Written by Italy & Greece Students, Sydney & Liam
We’ve been in Florence this week. Traveling into the city was a nice change of pace after being at Panta Rei for a week and a half. We volunteered twice an urban garden called Orti di Pinti. There we met Giacomo, who told us about the ways that urban gardens are trying to innovate the methods of growing plants in a sustainable way. We also went on a tour of Florence with a woman named Guilia. Even though we had a lot of time to wander the city by ourselves, going on the tour was really interesting because it gave a more in depth perspective on the monuments that we had seen. We saw the Duomo, the Uffizi, and the Ponte Vecchio.
Our Highlights of the Week:
🎨 Going to the Uffizi. Seeing the The Primavera and The Birth of Venus in person was spectacular.
🥪 Panini at Semel. Only 5€ for a sandwich and every one was delicious.
🇮🇹 Seeing the David. On the tour, we saw the real David, which was notably better that the re-creations.
But growth always comes with challenge … how did you grow this week?
I think having to navigate the city of Florence with no data is something that was really challenging for everyone. But as the week progressed it helped us in the long run because now we know the city just using our brains, and I know I at least feel much more confident and comfortable navigating offline.
How’s the group getting along?
The group dynamic is very interesting in this group, but I also think it is very healthy. Most people I’ve noticed like their time alone doing what they like, but it feels like whenever we all get together we have a great time no matter what we do. I enjoy the company of everyone in this group!
