When choosing which classes to take while studying abroad in Florence, I realized I did not necessarily have to take classes that applied to my major, since I only had a couple of required courses left. I decided to take classes that will help me better understand Florence. Because Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance, I chose to take Renaissance Art History and Oil Painting, because what better place to learn to paint than Florence! I also chose Exploring and Analyzing the Global City to better understand Florence’s history and areas outside the city center.
In my Renaissance Art History class, we began by learning about Florence’s overall history. Then we went into learning about certain artworks spanning from Romanesque to Early Renaissance. Each week, we visit a different museum or church for one of our lessons. My favorite place so far has been visiting the Palazzo Medici Riccardi! We got to see where the Medici family resided, and it was very cool.
In my Analyzing the City class, we go on field study walks to parts of the city that you would not normally find yourself in. On one of our walks, we went to a local market and tried typical Florentine foods. We learned about how globalization has affected the world and Florence. Our discussions so far have been more general, so I am excited to learn more about Florence specifically. It is important to pay attention in these classes and keep a timeline of events to make it easier to follow along. We are not allowed to have electronics out in either class, which makes it much easier for me to stay fully engaged in the lesson.
I am also taking Italian as one of my required classes. Italian is very interactive because we have to participate and practice speaking in each class. We have a quiz and project every other week, so we have to stay on top of practicing what we are learning. For one of our lessons, we went to a cafe and had to order in Italian! Outside the classroom, I started to order food in Italian for some extra practice as well.
Lastly, I have my oil painting class, which I love! So far, we painted a pear, and a picture with a pepper, a lemon, and a vase. I am definitely improving. We only have this class once a week for 3 hours, but our teacher gives us things to sketch at home to help us when we have to draw what we paint. Painting takes a lot of patience because it takes time to get your art where you want it.
Overall, I am loving my classes here! It is a lot different from Pitt. Instead of my typical homework assignments, I have to draw or visit a museum to study the specific artworks!
