BigWeather's Blog

We took a bus first to Pisa since it was raining. From the Pisa parking lot we took a mini train to the tower. The leaning tower was very cool and interesting to learn about. The tower leans due to the soil in Pisa. The tower has a curve that helps balance out the sinking. We then proceeded to enter the baptistry. The baptistry was amazing and had great acoustics. While we were there they did an acoustic check.

The baptistery of Pisa

The cathedral and leaning tower of Pisa.

Inside the baptistery.

View of the cathedral from the baptistery.

Afterwards we headed to Lucca. Lucca is a beautiful city and one of the only cities with city walls still perfectly intact. The walls are a heritage site and protected. We were able to ride bicycles along the wall. The weather was gorgeous and riding around was very fun. Apparently Lucca was one of the only cities that was autonomous for the majority of its history. At one point Florence bought Lucca then gave the city back to the people. After the ride we went to the cathedral and a plaza in the city. The cathedral were very pretty and had some nice murals. The plaza had two gates that could be shut. This is because the area used to be a prison. Prisoners were confined to the area and not allowed to leave.

One of the churches in Lucca.

An example of the mismatched columns of Lucca.

A segment of the city walls.

Biking on the city walls.

Part of the city walls.

The prison converted into a square of Lucca.

On Saturday we took a bus to Siena for the day. Siena is a very nice city that was historically at odds with Florence. Their government is composed of nine people from the different sections of the city. They are highly competitive between the different sections of the city. Twice a year they have a horse race and the winner gets bragging rights and an award.

The elements are so much cooler here.

We walked around the various areas of Siena and visited the cathedral. The cathedral had several mosaics and a music room. The music room held old sheet music collections and a painting that imitates people standing around arches. After the cathedral we visited the piazza del Campo. The piazza is a wedge shaped paved area in front of the government building.

View of Siena

The Piazza del Campo

The cathedral

One of the mosaics of the cathedral

One of the panels in the music room.

After lunch we went inside the government building and up the tower. From the tower we could see all of Sienna. While we were up there it started to rain so we had to make a hasty and interesting climb back down.

View of the city hall.

One of the statues featuring Romulus and Remus.

View from the top of the tower.

Part of the staircase that we had to climb.

Since we didn’t have class due to a local holiday our group decided to climb the Duomo. In order to beat the rest of the tourists we woke up early and arrived at the entrance used to climb the Duomo. We were the first people to arrive. As a result we were also first to tackle the climb. The staircases were narrow and interesting. The climb up to the point where we were above the stained glass windows was alternating square and spiral staircases. Once through the first set it is possible to see the stained glass and ceiling frescoe from a closer viewpoint. The climb to the top of the cupola (dome) was challenging since the stairs were short and followed the curve of the dome. Once on top of the cupola it is possible to see almost all of Florence. The view is amazing and was even better with less people up top.

One of the staircases leading to the top.

One of the stained glass windows of the Duomo.

A closer view of the dome’s ceiling frescoe.

Closer view of a segment of the frescoe.

View from the Cupola.

Instead of doing the walking tour a few of us decided to visit the cathedral instead. When we went to get in we found out that it opened in ten minutes. While waiting we saw Italian boy scouts. They had cooler uniforms than in America. Having been almost at the front of the line to get into the cathedral I was able to get some nice shots without a lot of people in the picture. We then went down below into the crypts. The crypts were awesome. It was possible to see the remains of mosaics. There were also several graves and bones of saints. They also had maps that showed the remains of the previous buildings that the Duomo was built on top of. You could look at the different previous structures and compare them as well as tell where material was borrowed from.

The clock inside the cathedral

Main area of the cathedral.

One of the tombs

Part of the excavated wall.

Map of the various sections of the Duomo.

One of the original floor mosaics.

After the cathedral we were really hungry and stopped at Panini Toscani identifiable by its green signs. The restaurant is owned and run by a husband-wife team. They buy local ingredients that are fresh and of a high quality. On your first visit they give you samples of the meats and cheeses. The food is really great and was quickly eaten. We then went to the Duomo museum. The museum is very large and nice to wander around in. Everything has its own space and the exhibits are very interesting. They have replicas of all of the statues that are on the facade. They also have screens that display the stained glass windows and ceiling frescoes up close. They also have sketches of the changing facade and the submitted designs for the cupola as well as relics on display.

Painting of one of the first facades.

An old Latin music book.

The original golden doors.

That night we hiked up to the Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte and Piazzale Michelangelo. Abbazia di san Miniato al Monte is a church that has very beautiful views of the entirety of Florence. From the church we saw some of the sunset. Unfortunately it was cloudy and not the clearest pictures of a sunset. We then walked to the Piazzale Michelanelo where we were able to see the Arno at night. On the way back we also stopped for gelato and found a gluten free shop for Kristen.

The Neptune statue at night.

The first full day in Florence was orientation day. For breakfast I went to a cafe near the Duomo. They had pastries and coffee. I had a very good croissant. As a group we proceeded to the LDM, Lorenzo de’ Medici institute, orientation where the Dean of Students, PicCell, medical professionals, and an officer from the Polizia di Stato spoke. They talked to us about safety, our phones, opportunities, and balancing coursework with seeing the sights. We then broke off into a separate NCSU orientation session. Since it was lunchtime we were allowed to go out and eat before going to the second session. We ate at Nerone which was a really awesome pizza place. The pizza was as big as the plate and was slightly spicy. We then tried their coffee and found out that ordering a latte means you will only get steamed milk. You have to order a cafe latte in order to have coffee and milk. The NCSU orientation session included a second talk from the Dean of Students. We were then told more about our program by Ken Johnson and Luca Casaglia. Since it was raining we postponed the walking tour and headed back to our apartments.

Italian pizza.

That night we went to the Palazzo Borghese for the LDM welcome banquet. It was located in a lovely old palace with great decor and an awesome chandelier. The food was brought out in waves and included breads, pasta, rice, and tiramisu. Seating was limited so we had to stand around tables and mingle. After all of my apartment was done eating we headed back. We then decided to hang out with some of the other students for the remainder of the night. We also found out that the Duomo is hard to see when you are close to it since the streets of Florence are winding and the buildings are tall.

A sitting room of the palace.

One of the chandeliers that I am jealous of.

One of the frescoes of the palace.

The day of traveling always ends up being the worst. All of the variables depend on each other and one delay can mess up everything. I was traveling with another student Katie which ended up being a good thing. The first flight was from Raleigh to Charlotte. We boarded the plane and were ready for takeoff when the pilot told us that we were delayed. We were forced to deplane and wait a hour before taking off. This caused us to miss our flight from Charlotte to Rome. Instead they rerouted us to London.Once in Heathrow we had to get on a plane to Rome.

In Rome we had to go through customs and baggage claim. We then walked as fast as possible to try and make our prearranged train. Luckily we were able to make the train and arrive in Florence.

Leaving the Rome terminal

View from the train

Once in Florence I unpacked and headed to the NCSU welcome dinner. The dinner was tasty and a great introduction to the trip. They served red wine and five different types of pasta. Salad and chicken followed the pasta. The dessert was a sampler tray of a strawberry item, chocolate cake, tiramisu, and cheesecake.