Excursions: Ravenna & Urbino

Buona sera,

The fantastic thing about this program is that they really know how to blow our minds. This country is just full of so much history and beauty that it's just impossible to feel a desire to ever want to leave. The program staff picked a fantastic set of teachers and the perfect excursions during our first month in Italy. Well, almost all perfect.

Ravenna
There is not much to be said about this tiny city. It's on the coast of Emilia-Romagna (the same region as Bologna) and really doesn't have much else to offer except for what it's famous for: paleochristian and byzantine art. The churches and battisteri (baptisteries) are ancient and definitely an eyeful. Unfortunately, I found the city itself to be quite dull and unexciting. Granted, I am not an art history student, so I am no expert, but it really wasn't all that wonderful. The funny thing is, my camera died the moment we arrived and I don't feel like I would have taken many pictures anyway.
Though, I do have a fun history fact: Because Ravenna is on the coast, it was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire for some time because it allowed for easy trading access between both empires. It also became the capital because having the military on the coast allowed for better protection against barbarians. Fascinating, right?

Urbino
This tiny city, on the other hand, took my breath away. It felt like the kind of city that inspires fairy tales and Shakespearean tragedies. It has a giant palace (the first one I have ever seen) that centers the city, and lies upon monstrous hills. I am sure the natives have incredible thigh muscles because it was never an easy stroll around, but it definitely added to its charm. During our excursion, we spent most of our time inside the palace of Federico da Montefeltro, the duke of Urbino during the Renaissance. Unfortunately, cameras were strictly prohibited and so I could not take any pictures, but I do recommend visiting Federico's palace someday.

Il palazzo di Federico da Montefeltro

Honestly, I am looking forward to all of the cities I am going to hopefully visit during my stay here this semester, but I am so incredibly glad the program scheduled this excursion. I would have never thought to visit this city on my own. Here is just a taste of what I feasted on today:

Tip: If you are ever in Italy and have a day to spare, seriously consider visiting Urbino. It's the kind of city that does not require more than a day (a few hours, even) for touring so, there would be no need for a hostel or hotel stay. Just book a ticket on a train or bus and visit this incredibly beautiful place. The palace is worth admiring.

Side story: We saw an old Jaguar parked on our way up a steep hill at the beginning of the day and saw a Oggi Sposi (married today) sign on it. Obviously, we thought it was beautiful and exciting. BUT IT GETS BETTER. Eventually, we saw a bride not only in the car later on in the day, we were able to follow the car to the church and saw her come out in her princess-like wedding dress. She gracefully walked up the extravagant steps of a (probably) 600-year old church to get married. We all got chills as we saw her bridesmaid fix her veil and train and then were almost brought to tears as the organ began the Wedding March. It was an incredible experience. I had already believed this place was like a fairy tale land, then seeing Cinderella convinced me I was in a fairy tale.

I wasn't kidding. 

Ciao! <3