I'm loving my Italian class. Today "i nonni" (grandparents) came into our class to talk with us. We were split into small groups and assigned to 1 or 2 "nonni". Our task was to ask them questions about Italian food, what their favorite kind is, favorite desert, pasta etc. Tomorrow we're going to the Mercato Centrale for class to buy ingredients for a meal that "i nonni" recommended we cook. Then next week we're going to meet with "i nonni" again and tell them how the cooking went, how we liked the food and show them photos. I'm so excited!
Talking to them today was such a challenge. But a fun challenge. My group was with a woman named Lena and a man named Lorenzo. Neither of them spoke ANY english so we literally had to fight our way through speaking italian and hope that they understood what we were saying. It was definitely difficult but such good practice. They told us what they eat, explained the Tuscan diet (a diet of poverty), their favorite deserts, they even told us what gelato places to hit up in Florence. I love talking to Italians! I can't wait to meet up with them again and tell them how all the cooking went. We're going to make a veggie pasta, called Pasta Ortolana, and a salad. Tomorrow, my long day of three classes isn't going to be too bad (hopefully) because I have site visits for all of them! Bargello in the morning for Renaissance, Mercato Centrale for Italian and Museo Marino Marini for Painting. Ciao!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
A Relaxing Weekend in Elba
It's been about a week since my last blog, which only means that I'm so busy that I don't have time to talk about every individual day. That's good.
This past weekend my roomate Shelly and I went to Elba! I know what you're thinking, where the hellba is elba?? Well, Elba is a small island off the western coast of Tuscany and it's beautiful! We went for the entire weekend. I had class on Thursday until 2 45 so I rushed to the train station to catch a 3 27 train. We ended up sprinting with our huge backpacks to catch the train, which was of course at the furthest possible track, and once we made the train, it left about 15 min late. Perfect. Sweaty and out of breath, we sat down in our seat for a breather. About halfway from Florence to Pisa (a stop on the way), I realized that we forgot to vallidate our tickets. Even more perfect. Not validating tickets (getting them stamped by machines) can result in fines, which for poor college students, is no good. So, as soon as the train stopped in Pisa, I sprinted off the train, dodging dozens of travelers to validate the ticket. As soon as I stamped them, I jumped on the nearest car, seconds before the train started to move. Shelly was a bit worried since I wasn't in the right car but I popped through the doors in a minute or so and she was very releaved that I made it!
From Pisa we changed the train in Livorno (which we only figured out once we were the last people on the train) and then took a bus from the last train station to the ferry terminal 20 min away. Of course, our bus arrived 5 min before the 7 o'clock ferry was scheduled to leave so again, we sprinted to buy the tickets and then ran across a massive carpark towards the boat. Yet again, we made it in the nick of time only to have the ferry leave late. Nice. We were very happy to have caught the earlier ferry because otherwise we would have had to wait until 10!
When we arrived in Portoferraio, Elba, we found a nice restaurant and had dinner. We befriended the waiter and he was nice enough to give us a half bottle of wine on the house. He understood that we were college students :) After dinner we had our first experience with the marvelous expense of Elba. Our cab from Portoferraio to our hotel (about 15 min away) was 28 euros! We finally got to our hotel and it was quite the pleasant suprise. Very modern with a nice bathroom, balcony and kitchen...it had an oven! Quite the luxury for us Florentines.
Friday was a stressful day. We decided to rent bikes for the day for 5 euros and go to the beach. Of course with the bikes we got the back breaks didn't work, the seats were far too low and we had no helmets. Thus a horrible combination. The beach that was suppose to be 3km away downhill ended up being uphill/downhill for quite awhile. We decided to lock our bikes at the beach and call the hotel to pick them up. Once at the beach we went to a hotel to have breakfast/brunch (10 euro buffet). What we didn't realize was that the hotel was a hot hang out for bees. Let's just say eating toast with jam and honey was not a repelent for the bees. We ended up spending the majority of our breakfast lurring the bees with honey and trapping them under various plates.
After breakfast came our lovely experiment with local transportation. Finding the bus stop proved to be impossible so we ended up giving in and jumping in a taxi to go the beach. 40 euros! That was a splurge. We finally got to the beach and spent the entire rest of the day there. It was beautiful and such a good end to the very hectic day. Since we had spent so much money we decided to cook dinner that night and so we went to the grocery store to get supplies, as well as food for breakfast and lunch the next day. Three meals from the grocery: 17 euros. Saved us a lot.
Saturday was a much more successful day. Armed with a correct bus schedule, our tomato and mozzerella sandwiches and the determination to have a great day, we set off for Portoferraio. We decided to go to the tourism office and get some advice and the nicest woman was there full of information. She basically planned our entire day out for us! At 10:30 we caught a boat that took us on a tour of the northern section of Elba, including a underwater look at the marine life (very cool). Unfortunately the two hour boat ride resulted in mild to extreme-ish seasickness and we were quite happy to get back to land. We had our sandwiches after lunch and then caught the bus to a beach called Procchio. Typical Shelly and Sophie, we missed our stop on the bus and ended up having to catch another back to the Procchio stop. Minor hiccup which lead to a beautiful afternoon spent on the beach. Procchio was amazing. Pictures hardly do justice. I went swimming in the ocean and it was INCREDIBLE. Crystal clear water, soft soft sand and no creepy marine life. It was perfect. For our last dinner in Elba we went back to the first restaurant we went to. Our friends from the first night were there and they were very happy to see us back. At the end of the meal, when we asked for our bill, our new friend/waiter Stefano told us that it was taken care of. As in, our 40 euro meal was free. On the house. Let's just say we were far from upset. Great end to the weekend.
Sunday morning we got up, paid our bill and went to the Napoleon Villa. Apparently Napoleon was exiled there. I'm not very caught up with French history...I actually don't know anything about French history, sad I know. But he had a pretty sweet set up in Elba. Nice mansion on the cliff, with an ocean view. Not really the exile most people would expect. It was a nice, realxing morning with zero problems with public transportaion. Of course the last day we're there, we finally figure it all out. We grabbed a quick lunch in Portoferraio and then, again, had to spring to the ferry at 12:40. We literally got there five seconds before the boat closed up. VERY close call. The boat ride was relaxing, we played cards and from there the travel home was a cinch. No suprises and no rushing.
All in all it was great weekend. Shelly and I travel very well together so it was perfect. I'm happy to be back in Florence and excited for all the other travels...I need to work out where to go! Next weekend Bologna?? (pronounced Ba-lon-ya...not Ba-loney)
This past weekend my roomate Shelly and I went to Elba! I know what you're thinking, where the hellba is elba?? Well, Elba is a small island off the western coast of Tuscany and it's beautiful! We went for the entire weekend. I had class on Thursday until 2 45 so I rushed to the train station to catch a 3 27 train. We ended up sprinting with our huge backpacks to catch the train, which was of course at the furthest possible track, and once we made the train, it left about 15 min late. Perfect. Sweaty and out of breath, we sat down in our seat for a breather. About halfway from Florence to Pisa (a stop on the way), I realized that we forgot to vallidate our tickets. Even more perfect. Not validating tickets (getting them stamped by machines) can result in fines, which for poor college students, is no good. So, as soon as the train stopped in Pisa, I sprinted off the train, dodging dozens of travelers to validate the ticket. As soon as I stamped them, I jumped on the nearest car, seconds before the train started to move. Shelly was a bit worried since I wasn't in the right car but I popped through the doors in a minute or so and she was very releaved that I made it!
From Pisa we changed the train in Livorno (which we only figured out once we were the last people on the train) and then took a bus from the last train station to the ferry terminal 20 min away. Of course, our bus arrived 5 min before the 7 o'clock ferry was scheduled to leave so again, we sprinted to buy the tickets and then ran across a massive carpark towards the boat. Yet again, we made it in the nick of time only to have the ferry leave late. Nice. We were very happy to have caught the earlier ferry because otherwise we would have had to wait until 10!
When we arrived in Portoferraio, Elba, we found a nice restaurant and had dinner. We befriended the waiter and he was nice enough to give us a half bottle of wine on the house. He understood that we were college students :) After dinner we had our first experience with the marvelous expense of Elba. Our cab from Portoferraio to our hotel (about 15 min away) was 28 euros! We finally got to our hotel and it was quite the pleasant suprise. Very modern with a nice bathroom, balcony and kitchen...it had an oven! Quite the luxury for us Florentines.
Friday was a stressful day. We decided to rent bikes for the day for 5 euros and go to the beach. Of course with the bikes we got the back breaks didn't work, the seats were far too low and we had no helmets. Thus a horrible combination. The beach that was suppose to be 3km away downhill ended up being uphill/downhill for quite awhile. We decided to lock our bikes at the beach and call the hotel to pick them up. Once at the beach we went to a hotel to have breakfast/brunch (10 euro buffet). What we didn't realize was that the hotel was a hot hang out for bees. Let's just say eating toast with jam and honey was not a repelent for the bees. We ended up spending the majority of our breakfast lurring the bees with honey and trapping them under various plates.
After breakfast came our lovely experiment with local transportation. Finding the bus stop proved to be impossible so we ended up giving in and jumping in a taxi to go the beach. 40 euros! That was a splurge. We finally got to the beach and spent the entire rest of the day there. It was beautiful and such a good end to the very hectic day. Since we had spent so much money we decided to cook dinner that night and so we went to the grocery store to get supplies, as well as food for breakfast and lunch the next day. Three meals from the grocery: 17 euros. Saved us a lot.
Saturday was a much more successful day. Armed with a correct bus schedule, our tomato and mozzerella sandwiches and the determination to have a great day, we set off for Portoferraio. We decided to go to the tourism office and get some advice and the nicest woman was there full of information. She basically planned our entire day out for us! At 10:30 we caught a boat that took us on a tour of the northern section of Elba, including a underwater look at the marine life (very cool). Unfortunately the two hour boat ride resulted in mild to extreme-ish seasickness and we were quite happy to get back to land. We had our sandwiches after lunch and then caught the bus to a beach called Procchio. Typical Shelly and Sophie, we missed our stop on the bus and ended up having to catch another back to the Procchio stop. Minor hiccup which lead to a beautiful afternoon spent on the beach. Procchio was amazing. Pictures hardly do justice. I went swimming in the ocean and it was INCREDIBLE. Crystal clear water, soft soft sand and no creepy marine life. It was perfect. For our last dinner in Elba we went back to the first restaurant we went to. Our friends from the first night were there and they were very happy to see us back. At the end of the meal, when we asked for our bill, our new friend/waiter Stefano told us that it was taken care of. As in, our 40 euro meal was free. On the house. Let's just say we were far from upset. Great end to the weekend.
Sunday morning we got up, paid our bill and went to the Napoleon Villa. Apparently Napoleon was exiled there. I'm not very caught up with French history...I actually don't know anything about French history, sad I know. But he had a pretty sweet set up in Elba. Nice mansion on the cliff, with an ocean view. Not really the exile most people would expect. It was a nice, realxing morning with zero problems with public transportaion. Of course the last day we're there, we finally figure it all out. We grabbed a quick lunch in Portoferraio and then, again, had to spring to the ferry at 12:40. We literally got there five seconds before the boat closed up. VERY close call. The boat ride was relaxing, we played cards and from there the travel home was a cinch. No suprises and no rushing.
All in all it was great weekend. Shelly and I travel very well together so it was perfect. I'm happy to be back in Florence and excited for all the other travels...I need to work out where to go! Next weekend Bologna?? (pronounced Ba-lon-ya...not Ba-loney)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Hike to My Twenties
This weekend was amazing. Everything about Cinque Terre was incredible and, like I say about everything in Italy, I will definitely be going back there. For those of you who don't know, Cinque Terre means 5 towns in Italian and consists of 5 towns which hiking paths connecting them. The length of each varries but the two trails at the end are 1.5 hours and in total it should take 5 hours to hike. Unfortunately, one of the long paths was closed because of the rain but we were still able to see all of the towns. Each of the trails varried in level of difficulty as well so we got a lot of variety throughout the whole day. So....we got to Riomaggiore around 10:00 in the morning on Saturday and began our adventure! The first path, from Riomaggiore to Manarola was pretty easy and took about 30 minutes. It was called Via dell'Amore (Road of Love) and it was basically a walking path on the coast. Very beautiful but definitely crowded.
When we got to Manarola we took the train to Corniglia since the path was closed. The hike from Corniglia to Vernazza was about 1.5 hours and definitely much harder than the first hike. The water kept getting bluer and the cliffs kept getting more and more dramatic. Everything was lush and untouched. It was raining a bit during this trek but not too hard where it became uncomfortable. And despite the clouds and rain, it was beautiful.
Hungry and in need of energy, we decided to use Vernazza as our lunch stop. Vernazza was one of my favorite towns out of the five. It was right on the water and had the cutest shops, cafes. After lunch we chilled for a bit on the pier we noticed the clouds moving away and the sun finally shining. That was our signal to get moving to the last town so we could relax on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Of course, with the sun comes the heat and we definitely noticed an increase in temperature on the last leg. It was also the hardest trek in total because it was so much uphill and downhill. Lots of old stairs and precarious paths on the cliffs. I loved it though. Nothing feels better than being out of breath going up a really steep hill and then getting to the top and looking around at the gorgeous view: crystal clear turqouise water hitting against the cliffs, surrounded by lush green medeterainian landscape.
We got to the last town, Monterosso Al Mare at about 4:30 or so and the sun was still shining! The first task however was not to go to the beach, but to find a place to sleep for the night. We had a lot of trouble finding a hostel open for that weekend so we managed to find a random apartment. We decided that since the apartment had no name and no reservation policy (the guy on the phone asked me my name and told me to call him), that we would try when we got there to find a legit hostel. Fortunately we found a great place where all eight of us were able to stay in one apartment for only 25 euros each.
Once we found the hostel, we quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed straight to the beach! It was SO nice to just lay on the beach for an hour (before the sun started to disappear and the heat left) after a long day of hiking. I was really happy that we got atleast three hours of beautiful weather! For dinner we went out at this cute restaurant. Shelly and I split a pizza and it was delicious!
We definitely ended our day with a bang. After dinner we wandered around the town and stumbled upon a concert on the pier. The band was playing Italian music and there were a few people dancing, so we decided to join in and get the party started. And we did. So well. The eight of us dominated the dance floor and after a few songs (warmup) some locals joined in. Soon enough the dance floor was pretty filled and we were learning Italian line dancing. Perfect. Nothing like dancing with Italians at the beach.
We called it an early night (one of the earliest I've had since coming to Italy) so we could get up nice and early and enjoy the day. Unfortunately,when we woke up, the weather was really crummy. We went to breakfast and by the time we were done it looked like it was about to downpour. So we went to a cafe and played cards while it rained. Eventually we made an executive decision to try and take an early train back to Florence. The weather wasn't as nice as we'd hoped and we all had a bunch of hw to get done before the week. So we caught a train back to Florence and we were back at our apartment by about 5 45.
All in all, despite the crummy weather, this weekend was amazing. It was beautiful (check photos) and a physical challenge, which is always fun. Next weekend I'm going to Elba with my roommate Shelly and the weather looks perfect. So that will be my beach vacation!
Tonight for dinner Shelly, Nami and I went to Danny Rock, an American 'diner' around the corner. We were going to cook but decided we were too lazy. It was a great end to an incredible weekend and a great start to my twenties!
When we got to Manarola we took the train to Corniglia since the path was closed. The hike from Corniglia to Vernazza was about 1.5 hours and definitely much harder than the first hike. The water kept getting bluer and the cliffs kept getting more and more dramatic. Everything was lush and untouched. It was raining a bit during this trek but not too hard where it became uncomfortable. And despite the clouds and rain, it was beautiful.
Hungry and in need of energy, we decided to use Vernazza as our lunch stop. Vernazza was one of my favorite towns out of the five. It was right on the water and had the cutest shops, cafes. After lunch we chilled for a bit on the pier we noticed the clouds moving away and the sun finally shining. That was our signal to get moving to the last town so we could relax on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Of course, with the sun comes the heat and we definitely noticed an increase in temperature on the last leg. It was also the hardest trek in total because it was so much uphill and downhill. Lots of old stairs and precarious paths on the cliffs. I loved it though. Nothing feels better than being out of breath going up a really steep hill and then getting to the top and looking around at the gorgeous view: crystal clear turqouise water hitting against the cliffs, surrounded by lush green medeterainian landscape.
We got to the last town, Monterosso Al Mare at about 4:30 or so and the sun was still shining! The first task however was not to go to the beach, but to find a place to sleep for the night. We had a lot of trouble finding a hostel open for that weekend so we managed to find a random apartment. We decided that since the apartment had no name and no reservation policy (the guy on the phone asked me my name and told me to call him), that we would try when we got there to find a legit hostel. Fortunately we found a great place where all eight of us were able to stay in one apartment for only 25 euros each.
Once we found the hostel, we quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed straight to the beach! It was SO nice to just lay on the beach for an hour (before the sun started to disappear and the heat left) after a long day of hiking. I was really happy that we got atleast three hours of beautiful weather! For dinner we went out at this cute restaurant. Shelly and I split a pizza and it was delicious!
We definitely ended our day with a bang. After dinner we wandered around the town and stumbled upon a concert on the pier. The band was playing Italian music and there were a few people dancing, so we decided to join in and get the party started. And we did. So well. The eight of us dominated the dance floor and after a few songs (warmup) some locals joined in. Soon enough the dance floor was pretty filled and we were learning Italian line dancing. Perfect. Nothing like dancing with Italians at the beach.
We called it an early night (one of the earliest I've had since coming to Italy) so we could get up nice and early and enjoy the day. Unfortunately,when we woke up, the weather was really crummy. We went to breakfast and by the time we were done it looked like it was about to downpour. So we went to a cafe and played cards while it rained. Eventually we made an executive decision to try and take an early train back to Florence. The weather wasn't as nice as we'd hoped and we all had a bunch of hw to get done before the week. So we caught a train back to Florence and we were back at our apartment by about 5 45.
All in all, despite the crummy weather, this weekend was amazing. It was beautiful (check photos) and a physical challenge, which is always fun. Next weekend I'm going to Elba with my roommate Shelly and the weather looks perfect. So that will be my beach vacation!
Tonight for dinner Shelly, Nami and I went to Danny Rock, an American 'diner' around the corner. We were going to cook but decided we were too lazy. It was a great end to an incredible weekend and a great start to my twenties!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Finally Went to A Museum
Shelly and I decided it was about time that we venture to a museum. We've been living here for three weeks and have yet to go to the Uffizi or the Academia. So today, we hit up the Uffizi and it was INCREDIBLE. Studying Italian Renaissance Painting and being able to go and see all the paintings in the Uffizi is one of the best parts of Florence. Plus, our Amici cards get us in for free and allow us to cut the line. It's great. I honestly didn't know what to see in the Uffizi. I knew beforehand that it is the mostm famous museum in Firenze but I wasn't really sure why...of course I figured it out very quickly after entering. One of the first rooms we went into contained The aesta from Giotto, Cimabue and Doccio. Seeing all three of those paintings of the Madonna Enthroned was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. We compared the three paintings in class so it was extremely interesting to see all three of them in the same room. I could've spent hours in there. I felt bad because there was so much information that I wanted to share with my friends about the painting but I'm sure I ended up sounding really pretentious. I just really love Italian art.
We wandered around the Uffizi for a little over an hour but I know I'm going to have to go back. I saw the Maesta collection and Titian's Venus of Urbino, but I didn't get to the Birth of Venus or the Caravaggio collection. There is just so much to see there that I didn't want to overwhelm myself trying to see it all at once. I'll just have to go back!
Other than the Uffizi, our day was very relaxed. My roommates and I decided to have a mini-dinner party with just the four of us. Shelly made stuffed tomatoes with spinach, mozzerella and pesto, Nami made risotto with peas, onions and asparagus and I 'baked' no-bake cookies. It was so nice and relaxing to all eat together!
Tomorrow we have to catch the train at 7:55 for Cinque Terre! We'll be back Sunday night...so it's bedtime for me...until then...
We wandered around the Uffizi for a little over an hour but I know I'm going to have to go back. I saw the Maesta collection and Titian's Venus of Urbino, but I didn't get to the Birth of Venus or the Caravaggio collection. There is just so much to see there that I didn't want to overwhelm myself trying to see it all at once. I'll just have to go back!
Other than the Uffizi, our day was very relaxed. My roommates and I decided to have a mini-dinner party with just the four of us. Shelly made stuffed tomatoes with spinach, mozzerella and pesto, Nami made risotto with peas, onions and asparagus and I 'baked' no-bake cookies. It was so nice and relaxing to all eat together!
Tomorrow we have to catch the train at 7:55 for Cinque Terre! We'll be back Sunday night...so it's bedtime for me...until then...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Site Visits and Angry Neighbors
Another busy week in Florence! Every day there is something new to plan, and once we finish planning one thing, we move onto to another thing. My roommate Nami thinks I'm going to get a brain aneurysm from planning so much. I wouldn't be suprised...although that would be a shame if all the planning went to waste. So far, here's a list of upcoming trips:
19-20th Cinque Terre
24-27th Elba
October is going to be a busy month. So much more planning to do! But for now I'll just update my blog.
Yesterday, for my sociology class we went to the the Museo degli Argenti in the Palazz Pitti. It was incredible. The museum exhibited the main rooms of the Palazzo (which was owned by the Medici family) and a collection of gorgeous decorative and utilitarian objects. The walls in the large halls were unbelievable. They were compltely covered in frescoes which were painted to make it seems as though the space all around you was endlss. We kept looking around trying to figure out if the balcony painted on the wall was actually a balcony or just a flat surface. It was unreal. The photo below is one of the rooms, but it really doesn't do the place justice. You'll just have to come visit me and see it for yourself...
The rest of the museum had the most ornate jewelry (my mom would love seeing it), ivory carving, gold platters and, my favorite, wine goblets made of massive conch shells. Incredible! I kept trying to guess how much I could buy them for...let's just say I don't have enough money.
So that was yesterday and today for my Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting course we meet at Santa Croce to spend the class period. I was very happy cause I live less than 5 min from Santa Croce so I didn't have to wake up too early. The church doesn't open until 10 and class started at 9 so our professor walked us around the area pointing out monuments (michelangelo's house) and explained the layout and architecture of the surroundings. So interesting! The church was amazing inside. Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli (to name a few) are all burried there. There are sculptures from Donatello and painting by Cimabue and Giotto. A lot of it was covered in scalfolding because of restoration but we were able to see what we wanted to see: Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels. They were impressive to say the least. I definitely need to go back there because there was a lot I missed. 2 hours and 45 min is definitely not enough time!
The last thing to report is about the neighbors. Until yesterday, we had yet to meet our neighbors. We had all these plans to leave a note in Italian with a bottle of wine to introduce ourselves or to bake a cake (even though we have no oven) and give it to them. But of course that fell through and we hadn't met them. But yesterday we were sitting in our kitchen and our door bell goes off. A middle-aged Italian man walks in towards our window, rumbling off some words (in Italian of course)while eating a cracker. Using the little Italian that I know, along with his basic pantomiming, I figured out that he wants us to keep our shutters closed so the pigeons don't sit on them and poop on his clothes hanging below. He went to the window, shook off the pigeons, dropped some crumbs on the floor and left. That's it. No, ciao! Mi Chiamo Luigi, piacere! (hi, mi name is luigi, nice to meet you). Nothing. Then tonight we went back to the apartment the same time as the wife and son and all the wife said was to go upstairs and close our shutters that minute because of the pigeons. Let's just say they're not the nicest neighbors. Non mi piaccono! We want our shutters open so we can get light in our apartment. So annoying.
That's my update...on to work. I need to finish everything for next week before leaving for Cinque Terre on saturday! A domani!
19-20th Cinque Terre
24-27th Elba
October is going to be a busy month. So much more planning to do! But for now I'll just update my blog.
Yesterday, for my sociology class we went to the the Museo degli Argenti in the Palazz Pitti. It was incredible. The museum exhibited the main rooms of the Palazzo (which was owned by the Medici family) and a collection of gorgeous decorative and utilitarian objects. The walls in the large halls were unbelievable. They were compltely covered in frescoes which were painted to make it seems as though the space all around you was endlss. We kept looking around trying to figure out if the balcony painted on the wall was actually a balcony or just a flat surface. It was unreal. The photo below is one of the rooms, but it really doesn't do the place justice. You'll just have to come visit me and see it for yourself...
The rest of the museum had the most ornate jewelry (my mom would love seeing it), ivory carving, gold platters and, my favorite, wine goblets made of massive conch shells. Incredible! I kept trying to guess how much I could buy them for...let's just say I don't have enough money.
So that was yesterday and today for my Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting course we meet at Santa Croce to spend the class period. I was very happy cause I live less than 5 min from Santa Croce so I didn't have to wake up too early. The church doesn't open until 10 and class started at 9 so our professor walked us around the area pointing out monuments (michelangelo's house) and explained the layout and architecture of the surroundings. So interesting! The church was amazing inside. Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli (to name a few) are all burried there. There are sculptures from Donatello and painting by Cimabue and Giotto. A lot of it was covered in scalfolding because of restoration but we were able to see what we wanted to see: Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels. They were impressive to say the least. I definitely need to go back there because there was a lot I missed. 2 hours and 45 min is definitely not enough time!
The last thing to report is about the neighbors. Until yesterday, we had yet to meet our neighbors. We had all these plans to leave a note in Italian with a bottle of wine to introduce ourselves or to bake a cake (even though we have no oven) and give it to them. But of course that fell through and we hadn't met them. But yesterday we were sitting in our kitchen and our door bell goes off. A middle-aged Italian man walks in towards our window, rumbling off some words (in Italian of course)while eating a cracker. Using the little Italian that I know, along with his basic pantomiming, I figured out that he wants us to keep our shutters closed so the pigeons don't sit on them and poop on his clothes hanging below. He went to the window, shook off the pigeons, dropped some crumbs on the floor and left. That's it. No, ciao! Mi Chiamo Luigi, piacere! (hi, mi name is luigi, nice to meet you). Nothing. Then tonight we went back to the apartment the same time as the wife and son and all the wife said was to go upstairs and close our shutters that minute because of the pigeons. Let's just say they're not the nicest neighbors. Non mi piaccono! We want our shutters open so we can get light in our apartment. So annoying.
That's my update...on to work. I need to finish everything for next week before leaving for Cinque Terre on saturday! A domani!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The Well Needed Getaway
It's been awhile since I've last blogged. Things have been hectic in the lives of us intrepid study abroad students. Me and five of my friends are trying to plan our fall break trip and it's become a huge pain to get everyone together to plan. We're trying to go to Morocco (Marrakech and Fez) and then Barcelona. Everything is sounding amazing but we can't get anything done or finalized until everyone is in the same room, which seems to be an impossible feat. Tomorrow we made a definite plan to get together at 6pm and not leave until everything is done. Fingers crossed.
But today was AMAZING. One of the best days so far. There were seven of us that went on the bike tour through Chianti. We met the tour guide and the rest of the group at 10am, drove to the start and started biking! In total we rode 20 km, 5 before lunch and 15 after lunch. First stop was the winery Le Conti. The property has been with the same family since the 1200s and all 600 acres are beautiful! We got a short, but informative tour of the winery, learning about the wine and olive oil they bottle. It was so interesting to learn about wine and of course it didn't hurt that we got to try it afterwards. The wine and olive oil was so good! I definitely want to do another winery tour so I can learn more about wine. Maybe an educational session? I'm sure I'll find something in the next 3 months. Following the winery we rode for about 15 minutes to lunch. Lunch was truely an indulgence. The whole tour cost us 60 euros and we got a winery tour, wine/olive oil tasting, three course meal at an amazing restaurant and a choice of gelato or cold drink at the end of the biggest hill. The experience was worth every penny. All of us were in the best mood the entire day. I don't remember the last time I've been so happy doing something so simple like riding a bike. The scenary was BEAUTIFUL. Vineyards, olive groves, villas, churches, and monasteries were scattered across the landscape. After every hill we climbed up, the view always proved to be worth it. Plus the weather was PERFECT. Not too hot, not too sunny, but always beautiful. Basically the day was incredible. Tomorrow may be a different story, when we wake up sore and exhausted, but no matter what, it was worth the experience.
As the title says, it was a well needed getaway. Tomorrow is cleaning, working and planning day, so no time for fun (pressumably). Next weekend is Cinque Terre! We're going to be there from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. My fingers are crossed that the weather will be nice...photos will be updated shortly...
But today was AMAZING. One of the best days so far. There were seven of us that went on the bike tour through Chianti. We met the tour guide and the rest of the group at 10am, drove to the start and started biking! In total we rode 20 km, 5 before lunch and 15 after lunch. First stop was the winery Le Conti. The property has been with the same family since the 1200s and all 600 acres are beautiful! We got a short, but informative tour of the winery, learning about the wine and olive oil they bottle. It was so interesting to learn about wine and of course it didn't hurt that we got to try it afterwards. The wine and olive oil was so good! I definitely want to do another winery tour so I can learn more about wine. Maybe an educational session? I'm sure I'll find something in the next 3 months. Following the winery we rode for about 15 minutes to lunch. Lunch was truely an indulgence. The whole tour cost us 60 euros and we got a winery tour, wine/olive oil tasting, three course meal at an amazing restaurant and a choice of gelato or cold drink at the end of the biggest hill. The experience was worth every penny. All of us were in the best mood the entire day. I don't remember the last time I've been so happy doing something so simple like riding a bike. The scenary was BEAUTIFUL. Vineyards, olive groves, villas, churches, and monasteries were scattered across the landscape. After every hill we climbed up, the view always proved to be worth it. Plus the weather was PERFECT. Not too hot, not too sunny, but always beautiful. Basically the day was incredible. Tomorrow may be a different story, when we wake up sore and exhausted, but no matter what, it was worth the experience.
As the title says, it was a well needed getaway. Tomorrow is cleaning, working and planning day, so no time for fun (pressumably). Next weekend is Cinque Terre! We're going to be there from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. My fingers are crossed that the weather will be nice...photos will be updated shortly...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
loving the sense of belonging
I didn't blog anything yesterday because for the first time ever I didn't really have time. Class was good, although that whole 3 hours for class thing is something to get use to. It's just SO long. I had two other 3 hour courses today and the one at 9 am is really interesting (Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting) but the professor only gave us a five minute break. At 9am that's a bit harsh...
Last night I sat around my computer trying to find a place to stay in Cinque Terre for the weekend of the 18th. We're all going to go but it's impossible to find a place to stay. All the cheap places are booked. So I finally got in touch with someone, not really sure who, who said that he had two apartments with space for 7 people. We have 8 but he said it's fine if we have one extra. So we're 'booked', although the only information I have is the address and that it's across/above/next to (not sure which one) a wine shop. That is all. The place only asked for my name and nothing else...so we are just hoping it exists when we get there! It's only one night so if all else fails, we have the beach to sleep on.
Today I had my first official painting class! I was definitely intimated since I've never painted before, but the professor seems great and it ended up being pretty fun. We spent the 3 hour class painting still life and it was very interesting how quickly the time went by. I worked on one painting of peppers the entire time and I still feel like I could have spent longer on it.
But the point of this blog entry, aside from mundane updates, is that everyday I spend in Florence I feel more and more like I belong here. There really is no place like Firenze. I've traveled a lot and met a lot of different people, but living here gives me a whole different feeling. I'm learning the language, befriended the people, seeing the art, learning the history (and seeing it). Everything is fascinating here and although it's only been a few weeks, I'm already starting to feel like a local. Let's just say it's going to be hard to get me back to colgate after this...
Last night I sat around my computer trying to find a place to stay in Cinque Terre for the weekend of the 18th. We're all going to go but it's impossible to find a place to stay. All the cheap places are booked. So I finally got in touch with someone, not really sure who, who said that he had two apartments with space for 7 people. We have 8 but he said it's fine if we have one extra. So we're 'booked', although the only information I have is the address and that it's across/above/next to (not sure which one) a wine shop. That is all. The place only asked for my name and nothing else...so we are just hoping it exists when we get there! It's only one night so if all else fails, we have the beach to sleep on.
Today I had my first official painting class! I was definitely intimated since I've never painted before, but the professor seems great and it ended up being pretty fun. We spent the 3 hour class painting still life and it was very interesting how quickly the time went by. I worked on one painting of peppers the entire time and I still feel like I could have spent longer on it.
But the point of this blog entry, aside from mundane updates, is that everyday I spend in Florence I feel more and more like I belong here. There really is no place like Firenze. I've traveled a lot and met a lot of different people, but living here gives me a whole different feeling. I'm learning the language, befriended the people, seeing the art, learning the history (and seeing it). Everything is fascinating here and although it's only been a few weeks, I'm already starting to feel like a local. Let's just say it's going to be hard to get me back to colgate after this...
Monday, September 7, 2009
correre in Firenze
Today was a fairly uneventful day. I woke up after a blissful night of sleep, skyped with my mom about another update on travel plans, grabbed a delicious mezza panino (half sandwich) across the street and then too the bus up to class! After Italian class I went to the library to get some work done. The one book I wasn't able to buy at the book store is the one book I need right now. I have about 80 pages to read by Wednesday and, since they don't let you check books out of the library, I'm hoping I'll find the time to read it all by Wednesday...hmmmm. I ordered the book and hopefully it will be in next week before my next Wednesday class. I walked from the campus by my apartment and decided it was about time to try out a solo run. I prefer to run with people in cities that I'm not comfortable with, mostly because if I get lost/get hit/hit someone I have a friend to help me deal with the problem. But today was the day for me to try it out myself. So I left and ran for about 45 minutes. It was beautiful (of course) and I only almost got hit twice! Not bad for the crazy driving of Italy. Running in Italy is fascinating. Almost no one runs outside (I'm pretty sure Italians are a superior race...all that pasta and no exercise). While I ran today I saw four other people running the entire time. It's kind of cool though because you really feel like you're part of this exclusive club. Everyone stares at you like you're crazy for running (? not sure why it's so strange), but the few times you past by another runner it's like you have this special connection. I like it. The people walking on the streets are horrible though. Nothing makes me more made than when I'm running towards someone and they don't move an inch. My momentum makes it ten times harder to stop than theirs. But, all in all the run was great! Felt so good to run. After I ran Shelly and I finally went over to the gym when it was open! So we got our membership and we can go whenever we want for the semster. It's less than a 10 min walk from our apartment so it's perfect. We're going to try and go tomorrow morning after a short run. It's still so nice out for running.
Now is dinner time! Ho molto fame (I'm very hungry) and we found a restaurant around the corner to check out....A domani!
Now is dinner time! Ho molto fame (I'm very hungry) and we found a restaurant around the corner to check out....A domani!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
I love my lazy sundays...
I love lazy sundays and that's exactly what I had today. I went to sleep at 1:30am and slept until 11:20 in the morning! For those of you who know me, both of those are completely out of character for me. I hadn't slept so well since I've been here! It was great. When we finally left the house at about 1pm my roommate Shelly and I tried to find the gym nearby to get a membership but everytime we go, it's closed. It's the strangest thing. we're going to get an italian speaking person to help us decipher the voicemail. we just want to go to a gym! Tomorrow we're going to run on the Arno again because the weather has gotten so nice. It's definitely getting much cooler which is nice, but I love the heat and sun so I don't know how i'll feel about the weather in a month...
This afternoon we got a late lunch at a restaurant we found last week. The waiter was basically an Italian Vince Vaughn and quite the character. He constantly told us he loved us and after making fun of my 'intermediate' italian he decided to give us a discount on our two pizzas, a pasta and three glasses of wine (a total of 25 euros). It was a very enjoyable, relaxing meal. We did some planning for travel (since last night, three bottles of vino rosso did not facilitate that) and we've more or less figured out where we want to go this september.
After lunch we went to the Boboli gardens (free entry, no line...best thing ever) and 'did work'. The gardens were beautiful! Cosimo I built them for his ailing wife and that is quite the present. We only saw about 1/3rd of the actual gardens which means I'll obviously have to go back.
The rest of the day was pretty chill. I grabbed some more frozen veggies at the grocery for dinner, and got locked out so I sat across the street with a glass of red waiting for my roommates to get back. For the rest of the night I've just been doing some Italian and talking to various friends. Tomorrow is class! 1:30 Italian...I have such an incredible schedule. I love Firenze.
This afternoon we got a late lunch at a restaurant we found last week. The waiter was basically an Italian Vince Vaughn and quite the character. He constantly told us he loved us and after making fun of my 'intermediate' italian he decided to give us a discount on our two pizzas, a pasta and three glasses of wine (a total of 25 euros). It was a very enjoyable, relaxing meal. We did some planning for travel (since last night, three bottles of vino rosso did not facilitate that) and we've more or less figured out where we want to go this september.
After lunch we went to the Boboli gardens (free entry, no line...best thing ever) and 'did work'. The gardens were beautiful! Cosimo I built them for his ailing wife and that is quite the present. We only saw about 1/3rd of the actual gardens which means I'll obviously have to go back.
The rest of the day was pretty chill. I grabbed some more frozen veggies at the grocery for dinner, and got locked out so I sat across the street with a glass of red waiting for my roommates to get back. For the rest of the night I've just been doing some Italian and talking to various friends. Tomorrow is class! 1:30 Italian...I have such an incredible schedule. I love Firenze.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Siena
Siena today was amazing. I didn't realize how different it would be from Firenze until we arrived. The bus ride was about 45 mins long and we had to walk from the bus into the city because they limit the traffic in Siena. We started off with a two hour tour of the city, learning about the 'neighborhoods' (owl, wolf, forest...I couldn't decide which one I would want to belong to). Each neighborhood competes in a bi-annual horse race, the Palio and the winner gets braggin rights or something and a period of fasting. This year's winner, from the August 16th race was the owl neighborhood, so I think I'd want to be part of them...
The town itself was so quaint and unique. Unlike Firenze, every single building was old. The steep streets and twisting corners would almost inevitably lead to a view of the Duomo (not to be mistaken with the Duomo in Firenze, obviously), the Piazza del Campo or the Tuscan country side. It was breathtaking. Of course I took hundreds of photos so consult the web album to check it out. We ended our tour in the Piazza del Campo and went to find lunch. Despite the rip-roaring high prices of Europe, we managed to find a decently priced meal. Five of us went to a small ristorante, each of us got a pasta (I got penne all'arrabbiata...SO good) and we shared a litre of the vino rosso di casa (red house wine). The bill for each of us was only 6.30 euros! In my opinion, molto economico!
The next part wasn't so economico...we wanted to go inside the Duomo and we thought we would get a student discount (3 euros) but they don't like to give student discounts in Siena...so we ended up paying 10 euros for entry into the entire building (cathedral, baptistry, crypt and museum). We decided to get our money's worth so we went into everything except the museum (b/c of time). Everything was gorgeous. The facade, the marble inside, the frescoes, stained glass windows. Beautiful. I was a bit dissapointed with the crypt because it was essentially a contemporary sub-terranean space that had bits and pieces from the original crypt. I guess I was partly expecting some tombs or something...
Without sounding like a bad jewish girl, I find it a bit sad that these churches are no longer in use. They were built hundreds of years ago and managed to stay functional until someone decided to close it off as a religious location and turn it into a tourist site. Everything is roped off, people are pushing and shoving, and you have to pay a ridiculous amount to see all the beautiful art. I don't know why I was so bothered by this today. I understand the need for tourism but I feel that they could atleast have limited hours and try and maintain the original intention of the building.
Ok, rant over. Back to Siena. Following the overpriced church we wandered the tiny streets and stopped at the famous Siena Pasticceria, Nannini and bought the Sienese cookie, Ricciarelli, which is a soft, almond cookie covered in powder sugar. It was SO good. Obviously...not suprised that I like a baked good.
We left Siena around 4 and the entire ride back I attempted to capture the beauty of the Tuscan landscape using my incredible new camera but was plagued with bad timing and misplaced trees. I got a few good shots but I can honestly say that in order to see the beauty, you need to come and see it for yourself...
Tonight is trip planning night, accompanied with wine, of course...I think tomorrow I might actually try and go to a museum/church. I'm not sure if i've mentioned this but NYU gave us these AMICI cards which provided us with free, unlimited entry into almost all the museums and churches of Firenze. Meaning we can cut the line and not pay the 12+ euros to get in. INCREDIBLE...it's National Jewish Culture day so we're going to go get a free tour of the Synagogue, which is in the same neighborhood as us (Santa Croce). We'll see how that goes...
The town itself was so quaint and unique. Unlike Firenze, every single building was old. The steep streets and twisting corners would almost inevitably lead to a view of the Duomo (not to be mistaken with the Duomo in Firenze, obviously), the Piazza del Campo or the Tuscan country side. It was breathtaking. Of course I took hundreds of photos so consult the web album to check it out. We ended our tour in the Piazza del Campo and went to find lunch. Despite the rip-roaring high prices of Europe, we managed to find a decently priced meal. Five of us went to a small ristorante, each of us got a pasta (I got penne all'arrabbiata...SO good) and we shared a litre of the vino rosso di casa (red house wine). The bill for each of us was only 6.30 euros! In my opinion, molto economico!
The next part wasn't so economico...we wanted to go inside the Duomo and we thought we would get a student discount (3 euros) but they don't like to give student discounts in Siena...so we ended up paying 10 euros for entry into the entire building (cathedral, baptistry, crypt and museum). We decided to get our money's worth so we went into everything except the museum (b/c of time). Everything was gorgeous. The facade, the marble inside, the frescoes, stained glass windows. Beautiful. I was a bit dissapointed with the crypt because it was essentially a contemporary sub-terranean space that had bits and pieces from the original crypt. I guess I was partly expecting some tombs or something...
Without sounding like a bad jewish girl, I find it a bit sad that these churches are no longer in use. They were built hundreds of years ago and managed to stay functional until someone decided to close it off as a religious location and turn it into a tourist site. Everything is roped off, people are pushing and shoving, and you have to pay a ridiculous amount to see all the beautiful art. I don't know why I was so bothered by this today. I understand the need for tourism but I feel that they could atleast have limited hours and try and maintain the original intention of the building.
Ok, rant over. Back to Siena. Following the overpriced church we wandered the tiny streets and stopped at the famous Siena Pasticceria, Nannini and bought the Sienese cookie, Ricciarelli, which is a soft, almond cookie covered in powder sugar. It was SO good. Obviously...not suprised that I like a baked good.
We left Siena around 4 and the entire ride back I attempted to capture the beauty of the Tuscan landscape using my incredible new camera but was plagued with bad timing and misplaced trees. I got a few good shots but I can honestly say that in order to see the beauty, you need to come and see it for yourself...
Tonight is trip planning night, accompanied with wine, of course...I think tomorrow I might actually try and go to a museum/church. I'm not sure if i've mentioned this but NYU gave us these AMICI cards which provided us with free, unlimited entry into almost all the museums and churches of Firenze. Meaning we can cut the line and not pay the 12+ euros to get in. INCREDIBLE...it's National Jewish Culture day so we're going to go get a free tour of the Synagogue, which is in the same neighborhood as us (Santa Croce). We'll see how that goes...
Friday, September 4, 2009
Siena Tomorrow
I think I forgot the beauty in doing nothing. When you go to a place you've never been you feel like you always need to be doing something. In Florence there's always a museum to see, a church to go to, an area to explore and a gelato flavor to try. But when I stop to think for a minute, I realize that I'm going to be here until December and that it's OK to have a day where I don't spend every minute of the day doing something. I woke up this morning to the lovely sound of two Italian men yelling back and forth from our kitchen to our bathroom, around 10am. Last night was a late night so I wasn't asleep until 4am. Our hot water was being fixed from 9-11:40 and the guys literally did not stop yelling. I stayed hidden in my room until they finally left at 11:40 and went from lying in bed on my computer to sitting at the kitchen table on my computer. Great progress.
Around 1pm two of my roommates emerged from their rooms, finally awake. Shelly and I decided that it was panino time so we threw some clothes on and went across the street. It turns out that this panino place we've been going to, Antico Noe, is considered one of the best panino places in Florence! It has rave reviews online. Now that my friends and I have befriended the people who work there, maybe we'll get a disconto?? We even hung out with Andrea last night and I think it's safe to say that we're not just being his friend for the panino. We carried our hot paninis back to our apartamento to do some work and about 30 minutes of 'doing work' we got bored and decided to go to Piazza Santa Croce to sketch/read. It was so relaxing to just sit and draw (even if it was done badly). It's definitely going to be a favorite pastime of mine. Maybe I'll go and try to sketch the duomo one day...ha.
That basically sums up my day. My beautifully simple day. I cooked dinner for myself again and despite not getting anything academic done today, I feel like it was a productive day. Tomorrow we're off to Siena for the day! Photos and stories are soon to follow...
Around 1pm two of my roommates emerged from their rooms, finally awake. Shelly and I decided that it was panino time so we threw some clothes on and went across the street. It turns out that this panino place we've been going to, Antico Noe, is considered one of the best panino places in Florence! It has rave reviews online. Now that my friends and I have befriended the people who work there, maybe we'll get a disconto?? We even hung out with Andrea last night and I think it's safe to say that we're not just being his friend for the panino. We carried our hot paninis back to our apartamento to do some work and about 30 minutes of 'doing work' we got bored and decided to go to Piazza Santa Croce to sketch/read. It was so relaxing to just sit and draw (even if it was done badly). It's definitely going to be a favorite pastime of mine. Maybe I'll go and try to sketch the duomo one day...ha.
That basically sums up my day. My beautifully simple day. I cooked dinner for myself again and despite not getting anything academic done today, I feel like it was a productive day. Tomorrow we're off to Siena for the day! Photos and stories are soon to follow...
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Bringing out the Artist in Me...
This intro to painting class is going to be an awesome experience. I love art and I wish I were good, but I'm pretty sure I'm not...However, having a roommate who's good at drawing and taking a course in painting will hopefully improve any potential talent or mere ability that I have lying deep inside. The course seems very relaxed and our only homework is to sketch or paint as much as we can. So far, I have 'sketched' a lamp, an orange, a bobby pin and a still life that Nami set up for me. I tried the still life today (a bottle of wine, a mug and a peach) and Nami taught me how to do shadding. It was so much fun! I felt like a true artist. I even had pencil all over my hand when I was done. I'm going to keep practicing...Here's my first sketch that I'm not too terrified to post...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Amo Italia
It goes without saying that I love this country. Firenze is incredible and it seems that everyday I have something new and exciting happen to me and I fall more and more in love with it. This morning I got up at 7 15, took a shower and walked to class. I stopped for un espresso but it took me 40 minutes to get up to school. I walked way too fast because I was afraid I would be late but ended up being 20 minutes early and super hot from walking. It was well worth it because I love my 9am class. I'm taking Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting and it's so interesting. The professor is really good and he seems to know a whole lot about Firenze. I found out in class that the street we live on is one of the oldest streets in the city! For the class we're going to have a lot of site visits in the centro and in early October we're going to take a overnight to Padua, Mantua and Verona. It's going to be really fun to see different places with a Professor there to talk to us about what we're looking at. After class I had a break where I ate lunch and read for a course. Italian was right after and that went well again. My last class of the day was Introduction to Painting. I thought it was suppose to be from 3-7 but it turns out that the schedule was wrong and it's only suppose to be a 3 hour course! I was so relieved when I heard this. Plus, for today's class we didn't have any art supplies so the Professoressa got taxis for us to go downtown and buy our art supplies. I was out of class at 3:45 instead of 6. It was bellilssimo!
After class I met up with my roommate Nami and we wandered around the mercato centrale, she was looking for a purse, I was looking for shoes. Because we're in Italy and we're allowed, we bought mini bottles of vino rosso to accompany us on our shopping excursion. We were both successful! I bought a pair of handmade leather shoes from a shop near our house. The guy who worked there was so nice (like all Florentines, it seems) and he was helping us with our Italian. Everyone keeps saying that we'll be fluent by the end of the semester and I hope they're right! I love going out in the city speaking Italian to all the locals. It's really challenging but for some reason I'm not all that intimdated. Everyone is so friendly and willing to teach.
For dinner I just ate another panino from the same place as last night (another guy who works there was there tonight and his name is also Andrea...we thought he was pulling our leg but apparently there are two Andreas at this tiny panino store).Both Andreas a good panini makers....it must be an Andrea thing.
Tomorrow I only have Italian at 1:30 which will be so nice. Saturday we're going to Siena! NYU is having a day trip there for only 10 euros so my friends and I bounced on the opportunity! I can't wait to start travelling around Italy...I need to make a list of places I want to go! So many places, so little time...
After class I met up with my roommate Nami and we wandered around the mercato centrale, she was looking for a purse, I was looking for shoes. Because we're in Italy and we're allowed, we bought mini bottles of vino rosso to accompany us on our shopping excursion. We were both successful! I bought a pair of handmade leather shoes from a shop near our house. The guy who worked there was so nice (like all Florentines, it seems) and he was helping us with our Italian. Everyone keeps saying that we'll be fluent by the end of the semester and I hope they're right! I love going out in the city speaking Italian to all the locals. It's really challenging but for some reason I'm not all that intimdated. Everyone is so friendly and willing to teach.
For dinner I just ate another panino from the same place as last night (another guy who works there was there tonight and his name is also Andrea...we thought he was pulling our leg but apparently there are two Andreas at this tiny panino store).Both Andreas a good panini makers....it must be an Andrea thing.
Tomorrow I only have Italian at 1:30 which will be so nice. Saturday we're going to Siena! NYU is having a day trip there for only 10 euros so my friends and I bounced on the opportunity! I can't wait to start travelling around Italy...I need to make a list of places I want to go! So many places, so little time...
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Gli Miei Amici Nuovi
This morning I went for another run with my roommate Shelly. It was nice again to get out and run around the area, although it was a tad hotter today this morning than when we went in the evening, but still a nice run. After we ran we stopped at a fruit stand right outside our apartment (we live in the best location) and I bought fruit from the nicest fruttavendola (fruit vendor). She was so patient with my italian and she said she would remember us. She's going to be there all semester so I'm going to continue to buy fruit/veggies from her. I got two peaches and an orange for only 1.45 euros. I think that's cheap...who knows. My conception of prices has become so distorted being here.
I got up to school early so I could have a cheap lunch with my friends before Italian class. It was 3.00 euros for salad, bread and fruit. not too shabby. My Italian class went well again. I'm feeling very comfortable and it definitely helps that we have huge windows look out at the beautiful Tuscan landscape to distract me. It's an hour 15 min class which is nothing. My next class was my Sociology of Culture course. 2 hours and 45 min long. It's pretty brutal but the professor is this adorable italian women who completely understands that the length of the class is crazy. It seems like it will be a fun time. Hopefully I enjoy the sociology...
After class we walked back into the centro, bought some books and then grabbed dinner. Last night on our way home from gelato we decided to look at this ristorante across the street from our apartamento. This little alley, suprisingly enough, is really sketchy during the day but at night time it seems that all the crazies disappear and two cute ristorante pop up. One of those ristorante has a sandwich place with THE cutest italian boy, named Andrea, all of us have laid eyes on. He has fallen from a painting. He was very nice and, again, patient of our minimal italian knowledge. So tonight for dinner we all stopped by to get panini! They were SO good. We can make our own and I got mine with pesto, pecorino cheese, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and onions. SO good. Later my roommate Nami and I went right across the street to grab a glass of wine and talk...this little wine store has two benches outside and some snacky food if you want. We just got a small bottle of wine and sat on the benches and talked. Of course we met the guy who worked there, Fabio (yes, like the long haired large 'model'). He was so friendly, gave us un disconto on our vino and talked to us about school. It was a very relaxing end to the evening.
Today was such a great day because I feel like I'm really getting to know the Italian locals. Between the fruit vendor, the panini maker and the wine man, speaking Italian is becoming more and more comfortable. I have to get up at 7 15 for a 9am class tomorrow. I'm in class from 9-11:45 (Early Masters of Renaissance Painting), 1:30-2:45 (Italian) and 3:00-7:15 (yes, four hours, of intro to painting).
Buone notte!
I got up to school early so I could have a cheap lunch with my friends before Italian class. It was 3.00 euros for salad, bread and fruit. not too shabby. My Italian class went well again. I'm feeling very comfortable and it definitely helps that we have huge windows look out at the beautiful Tuscan landscape to distract me. It's an hour 15 min class which is nothing. My next class was my Sociology of Culture course. 2 hours and 45 min long. It's pretty brutal but the professor is this adorable italian women who completely understands that the length of the class is crazy. It seems like it will be a fun time. Hopefully I enjoy the sociology...
After class we walked back into the centro, bought some books and then grabbed dinner. Last night on our way home from gelato we decided to look at this ristorante across the street from our apartamento. This little alley, suprisingly enough, is really sketchy during the day but at night time it seems that all the crazies disappear and two cute ristorante pop up. One of those ristorante has a sandwich place with THE cutest italian boy, named Andrea, all of us have laid eyes on. He has fallen from a painting. He was very nice and, again, patient of our minimal italian knowledge. So tonight for dinner we all stopped by to get panini! They were SO good. We can make our own and I got mine with pesto, pecorino cheese, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and onions. SO good. Later my roommate Nami and I went right across the street to grab a glass of wine and talk...this little wine store has two benches outside and some snacky food if you want. We just got a small bottle of wine and sat on the benches and talked. Of course we met the guy who worked there, Fabio (yes, like the long haired large 'model'). He was so friendly, gave us un disconto on our vino and talked to us about school. It was a very relaxing end to the evening.
Today was such a great day because I feel like I'm really getting to know the Italian locals. Between the fruit vendor, the panini maker and the wine man, speaking Italian is becoming more and more comfortable. I have to get up at 7 15 for a 9am class tomorrow. I'm in class from 9-11:45 (Early Masters of Renaissance Painting), 1:30-2:45 (Italian) and 3:00-7:15 (yes, four hours, of intro to painting).
Buone notte!
First Day of Classes and Discovering the Gelato Gem
Classes started today. I was nervous for Italian and excited for History of the Italian Jews. By the end of the day I love Italian and dropped Italian Jews. I was under the impression that the class would be a bit more about religion (I'm not sure why exactly) but it's too much history and I won't be able to have it count towards my major. Plus it was a 3 hour class that was painful to get through. It seems interesting but being bored in the first class is never a good sign. When I got back to mio apartamento I looked at the available courses and found one I thought I would like. It's called Sociology and Culture and basically studies the way cultures view food in different ways. Why some like one type of food and others don't, the way people react to food...I'll get a better idea of what it's about when I start but two of my roommates are in the class so I'm so excited. Plus the focus is on food, particuarly Italian food so what's not to like???
Intermediate Italian went better than expected. I remembered more than I thought and I really like the professor. I already feel more comfortable with speaking.
To end of a pretty crappy day (with the whole lock-out thing)my roommates and I decided to get gelato. My Italian professor told us to go to this one place across the Arno called La Carraia and my friend Joci's homestay 'sister' also recommended it. We walked to try it out after dinner and it was so good!! Best AND cheapest yet. 1.30 euros! It was a very nice end to a frustrating day...tomorrow I have Italian and the culture course and my roommate shelly and I are going for a run in the morning! must balance out all the gelato! ciao!
Intermediate Italian went better than expected. I remembered more than I thought and I really like the professor. I already feel more comfortable with speaking.
To end of a pretty crappy day (with the whole lock-out thing)my roommates and I decided to get gelato. My Italian professor told us to go to this one place across the Arno called La Carraia and my friend Joci's homestay 'sister' also recommended it. We walked to try it out after dinner and it was so good!! Best AND cheapest yet. 1.30 euros! It was a very nice end to a frustrating day...tomorrow I have Italian and the culture course and my roommate shelly and I are going for a run in the morning! must balance out all the gelato! ciao!
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