7DT Florence Reflections
I really enjoyed this trip alot. I think that we were able to find a balance between seeing the historical sites and being able to hang out with our friends. I would have to say that overall my favorite part was when we got to have free time because we were able to go around certain parts of the city by ourselves. It gave us a feeling of independence and we were allowed to do whatever we wanted without the teachers being there to tell us what to do! Besides free time I got to see that Florence has many famous monuments that we were very fortunate to see at our young age. Like the David, which to me was so BIG! When you look at things in pictures they are nothing like what they are in person. Also I liked going to the Torre Di Giotto because we got to walk up all of those stairs (414 to be precise)
even though we were exhausted after, once we got to the top the view was amazing!
Shannon 7DT
During the past weeks at school, we had been working on Leonardo Da Vinci, and Florence. However, to get a closer view, Mr. Mullane organized a trip to Florence, where we had four days to explore the city.
My favorite part was when we went in the Duomo, and up the Torre Giotto. This is the first time that I saw Santa Maria Del Fore, and I was amazed of the dimensions, and of the beautiful decorations located on the outside, and in the inside of the church. The Giotto Tower is right next to the Duomo, and we climbed 414 steps to get to the top, where you could a spectacular view of all the city around. The best part, was when they give us one and half hours a day of free time to go around the city by are own, so we could see other things that we didn't have time to see during our "sight seeing". I also liked the free time, because we were free to do whatever we wanted, and enjoy the trip even more. even though we walked all day and were extremely tired we stayed up really late and the next day were fine. (I wish that would happen during school nights). The one and only thing that I didn't like, was that we had to take the bus every morning to go to Florence, and one day Zhayouan gave his seat to an old lady, but unfortunately for him she was the wrong lady to give his seat, because she kept talking and talking, the whole ride, and Zhayouan couldn't take it any more.
I really enjoyed going to the Academia to see the David, which I didn't even know what it was, but remained petrified from how Michelangelo's studies of the Human Anatomy helped him do perfect sculptures where you could even see the veins of the hands, and the muscles of the arms. I really liked this trip, because it showed me a city which I have never seen, and because we saw lots of famous places, like the Uffizzi and the Davanzati.
Giancarlo 7DT
This year with our class we went to visit the beautiful city of Florence. I enjoyed this trip because it was both fun and entertaining but also a new experience. I had never gone to Florence before and I found it to be a wonderful city because of its works of art, but also it's streets, shops and food.
The best thing about the trip was, in my opinion, the time we spent socializing with the rest of our class: even if I enjoyed visiting all the museums, I always looked forward to the free time. The Agriturismo where we stayed was wonderful: the rooms had everything we needed, they were big and close to each other. My house was very separated from the others, so I couldn't talk or play with my other friends in the other set of houses. One rule I think that should have been changed was that of us not being allowed to go into other friends rooms, even if it was during the day. Apart from that, I really enjoyed our stay in the Agriturismo: after returning from a tiring day in Florence it was nice to relax in the middle of the Tuscan countryside.
One of the monuments I really enjoyed seeing was the Torre di Giotto, although it was very tiring climbing up the 414 steps to the top. When we reached the top, all of Florence lay under us. It was really a beautiful view from up there, when we had to descend everyone was reluctant. The Uffizi gallery was also very beautiful, I especialy liked seeing Botticelli's paintings such as the Primavera and La Nascita di Venere. I had studied them in books but when I saw them there before me it had a whole new impact. It's hard to believe all those paintings are 500 years old! We also visited the Accademia, where the famous David of Michelangelo stands even today. Drawing sketches of it was quite interesting: I really learned how Michelangelo was a master in his job. Drawing all the muscles, the veins and the little details on the David was extremly hard!
What I didn't really like about the trip was how we had a very packed schedule: we spent so little time at one place that my mind was spinning with different images of places. I couldn't even remember where I had seen a certain statue or painting! I know we were low on time, maybe next year we could either take some museums out of the program, or have five days instread of the four we had.
The food however was really good! Where we ate dinner we had full meals, all composed of wonderful Tuscan foods. Some people complained of having the same meals over and over gain, but they were so good I didn't get sick of them.
I really had fun during these four days, it was a good combination between fun and learning new things!
Federica 7DT
This years trip was in Florence. Overall it was a great trip, of course it had its ups and its downs, but the pros outweigh the cons. Personally my favorite part of the trip was sitting on a couch watching MTV after an intense day of sightseeing, but that was not my only favorite part. I also enjoyed running through the olive trees in the valley at the agriturismo. I guess the reason why I enjoyed being at the agriturismo so much was because after a really satisfying day of sightseeing it was nice just too cool off in the garden with the wind blowing. I enjoyed being at the agriturismo because I loved the feel of the sun and the wind on my face. Of course the agriturismo was not the only thing I enjoyed, Florence was also great although i think that they tried to make everything fit in one day. I'm not saying that we did not have enough free time, of that we had plenty, but the problem was that we could only stay at each sight for 10 minutes. With Florence you would have to be there for weeks to manage to see everything thoroughly. I feel like we only got to study each monument superficially. The trip was extremely educational in many ways: we got to see the birth place of the renaissance, we learned about renaissance artists and their techniques, and much much more. i fell that the best way for me to express myself is through a short poem
The hour ticks toward its last
The sun sets on the city
The evening sped so quickly past
The city looks so pretty.
The trees are speckled with olives
The moon creep on the city
The valley looks like it could live
The city looks so pretty.
Maita 7DT
The Florence trip was a wonderful experience. I had already been in Florence, once, but this time it was completely different. Before leaving for Florence, I had already studied in depth the famous artists, inventors, important families of the Renaissance, so I was able to fully understand the aritstic beauty of the city. During the trip we were able to visit all the main sights and buildings that are characterstic of Florence.
The part I enjoyed the most was probably the Uffizi, because I am beginning to appreciate art and art galleries. In addition, I am particularly interested in Botticelli's work so it was a great opportunity for me because we were able to see his most famous paintings. The Torre di Giotto was another aspect of Florence that I found fun and exciting. One factor being, the chance of climbing up the tower (about 414 steps) with my friends. Even though it was long walk, when we arrived at the top we realized it was all worth it: the view was spectacular! Always regarding the cultural side of the trip, I found the Medieval town called San Gimigniano beautiful. San Gimigniano was peaceful and serene, and not too crowded. It was intersting to walk through the small town, becuase while doing so, it gave me a better idea of Florence during earlier years.
Another aspect of the trip which I liked was the freedom given to us students. This meaning that we had a lot of free-time around the cultural center of Florence, which we could explore for a certain amount of time. We all were responsible enough to do so without a teacher, which differences from the previous school trips. I found this was a good choice because, between sights and touring we all enjoyed a break to walk, talk and shop with our friends.
Silvia 7DT
March 19, 2009
Upon arrival in Florence, it seemed as if we were transported back through time. The whole city was practically perfectly intact. As we wandered the streets during our free time, we always passed a new building that dated back from the Renaissance.
I'd have to say that my favorite part of the trip was either seeing the Uffizi or just having free-time. I liked having free-time because it enabled us to get our own personal taste of Florence. For some people it might have been climbing up Bernaleschi's dome, and others going to McDonald's with friends. For me it was a mix of both. For the most part, I walked around with Oscar, Zhaoyuan and Giancarlo. We visited Santa Croce, a beautiful church about 10 minutes from the Piazza della Signoria. We also went to some cafe's to try the pastici and coffee of Florence, and some of us went to buy waffles smothered in chocolate (Oscar and Giancarlo). I loved it when we got lost during our free time, because it let us see things by accident. For example one time we got lost and we ended up finding a whole small church devoted to Dante Alighieri. We also found a street devoted to just leather goods. It was a great feeling to be given so much responsibility. For the most part, all of us used it well.
I loved going to the Uffizi, not because I have never been there (I've been there about three times) but because I love how you can look at the same painting over and over and still find new aspects you like of it each time. I found one painting that I have always loved, since I was 9. It's a picture of a baby of noble birth laughing. I love the picture because it is so realistic, you see the dimples on his face (as a result of his smile) and on his fingers. In the painting he is holding a bird. The painter shows how babies are not aware of what they do by clearly showing that the bird is being suffocated by the baby's grip. I enjoyed pointing things out to my friends that they did not notice, for example I showed Ms. Ton-That some painted fingers that the painter had forgotten to rub out at the bottom of a painting.
I thought that the trip was extremely successful. We all learned more of the history of Florence and of most Renaissance, and at the same time we learned about the modern culture. We had moments of tension (when part of our group split on the way to the train station and got lost) and moments of laughter (watching Zhaoyuan and Oscar go crazy in our room.) All in all, we all got our own, unique taste of Florence.
John 7DT
Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy
Florence was a very fun experience for me. I had been to Florence before but it was quite boring visiting all these museums and walking for hours and hours having no idea what you are doing. Instead when I went with my class I got to spend time with my friends but do the whole cultural tour too. I think the best part was free time. I liked it a lot because I could have fun and buy interesting souvenirs. I remember during free time we always had a certain meeting place where we had to be for a certain time where I always got lost with all my friends. On the second day we took a nice tour around Florence where we saw famous monuments, churches and museums like The David, Santa Maria Novella and L'Accademia.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the Torre di Giotto. In this tower there were 414 steps we had to climb. Everyone started running at the beginning that by the first half they were starting to get extremely tired. I also liked to sketch monuments, or even the little details in churhces or architectre. The agriturismo we stayed at was a beautiful place. It was surrounded by fields of olive trees and wild animals; obviously, the kind that are not dangerous. The food wasn't bad, it was typical and Tuscan. The days were packed and tiring!
Alex 7DT
I really enjoyed our trip to Florence. I have always wanted to visit this great city, birthplace of the Renaissance. During this trip we saw many important monuments and paintings. I could never imagine that Florence had such a great cultural and artistic heritage. Personally I think that the best part of this trip was when we visited the Uffizi Gallery and the Giotto Tower. In the Uffizi Gallery we saw some of the greatest paintings of the Renaissance such as "The Primavera" and "The Birth of Venus" both by Sandro Botticelli, "The Baptism of Christ " by Verrocchio and his apprentices and the potraits of the Dukes of Montefeltro by Piero della Francesca.
Daniele S. 7DT
It's very hard to say something against Florence. Only positive comments can come out of my mouth when talking about this particular subject. This is what I have to say about Florence:
What I liked most was the Giotto Tower,
Being so tall it's a very effective symbol of power.
As soon as you get to the top you get a beautiful view.
You feel like the person who has the most power in the world is you.
But the thing you most enjoy is the simple spring breeze
As you watch the monuments and countyside with ease.
The Giotto Tower had a very beautiful view and it was very fun to climb those 414 steps! When you got to the top you could see all of the historical towers and most of the castles and monuments. Obviously one of those monuments included the Duomo since it was right next to the Giotto Tower. There were a few ruins in sight but not many. The thing that was the clearest though (besides the Duomo) was the beautiful Tuscan countryside!
Another thing I enjoyed was the Science Museum. It was interesting to learn about how you can find the height of a mountain on the moon by just looking at it through a telescope! It was very complicated and it must have taken years to come up with the theory of using Pythagoras's Theroem to find the height of the mountain! The French electricity conductor was the coolest part of the Science Museum though.
Another one of my favourite things we saw was the Uffizi Gallery. It had so many different and different works of art. My favourite painting was the Primavera by Botticelli. It was one of the remarkable Renaissance paintings that used Ancient Greek myth as a theme for the painting.
But the thing that I enjoyed the most was free time!!!
Alex W. 7DT
I thought Florence was a really wonderful and exciting trip. Over the few days we stayed there, I became hyptnotised with the beauty and liveliness of the city. Every day we would walk around and see amazing sights until our eyes turned round.
During our stay at the agriturismo we saw and played in the beautiful green vineyards and got some sense of how beautiful Tuscany was. Every day we saw about ten musems, my favourite of the various musems we saw, was the Uffizzi gallery. In the Uffizzi gallery we saw
a beutiful painting by Sandro Botticili called " La Primevera". In " La Primevera" we saw one lady escaping from the frozen grasps of winter and entering into beutiful green spring. Every day we would rise from the warmth of our beds at seven thirty, and go outside where the coolness of the morning greeted us. We would gather in the breakfast room where Mr.Mullane, Mrs.Duranti, and Mrs. Ton-That would tell us their plans for today. When we toured florence we had about half an hour of free time each day, where you got to go off in groups and walk around Florence's huge piazzas and narrow streets.
Over all I thought florence was amazing and wonderfull as Umbria, and I would gladly go there agian.
Arianna 7DT
Florence was amazing, every monument was really interesting and full of stories to tell. Each place we went to had its characteristics. Frescoes, paintings, mural decorations, golden structures filled up the walls. Different statues were neatly placed all around monument's yards. Some places were darker than others, some older and each was a mixture of medieval or renaissance styles. We were really lucky to have the sun shining each day, the monuments wouldn't have looked so amazing.
I loved the view of the city from the top of the Giotto tower. There was a moment in which the clouds were closing in on the city, it seemed as if it was going to rain, the contrast between the monuments and the dark clouds was really cool. I also enjoyed climbing up the 414 steps to reach the top. The staircase was mainly dark, but sometimes, out of nowhere there was a tiny window. After a number of steps there would be a little clearing in the where the sun could enter. The Giotto tower looked really bright from farther down, in the city, the white and green marble shined in the sunlight. I also really enjoyed the science museum. The guide explained carefully every theory and showed us how each machine worked. She taught us how to measure the height of a mountain on the moon. It's actually not that hard, I would be able to do it myself now. I think that the best part of the trip was the free time, this is because we could both stand around and talk to our friend but we could also walk around the city and visit places by our selves. each day we had an hour or more of free time. During that time I went to the Ponte Vecchio, to the Duomo and to many more places. The ice cream was delicious.
FInally each night, the whole class met in a room and we played games. We were split into groups, the games mostly included answering questions on the things the teachers or guides told us that day.
I enjoyed the overall trip.
Giorgia 7DT
Florence enchanted me. It is the most beautiful city in Italy. Santa Maria del Fiore, Duomo Torre Giotto, the Cupola by Brunelleschi and the David by Michelangelo are only some of the city's cultural and artistical heritage. Inside the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence may be some of the best paintings in all Italy, such as 'La Primavera' or 'La Nascita di Venere' both by Sandro Botticelli, or 'Federico da Montefeltro' by Piero della Francesca. Without forgetting the the most interesting meseums from the Renaissance, the Palazzo vecchio, the Davizzi/Davanzati household and the grand collections of science and art by the Medici family.
Daniele B. 7DT