At this cemetery, over 4,000 American soldiers were killed in the capture of Rome in June 1944.
Seeing places like this always reminds me of how lucky we are to be American citizens. Our fellow countrymen have given their lives for the freedoms we have today. It is essential that their memories live on and we never forget that they gave their lives for us.
A guide led us through the cemetery and monuments telling us stories of the soldiers. Some of our students volunteered to read their stories aloud to our group.
On May 2nd, 1944, all German forces in Italy surrendered. The long and bloody Allied campaign liberated Italy and contributed to the success of campaigns elsewhere in Europe.
This is a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. He continued to command his troops while being injured.
It is important for our youth to continue to learn this history of this world so that we can continue to strive for what is right. It is scary to me that all of this happened not too long ago, and it was all started by one person. It is amazing what one person can do. We must continue to hold each other accountable for our actions and help keep everyone safe regardless of their religion, race, or sexual orientation.
Next on our agenda was Florence. We arrived and walked into the city to have a few minutes of free time before having pasta for lunch and then a city tour.
Our meeting place was the Piazza della Signoria, where the fake "David" is in the background. This is where the original once stood.
After lunch we met our guide who gave us a tour of "La Academia" where the famous David is housed. This museum contains a superb collection of sculptures by Michelangelo. He carved the famous "David" at the young age of 29 for the Piazza della Signoria. The "David" is what made Michelangelo famous, and it is known as the best work of art in all of Europe.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to bring cameras in, but we did get to sneak some photos in the gift shop!
Michelangelo lived to be 90 years old, which was much past his life expectancy during that time. He wanted to be a sculptor, but he was also a famous painter. His works were like a diary of his life. Our guide said Michelangelo lived a very sad life because he was homosexual, which was not accepted at that time. He did most of his work alone and spent most of his days in solitude. During his time working for the Vatican, the church broke apart and the Protestants came out of the Catholic Church which also made him sad.
After our visit to "La Academia," we went on a city tour of Florence. Florence is known for its wealth of art and architecture. The river Arno runs through the city leading up to the famous sites. Our first stop on the tour was the Duomo- the Cathedral of Florence.
The Duomo began in 1294, and was crowned in the 15th century with a splendid dome by Brunelleschi- one of the most famous Renaissance masterpieces.
Here are the famous doors of the baptistery.
Next we walked back through the Piazza della Signoria.
Here I am with the fake "David" in the Piazza.
As we were walking through Florence, we saw several street performers. One of them even scared Francine!
The cupid below is the one that darted an arrow as Francine walked by- too funny!
Here we stopped to admire the famous Uffuzi Gallery of art where the famous painting of "The Birth of Venus" is housed.
In the area of the Uffuzi was a statue of the man that named America!!
Our last stop on the city tour was the famous Ponte Vecchio, which literally means "old bridge." It is lined with jewelers shops, and has been in business since the 11th century.
We had a bit of free time for shopping and gelato before heading to the leather factory to conclude our day in Florence.
Our last stop was at Leonardo's to see how real leather is made as well as stamped with gold.
Overall, we had yet another wonderful day in Italy!! After the city tour it was time to head to our hotel for the evening to have dinner and rest for our next big day!
No comments:
Post a Comment