Libby Rule is a student at Missouri State University. She is an ISA Featured Photo Blogger and studied abroad with ISA in Florence, Italy.
As an art history minor, I have learned a great deal about Western Art History. But places and art like the Colosseum, The Trevi Fountain, and David are commonly known. Names like Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Leonardo Da Vinci are household. And the picture I had in my head of Italy was of these names– of the picture that my art history classes had painted for me. Flying to Italy, I imagined a country frozen in history. And to some extent that’s what I found, but the real place turned out to be much more complex. Everywhere I looked, I saw ancient landmarks surrounded by “new”. New signs, new vehicles, new souvenirs, and new art. I had to readjust my vision of Italy and understand it for what it is: as a place where modern society and the birthplace of treasured art history were coinciding in harmony.
When you take a step back, however, whether old or new, Italy has some truly breathtaking sights.
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