This second week in Florence has been mostly devoted to the arts. The weather had a sudden change; some summer clouds brought a little rain, decreasing the temperature and encouraging some inside activities.
During the morning, from Monday to Friday, students attend Italian, Art History, and Film Making & Editing classes making progress in their learning. They also enjoyed the afternoon cooking school a lot, learning to make two types of pasta from scratch.
On Tuesday afternoon, the group visited the Museo Novecento that exhibits Italian art of the XX and XXI centuries. They saw paintings from many artists included Ottone Rosai and Henry Moore. As the tour ended, we took the opportunity for a nice group walk to Oltrarno, a central neighborhood located south of the river Arno (the name Oltrarno means beyond the Arno). Of course, we stopped for gelato, and we also visited some vintage fashion shops.
On Wednesday evening, after dinner we went to play an escape game. The students were divided into two groups to solve puzzles and look for clues to resolve a mystery and exit the room in sixty minutes. One of the groups achieve the goal, the other missed it for just 17 seconds. Nonetheless, all the students had a good time!
On Thursday afternoon, we went to Fondazione Zeffirelli. This museum hosts over 250 works by Franco Zeffirelli, including drawings and sketches for sets and costumes used in movies, plays, and opera.
After the tour, we enjoyed a concert inside the museum itself, based on the book of Orlando di Lasso “Libro de villanelle, moresche et altre canzoni” which ironically describes the XVI century’s daily life. After the concert, we had a group dinner in a traditional restaurant close to the museum.
Over the weekend, we went out of Florence to explore Tuscany. On Saturday, the group went to Lucca and Viareggio and on Sunday to Siena.
Lucca is a historical medieval city founded by the Etruscans, then become a Roman colony around 180 BC. Viareggio is a glamorous seaside city popular among Italians, especially in summer, famous for its Art Nouveau buildings and architecture.
As Lucca, Siena is a gorgeous historical medieval city famous for its medieval brick buildings. Siena is also renowned for Il Palio, a horse race run around the main square twice every summer. It is said that Siena has been founded by Senius, son of Remus, one of the two legendary founders of Rome.