5/16/10

It has been way too long since our last post! We'll just give you a quick run-down of the past few days; we've been very busy!

5/12

We toured San Apollinare and San Marco with our excellent guide Elizabeth. There were many frescoes, not just in the library and cafeteria, but every cell even had its own painting to inspire those living there. We met back up at 3:45 and Barbara took us to the Strozzi Palace, which has been turned into a museum. She gave us all dark textured paper and white conte to try, and then we had time to sketch before a short critique at the end.

5/13

We had the morning off and took advantage of the time to sleep in! We needed the rest before heading to the famous Uffizi Gallery in the afternoon. With works by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Tintoretto, Botticelli, and many others, we took our time looking at the different pieces! It was definitely an awing experience for us all!

5/14

Friday we met at Santa Croce which had many neat frescoes, but some construction was taking place so we didn't get to see it all. We did get to see the 260 tombs, including Galileo's and Michelangelo's in the floors in the floors and on the walls. In the afternoon we had the choice to visit Piti Palace with works by Raphael, or the Boboli Gardens, which sat on a mere 110 acres of land. Many of us enjoyed the sunshine outside in the garden and did some sketching there as well.

5/15

Yesterday morning we pulled all our luggage back to the train station and headed for Assisi. We took the train up to our hotel and unloaded everything in our new rooms. They are quite small, but the place has a fun character about it, and the hosts are great! On top of that we have a great view of the valley below us. After getting settled in we toured the Basilica of St. Francis with a guide who is a Franciscan lay person. He really helped us to understand the religious connotations of the artwork we saw in the catacombs, lower, and upper church. We all also tried Kathleen's favorite sandwiches at the nearby square, she definitely knows her food! Unfortunately it was rainy and cold all day, so we were all happy to head back to our rooms for the night.

5/16

Today we had time to just relax and look around before we head to Rome tomorrow. There was talk of a hike this afternoon, but the rain left it too muddy. Most of us took the time to explore Assisi and take pictures since it was too wet yesterday. There was a peace march that ended at the basilica we toured, which brought crowds of people with flags and scarves. It was really neat to experience!

We leave bright and early tomorrow for our last city before we come home!