The first day of school.....
Simona shepherded us down to number 37 Via Cavour this morning on our way to school. With this demographic there was no skipping and not a princess backpack in sight. Of course, Luci and Ethel here managed to goof up the safe again this morning only to be rescued yet again by Adolfo. I promised him, È l'ultimo volta!
We are welcomed by the
Direttore of the Academia Europa di Firenze and given some background about the operation. They have relationships with many American universities in North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio to name but a few. In addition to students like us, the school is attended by many with aspirations of careers in the performing arts. Operatic students from the U.S. and South America come to gain proficiency with Italian for their singing roles. In fact they break into song up and down the multiple stairwells that separate the different classroom levels.
Our two instructors are Moira and Giuseppe. Giuseppe commutes from Bologna, thirty minutes away on the high speed train. Moira is un cento per cento Fiorentina. She is petite and slim with the straightest hair cut in layers to frame her elfin face. Sporting very oversized and trendy eyeglasses she has the clearest diction.
We are separated into beginner and intermediate speakers. My group is given a placement exam to discover our strengths and weaknesses, reviewing the correct answers together. Then we give a short biography in Italian, answering questions posed by our instructors. We complete and discuss several worksheets having to do with everyday life and day to day situations. Homework is assigned.
This will be the format for our days, didactic for the first half and on the road for the second. Today we head out, learning how to buy bus tickets, order gelato, ask directions, recycle and other various things. Our end point is the central post office, another old palazzo that retains it's beauty. Unfortunately, in the Italian tradition, it is closed for a strike so we only have a glimpse from the entrance.
Many stores are concentrated in this area including the Apple store. We are told that all the floors in all the Apple stores worldwide are the same pietra serena from Italy. Steve Jobs apparently fell in love with the look during a visit here and it became the standard for the brand.
Parting from our teachers at midday, we lunch within a bookstore on salads and walk back, without using maps to the area of the school. Here we plan to visit the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the famous Capella di Benozzo Gozzoli. I make sure to ask for my senior discount, sconto per li anziani.
That doesn't sound very nice, but it saved me three Euro. That's some serious gelato money!
The term don't judge a book by its cover certainly applies here. Beyond the impressive but simple facade lies a huge courtyard ringed with four stories of major rooms, each one filled with treasures.
There are frescos, tapestries, inlaid tables, chandeliers and massive portraits of the Medici's. Many of the ceilings sport elaborate frescoes. In one room on the third floor, Council meetings for Firenze are still held.
In the courtyard below are the crypts of some of the lessor players and an orangerie beyond.
Of course, the high point is the allegorical frescoed chapel of Gozzoli, colors still vibrant.
The sun gives way to clouds so we head homeward popping into a leather store here and there and make a gelato stop.
At 5:30 we meet for an introductory lecture on Renaissance Art, given by Emma, our specialty guide for Firenze. It was a great lecture, but I found myself nodding off, not from boredom but from fatigue. She had a wonderful powerpoint presentation.
Next we head down our street, Via San Gallo, for dinner as a group at Ristorante Di Mimmo. Operated by southern Italians, it is decorated with Della Robbia and the ceramic famous in Amalfi and Sorrento. Starting with fresh tomato bruschetta and eggplant parmesan, platters of risotto with asparagus arrived. Somehow there was room for a lightly sauced veal scaloppini with sautéed spinach. How could anyone not at least taste the torta with apples and pears? At least we skipped coffee! At least we skipped dinner last night and had 14000 steps!
BS phrase of the day.....as waiter Luca lays fresh jasmine cuttings and cappuccino on our table this morning....You are my inspiration!
Simona shepherded us down to number 37 Via Cavour this morning on our way to school. With this demographic there was no skipping and not a princess backpack in sight. Of course, Luci and Ethel here managed to goof up the safe again this morning only to be rescued yet again by Adolfo. I promised him, È l'ultimo volta!
We are welcomed by the
Our two instructors are Moira and Giuseppe. Giuseppe commutes from Bologna, thirty minutes away on the high speed train. Moira is un cento per cento Fiorentina. She is petite and slim with the straightest hair cut in layers to frame her elfin face. Sporting very oversized and trendy eyeglasses she has the clearest diction.
We are separated into beginner and intermediate speakers. My group is given a placement exam to discover our strengths and weaknesses, reviewing the correct answers together. Then we give a short biography in Italian, answering questions posed by our instructors. We complete and discuss several worksheets having to do with everyday life and day to day situations. Homework is assigned.
This will be the format for our days, didactic for the first half and on the road for the second. Today we head out, learning how to buy bus tickets, order gelato, ask directions, recycle and other various things. Our end point is the central post office, another old palazzo that retains it's beauty. Unfortunately, in the Italian tradition, it is closed for a strike so we only have a glimpse from the entrance.
Many stores are concentrated in this area including the Apple store. We are told that all the floors in all the Apple stores worldwide are the same pietra serena from Italy. Steve Jobs apparently fell in love with the look during a visit here and it became the standard for the brand.
Parting from our teachers at midday, we lunch within a bookstore on salads and walk back, without using maps to the area of the school. Here we plan to visit the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the famous Capella di Benozzo Gozzoli. I make sure to ask for my senior discount, sconto per li anziani.
That doesn't sound very nice, but it saved me three Euro. That's some serious gelato money!
The term don't judge a book by its cover certainly applies here. Beyond the impressive but simple facade lies a huge courtyard ringed with four stories of major rooms, each one filled with treasures.
There are frescos, tapestries, inlaid tables, chandeliers and massive portraits of the Medici's. Many of the ceilings sport elaborate frescoes. In one room on the third floor, Council meetings for Firenze are still held.
In the courtyard below are the crypts of some of the lessor players and an orangerie beyond.
Of course, the high point is the allegorical frescoed chapel of Gozzoli, colors still vibrant.
The sun gives way to clouds so we head homeward popping into a leather store here and there and make a gelato stop.
At 5:30 we meet for an introductory lecture on Renaissance Art, given by Emma, our specialty guide for Firenze. It was a great lecture, but I found myself nodding off, not from boredom but from fatigue. She had a wonderful powerpoint presentation.
Next we head down our street, Via San Gallo, for dinner as a group at Ristorante Di Mimmo. Operated by southern Italians, it is decorated with Della Robbia and the ceramic famous in Amalfi and Sorrento. Starting with fresh tomato bruschetta and eggplant parmesan, platters of risotto with asparagus arrived. Somehow there was room for a lightly sauced veal scaloppini with sautéed spinach. How could anyone not at least taste the torta with apples and pears? At least we skipped coffee! At least we skipped dinner last night and had 14000 steps!
BS phrase of the day.....as waiter Luca lays fresh jasmine cuttings and cappuccino on our table this morning....You are my inspiration!
Our dear Lucca!! BS phrases abound! But he is a sweetheart.
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