This morning we started our second week of language classes. My class played two games to practice the most common (but probably most difficult) Italian past tense, called passato prossimo. The afternoon brought heavy thunderstorms, but the skies cleared up enough for a surprise fireworks show at night.
This afternoon we took advantage of what’s supposed to be the last rain-free day of the next week to walk into an area of Florence that we hadn’t yet visited. We did our homework and studying with a view of the Florence skyline, and enjoyed yet another delicious dinner at a restaurant recommended in one of our guide books.
After starting the afternoon at our favorite gelateria, we visited the opulent Treasury of the Grand Dukes, the summer apartments of the Medicis, in the historic Pitti Palace, which is part of the Uffizi Galleries.
This afternoon, we plunged into the center of town for lunch and dessert at a famous gelateria, then visited the Bargello National Museum, which showcases the world’s most important collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture.
Today was a national holiday in Italy, and we took advantage of some badly needed downtime, along with a visit to the Bardini Garden, which offered beautiful views of Florence below.
During our afternoon Road Scholar lecture today, we learned about the fractured origins of Italian and how those led to development of its famous body language.
This morning we had our second day of language class. After lunch with others in our group, we went shopping and continued with our Road Scholar orientation to the city.
We enjoyed our first 3 1/2 hours of language classes this morning, and then after a group lunch, it was time to move in to our individual apartments, where we’ll spend the next six weeks.
Today was our first full day of the Road Scholar program. We visited the school where we’ll have our language classes, and then spent the rest of the day learning how to live in the city.
We spent most of today trying to get over our jet lag after crossing nine time zones yesterday. Then this evening, our Road Scholar program officially began.