Galleria dell' Accademia - Firenze, Italia

This post will be highlighting the Galleria dell' Accademia in which we visited on one of the last days of our trip but more closely the "David". The Galleria dell' Accademia features one of the most important and famous statues of all time being the "David" by Michelangelo which was sculpted in Florence. When I initially got to Florence and saw the various replica "Davids," they were quite amazing because my only exposure to this has been in books and through pictures, but now I was looking at it for real. Upon my arrival to the Galleria dell' Accademia, I figured that the "David" in the museum would be almost exact to the replicas that are seen around the city, but boy I was wrong. The detail in the actual "David" by Michelangelo was much more particular as well as the sculpture itself was much bigger and almost took your breath away. It fascinated me how this was sculpted so long ago yet to me it seems with our advanced technology we have today this could not be sculpted in the way it was back in the Renaissance. When you walk into the museum, the sculpture is one of the first things you see and it is simply amazing how large and overwhelming the sculpture is in real life. This sculpture is one thing that has essentially made my trip worthwhile because I now have experience something that most people only see in books.

Venice: One of My Favorite Places in the World

This posting will strictly be from a non-educational or secular standpoint in that Nick and I went by ourselves this weekend to Venice without the rest of the class. We will not be attending the optional trip next weekend to Venice with the rest of the group. Let me start off by saying that Venice, Italy is the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my life. Although I would have loved to visit the Jewish ghettos in Venice that the rest of the group will be doing, I feel as though going to Venice is one of the best decisions of my life. The fact that Venice is a city on water is one of the most amazing and unreal things I have ever experienced. The canals are the means of transportation in Venice and the only way to get to different places is either walking over various bridges, or taking water taxis. Aside from the beautiful canals, the architecture was also amazing. The S. Marco Plazza, with the famous Venetian bell tower, was something that I could not wait to experience because of my two trips to Las Vegas where I stayed in the Venetian Hotel. Nightlife in Venice is exactly what they say it is which is nonexistent but the beauty of the place overwhelled me to a point where I didn't even need to go out that night. One thing I would like to discuss is how the only night that we were in Venice the plaza flooded just a little bit which seemed normal to the natives. This actually depressed me when I saw this because this amazing city one day may be totally underwater. The locals actually seemed to enjoy this event and they began to play in the flooded water and what seemed to be celebrate in the water. Overall, Venice is a place that is hard to describe in short but the pictures above say it all. Venice is my favorite place on Earth up until this time in my life.

Our Trip to Pisa, Italia

On Friday we left for Pisa, Italy at about 9:30 a.m. from Florence and I was quite excited due to my prior exposure to the one thing that Pisa is famous for, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. When arriving in Pisa, I felt as though this city reminded me of some of the other smaller cities we visited throughout our trip such as Bologna and Siena. We visited a synagogue in Pisa that was different than other synagogue we saw this trip because it was basically in the form of a town house from what it looked like from the outside. Aside form this experience, I would like to highlight our visit to the Jewish cemetery where we did rubbings of the engraving on the gravestones of old Jews who lived in Pisa. This experience really enlightened me about the Jewish community in Pisa, a small town in Italy. I feel as though by taking these rubbings not only gave me something to take home to remember Pisa, but also gave me an appreciation of how old some of these gravestones were and the Jewish history of Italy and Pisa. On a lighter note, I would like to add that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was even more beautiful in person and the face that the structure leans so much is quite amazing. I am skeptical about how long this structure will hold up but hopefully I will be long gone so I will not hear the bad news.

Our Jewish Experience in Bologna, Italia

Our trip to Bologna was the most Jewish learning experience in my opinion than every other city we have visited so far. Bologna as a side note I felt has some flaws yet has some strengths as well. I felt as though just as Randell has said, the food in Bologna was some of the best in Italy beating out Florence. Although with great food, I felt as though Bologna was not as beautiful as Florence or Rome with a less ancient historical look to it. Besides that and pertaining to the class and its curriculum, I felt as though Bologna had a lot more to offer as far as the Jews of Italy. We visited the Jewish Ghetto in Bologna although for obvious reasons did not look the same today, which was a main topic in out exploration of the Jews of Italy. I learned that this area which is present day Via Zamboni (professor made a lame joke about ice and zambonis) and Via Oberdan. We learned that in the Jewish ghetto in Bologna was established in May of 1556 after the issuance of Papal Bull by Paul IV which became the 2nd city in the Papal States to segregate Jews. The ghetto had two doors installed which were closed at night, and only allowed one synagogue. We learned about this ghetto in a Jewish museum which was originally built for the Pannolini family in the 15th and 16th century which is now used to educate young Jews about the history of Jews in Bologna.

(As a side note we also visted a university in Bologna and may I say this was much more historic and beautiful than any university that I have seen in America, just from the inside, the outside was not much to look at.)

Ancient Rome: Colosseum and The Pantheon

This weekend we went to Rome guided by our CET leader Randell which was quite an exciting yet not totally fulfilling experience for me. My only recollection of Rome is through movies such as that of Gladiator so this visit to Rome would help put the movie in a more historical context straying for a sometimes exaggerated Hollywood portrayal. We first visited the Colosseum which was where performances as well as gladiator fighting occurred between slaves as well as slaves against wild animals such as that of tigers. As I walked to the Colosseum, I was taken back by the size of this enormous structure mainly attributed to picturing how many people would of been in attendance at one of certain Roman events. The fact that the Colosseum was not completely still standing lead me to finally realize how old ancient Rome truly is. While standing inside this enormous structure I was puzzled at why there was stone ruins in the middle of the grassy field where the battles and events presumably took place. Maybe this is the floor underneath the grassy field that I picture being the battlefield that has maybe deteriorated over time but I am not sure. The size and old look of the Colosseum is what truly blew me away putting this massive structure only seen in movies in context.

The next place I would like to comment on, but not to take the place of the ancient Roman city that was truly unbelievable is The Pantheon which is an old Pagan temple. What stuck out in my mind that blew my mind was the roof of the structure. In the ceiling is a giant hole or circular opening that does not protect the inside of the temple from weather. This hole was told to us to only have significance for the purpose of providing light for the interior of the structure but I still am sceptical of this fact. I feel as though maybe there is some religious symbolic reasoning but with the absence of Professor Cooperman this information is still not known. I plan on discussing this with the professor tomorrow to clarify Randell's information. I could not grasp the fact that the floor of The Pantheon was not totally deteriorated by the storms that roll through Rome but once again without the professor took away from my Rome experience. In conclusion, I would like to go back to Rome and further explore these two structures again. I will be going back to Rome to visit Vatican City with Nick this weekend so that will be amazing.

Synagogue in Florence

The Synagogue we visited on Monday in Florence was something that absolutely was like no other experience I have ever had being a Jew. The synagogue's interior almost visually resembled the exact structure of that of a church. Being that we have learned about Judaism in the Renaissance period especially in Florence, we now know that Judaism stemmed from Christianity which is highly reflected by the appearance of the synagogue we visited. The seating was just like that of a Church not all facing the front of the structure, like what we are used to seeing in America. In addition, the artwork resembled that of a church with its detailed paintings and color scheme as well as the fact that the bema was placed in the front which is different. Professor Cooperman noted that a difference he experienced when he sat through a service in the synagogue was that the acoustics was something he was not used to. He claimed that it was hard to hear in such a large structure, which took away from his experience which isn't an issue in a synagogue in the U.S. Overall, the experience of being in a synagogue in Florence is different than any other that I have been previously used to in the U.S. due to its structure and powerful visual interior setting that resembled what we are used to seeing in a cathedral, is what set itself apart from all others I have seen.

The Power of the Cathedral in Italia

This blog isn't a blog about daily events or my adventures in Italy but will tackle the issue and explain my feelings about being a Jew, yet having been so powerfully affected by the insides of the cathedrals I have seen so far in Florence and Siena. Unlike when walking into cathedrals in America or even the synagogues so far I have seen in Italy, I have been totally blown away by the artwork and its religious and symbolic power in the cathedrals. This artwork tells the stories just as if it was read in a book but in a visual more powerful way. Me not being a very religious person, this abroad experience is more of a beginning to my religious education rather than a furthering of the learnings of certain topics that maybe some of the other students are experiencing. When walking into all the cathedrals I have seen so far I feel blown away by the extent of how these artists are consumed in their religion and that religion must of completely taken over the lives of these artists at the time that the artwork was made. I feel as though the meaning behind why these certain artists took the time to create the ceilings and art in the cathedrals goes behind anything I could ever image both religiously and artistically. The caliber of artwork created must entail passion for both art and religion to an extent that will never be seen again. In addition, unlike in the states, the art in these cathedrals bring tourist and money to these spots even for people who are of a different religion or have no interest in the religion aspect itself. Unlike in U.S. churches, these cathedrals can become areas of where scenic power is captured rather than religious power even though the majority of visitors may be there for the opposite reason. The work is truly so powerful that I am speechless when I enter certain cathedrals.

Siena, Italia: A different side of Italy

Today we visited Siena which was about an hour and 15 minute bus ride from Florence. At first glance I felt as though I would not enjoy this city as much as I do Florence but this soon changed. We first saw Siena's Duomo which was not as detailed on the outside as that of Florence but nevertheless was still amazing to see. The one event that stuck out in my mind and that will forever be held as an amazing experience was the lunch we had in the country side or grassy area of Siena. Before coming to Italy I pictured it to be exactly what Siena countryside was. Grassy hills with beautiful landscapes is what filled this area of Siena in the area we ate. As pictured above, this area is simply indescribable to capture the feeling of being there and you must see it to believe it. This was a nice break from eating in the city area of Italy where the sceneery is ancient architecture and truly made my realize the difference between America and Italy aside from its ancient cities. This country side area of Siena may be my favorite spot so far in my Italy adventure and I hope in the future there will be more of these types of excursions so I can experience not just religious ancient Italy but its natural landscape as well.

Amazing sites in Florence: Duomo, Piazzale Michaelangelo, Uffizi, and Ponte Vecchio

My blog may be out of order as far as which things we did on which days but nevertheless I wanted to write about the things we did even though it may be a few days late. On Sunday we toured Florence and its historical Renaissance architecture. We first visited the Duomo which is the center of Florence both geographically and spirtually and is what the city I would say is most famous for. Being that this structure took over a hundred of years to build, the detail on the outside of the building was so perticular and detailed whcih is what struck me as truly amazing. Detailed structres like this cannot be found anymore nor built in this way yet we would like to say we are more advanced in what we can do now. In addition to the detail one of my other favorite part in the same area was The Uffizi Gallery holding various famous sculptures featuring my favorite being the "David' by Michelangelo. Although I was disappointed at the obvious fact that these sculptures are replicas, I was taken back by the fact that I was actually looking at these certain structures that I have always dreamed about seeing and only saw in textbooks. We then made our way to one of my favorite part of the tour being the Ponte Vecchio which was the famous old bridge built over 600 plus years ago. I believe this is one of the most beautiful scenes and views in Florence. We then made our way to the most amazing place in my eyes maybe on Earth being the Piazzale Michaelangelo. This was a breathtaking view of the city where you could see every rooftop in Florence as well as the hills and mountains in the background. Although taken away by this view, the most sentimental or moving image was of that of a mentally challenged teenager about my age sitting in a wheelchair so taken away by this site that brought him to tears. This image made me think about life in a place that is what life is worth living for.

Soccer and Graffiti In Florence

Today we had our first class in the CET building with Professor Cooperman. He explained how the course was going to run as well as got into some background information about Jews in Italy as well as initial information about what will be covered in the class. Professor Cooperman struck me as quite interesting in his lectures in that he has the ability to capture his students attentions in ways that my previous professors could not. He engages us as students in information that may not be easy to grasp or may not be as interesting for some students as it is for others. The class seemed very interesting for me because I learned things that I did not previously know about the Jewish religion as well as their role in ancient Florence. After the lecture myself along with Nick, and Ross decided since we not have the rest of the day free we would go visit something of high interest to us that isn't as popular in the states. We visited the Florentina Stadium where Florence's soccer team plays. This stadium was extremely fascinating to me because I have never seen a soccer stadium of this size being that this sport is not as popular in America. I almost could picture the mayhem that would occur during the games. After being taken back by this, we made or decent back to the dorm but needed to cross under train tracks in order to get there. As we walked through the alley as you could call it underground, the entire walls were filled with graffiti to the point where there was open wall. This immediately raised the question who is this graffiti culture in Florence? Their artwork was different than that in America in that the detail and the amount of time that was apparently put into this work was remarkable. This art struck me in ways that make me now want to further explore the graffiti culture in Florence and its comparison to the United States. In closing, the stadium and the graffiti was a great alternative to the gorgeous religious and ancient architecture you are used to seeing in Florence.

My Arrival in Florence: Not so Hot

I arrived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands before a four hour layover on Saturday June 1 finally landing for the first time ever outside of the United States. My flight from Newark, New Jersey through KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was a 7 hour 20 minute flight which was actually a pleasure. The 737 plane got switched to a 747 double-floor aircraft so there was about 300 extra seats on the plane. I laid down and stretched out the entire time and it was basically the most enjoyable plane ride of my life. The Amsterdam airport was coll in that it had a casino and it was my first experience dealing with a language barrier. As I arrived in Florence after my layover, I noticed however the looks I was getting when I was going through security particularly aimed at my basketball sneakers. I received looks of astonishment with a mix of confusion at the look and style of my sneakers. Despite these looks, I couldn't of been in a better mood upon my arrival until I went retrieve my luggage. My luggage was determined "lost" and I was without basically all of my clothing until my bags were found. This put a pretty big damper on the beginning of my trip but taught me that I would just have to be patient and these types of this happen. We then arrived at the San Gallo Palace Hotel which was a four star hotel that was beautiful both indoor and outdoor. I was a little bummed that I had to share a bed with stinky Nick because there was three of us in the room but I dealt. That day we walked around for just a bit and saw the immediate part of the city we were staying in. First impression, the architecture was amazing and unlike anything I had previous experienced. That night I experienced my first dinner in Florence where we enjoyed pasta and wine which I may say ranked up with some of the best Italian food I've had (I would hope so being in Italy). That night we got wine and got to know each other in the hotel. My first day was extremely tiring because of jet lag and the stress of KLM losing my luggage but I learned to deal and adapt to my surroundings. (p.s. they found the luggage the next day not I am happy!!)