This morning we hopped aboard the train and went to Firenze again. This time our main goal was to go to the art museum to see the original statue of David. This statue used to be outside but has since been brought inside and restored to its original condition. Apparently the hand fell off trying to bring this big statue into the building. The statue of David is the centerpiece of its own room within the museum. To the left of this picture is a walkway that takes you to a room where you can look at molds that have black dots on them to show art students how to make the body look proportioned. This place inspired us to tap into our artistic sides and incorporate more creative hobbies back home.
After the museum we shopped for last minute souvenirs since this was our last day in Firenze. The markets in Florence are full of leather goods. You can buy purses, backpacks, belts, shoes, jewelry, and many more things for family and friends back home. Bartering skills are useful in this market because I heard of one member getting 400 Euros of purses for 125 Euros. She saved big money on purses that day.
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| Counselor at the Community Center |
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| Wall Art Drawn by Patients |
Then we headed over to a community center for bipolar patients in Florence Italy. This center was much different than the United States. Although it was setup the same in structure by offering both group and individual therapy, it incorporated a lot of the Italian philosophy of treatment. The psychiatrist emphasizes stabilizing patient with medication for bipolar but a large part of this program is setup to educate clients how to live with the disorder. Because art is such a huge part of the Italian culture the program is designed to encourage clients to express themselves through art. We also had an opportunity to hear from clients that were treated both in the U.S. and in Italy. They felt that the treatment in the states focused too much on medication management than how to manage life with the disorder.
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| GSU and University of Holy Cross |
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| University of Alabama in Birmingham |
The Governors State University group ate with the University of Alabama in Birmingham group for dinner. This was a nice time to sit down with our fellow colleagues and talk about our experiences. After dinner we strolled the streets to experience the nightlife that the city had to offer. We wrapped the night up by sitting on a rooftop bar to watch the spectacular view of the city.
Mindy Eastling
This morning we hopped aboard the train and went to Firenze again. This time our main goal was to go to the art museum to see the original statue of David. This statue used to be outside but has since been brought inside and restored to its original condition. Apparently the hand fell off trying to bring this big statue into the building. The statue of David is the centerpiece of its own room within the museum. To the left of this picture is a walkway that takes you to a room where you can look at molds that have black dots on them to show art students how to make the body look proportioned. This place inspired us to tap into our artistic sides and incorporate more creative hobbies back home. 
The Governors State University group ate with the University of Alabama in Birmingham group for dinner. This was a nice time to sit down with our fellow colleagues and talk about our experiences. After dinner we strolled the streets to experience the nightlife that the city had to offer. We wrapped the night up by sitting on a rooftop bar to watch the spectacular view of the city. 
