Concerti e Firenze

Shannon O'Learyexci
Feb 13, 2017
3 min read

This weekend involved both much needed relaxation as well as the required adventure quota whilst traveling abroad.

Firstly, this past week was the "official" start to classes. This means that instead of Italian everyday for three hours we have a class schedule that involves more than a block of foreign language. Aside from Italian I am taking the History of Italian Opera, a Performance Workshop, private lessons, and an ensemble in Milan. Somehow, I am still at the maximum 18 credits, you can take the music major out of Ithaca but you can't take the high credit load out of the music major.

The other joy that came with starting regular class is that now we have most Fridays off. This Friday I used to sleep (11.5 hours approximately). That day was also the dress rehearsal for the Carisch Orchestra of Milan's first concert at Tempio Valdese, a church in Milano. While playing in an Italian orchestra has provided a learning curve I have genuinely enjoyed playing with the group and was excited to perform Beethoven's piano concerto, Op. 37 and Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C Major. Yes, I did transpose from C and I was very proud of myself. I'd successfully avoided transposing by being in wind band but it's nice to know that I can do it effectively and accurately.

Sunday I pulled myself out of bed and made my way to the train station for what proved to be a beautiful day in none other than Florence (Firenze) Italy. After only and hour and forty minutes a few of my friends and I stepped onto the platform in Florence. Of course, we saw the David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, a deceivingly large museum located on a side street off the beaten path in Florence. The David was awesome to see, the history and fame behind the work adds to the fact that it's huge and I don't know how Michelangelo did it. The museum also possesses original artwork and casts of famous sculptures scattered throughout the world.

After the museum we made a stop at the Yellow Bar right near the Duomo and enjoyed some delicious pasta (of course). I was surprised how many people spoke English but I may just be used to Milan where you rarely hear English unless you initiate it.

Other activities for the day included the famous Ponte Vecchio, an iconic bridge in the city, a walk through the countless leather markets and shops throughout the city, a blood pumping walk to the panoramic view of the city, and of course a look at the main cathedral.

Right near the Duomo (main cathedral) was an ice cream lover's dream: if you've heard of Magnum Ice cream bars they had the ultimate temptation for you in Florence. It was a build your own Magnum bar. This included choosing vanilla or chocolate ice cream, dark, milk, or white chocolate hard shell covering, three toppings of your choosing and your choice of a milk or white chocolate drizzle on top.

It was worth the money (for that one time).

After some more aimless walking down the beautiful cobblestone streets we had an early dinner at a restaurant called Osteria Santo Spirito. Great prices, delicious food! It seemed like the day had disappeared by the time we hopped on our 20:00 train back to Milan.

This week should be fairly calm, though the weekend plans have yet to be decided. Can't wait to continue to see more of this beautiful country and beyond!