Firenze

The infamous city of Florence is the beautiful capital of Tuscany, and is the home to Renaissance architecture and art. Once we left Rome via train and arrived in Florence, I instantly noticed the pace and environment of the city. It was much quieter and appeared calmer, it did take two days for me to adjust to the sudden change. I missed Rome, but as I got to know Florence I began to fall in love with the city’s rich culture and history. The art that was birthed from this city is magnificent and inspiring. The streets are vibrant and the buildings are tall, making you feel small and hugged by the buildings.The city fabric spatially feels safe and comforting due to the liveliness of the streets that are animated by vendors and artisan shops. The tall buildings guide you to different paths, creating new encounters because you do not know what to expect next. What I love about Florence the most is Piazza della Signoria, it is located to the left of the Uffizi Gallery and has a replica of the statue of David outside of Palazzo Vecchio. There are also spaces to sit along Loggia dei Lanzi. This area was pretty crowded most of the time, but I enjoyed sitting there for some time to people-watch and draw the replica of David.

Another space I enjoyed greatly was Piazza Santo Spirito. Our group met up one morning for an exterior sketching session of Santo Spirito and the peacefulness of this piazza was incredible that morning. I was sitting along the sidewalk as businesses were getting ready to open up. The feeling and sound of the early morning was beautiful and unique because time felt slower. As I was drawing, tourists and locals would walk by and stop to compliment and watch me sketch Santo Spirito. It was such a simple but unique experience that is very meaningful to me, because not only was I being immersed in the city culture, but I was also interacting with others in that space without necessarily speaking. This is very important because it shows me that spaces like this are essential to human flourishing and is possible to create through architecture. Humans need spaces that will bring locals and tourists to intermingle and connect to have these unforgettable moments. I will never forget my time here.