Enculturation

Greetings from Firenze, Italia

My first impression of Florence: I was just taken aback. It is so strikingly unreal.
When I arrived to my apartment, I found out that it is right outside the Piazza Santa Croce. A huge cathedral with a beautiful facade. Walking everyday past historical architecture, and piazzas, and sculptures. At first, I was so overwhelmed, my mind could not handle the excitement that I was experiencing. But after a couple weeks, I would walk passed these beautiful scenery's everyday and consider it the norm; to be in the same town where Giotto, Leonardo Da Vinci, and many other well-known artists, geniuses, and intellectuals came from. 

After almost a month and a half, I have to admit, I have been starting to take advantage of my time here. I am just walking past the sculptures and beautiful cathedrals without really absorbing them in. However, I have become aware of this terrible (Jasmine Jones' favorite word) behavior. I find myself late for class, and pushing through the tourist-filled piazza, trying to make it on time.

On the other hand, a lot of other times, when walking back to my apartment, I find myself going to sit in the Piazza Signoria or walking around the Duomo, just trying to soak it all up and (most importantly) doing some people-watching; that expression on the tourists' face as they look probably for their first time at these spectacular architecture and artworks.

From going to museums & exhibitions, to trips on the weekend, to assignments in class & sketching at café's, here is a selection of some photos: 

Exhibition at the Boboli Gardens

Boboli Gardens

Pompeii

Capri

Florentine window bars (Photo Assignment - shadows)

Dante - Dali exhibition at the Medici Ricardi Palace

Madeline and Dali-Dante

Night Photography Class - Light/Painting Photography (The lovely Louise as the model)

Charity Run for Breast Cancer - Captured Moment

Boboli Gardens

Lisa and her beautiful Tapestry, bought at the Marine de Pisa Beach

Journal entry after a day in the Stibbert Museum, working with Angeli Del Bello

Duomo drawn from a rooftop Cafe in the PIazza della Repubblica

At the Duomo

At the Duomo

And to end, In 1953, John Steinbeck says these beautiful words about Positano, Italy in Harper's Bazaar, but honestly, I think it can speak for all of Italy:

"Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone".

-Diana Abouchacra