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Ciao from sunny Florence, where the Italy group has been immersed in the amazing art and architecture of the Renaissance!
We've gazed up at Michelangelo's "David" and the vast expanse of Brunelleschi's dome in the Duomo. In the Baptistery where Dante and Michelangelo were probably baptized, we've stood beneath the piercing gaze of Jesus in judgment in the mosaic covering the ceiling above us. We've wandered through the priceless collection of art in the Uffizi , pausing to reflect on what we've seen (especially Botticelli's"Birth of Venus") in our journals.
Some students headed off to nearby Pisa to photograph themselves "catching" the Leaning Tower in their hands. Others went to Santa Maria Novella to see Masaccio's "Trinity" and to shop in the attached apothecary for soaps and potions made with recipes handed down through generations of monks.
But we haven't spent all of our time in museums and churches. Early risers head off to the Mercato Centrale to buy fresh produce and fragrant cheeses. Yesterday, we spent the day in the Cinque Terra in the Italian Riviera, hiking through olive groves on the steep sides of cliffs and sunning ourselves on the beach.
Tomorrow we head to Rome, with a stop in Assisi and a visit to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus. Catch our next report from Roma, the eternal city.
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