Danielle Dickstein
Florence, Italy
I write this sitting more than a thousand feet in the air.
I am off again on another trip, because as my cousin put it, “It’s Thursday, so Dani must be travelling again…”
This most recent travel binge has only reminded me of how much I love Florence. I love coming home to this city.
As my time here is quickly winding down, I am panicking.
How did this semester get away from me? How have I not climbed the dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as the Duomo of Florence?
I still have yet to visit the Basilica of Santa Croce, housing the tombs of both Galileo Galilei and Michelangelo.
Contributed Photo: Study abroad student Danielle Dickstein stands with a friend in front of the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge in Florence, Italy, where she is studying for the fall semester.
And I seem to have waited until the last moments of my stay to wander through the Uffizi Gallery, one of the world’s oldest and most famous art museums.
Truth be told, I could never have enough time in this city.
From climbing the San Niccolo Tower on the other side of the river, named for the man we lovingly refer to now as Old Saint Nick, or better yet, Santa Claus, to haggling for a lower price on a vintage Louis Vuitton bag at the monthly Santo Spirito Market, this city offers it all.
I struggle with finding only one semester’s worth of time here an adequate amount of time to take in all that there is to take in. But, that may be a battle for another day.
This city is seeping with art, and culture leaches from every corner.
One of my favorite finds of art in the city is one that hundreds of people walk past every day without the slightest clue of what it is they are missing.
In the corner of the Palazzo Vecchio, closest to the Uffizi Gallery, there is a carving in the building of the portrait of a man.
This engraving is said to be accomplished by Michelangelo, chiseling behind his back on a dare.
Being the nearest any person can come to a work completed by Michelangelo, this was the piece of history that struck me the most.
With no guard rails, and no red velvet ropes, it helped me recognize that I’m living in a world of art by living in this city.
While I am not, and probably will never be, an expert in any form of art (of The Renaissance era especially), my time here has nonetheless been affected by its presence in the city.
While Barcelona is known for Antoni Gaudi, and The Netherlands can claim Rembrandt as their own, Florence has given the world numerous masters such as Donatello, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and even Leonardo da Vinci for a period of time.
Living in a city in which these experts existed in, I am moved to a new level of appreciation that I have never previously had.
While I have been exposed to mostly modern art in my life so far, I am trying my hardest to absorb all that surrounds me.
Though I lack a critical eye, I will forever be impressed upon and grateful for my time in Italy.