Activism in Athens

By Samm Carbone

Athens is the largest city in Greece with a population of up to 3 million people. Tall buildings and cars are packed together on each side of the narrow streets with barely enough room for our bus to make it through. I'm not exaggerating, our bus drivers had to lift and move a car out of our path in order to scrape by. The people who live in the city seemed to be well-adjusted to the overflow of people.

During our visit, we were warned that we might experience some delays in our plans due to a general strike and protests that had been taking place in the center of the city. While I was hoping that we would not have to miss out on any of the archeological sites due to the demonstrations, I was intrigued to learn more about how the public interacted with the Greek government and vice versa.

We learned that the strike was organized by the civil transportation workers of Athens in response to a deadly train crash that occurred as a result of negligence. This tragedy had come even after warnings from railway unions that there weren’t the necessary safety measures in place, and it required attention. Transportation services such as railways, buses, ferries, etc., were shut down for periods of time.

We did not end up encountering any interference, and there was no protesting taking place in the areas we traveled through, but the tension could be felt looking at the signs and the enforcement who were prepared for whatever was to occur. Rallies like this one are not new to Greek society and this was one of many related to this specific incident. I sympathize with the citizens of Greece as they fight against injustice, especially because of how reminiscent this situation is of the Ohio train derailment that happened recently. Gross negligence resulting in the loss of lives deserves to be taken seriously by the government, so hopefully the people that come together in protest pile enough pressure on that they finally do so.

Onward to Florence, Back to the Renaissance

By: Kirk G.

Florence (Firenze), known as the birthplace of the renaissance, is a city of personality. From the dashing waves of the Arno River to the remarkable scale of Il Duomo, to the famed Ponte Vecchio, Florence has plenty of sights to see. The cobblestone streets are often flooded with foot traffic by travelers and locals alike, periodically intervened by cars and horse-drawn carriages attempting to navigate through the crowd.  Of the many sights in Florence, those that were most awe-inspiring to me were the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo di Pitti, and Il Duomo.   

Standing three stories tall overlooking the Arno River, the Uffizi Gallery boasts a macroscale collection of works from the renaissance period and earlier including over one-hundred busts of Roman emperors, and thousands of paintings including and dating as early as Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “Annunciation”, completed in 1472 A.D.   

The Palazzo di Pitti or Pitti Palace was created by Luca Pitti in 1468 A.D., but was later inhabited by the Medici Family during their reign in 1549 A.D. The palace has been museumized to contain hundreds of artworks and sculptures of the renaissance period.  Behind the palace lies the Boboli Gardens, encompassing a massive size of one-hundred eleven acres! If Boboli Gardens isn’t impressive enough, the views it offers overlooking Florence are sure to take your breath away.  

Il Duomo (which translates to “the cathedral” from Italian) is assuredly the most incredible cathedral you will ever see. Its gothic exterior is meticulously designed. The facade of the cathedral is clad in green, white, and red marble and adorned with arches and ribs to add visual texture. The dome of the cathedral, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, is the tallest structure in the city reaching a height of 114.5 meters (375.7 feet). With a line over an hour long to enter, Il Duomo is the definition of a tourist attraction, and a must-see for anyone planning to visit the city known as “the birthplace of the renaissance”.