Florence, Friday, December 02, 2005

Katherine:

[Friday, December 02, 2005 // 4:33pm]

[ mood | chipper ] [ music | My Chemical Romance - everyone needs some angst right? ] Am slightly chirpier today, as bits of news have had a chance to sink in, and more importantly Ive handed in my stupid Orsanmichele essay. Im now through 2500 words of the total required to pass the subject. Another 1500 due on Wednesday (discussing the relationship between Botticellis Pallas and the Centaur, which I see in the flesh on Tuesday when we visit the Uffizi and Albertis De Pitura), and then a 2000 word exam the week after and a 3000 word research essay when I get home - although the lecturer gave me an extension which is very nice of him. Continue to see amazing things which I havebeen hearing about for ages, and they continue to be even better than Id imagined. Recent examples include the Medici chapel, with Gozzoli frescoes, the Tornabuoni chapel and Masaccios Trinity in Santa Maria Novella. The Holy Spirit in the Masaccio painting looks just as much like a tissue in real life too. I pointed this out to Katrina before she gave her presentation on it (a presentation which she is only now writing up, twenty minutes before its due) and she integrated it into her speech, so I think I should get credit. Today, apart from San Lorenzo (where Piero de Medici and Donatello have their tombs) and the Medici Palazzo (where our focus was the chapel, but where we also visited the lovely Lippi upstairs) we also went to the San Marco convent, which produced, amongst others, Archbishop Antoninus and Savonarola, who for some reason, the Catholic hurch wants to canonise, and where Cosimo de Medici had a private cell. Its a Dominican order and each cell had its own Fra Angelico fresco. The symbolism was increasingly complex in the higher ranking cells and quite fascinating. Also saw some lovely artwork downstairs, including some gorgeous saints portraits by Fra Bartolomeo. Were meant to be considering a topic for our final essay as we trot around, and being the highly conscientious and studious young woman that I am, I have been doing so. The amount of portrayals of St. Catherine of Alexandria suggests (I think) that she may have had a strong following in Florence, and Im thinking of looking into this more deeply, with particular reference to humanism as regards her position as an intellectual Christian martyr. So yeah. Rock. We had dinner in Prato on Wednesday after my online sob stories, and they pretty much had one dish without seafood, so I got the pasta with crab and just didnt eat the crab. It was actually nice, except that they appeared to have pulverised the crab shell with a mallet and scattered it through the pasta. We were at one of the smallest tables - only four of us; Hazel, Gen, Hannah and I - but the waiter had a thing for Gen, so we got extra wine and finished off a couple of bottles between us. And Hazel doesnt drink. So that was fun. Camilla and Jodi decided the waiter hada crush on Hannah, because he flamboyantly kissed her on the cheek (so would I have if shed given me a 20E tip) and started singing "Hannah and the wait-er, sittin in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G" etc. I heart my lecturers. They are way cool. Katrina wanted to go out after that, but everyone was tired, so we didnt. Penny has become a semi permanent fixture in our room, which is nice. She usually stays until about ten watching MTV with us. So yeah. Thats cool. She was going through my mp3 player last night and suddenly goes "Ha! You like De Jah Groove!", so we had a contented chat about Melbourne music and decided to go to some gigs when we get back. Am also thinking of meeting up with her in Italy. Tegan, give me feedback on this, OK? Have a free weekend coming up. Katrina and Hazel are heading down to Rome with Michael, Raph, Bri and Leah (or Briah and Lea) so I get the whole room to myself, which will be WONDERFUL. My roommates are lovely, dont get me wrong, but itll be nice to have time to myself and have showers when I want and go to bed when I want and everything. It hasnt been that bad sharing actually. I thought it would be terrible, but weve been lucky. Its generally agreed that our room is the best triple room - we get on the best anyway - and in terms of doubles, on Briah and Lea, and Raph and Michael come close to getting the sort of harmony weve got going. Its nice. Hazel is trying really hard, but shes noticeably younger than anyone else on the course and doesnt really get how to live with other people, being a spoilt younger child. Katrina keeps Hazel and I from being at each others throats too much. And we all do the stupid little things that matter, like offering whoever is in the room a glass of juice if were getting one ourselves and turning MTV off if someone has an assignment due and not nagging if someone needs to stay up late to work and whatever. Its good. I have to go, because theres only seven minutes left on my connection, but I love you all and miss you all and wish you were here to share all this with me, in a Im just saying that kind of way. Kisses and hugs, Katherine