Officially done with classes for the 2009-2010 academic year. No more sitting in a desk for an hour and a half furiously taking notes! Of course, this year the celebratory feelings of being done with classes are confounded by the reality that this program ends in 3 days- and then I leave my Renaissance Villa that has housed me for the last 4 months.
Monday morning I woke up quite sore. The two hour soccer game with the middle schoolers had taken its toll. Spent all morning working on art history, cinema, and Italian, doing the compulsory pre-final exam comprehensive review. It's always difficult to clamp down and study for finals in the spring time. But when it is spring time in Italy the difficulty is infinitely multiplied.
Monday night I said Arrivederci to my conversation partner. He invited me to his house to enjoy a traditional tuscan dinner with his family. A very fine gesture- and a very fine dinner, featuring traditional antipasti toscano, risotto with pepper and prosciutto, fresh cod, roasted potatoes, and my favorite white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. As is usually the case, we spent much of the dinner piecing through my fragmented Italian grammar and turning it somehow into a conversation- before the dinner concluded with an intelligent conversation (in English) about Obama, Berlusconi, Health Care, Italian soccer, The horse races in Siena and so on. I've learned so much from these weekly meetings. Sad to see them end.
Yesterday began with one last field trip for art history. Again, we visited Palazzo Pitti, with its excessively three-dimensional 16th century frescoes. I don't understand how a painter can use paint to make a statue look like something Michelangelo carved from Tuscan marble. But it's possible apparently.
Following a brief visit to the palace, we went to its backyard- the Boboli Gardens. A destination that should be at the top of every traveler's list, the gardens are always isolated, quiet, and peaceful- exactly how the Medici family left them. With our art history professor's connections, we were once again able to see a hidden masterpiece on our own. I will definitely miss the VIP access to all of Florence's landmark sites.
The Boboli Grotto, designed to resemble a sea cave, was designed by the painter/biographer/architect Giorgio Vasari in the mid-1500s. Created to give the visitor the impression of being underwater, the grotto resembles something one would find in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Made with a mixture of sponges, wires, Michelangelo's unfinished sculptures, and masterpieces by Giambologna, the Grotto is Florence's most unique juxtaposition of sophisticated art and Disney World ingenuity. I'm sure Walt Disney had something like this in mind when he made his park. It's even true that the statues in the grotto used to be able to move through a system of hydraulic pumps.
Following the aquatic exploration of the Grotto, we simply walked around the garden, looking at cats, ancient sculptures, Renaissance fountains, blooming flowers, and admiring the hilltop views of the Duomo below us.
Last night at the villa was our "farewell celebration." Long hyped for the five course meal, the Villa was abuzz with anticipation throughout the afternoon. At 5:30, students from the Shakespeare class reenacted scenes from his plays in the Villa garden. The best reenactment featured actors sporting Wisconsin or Michigan t-shirts in the Romeo and Juliet fight scene. When the performances ended, there was still another 30 minutes before dinner. Just enough time to enjoy a game of Boccie on the Villa lawn.
Dinner definitely lived up to expectations. With over five courses, the dinner featured everything from liver pate to bruschetta, to reboiled soup, to Tuscan crepes, to grilled chicken, to everyone's favorite dessert, tiramisu. Nobody left the dinner table as easily as they arrived there, as everyone added at least an inch to their jean sizes. I'll never forget the image of our chef, Bruno, grilling chicken, as his pet chicken Henrietta stood by and watched eagerly.
Awww Panzer, it's sad to hear your journey is almost over in Italy. From the blogs I've been able to tell just how amazing of a time it has been for you, and it's clear that you have tons of memories to bring back with you. I won't lie, though: We miss you here!
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