Italy Tour

We started off with our Italy Academic Tour by heading east to Salzburg for the weekend. Our first stop was Munich to pick up our Professor Grant Horner and his family. Two words: snow storm. Snow needs to stay away from Germany! Because of this precipitation, our expected arrival time extended a couple hours. We arrived to our monastery, yes we stayed in a monastery, and got settled into our rooms. One thing I learned was that THE HILLS REALLY ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC! The Sound of Music, the best movie in the entire world, was filmed in Salzburg! Because I led Andrew to join Ambex, we received free tickets to the tour! This was one of the events that I had been waiting for this entire adventure in Europe! I had wished that my family was with me, they are as obsessed with the movie as I am. But I had Andrew, Courtney, and Tanner to sing along with me. The tour bus took us to the gazebo site, where one of the houses was, and the church where Maria and the Captain got married. Yes, I sang every song on the tour bus and had a splendid time.



The next day was spent in the car traveling to Padova. Bright and early the next morning we set off on the trains for our full day in Venice. Before our arrival, Dr. Horner gave us a short history of the city and how it was constructed. The city was built in an attempt to escape the Germanic tribes who were invading their lands. Venice is an island on the ocean and was built with long logs that were smashed into the sediment in the ocean. A chemical reaction occurred which petrified the wood and created a cement product. Even though it was quite frigid outside, it was quite amazing to be able to weave through the crowds in the narrow streets. Many bridges connect the streets that are separated by the canals. Because the island is supported by logs, these cement pillars are starting to sink which causes the roads to sink and it is very uneven. We passed the Grand Canal on our way to Piazza San Marco which was spectacular. The first thing I had notice in the square was the pigeons that blanketed the cobblestones! At one point, we decided to feed the pigeons and they were crawling all over us! Tanner put a pigeon in his backpack and gave it to Courtney to open up as a surprise, it was hilarious. San Marco serves as the epicenter for St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. St. Mark’s Basilica represents Byzantine architecture and its interior is decorated with many shades of gold. Our next museum was the Doge’s Palace where Kelley was almost pit-pocketed. We were then told to keep our purses and valuables close to us. This palace is of gothic architecture and housed the Doge of Venice. It was constructed in early 14th century and was damaged by a fire in the late 16th century. Within its rooms, we were able to examine many different pieces of art and study the architecture.

Our next major destination was Florence with plans of driving through Tuscany! Once again these plans were ruined by snow which further lengthened our time spent in the car. We went to the Academia where the main attraction was Michelangelo’s David. I had of course heard of this sculpture but I had never studied it extensively or knew its history. Being able to stand in front of this massive statue of marble further solidified my appreciation for artists. The details of his hands, from every finger, knuckle, and blood vessel was so incredible it is hard to find words for a description. I cannot imagine the dedication and precision that one needed to exhort to create a masterpiece such as this. Dr. Horner described the process of extracting marble from the mountain side and the process of carving it. Muscle power! The intricate details that an artist makes apparent in these figures are beyond amazement. Every single body characteristic is portrayed in this man. His hair, muscles, tendons, facial features, and the composure in his body looks life-like. On our way to Cinque Terre from Florence, we took a pit stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The weather was perfect and we all enjoyed taking the famous pictures of posing while pushing the tower over. None of us knew what Cinque Terre was except for the fact that it was in a national park. We did not arrive until well after dark and all headed to bed once we arrived. The next morning we were in for a surprise. I looked out our window and there was the ocean! Cinque Terre is 5 little villages along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. I can honestly say that this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. Paths are available for walkers between these villages, ranging from 2-5 kilometers between each town. This last stop was the perfect way to end our long week of traveling and prepare for our intensive upcoming week of Art History and Reformation Theology.