Wonderful People

I just want to take a brief moment to talk about how wonderful the people are here at the Accademia.  

Last Sunday night, I got the call that my grandmother had passed away. Even though she had Alzheimer's, her death did come as a surprise to me. Along with losing my grandmother, I also had to cope with the fact that I couldn't be home to spend this time with my family. 

I am so thankful for everyone at the Accademia though; the Furman music students, the drama students, and especially the staff. Everyone made it clear that they were there for me if I needed anything and tried to make this event as easy as possible.  

So anyone at the ADA who is reading this...thank you. 

Cinque Terre!

Due to my grandmother's passing and very very crappy wifi in the villa this past week, I wasn't able to post anything about my trip to Cinque Terre last weekend. So here you go!

So a few girls of the music group and myself decided last minute to have a girls weekend in Cinque Terre. It was one of our only free weekends, especially when the weather was warmer so we decided to hit the beach.

The trip to Cinque was a bit of a struggle. When we had to switch trains, we had no idea which train we needed to get on, what time, or what platform. Luckily, one of the workers there was extremely nice and helped us find our way. The real struggle began when we got to Moneglia, the town we were staying in. We were starving when we got off the train, so our first priority was to find food. Only one little pizzeria was open, but that was okay since the food was cheap and delicious. The next thing was to find wine, because you can't have a girls weekend in Italy without wine. So we just ended up going to a bar and buying bottles of wine there to take back to the apartment. We had wine and food, now it was time to find the apartment. Since it was dark, late, and we were in a town that we were unfamiliar with, we just decided to call a taxi to take us to the apartment. That was a wonderful idea until we found out there were no such things as taxis in this town, which meant we had to walk. And the great news for us (not really) was that our apartment was 2 miles straight up a mountain. Yes, we hiked two miles up a mountain at ten o'clock at night. Some mentioned going hiking on this trip, but that's not what any of us had in mind. So instead of enjoying a nice night of drinking wine and talking, for me it was a night of hiking, not breathing, and eventually sleeping once we got there.

The next morning we got up early and watched the sunrise as we walked down the mountain to get back to the train station. Our plan was to spend the afternoon in Monterosso, own of the five towns of Cinque Terre. This place was absolutely beautiful. The beaches, the blue sea, and all the colorful buildings were so pretty. We got a quick pastry and cappuccino in this cute little cafe that overlooked the water for breakfast and then hit the beach.

The beautiful beach of Monterosso

Mary-Elizabeth, myself, Jessie, and Abigal

Once we enjoyed our afternoon on the beach taking pictures, drinking wine, and swimming, we went for lunch at a pizza place and then we ended up splitting up and parting separate ways. Half of the group decided to go back home to Arezzo and the other half decided to go to Manarola. I went to Manarola.

Manarola, one of the other five towns of Cinque Terre (which literally means five towns for those who don't speak Italian), was gorgeous. It was the "post-card" view of Cinque Terre. I, being the lover of water that I am, ran straight down the sea (since Manarola is built on a cliff) and jumped into the water. The water was so blue, even though it was a little cold, and there were rocks all around that people jumped off of. Well, the main reason for us going to Manarola was so we could cliff dive. And we did. Getting to the top of the rock we jumped from proved a bit of a struggle since my legs were so short, but I made it. The two other people I was went with (Abigal and Mary-Elizabeth) went first while I was still deciding whether I would jump or not. They ended up surviving so I just went for it, went to the edge, and jumped. Not going to lie, landing in the water was pretty painful and I was sore the next day, but it was worth it. Such an adrenalin rush. 

I promise I'll post the video of the jump when I have it, but unfortunately, I am not the one with the videos.

However, this is the rock we jumped from.

Manarola! So beautiful!

Even though I could've stayed forever, we eventually had to leave later that afternoon in order to make it back to Arezzo that night and have to work on homework the next day.

Firenze!

Yesterday, our little music group took a day trip to Florence! Even though I had to wake up at 5:20am to avoid the millions of tourists, my first trip to Florence was an unforgettable experience. When I first became interested in Italy towards the beginning of high school, Florence was someplace I knew I wanted to visit, but I never really much interest in it. However, the past few days leading up to this trip and then after visiting Florence, I discovered it is an amazing town.

When we first got off the train to Florence, the first thing we did was make a charge for the Duomo. Dr. Thomas had told us the week before "we will be the first wave to attack the Duomo," and he wasn't kidding. The Duomo in Florence is one of the biggest tourist attractions, so if you waited until later in the day to visit it, you'd be seeing more of tourists and not being able to truly appreciate the experience just from the huge crowd. And since the Duomo has been something we have talked in great detail about the past few semesters in music history, it was extremely important that we were able to actually see this church and connect the music history part to what we were seeing. After seeing this church in person, I understand why it was one of the major tourist attractions in Florence. From the first sighting from blocks away, I was already overcome with a sense of beauty and once were we actually in front of the Duomo, I was just in awe. Just for a little history of the Duomo itself so you can have a sense of understanding of it's importance, the Duomo is the third largest church in the world and the dome of the Duomo (designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1296) is the first ever dome structure ever built. There is also a ton of music history of the Duomo, but I won't bore you with my musical nerdiness. It is not hard for me to say that the Duomo is probably one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen, even though I'm sure St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is going to give it a run for it's money.  The detail on this church was so incredible to the point where you can't help asking yourself who would ever be able to think of such a design. Between the size, the incredible details, the works of art, and the history behind this church, I was in amazement. Being able to see in person something we have talked about for years in music history was such an experience.

Just for a visual on how big this church actually is, this picture was taken from a view blocks away and you can already have a good sighting on the bell tower and the dome of the Duomo.

This is the front of the Duomo. I took this picture nowhere near the building either so I would be able to fit the entire front in the picture.

This is also a good picture to demonstrate the size of this church. Just look at the people in comparison to the Duomo. 

Also, just to note for anyone who noticed from my previous posts, there is a Duomo in every city. A Duomo is the specific church in the city where the bishop sits.  

Anyways, to continue on with my day in Florence, after seeing the Duomo and taking a few moments to grab a cappuccino and a cannoli (my first in Italy, by the way), we went ahead and stood in line for the Galleria dell'Accademia. For those who know nothing about Florence or Italy (no worries I have your back), this is the place where major works of art are collected, the biggest and most well known being Michelangelo's David. The lines for tickets and entrance to this building are completely crazy. Luckily, our professor is amazing and did the whole reserve us tickets so we just had to wait in the reserved tickets line to go through security, which wasn't that bad at all. But when we passed by later in the day, the line wrapped all the way around the street, onto a different street, and into one of the piazza's (or squares) nearby. It gets insane. Anyways, we wait in line, go through security, and once we get in immediately head for David.  And this experience deserves a completely new paragraph. 

I turned the corner and there he was. David. The most famous sculpture by the most famous artist in the world. Not ever having an experience similar to this, I ended up stopping in my track for a second and noticed a tear rolling down my cheek, realizing I was actually standing in front of this sculpture. You see pictures of this sculpture every where, learn about Michelangelo in school, but you will never truly understand the beauty and how grand this sculpture is until you are actually standing in front of him. Also, this sculpture is a lot bigger than I imagined it would be. To put it simply, this experience was amazing and almost indescribable.

(My SAI sister and new best friend, Jessie and I with David)

After seeing David, Jessie and I explored the rest of the gallery, seeing all these paintings and sculptures by renowned artists. Nothing compared to seeing David though, but everything was still really awesome to see. We also saw this little area that had antique instruments, including a Stradaveri violin, which we had just learned about in music history, so it was really neat being able to see that. They also had a set of clarinets, so I was totally nerding out about that. 

These were just a few more pictures from the gallery.

After that, we visited San Marco and looked around at the frescoes and explored. Our professor lead us around the streets and some of the markets afterward and then a few of us ended up eating lunch with him. The food at this restaurant was amazing, even the bread was good and Italian bread is typically not very good. We also had some red wine, which was probably one of the first times I really enjoyed drinking wine. 

When we finished lunch our little group continued walking around the leather markets. Two people were interested in buying leather jackets so they ended up finding American vendors and talking to them about leather jackets and they ended up taking us to their little store. This was quite the bonding experience. The salesmen were so nice and flattering and so willing to help them. Before we knew it, five people out of the six ended up getting leather jackets, me being one of them. If you tried a jacket on in that store, you ended up getting it.

Overall, this trip was such a bonding and enriching experience. I got to know my professor a lot better, I explored a new city and finally acquired my taste for red wine. 

Giostra del Sacarino

So today we all went to the Giostra del Sacarino, the huge joust that happens every year in Arezzo that I spoke of in my previous post. We walked into town and arrived at the Duomo just in time for the beginning of the parade. Everyone who was involved in the joust dressed up in Renaissance attire and paraded through the streets with drummers and horn players and everything. It was like the Renaissance Fair, but real life. Everyone gathered around, wearing the colors of their quarter and cheered on their colors when they passed by.

Once the parade was over, we ran through the streets trying to find the entrance to our section for the joust. We went into the wrong entrance and had to go back and continue down the road, where we got stuck waiting for the parade to pass by again. We finally found an entrance for a "standing" section and got in, but soon realized we were on the wrong side. So in a sea of blue and yellow and purple and gold scarves, there were us silly Americans in our red and green. That was awkward. We found a spot to stand where we could see over all the people and waited for the joust to start. This was okay at first until more and more people started to pile in and eventually all of us got to the point were people were touching us on every side. Excitement really started when we started to hear the words "medic" and "docttore." We turned around to see what was going on behind us and come to find out a woman's water broke and she passed out. Luckily she was okay, and soon after the parade made it's way to the Piazza Grande, or where the joust was taking place.

Seeing all the Renaissance attire, horns, drums, horses, and people was so exhilarating. Then once the flag throwers started to perform, I was completely fascinated. In almost every Italian set movie I have seen, there has been some reference or scene of the "throwing of the flags." Being able to actually see this in person was incredible. Between the performers flipping off the flags and doing splits yet still throwing flags, I was very impressed. After that, they brought in all the horses and men participating the in joust and soon after the joust began. The way the joust was set up was the horse would come on one side and the jouster would try to hit the target on metal mannequin set up on the opposite side and they would be scored on how close they hit the target.

The group I was with stayed for about three of the jousts until we decided we were miserable and wanted to leave. There were so many people to the point where you could not move a centimeter anywhere. Also, there was a man in front of me, wearing a kilt, smoking a cigarette in my face. I understand being in close proximity is part of Italian culture, but for this American it was too much. So after the adventure of pushing our way out of that crazy crowd, we decided to find food.

We found a hamburger place. American food. Wonderful, American food. I cannot even explain the excitement we all had. We had our burgers and found another cute little gelato place called Sunflower and made our way back to the Accademia.

Even though not all of today could be considered "fun," it was an incredible experience.

Buona Sera

Buona sera! 

It's been almost a week since I left the United States to live in my new home in Italy. And so far, Italy has been amazing. No matter where you look, you are surrounded by beauty, culture, art, and history. The weather is amazing and every sunset looking over the Tuscan hills is a view most can only dream about. 

The past few days I have been able to go in town more often and have a better experience of what it means to be Italian. I am happy to say my Italian is not that bad, for I am able to at least order food items and greet Italians without any hesitation. However, it is so difficult having the name Savannah here. Since Savannah is a name that's mostly common in the southern parts of the United States, most Italians have never heard of it and often give me strange looks whenever I tell them my name. Even my Italian teacher still questions my name. 

The Italian culture is so different than that of Americans. While most Americans are in a hurry and have organized structures, whether it's sticking to time schedules, waiting in lines, or rushing in the streets, Italians are the opposite. Italians tend to live in the moment, without all the structure of America. If a store feels like closing, it'll close. There are no such things as lines in Italy, especially when it comes to ordering food. People walk slowly in the streets, staring at the people around them. Yeah, you think the "stalking" problem is bad in America, try Italy. Their favorite hobby is people watching, especially watching the Americans that walk in the street in brightly colored clothing when everyone else is in their neutral colors. I have to say though, being able to say "Ciao" on a regular basis and not sound like an idiot is a lot of fun.

This weekend is the weekend of the Giostra del Sacarino in Arezzo. The Giostra del Sacarino occurs the first weekend of September every year, and dates back to the 13th century. The town of Arezzo is split into four sections and basically those sections compete with each other in a joust. Yes a joust, like the popular events at Renaissance fairs. So this entire week, the streets have been packed with people in celebration of this joust. People wear scarves with the flag of their section, much like Americans wear t-shirts of their favorite football team. And at night, the biggest parties are happening in the streets. Last night, we could hear the music from all the partying that was taking place in the town (and it's about a half hour into town if that tells you anything). It's crazy. Today is the actual day of the joust, so all of us are preparing to go into town to witness the priest of the Duomo "bless" all of the competitors, watch the parade, and then to watch the joust. We are sporting our red and green scarves, the colors of our section, and are ready to go!

But it is now time to head into town, so ciao for now!

Just A Few Pictures...

Pictured above is the Accademia del'Arte, This where we are living and having classes and such.

These are just a few pictures of the town of Arezzo.

And this is our lovely group! 12 music students from Furman and 16 theater students from all over the US

Arrival!

This fall I am studying away in Arezzo, Italy for three months as part of one of the study away program Furman offers. I will be studying clarinet performance, conducting, and music history at the Academy of Art. In between classes, practicing, exploring my surroundings, and trying to stay in contact with loved ones back home, I will try to post as much as I can about my experiences. Starting with ... traveling and my first night in Arezzo!


On Monday, September 1, I Began my adventure by flying out of Charlotte to Munich, Germany. At first the plane was exciting. I've never Traveled intern and have only flown once before so I was excited to get back onto a plane and actually fly over an ocean this time. And we had a ton of selections of movies to watch and I could legally drink so what was not to be excited about? Yeah, this excitement Lasted maybe an hour. That almost ten hour flight was absolutely miserable. Not to mention it was a red eye flight. Trying to sleep longer available in a crowded space, sitting up, and still being on US time did not go well. Needless to say, we were all extremely happy when we arrived to Munich. 

After much coffee and a short layover in Germany, we got on a plane to Florence, Italy ... excuse me, a super tiny plane to Florence. The plane so tiny, crowded, and everyone wanted to change seats to be by Their spouse or whatever. So after a game of musical chairs, we finally Took off. The plane ride was absolutely gorgeous. Flying over the Alps and Tuscany, and seeing the hills with the large villas and greenery, was a breathtaking experience. Then of course cheesy blackberries airport drama; That our prayers baggage would arrive, other's flights being late, and so on. Luckily, everyone made it and my luggage Eventually got to Florence the same time I did. Everyone at this point was just happy we were in Italy, yet still annoyed That We Had to ride on a bus for an hour until we got to Arezzo and the Academy. 

The excitement and the "Oh my God, we're actually living in Italy" feeling hit everyone as we pulled into the Academy. This beautiful, large, yellow Italian villa was going to be our home for the next three months. The views are stunning, no matter Which window you look out, you will always see a picture that looks like a postcard. However, no words or pictures will be Able to do this view justice. In front of the Academy, you look out into the city of Arezzo, seeing the bellotwer of the Duomo (the main church in Arezzo). On all other sides, the Accademia is Surrounded by Tuscan hills. Guys, let me tell you, Those "romantic" pictures of Italy you see That you probably think are photoshopped or taken at the perfect moment in time, that's the view all the time. It's real. 

We got our room assignments, and how to find out I'm one of the view that's in the casino or annex, Which is a separate part of the Academy. know lugging our suitcases up stairs Those, so much fun. But our room is really nice and we have a wonderful view of the city. After unpacking, I was finally Able to shower and after traveling for an Entire day straight, I do not think a shower Has ever felt so glorious. A little bit later That evening, we had our first Italian meal and the food was incredible! Every here is so fresh unlike a lot of the food I'm used to back in the United States. It's going to be hard to go three months without my usual Taco Bell, but it'll be worth it. 

Later That Night, we all Arezzo Walked into downtown for some drinks and to just hangout. The walk was about twenty minutes but on our way to the bar we passed by some many beautiful and historical buildings. It's hard to believe that some of these buildings have been here since the 200's. Exploring downtown Arezzo was an experience, all the people in the streets, the fountains, churches, statues, etc. I didn't realize that the area was going to be as big as it was, and we did end up getting lost while trying to walk back to the Accademia (but we eventually made it). 

I'm not quite sure how this semester is going to go yet. Everyone is really close with one another and I'm not sure where I fit in with that yet. I also am missing my family and loved ones and South Carolina a lot more than I thought I would. But this experience is going to be worth it, I mean, I am living in Italy after all. It's nice to get out of the Furman stress bubble and into a program that is so involved with creating artists and strives to keep the arts alive. However, unlike the United States, I don't believe the arts will ever die in Italy.