Renaissance

One of the most interesting classes I am taking this semester is Renaissance Civilization and Culture. Aside from my love of history and passion for learning about events in the past that shaped the present I am in awe at how much of what I learn in the classroom is all around me in this beautiful, ancient city. Today my professor said he had a surprise for us. An hour into the class he said, in his merry Italian accent "Now we'll take a ten minute break, and then meet me downstairs." My class and I complied, meeting him at a small café outside of our building. He then took us on a walking tour of the Renaissance. One block away from where we were sitting in class taking notes we walked into a small, often overlooked but still occupied Church. The resting place of one of the bankers to the Medici family. We stood in between the tombs of him and his wife and listened as our teacher explained the significance of the beautiful frescos on the wall in front of us. Out the doors and across the street we stood at the entrance to the palace of a wealthy merchant family of Renaissance Florence. I can't describe the feeling of awe and privilege I felt standing amongst such history.
In my opinion you haven't lived until you have traveled, and you haven't learnt until you have walked through history.