Toscana..

O’ place of warm golden sunlight, and shady retreats looking out into the Tuscan landscape.The place where the artist hand has chiseled and brought the forms to life.
Toscana, her lush and inviting hillsides, valley bottoms and rich furtilground, lay wait for me And the new lover that comes to her every new day. You cannot escape her beauty, nor her history, she stays on your mind even after the nightfall The starry nights still allow the grape to ripen, the olive to darken, as we turn out the lights.You can know that the through the window,tomorrow you will find the furtilground once again.

Santa Croce...The Tombs and Pazzi Chapel

The burial tombs inside Santo Croce are of Dante Alghieri, Michelangelo, and Galileo
Harmony and balance is abundant in the archictectural spaces that Brunelleschi touched and created. It was quiet and provoking at the same time. Something more was realised than just an aesthetic judgment of beauty. The forms are incredible and create an awe in your heart and mind. Santa Croce is a Franciscan order cathedral that reached out to the poor of Florence, but it is in the space outside of Santa Croce in the Pazzi Chapel for example that I felt this harmony. This space seemed timeless and perfect. Brunelleschi took principles that earlier philosophers and mathematicians used in defining such perfect form and applied them to the Gothic and Renaissance works he was commisioned to design. The Florentine architect and engineer Filippo Brunelleschi was the first to carry out a series of experiments leading to a mathematical theory of perspective. Follow a link below to see some of his great buildings in Firenze. The interior of San Spirito is another favorite place, you can sit inside to escape the heat and meditate quietly absorbing the perfection of the interior space that has given refuge to many a soul.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Filippo_Brunelleschi.html

Lucca..Birthplace of Puccini and many others

Lucca is located near the Sercchio River, about 80 kilometers from Firenze near the Apuan Alps. Our visit to Lucca kept us there well into the night. We enjoyed the sites, sounds and flavors of this spectacular Medieval city. A walled city like most Medieval towns that I visited while studying in Italy, Lucca has a unique round piazza. The top of the walled areas are paved now and people stroll by holding hands, older men like riding bicycles and looking at girls. I was told by locals in the years past, they held car races around the promenade. That would be a crazy but fun event to watch. I am just not sure where you would have the safest vantage point. Before the car races they held horse races on the promenade.
Lucca and this part of Tuscany is extremely rich in culture and has a much different geological landscape. I really wanted to go see marble being cut away from the mountainsides but we ran out of daylight. The Serchio Valley and Garfagnana regions are full of gentle peaceful hills and majestic mountains of marble and rock that loom over the valley bottom along the winding river. Roads wind their way and unexpectedly open out into sunny areas with small ancient villages, settled on green hills, that reflect in lakes with magic images, the drive is quite beautiful. Lucca the capital of the province is an example of perfectly preserved city walls, it has maintained its characteristics since Roman times until today. The cathedrals all have Romanesque elements of design and archictecture. I saw one of the earliest Fiat's ever made while in Lucca, the photograpgh of the dog is funny to me. He only responded to me when I started to speak in Italian to him. Go to the link below if you are interested in the life and work of the great Italian composer, Puccini.
Un saluto!


http://www.landofpuccini.com/eng/life.asp

Greve in Chianti

John and I rented a car so we could get out of Florence and explore the Tuscan countryside. I am so glad we did this because we got to travel the back country roads, most tourists and students never get to see. To drive in Italy is a whole different experience..we rented some little zippy thing and I loved driving it! There is only one hard and fast rule while driving in Italy, move or get run over! John really liked my driving, except I made him a little nervous going backwards down the hillside through the vineyards. I couldn't get the clutch to engage, and we were on a steep hill, starting to drift backwards through the vines. There was only one way out of the vineyards, the same way we drifted backwards and downhill. I told him that not many people get to see Italy in reverse. He should have been thankful for all the photo ops I provided for him!

The hillsides were covered with vineyards and olive groves, majestic hillside Tuscan Villas. Truly breathtaking! We enjoyed some beautiful Chianti's that day, we took our good ole' time and it was one of my favorite days I had in Italy! VignaMaggio vineyard and Villa is said to be the birthplace of Mona Lisa. The movie Much Ado About Nothing was filmed here in 1993.

Enjoy the Link:http://www.lodgephoto.com/galleries/italy-tuscany/chianti/vignamaggio/

GELATO!!

Anyone who has ever tasted it knows how delicious it is and always worth the walk.
John looking out over the Arno River after our walk for ice cream!

The party after the party...

Antonio, Megan, John and I watched the celebrated fireworks display that takes place every June, 23rd in recognition of Florence's patron saint. St. John! Afterwards, Antonio ran into Andrea and Pasquale, friends of his and we all went together for something to eat and drink.

Andrea is an Artist, Antonio an Archictect, Pasquale a Philosopher, John...has studied everything and he drives me nuts, but I love him! These people are all so accomplished. Then there was Megan and I, just regular students studying abroad or so they thought. Think about the kind of mind Megan must have as the daughter of a philosopher, and then there is "Me", whatever I am. I had just finished studying under the guidance of Dr. Lee, on Kantian philosophy. Pasquale catches on pretty fast that I could discuss Kant on some level with him and then the real fun begins. We were up until about 5:30 am, in discussion. Pasquale in the picture above sits next to me and warns me that philosophy is a sickness for him. Well...isn't it for anyone who is serious about it! Antonio served as a formidable translator, and I managed to hold Pasquale for several hours. Pasquale and I continued to have dialogue over the next few weeks. Very challenging discussions for both of us! Some of the best fun and excitement...very stimulating, think of the symposium, yes...there was wine by the craters! FYI...my camera starts getting goofy, so some of the pictures that I post take on some bizarre effects, but I like some of them! I hope you enjoy them!

The Arno River's Golden Edge..Firenze

John arrived in Firenze..San Giovanni's Festival

The crowd was building on the bridge to watch for the fireworks.

Our last night together..I stayed behind in Firenze two more weeks

Meredith, Tamara and Christine's friend at the wine bar.

Lauren, Megan, Brittany and Ali trying to avoid the homeless guy who wanted their wine.

Our last formal dinner together at Za-Za's, Firenze.."The Girls"









Megan O.S and I