May 26-29
First international flight. Went quite well. Nine and a half hours to Frankfurt from Houston. Altitude: 37000 miles; 664 mph. Hour and a half to Florence. Courtney was my mystery passenger. Shes from Texas A&M with a group backpacking across Europe for 25 days. I deem her kool.
The apartment is phenomenally small and quaint, really nice. First one to arrive and i got to meet the landlord. He spoke broken english but the translator helped me out. Told me the building i saty in is 1 of 6 original Florentine buildings from the 13th century. Its directly in the center of Florence, not 5 minutes away from everything important. My fellow roomates are Barrett, Caitlyn and Sarah; all really kool.
San Miniato al Monte, with wonderful wooden trusses, hand-painted
Oh and this is my professor George Loli. And thats an olive tree.
May 30-June 3
Best coffe in the world at Riviore, a somewhat high class caffe accross the sqaure from Pilazzo Vecchio, and this is how much i get. I drank it like this the first time then added milk (latte) hereafter. Cost 1euro and i hardly go a day without one. They are closed on Mondays so i go elsewhere.
According to legend there was a big boar who due to some thing turned into a small pig. Touch the snout come back to Florence is the tradition.
Felt like i was wasting time, there are plenty of sorority girls on the trip so plenty of talking. Left the group Sunday night to take night pictures alone. It's pretty safe here until 2:00; i was home for 12. its a really peacful city at night, except for the drunks yelling occasionally. They really like to party here, and they party late. 
June 1-2 Don't know if we're related. 
Amazing roofs here. This used to be a convent, its been transformed into a very nice library, with a stupendous view of Brunelleschi's dome.
Half the time i dont know what im ordering, but all of it is delicioso. This is one of the two markets here in Florence, with plenty of fresh vegetables fruit poultry and other meats, with little cafes and shops scattered around. This is a cold tomato pasta, really good.
George is still kool. 
The roof of the only Boroque style Cathedral in Florence. Florentines detested baroque, creating the Renaissance instead. This is mild compared to Roman baroque style.
In comparison this is a Gothic cathedral roof, hand carved from wood expressing the simplicity and modesty compared to Baroque style churches.
This is just hilarious 
Climbed 400somthin stairs to the top of the Duomo. It was raining so not very far but still astonishing. Thats the Campanella (bell tower) right there. 
And this is what im standing on. Brunalleche's Dome is actually not a dome and is actually two of them, one inside and another on top for weatherizing. The stairs to get on top are between the 'domes' 
June 3 The markets of San Lorenzo are more popular, larger, and closer than te market we attended earlier. This food was amazing; 9euros. 
Medicci church used as the family burial tombs. Mostly everthing designed by Michealangello. This dome picture is illegal, sort of. 
The Duomo, more accurately Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. Truly remarkable space, modest and simple but overpowering.
June 4 Hardstone museum, exhibiting the extremely difficult and time consuming craft of cutting and piecing together hardstones found in nature, creating portraits. Here is hardstone work above paintings of the same. The nearest thing is mosaic, but this is far more superior and precise.
Vevoli's is a classic gelato shop, famous due to bill clinton and others attendance at the shop, as well as its phenomenal taste. Used to be the for sure best gelato shop in Florence, but many other shops have since grown in quality.
June 5-6 Forence Train station, Architect Giovani Maccullochi, one of George's professors and pioneer in Florentine modern architecture. From here i travled to Pontessieve and Arezzo, two small towns south of Florence, for the weekend.
Pontessieve is so called due to its bridge (ponte) crossing the river (Sieve). Here we attended the wine festival where i paid 5Euros for three glasses to taste, one red, one white, and a dessert wine. Afterwards i walked through the river Sieve, only to find out later its a federal crime to tamper in any way with the city's water supply.
The next day we travled further south to Arezzo, a larger town than Pontessieve for a monthly city-wide antique show. Anything from teapots to furniture sold in the streets. I went with the intent on finding a caffe cup and saucer, which i did. I brought the guy down from 20- to 15Euros for a nice unique set.
June 7 George took us to Sargone, a 'projects' are outside of Florence with modern appartments by Savioli, Ricci, and others. This holds deep connection to what i've learnt second year, second semester. Look at this and you can clearly distinguish how every force is held as well as what hold the structure together. There's no disguises or tricks to make it seem like its something else, its true to itself. Italy is also a masonry, concrete, stone architype region. glass and steel structures are rare and this complex holds a deep regionalism to Florence. 
June 8 Visited the Accademia, the museum holding Michealangello's David. I'll be going back because it's my focus study, and i get free access whenever i want with my museum card. Next was San Marco, a church and monestary housing paintings by Francesco, the most famous being his Annunciation with the first signs of perspective painting. This room hiolds the cells each monk lived in, smaller than my room at home. its on the second floor 'in the attic' it looks like, but its intruiging spacially. 
June 9 Santo Spirito (church of the Holy Spirit), a church by Brunelleschi. This and San Lorenzo are similar in style, Spirito comming after and therefore fixing many 'problems' not addressed in Lorenzo. This is most likely my favorite church, inside and out. The facade was purposefully left plain and flat this way, and the inside is extrememly pure and elegant, simple and modest. It's also created using precise and exact proportions, everything fitting into and becoming part of everything else. 
June 10-13 ROMA Threre days in Rome is not enough time to cover anyhting thoroughly, so many things are just blurs. A short walk to tour the city and get our bearings. We toured the colosseum and the forum on day one. Our tour guide was really informative detailing every ruin and its use. 
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Vatican and Saint Peters Church
June 14-15 Modern architecture trip, first to the Palace of Justice, not yet completed. I find it remarkable the way Florentines continue to sport their architectural style even into modern times. This doesnt mean it looks Florentine as much as it resembles it, holding the same priciples not neccessarily the same looks. 
Florence Church f the Highway, designed by Maccullochi as a highway retreat. The structure is completely concrete and stonework, resembling the forces of a tree holding an outstretched tent. 
Trip to Boboli Gardens, belonging to the Medici's of Pitti Palace. Large gardens but nothing interesting to me, except this viesw of the backcountry.
June 16 Pisa. rained miserabley. could have been betterJune 17...not sure where this went...
June 18 Florence Public Library (our equavalent to Library of Congress). Really amazing system both economically saving space and keeping order. No student searches for a book but requests one from the main checkout. We got a tour of the back rooms which hold the books. 
More Modern Architecture by Leonardo Savioli, remember Sargone? 
JUNE 19-20 Cinque Terre Trip to Cingue Terre (five lands), for one day, sleepover optional. Me and Andrew slept in this nice old Italian ladies home for 40Euros each. She didnt speak any English. It took 10 minutes to get inside the front gate. This picture shows 4 of the five cities along the sea. Me and Andrew spent the afternoon saturday as well as the night in Montorosso, the last town where this photo is from. 
On the 20th Andrew and I hiked from Montorosso to Vernazza, the next town over. It took 2 hours to traverse the side of four hills on a closed mountain trail; closed due to the heavy rains the day before, with an on-and-off drizzle on the way up. Once we arrived in Vernazza all the sky was clear and sunny. Evedence of small rock slides and mountain streams rushing down the hills made it feel perilous. The whole of Cinque Terre was an amazing ezperience, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
June 21 Another tour day with Santa Croche (Holy Cross), Cappella de'Pazzi, Palazza Medici/Ricardi 
June 22 Visited a pretty awesome church right out of Bologna, might have been worth the 50euros train ride there and back. The space as a whole is really magnificent and simple, solely to catch and hold light. We also toured around Bologna to see some modern architecture by Corbusier among others, and my personal favorite, the Urban Center of Bologna housing proposals from arhitects in Bologna for Bologna.
June 23-24 Visit to the Opera del Duomo, housing my second favorite sculpture ever: Mary Magdeline by Donatello. This was done towarsd the end of his life hence the dreary, very emotional expression and overall composition. He also became, like many artists of his day, deeper in the Christian faith towards his death adding to the overall effort put forth. Next day we traveled to Fiosole, a small town above florence with an amazing view of the whole valley. 
June 25-26 Paris trip begins today, which i didnt attend, and Switzerland was the other place many went. There were, I believe no more than 8 people left in Florence for that weekend. Thursday was the San Giovanni de Baptiste Festival, that morning there was a parade between Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo. During the waiting time there was flag athletics is the best way to put it. That night i witnessed the best fireworks show ever, better than Disney world im positive. Friday, Craig Sarah and I went rent bikes to tour Florence fast. Found a park.
June 28-29 More churches these past 2 days, four or five i believe. But the main thing is i found my vespa color. This bad boy right here. Also we visited a half Scarpa church, scarpa the modern architect not scarpa the Italian for shoe. This church was mediocerly phenomenal. I absolutely loved the ceiling. 
June 30 Tour of Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) the political center of Florence. Found my absolute favorite ceiling in the world. Then a trip to Bardini Gardens (not even close to Boboli Gardens awesomeness) where i completed my best watercolor ever (not even close to George's awesomeness). Also bought a cup and saucer ceramic set designed by an architect. 40Euros together.
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