When you think of Harding University in Florence, what are some of the images that come to mind? Seeing Michelangelo’s famous “David”? Climbing the 463 steps to the top of the dome of Florence’s cathedral? Maybe sitting down to a slice of authentic pizza at a little pizzeria with friends? While all of these things are possible through the HUF program, there is an endless amount of other opportunities and experiences that one can have while in Italy. Some of these are as big as seeing the world-famous Sistine Chapel while on a trip to Rome, or as small as meeting someone who makes pottery in a little studio in a village in Sicily.
An experience that left a big impression on me was when the HUF group visited the small town of San Gimignano. San Gimignano is a medieval city that is nestled in the heart of Tuscany. We arrived at the gates of St. John, which is one of the main entrances to this ancient walled city, around 10 a.m. Our first stop was a charming cafe, where we ordered things like a cappuccino (the unofficial drink of HUF) and a pastry for a mid-morning snack. Afterward, the group toured several areas of the town, including the Plaza in front of the Palazzo Comunale, which is the town’s city hall.
My favorite place in the city is the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which is the main church in San Gimignano. This Romanesque church was built in the 12th century. The interior walls of the church are covered in frescos that come from the 1300s to1400s. The frescos on the left wall depict vivid scenes from the Old Testament, including the creation of man, Noah and the story of Job. The right wall shows scenes from the New Testament, including the flight into Egypt, Jesus’ baptism and the last supper. I thought the most interesting fresco was Jesus being led to Calvary. The other frescos show Jesus with emotions one would expect Jesus to have, such as a look of pain and sorrow on his face as he was getting lashed with whips. In this fresco we see a mixture of anger and disgust coming from the crowd as they lead Jesus to Calvary. Mother Mary and the apostles’ emotions are those of great sorrow as they follow behind the angry mob. It’s in the midst of this dramatic scene that we see Jesus. He seems to have a look that is both filled with calm acceptance as well as pity: pity for his persecutors, pity for his friends and perhaps pity for us the viewers. In this medieval house of worship I saw both the best and worst of man. The church itself, with its marble columns and ornate altar-pieces, were testaments to man’s aspirations and desire to create beauty, while the frescos remind us that man is imperfect and prone to hatred and violence.
It has been said that life is just a series of experiences; what we take away from them is just as important as the experience itself. I guess I always knew in the back of my mind that we are all one people and we may do things differently from one another. We may dress differently, eat different kinds of food and we may not speak the same language. These differences tend to make us forget this basic truth: we become focused on ourselves instead of on our brothers.
Next issue: Sophomore Jon Oden from HIP.
