe saw many sites in the city and on our last day we had a fabulous tour of the Coliseum with our brilliant history teacher, Sara Spatafore, who also toured us through the Palatine Hill. We were lucky to stay in a beautiful monastery, in the heart of the historical center, so it was easy to find our way to many interesting places. Rome was fabulous!

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After Lucca, for the second part of our fall break trip, we visited Lake Garda and stayed in the beautiful village of Malcesine. Malcesine is on the northeast side of the lake, nestled between Lake Garda and Monte Baldo. On our first day it was cool and foggy, but we  enjoyed the cable car ride up to Monte Baldo anyway, and many of us took the hike down. The second day was beautiful and sunny and we spent the morning exploring the village and visiting the Castello Scaligero, buit by the della Scala family of Verona in the 13th and 14th centuries. The views from the castle over the lake were spectacular. After a nice lunch together we boarded the beautiful boat, Siora Veronica, in the harbor. With the sails raised, and the engine shut off we sailed the lake in the late afternoon, with  the sounds of the waves and the beautiful backdrop of the mountains. As we headed to our port, in the harbor, we saw many para gliders descend from Monte Baldi. It was magical, and a wonderful way to end our time together before we set off for our indivdiual trips all over Europe!

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We spent the first two days of our fall break trip in the province of Lucca, first exploring the Apuane National Park, north of the city with a stop at the old Roman Bridge, called the Ponte Maddalena, It was an amazing example of medieval engineering and an important crossing for those coming from France on the Via Francigena pilgrimage route. We stopped for coffee and photos then headed up to Fornovalsco, a tiny village where we relaxed on the rivers edge. After lunch we embarked on our cave exploration, visiting the Grotta del Vento (cave of the winds) with our tour guide. The two hour hike down to the bottom of the cave was amazing and we learned that it was a four year old girl in 1899 who felt the wind coming from an opening, leading her to crawl in the small opening and discover the cave! From the 17th century to the 19th centruy all that was known about the cave was an air current used by residents to keep their food cold! It was incredible to see the beautiful formations, stalagtites and stalagmites that were created over thousands of yearsl In the late afternoon we took the bus to the city of Lucca, where we enjoyed dinners together and free time to bike and explore the city. Riding on the Renaissance walls surrounding the city was perfect on this beautiful day, and we had so much fun sharing the bicycles and riding together!

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Our art history classes take place in  Siena and Florence with Professor Silvia Giorgi, who also teaches for NYU in Florence. Our class always takes meets on site at cathedrals, museums, or in palazzos and piazza’s where we  learn about the Medieval and Renaissance architecture. It is amazing to see these places that we usually just see only in books, and we are all impressed with the amount of knowledge Silvia has, no matter where we go!  At least once each week we board the train, looking forward to finding out where we will go next. These are just a few pictures to share our experience!. We don’t just look at art history, we walk through it!

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Last weekend we traveled to Cinque Terre and for many of us, it was the best trip yet! We arrived in Portovenere by bus and took a boat past all the villages until we docked in Monterosso, where we would be staying. It was a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed the beach, a yoga class on the beach, and  a delicious seafood dinner!  The next day most of us hiked the trails, or rode the train to visit the villages. Since it was another gorgeous day, some of us spent the afternoon on the beach again, even renting kayaks or paddleboards. On the last day we woke up to drizzly rain and gray skies, so we slept late, then took the train back to Certaldo! We loved this trip so much that some of us are returning during our free travel days next week!