Fell into an Art History Textbook- Florence

We started our trip to Florence very early Saturday morning (6:45am to be exact) I was very excited for this trip because it was our first weekend in Italy. I had been to Florence one time before, however I was 13 and tired from traveling with 14 people for 2 weeks. (that's a whole other story) Anyways, we arrived in Florence right before 10am, checked our bags at the train station and had to make our was to the Statue of David in the Academia Gallery because we had reservations for 10:45. We decided to take a cab so we were not late and it was fun to be in our first European cab, which do drive just as crazy as the cabbies in New York. We arrived at the Academia in perfect timing to make our reservation.


I thought the Academia Gallery was just to hold David, when in reality there are many exhibits showcasing all different artists. The first exhibit we went into was the history of music. My favorite part of that was there were many harpsichords on display and one you could even play. A harpsichord produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed; it looks very similar to a keyboard. The reason I liked this was because I had learned about this instrument in choir and other music classes in grade school.



Next we moved on to rooms upon rooms of paintings and frescoes. It was breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time. My favorite piece in the rooms was called Crucifix for Comforting Death Row by Bernardo Daddi. It was a crucifix with Jesus in the middle but had four people bowing on each point of the cross with their head cut off (the head was still semi attached but had blood coming out for it). I know this piece seems gruesome but it was such a different take on the crucifixion so I really enjoyed studying it. Finally after going through paintings  for an hour, I couldn't take it anymore, I had to see David.

Nothing could have prepared me for the awe and amazement I felt coming face to face with the famous sculpture of David. It was everything I had expected it to be and so much more. As I walked closer up to him, all of the tour groups and people disappeared, I was taken to another world of art appreciation bliss. I read the description under the statue that read:"Not has there ever been seen a pose so fluent or a gracefulness equal to this or feet, hands, and head so well related to each other with quality, skills, and design." It couldn't have been more true. It was the most realistic and perfect man I had ever seen. Every part from his feet to the veins on his hands were perfectly sculpted to turn this block of marble into the man who slain Goliath. When looking closely, you notice the sling is barely visible, this is because Michelangelo wanted the viewers to realize David is the one who killed Goliath not the weapon he used. Other argue that this sculpture was to represent David before battle, as shown in his facial expressions (very tense, muscles bulging, pursed lip). Either way, I could have sat in the middle of that gallery for hours staring at David. I took turns sitting at all different positions of the room. No matter which way you look at him, he is the most realistic, perfect man. Although I have never seen a man who looks like that. Finally we had to move on to the Duomo, seeing David was 150% worth it and I definitely recommend it.

The Doumo looked just like it did in the pictures. It was huge and had so much ornate detail on the outside. Sadly, we didn't get to go inside due to the 2 hour line, so instead we ate Lindt Chocolate gelato and took pictures of the outside of the Duomo.

Afterwards, we went to a market called Loggia del Mercato, to see what Florence is known for, leather. There were many stalls of different vendors trying to prove to us that their leather was real and of the best quality. Everything was relatively well priced, but I wasn't in the market to buy a leather bag so I just walked through the market people watching. Within the market, there was a pig who is famous to Florence called Porcellino. It is good look to touch the nose and run your hand under the water it spews. Many tourists groups crowded around this symbol of Florence and I took a picture with him as well.

We walked out of the leather market and stumbled into Piazza della Signoria. It is a very large piazza with statues everywhere including a replica of Michelangelo's (although this one doesn't do the real one justice) We took some pictures there before heading to the Uffizi Gallery.

The Uffizi Gallery was just as phenomenal as the Academia Gallery. I felt like I walked right into my AP Euro textbook back in Mr. Salmestrelli's class. Completely, clique but my favorite piece was the Birth of Venus. It was so cool to see a painting I've studied so many times, in front of me. It was a lot bigger than I had expected it to be and was swarming with tour groups. I loved this painting because of how Venus is depicted. She is simplistic, yet elegant. She is curvy with untamed hair, yet she is beautiful. She just represents freedom to me and what beauty really is. Not the stereotypes that the media makes today. Venus is the goddess of love, so she is by definition the most beautiful woman. I am slightly biased too, because Botticelli is my absolute favorite artist. I have done many projects on him and find his work to be incredible, especially his sculptures. Other paintings I enjoyed included Sleeping Ariadne, Massacre of the Innocents, Judith and Holofernes, and Three Graces.



XOXO RIVA DIVA <3 

Rain, Rain Go Away- Lucerne

After a not-so great experience in Zurich we were excited to see what Lucerne had to offer. After our first Starbucks since being in Europe, we headed to the bus station for our tour. The bus drove us to Lucerne the "scenic" route offering many views of Switzerland on the way. The landscape was gorgeous and everything was just bursting with color. Our tour guide for Lucerne made me feel like a completely ignorant American. He spoke throughout the whole tour in 6 languages: English, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. Americans can barely speak english (i'm talking to you south of the Mason Dixon line)

Our first stop on the tour was the Dying Lion of Lucerne. It was carved out of natural rock in memory of the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain described the Lion of Lucerne as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world. I enjoyed stopping to see this because I had never heard of this monument before. The artwork was beautiful and detailed and the expression on the lion's face was just pure agony. It reminded me of the lion from the Narnia movies. On our way back from the lion, we saw probably the coolest little convertibles ever. They are very popular in Switzerland and I'm pretty sure they are made by SmartCar. Afterward, We got back on the bus and headed into the city. 

We arrived in the center of the city of Lucerne with a big, rain cloud looming over us. We did not let this ruin our day and we made our way towards the lake. We found out the weekend that we were in Lucerne there was a music festival, so all different street performers from all over the world were performing around Lucerne. We stumbled upon Palo Santo-who had members from Colombia,  Argentina, and Germany. They were wonderful and completely livened the crowd even though it was beginning to rain. We stood in the piazza, eating our gelato and listening to the entire
set of this band. I ended up buying their cd at the end of the performance. (yay first souvenir) Listen to them Here!
After they had finished, we walked around the town and ended up at the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower. Lucerne is divided by the river Reuss into an Old Town and a New Town. The two districts are connected by what is among other things the world's oldest covered wooden bridge, the Chapel Bridge, which dates back to the year 1332. The bridge was rebuilt true to the original after the fire of 1993 and leads to the actual landmark of Lucerne, the octagonal Water Tower. Like the over 500-year-old Musegg Wall with its turrets, the bridge and water tower were part of the city fortifications. Find out more here!   

The sky had finally given out on us and it began to rain cats and dogs. We got under cover and went on a boat cruise of the lake (inside of course) You couldn't see much of the lake, but even in the rain Lucerne was beautiful. I am excited to go back with my parents though, to see it when it is not pouring. We learned history about the lake during our cruise and I got to sip a warm cappuccino while taking in the sights. After the tour we spent a few hours in a cafe near the lake people watching and staying dry. Finally, we went back to the bus and headed back to the train home to Riva. Overall, the weekend was a learning experience in Zurich and we had a nice cultural experience in Lucerne.

XOXO RIVA DIVA

Underwhelmed by Zurich

Another weekend came around and we decided to venture to the German part of Switzerland: to Zurich and Lucerne. Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and one of the largest banking districts. So I was expecting something similar to Wall Street in New York. Man was I wrong, I only have one word to describe Zurich..... Underwhelming.

We arrived in Zurich in the late afternoon and had to walk directly to our hostel. Unlike America, street signs do not exist in Europe so maps become useless when trying to find your way. We walked for what seemed like an eternity (45 mins) to get to our hostel and almost got run over by a cable car bus. When we finally arrived to the street where our hostel was supposed to be, we realized we could possibly be in the worst part of town. I started to see a perfect scene for Taken 3. Everywhere I looked there were strip clubs, exotic shops, sex shops, bars, clubs and street walkers. I'm sure you're thinking "Wow this a perfect place for 3 American girls to end up." We found out later that the street we were staying on was notorious as Zurich's red light district, with a soaring crime rates, drug dealing, and brothels. I was waiting for Liam Neeson to barge in and save us. 

We arrived at our hostel where the "lobby" was a bar and the check in guy was the bartender. He gave us a key and told us we get free drinks after 9 and there is a band playing tonight. We look on the board to see the band playing this evening was "Penis Blowjoplin" (totally serious) We couldn't even believe what we were seeing at this point that we just started laughing. We got up to our room to see we were in a 12 person mixed dorm. So 3 girls and 9 random people who all were sleeping when we got there (it was 4pm) We left all of our stuff locked up in the lockers and went to see what Zurich had to offer.

Zurich really didn't have much to offer, all of the "touristy"things to see were outside or buildings so we finished seeing most of it within 2 hours. We still had to kill time to get our free beer and go to bed. So we went to the only place we felt safe, the train station and had dinner in one of the resturants. For anyone who hasn't been to Europe, the train stations are basically malls: full of shops and restaurants. 

 After that, we went back to the bar for our drink and sat right outside the bar. That was far enough and every direction were scummy guys, drunks, and young slutty girls. We did meet one local woman who was getting creeped out by this guy so came and talked to us. We realized no matter where you are or what language you speak, girls always stick together against the creepy dude at the bar. After we finished our drinks we headed to bed. Or should I say attempted to... Langstrasse
(our region) does not sleep until 6am. So we heard music and screaming all night long. 

We woke up early the next morning to catch a bus to Lucerne. Zurich's one positive attribute is they have tons of Starbucks. Being an addict of Starbucks, I was happy to have a carmel macchiato once again. After we sipped our coffees we were off to Lucerne! 

XOXO RIVA DIVA

Bellinzona

We decided for our second day trip this weekend we wanted to go to Bellinzona.

Bellinzona is probably Switzerland's most Italianate town. The skyline of the capital of Ticino is defined by the powerful fortifications, comprising three of the best-preserved medieval castles in Switzerland, which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Find Out More Here! Also, Debbie had found out there was an open air market on Saturdays, so we left early morning for our adventure. 

3 Castles 

When we arrived in Bellinzona we walked right into the market. It was beautiful. Every where we looked had tents, with people bartering and walking up and down the rows of the market. The different stands had: cheese, meats, purses and bags, clothes, scarfs and accessories, and jewlery. Honestly it was beyond overwhelming, I didn't know where to start. We just picked a point to begin and started looking at the different stands. My favorite ones were the fresh cheese and meat stands, if we weren't going to the castles after the market, I totally would ha

ve bought some for the train ride home. What was interesting about the market is how different their style is than America. Things that went out of style like 5 years ago (like guacho pants) are the hip thing to wear and were at every clothes stand. Also, something I found interesting is the amount of American influence in europe. Many stands had stuff with American flags and were playing popular American music. Also, they were selling shirts with bands, actors, and famous people from the US. Maybe I was trying to be less ignorant and believe America wasn't that a big deal in the world scope, but after visiting a small town like Bellinzona it is eminent we do have a serious influence in pop culture around the world. The best part about the market was as we left for the castles, a street guitarist was playing "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry, that was my senior class song (2011 woop woop)  and it made me feel nostalgic of my high school years. After that we began our trek to the first castle.

Castelgrande 

The first castle we visited was Castelgrande. This is the biggest and most extravagant castle of the three.  To get to this castle we had to climb easily 1,000 winding stairs. By the time we got up there we had to sit down we were so exhausted. We walked through the various courtyards and pathways that lead out of every direction in the castle. It was breathtaking, and incredible that is castle was the backyard of some people's houses. I enjoyed seeing Bellinzona from all different angles and it was great to see so many people admiring the beauty of this castle.

One of the path ways leading out of Castelgrande.

After we had seen enough of Castelgrande, we made our way back down to the town for some lunch and gelato. Afterwards we looked up into the hill and saw our second castle. The walk up the hill was even worse than the stairs from the last castle. It was a hike that was pretty steep. The second castle was called Montebello. It was much smaller that Castelgrande but it has beautiful big courtyards. Also, it was higher up so there was so much to see from up there. It was so peacful with the wind blowing and the beautiful views of Bellinzona, that we joined other tourists and took a nap in the middle of the courtyard. 

Montebello

Train Ride Up

When we finished admiring the views of Bellinzona, we looked for the third castle. We looked up the mountain and it was even higher up than the second one. To me it looked like about a half hour hike, so I decided we take the little tourist train to pull us up to the top. Best 5 franks ever spent. The third castle had the best views of all of them but there wasn't much to see inside. This last castle was called Sasso Corbaro, it had been renovated on the inside into a more modern look, which wasn't as cool as keeping it restored from the original. But man were we high up! The first castle we went to looked like a little dot from how high up we were now!

Sasso Corbaro

After that Castle we hiked back down the large mountain towards the train station. We had a full day of climbing and exploring the castles so we were completely wiped out. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in Bellinzona and I strongly suggest going to see the beautiful views from these castles.

XOXO RIVA DIVA

Lugano

What an incredible weekend I had for my first travel opportunity. We decided to stay more local to see what places encompassed our town and it was a great decision. Ticino is a gorgeous part of Switzerland and I am glad I got to see two other towns!

After our midterm exam we trained to Lugano for the afternoon/evening. The train ride is only 15 minutes to Lugano. But then you have to take a cable car to get down to the town, which was super cool and a lot better than walking! Once we got down to the town we wandered for a bit looking at the expensive shops as we made our way to the lake. Not even 10 seconds after getting to the lake we decided we had to go paddle boating. It was so much fun although super tiring. It was a great way to see the town and the lake!



Afterwards we explored the town some more, there is a lot more people and activity going on in Lugano compared to Riva which I really liked. We went into the H&M in town and it is very different than the American H&M. Due to this experience in H&M, it has now become my goal to get a european looking outfit, their fashion is just so funky and cool.

Once we had enough time shopping we went back toward the lake for dinner. Other girls in our group said there was an excellent pizza restaurant right on the water, so we went to try it. They were absolutely right! The pizza was amazing. I had carpaccito which has parmesan cheese and carpaccio (raw steak) it was insanely delicious. Italian pizza is served individual size but it honestly could be shared; I had to leave two pieces behind. The waiters can immediately recognize us as americans, which would annoy most but I like it because then they speak English to us. One of these days (after more italian classes) I will try to have a full conversation to the waiters in Italian.

To burn off the pizza we went to the park and the beach. There were families everywhere which was really nice to see the local children. These kids are still stuck in the 90's though- they all have scooters, heelys, and ripsticks- It was a nice trip down memory lane. We enjoyed the beach for about a half hour because it was sunset so the water was pretty cold. Afterwards we went to a local place to people watch, it had comfortable beach chairs right on the water. Every time we go to a restaurant or bar I am amazed how many people smoke in Europe, that is one thing I don't think I will get used to.

But overall, it was a great afternoon/evening in Lugano. I will definitely be going back during the week or when we have saturday classes. It's nice to have a bigger city to go to because Riva is very rural.

XOXO RIVA DIVA

Day Trip to Milano

On Sunday, we had a choice between two day trips lead by the faculty of CESA. I chose to go to Milan with Dr.Knox.
My reasoning for picking Milan was because:
1) Dr. Knox loves Milan and is so passionate about it, so I would never get a better tour guide 
2) I had never been to Milan before 
3) My other option was to go hiking (I'm not the outdoors type)
So without hesitation, I signed up for the Milan trip. Like I said, I have never been before but I heard things from the internet and others who have been there. To be quite honest, I didn't expect much. I had heard it was like other cities: congested, dirty, not much to see. So those opinions gave me low expectations, as well as New York city is my home and honestly in my mind nothing compares to the Big Apple.

Clock in the train station

We met Dr. Knox a quarter past 8 to start our full day adventure in Milan. There were 16 of us all together and it was a pretty even mix of business and architecture students. Although, only girls from the business school came on the trip. The train ride was easy and brought us quickly to Milan. We stopped briefly in the train station so the architecture students could observe the architecture of the train station. I went outside to look with them and it was stunning! The ceilings and arches were so elaborate, it seemed so silly to make a train station so extravagant. Dr. Knox said it was Mussolini's doing to show Italy's power. This train station put my normal train station (Grand Central) to shame. After looking at the architecture of the station, we headed to the metro to begin our walking tour.

Architecture at the Train Station

                                                                                 


The metro was just like any other subway, although I was very cautious because we were warned about all the pic pocketing that goes on in Milan. When we first emerged into the city, I was greeted with familiar tall buildings and construction. Typical city I thought. However, this was not anything like I pictured Milan to be like. Everything was a lot cleaner than cities in the states. (Minus the occasional puddles of urine in the streets...ew) Also, the courtyards reminded me of the ways you imagine European towns: cafes and restaurants down the square with a fountain in the middle.

The one downside to having a tour lead by Dr. Knox is he walks faster than road runner. Even with a smaller group of 16 people, we usually spread out across at least 2 blocks. When we finally all got back together where Dr. Knox stopped, we were in front of Castello Sforzesco. I did not expect there to be any castles in Milan, so I was delighted to get a chance to see one. 

Entrance to Castello Sforzesco

 A little background for anyone who doesn't know what Castello Sforzesco is. "Along with the Cathedral - Milan's most famous and much beloved monument - the big Castle is linked to the vicissitudes and dramatic events that the city has been experiencing over the past centuries. For many years, in fact, it has represented a symbol of the power in the hands of the Dukes, as well as of the foreign dominators. Only at the beginning of the 20th century the Castle assumed its distinctive role, becoming a place of culture, which hosted numerous Lombard art collections. The Castle was named after Francesco Sforza, who transformed it into a ducal residence in 1450. But its origins date back to the second half of the 14th century, at the time of Galeazzo II Visconti." 

 Find out more here!

Courtyard

Although we only walked through the courtyard, the castle was very cool to see! One thing I found strange was in the castle, where the moat used to be, is now grassed over and full of stray cats. It was weird but the moat must have been huge. 

Looking from the entrance to the courtyard

Courtyard

After we got all the wanderers of our group back together. Dr. Knox lead us to the Palazzo di Brera. This he said was similar to a noble's house, second class to the people who lived in Castello Sforzesco. The palazzo was initially designed in the Baroque style, a style favored by the Jesuits, but at the end of the 18th century it was remodeled in the neoclassical style favored by Maria Theresa.

 Find out more here! 

Neoclassical Style

I found the Palazzo to be interesting. I enjoyed the many sculptures throughout the building, especially the one above of Napoleon. (Dr. Knox said all girls take this butt picture) 

By this point in the day Dr. Knox could gauge we needed a lunch break from all the walking we had done. So he lead us to our next destination for some much needed rest. 

Inside the Galleria

To get to a good spot for our lunch break, we had to walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is actually what I had expected from Milan. In the Galleria you find upscale stores, cafés and restaurants. The most famous is the Savini, a prestigious restaurant. Since it is one of Milan's most popular attractions, the Galleria is constantly crowded with locals and tourists, the latter often snapping pictures of the spectacular architecture. 

Find out more here!

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because every girl dreams of being able to have a wardrobe of Gucci, Versace, Valentino, and Prada. Or maybe that's just me. Either way it was spectacular! They even had a caffe in front of the Gucci store which made me laugh and also make me wish I could afford it! Although we just walked through, I had a great time watching all the tourists in awe  and seeing all the locals nonchalantly sipping their 10 euro coffees in front of Gucci. 

When we had finished walking through the Galleria, we had made it to the monument Milan is most famous for. The Duomo. Not only was this building massive, but it was stunning to look at. The amount of detail on it was just incredible. Lines were out the door all afternoon to get a glimpse inside. Sadly, I had shorts on which is not Italian Catholic Church approved. So I only got to admire the beauty from the outside. 

The Duomo is literally at the center of Milan. Streets radiate from the cathedral or circle it. The cathedral occupies a site that has been the most central location in the city since its founding. 

Find out more here!

While I sat outside the Duomo waiting for my group, I got to enjoy my first gelato on the trip! I'm a purist so I always stick to chocolate. It was delicious and a huge portion! I ate my gelato around the piazza where the Duomo was and watched as the gypsies tormented all the tourists. They are string bracelet ninjas! They attach it to your arm before you can jerk away, then ask you money for it. (ridiculous I know) Other gypsies would put bird food in your hand and as pigeons attacked you, they would ask for change. These guys need a better sales strategy. 

After finishing my gelato, we went into an art museum that was featuring an Andy Warhol exhibit. It ended up being a free ticket which was great and it was a chance to get in some air conditioning. We ended up spending so much time in the other exhibits, that we had to run through the Andy Warhol one to make it back in time to meet up with our group! I made sure before I left to snag a picture of Marilyn though.

Typical Couple in Milan

The day was finally over and we headed back to the train all very tired and legs quite sore. I would have never expected to have had such a great time in Milan. I will now always have these memories as my first trip during my study abroad. It was such a great time, I may have to squeeze in another visit to this fashionable city. Thank you Milan for being a wonderful host!

XOXO RIVA DIVA