Art is the word.

Buon giorno, Mama!

It's Wedensday, and the word for today is ART! A visit to the Accademia in the morning to see Michaelangelo's David, and then the Uffizi Gallery in the afternoon to see some Botticellis.

One of our Tuesday modules went to the Accademia and reported standing in line for close to an hour and a half to get tickets and entrance. Theresa Spencer, Carrie Reeves, and I decided if we got there really early we might not have to wait as long. We decided to meet for breakfast at 7 and leave the hotel at 7:30.

On Tuesday, however, Carrie and Theresa had climbed the 412 steps of Giotto's tower, the campanile (cam puh nee lay) or bell tower of the Duomo. Theresa was so sore from the climb the day before, she didn't think she could do the 30-minute walk to the Accademia. We ended up taking a taxi and arriving at 8:05. That was perfect timing as within 10 minutes huge crowds of people began showing up to get in line. The queue of about 30 people, when we arrived, was now stretched down the block and around the corner. We were inside the museum in 10 minutes, not bad at all.

A little advice, Mama, should you ever come to the Accademia: tickets are €6.50 each and the ticket booths will only accept exact change. I had a €50 note and no change. What could I do? Conveniently enough, there is a little gift shop where they won't make change, but they will allow you to buy something and receive change with your purchase. Nice little arrangement they have there.

I must say though, David was worth all the hassles to get in. It is as impressive as everyone says. Magnificent and flawless, this statue is definitely the star of the show.

After the Accademia, we went to the post office and did some walking. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio and walked to the Pitti Palace, the royal home of the Medici family when they ruled Florence and the Tuscan area. We didn't have enough time to go inside and make it back in time for our Uffizi tour, so we walked around outside and took photos before stopping at a small cafe for lunch. I had a plate of penne with pesto for €5. Not a bad price at all and I do love the pesto. I've been convinced for years that pesto is good for what ails a person. I'm trying to convince Dr. Dan Barnes that pesto deficiency is a medical condition. That way he can prescribe a great dinner for me and I can claim it as a medical deduction. So far, he's not buying it.

I think it's really neat that Cottey arranged it so that every student will get to go to the Uffizi. We were divided into four groups with staggered entrance times. I hope they all appreciate this marvelous opportunity to see some of the world's finest art.

Me? I loved it! I saw Bottecelli's Birth of Venus, Michaelangelo's Holy Family, Carvaggio's Medusa and other awesome pieces. I ended up staying close to three hours.

I ran into Hilary, one of my yearbook students, about halfway through the afternoon. I asked if she was enjoying the museum. "Oh, yes," she said enthusiastically. "What did you like best?" I asked. "The Botticellis?" "No, there was this really cool sarcophagus (burial chamber) near the entrance." Never try to talk art with a history major, Mama, they're much more interested in dead stuff.

That night I joined Mary Haggans, Mari Anne Phillips, Terry Burger and Karen Polon for dinner. We ate at a very nice place called Baldovino. I had gnocchi, which are potato dumplngs, in a spicy tomato sauce. The food was delicious, but I discovered I've been pronouncing the name incorrectly. I thought it was pronounced no-chee, but when the waitress put my plate in front of me she announced it as no-key. I'll never get the hang of "c"s sounding like ch and "ch"s sounding like k. Oh well, she knew what I wanted and it was fantastic no matter how you say it.

After dinner I went out looking for gelato, Italian ice cream. Unfortunately, I started too late as most of the gelato shops closed at 9, which was about the time we finished dinner. Guess I'll have to eat gelato for lunch tomorrow to make sure I get some. Off to Rome on Thursday!

Alla prossima (until next time),
Your loving son,