Oh look, a church!

Between my first taste of italian cheesecake and some more romps through the mountains, it's been pretty relaxed these last few days. This morning, those of us in Mariotti's art history class got up early to go downtown. We visited two places. First was Palazzo Davanzati, a gothic palace built in the 13th century for the Davanzati family. Today, the palace is a museum displaying life in a medieval home. I particularly enjoyed all the defensive mechanisms designed in the buildings- a double layer of huge wood doors, holes in the ceiling to throw rocks on people's head, and trap doors to escape (with openings to throw hot lead on people's faces). All of these were necessary in the 13th century palace to defend from street fighting aristocratic families, like the Montigues and the Capulets. Often, the brawls in the street were between the Guelphs and the Ghibbelines, or those who were loyal to the Holy Roman Empire and those who were loyal to the pope. Imagine a horde of angry libertarians coming at your house with battering rams, torches, and crossbows....

Another interesting aspect of the museum was the indoor plumbing. This palace was clearly one of the wealthiest palaces in the city, as evidenced by the large drain on the floor which emptied both roof water and sewage in to the tunnels below. According to our world renowned art history professor, the palace also included one of the first bathrooms... "in the history of bathrooms." In addition to the illustrious johns, the walls were lushly decorated with painted on tapestries. Yes, that's right, the walls were painted to make it look like there were tapestries- Since these decorations were so expensive, even the wealthiest Florentine families had to resort to the imitation brand, or, the Steve and Barry's of the tapistry world.

After the palace came a visit to the Bascillica of Santa Croce, a franciscan church with famous paintings by Giotto and his pupils. We didn't have too much time so we rushed by Gailileo and Michaelangelo's tombs (they're not really important anyway) to see many of the paintings. The church itself was designed by Arnolfo di Cambrio, one of the bigger names in 13th century Florentine art and architecture (which is why it looks like the Cathedral of Florence, which he also designed).

Another interesting feature of the church was the tombs on the floor- you literally cannot step anywhere without trampling someone's headstone. So sorry, Medici and Bardi families. Though you were the wealthiest and most powerful bankers in the world, I stomped all over you today (respectively, of course).

This afternoon featured yet another run into the mountains- my endurance is building up daily. On the way back, an Italian woman asked me for directions somewhere. Not understanding much of what she said to me, I replied "non capisco. Sono Americano. Mi dispiache." Thank you first week of Italian 101!

Off to hear some "American Music" at a bar in Florence... big day in Pisa and Lucca tomorrow! Arrivederci!