Italy 2016: Where It Started
During the summer of 2016, my family took a trip to Italy. We visited Florence, Sorrento, and Rome. For them, it was an exciting getaway; for me, it was the birth of my art school dreams.
Florence
Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, a period in which European culture, art, and politics entered a “rebirth.” It was my introduction to Italian food, culture, and architecture. I remember walking through the streets wanting to get lost in the simple beauty of the neighborhoods and grand architecture of the plazas.
Florence from my hotel room
The highlight was visiting the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, home to many Florentine works, most notably Michelangelo’s David sculpture. I remember walking through and admiring not only the paintings, but the artists and students creating sketchbook studies. It was one of the most inspiring parts of my trip. I envisioned myself as an adult, sitting beside them with a notebook-sized sketchbook and a graphite pencil.
A room from the gallery
The David
Prior to Sorrento, my family and I took a private tour around the ruins of Pompeii. It was hauntingly beautiful. The tour guide painted a picture of culture, ingenuity, and tragedy as we walked along the whitestone roads and gazed at the frescoes in private homes. The timing of the trip was perfect, as Pompeii was a subject we touched on the prior year.
Pompeii Ruins
Pompeii Roads
Sorrento is a gorgeous coastal town in southwestern Italy, situated atop cliffs. One of the strongest memories I have is a gated lemon farm down the road from my hotel. I often imagined sneaking in anytime I passed. The marina and large array of cafes were another core memory; there, the water was always a dark cyan that photos could never capture.
Sorrento
Perhaps the only bad part of my trip was the boat ride to Capri, where I discovered I’m not built for nautical travel in any capacity. The island itself was absolutely gorgeous, even in foggy rain. I downed a cup of gelato and spent way too much money on a linen shirt I never wore, but it was worth the memories in the end.
Busy Capri Street
Capri
Rome marked the end of my trip; we stayed in a small hotel in a residential neighborhood. Behind our patio was a small garden where I became friends with the hotel’s cat (this was where my love of cats began, as I spent most of my childhood with dogs).
Cat!
We visited the Vatican multiple times: once to attend church and once to see the Sistine Chapel. I remember my neck being stiff from looking at the ceiling for around an hour. Despite the bustling chaos of the hundreds of tourists passing through the room, I was in another dimension, looking at Michelangelo’s paintings.
Panorama of the Vatican
Colosseum
Now, as an artist who took multiple art history classes on the Italian Renaissance as part of their major, I hope to revisit these sights with a new perspective and sketchbook!
