Now that I have lived in Florence for a little over a month now, I am starting to feel extremely comfortable in my new surroundings. I think having a structured academic schedule has played a big role in that. My experience in the classroom has been amazing so far. I am currently taking 4 courses: Italian: Here and Now, Art Renaissance History, International Marketing and Oil Painting. They are completely different from anything I would take at Pitt and I’ve really been enjoying this change! Each class is helping me learn more about Italy and allowing me to fully immerse myself in the culture.
One of my classes, Renaissance Art History, has given me the opportunity to learn so much about the city of Florence. Every week we attend one of Florences many museums to study artworks and learn about the artists behind them. Seeing these pieces in person has been such a cool experience! I have also learned a lot about the history of Florence and how it became the city today. We discuss many of the famous painters, architectures and sculptors who have shaped its identity. One of the unique aspects of the class is there are no traditional notes – instead we learn by walking through museums or listening to our professor discuss the works in real time. You need to listen and be very engaged in order to be successful in the course.
Another one of my courses, Oil Painting, has proven to be one of my more challenging ones. This was really surprising to me but I do really enjoy it. In class, we focus on developing different painting and shading techniques. Outside of class we are assigned different drawings to keep practicing. The most important skill you need for this class is patience. It takes a lot of time and effort to learn painting techniques and execute them. Overall, I find this class to be very fun and it allows me to appreciate the artwork I see in other classes a lot more.
Overall, my academic journey in Florence has been incredible. I love all my professors and how passionate they are about what they teach. My favorite dynamic in this environment is how interactive the classroom is. The class sizes are very small with only around 15 students in each class. This allows the professors to get to know each student which helps us create meaningful connections and allows for a more engaging learning environment. I am continuing to love this new experience, and I am so excited to keep learning and growing through these classes.
