Then we had Italian where we just went to buy our textbooks & walk around. After a quick break at our apartment, where we savored the best grapefruits we have ever tasted, it was time for History of Tuscany.
Here's where I'll copy/paste what Caroline wrote about this experience, because no one else could put it this well. It will definitely be an interesting semester!
"I can’t even begin to write what just occurred in my history of Tuscany class. After a long day at school, most of we’re dreading the three hour history class that would finish off our day. In a tiny classroom with a loft, we were greeted by someone I can only describe as a “funky Dumbledore”. Picture curly gray hair, a short beard, green cords, a brown vest and a gorgeous pair of Italian shoes. My professor, whose family has been in Florence since 1056 (more to come on that later) spoke perfect English in a British accent. He spoke mainly in riddles and sonnets, pausing every few seconds to stare into space before his sentence dropped off. He is open and fair in his discrimination of all cultures and says stuff like, “the only way to get through life is to b*llshit everything.” He is quoted in “The Florentine” saying, “‘Florentines are so funny and they have respect for absolutely nothing’ -not just out of malice but because everything is a joke.”
On the third hour of class, our teacher walked us through the back alleys of Florence, stopping at each corner and tipping his hat to local Florentines. He wouldn’t tell us where we were going and when we asked he would respond with something along the lines of, “curiosity killed the cat… information made him fat”... we ended up at a giant palace. After a few flights of stairs once inside, the interior was beginning to look more like a museum. The walls were lined with paintings and artifacts including a suit of armor. Paintings from the same artists as a few of the pictures on the wall sold for 34 millions dollars in 1984…. According to our teacher, however, everything in the house is under a trust and can never be sold. Either way, I don’t think someone who has devoted his life to history is willing to sell documents and pieces that have been in his family for centuries.
We were taken to a small library filled with shelves and shelves of archival documents. We recognized our teachers surname on most all the documents. The first thing he showed us was a document written & signed by King Henry VIII! After tons of questions, our modest teacher began to tell us the story of his family history in Florence.
The famous Capponi palace (our teacher’s surname), the site of our class, was likely constructed in 1411. The courtyard at the center of the house is the first known example of a Renaissance courtyard. Now enclosed, it is speculated to have been kept open because it is situated across the river from the Palazzo Vecchio which was the seat of the Medici power (if you have been to Florence, you know this name). Apparently the view gave Palazzo Capponi visitors a clear visual reminder of the family’s alliance with the Medici.
Our teacher, Nicollo Capponi, is actually a Count, and a “Florentine Patrician,” the title was given to his ancestors by the Holy Roman Empire in 1701. Nicollo says, “My roots are here and, let’s be honest, the world as we know it originates here. Modern western history began here, in Florence. ”
Having this professional historian as a teacher for the next semester is going to be an amazing experience. We are each picking one of his archival documents to analyze and write commentary. In the past, students have had their papers published. Nicollo is renting out part of his building to Stanford to use as administative offices, but he chuckled when he said that only his students at the Accademia would have access to the archives."
fun fact: the movie Hannibal was filmed here as his home, & Dr. Capponi was an extra!
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