week one: fiesole

16 September 2009

So this morning I was particularly motivated… unfortunately, my wireless-eating apartment had other ideas… when I tried to start up my internet, rather than taking the usual 8 years to find service, I got, not the flimsy, precarious network that disappears at a moment’s notice, but absolutely nothing. Great way to start my day. But then, I looked out the window and saw this and pretty much any bad mood that may have tried to creep its way into my head, got blasted away by the fact that I get to wake up to see this every day for the next three months :)

So, motivation aside, it was a beautiful day, and I still had to get to class… even the thought of class doesn’t seem looming here… because, really, I can’t complain about not liking the subjects, or being stuck in a classroom all day – because the classes are pretty much what I make of them, and 9 times out of 10 I’m not in a classroom, I’m out in Florence!

Take last Friday for example; K and I had architecture in Fiesole, a beautiful ‘burb of Florence founded by the Etruscans. It is considered the original site of Florence, up on this beautiful hill overlooking the Arno, safe from invasion, and with possibly the best view ever. So, after finding ourselves inside of a postcard, we start class. Our teacher takes us to this ‘museum’ (which, in all reality, was more like an giardenia d’storia than a museum!) where the ruins of the ancient Florentines can be found, built literally on top of the remains of the Etruscan colony.

As soon as we get past the arch of the museum, I see this rolling landscape...

and after recovering my breath, see the one thing that reminds me how much of a one track mind I have, and before I can press the filter button, I practically squeal “ah! stage!” no, no articles, no intelligible train of thought, just whoosh – stage… which looked like a fabulous set for Haendel’s Giulio Cesare, which then sent me humming “Piangero, la sorte mia” and completely distracted me from the fact that I was supposed to be here to study, not get whisked away by every operatic fancy that struck me.

So, after briskly bringing my mind back to reality, and the land of normalcy, I began taking notes (anyone who knows me, knows I’m an incessant note taker… bordering on the obnoxious… but really, it gets the desired results, and keeps my mind from wondering on random operatic tangents… for the most part :p). From the theatre, we walked to the Roman baths, which, were all in the same breathtaking compound, reminding me to give serous kudos to whoever designed this ground plan, because, seriously, who wouldn’t want to be transported by this view in every aspect of life? Yes, I understand the practicality of building everything within eyesight of enemy invasion, but even without the splendor of the ‘modern’ Florentine skyline it must have been quite a sight to behold.

Which is why, when traveling through the cypress-lined boulevards to the temple atop the temple (the Roman-Florentines built their temple on top of the Etruscan temple… just to further assert their power, and make it known – as if anyone couldn’t tell from the Roman-guard and new ruling power – that they were the ones in charge) I began to contemplate all the lives that had passed through this very walkway… from theatre to gym & baths (so far sounds like pretty typical day for me anyway! :p) and finally to the temple to give thanks, ask for forgiveness, for health, for love, victory… (insert picture here) It’s amazing how little time changes us… I know we all believe our society to be worlds more advanced than these ruins but are we really? I mean, other than newer, bigger, and faster, things that we’ve created, are we so dissimilar from those early Florentines?