Return to Firenze

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Our last weekend in Italy warranted something special, and an overnight trip back to Florence was the perfect treat. This time we were guests of the Dempsey family, well-known for their philanthropy and generous donations to the university. No lectures, presentations, or readings. Just a charming church, a scenic villa, and a group dinner in the evening. But the night had never seemed so far away. All we could focus on that morning was busing our bleary-eyed, half-asleep selves to the Termini train station by 8:15am. Some empty suitcases came along, their owners ready to bring back the spoils of anticipated shopping adventures. Other students brought nothing more than a small backpack. You could say that our luggage reflected our individual Florentine agendas. Leather shopping and eating lunch at Za-Za’s restaurant, along with church-hopping and second dates with Michelangelo’s David were high on our lists.

After an uneventful bus ride on the #64 (Shawn came with us, so there was no way we could go wrong), we all made it to the station with a few minutes to spare.

Fig 1. At Termini in front of the McDonald’s, exhausted but still smiling.

We piled into the Eurostar. Journals and half-finished writing assignments emerged as soon as we took our seats, only to serve as pillows and lap-warmers shortly afterwards for all but a resolute few. About an hour and a half later, we were snaking along the narrow sidewalks of Florence towards Albergo Firenze, our little hotel. The amenities were basic, but the location – on the Via del Corso, a busy main road - was exceptional. It was a stone’s throw from the Duomo to the north and the Piazza Della Repubblica to the west. Much to our excitement, we found out later that Grom and Perche No (two of our favorite gelato stops) were nearby as well.

After checking in, we had a few hours free to do whatever we wanted. As we were already familiar with the city, this was a more a time for enjoying than exploring - or rather, the enjoyment of re-exploring rather than getting lost every two minutes. We didn’t forget about our final Quest assignment, of course. Thus began a mad rush to the Bargello Museum. We examined two bronze panels, one by Ghiberti and one by Brunelleschi. In 1401, a competition was held to determine who would have the privilege of designing panels for the north doors of St. John’s Baptistery. Each artist cast their own interpretation of the Sacrifice of Isaac, and Ghiberti was judged the winner. But we were invited to decide which panel we liked best and justify our choice. Interestingly, the group seemed evenly split in terms of preference.

Michelangelo’s Bacchus and an in-progress restoration of Donatello’s David were also on display, and we made sure to pay them a visit before dispersing. Subsequent reports from fellow classmates indicate that there was a lot of wandering, shopping, taking pictures, picking up olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Stefano in Mercato Centrale, and eating pasta with truffle sauce at Za-Za’s.

The group later reconvened to hear the Gregorian chants at the Basilica di San Miniato, where we were joined by the Dempsey family. Our lengthening shadows followed us across the Arno River, up a scenic hill, and through the Piazzale Michelangelo. Finally, the church came into view, at the top of a long and wide flight of stairs. It had a stunning white marble façade adorned with geometric designs. The inside was airy and very dimly lit, except for the screened apse at the far end, which was bathed in strong lamplight and drew our gaze right away. Behind the screen, a semi-circle of Benedictine monks were singing in Latin, unaccompanied by instruments, their voices reverberating through the high vaults. The chants followed a call-and-answer format. One voice would call with a single melodic line, and then all the monks would sing together in answer. Periodically, they paused to play a note on the organ, which would help tune the next series of chants. It was haunting and enthralling at the same time.

Fig 2. View of San Miniato’s main pulpit.

Around sunset we visited the Dempsey’s beautiful villa, the Villa Falvo, to enjoy excellent hor d’oeuvres and fine Tuscan wine produced at their own private vineyard. They were even so kind as to provide bug spray for everyone! The mosquitoes were especially hungry that night. I enjoyed learning about the villa’s rich history (it used to be a monastery), and all of us were pretty surprised to find a well dating back to the 1300’s behind a cabinet door.

Fig 3. Mr. Dempsey with an assortment of cold drinks and antipasti, out on the villa patio.

Then, it was off to dinner at the Dempsey’s favorite pizzeria - I Tarocchi. They treated us to pizza after delicious pizza, including pepperoni, prosciutto, and quattro formaggi. Before long, we were stuffed. Those who went to Vivoli for gelato afterwards were brave souls indeed.

Fig 4. Happy students with a quickly disappearing quattro formaggi (four cheese) pizza.

After thanking our hosts, we returned to the hotel to sleep off the food coma. Some got up bright and early the next morning to go hiking in Cinque Terre, but most returned to Rome for much-needed rest and relaxation. Alla prossima, Firenze! I miss it already.