Gelato festival in Firenze - 05/26/2013

Yesterday, our class went to Florence, or Firenze in Italian, to view the different stages of architecture. Dr. Paradis, one of our professors pointed out Gothic architecture, which is usually noted by the pointed arches, as well as early and late Renaissance which is noted by the resurgence of Roman and Greek styles with the curved arches and less ornate designs. I was particularly excited to see Brunelleschi's dome, an engineering marvel still to this day.

Since we have been in Italy, it has remained cold and rainy, especially yesterday. In fact, yesterday was our coldest day yet. We think this weather must be unusual for May in Tuscany. Everyone we meet tells us that we should enjoy the rain while it lasts because in a couple of weeks, it will be hot and humid. Unfortunately, all of us packed for hot and humid, not cold and rainy so we have been suffering through the cold and are eagerly awaiting hot and humid.

While the rest of our class went back to Siena on the ràpido bus, Carlton and I decided to stick around Florence for a bit to see if we could catch The Great Gatsby in English. The only movie theater that shows American movies in English near downtown Florence was hosting a Japanese movie festival so we struck out on that endeavor. However, we did happen upon the Gelato festival. This was the last weekend for the Gelato festival so, despite the cold, we thought we would go ahead and take advantage of this opportunity to try various flavors of this sumptuous Italian dessert. Gelato is basically the Italian word for ice cream but it is churned very slowly so it is usually denser and thicker than American ice cream. We tried flavors including green tea, rice, fudge, and coffee barley. When I went over to one of the gelato stands for a picture, one of the gelato makers graciously came over to pose with me. Overall, despite the cold and rain, Carlton and I really enjoyed Florence and will be heading back soon for another visit.