Tuscany, Assisi, and some great wine

Ciao!

Alright so things have been pretty busy around here! Let's see where I left off.

Last week we had class on Friday and then I went over to my friends' apartment in the center of the city. We all hung out there for a while and then headed to Di Vina -- a wine shop where you bring in an empty bottle and they fill it up with your choice of wine…… It's amazing. Most people end up buying the 2-liter bottle and then bringing it back for refills.

Wonderful place

Some of the wine 

Dog we saw sitting in front of its owner's shop… So popular in Florence to see this!

Artwork on the "Do Not Enter" signs all over Florence

On Saturday, we took a class trip to Siena and San Gimignano, two very cute Tuscan cities. In Siena, we took a tour and then were left with some time to get lunch (a panino) and explore on our own. Siena was fantastic, but about 2 hours into the 2 1/2 hour tour my stomach was growling so loud that it was a distraction for everyone. The views in Siena were amazing and the city center is gorgeous. It is shaped like a shell and there is an annual horse race every July in the center. There are different families throughout the city, represented by various animals, and ten jockeys and horses are chosen every year randomly to compete against each other. The race apparently lasts about 90 seconds and the jockey usually gets thrown off, so it is basically a race between the horses. The center is PACKED! We saw some pictures and I cannot imagine how unique that weekend is in the city. San Gimignano was my favorite city, though, because it was a little smaller but also because it is home to a "world-famous" gelato shop. Not sure if it is really world-famous but I didn't really care. I got mint and chocolate hazelnut. The chocolate hazelnut was pretty good but the MINT!! THE MINT!! It tasted like it was right out of a garden. Kind of weird at first and definitely different but it had such a refreshing taste. I almost went back for seconds. Good thing I didn't because Meaghan (my travel buddy!) and I ended up walking around and exploring only to find ourselves in the middle of an Italian wedding. We walked into a church (the doors were open and no one stopped us…) to be witnessing the end of the ceremony. We looked at the famous frescoes on the walls for a bit and then decided to go into the courtyard of the church where we saw the priest smoking. That was interesting… maybe he was stressed from giving the wedding ceremony? Who knows. We decided to walk back out the church only to notice that we were walking through a crowd of people with instruments lining up……wait what? We scampered down the steps and then about two minutes after, the bride and groom walked out the same way and the band started playing. AND CONFETTI WAS EVERYWHERE! It was so fun. About 8 people from our program came up to us afterwards (including our academic director…) and asked how we had gotten into the wedding.

Siena centro

Il Duomo in Siena

Usually the ground is covered in the Siena Duomo but it isn't for a few months of the year… we got lucky! Beautiful marble

English bulldog in Siena…. shout out to Dad!!

Siena!

Love

GELATO

Cheese on cheese on cheese

Thought mom would appreciate this chicken pitcher

Wedding fun!!

Tuscan hills

Sunday morning, I woke up and threw my clothes in the washing machine (it had been 16 days since I had done any laundry) and worked on some homework. Then, Tomasso came home and took Carol and me to a wine tasting festival in Chianti! MAMMA MIA! The wine here is incredible. We met three of Tomasso's friends and had a great time with them all and then finished the evening with some sandwiches and a meat/cheese platter. We chose some sort of salted salami and then bull and wild boar. The bull was incredible. I am still learning how a country can have such insane food choices that never seem to disappoint my taste buds. Barbara has yet to cook a dish that I don't really like. This week, we've had pesto pasta with a breaded meat, spaghetti with garlic and cheese, some sort of pork with ham wrapped inside (heavenly), minestrone soup... the list goes on and on. Dinner is easily my favorite part of the day because I get to sit and catch up with everyone while eating some of the best food I have ever had.

This week has been pretty normal so far! We had a quiz in Italian on Wednesday and we've started brainstorming for our 10-page paper that we have to write for our History of Food class. Usually I dread writing a paper but my professor has been really open about ideas and very helpful. There was a bus strike on Wednesday -- the first one of the semester -- and the buses were only operating from 6-9am and then from 11-3pm. I got out of class at 3:30 and walked home, expecting there to be no buses anywhere, but I counted about eight on my way back. Is that how bus strikes work or am I completely missing something? Maybe that's how strikes work in Italy…

I've been running most evenings along the Arno where there are some nice trails and parks to run through. The runs have been great! Oh except for the fact that I swallow an average of four bugs every run and a few also make their way into my eye. Also, there's a bridge I run under that's in a quieter area of the Arno. The other evening, there was a couple sitting together enjoying the view of the river and enjoying the peaceful moment. I thought it was so cute and didn't want to disturb them until I tripped on a metal thing that was sticking out of the gravel and completely ate it behind them. Mi scusa!!

Today, Meaghan, Gabi, and I went to Assisi! A very cute city that is about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Florence. It was beautiful! Such a quiet town with some big churches, and it was nice to get away from tourists for the day. We took the train this morning and got to Assisi around 10:30. Thank goodness there was an information booth there with maps and bus tickets because without it, I'm not sure what we would have ended up doing… We took the bus to the top of the city's hill and made our way throughout the entire place -- we visited about four huge churches with frescoes and all sorts of tombs (including St. Francesco!) and then grabbed lunch at a cute little cafe, followed by gelato (duh). After exploring for a couple more hours, we snagged the train back home -- only to return to Florence to find out we had missed the craziest hail storm of the year. There was still piles of hail on the streets and we didn't really know what had happened until we got back to our houses. This happens pretty rarely but the hail was the size of large grapes… a ton of trees fell down and cars were smashed. Glad we missed that storm

Bench?

Duck slippers!! 13 euro but I might have to return to Assisi just for them...

Cute Italian stairs

Exploring in Assisi

Random picture in front of Santa Croce, Florence

Cinque Terre from three weeks ago

Cannot believe it is already almost October!

Week TWO

Buongiorno! Happy Wednesday!!

I was walking to the bus stop this morning and tried to think of what I had done yesterday and on Monday and realized that all of the days are starting to blend together which can only mean one thing…. time is absolutely FLYING by. It's frightening. I can't believe I have already been here for 10 days!

Sunday morning I woke up at 10:30 (much to Barbara's surprise), chowed down some breakfast (the normal Special K with yogurt and a banana), and went with Carol to the bus stop. We wanted to go to the Uffizi but, once we got there, realized that it is still tourist season and the place was packed. So instead, we went to the Palazzo Pitti. This palace used to house the grand-dukes of Tuscany (almost wrote ducks) and later the King of Italy. Needless to say, this place is massive!! There are several museums inside and Carol and I only got through two in our three hours there. Also, out back, there are the Boboli Gardens that stretch 11 acres. I can't imagine growing up in that palace and having 11 acres to run around in… The place is beautiful! However, it was about 90 degrees outside with some crazy humidity so Carol and I didn't stay outside long.

One of the artifacts

Another artifact

Another artifact…. All of the artifacts are NOT animal related. Don't know why I only took pictures of these ones...

Outside in the Boboli Gardens

Ducks in the fountain!

Posing with a bush

Of course, after our museum visit, we just had to get some lunch.

Gustapizza from Gusta Pizza

Monday was our third day of Italian class and my first culture class! Italian is going really well. I love learning a new language and being able to see how I've improved throughout the week. I went into the grocery store this afternoon and was able to have a quick conversation with the baker in Italian! I also got really lost in the city without a map and was able to find my way to the bus stop by asking shop owners where I was. Hooray!! Slowly but surely learning the language

The cutest little cupcake my friend got 

My culture class, the History and Culture of Italian Food, is going to be a good one. Our professor is a German man, Dr. Fischer, who believes in punctuality and getting everything done efficiently and quick. It's great. I'm really excited to learn about the origin of traditional Italian food and how the normal 'meal' has changed throughout the past generations. Today, our second day of class, we took a 'food tour' of the city and walked around, visiting some hole-in-the-wall places that look fantastic. We also had a blind test of Italian food! I had no idea what to expect but have been really proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone, especially when it comes to food. Can anyone guess what it is? Strange texture but probably the most tender meat I have ever had.

Professor getting the goods ready for the blind taste test

The mystery meat!!

It's called lampredotto! The fourth stomach of the cow (quarto stomaco della mucca). Apparently you can also eat the first and second stomachs but the third isn't eaten. Once everyone had tried it, Dr. Fischer offered up seconds and you can bet I volunteered. Speaking of branching out food-wise, Barbara toasted pieces of bread and put 'crustini' on it -- a type of ground up meat that is placed on the top with some formaggio. I didn't want to ask exactly what meat it was until after I had eaten it. The texture was definitely different (super finely chopped) and in the end, it was cow liver. I have absolutely zero clue if people eat this a lot in the United States but I have never eaten it before. Woohoo for studying abroad!!

We also visited the Mercato Centrale today on our walking tour. This is an indoor market that has all sorts of vendors with all sorts of food. Here is a pic I snapped of some meat hanging off of whatever contraption that is….. Also if you zoom in, the hooves are still on the leg of the animal. Talk about knowing exactly how fresh your food is and where it came from

Tuesday night I hiked to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo with my friends Gaston and Kevin. This is a hill in Florence that overlooks the entire city. There was an acoustic guitar player singing in the middle of the square and so many people were sitting and listening to him while watching the sunset. It was nice to see everyone pause and just really enjoy the moment. I think that's what I've liked most about Florence -- it's such a different vibe. People are okay with being disconnected from the rest of the world and aren't on their phones 24/7. No one is rushing through crowds or pushing others aside just to get somewhere first. Even on the bus today, there was an older woman trying to get on with her groceries and three other passengers eagerly walked up to her to help her. At dinner, we don't eat and then immediately leave the table; instead, we will sit there for another half an hour laughing about the day's events or talking with each other and catching up. It is so refreshing to be surrounded by this feeling of serenity all throughout the city!

The VIEW

 

Hi

I also had my first gelato yesterday!! I had waited a week to see what places people really liked and turns out the cheapest place so far is right around the corner from school! This could get bad very quickly. Anyways, you can get a cone with two scoops for 1.90 euro... I REPEAT 1.90 EURO. That is cheaper than any panino or pizza I have gotten so far. Also, the mint flavor was superb and I got it with stracciatella -- the chocolate chip ice cream. Yeah, yeah, I know I always eat mint and everyone thinks I'm so boring for going into a gelato shop with 22 flavors and I pick mint and chocolate chip?! But I did and it was heavenly. I'll force myself to try other flavors but the mint is always my fave and I have zero shame

Gelato! On probably the hottest day so far… Perfect combination

This morning we were woken up at 6:10am by booming thunder and lightning. It was kind of fun being snuggled in bed listening to it until I realized that a) I couldn't fall back asleep because of the noise and b) this would mean going to school in the pouring rain. Oh well. Thank you mother dearest for convincing met to bring an umbrella with me so I would have it right when I got here! Thankfully on the walk from the bus stop to school, it stopped pouring and I snapped a quick pic of the river on Ponte Vecchio. So pretty. Also shout out to Sheridan who immediately responded to my text of "Holy cow thunderstorm!" with "WHOA HOLD ON TO YA TROUSERS!!!" Love it.

Whoa nelly

In other news, the bug bites have been insane. Here is my leg after waking up on Monday morning. There are no screens on our windows so you either sleep in the heat or surrender to the mosquito masses. Luckily, I am not alone… All the other Californians are suffering too.

Ah

 I will end this post with these great words of wisdom I passed by today….

Hope everyone is doing well. Xoxoxo ciao!

The first weekend here!

Italy is incredible. This place continues to amaze me everyday!!



Thursday we had our first day of school. I am in Italian 1 with my professor, Olga. There are 14 of us total in the class and we have it four days a week for three and a half hours each day. Olga only talks to us in Italian which I think is very helpful, as it challenges us to really listen and try and interpret what she says while expanding our own vocabulary as well. It's great living with a host family and being able to practice the language every night. We just learned the alphabet and how to say our numbers (HOW EXCITING). I can ask simple questions like "What is your name?" and "Where is ____?" so that's usually what I'll contribute to the conversation. Also, the phrase "Come si dice ____" means "How do you say ____" so I'll add that every so often. Everyone giggles at my attempts and my accent, including myself, so it's a lot of fun.

Speaking of accents, I met a guy from another study abroad program on the bus last week who asked if I was from Australia because he said I had an accent! WHAT?! YES! Dream come true. I said I was from Sydney and then when he asked where in Sydney and I said "P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney" -- everyone immediately knew I was lying. It was interesting to hear that he thought I sounded different…. maybe from living in Louisville? I've never gotten that before.

Friday we had class in the morning and then I stayed in the city to meet up with my friend from high school, Alyssa. She has a really cute apartment near the Duomo! It was great to catch up with her and we will both be here until December so I know we will be traveling together. We then had a guided walking tour around different parts of the city. ACCENT, our program, arranged the tour and it was really interesting to hear some cool facts that I hadn't known before. I have no idea how a tour guide can talk for two and a half hours straight…. memorizing all of that info must have given her a headache. After that, my friend Gaston and I went to the steps in Piazza Santa Croce to drink some wine and watch the crowds in the piazza. I walked home afterwards, had dinner with Tomasso and Carol, and then went to bed. During dinner, Tomasso introduced us to my new favorite biscotti -- biscotti with almonds. We dip them in this sweet wine for dessert and it is monte bene (so good!)!

Walk home from school on a cloudy afternoon

Still walking home…. takes almost an hour

Walking to Italian class after our break! Moments before we got so lost I had to turn on my data for a google map on my phone

The best pizza. Also it's only two doors down from our program center…… YES

Mmm

2 Euro vino

Saturday morning, Carol and I woke up at 6 to go to Cinque Terre! We went with a guided tour program called Florence for Fun -- they host trips and coordinate travel plans for students studying abroad. Everyone met at the train station and then we took a bus to Cinque Terre. I had seen pictures of it in the past but seeing the city in person was amazing! This place is so beautiful. We took the train from Riomaggiore to Vernazza, and then hiked from Vernazza to Monterosso. We got lunch, hung out on the beach for a bit (the Mediterranean was so nice) and then took the train back to the first town where our bus was waiting. If anyone visits Italy, Cinque Terre is a place that you must see!! The weather was beautiful (80 degrees and sunny) and the day was great.

Walking in Vernazza

View from top of the hike!

Posing with the Mediterranean Sea!

All in all, a day very well spent!

Today (Sunday) we are checking out one of the museums in Florence to start checking them off our bucket list. With our program, we get a Firenze Card which grants us free access to most of the big museums so we must take advantage of all the beautiful art here! I also need to do my Italian homework. Wait, homework?! What is homework? Isn't it still summer?!?! Oh wait I actually am here to study…. We have a mock test this week to see if we have been studying correctly and a quiz the week after so the academic semester is already getting started and unfortunately won't slow down anytime soon. I also have my first culture class tomorrow! The History and Culture of Food. I know that we go wine tasting sometime during the semester so maybe it's tomorrow? Probably not but a girl can dream.

Everything else is going splendidly. I have FINALLY slept through the entire night so I think my sleep schedule is back on track which is a relief! I do not do well on three hours of sleep

Carol and I are still figuring out communication with the host family. We are technically only supposed to have dinner with the family Monday thru Thursday nights. On Saturday night, after we got back from Cinque Terre, there was some raw pasta and rice left out on the counter and a pot with water in it on the stove. Was this out for us to make dinner? or had Barbara just gotten back from the market and didn't have time to put anything away? Barbara and Andrea were both out at a friend's birthday party so we were not really sure but didn't want to take any chances! I will keep you posted if we figure out this mystery…. so for dinner we just ate some bread that I had bought at the market and turkey. This is why I am living with a host family because I cannot cook for myself! Something I hope to learn in Italy with a cooking class that they offer later in the semester on random weekends. I hope it's pizza on the class menu!!

And, once again, pictures of the animals.

Stella

Megan :)

Arrivederci!!