Northern Italy

Oh, Northern Italy! There was a slight underlying feeling of melancholy pervading each of our spirits as we spent our last class trip together, but yet again, it was another incredible class trip. The only aspect with which I took issue lay in the fact that it was too short—far too short. As the semester draws to an end everything just moves faster and faster; it is overwhelming and terrifying. We spent two days in Florence, two in Venice, and one in Assisi. Though Assisi was my absolute favourite, each city was just so wonderful.
In Florence we took class trips to the Uffizi Galleries, where we were able to see paintings by Botticelli and Caravaggio, and the Accademia, where we saw Michaelangelo's David (which, by the way, is an utterly phenomenal statue—I didn't realize it's full grandeur till I saw it in person). The amount of history in Florence, as everywhere else we have been, once again threw me off balance. SO MUCH happened there! The history of the Medici's, the artwork...DANTE! Among the trips to museums, we spent our time walking the city, climbing the Dome of the Duomo, staring off the Ponte Vecchio, and wandering through the fabulous markets. Many of us came away with fine Florentine leather goods. It is worth a small splurge to get a jacket—you won't regret it, at least, I haven't yet.
Venice was incredible. To be honest, I wasn't originally as excited about it as I was about Florence and Assisi, but once I was there, I was quite intrigued. The mazes of streets and buildings with water doorsteps provide a sense of eeriness, romanticism, and confusion. Like good UD students, upon going to the Rialto, we leaned off the edge and shouted “What news on the Rialto?” (See The Merchant of Venice, 3.1) Note: the amount of masks and pigeons in Venice is ridiculous.
And then, Assisi. It is the most delightful Medieval small town. The first day there we went to Mass at the Church of Santo Stefano, where the bells are said to have rung on their own volition when St. Francis died. That evening, Monsignor hosted a wine tasting, which was delicious. The next day we took a trip to the Basilica of San Francesco, and following that, a few of us hiked up St. Francis' Hermitage. That was probably the highlight of the Northern Italy trip for me. It was so beautiful, and peaceful, and just felt SO close to God.
I'm just awestruck every minute by the immense beauty which Our Lord places before us all the time. Of course, you can realize this everywhere through everything, but it is so much more radical in these places. The graces simply are part of the air you breathe.