florence, my heart

I’m stancha morta (dead tired) so forgive me for being brief, but I definitely wanted to get a post in before heading to Rome for Easter weekend. (I figure I’ll have a nice big post to write after returning from that trip).

Last weekend was lovely and lazy. We really wanted to take it easy with Rome coming up, so we decided to spend the day roaming around Florence. I somehow convinced my friends Alex and Gina to pay 8 euro to see an exhibit with literally one piece: Damien Hirst’s diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God. Cast in platinum and encrusted in 8,601 diamonds, Hirst’s skull is one of the most remarkable works of art I’ve ever seen, and the dramatic presentation only exaggerates the work’s brilliance. Showcased in the 13th century Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall and one of the many Medici family hang outs back in the day, Hirst’s modern work (2007) seems rather out of place. But the peculiarity of the exhibit among Renaissance art and intricately carved, golden ceilings only adds to the experience. Since only 12 people are allowed to view the skull at a time, we had to spend the first couple minutes in a room that was somehow reminiscent of the waiting room at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. Once the exhibit cleared out, we were lead into a dark room with nothing but the diamond skull protected by a thick glass case. Two small overhead lights, the only light in the room, made the diamonds sparkle almost violently, and though it’s validity as a work of art has been questioned, Hirst’s skull is without question breathtaking. The intricacy, brilliance, and morbidity of the skull leaves you speechless, and when you do find words, the room is so small and quiet that you feel like you should wait until after to talk about how crazy the skull is. I obsess over almost anything that sparkles, so the skull was a dream come true for me. But beyond that, the precision of the skull–there are diamonds in almost crevice visible– is a sight to behold, and it was also pretty weird/amazing/gross to stand in front of a work that was likely sold for 50 million pounds 4 years ago. (It cost Hirst 14 million pounds to make it.)

After 15 minutes of staring at the skull–and 10 minutes of letting our eyes adjust to normal light–we were able to explore Palazzo Vecchio and see work by Vasari, Michelangelo, and Leonardo. Definitely a beautiful change of pace.
Just one of the amazing sights in Palazzo Vecchio.

After Palazzo Vecchio, Alex suggested we do a bit of shoe shopping and reminded me of the one purchase I’ve been hoping to make since winter last year: a pair of leather boots. After wandering around the Ponte Vecchio, I finally got the courage to walk into a little shoe store I’ve walked by 15 times by now. Owned by an Italian man who actually looks like Gepetto (thanks for asking, Dad), Rive Gauche has beautiful, handmade leather shoes at rather reasonable prices. After about 10 minutes of staring at a gorgeous pair of brown leather riding boots, I finally asked to try on a pair and amazingly, they had a 42 (10.5)–impossible to find anywhere, let alone Europe. They fit perfectly and were surprisingly comfortable. I sat with them on for about 20 minutes. For as long as I had been searching for a pair of boots (I’ve never owned a pair!) and as much as I loved these, it was still an investment, one I hadn’t been prepared to make when I woke up on Saturday. Finally, after a little reassurance from Gina and Alex, I went for it. Since then, I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit just staring at them. Definitely money well spent. And to calm whatever anxiety I had left from the purchase on Monday morning, Fosca, one of the amazing women who works at the Stanford center, told me she bought her first pair of Italian boots from the same place (before I was born) and absolutely loved them.
Happy in front of Rive Gauche.
A close up for you, Ali Anderson.

The last highlight of the past few days, and this whole experience, was an evening out with my wonderful language partner, Silvia. After a few failed attempts to hang out over the past few weeks, Silvia invited me to La Cité, a wonderful “liberiacafe,” bookstore/cafe/bar, with a few of her friends on Monday night. After a beautiful nighttime walk, my roommate Sarah and I arrived at La Cité, a little place oozing with live music and hipster Italians. Hanging out with Silvia and her Italian friends, speaking only in Italian, while listening to incredible live Jazz–and, at moments, live Italian hip hop–was one of the most memorable moments I’ve had in Florence. Silvia is hilarious and humble and I really love spending time with her. It’s such a unique way to look at the city and Italian culture. Even though her English must be 100x better than my Italian, she still chooses to speak mostly in Italian. When she does speak English, it’s very endearing, and I can only hope that my attempts at speaking Italian are half as cute as Silvia’s English.
Goodnight, Florence. Sarah, Silvia’s wonderful friend (so sad I’m blanking on the name), Silvia, and me!

I’m starting to feel a bit sick so I’m off to bed, but you can expect a longer post and hopefully some beautiful pictures upon my return from Rome.

Oh yes, and only 2 weeks until Andrew is here! We’ve planned a trip through Tuscany and a trip to Positano (the Amalfi Coast), so we are thoroughly excited for his arrival. Two weeks in, Andrew and Jake (you might remember Jake from the Dirty Rascals crew last year) are holding up great on the Camino. Sadly, Christy, Red, and Matt have been suffering from all kinds of gnarly injuries and have decided to take a break from hiking. If all goes as planned, though, the five will meet up 100km from the end of the Camino and finish the adventure together. I will post a few pictures from Andrew’s journey once he arrives. Until then, I’m counting down the days…

I fall in love with Florence a little more each day and few realistic changes could make this experience, program, and journey more wonderful for me. I’m truly so thankful I was able to take this time in Florence, and I do my best to cherish it fully each and every day.

I miss you all and wish you a peaceful Easter weekend!