Day one we explored the city as a group, including the Duomo and a very long climb to the top of the Bell Tower. The view was worth every single step we all climbed, as nerve-wracking as it was. I wish the pictures held the same accuracy that the actual view had. We also got to go inside of the Baptistry temple next door which was very overwhelming for me. I am Catholic and always wear my St. Michael pendant, and so seeing the gold mosaic panel of the archangels meant more to me than others. I think we all became familiar with the area very quickly and had lunch together at Eataly. Lots of new customs, and little things to get used to quickly. Afterward, I was able to visit a costume and fashion museum which was not only surprisingly neo, but also gave me some inspiration towards my senior studio project for next semester. We closed the night with a dinner together!

I woke up super excited to see some of the most precious and talked about art pieces in the world. As we walked to the Uffizi Gallery, you notice first the scale of the museum — it’s enormous. As soon as we entered the gallery the painted ceilings were one of the things that really amazed me. There are so many of them, especially along the hallways, and they are each different and unique from one another.

The moment I saw Botticelli’s Primavera and The Birth of Venus I was in absolute awe. As someone who has fully investigated these paintings in full detail, seeing it in person is completely amazing. The scale of these paintings doesn’t even seem possible, and comparing it to viewing it on a projector in Coburn Hall, this experience is extraordinary.

Some of my favorite exhibits were Caravaggio and Da Vinci’s pieces. The way that the red walls of the gallery were painted created an intense feeling that made you feel like one with the Art. I think the Medusa Room was one of my favorite due to how it was set up, with different artists all depicting this figure, in such beautiful different ways.

After the gallery, we made a quick stop at the Palazzo Vecchio and made our way to the top of the tower. I personally think this view was even more incredible compared to the Bell Tower since it was a view of the river and Ponte Vecchio to one side and Duomo to the other.

Few of us decided to split off after to have a small lunch, and we sat by a church like locals and had a great time. There was a group of French art students there sketching and painting and I thought it was funny because I thought, “Is that what we look like?”

We headed to the Academia to see our boy, David. I was ready to be underwhelmed and thought that it is all just hyped up. Seeing Michelangelo’s David was a spiritual experience for me as an artist. As soon as we turned the corner, I was completely speechless and amazed. The detail in the fingers, the hair, the feet is so insane to be created out of marble. I have created plaster sculptures and I understand the difficulty that sculpting even is, let alone out of marble at this scale and precision.

17 feet of pure amazing.

Going to these galleries as a student, and having learned about so many of these works of art beforehand made seeing them in person extremely rewarding. It’s nice to be able to just turn to someone and so easily talk about a work of art and all the little details and iconography you have previously learned about.

Let me just tell you — I love Italy!

Buongiorno Firenze!

After a tiring flight, we were all excited for the adventures to come. Day one began with an unexpected hike up 414 steps up the Bell Tower at the Duomo. The Duomo seems unreal. I cannot even imagine the amount of detail, precision, and time needed to create a church like this, and can only imagine how insane the inside must look like. The view from above the city kept getting better and better on our way to the top. Florence is beautiful. The contrast in the rustic yellow/green architecture next to the blue sky is breathtaking. Everything looks like a picture, it’s incredible.

We proceeded our day with some of us attending the Baptistry and some headed to the art store with Regina. This little local art store called Zecchi had so many beautiful pigmented colors, something I have never seen before at that scale. We then headed to Eataly for a group lunch for pasta and pizza!

After that, we all split up and explored the city for ourselves. As we walked we stopped by a church, whose outside did not give the inside beauty justice. There were a few paintings that seemed to have been recently restored, looking more vivid and bright. We went through the streets, walking by famous high-end stores like Coach, Fenti, and Versace and it’s crazy to think of the contrast between this new fashion world so tightly connected with the antiquities of the past, which still prosper and amaze us today.

We adventured to the other side of the city, crossing the Ponte Vecchio to attend the Fashion Museum at the Palazzo Pitti, home to the Medici Family during the reign. The museum holding some beautiful dresses and pieces of clothing dating to more recent decades, each with systematic themes. The museum also had showcased clothing from the Medici family themselves, in the delicate state that they were able to be kept remained intact.

From there, we headed our walk back to the hotel along the river and had a nice family dinner at a local restaurant after being lost for a little while. But happy accidents occur and this place was quite a find.

First full day in Florence was beyond an experience. There is so much culture and it’s amazing to see how different it is from our little world back in Boston.

Follow our students’ journey as they explore the world of design through the lens of Florence this June with Professors Regina Milan and Ingrid Hess. Students will build on lessons in wayfinding, typography and travel collateral by venturing to sites and museums.

Want to learn more? Please contact us.

You can also read blogs from previous trips to Florence:

• 2017: Venice, Florence, Pompeii and Rome, Italy: See and Make Art in Italy
• 2016: Art & Design in Florence, Tuscany and Rome, Italy
• 2015: Florence, Rome and Venice, Italy: Studio Workshop and Aesthetics in Art

You can also read blogs from other trips to Italy and across the globe!