Day 5--Florence!

 Cheering erupts from below, vespas engines reving, footsteps on the cobblestone floor echo along the walls, all heard from the top of Giottos Campanile. Seeing Florence from above is truly the most beautiful sight to be seen. While the 414 steps up here were brutal, I would do it again. Before the journey to the Campanile we headed to see Michelangelo’s David, which was made clear that it was the real statue and not fake one to be seen in the Piazza della Signora, the square and city’s center point. Seeing the statue was incredible, as the statue seemed simple in pictures it was anything but simple in person. The details on him were insane to see, and I got to check that off my bucket list. Inside the museum were hundreds of beautiful paintings that I could have spent half the day staring at. I had never before seen so much breathtaking art in one place. Later in the afternoon we went to the Florence Cathedral and below it was the crypt where there were the tombs of important figures from Florence, as well as relics, and mosaic along the walls. The crypt was a fascinating place since I don’t think I’ve ever been to anything like it before. We ended the night across the Ponte Vechio bridge to the Piazza della passera, where we have found that most locals live and shows the real idea of life in Florence. Florence has become one of my favorite cities in Italy, all the incredible art, the roads, and the architecture is breath-taking.  

When you think about traveling to a place that is known for its art, you don’t realize how precious it all delay is. Seeing these places with my own eyes had made me become curious on how everything in Italy works. I started to see that every place we saw was made to allow tourists see and remember the monuments. Everything is made to make it safe for tourists, even the churches, so they could take pictures or walk through correctly. This made me wonder how tourism has changed the way country have evolved socially and economically . In the end, it must be a positive action, but I can’t help but wonder what Italy would feel like without the effects of tourism. How well would the art preservation be, would there still be the same museums with these famous works, etc. in the end, the day was incredible, and I got to see Florence in a different point of view, getting to walk the streets again and again feel as though I belong here, the rusting of the restaurants we pass makes me think I can visit every one of them. Two days in Florence was just enough to show me how beautiful it was, but also make me eager to come back one day. 

--Katherine