Ciao!

This is Serena, and I will be guiding you through this first blog post!

We have settled in nicely in Florence! Sunday evening, we enjoyed a nice dinner, walked to Piazza della Signoria, and enjoyed gelato before it started to rain. We met at a cafe Monday morning before heading to orientation for Florence University of the Arts (FUA). We all started our classes on Tuesday, May 16th. Some of us are in larger classes, while I am the only student in my class! I am taking vocal lessons with a private coach. We are working on breathing, opening the jaw and mouth to produce a better sound, and an Italian piece, Caro mio ben. After class, we discussed how everything went, and it sounds like we will all enjoy our classes!

After those of us in the 12:00-3:00 pm classes got out of class, we all met at the Palazzo Vecchio. The Palazzo Vecchio sits on the Piazza della Signoria we enjoyed Sunday evening. It is definitely a popular place. Immediately upon entering the building, guests are greeted with a large, open courtyard that was recently restored in 2021. This courtyard was designed by Michelozzo in 1453. In the center of the courtyard, there is a fountain depicting Putto with dolphin by Andrea del Verrocchio. The oldest statue of Putto with dolphin was once there, but has been moved into the palazzo. Inside the Palazzo Vecchio, the first room is the Salone dei Cinquecento, also known as the “Hall of the Five Hundred.”

The Palazzo Vecchio was built to house the Florentine Republic meetings, and the Salone dei Cinquecento held the public meetings. The ‘500’ comes from the 500 man assembly that met there for the Florentine Republic. The hall was not always this decorated. When Savonarola was leading the Republic, he ordered the building of the hall in 1494, and it was monastic. When Cosimo I took charge of the hall for his court, he hired Vasari to decorate the place. Vasari painted 39 gilded ceiling panels that tell Cosimo I’s life story, and cyclic frescoes that depict The Battle of Marciano. The Battle of Marciano is important because it is when Florence triumphed over its rivals, Pisa and Siena.

Here is a link to read further into the Salone dei Cinquecento and the possibility of a Leonardo da Vinci piece behind The Battle of Marciano: Visiting The Historic Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, The Complete Guide – The Geographical Cure

Once we spent time in the Salone dei Cinquecento, we ventured into the rest of the Palazzo Vecchio. Throughout the Palazzo are apartments and spaces dedicated to Medici family members, Cosimo, Roman gods, and biblical characters.

After spending time in the Palazzo, we split up and did individual things. Some went to retrieve luggage (now everyone has their luggage!!), back to their apartments, or shopping. Tuesday, May 16th, we invited the other students to venture to our apartment and have dinner with us. Martina prepared dinner for six of us! I’ve attached a picture of what we were lucky enough to enjoy!

After dinner, we all played several games of Uno, although our last game itself lasted forever. We had such a great time and laughed so hard we would forget whose turn it was.

Across from our apartment, we have a neighbor who has his doors open occasionally. We also open our windows because it’s important to ventilate older apartments. Sometimes, our neighbor is in his doorway, or out on his balcony, and waves to us.

We are enjoying Florence, our classes, and our adventures!