Italy: Madeleine Afonso (A New Experience)

Easter break in Italy is about equivalent to spring break in the States, so in late March I found myself with an extended period of complete free time. To put my brand-new Cotopaxi backpack to good use, I embarked on a solo trip from Bologna to the central hill towns Siena and Assisi.

While in my art history class, I had been carefully marking down the locations of each capolavoro (masterpiece) to seek out in preparation for a cultural art-filled sojourn. The opportunity to see the works in real life and bask in their greatness was too thrilling to let pass, so I filled my itinerary with Donatello and Michelangelo sculpture, gold-leafed Duccio panels and massive Giotto frescoes. In Siena, I was welcomed by its characteristic medieval contrade (neighborhoods), grand Piazza del Campo and undulating streets, all wrapped by panoramic hilly Tuscany on all sides. Inside Siena’s Duomo, the intricacy of Nicola Pisano’s Pulpito struck me like a punch to the face, and Bernini’s soft marble figurines perched in their niches looked as if they were melting.

Farther south in Umbria, Assisi’s beauty was striking. Cats traversed the beige and pink limestone, of which the whole city is constructed in, and potted geraniums dotted every quaint doorstep. At the top of a hike to an old fortress, the setting sun illuminated Umbria’s tree-carpeted mountains and the place truly did not feel real. When I think of a quintessential town in Italy, this city is the exact image that comes to mind. Saint Francis’s Basilica is the main draw to Assisi, and visiting was a moving experience. Its famous Giotto and Cimabue painted frescoes flanked the entire interior like the world’s most intricate wallpaper. Downstairs, the almost tangible spirit within St. Francis’ tomb hit me like a force field upon entering.

My Easter cultural pilgrimage to see everything I had learned about was uniquely satisfying and it seems every city I visit in Italy is more beautiful than the last!

 

 

Madeleine Afonso

Hometown: Sammamish, Washington

Major: Botany & Journalism

Program: Bologna Consortial Studies Program