Malaki-Milton:

Today after our class session on intercultural learning goals and engineering, the engineers set off to go on their own adventures for the day. A group of ‘warriors’ went on a hike with Dr. Deb Besser to Piazzale Michealangelo to get a dope view of the city of Florence. We saw a second statue of David by Michealangelo overlooking the city as well. After taking a few photos, we headed over to Cimitero delle Porta Sante where there were cypress trees planted with the names of fallen heroes who laid their lives during WWI and WWII. Once we finished our short exploration, the warriors headed back into the Florence streets to find good leather for Dr. Besser and eat some good food at Mesopotamia Kebab.

Cecelia:

Today I embarked on more adventures as my roommate, and I went shopping for the 4th time this week! We went shopping near the Duomo and found some great souvenirs for our family, and maybe a few for ourselves. While on this “adventure” we surprisingly learned about Italian culture. For instance, the love of leather and how to tell if it’s faux (hold a lighter on it and faux leather burns). To end the day, I went to a rooftop bar with a stunning view of the Duomo. Aside from the much-needed shopping I had a great time in class learning about the connection between American and Italian engineering. It’s amazing thinking about what can be learned by both countries to improve engineering.

Paige:

Some of todays adventures included some of the girls venturing into the city. In Florence we shopped for thoughtful souvenirs for our loved ones at home. We also browsed in the high end designer stores such as Prada and Micheal Kors to window shop. We also got our daily gelato of course. During our exploring we also happened upon a rooftop bar with the view of the Duomo. There was a bunch of birds the flew over us and it sparked the thought about how birds don’t land on the buildings near us. This is because the rooftops on certain buildings have small thin spikes that keep the birds from landing on them. This is a form of engineering that makes for a more comfortable environment for people.

Joel R:

As today was a less structured day with no set plans after class in the morning, there was some opportunity to look around Florence and do things that we wouldn’t have a chance to do otherwise. For example, I (Joel) took the opportunity to do some shopping and sightseeing, taking time to go to the Santa Croce neighborhood and seeing the Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze (pictured). Around here, I did some shopping at local leather stores recommended by our guide Claudio (Piero Tucci, Leonardo Gold and Leather, and Peruzzi), and got a sandwich from All’Antico Vinaio, which is a famous and beloved sandwich shop that has locations in both Rome and Florence.

Today, we all got on a bus first thing in the morning and headed to Bologna, which is just an hour and a half north of Florence. Our first destination was the Ducati factory. Ducati is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in Bologna. We got to go on a tour through the factory, which was an awesome experience. It was really cool getting an inside look on how such a complex process is carried out efficiently. Next, we all got back on the bus and headed to lunch at the Bull Bar, which was just across from the Lamborghini factory and museum. At the bar, they had two Lamborghinis that you could pay to drive for 10 minutes and Tom and Tommy both did it. They both had a blast driving them and we all had fun watching, living vicariously through them!

After Tom and Tommy finished living out their 10 minutes of luxury living, the group headed over to the Pagani manufacturing building and museum in San Cesario sul Panaro to learn about the upbringing of the company and see how they manufacture their luxury selection of super cars. Pagani was founded in 1992 by Argentinean-Italian Horacio Pagani manufacturing its well-known “hypercars” and carbon fiber components. It was amazing to witness both manufacturers in action and the pride they take in putting together their products by hand. Post tour, the group had a nice cruise back to Hotel Grifone, Firenze to wind down and reflect on the awesomeness that took place today.

~ Colin Jungwirth and Malaki-Milton Jackson

Because it is the weekend and we are encouraged to explore the country on our own during our “days off”, today’s blog is written from two different perspectives: Isaac Is writing from Cinque Terre, a costal grouping of five cities with outstanding hiking trails. Sam is writing from our home base in Florence. 

 Isaac: 

Today myself and a group of 5 other students woke up and enjoyed the view from our Air BnB, which lies in between two of the five major cities in the area and is only accessible by a 40 minute hike that increases 800 feet in elevation. All of this hiking is worth the view which is shown below.  

After playing some cards (euchre is the go-to game on this trip) on the patio we packed our bags and headed to the last of the 5 cities. After another 1600 vertical feet and 2 horizontal miles we saw the rocky beach of Monterosso. The water here was so blue we couldn’t help but jump in to cool down after our hike. The winter water was extremely brisk but the swim was well worth it, sadly because of poor planning, we only brought one towel so we had to air dry in the 40 degree weather where we got this group picture. 

We wrapped up the day by getting some pizza and taking the high speed train back home where the night ended by watching Sunday football in the hotel lounge.

Sam:

Today was a relaxing day for most of us, after getting back from Cinque Terre last night around 1am (Italy Time). I was finally able to sleep in and get some much-needed rest. There was no touring today, but we found an amazing lunch spot called La Forca. I learned that Italians love everything black truffle. I saw a black truffle pizza on the menu and decided I needed to try it.

The pizza was amazing! After lunch I decided to take a nap while others went to the hotel spa… After my nap we ventured to the hotel ristorante where there was live music, someone was playing an accordion which I have never seen anybody play live. I had an amazing scallop pasta.

The music was great along with the food. We will for sure be going back there. And then we finished our night of course watching the NFL playoffs in the hotel lounge.

On Saturday a group of 14 guys took on the Italy rail system to head to Cinque Terra Riomaggiore. It was an early morning starting at 5:00 AM to make the 7:00 AM train. As the morning went on, we stopped in Pisa and then 2 other cities to make our way to the coast. When we arrived, we started our day by taking the hiking trail along the coast for a few miles before it turned into construction and was closed. We then had to hike a few miles into the mountains to make the longer journey up and around. The hike was a little more than expected as groups of people with actual hiking gear were walking by, and we were all in jeans and sweatshirts with regular shoes on!  The terrain was rough, but the views were amazing and worth it. As we finished up, we could see Manarola, A beautiful Italian city where you’ve seen a lot of pictures online of the buildings tucked into the rock walls. 

After our long hike, we ended up at Manarola which was considered town #2. The town was very beautiful, and many of us tried their unique seafood options, such as octopus sandwiches. After this, we explored more of Manarola and found some amazing views. We then went to Monterosso, which is considered town #5, and checked out the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean! We then checked out the water drainage tunnels and saw how the water drainage system was designed very early on, but it is still ahead of its time with how efficient it is. After checking out the drainage tunnels we finally made our way home and ended up chasing down a bus that was able to bring us back to the hotel.

Tom and Calvin

Our first Friday in Florence started off with class at 9:00am. The topic of class was the Renaissance and its impact on architecture and engineering. Levi, Malaki, and Tommy had their presentation today where they spoke about the Renaissance time period and some of the various contributors of the time such as Leonardo da Vinci. They also had a very interesting activity that helped the class bring out our artistic sides. The activity pushed us all to use our creative abilities when coming up with a new invention. While making our “next greatest invention”, they asked the class to also use their non-dominant hand in order for us all to think like da Vinci! Here is a photo of us holding our drawings in our new classroom here in Florence.

We then analyzed two pieces of art: The Fortune Teller and The Pantheon. This was done in six different perspectives: historical, theoretical, analytical, contextual, stylistic, and experiential perspective. Each perspective offers a different lens into the artwork along with the significance of influential elements that were present at the time it was made. Here are the two pictures that we analyzed as a class:

After class the group split up to embark on their own adventures of the city! All of our tickets from yesterday were still valid to use today (our Brunelleschi Pass or the ticket from the dome) so we were able to visit other sites such as the Bell Tower, Baptistery, Museum, and Santa Reparata. Others also ventured to explore the leather shops and other outdoor shops in the city!

-Rabia, Olivia, & Tommy

Travel

Today, our class started our day by leaving Rome. We hopped on a high-speed train at 8:25am and got to Florence by 10! We enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery and were served delicious drinks and snacks. When we got to Florence, we dropped off our bags at the hotel and went straight to the Galleria Dell ’Accademia Di Firenze. Next, we enjoyed lunch at the Florence market and then climbed the steps of the famous Duomo!

Florence

The class took the Florence bus system into the city center with our tour guide Leonardo. We saw the famous statue of David along with many other sculptures, paintings, and pieces of art. One of the many highlights was a demonstration of how replicas of statues were cast. Afterwards we explored the main shopping district and enjoyed a wide variety of foods from the central market. There was an astounding variety of foods, pastries, and beverages to choose from. After lunch, it was time to regroup at the Duomo for the great climb to the top!

Duomo

The Duomo is a cathedral that is known for its fascinating design and architecture. Construction for it began in 1296 by architect Arnolfo di Cambio and was completed in 1436 when Filippo Brunelleschi designed and constructed its famous dome. It is known for its impressive design and is the largest brick dome ever constructed. Today, our class got to climb 463 steps all the way up to the top of the dome. At the top, we were rewarded with stunning views over the entire city of Florence. One of the interesting features of the Duomo was the herringbone pattern of the brick work. This brickwork was a fascinating way to further reinforce the magnificent dome.

Church

The first place that our group viewed was the Basilica of Saint Sebastian. Upon entering the Basilica, we were able to witness that beautiful ceiling that displayed the story of Saint Sebastian martyrdom, and symbols that emulate strength and courage. The materials of the ceiling were entire configured of wood, which was impressive because the ceiling was made in the 17^th century and showcase how well preserved the components of the architecture were kept.

Additionally, some important statue are stored and preserved in the basilica such as the Bust of Saint Sebatian and the Statue of Saint Sebatian. The Bust of Saint Sebatian had an incredibly interesting history due to a huge debate that occurred between the original and a replica of the statue. Through analyzing the material used and the techniques that were implemented to carve the details the statue, people were able to differentiate the original from the decoy. This is how the original Bust of Sain Sebatian is not located and one display in the basilica to this day through analyzing the material and carving techniques.

Appian Way

After our stop at the Basilica of Saint Sebastian, the class began our walk down the Appian Way, which is one of the earliest Roman roads. It was the first road built for transporting troops outside of Rome and it is named after Appius Claudius Caecus. This road perfectly exemplifies the expression, “All roads lead to Rome”. The class was also able to take a look at the Circus of Maxentius, which hosted various ancient Roman games, typically in honor of Maxentius’ son Valerius Romulus, who died at a young age. Nearby is the tomb of Romulus, which is thought to hold his remains. As we continued down the Appian Way, we were able to witness the divots made by Roman chariots in the ancient stones. There were a number of ruins we passed by, as well as some wildlife! A little black cat and a herd of sheep said hello to the Tommies as we made our way down the road.

Aquaducts

For our final tour today, we went to aquaduct park where the remnants of two remarkable Roman aquaducts, namely Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus, are preserved. As we strolled through the park, we focused on examining the structural elements of these historical marvels. Unfortunately, it was raining outside but the temperature was very pleasant, so we weren’t affected much!

There are 11 total aquaducts in Rome, and they were designed to move water from distant sources to the heart of Rome. It took very skilled and detailed surveying and engineering for the Romans to construct these great structures! The aquaducts relied totally on gravity to move the water from source to source, so the engineers had to be very precise in the slope and inclination of the duct so it could span great lengths. These aquaducts stand as a testament to the brilliance of ancient engineering.

Today, we got up and started our day in the classroom. We learned more about compression members with an emphasis on domes. Our class time was highlighted by a paper dome-building competition. We split into teams, and the group with the strongest team would win a gelato treat from Professor Besser. The champions of the day were Ethan, Gentry, Thomas, and Erik. 

We continued our journey to Tivoli and Hadrian’s villa. Hadrian created his Villa to be more of a city surrounding his home. This was done out of his personal distaste for Palatine Hill. The Villa took many years to construct, and sadly, Hadrian was only able to live there for a few years. There were tons of amazing mosaic tiles laid on the floor and so many rooms to explore. There were lots of different areas that were specifically for the emperor and his family. Hadrian did not abandon the palace in Rome. However, they certainly liked the area outside for a quieter. One of the coolest sights on the trip was the Canopus and Serapeum. This is a large pool surrounded by many columns and statues, said to connect his villa with the ancient city of Alexandria. The villa is expensive with the grounds covering 250 acres (about the total floor space of the Pentagon). 

Our next stop was still in the city of Tivoli where we checked out Villa d’Este. Before we began our tour, we found lunch within the city. The class found paninis, pizza, and gelato to refuel for the villa. During the tour, the class quickly learned why the villa is so famous. The Villa is terraced on a hillside with a stunning garden and an extraordinary system of fountains. The original owner, Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, ordered the construction of Villa d’Este in 1550. At one end of the garden is the Fontana dell’Organo. This is a fountain with an Organ built into it. The instrument is played by the water through a complex hydraulic system. The fountain was commissioned in the late 1500s by Cardinal Alessandro d’Este. The hydraulic systems contain water that naturally flows down the hillside, and it’s all used to supply the 51 fountains and nymphaeums, 398 spouts, and 364 water jets. This was one of the most visually stunning treats of the trip thus far.