Florence and Pisa 2025

SFL Women in Florence - Ashley, Natalie, Dana

I tell students to not skip the floor ABOVE the David. People go to see the magnificent statue, but there is such beautiful artwork on other floors and in other rooms too. 

I love Abby Richardson. I got to know her really well this year as she served on SFLSA board and as an FCSE ambassador. Having her on study abroad was a dream.

Look at the beautiful patio at our hotel in Florence

My celebratory purse

So glad Natalie talked me into going into the city center to take pictures after dark. 

Went to our favorite gelato place. Orange chocolate!

The Ferragamo Museum had an exhibit all about shoes!

This pair was all gold. There were only 2 pairs made. One Ferragamo kept and the other went to a woman in the US. 

Shoes made from toad leather. So interesting to see after going to the leather school and seeing many exotic leathers. 

Outside of the leather school with my new purchase

They always show us exotic leathers, some of which are illegal in the US.

This woman is the granddaughter of the man who started the leather school shortly after WWII. He wanted to teach a craft to orphan boys after the war. They still give scholarships to deserving youth. 

We saw this man do gold lettering on leather. 

The leather school is in an old Franciscan monk living space. The monks thought it was too ornate with artwork like this, so they moved to a simpler place to live and study. 

One of the students snapped this picture of a man who sat next to me in Pisa. They said it was my Italian boyfriend. 

There was a big religious meeting in Pisa when we were there. 

Mother's Day in Florence

The dress I bought in Venice. I absolutely love it. 

The students know how much I love this statue in the Piti Palace

Mass

The ceiling of the Uffizi

This is so unfair. This is the view out of my hotel window. Can you even believe it?

Walking from the hotel to the train station. This is what 27 people and their bags look like. 

Florence is one of my favorite cities for many reasons. I first discovered it with my friend Annie Oswald in 2018. I just wanted to see The David, and the statue did not disappoint. The city is walkable, beautiful, and has a surprise around every corner. I love introducing students to it. 

We took them to the Uffizi, Piti Palace, Boboli Gardens, a leather school, the Ferragamo Museum, and ended seeing The David. Our first Sunday was in Florence and we went to mass at the Duomo there. It was the first mass after the announcement of the new Pope. The students were really respectful, even though we didn't understand what was going on - Catholicism and Italian. 

Two of our colleagues were also in Florence, so we met up with them - Ashley Fraser and Jeff Jackson. It was fun to see them. Jeff served his mission in Italy and does research there. Ashely was working on a research project, interviewing middle-aged women from The Church about their lived experiences. 

On Sunday afternoon, many of us took a spontaneous side trip to Pisa. I'm so glad I went. It was great to see the leaning tower and to climb to the top of it. I also got a delicious hot dog. We didn't have much time there, but it was a fun adventure. Walking up and down the tower is a trip. It's hard to get a picture that shows how much the tower really leans. 

The students really enjoyed the tour of the leather school. I bought a really cute cream colored purse. It was my treat to myself for earning CFS (continuing faculty status). I'm official at BYU and I have a $200 purse to prove it. I've already worn it a lot and I love it. I would have regretted not buying it had I passed on it. 

Florence miracle: honestly, just to be there again. I love this city soooo much. Also to get my favorite gelato again. The world is a beautiful place, and I'm blessed to see it. Promises in my patriarchal blessing about travel have come to pass. 

Directors summit the leaning tower

SFL in Florence - Ashley, Natalie, me, Jeff, Chad