European Literary
Trails
Director:
Professor Jolanta W. Wawrzycka
Jenny Cline's Web Site 2003
Florence, Italy
Journal Entry: May 29, 2003
Somehow I knew that shoving everything into one suitcase even though I had another piece of luggage was a bad idea. My bag was red tagged as heavy and it didn't make it to Pisa when I did. So my first real cultural frustration has already taken place. I could not explain to the baggage office what happened to my luggage because they didn't speak English. I almost started to cry because they kept yelling at me in Italian and I kept trying to explain with my hands and simple English what happened. Luckily the man that was going to take us to our hotel knew some English and explained what happened to the guy in charge of baggage. At that point I knew that I was going to struggle here in Italy. Everything from the climate to the language is completely different from Ireland. The one odd comfort I have discovered today was that they drive on the right side of the road. I will no longer walk to the wrong side of a bus to board or look the wrong way crossing the street. However, I may look in the right direction crossing the street and still get run over, this place is mo-ped city. I've seen people in their nice work clothes riding around on mo-peds. It's kind of funny.
Left: A frontal view of Ponte Vecchio.
This was by far my favorite place in Florence. It's the oldest bridge in Italy. The only bridge in the city that wasn't harmed during WWII. The stores that line the bridge are all jewelry shops (Florence). One night we sat around the rear view point enjoyed a cool breeze and listened to a musician play his guitar on the street. It was relaxing after a long day of site seeing.
Right: View of Ponte Vecchio from the back.
Italy is exactly like I pictured it would be in some senses. I imagined it to have dull colored buildings adorned wooden shutters.
Left: This is a picture of a sculpture of Dante outside of the Uffizi.
If there was one thing that I wish I would've saved money for our bought a ticket to see before leaving for the trip it would've been the Uffizi. Kelin was smart enough to have gotten a ticket before we left and she said it was amazing. There's so much art history in Florence. Every time you turn around there's some type of art to feast your eyes on. Even if it's just a man dressed up as sculpture to take your picture with or a painter waiting to paint your portrait art is truly everywhere. (Its a classical artists heaven, you won't find much kitsch here!)
Left:
This a picture of a painting that hangs in the Church of Dante.
It is said that Dante met the love of his life in this very church.
Right: Interior of the Church of Dante.
Left: This is the best picture I could take of the Duomo.
The buildings, especially the churches, in Florence are so hard to photograph. They're so tall that you can't fit the entire thing in one shot. The Duomo is the tallest building in the city of Florence. It's such an attraction that long lines form outside of it daily. The longest line is to see Brunnelleschi's Dome. It's a long line plus 463 steps to the top but worth every one. From the top on the inside you can see the mural like mosiacs of a The Last Judgment. Also at the very top of the dome you can get a great view of Florence. Perhaps the most amazing feature about the Duomo is that Dante was baptized here (Florence).
Right: Inside the Duomo looking up into Brunnelleschi's Dome.
Left: Santa Croce
On the inside Santa Croce is lined with elaborate tombs of many famous Florentines. The two most famous being Galileo's and Michelangelo's. There is also a memorial that was erected in the honor of Dante by his admirers.(Florence)
Left: View looking down onto the Arno River and over Florence from the Piazzale. (You can see the dome of the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio in the background)
Right: Michelangelo's David in the Piazzale.
Journal Entry: May 31, 2003
We hiked all the way up to San Miniato al Monte today. It was quite a hike actually. I don't think I could've made it if we hadn't stopped for some Gilato along the way! Once we got to the top we looked around the gravesites that surround San Miniato al Monte and hungout to watch the sunset over Florence. The view is breathtaking from the top. I could see the old stone city walls and we had a clear shot of Ponte Vecchio as well as the Dome of the Duomo. The Duomo looks like it dominates the city from this spot.
Left: The sun setting over Florence. (gotta love the construction crane...uhhhhg!)
Journal Entry: June 1, 2003
Today I got so frustrated. The entire time I've been here I've walked the streets with my bag practically glued to my body, dodging beggars, and avoiding eye contact with any male in my path. It has gotten to the point where I don't enjoy walking around seeing the sites because it's almost a hassle to deal with the people around here. I also find the language barrier somewhat annoying. I just want someone to understand what I'm saying. I want someone to be able to answer me when I ask them how much something costs. We went to the beach today and the entire beach is lined with private access in which you have to pay to sit. I've never seen such a thing. We walked forever to find the public access and seriously its no wider than our hotel room. And of course it's jammed packed with people that don't want to pay to sit by the ocean! Nor have I ever seen so many scantly clad people on the beach. I realize its the beach but a two piece bathing suit is about as naked as Americans get in public but here they've practically kicked all modesty to the curb. It's almost as uncomfortable to see someone topless laying out as it is to be walking down the street and have men yelling at you in Italian with bits of English that they know. I think its time to go home.
After I wrote this entry I began to think about how selfish I was being. I realized that I wasn't in America, why should I expect that people are going to know what I'm saying! As frustrated as I was getting with them I'm sure they were equally frustrated with me. Maybe they were even offended that I didn't speak their language. Out of this experience I've gained more patience/appreciation for the differences that set my culture apart from others. I'm almost ashamed of what I've written above. The lesson I learned in Italy has even completely changed my attitude towards foreign people in the States. I try to treat the foreigners that visit the resort pool that I work at as I wanted to be treated in Italy. Even though I may not understand what they're trying to communicate to me at times, I try to be patient and help them to the best of my ability. I feel like Americans tend to be a little self righteous when it comes to cultural barriers and I can't deny after this trip that I am extremely lucky to have been born in the US. But I can't help thinking that being too proud of what you have can cause you to come off as a snob. I fear that many countries already classify Americans as being rather pompous. It was hard to believe that in Italy they have trash cans that say "Bush Sucks" on them( I realize that not every American is particularly fond of him but I somehow took seeing the trash cans as a personal attack on being American). I know that it would be impossible to change every foreigner's negative perception of Americans. But I do know that I can at least feel better about where I come from and who I am by giving them one positive perception by presenting myself as a well rounded, cultural aware/patient adult (with a smile upon my face...every culture understands that expression) to those I come in contact with. This lesson was more important than anything I could've learned from a text book. I will remember it forever simply because it was life altering.