Just Hanging Around

EB: Arezzo was the second destination we traveled to. Immediately after exiting the train station we began our tour. The same guide from Cortona began to lead us toward a main plaza, winding through numerous buildings. Looking up at the buildings I noticed garden on the roof of one of the buildings. This reminded me of the handing gardens we had previously discussed in class. From pictures of the gardens of Babylon to the modern pictures of the Japanese buildings with whole surfaces covered in greens, I was amazed at these skyward gardens. Using the spaces on rooftops for gardening is becoming a more prevalent occurrence in the U.S. and even more so in Italy where greenery and flowers seem to be everywhere. While the garden I saw may have been a simple rooftop garden it was reminiscent of these hanging wonders.

After stopping at a beautiful church we made our way to another landmark, weaving in and out of vendors trying to peddle their goods. Outside the church, we stopped to look at the leaves of an alder tree that had tiny galls embedded in its leaves. Dr. Lombardini informed us that these galls were caused by insects who would lay their eggs inside the growths. Yuck! I will never look at leaves the same way again. 

By the end of the day we had explored the city and seen most of the different antique stands. It was a lovely experience and I enjoyed every minute of it before setting of for a weekend in Florence.