Reporter: M.I.
July 11, 2025
I went to the National Museum of Bargello, which was recommended to me during my art visit last week. The building itself is a typical medieval architecture, which is enough to satisfy me, but I was reminded of the difference in expression between Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia Gallery and Donatello’s David here. 先週のアートヴィジットの時に薦めてもらった、バルジェッロ国立博物館へ。建物自体が典型的中世建築で、それだけで充分満足だが、アカデミア美術館にあるミケランジェロのダビデ像とここにあるドナテッロのダビデ像、表現力の違いに思いを馳せる。 Today, a national holiday, I was able to visit “Cinque Terre” with friends. It is the collective name for five fishing villages, registered as a World Heritage site, facing the Ligurian Sea, a little far from Florence and close to Genoa. La Spezia, which we arrived by train, is an exotic town, quite different from Tuscany […]
July 1, 2025
With the start of the second half of our home cooking lessons, we finally have only two weeks left in our summer course. Today’s menu is full of vegetables, and I am looking forward to the menu as summer vegetables will become more and more delicious from now on. After school, we went to the Medici Chapel. I feel that Florence is connected to the Medici family and Michelangelo, and I would like to study more about this area when I return to Japan. 後半のホームクッキングレッスンがスタートで、 いよいよサマーコースも残すところ2週間。今日は野菜の多いメニューでこれから夏野菜がどんどん美味しくなるので、メニューも楽しみ。放課後はメディチ家礼拝堂に行く。フィレンツェはメディチ家とミケランジェロに全て繋がっている気がして、日本に戻ったらこの辺りをもっと勉強してみたい。 On the day off from lessons, I went out to Assisi with a friend. It was a bit far from Florence, about 2.5 hours by […]
June 26, 2025
I have to work hard on ring making as early as the fourth and final week of the jewelry course! Four days left, including today. I have to keep at it, but the time is flying by. We are trying a new restaurant every day for lunch vouchers, and today’s pizzeria was quite tasty. 早くもジュエリーコース最終週の4週目で指輪製作も頑張らねば！今日を入れ4日間。 焦らずコツコツやるのみなのだが、あっという間に時間が過ぎて行く。 ランチバウチャーで毎日新しい店に挑戦中で、今日はpizzeria なかなか美味しかった。 The sun is shining stronger day by day, and tourists walking around the city look like they are already at a resort! I heard that the rainy season started in Tokyo yesterday, so I am glad that it is not humid compared to the rainy season in other parts of Japan. The […]
June 10, 2025
A new classmate joined us today. I was able to clear the thread saw for the earrings, but the next step was to file the parts! I am glad I came this time. I’m glad I came this time. 今日から新しいクラスメートが加わった。ピアス用の糸鋸はクリア出来たが、次はヤスリの作業、パーツが細かいのでなかなか思う様にならないのだが、自分はこうやってコツコツと物造りをしたかったんだな！と思うと今更ながら今回来れて良かった。と、実感している。 The sun is shining brightly and it’s summer! The lack of humidity helps, but the sun’s rays are amazing. Today is a long day, with two teachers teaching for five and a half hours straight, which requires a lot of tension and concentration, and I continue to work silently. 気がつくと太陽は燦々と輝き、夏だ！湿気がないので助かっているが陽射しがすごい。 今日は2人の先生の授業がぶっ通しで5時間半という長丁場、緊張と集中力のいる日で、黙々と作業を続けている。 The earrings are done and they turned out quite well for me. (lol) Next, I decided to try my […]
June 7, 2025
The second week of the jewelry course. While shaping the leaf shape of the pendant top more three-dimensionally, we are building the linear parts of the core and the parts that will be the underside of the leaf. The pointed tips of the leaves were a struggle, breaking the blade of the thread saw four or five times. Both the file and the thread saw are very difficult to use, and time passes very quickly. ジュエリーコース第二週目。ぺンダントトップの葉の形をより立体的に整形しつつ、芯の部分の線状パーツ、葉の裏側になる部分のパーツなどを造っていきます。葉先の尖った部分は苦戦、糸鋸の刃を4〜5回折ってしまう。ヤスリも糸鋸も力加減がとても難しく、あっという間に時間が過ぎてしまう。 The pendant top is somehow taking shape, and I welded up to the ring where the chain goes through.. I bought a streetcar (and of course bus) pass for June at TABNET. I have […]
June 4, 2025
Today I started a four-week course on Jewelry Making. I used a brass plate for practice, and cut small pieces of material with a circular saw while holding it firmly in place with my left hand. The ring, my first work, which I made while struggling, is now in my treasure house (laugh). 今日から4週間 のJewelry Makingコースが始まりました。 練習用には真鍮の板を使い、小さい材料を左手でしっかり固定しながら、糸鋸(イトノコ)でカットして行くのですが、思った以上に力が必要で(特に固定の為左手)明日は筋肉痛になっているかもです。悪戦苦闘しながらの初作品の指輪は、私の宝物殿(笑)入り。 The weather has been unstable recently, with frequent and sudden rain, more like a passing shower than a squall. Day 2 Thread saw and file, plus some welding work today. After this practice with brass, we will start working with silver next time, so today we went to buy silver for materials. This […]
June 2, 2025
The second week started, and we gradually became accustomed to the road to the classes, and began to enjoy it despite our nervousness. In the evening from 17:00 to 18:30, we participated in the weekly Art Visit and received a detailed explanation while circling the Duomo, the symbol of Florence. 二週目スタート、授業に向かう道もだんだん慣れて緊張の中にも楽しさが味わえるようになりました。夕方17:00〜18:30 週一回あるArt Visit に参加し、フィレンツェの象徴である 「花の聖母教会ドゥオーモ」を一周しながら丁寧に説明を受けました。 I left a little early in the morning and went for a walk around the city, which was still a little empty, before class. Today’s lesson was “Arancini” Arancini “Rice Croquettes”, a traditional Sicilian classic recipe. They are much larger than I expected, and gobbling is the best way to describe them, but they are irresistibly […]
May 14, 2025
I was supposed to enter Florence via Zurich transit, but after a long wait, the flight was cancelled and I stayed in Zurich that day. The next day, I finally arrived in Florence in the afternoon via Frankfurt, and was unable to attend the orientation. I could not attend the orientation after all. I felt reassured by the staff who helped me a lot since I could neither speak Italian nor English very well. Then came the first day of home cooking. With a Japanese interpreter, I was able to take notes and learn about Mamma’s cooking in an enjoyable atmosphere. The food was delicious! After the class, the staff […]
