Today is a sad day. Today I left Italy. As I sit here on the plane getting ready to leave Frankfurt, Germany for Chicago I have to do everything I can to keep from crying. Thinking back about my life these past six weeks and all the new and different experiences I have had makes me realize how much I have grown and changed in such a short time. I am going home a different person

The last week in Firenze was a whirlwind with so much to do but as it always goes, not enough time. Monday I had all my finals so a good part of my day was spent studying. That night, some of the Velluti girls who were done with exams went to a restaurant called Open Bar that overlooks the Arno river and the Ponte Vecchio. We decided to try their appretivo, a popular Italian custom similar to happy hour except for by buying one drink you get to eat all you want for free from a big buffet of appetizers. It was a lot of fun and nice change from our regular heavier meals.

Tuesday was my 22nd birthday and I spent most of the day shopping, packing and hanging out with friends. What a perfect way to end my time in Italy– celebrating my birthday in Florence with people who started out as strangers and now have become some of my best friends. That night was our “last supper” with the school at another great restaurant close to Piazale Michelangelo. Sue (the director) made a moving speech about what this experience has done to us and how it will change us and take on a new meaning when we return home. She talked about how the new friends we made here will always be special and that we should never lose contact with each other because we each shared a unique experience with each other that can never be explained or understood to someone else. It all made us a little teary eyed and our imminent departure seemed a little bit more real. Towards the end of our dinner one of my really nice friends (note the sarcasm) spontaneously broke out singing happy birthday to me and everyone joined in. I was a little embarrassed but it was a really cool gesture nonetheless. After dinner, the Velluti girls said goodbye to Sue and our various teachers and headed out on the town for my birthday and for one of our last nights in Florence. It was an awesome birthday– maybe even the best– filled with lots of hugs and a few tears as we realized our time together was coming to an end.

Wednesday morning, the Velluti girls had a lazy start and rolled out of bed around noon to go to the American diner. Afterwards, some last minute shopping and packing and spending the day in Florence, taking it all in one last time. Wednesday night, the Velluti girls had their last meal together at where else but– il Gato! We decided to go out with a bang and called ahead to see if they could do a special family style meal for a fixed price. They said sure, they would do something special fur us with all the wine we want! It was another huge meal with meats, bruchetta and three different kinds of pasta. And of course, wine. Kendall and Victoria’s parents had just arrived in Florence that day and joined us at dinner and it was so fun talking to them about all the experiences we have had together. Towards the end, we decided to all go around the table and tell what this experience has meant to us. There were lots of toasts and lots of crying. A very bittersweet moment– sadly, we were going home but with so many awesome experiences and memories. Almost all of us were getting picked up to go to the airport early in the morning so we decided that the best plan of action would be to go out and stay up all night! We headed to Lion’s Fountain after dinner and found that everyone else in the program had the same idea. Again, more tears and more reminiscing with lots of sad goodbyes. Around 4 in the morning, the Velluti girls all made our way back home. Morgan, Capri, Alissa and I were the first to be picked up at 4:45 am. I didn’t realize that this goodbye would be so hard and so sad- it almost broke my heart. We all promised to see each other again and stay in touch, all the while knowing this is easier said than done. Next thing you know, we are in the taxi and driving away from Velluti with the sun starting to rise over Florence.

The last two months have been the absolute best of my life. I learned how to adapt to a new culture and foreign surroundings. I found a deep love for a country and its people other than my own. I learned a new language and a new lifestyle and fully immersed myself in it. For the first time in my life, I traveled on my own, in foreign countries nonetheless. I learned to read maps of which I had previously refused to do. I learned not only how to get along with and respect a different culture and its people other than my own but also how to live with 9 other strangers who were so very much like me but also very different. I have become more patient with people and cultural differences, more accepting and better able to roll with the punches, understanding that not everything done in a foreign country is the American way. I learned that I was a little bit ignorant before living in Italy– everyone I’ve encountered during my two months here know how to speak some english and are surprisingly very familiar with U.S. politics, geography and popular culture. I knew little to nothing about Italy. Most importantly, I learned that I can make it by myself and that I can survive and adapt pretty easily no matter where I go.

These were the best six weeks of my life. But I understand that I have thus far lived a pretty short life and that there is much to come in the years ahead. It was an awesome chapter, maybe even the best chapter in the many chapters of my life but the book is far from closed.

Until then,

Arrivederci!

I love Florence for its culture– the food, art, style, and people. but I love Interlaken for its beauty and for its way of life. 

We (half of the Velluti girls and some other students from FSU) left for Interlaken Thursday night and got to our hostel, Balmers, around 4 in the morning on Friday. 9 am Friday morning rolled around soon enough and we got up for breakfast (bread, jam and cheese) and walked around Interlaken to explore before we went canyoning at 1 pm!

Interlaken is totally my style. The place is BEAUTIFUL. Extreme greens and blues with white-tipped mountain tops in the distance. The scenery looked like it was a painted picture. Everything in Interlaken revolves around outdoor activities. Even though I had never been to Switzerland before, I felt right at home in Interlaken because it was a lifestyle I am already familiar with– appreciation of the outdoors, an active lifestyle and the mountain scenery. Everyone in Interlaken is wearing hiking gear, bike jerseys, t shirts and shorts. I fit in perfectly. It was a nice change from Florence where so much emphasis is put on style and how you look. 

At 12:45 we met back at the hostel to go canyoning– and outdoor activity popular in Interlaken where a guide takes you down a river with waterfalls and small streams to swim in. There is really not a good way to describe it… just look at my pictures. We were picked up by the company who does a lot of the touristy outdoor activities– Outdoor Interlaken– and taken to their station to get suited up in wet suits. Then we had a short drive to a path and after a little hike (to the guides maybe… we were all pretty much struggling) we jumped in the freezing cold glacial water, coming down from the mountains looming over our heads. For four hours we made our way down the stream, jumping off small waterfalls and rappelling off rock walls. It was AWESOME. It was an entirely new experience, something I have never done before and after living in a city for almost six weeks it was so nice to be outside in the fresh air doing something challenging.

After four hours of canyoning we were all tired, cold and hungry. We returned back to the Outdoor Interlaken base where we were given a free beer. After cleaning up and watching the pictures of us canyoning on the screen, we returned to Balmers and the Velluti girls decided to go out for dinner while others ate back at the hostel. For dinner we ate at a cool little Swiss restaurant. There, a marching band (yes, marching band- drums, trumpets, trombones and all) played music to our enjoyment (is my sarcasm obvious?). It was a little bit hard to hear through dinner so we were glad when they finally took a break. I wanted a typical swiss meal so I told our waitress to bring me their most popular dish. I’m not exactly sure what it was but it was so good– egg, ham, potatoes, onions and swiss cheese is what I believe made up the meal. Very healthy =). For desert, of course, we all ordered chocolate fondue with real Swiss chocolate! After all the fruit was gone, Heather and I used our spoons to scoop up the last of the chocolate. We couldn’t help ourselves. Afterwards, we headed back to our hostel to hang out at the local bar connected to Balmers. It was a great first day in Interlaken.

Day 2 (Saturday), Morgan, Heather, Katie and I got up around 9 to do a 2 to 3 hour hike in the Swiss Alps before going rafting with everyone else at 4. The hike was beautiful. It was a relatively easy hike (I mean, we haven’t worked out for almost 2 months so we couldn’t outdo ourselves) with great views of the mountains and the snowy peaks in the distance. We decided to hike to a popular restaurant located at the top of a hill with great views of mountains surrounding the restaurant. Along the way, we passed cows grazing on grass by the side of the path. They almost let us get close enough to touch them!

We got back in to town around 3:30 with just enough time to get ready for rafting with the rest of the Velluti crew and some other FSU friends. We were using the services of the Outdoor Interlaken company again and they picked us up in a van and took us back to the same site we were at yesterday. We suited up again and then we were loaded into a truck for a half hour drive up the river (with amazing views) to where we would drop in with our rafts. The Velluti girls had their own raft and we had an awesome guide by the name of Jezza. He was a little crazy– he called himself a “Kiwi” because he was from New Zealand and he had the personality of someone who has spent a little bit too much time out in the wild “connecting with nature.” He was missing a tooth that he had accidently knocked out rafting a few weeks ago and had yet to get it fixed. Despite his wackiness we loved him and had a great time with him… or maybe it was because of it.

After a crazy four hour rafting experience (again… the scenery… couldn’t get over it), we returned to our hostel around 8 and decided to get burgers there and just hang out. We were all pretty wiped out so it was a pretty chill night, hanging out at the outside bar by our hostel.

Sunday was my favorite day. We got up around 10 am and a group of us decided to rent vespas and four-wheelers for the afternoon. All of us partnered up and we took about an hour drive up a mountain road that took us to a place where waterfalls were all around you with beautiful scenery of mountains and valleys. It was so awesome and a perfect last-day activity. On the way back to town, we stopped to grab a lunch of bratwursts. We took one last drive around the town of Interlaken and then headed back to Balmers to turn in our atvs and vespas and load up on the bus to head back to Florence around 3pm. This was the last weekend for FSU students so the mood on the bus was kind of melancholy and quiet while everyone realized that we were returning to Florence for our last week in Italy.

I have been on some of the most amazing trips of my life during my time here in Italy but at the end of the weekend trips, I am always happy to return to Florence. Interlaken was the first time I was sad to return home. Interlaken is the most beautiful and happiest place I have been. Interkalen suited me and the way I have grown up, in a family who appreciates the outdoors and an active lifestyle.  If I- when I ever go back to Europe Interlaken will be one of the first places I return to.

Today was my last Italian class before finals next week. After reviewing for the exam, our teacher let us out early and took us to her favorite gelato shop. In class, she only speaks Italian so we do not know much about her life. Taking a break for gelato, we were actually able to talk to her and ask her questions in english and learn a little bit about her. It turns out she lived in America for a few years, first getting her masters in English and Fashion and then teaching Italian and Fashion at Vermont. She spent some time in NYC at the Fashion Institute and then some time in L.A. before she was asked to move back to Florence and teach for FSU. She travels back to the states every fall to teach at Vermont and she is the only one from her family who has been to the U.S. She leads a pretty interesting life and it was fun getting to know a little about her.

Tonight we are getting ready to head to Interlaken for the weekend for some hiking, rafting and canyoning! We leave around 8:30 tonight and will be back late Sunday night. We are so excited! This is our last weekend here in Europe and a lot of the FSU students besides the Velluti building are going to Interlaken as well so everyone is looking forward to one big last trip together. I’ll keep everyone posted and blog about what is sure to be an awesome trip when I get back.

Ciao!

Austen

Last week was a busy week for me with tests and papers taking up most of my time. However, on Thursday Morgan and I made time to visit the Pitti Palace (or the Palazzo Pitti) and the Bobli Gardens as well as a short trip to Pisa to see the infamous leaning tower.

Pitti Palace used to be home to the Medici family, a powerful family in Florence until the 18th century, and happens to be right outside my street. Now, the palce is a museum and holds several different works of art as well as the Bobli Gardens or Giardino di Boboli. Morgan and I  went around 9 in the morning and to our surprise, we basically had the place to ourselves. After buying our tickets (10 euro) we decided to head to the gardens first. We wondered around the gardens and made our way to the top where there was a great view of the city and the countryside. The gardens are beautiful but it is like a maze and we weren’t really sure where to go after we reached the top so we headed back down to the palace to see the Silver Museum, which holds all the Medici treasures such as their jewelry and artwork, as well as the Galleria del Costume. Both museums were pretty amazing and I particularly liked the costume museum. I loved seeing the fancy dresses and shoes of medieval times and how designer gowns have evolved over the years.

After spending the morning in Pitti Palace, Morgan and I headed to Pisa for the afternoon, only a short 1 hour train ride away. Pisa, in a way, reminded me of Florence but just not as pretty. The train station is on the opposite side of the Leaning Tower of Pisa so we decided to walk instead of getting a taxi in order to get a sense of the city. Not much to see. Really, you only need an afternoon to visit Pisa. We finally reach the leaning tower and I was surprised to find that it was much smaller than expected. We spent about 45 minutes walking around, took a few pictures, and then made our way back to the train station to catch the 5:00 train. But not without stopping to try some gelato from Pisa!

Thursday night, the Velluti girls headed to Il Gato and then called it an early night because the next morning we would be departing for Venice!

___________

FSU met at the Santa Maria Novella train station at 8m to head to Venice for the day. FSU only scheduled Venice as a day trip but the Velluti girls and some others decided that we wanted to stay the night and spend a weekend in Venice. After a 4 hour train ride, we arrived a little after 11 and after checking our overnight bags at the Santa Lucia train station, headed to Saint Mark’s Basilica. A beautiful church, it is Venice’s symbol of wealth and power because of its opulent design and the use of gold Murano glass on the exterior. Venice is known for its Murano glass and the inside of the church is covered in it. All the murals on the walls, the ceilings of different chapels and even the floor are covered in tiny squares of Murano tiles, each of them hand-placed. It was an amazing sight and everything inside San Marco seemed to sparkle.

Afterwards, we had some free time for lunch. The Velluti girls found a restaurant that served great salads and looked out over a water canal. At 2:30, we met the rest of FSU in front of the Academia Bridge to head to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. The museum, built in an unfinished piazza by Peggy Guggenheim, houses several famous artists such as Picasso, Dalì and Polluck. Our tour guide was an art intern from Colorado and she told us lots of interesting stories about the paintings that are part of the Peggy Guggenheim Venice collection. I do not know much about art and I am not very sophisticated in terms of artistic styles, techniques and movements but I loved the meanings behind the paintings, not necessarily the paintings themselves. Maybe it’s my journalist instinct, but I love the stories of how something came to be rather than what it is now. My favorite paintings in the exhibit were the ones by John Polluck. His paintings are the “drip” paintings, or the pictures that seem to have no rhyme or reason to it, where it looks like paint was just splashed on a page. Apparently, he was an extremely troubled man and had an affair with Peggy Guggenheim. After hearing about his life, his paintings seemed to make sense. The most interesting part about the tour was learning about Peggy Guggenheim herself. An American art collector, Peggy lived a pretty avant-garde with lots of scandal and controversy until her death in 1979. Peggy was lovers to most of the artists in her collection and was known to throw wild parties. The gallery in Venice also served at her house and one picture, Composition No. 1 with Grey and Red 1938, had a hole through it, now restored but still visible from when another artist was drunk in her house at a party and put an elbow through it. The art gallery was a nice change of pace from our usual tour of churches and it was one of my favorite things I did while in Venice.

Leaving the Peggy Guggenheim museum, the sky had darkened and rain drops started to fall. We tried to make our way as fast as we could to the train station to retrieve our bags and head to our hotel, but we didn’t make it and got poured on. By the time we finally got to the station and picked up our bags, the rain had stopped. FSU students and professors who were not staying in Venice left shortly after and those of us who were staying the night were left to fend for ourselves. The Velluti crew had booked three hotel rooms earlier in the week but we had no idea where the hotel was or how to get there. It took some time figuring it out and we were all soaking wet so there was some anxiety but we finally got everything in order. Turns out, our hotel, Hotel Resulto, is not actually in the heart of Venice but right outside of it and we had to take a bus to get there. After showering and relaxing for a few hours at the hotel, we headed back to Venice for dinner. Venice does not really have a night life and after 11 pm Venice almost seemed like a ghost town, so after dinner we all decided to head back to the hotel. This was perfectly fine to us– we were tired from a long day and we planned on getting up early the next morning.

Saturday morning we awoke at 8:30 and had an awesome, leisurely European-style breakfast in the hotel. Around 10:30 we checked out of the hotel and headed to Venice to do a Gondola ride as well as some shopping. The gondola rides ended up being more expensive than we thought– around 60 euro for a 30 minute ride, but we found a guy who was willing to take all 8 of us for 15 euro each. The gondolier, Stephen, was a lot of fun and let each of us take turns trying to steer the boat. He also invited us to his house for dinner that night. We declined.

After the gondola ride, we walked around Venice, stopping in various shops and stores that caught our interest. At 2:30, we headed back to the train station to catch our scheduled trip back to Florence at 3:30. Unfortunately, when we got to the train station we found out our train was canceled and we would have to get on the next one to Florence at 4:30. Well, that train ended up not showing up until a little after 5 and as a result we did not get back to Florence until 9. We rushed home only to drop our bags off and then went to Il Gato where we were meeting friends from Rome who were with us on the Amalfi Coast trip. They were spending the weekend in Florence and we promised them we would take them to our favorite restaurant and out for the night.

Sunday, it poured all day so it was a pretty lazy morning and afternoon at the Velluti building. Around 3, we finally became motivated enough to leave our apartments and went to an American diner we have been dying to try. Unlike in America where it is perfectly acceptable to head out in sweatshirts and sweatpants, it is not okay in Italy. Especially on Sundays. Sundays seem to be the day when Italian families and friends gather to go out for lunch and dinner and they always look their best (not that they don’t any other day of the week). Needless to say, we got lots of stares and disapproving looks as we walked down the street in sweatshirts, T-shirts and work-out shorts.

All of us ordered cheeseburgers, western omelets and pancakes at the diner (we were feeling a little homesick for American food), toasted our milkshakes (which they make out of gelato… SO GOOD) and agreed that it was a perfect ending to another awesome week in Italy.

This past weekend the Velluti crew headed to the South to visit the gorgeous coastal towns of Sorrento, Capri and Positano as well as the ruins of the ancient town, Pompeii. This was the trip I had been looking forward to for weeks and after hearing so many great stories about the scenery and beauty of the place, I had high expectations. My expectations were far exceeded,

The Velluti girls went with an organization called Bus2Alps. Bus2Alps basically advertises to students and young travelers in Europe and sets up weekend trips to different places by providing the transportation, lodging and activities for the weekend for a flat rate. Our organizer, Tiernen, was great and set up a lot of fun activities for us for the weekend.

We met at the Santa Maria Novella train station at 7 pm on Thursday night and loaded a huge greyhound bus. We traveled through the night watching movies and sleeping and arrived in Sorento, the town in which we would be staying, a little after 1 am. The hostel, called 7 Hostel, is unlike any other hostel I have witnessed. It really should not be considered a hostel but a hotel. It is an extremely nice place with a bar, restaurant, lounge area and most importantly, clean sleeping areas. Each room housed 10 people and lucky for us, the Velluti girls travel everywhere together in a pack of 10. Tired from the drive and with an early morning departure for Capri, we went straight to bed.

Friday morning we got up at 7 to get ready to  leave for the island of Capri at 8. We met downstairs in the lobby/restaurant and we were greeted with a wonderful bikini-friendly breakfast of coffee and chocolate covered croissants. After breakfast, we loaded on to the bus and headed to the Sorrento marina, Marina Piccola. The drive was spectacular. The bus wound around the mountain, making tight turns down a curvy road with views of the Mediterranean sea in the distance. It was AWESOME. After about a 20 minute drive we arrived at the marina and loaded a ferry to take us to the island of Capri.

On the way there, we made a short stop at the Blue Grotto, a sea cave on the coast of the island. Once the ferry was anchored, we were transfered to smaller boats holding only five each. When we got to the opening of the Blue Grotto our driver stopped to wait for the perfect moment to enter. The tide rises and falls every few minutes and there is only a small window of time when the opening is big enough for a small boat to squeeze through. Inside the grotto, light from outside shines up through the water lighting the cave in an eerie but beautiful blue glow.

After seeing the Blue Grotto, we got back on to the ferry and headed for Capri. There, we wondered around the hilly town, tasted limoncello, watched men make hand-made sandals and got lunch at little pizza restaurant. Afterwards, we had a few hours of beach time and then got back on the ferry around 3 to take a boat tour around the island. The coast of Capri is the prettiest place I have ever seen. Never in my life have I been somewhere so beautiful and peaceful. 

We returned to Marina Piccola a little after 5 and headed back to 7 Hostel to get ready for a night out in Sorrento. That night, we ate at a great restaurant and afterwards, went to a karaoke bar. 

Saturday morning we had a later start time at 11 and headed to the town of Positano. Positano is entirely built on the mountainous hillside overlooking the Mediterranean sea. The houses seem to hang off the cliffs and look as if they are built on top of each other. During the morning, we wondered around the town and stopped in various stores and grabbed lunch at a sandwich shop. At 1, we met down at the beach to rent dingys and go cliff jumping. Each boat held 8-10 people and we all took turns driving. The cliff is really a huge rock in the middle of the ocean about 20 minutes out from the beach. All 8 boats anchored around the 20 foot cliff and we jumped into the water and swam to the rock to climb it and then jump off. I was not prepared for the strength of the tide and as I got closer to the rock, I got slammed up against the side and as a result, got a few cuts and bruises. However, after getting pulled up by some guys in our group, I still wanted to climb to the top and jump off since I came that far. So worth it. But after doing it once, I swam back to the boat. I was exhausted.

We hung out around the cliff for about an hour and then headed back to shore where most of the Bus2Alps group decided to spend the rest of the afternoon laying out on the beach. Later, around 6, we headed back to Sorrento. That night the entire group stayed at the hostel and had a group cook out. A band played at the hostel that night and after a long two days, everyone was content to hang out on the Hostel’s outside roof deck that overlooked the ocean.

Sunday we headed to Pompeii around 11, our last stop before heading home. Pompeii is an ancient Roman town near Naples that was compleatly burried for hundreds of years under volcanic ash after the eruption of the nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius, around 79 A.D. A tour guide took us on a 2 hour walk through the ancient city and talked about how the town was presumed to be. Apparently, ancient Pompeii was a town with lots of wealth and resources and because it served as a port city, it was a very busy place. It was hard to imagine the city our tour guide described because now, the ancient ruins are covered in in dust and hardened volcanic ash, making the entire city look brown, depressing and desolate.

After the tour, we all loaded back on to the bus and headed home. The day had started off pretty dreary and overcast and right after we got on the bus, it started to pour. This was the first time it had rained since I have been in Italy and I was grateful that the bad weather held off until the end of the weekend. We got back to Florence a little before midnight and almost all of us were dead tired.  It was an awesome, beautiful weekend filled with sun, boat rides, cliff-jumping, touring and sightseeing. The Velluti girls said their goodbyes to the other students we had met this weekend, thanked the organizer and then began the trek home across the city of Florence. After crossing the Ponte Vecchio, we couldn’t resist and stopped at our favorite gelato shop for a midnight snack.

Last night, I went to a winery with Morgan, Katie, Heather, Merris and Capri and some other FSU students. The vineyard and winery, located at an old castle in the Tuscany countryside, was just outside of a little town called Greve
in Chianti.

First, we took a tour through the famous winery called Castello Vicchimaggio and learned about the wine making process. Then we tasted various Chianti wines in a little winery overlooking the hundreds of grape fields. I don’t remember the names of the wines but we tasted 3 different reds and then a desert wine (which, quite frankly, I could hardly get down. Desert wines= not good). All of this was supplemented with meats and bread. The lady who took us on the winery tour also taught the wine tasting session. We had a great time with her and I really enjoyed her personality, as she was a lot more easy going and light hearted about the culture of wine than our previous wine expert from the wine class last week.

Afterwards, we loaded the bus and headed down the hill to have yet another Tuscan meal at a little restaurant in Greve. The food, of course, was amazing and so far it has been the biggest dinner I have had while in Italy. The food just kept coming. I think we went through six different courses, the first being a cheese appetizer with various jams to spread on the cheese. Next came zucchini smothered in tomato sauce. For the third appetizer course, fresh melon and prosciutto. After these three dishes, we were fully satisfied but we had not even been served our main course.

After letting our food settle, the waiters brought out the most delicious tomato soup I have ever tasted. The soup had bread crumbs mixed in it and one of our directors, Kelly, explained to us that the Tuscan way is to douse your soup with olive oil. It gave tomato soup a whole new meaning.

Right after we were finished with our soup, we each received a small bowl with about a half portion of pasta in a creamy vegetable sauce. Finally, after going through five different plates, our main dish was brought to us consisting of eggplant parmesan and pork as well as a great salad. Of course, bread and Chianti Classico wine accented the dinner. When desert finally came (a creamy apple-ish cake) I was way too full to try but one bite.

3 hours later, we loaded the bus to head back to Florence. The night was a wonderful experience with great wine, scenery and LOTS of awesome food.

Tonight the Velluti girls are heading off to Southern Italy for the weekend to visit the small coastal towns of Sorrento, Capri, Positano and Pompeii. It should be another great weekend with lots of new stories to tell!

Arrivederci!

The week has flown by with several various classes and activities keeping me busy. I can’t believe that I am now entering into my third week here in Florence.

On Fridays we do not have school so the Velluti girls decided to get up early and hit the beach. Our destination was about an hour away in a little town called Viareggio, known for its annual carnival a few weeks before Easter where people dress up in masks.

We got up at 8 am to get an early train to the beach in order to get a lot of sun time. Unfortunately, our plan did  not go exactly as planned. The direct ticket we thought we purchased was not actually a direct ticket to Viareggio. Instead, we stopped in a tiny town called Pistoia for two and a half hours before the train finally departed for the beach. With two hours and nothing to do, we did the only thing we could think of while stranded in a tiny town: eat pizza and drink wine at 10 in the morning. We found a little cafe and watched the locals pass by as we waited for the train to leave. I don’t think that Pistoia was really a tourist town because the language barrier was much stronger and locals who passed by seemed to show a lot of interest in us: 10 girls dressed in beach gear and eating pizza early in the morning must have been a pretty amusing and interesting sight.

After hanging out and wondering around the town of Pistoia we got back on the train in time to get at least a good three hours of sun before we had to head home. Finally, we arrived in Viareggio around 2 pm, 4 hours later than planned. Viareggio is a beach town on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is very picturesque with lots of little cafes and beach shops lining the coast. We found a spot of beach with not many people on it and relaxed for the rest of the day. Although the town is pretty, the water, however, is not. The water was not the crystal clear blue like what we saw in Cinque Terre but more of a brown/green color. And it was pretty polluted. We spotted a lot of dead fish and trash washing up to shore and as a result we did not go for a swim in the sea this time.

Kendall’s 21st birthday (one of the Velluti girls) was that night and we had dinner reservations at Aqua al due at 9:30 pm so we caught the 5:30 pm train back to Florence to clean up for dinner as well as pack for Rome.

That night, we had an amazing dinner at the restaurant Aqua al Due, recommended to us over and over. The restaurant is quaint and is famous for its blueberry and balsamic steaks. It may not sound that appetizing but the steaks were some of the best I have ever had. None of us could decide what to get so we all ordered both versions of the steaks as well as salads and pasta sampalers (chef’s choice) to pass around. It was one of the best meals I have had in Florence and we had a great time celebrating Kendall’s birthday. We left VERY FULL and happy.

Saturday morning we woke early (6 am) in order to meet our school at the Piazza della Repubblica at 7:30 am to depart for Rome. We boarded  a huge coach bus and I fell asleep within the first 10 minutes of departure. After a 4 hour bus ride, we finally arrived in the city of Roma.

We first checked in to our hotel, Hotel Tiziano, not too far down from the famous bar and cafe area, Piazzo Campo dei Fiori. Free for lunch, the Velluti girls and I found a cafe, Insalata Ricci, just around the corner from our hotel. Still full from the night before, we all got salads. My caprese salad was great! 

At 2 pm we met in front of our hotel to go to the Vatican. As we passed by various landmarks of Rome such as the Castel Sant’Angelo  I couldn’t help but think of the movie Angels and Demons and use the movie as my reference guide (this building shows up at the end of the movie when Tom Hanks discovers that the Illuminati church is located in the Castel Sant’ Angelo).

Upon arriving in Vatican city, we filed off the bus and waited while Sue, our director, got tickets to enter the Vatican. First, we had a guided tour through the Vatican museum. The statues, murals and tapestries housed in the museum are, simply put, breathtaking. Everything is ORNATE and intricate. We walked through galleries such as the Sala a Croce Greca, which houses the sarcophagus of Constance and the Gallery of Maps, a long hallway with painted maps of all of Italy that tells the story of how Italy became a nation. After visiting various galleries through out the museum, we finally headed to the Sistine Chapel where Michelangelo’s most famous painting, Creation of Adam, is painted on the ceiling. Walking in to the Sistine Chapel, I had to catch my breath. It is one of those places that is instantly recognizable because of its popularity but you never really think you will get to see it in your lifetime. I could not believe I was actually there. The place is overwhelming. It is amazing to me the amount of time, care and effort that went into the Sistine Chapel. No words can describe the experience. It is definitely one of the coolest, most memorable and meaningful places I have been in my life and I’m not sure many more experiences could top it.

After the Vatican Museum, we headed over to St. Peter’s Basilica. Standing outside of the massive cathedral, Frank Niro, FSU professor, told us why it was created.  In the bible, Jesus says to Peter “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church…”. Built by Constantine in honor of the apostle, Peter, also said to be Rome’s first pope, St. Peter’s Basilica is literally on top of Peter’s tomb, or “the rock” where Jesus’ church should be built.

After listening to the amazing story of St. Peter’s Basilica, we quietly entered the Cathedral. Surprisingly, I was very moved and felt a little bit of emotion swell up inside of me. The place is very spiritual and the massive grandness of the cathedral made me feel very small and insignificant. After wandering around for about 45 minutes and watching mass take place, we made our way outside and met in front of the obelisk in St. Peter’s Piazza.

The Piazza is made to resemble the body of St. Peter, with the columns wrapping around like Peter’s arms in order to pull people into his chest, the trapezoidal steps and stage leading up to the doors of the basilica. The scene was pretty amazing and again, I couldn’t help but think about one of the more famous scenes in the movie, Angels & Demons.

By this time, it was now close to 5:30 so we all loaded back onto the bus and went back to the hotel to get ready for our group dinner. Dinner was at a cafe called S. Eustachio and again, we filled the entire place. This weekend was special for Katie and Kendall because not only were they turning 21 but they got to celebrate one of their most important birthdays in Rome. Dinner, again, was Tuscan style with pasta served first and then a meat course of prosciutto and chicken. Then came a type of fried vegetable dish with zucchinis, tomatoes, asparagus and fried mozzarella balls. By this time we were stuffed but we had to make room for the strawberry desert and champagne that Sue order for everyone on account of Katie and Kendall’s birthdays. Everyone toasted to the birthday girls and one of the guys on the program, E.C. gave a funny speech. It was a great end to the day!

But it wasn’t over yet! For Kendall and Katie’s birthday we decided to hit up the famous Ice Bar. The bar is like something I have never seen or been to before… it is made out of all ice! The seats are ice, the floor, the ceiling, the bar, even the glasses that hold the brightly colored cocktails that change colors are made out of ice! We were given full length coats and gloves before we entered the bar and were told we could stay inside as long as we could handle it. We had a blast and felt like we were in an igloo. After about an hour, we all started freezing and decided to make our way over to Campo dei Fiori to experience Roman nightlife. All in all, a great start to the weekend.

The next day we got up early to get ready for a JAM PACKED day of sightseeing lead by our Art & Architecture professor, Frank. First we went to the Pantheon which was only a few blocks away from our hotel. Interestingly enough, the Pantheon’s dome was created first out of wood and then covered with a special type of cement that hardedened around the wood structure. After the cement set, the wood was removed. The Pantheon is the only piece of architecture of ancient Rome that is still standing, without damage. All other ancient Roman statues were torn down when the Catholic church took over Rome. The only reason the Pantheon still stands is because it was presented as a gift to the pope.

Next, we headed to the Colosseum, one of Rome’s most famous sites. By this time, temperatures started to rise and we were HOT. It was supposed to get up into the 90s and because Rome is shaped like a bowl, it felt even hotter. As we walked to the Colosseum, we passed by the Vittoriano, a Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II which also contains the tomb of the Unknown solider as well as Mussolini’s old headquarters when Italy was under Fascist rule.

The Colosseum is massive and it is designed to hold 50,000 people. Inside, you can see the “basement” of the Colosseum where the gladiators and various exotic animals were held until a system of pulleys and stages raised them up to the arena. During the games of ancient Rome, the Colosseum was divided up into sections with V.I.P. reserved for the front row, middle sections assigned according to professions like barbers, merchants and etc., and the very top rows or the nose-bleeds designated to the women and slaves. It was an amazing place to see.

After the Colosseum we headed to the Fourm or the “Capitoline hill.” This is the area in which ancient Roman civilization thrived. Frank lead us on a tour through the original cobblestone streets of of Capitoline hill and told us the different stories of the various structures from the past.

After the tour, we had some free time before we departed for Florence so the Velluti girls decided to grab some lunch and visit the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. We ate lunch at a small pizza place close to the Trevi Fountain and we went to the fountain to grab some quick pictures and do the customary tradition of throwing a penny into the fountain while making a wish. Next we headed to the Spanish steps where several tourists and Romans go to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, we would be on a bus headed back to Florence during sunset but it was still cool to see. However, I personally like our sunset spot, Piazzale Michelangelo, better.

At 3:15 we loaded the bus to go home, but first we made a stop at the St. Domitilla Catacombs. The Roman Catacombs were the underground burial sites for Christians during the second century all the way until the 5th. Walking through the underground graves kind of gave me the creeps… the air was cool and musty and there was a very earthy smell that made me think of decaying bodies (not to be graphic). Fortunately, we did not visit the area where skeletons can still be seen out of respect for the dead and only saw their resting places. All of the graves were no more than a little over 5 feet long because the average height for most people of this time was 5 feet. Departing for our tour, we had an Indian man and two men who looked like body guards join us. The two bigger men had sunglasses, earpieces and were in suits and ties and both stood on either side of the smaller, Indian man throughout the tour. We knew he had to be someone important and all of us speculated and made ridiculous guesses as to who this man might be during the tour. Turns out, it was Indonesia’s Prime Minister. How cool is that?!

After the Catacombs, we finally left for home. It was an awesome weekend in Rome but we were all dead tired and extremely hot and sunburned. After two days of touring Rome, we were ready to return to Florence. The city of Rome is beautiful with so much important history and lots to do but I still prefer the smaller, more personal city of Florence. Maybe I am just biased because I actually live in Florence, but everyday it feels more like home and as a result, when I return from weekend trips I appreciate it a little bit more.

We got back to Florence around 8:30 and headed to our favorite restaurant, of course, il Gato. As soon as we walked in, the familiar faces of the waiters who have now become our friends lead us to our usual table for 10 and already had the wine, bread and balsamic and oil waiting for us.

It’s 1am in Florence right now and I just got back from the movies with the rest of the Via dei Velluti girls. We are heading to Rome this weekend for a school trip so we decided to go see Angels and Demons which is set in Rome in order to know a little bit ahead of time about some of the sites we will be seeing.

The movie theater is SO COOL! It is an old theater with a stained glass dome and red velvet theater style seats surrounding a stage with a movie screen taking the place of curtains. There are two balconies with old chandeliers lighting the movie theater. It felt as if I were going to see a fancy opera yet the show was a modern day movie. We had so much fun! It was a pretty slow night for the theater so we took up the whole third row on the overhanging balcony with basically the theater to ourselves. To add to the theater experience, the movie even had an intermission… we loved it! Lastly, the theater, of course, also served wine. We did not have any tonight but we still got a kick out of the fact that a movie theater actually had a bar. The cultural differences between the U.S. and Italy continue to amuse us.

After watching the movie, we are all super excited for our weekend in Rome and can’t wait to see the city! Our late night trip to the movies in Florence only added to our Italian experience and we are taking it all in. I personally was pretty excited because even though the movie was in English, I was able to understand bits and pieces of the parts spoken in Italian. Everyday, I am finding it is easier and easier to immerse myself into this culture and not feel so much like an outsider.

Actually, the past few days this week I have learned a lot about Italian culture. On Monday, my Modern Italian Culture professor took the class to a museum to teach us about the Futurist movement in Italy and its impact on modern Italian literature. We also learned this week about the “notion” of Italy and the fact that there is no definitive definition of Italy because of the many different cultures, dialects and beliefs that make up the different regions of Italy. 

Monday night, some friends and I signed up for a cooking class with some other people from the school. Unbeknownst to us, the cooking school happened to be a couple doors down from our apartment. 

The cooking class was fun… but interesting. First of all, I am not a cook. I much rather prefer to eat food prepared by someone else rather than making it myself. Secondly, the entire cooking process took at least 2 to 3 hours and I found out that I just don’t have the patience for cooking. Maybe this will change when I’m a little older?

We started off by first learning how to make gnocchi. It was surprisingly much easier to make than I thought. It is basically made out of shredded potatoes, egg and flour. After making little balls of gnocchi, we moved on to making a type of vegetable pasta called Penne All’isolana. This was my favorite dish to make because we actually got to test the food as we prepared it. Next was the strawberry gelato made out of fresh strawberries. We had a little difficulty with this and one and one of the cooks came over to help us out… which basically meant he did it for us. Last was the pesto sauce for the gnocchi. This is where things went wrong. I’m not exactly sure what happened because we thought we followed along with the head cook exactly but our pesto ended up tasting more like wheat grass than pesto. It was so bad that it even made Morgan kind of sick later in the night. Despite ruining our gnocchi dish, the meal ended up being pretty decent. However, one time was enough for me… I’d rather opt for the professionally made Italian dishes.

Later that night, we made our way to a dance club called Yab. We had lots of fun and enjoyed another warm, breezy night in Florence.

Earlier tonight, Morgan, Kendall, Heather and I participated in a wine class set up through the school. I am not much of a wine connoisseur and was a little skeptical about the class but we actually had a great time, learned a lot and signed up for next week’s Tuesday class. The instructor started off a telling us a little bit about the culture of wine in Italy and why it is so important to the Italian people. Italians put a lot of emphasis on family and apparently the wine business is usually run by generations of family wine makers. Next, we learned about the correct way to hold, drink and taste wine. The drinking of wine is a process. It took us at least 20 minutes of swirling, analyzing and sniffing before we finally took our first sip. And then we did it all over again. And again. We tried out two white wines and two red wines. Supposedly, each wine was drastically different from the other, varying in color, smell and taste but to be honest I did not notice much of a difference between the two whites and the two reds. I was told that this is because my taste buds are “not refined”. The instructor said we would work on it during the next class… not sure I shared the same enthusiasm for wine as he did. The social aspect was more fun for me than the actual tasting of wine, but nevertheless, we had a great time and we can’t wait for next week’s class!

Everyday I am learning something new and I have yet to have a dull moment while living here in Florence. Rome should be an awesome time this weekend… good dinners planned, lots of sightseeing and special access to famous landmarks through the school and a few girls in my apartment have birthdays this weekend that we get to celebrate in Rome!

Bouna notte!

Friday morning at 8am FSU students and staff met at the Piazza della Repubblica for a day trip to the small town of Siena. The two hour bus ride made me a little uneasy… the road to Siena is narrow and it weaves through the hills with no gaurd rail to protect cars from going off the side of the cliff. I was also on the very back of the bus so I was happy when we finally got off. 

So far, the weather in Florence has been beautiful every single day. Usually in the high 70s to low 80s with not a cloud in the sky, the weather has made me pretty spoiled. On Friday, it was colder with rain in the forecast. It drizzled on and off almost the whole day.

Siena is a beautiful town but very small. Siena is Florence’s rival and the town differs considerably. It does not have the big city feel to it like Florence and Siena really only has one main town center, the Piazza del Campo. The buildings look much older and even though there were several tourists visiting Siena, it did not seem as commercialized or westernized as Florence. 

When we arrived, we grabbed a quick cappuccino and pastry and then met Frank Niro, our Art & Architecture professor for a tour of the Duomo. However, before we went into the Duomo we stopped at a museum that housed some of the original paintings and sculptures that were once part of the Duomo by artists such as Duccio who painted the famous Madonna and child portrait.

After learning about some of the artwork in Siena, we headed to the Duomo. The church is interesting and different from other cathedrals in Italy because there is a wall connected to the Duomo that looks as if it is unfinished. That’s because it is. The Dumo in Siena was intended to be the largest cathedral in the world with the transept (the shorter arms of the cross that usually makes up the design of floor plans in Catholic churches) running north-south and the longer part of the cross running east-west. However, after the transept part of the cathedral was completed, money ran out due to a series of wars with the Florentines as well as the black plague and the transept was turned into the aisle while plans to build the rest of the massive church were abandoned.

The inside of the church is striped in black and white, Siena’s colors, and the ceilings are painted to look like starry nights. It was different from some of the other cathedrals we have seen and has been my favorite one so far. It has a little bit more of a darker, gothic feel except for a smaller room on the left side of the church called the Piccolomini library. The whole room is painted with brightly colored murals.

After a tour of the Doumo, we went to lunch at a small family-owned restaurant. The place was tiny and small with FSU students and professors taking over the entire place. The owners of the restaurant had set up a special lunch for us comprised of “authentic Tuscan food.” The meal ended up being more like a dinner instead of a lunch. Our first course were thick pasta noodles with a special type of tomato sauce. After finishing this plate, we were given seconds. Next came the main course of salad, potatoes and a special type of meat dish of chicken wrapped around prosciutto and mozzarella cheese. For desert, a kind of cake made up of a thick cream and walnuts. All of this was complemented with bread and wine. And since Katie, Nicole, Heather and I were the last ones in to the restaurant, we got to sit with the professors which meant free glasses of Italian champagne. Needless to say, after the three hour lunch we were STUFFED.

After lunch, we had  a little free time and wondered around the town. My friends and I walked around a little bit and went into various shops and stores. But after about 30 minutes of wondering, we had mostly seen all there was to see in Siena so we went back to our meeting place, the Piazza del Campo, and waited for the rest of the school. We finally left Siena around 5:15 and after getting up early and a whole day of sightseeing, we were ready to return to Florence. Siena is a very beautiful town but you can really see everything there is to see in Siena in about half a day.

That night my roommates and honorary roommates (the other 5 girls of Via dei Velluti) grabbed pizzas and then headed to Lion’s Fountain, a popular bar by our school, to hang out. Most of us were not out late because we were getting up early the next day to head to Cinque Terre.

________

On Saturday, Via dei Velluti got up at 6:30 in the morning to go to Cinque Terre or “5 lands”. We caught the 7:50 a.m. train and arrived around 10:30 in the morning. Cinque Terre is comprised of five villages along the coast of the Mediterranean. After transferring trains at La Spezia, we arrived at the first town of Riomaggiore. Beautiful. From there, we hiked a short 20 minute trail to Manarola. After stopping to take some pictures, we prepared for one of the steeper hikes that took us to the third town, Corniglia. 

All of the towns are beautiful and have their own unique charm to them but I really like the town of Corniglia. The town is set higher up in the hills than the first two towns and I thought it had better views of the sea. We decided to stop and eat here at a small cafe overlooking the town and the Mediterranean. 

The towns of Cinque Terre are known for their fresh seafood so some of the girls decided to try out Corniglia’s fish of the day, caught that morning. I, however, had a feeling about what that fish might be like and stuck to my favorite dish, gnocchi. When our waiter brought our food, the girls who ordered fish were a little shocked: it was the entire fish… head, tail, scales and all. The waiter saw our shocked faces and ended up cleaning and cutting up the fish right there in front of us since most of us had no idea what to do with the VERY fresh, dead fish sitting before our eyes. Katie had a pretty hard time getting it down and as a result, did not have much of a lunch. The non-fish eaters ended up passing her dish around so that we could all try the object of controversy. Actually, it was not too bad… pretty good and not really fishy! But I was still happy with my lunch choice.

After lunch, we decided to skip the hike to the fourth town of Vernazza and hopped on the train to the 5th and biggest town, Monterosso al Mare, known for its beach.

The town of Monterosso, also famous for its limoncello, has a lemon festival once a year during the summer and we were lucky enough to chose the right weekend. Monterosso is the most popular of the 5 towns and lots of tourists were enjoying the festival when we arrived. We headed down to the beach and easily found a spot. After laying out for a while, we decided to be brave and swim out to some rocks and lay out a couple yards out from the shore. The water was FREEZING but all ten of us did it anyway. It was so much fun and something I will never forget. However, swimming back was not so much fun.

A little later, we decided to go walk around the town and check out the festival. All the little shops and stores along the streets of Monterosso set up booths outside their stores and offered free tasting of limoncello, pesto, lemon chocolate, wine and other various lemon products. It was so much fun and we had such an awesome time! After visiting several different stands, we finally found a stand that we thought served the best limoncello and picked up some bottles for our friends and family.

Our return bus was scheduled for 6:50 pm so we made our way back to the train station. However, because of some confusion with switching trains, we missed our train back to Florence and had to wait in the La Spezia train station for the next train at 8:30. As a result, we did not get back to Florence until almost 11pm. It had been a long day and we were all beat so we all called it a night when we got home.

Sunday was a lazy day. I got up a little bit earlier than my roommates to go to my favorite cafe around the corner and study for my Italian test on Monday. Most restaurants and cafes charge sitting fees on top of ordering food so typically when I am grabbing something fast I will not sit down. But I have gone to this particular cafe enough that the owner only charges me 2 euro for a cappuccino and a pastry and allows me to sit outside at one of the tables for as long as I would like.

A little later I went back to the apartment to get ready with my roommates for the Fiorentina vs. Sampdoria soccer game at 3pm. The fans are CRAZY. We were told before hand that we need to either buy jerseys or dress in purple or else the Fiorentina fans will harass you so we all got pretty decked out in Fiorentina soccer gear. The fans treated the game like it was the Superbowl. No other word can describe the experience except for CRAZY. They yell, they scream, they push, they shove… and it’s not just the men either. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even more surprising… the opposing team is basically housed in a glass cage in order to keep them safe from angry fans and flying objects. Luckily, Fiorentina won the game so we didn’t have to worry about upset fans. We had an AWESOME time!

Afterwards, we went to our favorite restaurant where we have gotten to know the waiters pretty well- El Gato. Then we decided to go out for a little bit before calling it a night. It was a busy, jam-packed weekend but I had the time of my life. I love this city and as the days fly by I can’t help but get sad when I think about leaving this place. Life is just so EASY here. (Don’t worry mom, I know this is not REALITY).

I’ll keep everyone posted!

Austen

Time has flown by and it is so hard to believe that I have now been in Florence for a week. On Monday, classes started at 9am for me. In my very first class, Modern Italian culture, our professor handed out the syllabus, talked a little bit about life in Italy and what it means to be Italian and explained our course work. It looks like it will be a lot of work (a few papers and 3 exams) but the course topics all sound interesting. Afterwords, he took us to a museum dedicated to telling the story of Italy’s independence on April 27th, 1859.

Later, I had my Italian language class. I LOVE it. The teacher is young, maybe in her mid-twenties, and is from the Tuscany region.  She is a lot of fun and made fun of the way Americans say Italian words such as “baloney” instead of “balogna” or “capeesh?” instead of “capisei?” (which means do you understand). She says she loves teaching American students and that she always has the most fun with them. Since then, we have learned a lot of simple phrases that I put in use often such as “how much does it cost- conta costa”… this phrase comes in handy very often because lots of times products and items in Florence do not show prices. Surprisingly, its been pretty easy to pick up Italian. When you hear it everyday and you are using it everyday, it comes quickly. It is also pretty similar to Spanish. Yet I feel like I am learning Italian much faster because I am actually having to put it to use. 

Both classes have been really enjoyable and interesting and I am learning a lot. I wish I enjoyed class this much at home =).

Usually after class (we get out at 3pm) my roommates and I grab gelato and just wonder around the city. Today, Nicole, Morgan and I grabbed gelato from our favorite stand by our apartment and relaxed outside watching people pass by. Tonight a bunch of us are grabbing sandwiches and hiking up to the Piazzale Michelangelo to meet Ally and Alex and some of their friends to hangout and watch the sunset. This is one of their last nights here and we have to get up early tomorrow to go to Siena for the day so everyone is planning on having a relaxed night.

This weekend should be a busy weekend for me: tomorrow FSU students and professors are going to Siena for the day. Not sure what exactly is planned but I’m sure it will be interesting. On Saturday morning, some girls from my apartment and I have to get up at 6:30 in the morning to take the train to Cinque Terre to hike the 5 small cities along the coast of the Italian Riviera. We will then take a late train back from Cinque Terre to Florence Saturday night in order to go to the Fiorentina soccer game on Sunday. 

Until then, ciao!

Austen