My last few weeks in Florence were a whirlwind of classes, socialising, and seeing as much of the city as I possibly could.

My sculpture classes have given me so much joy.  I’ve enjoyed learning new techniques, but mostly I’ve loved molding the clay and watching it come to life. The studio is full of people like me, quietly working on their models, sometimes chatting to the person next to them, or working with one of the teachers. It is one of the most relaxing environments I’ve ever worked in. Art History classes were also enjoyable but in a very different sense. The expertise of our teacher Danielle and his entertaining way of teaching had us totally enthralled as he led us through the early years of the Italian renaissance, bringing some of the more influential artists and their works to life. 

Although my days are mostly filled with study and socialising, I managed to find time to do an early morning tour of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Duomo as it’s more commonly known. This cathedral is one of the largest in the world and took about 150 years to build, starting in 1296. The famous dome had been planned since the 1300s but it wasn’t until 1420 that Filippo Brunelleschi came up with a plan to build it. Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, the new design saw one dome built inside another and constructed in stone and bricks laid in a herringbone pattern. My early morning tour started with a visit to the cathedral just as it was opened by a man with an enormous key. A little while later we walked up many hundreds of stairs and between the two domes until we reached a terrace near the top where we could see across the entire city.  It was a very special experience and well worth the effort to make the difficult climb.

On another day a small group of us walked the Vasari Corridor … an elevated, enclosed passageway that was built for the Medici family so they could move freely between their offices at the Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace, where they lived. The walk is about 750m in length and starts in the Uffizi Museum before crossing the river, alongside the shops on the Ponte Vecchio, and finishing just short of the Pitti Palace. 

The Franco Zeffirelli Museum is just a short walk from my apartment and I’d walked past it so many times intending to visit. I finally did so on the Sunday before I left. Zeffirelli is a well known film director who was born in Florence. What I hadn’t realised until visiting the museum is that he was also a set designer, costume designer, actor and producer and originally famous for his work with operas and Shakespeare productions. The museum had an extensive collection of photos, film clips, costumes, stage dioramas, posters, and so many other artefacts from the life of this very talented man.

Life in my neighbourhood of Santa Croce was never dull. A few weeks before leaving, I was surprised to see a fence go up around the entire piazza, with huge piles of metal structures inside it.  Over the next few weeks, I watched the metal turn into seating for what is going to be a massive event starting mid-June. The Giuoco del Calcio Fiorentino is an early form of football that started in the middle-ages, most likely at Santa Croce. A series of games are played over a few weeks, and each quarter of the city is represented. While the aim of the game is to score goals with a ball, I’m a bit confused about the rules but do know that it can be very brutal and include punching, kicking, tripping, tackling and wrestling with your opponent to tire them out. I’m very pleased not to be living nearby while the games are being played as apparently the crowds can be pretty raucous and noisy.

That said, I am sad to be leaving Florence. I will miss my art classes and the inspiring group of people I’ve been hanging out with over the last four weeks. But I will continue to study sculpture when I’m home and where friendships have been forged, they will continue. As the weather warms and the holiday season approaches, it is also getting harder to walk around Florence as huge tour groups fill the main piazzas each day.  So, while I’m sad to be leaving, I feel as though it is the right time, especially as I have a boat to meet and a new adventure to begin. Arrivederci Firenze … until next time.