Il mio rinascimento

It's Wednesday...museum day.

After class this morning, Paige, Abby, and I went to The Diner for Free Coffee Wednesdays. I also ordered a bagel--which came with french fries (?). We left our mark in a little comment book that people write suggestions and memories in. Sitting down also provided time for Paige and I to do our compito italiano.

Poi, I met some friends in Piazza della Reppublica. We grabbed some panini at a whole-in-the-wall trattoria. The breadmaker spoke English well--apparently he is half American (his Mom is from Philadelphia). He gave us some great advice about constructing a proper panino. "You cannot overwhelm your tastebuds with too much at one time. Pick a flavor and compliment it." So we all got panini with ham, FRESH mozzarella, arugula, and olive oil. And of course no panino is complete without a glass of vino rosso.

Keeping (or rather, establishing)our Wednesday tradition, we christened our Amici degli Uffizi passes at the Uffizi Gallery. The structure itself is massive and ornate. Even the bathrooms were astounding (it even had a waterfall urinal)! We toured the temporary exhibits, which showcased dark portraits of devilish carnage, cannibalism, and strife. The were definitely some disturbing images. But "art," right?

We made our way to the top floor to the main gallery (!!!!). There must have been 100-150 ceiling sections that each were so meticulously detailed and painted that the entire gallery must have taken decades to complete. The Uffizi has a few notable portraits and sculptures, including the Birth of Venus. Many of the auxiliary rooms featured portraits of unknown nobility and Christian art. There were many frames depicting Madonna with Child. It was really interesting to see how each artist depicted both Mary and Jesus differently in each painting. In some, Mary looked content or even happy, where in others she looked morose. Likewise, in some Jesus was happy-go-lucky and plump (one even showed him breastfeeding), but in others he was not. The last one I took note of portrayed Jesus as a young boy, emaciated and frail, nearly falling out of his mother's arms. Unfortunately, we did not have a guide or literature, but I wonder what the artists' intentions were.

We found the cafe, which had an outdoor terrace just below the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio. A nice British woman took our picture. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Corona's Cafe, a quintessential Italian bar and gelateria. The have the best cappuccini...they even have chocolate shavings!

I believe Zoe for aperitivo is on the agenda for tonight. A domani.