As many of you know, I am studying abroad this summer in Florence & Tuscania, Italy! If only they cared about their wifi half as much as their wine I may have gotten this to you sooner, but nonetheless here's my first update from Italia. In Florence I am taking a course through the Lorenzo de' Medici Italian International Institute called Introduction to Digital Photography. I have never studied this before but am excited to learn how to use my fancy camera (for something other than sorority formals) in one of the most photographable places in the world! I decided to start this blog to showcase some of my favorite pictures and use them to update you on all my travels. Hopefully we'll see an improvement in my photography skills as the summer progresses! For my first entry, I'll cover my arrival in Florence through our first excursion to Lucca & Pisa.
Benvenuti in Italia
When we arrived in Florence we were transported to a hotel for one night in the center of Florence. Though it reminded me a bit of the waiting queue on Disney's Tower of Terror, this hotel had an old school charm that made for a great introduction to Europe. From my window I took this shot of a terrace overlooking a nearby building. It's a simple start but I like the focus distribution and colors of the nearby roof - definitely what I picture for the Tuscan region!
That night my program had a welcome dinner at a neighboring hotel's rooftop restaurant. After dinner as we made our way onto the roof deck terrace we were greeted by the sun setting over the city. Words or pictures (like much of what I will report here) cannot do this sight justice! As far as sunsets go, I have to say this may have been one of the best I've ever seen. I was able to snap this picture from the perspective of the back of the hotel's roof sign along with the nice aerial shot of the Duomo and city.
Lucca & Pisa
After we moved into our apartments on Monday and did a few more orientation things on Tuesday we were off on our first excursion to Lucca & Pisa! These are two towns that are part of the Tuscany region and were absolutely amazing. Lucca is very quaint and charming; most people travel by bicycle so you hardly see any cars through the tiny streets. It is also less touristy which meant I felt even more guilty for making the waiters decipher our sub-par Italian (thankfully "pizza" is the same in both languages). One of my favorite stops on our guided tour was a little bakery that smelled of the freshest pastries and desserts. I've learned from the master of bakeries himself - my dad - how to pick out the best pastry or what to do if you just can't decide (order one of everything). This time my friend and I opted to split a loaf of "treccia al cioccolata" or "braided bread with chocolate". It was exactly as good as it sounds! Here's my best picture of the pastry case, this time of a croissant filled with creme.
Like the labeling on my dad's Thanksgiving Petsi Pies order, this picture is only "1 of Many" of the delicious Italian food and desserts! Stay tuned for more.
After a quick lunch break, we only had about 30 minutes before we had to meet back at the bus. We hustled over and up 200+ steps to the top of a giant "tree tower" in the center of Lucca which offered us a stunning panoramic view of the town. Here are two of my favorites:
I wish we had more time to spend in Lucca, but it was on to the next stop: Pisa! I thought Harvard's tourist scene was bad - there's nothing like seeing hundreds of people finding creative ways to stand/support/kick/hold/etc. the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In this instance, I was no exception I have to admit. My friend also taking Photography here took this picture but I think it's a nice one to leave you with! Though I do have green screen experience (thanks, Mather House), I can assure you that yes, I was actually there despite the way this appears:
Next up is a report on our weekend in Padua, Venice & Verona! Until then, arrivederci tutti!
Megan
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