Jennifer finds the oldest daisies in Italy

Yesterday a group of us dragged ourselves out of bed at 5:45 am, walked /took a bus over to the station, and rode two buses to get to the oldest city in Italy, Volterra.  This is where the most important scene of the second book of the Twilight vampire series takes place, and those dedicated fans of us did not hesitate to re-enact the scenes...but of course that was not our primary reason for visiting ; ).  It was by far the best day I've had here in Italy.  The weather was beautiful, the views breath-taking, and we did not feel self-concious about standing out as tourists.  I think what was so inspiring was the fact that it is the oldest city in Italy (we saw the 6 thousand year old Etruscan arch) but it has not been touched by the commercialization and impatient efficiency of the modern world.  I feel that Florence, being one of the top three tourist cities in Italy, sometimes loses the rustic antiquity that makes a city such as Volterra so special.  While wandering up and down the ally ways and streets of Volterra, we happened upon a huge open park, with a playground, in front of the Medici fortress.  We ended up spending several hours just enjoying the grass and the sunlight.  I had forgotten how much I miss the open air and how much happier it makes me feel.  It was truly a day of appreciating the smaller things that nature, excluding the hustle and bustle of city life, has to offer.

Because Volterra retains its rustic antiquity, it was easy for me to find examples of decay and growth.  In Jana's theme sequence class, we did a mind mapping exercise, and I kept coming back to this idea of life, growth, decay, etc., so I decided to use this as my concept for the homework.  I think I am especially drawn to the linear qualites and colors that the decay / growth creates, and it is something that only organic forces can create.  Sometimes I think that the decay of a wall is more beautiful than the original.  It gives something a kind of character that is lost in the cold, hard facade of modern architecture.