Reflections Magazine Issue #54 - Fall 2000 | Page 14

A Legacy
of Artists

14

curls, and columns.

Story and photographs by Amanda Young ‘01

Art students expand their horizons in Studio Angelico excursion

Exploring art
and life in Italy
e waited patiently for a year. Students in the
art department first heard
about the summer 2000 trip
to Italy in April of 1999. It
was a long wait. For the next
year, we saved our pocket change, crammed
our brains with countless Italian art works,
and threw Italian phrases at each other in the
hallways. Finally, on May 14, 25 students
and friends, guided by Studio Angelico
professors Peter Barr and Christine Reising,
set out for a three-week experience in Italy.
We were looking for a memorable education
that would influence us for years to come.
We were not disappointed!
Our trip started with a 7-hour delay at the
Detroit airport, but eventually we arrived
safely in Rome. The three-hour bus trip to
Florence that followed was
our first introduction to the
Italian landscape. Mountains rolled by; splotches of
orange rooftops dotted the
hillsides; the bright reds and
oranges of poppies poked
through the overpowering
green and brown fields like
an Andrew Wyeth dream.
Our first hotel was located about two miles outside
of downtown Florence. Each
morning we answered our 6
a.m. wake up calls, then ate
the customary breakfast: a
hard roll, juice, and strong
coffee. By 8:15, we had
bused to downtown Florence and were walking to
our first destination. And
boy did we walk! After the
first week, I knew my calf
muscles were destined for

greatness.

Peter scheduled our trips well and we always beat the crowds. At 1:30 p.m., the bus
took us back to the hotel for siestas, or what
we referred to as “big giant naps.” Most afternoons we also worked on our journals. We
kept detailed accounts of what we learned and
saw through sketches, collections, and writings. In the evenings, we could take the bus
into town for dinner or relax at the hotel.
Florence is a beautiful city. It’s a small
bustling metropolis of mopeds, bicycles
and strange looking cars. (My Ford Festiva
would look like a van next to their small,
fuel-efficient automobiles.) The first week
we found ourselves constantly looking up;
the architecture filled the sky with its loops,

Cultural differences between Italians and
Americans were obvious immediately. The
Italians were fascinating in their sophisticated fashion and perfume; Americans stuck
out like sore thumbs. In addition, although
we had studied Italian with Peter before the
trip, we soon realized our langua