Today in Italian class, we were going over key phrases we have to know in order to be able to go out to eat or book a hotel room, echetera echetera. Things like, "Avetete un tavolo per due?" ("Can we have a table for two?") or "Vorrei un bicchiere di vino bianco della casa." (I would like glass of the house white wine.)
WRONG. When our Italian teacher (pretending to be the waitress at a restaurant) asked Mary Raine what she would like to drink, she said that she would like glass of vino biano della casa. Our Italian teacher replied, "Whaaat? House wine? White house wine? No, no, no." Mary Raine had apparently given the wrong answer.
First off, white wine is NOT what to order in Italy. That would be red. I did know that much. But all this house wine we have been ordering at restaurants is a sign of our limited other knowledge of vino. Unless you are dining at an exceptional restaurant, the house wine is generally the worst--there are no restrictions as to how the wine is made or what is in it. Mathilde told us that there could be anything in the bottle. Here is where she let it slip that her second job is wine-making! She lives out in the countryside in the Chianti region were she and her husband produce Chianti Classico with a group of other vineyard owners. Who'd have thunk it? An Italian teacher/wine maker!
We begged her for advice on how to know which wines are good to order and which are bad and what we should look for. She gave us some guidance on some of the ratings and ways to tell the quality of a bottle of wine--(I.G.T, D.O.C., and D.O.C.G, echetera) as well as provided us with the name of one of the wines that she helps produce that we should try: Clemente VII, a Chianti Classico.
As Mathilde told us, wine is an incredibly important part of Italian culture, and, if it is good wine, it can be very healthy and good for us in moderation. She said that we should think of it as something we are putting in our stomach--we don't want to put just anything in there if we want to be healthy and good to ourselves. For that reason, she says that it is better to drink less very good, potentially more expensive wine rather than more bad cheap wine.
Amy and I decided that we are going to begin looking at the grocery store for reasonably priced red wines that have one of the signs of quality I described above and having a glass or two often with our dinners. None of this bad stuff. There is even a wine shop down the street where Annie said the nicest woman helped her find some great wine! Perhaps we will venture down there and see what she has to say.
As we discussed in class, wine is good for your health and good for your soul- and we certainly don't want to be depriving either while we are here in Italy!
Best,
A budding Italian Wine Connoisseur
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Disposable Camera Part 1: Eat, Bike, and Take the Bus
**THE FOLLOWING POST WAS WRITTEN AND IS ABOUT LAST WEEKEND (September 16th-17th)**
What another great weekend in Italy! Hard to believe that we have been here for going on three weeks now- mamma mia! (And yes, Italians do say that!)
Here are some highlights from the past few days:
Thursday evening, after finishing up with class for the week, Christie, Caroline, Amy, Margaret, MR, and I strolled around our neighborhood in hopes of finding an open table for Apperitivo--an Italian custom where you can go to a restaurant or wine bar to have a drink and with it comes all sorts of yummy hors d'oeuvres and appetizers, often out on a buffet. This happens from about 7pm to 9pm and is supposed to be just delightful and so very Italian. However, we got a bit of a late start and did not make a reservation anywhere and ultimately ended up out of luck. After a bit more wandering (okay 45 minutes of wandering) and a few desperate phone calls to make a dinner reservation for six somewhere ("a table for six at venti trenti?? venti trenti per favore??".....our Italian lessons have not caught on as much as we may have hoped by now...venti trenti does not quite mean 8:30, but it is close enough), we finally stumbled on a tiny little place directly across the street from our apartment. With a view of the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio if you are seated close enough to the back wall of windows, this itty bitty place had the basics for very low prices. Lasagne (not lasagna--this suggests that you would like to order a single lasagna noodle. Marcello, my Medici teacher told me so!!), spaghetti, formaggi, vino, etchetera etchetera etchetera (how you pronounce etc etc etc in Italian!) Margaret and I both got the special of the day--tagliatelli with a mushroom sauce. SO good and SO simple. As a table, we split a starter of cheese with jam and honey. SO delicious. Our waitress was a sweet Japanese girl who is here studying at the University of Florence. And the owner of the store was very kind, too, an older man who brought us out a calculator when we were struggling to divide up the bill. I hope that I will be able to eat there on a regular basis and befriend the people who work there. That is totally something that locals do.
Anyways, enough about food. (For now, anyways). Friday morning, we got an early start and met Christie and her dad, who was in town visiting this weekend, to depart on our bike tour of the Chianti countryside! A full day, the iBikeItaly tour consisted of biking through 30 km of somewhat hilly Tuscan countryside with a stop in the middle for lunch at a local vineyard and a tour of the winery. We tasted two of the wines they produce as well as the extra virgin olive oil and organic extra virgin olive oil made at the winery as well. As Bill, our sometimes overbearing but well-meaning guide, said, "You're gonna want to put some olive oil on that!" Who knew how many things you could or should put olive oil in...at least according to Bill. We had a lot of fun trying to taste the difference between the regular and organic olive oils and eagerly scarfed down out lunches as our morning biking had given us quite the appetites. On the way back to town, we pulled over next to some vines that had already been harvested, and Bill told us to go walk up and down the rows and look for grapes to eat. They were just delicious!! It was pretty unreal, one of those moments when I think to myself, "Is this really my life? Am I really here right now?"
Caroline and MR enjoying our delicious Tuscan lunch! Although no olive oil is pictured in this image, know that it was there and it was GOOD.
Most of the gang at fresh-off-the-vine grapes stop #1
Me rocking my helmet with my bike and a lovely bunch of grapes
Annie and I eating harvested grapes that were going to be processed to make wine right out of the truck bed! (Ignore the random girl on the right.)
Caroline was totally in her element for this entire day as grapes are her favorite food, followed closely by popcorn. (I think!) Here she is happy as a clam standing in the middle of a vineyard with grapes fresh off the vine.After a full day, we rested up, cleaned up, and tried to pretend that our bottoms were not as sore as they were before we met Christie's dad for a delightful dinner at La Giostra, the place with the great pear ravioli. It was such a nice (and very delicious) evening with sweet friends. We decided that it was our somewhat unconventional way of celebrating Vanderbilt Parents' Weekend. What a treat it was!
Saturday, Margaret, MR, Clara, Caroline, and I hopped on the 11:10 bus for Siena, a beautiful medieval town a little over an hour outside of Florence. It was so beautiful and quaint! We were able to buy a ticket that got us into the Duomo, the Duomo museum, the Baptistery, and the Cript. The cathedral in Siena is especially noteworthy because nearly everything is still in place on the interior. It was just breathtaking inside. Also, the cathedral has very unique marble inlayed floors, 56 different scenes composed by 50 different artists over 200 years, that are uncovered only in September and October for conservation purposes. We felt very lucky that we got to see them. They were very interesting- almost like comic strips on the floor.
One of the many quaint little streets in Siena
I enjoyed very much getting to explore the town all afternoon yet still be back in time for dinner in Florence. How cool is that?I will post about this past weekend (Amalfi Coast and day trip to Venice with my Imagery in Public Spaces class) next week, when I get my second set of disposable camera pictures developed.
Until next time,
Grace
P.S. The Sassers are here now (such fun!), and they have brought with them my camera charger. Therefore, I will not be using disposables anymore!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Becoming an Art Historian: a work in progress
I arrived in Italy just three short weeks ago with not an ounce of art history knowledge in me apart from the bits of information my art history major mom has shared with me in various museums across the world. My retention of these bits and pieces was very limited, so I was a little nervous about how I would do in my classes this fall despite my excitement for a totally new educational experience that didn't include how to teach second graders about school in Colonial Times or the different strategies children use to solve a math world problem. While I adore my Early Childhood Education classes, I have been really looking forward to changing gears this fall. Which I totally have.
I am truly amazed at how much I have learned about art history in just three weeks and how differently I look at a piece when I see one. When I first arrived in Florence, I could look at a statue and think to myself, "Okay, it's bronze. It's a man. He has a sword. It's called David. That must be Goliath's head at the guy's feet." But I couldn't really think about anything past that. Now, through my various courses here, I am learning how one David is different from the next, why these statues are so important, and how the artists in Florence during the Renaissance made totally revolutionary changes. It is so fabulous how many amazing pieces we can study and then visit in this city alone.
Yesterday, my Renaissance Art History class had a site visit to the Bargello, a museum here in Florence that was the headquarters for the police. I enjoyed our visit so much because it makes such a huge difference to see the pieces in person rather than just on a slide. I hadn't realized how much that can be misconstrued or misinterpreted all together from a slide.
One of the first pieces we looked at was Donatello's David commissioned for the Palazzo Medici (where I am going this afternoon with my Medici History class!) to be displayed in a very visible place where the Medici family's clients would come to do their banking. This piece is totally bizarre and was considered totally bizarre at the time--David is depicted in a very feminine, erotic way. He is naked apart from a strange hat and tall boots that were originally gold and a wing from Goliath's helmet runs all the way up David's inner-part of his leg. Part of Goliath's bead seems to be caressing David's toe. My teacher told us that no one is quite sure what statement the Medici family wished to make with this piece at their palace and that there were no statues like this anywhere at this point in time. Although there are potentially some references to Antiquity, she said that this version of David was totally out there, then and now. She polled us and asked if we would put this piece in our garden, and most everyone decided that they would not. I think it is so fascinating to think about clients of the Medici family looking at this statue and saying, "Huh. Isn't that interesting?"
After looking at this piece, we continued on and looked at other pieces we had discussed in class as well as ones which we hadn't, like Michelangelo's Bacchus. Our teacher is so energetic and passionate about Renaissance art history, so it is such an experience to power through a museum with her and see works by such amazing artists.
In short, I am becoming more and more of an art historian each and every day! As I walk around the city, everywhere I look I am recognizing more and more pieces as works that we have discussed in my classes. It is so cool to see a work in real life and think to myself, "Hey! I know what that is!" It's also cool to think that there are still so many works that I don't know about yet but hopefully will in the next few months. Come to Florence, and I can show you around!
Now I must pack for our excursion to the Amalfi Coast this weekend- Sorrento, Pompei, Capri, and Positano! Ciao for now!
Grace
I am truly amazed at how much I have learned about art history in just three weeks and how differently I look at a piece when I see one. When I first arrived in Florence, I could look at a statue and think to myself, "Okay, it's bronze. It's a man. He has a sword. It's called David. That must be Goliath's head at the guy's feet." But I couldn't really think about anything past that. Now, through my various courses here, I am learning how one David is different from the next, why these statues are so important, and how the artists in Florence during the Renaissance made totally revolutionary changes. It is so fabulous how many amazing pieces we can study and then visit in this city alone.
Yesterday, my Renaissance Art History class had a site visit to the Bargello, a museum here in Florence that was the headquarters for the police. I enjoyed our visit so much because it makes such a huge difference to see the pieces in person rather than just on a slide. I hadn't realized how much that can be misconstrued or misinterpreted all together from a slide.
One of the first pieces we looked at was Donatello's David commissioned for the Palazzo Medici (where I am going this afternoon with my Medici History class!) to be displayed in a very visible place where the Medici family's clients would come to do their banking. This piece is totally bizarre and was considered totally bizarre at the time--David is depicted in a very feminine, erotic way. He is naked apart from a strange hat and tall boots that were originally gold and a wing from Goliath's helmet runs all the way up David's inner-part of his leg. Part of Goliath's bead seems to be caressing David's toe. My teacher told us that no one is quite sure what statement the Medici family wished to make with this piece at their palace and that there were no statues like this anywhere at this point in time. Although there are potentially some references to Antiquity, she said that this version of David was totally out there, then and now. She polled us and asked if we would put this piece in our garden, and most everyone decided that they would not. I think it is so fascinating to think about clients of the Medici family looking at this statue and saying, "Huh. Isn't that interesting?"
After looking at this piece, we continued on and looked at other pieces we had discussed in class as well as ones which we hadn't, like Michelangelo's Bacchus. Our teacher is so energetic and passionate about Renaissance art history, so it is such an experience to power through a museum with her and see works by such amazing artists.
In short, I am becoming more and more of an art historian each and every day! As I walk around the city, everywhere I look I am recognizing more and more pieces as works that we have discussed in my classes. It is so cool to see a work in real life and think to myself, "Hey! I know what that is!" It's also cool to think that there are still so many works that I don't know about yet but hopefully will in the next few months. Come to Florence, and I can show you around!
Now I must pack for our excursion to the Amalfi Coast this weekend- Sorrento, Pompei, Capri, and Positano! Ciao for now!
Grace
Monday, September 19, 2011
Il compleanno di Christie and other adventures
Today was the birthday of sweet Christie of Borgo San Jacopo, 5. She turned 2o. That's right. 20. A baby. But it was so fun to celebrate in a new place with such fantastic people! Because it was a birthday and we're in Italy, we had to do lots of new and exciting things.
1) We took a cab to Italian class this morning. Okay, maybe that wasn't a decision categorized as a birthday girl privilege, but the birthday girl lives with a gimp. Amy has a hurt foot, and Italian class is about a 30 minute walk. Christie and I decided we would be willing to make a sacrifice and ride with her to the molto Italiano, tres cool pasticceria around the corner from the university where we have our Italian class for a birthday cappuccino and pastry before heading to class. Don't worry, I virtually ate a sugar donut filled with chocolate creme. It was an exceptional start to an exceptional day.
2) I tried a new panino for lunch with MR and Margaret. The Oil Shoppe. Packed with Americans but was cheap, satisfying, and offered whole-wheat bread. Plus, they press their panini! That doesn't happen everywhere, but it is certainly a perk. Not my favorite panino I have had so far, but I definitely left happy and full!
3) Bought a tub of gelato (Cantina's cookies flavor, one of Christie's favorites)--with complementary cones--to hide in the freezer for post birthday dinner celebrations. It was so fun to make ice cream cones in our kitchen with gelato and sweet friends. Learned also that gelato from Cantina tastes divine even after being re-frozen in our freezer. You learn something new everyday!
4) Had aperitivi--an Italian tradition where restaurants offer appetizers and munchies with the order of one drink. You pay between 5 and 8 euros for your drink and then have unlimited snacks. Aperitivi usually happens from about 7pm-9pm. We went to a spot in the Piazza Santo Spirito around the corner, and Cate, our Italian roommate, joined us along with Mary Raine and Margaret. We powered through not one, not two, but four plates of the food. But fear not, there were seven of us regazze (girls) working on it...right Caroline?? ;) Had a delightful time despite the staff probably thinking we were fools. Looking forward to trying some other spots!
5) Christie, Caroline, and I went to the Secret Bakery after dinner and ice cream cones and nutella-espresso cupcakes. The Secret Bakery is a bakery that opens up its back doors in the middle of the night and serves the freshest baked treats of the day straight from the kitchen as they prepare their stock for their opening in the morning. I've been dying to try it out but we hadn't made it there yet. We had some good news and some bad news in this endeavor.
All in all, it was a great day! Now I am going to get some sleep so that I can be ready to crack down on my Italian tomorrow in preparation for our first quiz...!!
Ciao for now!
Grace
**POST TO COME ABOUT CHIANTI BIKE TOUR AND SIENA SOON (waiting to get pictures developed from temporary disposable camera)
1) We took a cab to Italian class this morning. Okay, maybe that wasn't a decision categorized as a birthday girl privilege, but the birthday girl lives with a gimp. Amy has a hurt foot, and Italian class is about a 30 minute walk. Christie and I decided we would be willing to make a sacrifice and ride with her to the molto Italiano, tres cool pasticceria around the corner from the university where we have our Italian class for a birthday cappuccino and pastry before heading to class. Don't worry, I virtually ate a sugar donut filled with chocolate creme. It was an exceptional start to an exceptional day.
2) I tried a new panino for lunch with MR and Margaret. The Oil Shoppe. Packed with Americans but was cheap, satisfying, and offered whole-wheat bread. Plus, they press their panini! That doesn't happen everywhere, but it is certainly a perk. Not my favorite panino I have had so far, but I definitely left happy and full!
3) Bought a tub of gelato (Cantina's cookies flavor, one of Christie's favorites)--with complementary cones--to hide in the freezer for post birthday dinner celebrations. It was so fun to make ice cream cones in our kitchen with gelato and sweet friends. Learned also that gelato from Cantina tastes divine even after being re-frozen in our freezer. You learn something new everyday!
4) Had aperitivi--an Italian tradition where restaurants offer appetizers and munchies with the order of one drink. You pay between 5 and 8 euros for your drink and then have unlimited snacks. Aperitivi usually happens from about 7pm-9pm. We went to a spot in the Piazza Santo Spirito around the corner, and Cate, our Italian roommate, joined us along with Mary Raine and Margaret. We powered through not one, not two, but four plates of the food. But fear not, there were seven of us regazze (girls) working on it...right Caroline?? ;) Had a delightful time despite the staff probably thinking we were fools. Looking forward to trying some other spots!
5) Christie, Caroline, and I went to the Secret Bakery after dinner and ice cream cones and nutella-espresso cupcakes. The Secret Bakery is a bakery that opens up its back doors in the middle of the night and serves the freshest baked treats of the day straight from the kitchen as they prepare their stock for their opening in the morning. I've been dying to try it out but we hadn't made it there yet. We had some good news and some bad news in this endeavor.
Good News:
- We found the Secret Bakery and only had to reference a map twice--it's up a bridge and just across the river from us.
- The entire dark, narrow alley that the Secret Bakery is on smells out of this world good.
- There was no line at 12:30am.
Bad News:
- Although a baker came to the door when we knocked, they apparently weren't serving until 2:00am.
- We forgot to pull out the "But it's her birthday!" card.
All in all, it was a great day! Now I am going to get some sleep so that I can be ready to crack down on my Italian tomorrow in preparation for our first quiz...!!
Ciao for now!
Grace
**POST TO COME ABOUT CHIANTI BIKE TOUR AND SIENA SOON (waiting to get pictures developed from temporary disposable camera)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Il mio appartamento in Firenze
I live in a lovely, homey, spacious yet cozy apartment across the river from the Duomo, quite close to the Ponte Vecchio, so if we get the sudden urge to buy gold jewelry, we are steps away from countless jewelers. (I want to do some window shopping and perhaps pick out a little momento...) I live with four awesome girls--Caroline (my roommate), Christie and Amy, who live in the room next door, and Cate, our Italian roommate. We live on the primo piano (first floor), which is the equivalent to the American second floor. Here are a few photos taken very quickly as my camera was about to die...they can give you an idea, though.
A grand entrance to Borgo San Jacopo, 5
A spacious, practically fully-equipped kitchen provides the perfect atmosphere for delicious dinners (I cooked for four people on Tuesday! And they liked it! Thanks for the tips, Mom...!) and great, not-too-loud conversation. If great, loud conversation happens, a certain neighbor from upstairs might pound on our door and have a few Italian words to say to us...
A comfortable sitting room that doubles as a drying room and travel research room
Attractive yellow bedspreads provide Caroline and I a place to lay our heads and a super-sonic fan that keeps us cool in the night
Also, this place is just down the way from us. It's the best and worst thing that has ever happened to us! Come visit me, and I'll take you there! I'm telling you, it's hard to beat a marscapone-nutella cono piccolo.Ciao ciao,
Grace
Grace
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Victory in Cinque Terre
Hiking through Cinque Terre consisted of having to stare at views like this the entire day:
So basically, it was a breeze.
Minus a few steep inclines and staircases....
But each view was better than the next, and that's what kept us going through the sweat and heat.
We also stopped to take a lot of pictures. You know, in one of those, "WOW, would you look at that view! I'd better stop for five minutes to photograph it before starting up that very, very steep incline up ahead..." kind of ways. Here are Caroline and Margaret looking fresh as daisies despite all the hiking we had already done!
We also got to poke around each of the five little beach towns along the way.
In one of them, we made our way down to the water...
....and Caroline couldn't take it anymore and got right in! See her? She's the tiny little spec floating there in the middle.
There were just so many photo-ops. Here Mary Raine and I are pretending that sweat is not dripping down our faces.
McCallen and Margaret and I brought in the rear on the last leg of the hike, you know, to make sure that everyone was going to make it alright. We were quite excited (and very relieved) to see Monterosso come into view at the end of our hike (which ended up being around seven miles!) Those are faces of VICTORY.
Next time you're in Florence and it's sunny (and perhaps a tad cooler), here's what you should do. Hop on the 7am train from Florence to Pisa, Pisa to La Spezia, buy a Cinque Terre park day pass, get on the train to Riomaggiore (the first town), and get hiking! (Or there is a shuttle service and a train service that runs between each of the five towns--this could also help keep spirits high).
HOT TIP: Unless you want to walk up 30 kajillion stairs, you should hike from Vernazza to Monterosso and climb down the 30 kajillion stairs. Luckily, this is how we did it. But according to the British couple we met in Vernazza who had just hiked in the two hours from Monterosso, the other way was "murder. Just murder."
Ciao!
Grace
Grace
Gardino di Boboli, The Night of the Two Raviolis, and a day in Ravenna
This week, I have tried to explore my neighborhood (Santo Spirito) a little bit to see what sorts of spots and places we have close by. I love the fact that our apartment is located a little further away from all the hustle and bustle of the center of the city across the river. Though we do get a fair amount of tourist traffic from the Ponte Vecchio, much of our area is residential and where real Italian people go to shop and buy food. But, with just a quick skip across the river, we can be right in the middle of all the action. It's perfect.
My first exploration of the Santo Spirito neighborhood was a trip to the Gardino di Boboli, a rustic and surprisingly hilly garden behind the Pitti Palace. With gorgeous views of the city, winding tree lined paths, a sporadic sprinkling of statues, and a beautiful fountain in the center of the gardens, the Gardino di Boboli is a great get-out-of-the-city-and-see-some-green getaway location. With the proper shoes (i.e. NOT t-strap sandals) and a picnic lunch or dinner in tow, I can see the Gardino di Boboli being one of my favorite neighborhood spots.
This picture was taken as I was trying to hide my huffing and puffing in front of all the very fit Italians after I climbed up the very large, very steep hill. It was worth the climb!
A view of one of the fountains in the gardens.
Pretty view of the surrounding Tuscan countryside from the upper part of the garden.
Ran into Mary Raine making beautiful sketches for her drawing class! Che bella!
On Thursday night, Gillis' last night in Florence before her departure to Aix, she returned from a tiring day of hiking through the Cinque Terre region of Italy. Having been told that she HAD to eat at a restaurant across the river called La Giostra, she called up to see if we had any interest in joining her for dinner. Unfortunately, I had already eaten--fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli and zucchini. Being the troopers that we are, Caroline and I decided that we would join her anyways and have a glass of wine while she ate. Upon our arrival at the lovely restaurant, we realized that it was a nicer place than we expected, and, well, when push came to shove, I decided that it was necessary that I order something. I ordered the pear ravioli- a dish from La Giostra that Annie had told me you HAD to order when you go there. I didn't want to miss out, of course, so I bucked up and ate the deeelicious, second plate of ravioli I had that night. It practically melted in my mouth, and the very delicate, light flavor of the pear added a little "je ne sais quoi."
Caroline ordered a plate of prosciutto and melon which ended up being a very large plate of prosciutto accompanied by, more or less, half a melon. After our complimentary flutes of prosecco and a glass or two of some vino rosso of the region, this tickled us, but we managed to finish the entire plate. We had the best time talking and laughing and ended up staying for nearly three hours! I am really taking to the European schedule of late, lengthy, and slow-paced dinners. It was a delightful evening that left me very satisfied (especially because I had eaten two dinners).
The next morning, we set off on a CET-sponsored day-trip to Ravenna, a small medieval town about 2.5 hours outside of Florence. The city is not tourism-driven as many parts of Italy are, so we enjoyed walking around in the quaint, un-crowded streets and ducking into churches that were covered with fantastic mosaics, many of which were largely comprised of real gold tiles. The colors, bright blues, greens, reds, and golds, were amazing. With each historic spot we entered, I was blown away by how beautiful the interiors were. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea, though my camera did not do anything justice:
After a full day of sight-seeing, Caroline and I watched part of Few Good Men and called it a night at around 10:30 in preparation for Saturday's festivities: a day hiking in Cinque Terre! (More to come later.)
Ciao for now,
Grace
My first exploration of the Santo Spirito neighborhood was a trip to the Gardino di Boboli, a rustic and surprisingly hilly garden behind the Pitti Palace. With gorgeous views of the city, winding tree lined paths, a sporadic sprinkling of statues, and a beautiful fountain in the center of the gardens, the Gardino di Boboli is a great get-out-of-the-city-and-see-some-green getaway location. With the proper shoes (i.e. NOT t-strap sandals) and a picnic lunch or dinner in tow, I can see the Gardino di Boboli being one of my favorite neighborhood spots.
This picture was taken as I was trying to hide my huffing and puffing in front of all the very fit Italians after I climbed up the very large, very steep hill. It was worth the climb!
A view of one of the fountains in the gardens. 
Pretty view of the surrounding Tuscan countryside from the upper part of the garden.
Ran into Mary Raine making beautiful sketches for her drawing class! Che bella!On Thursday night, Gillis' last night in Florence before her departure to Aix, she returned from a tiring day of hiking through the Cinque Terre region of Italy. Having been told that she HAD to eat at a restaurant across the river called La Giostra, she called up to see if we had any interest in joining her for dinner. Unfortunately, I had already eaten--fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli and zucchini. Being the troopers that we are, Caroline and I decided that we would join her anyways and have a glass of wine while she ate. Upon our arrival at the lovely restaurant, we realized that it was a nicer place than we expected, and, well, when push came to shove, I decided that it was necessary that I order something. I ordered the pear ravioli- a dish from La Giostra that Annie had told me you HAD to order when you go there. I didn't want to miss out, of course, so I bucked up and ate the deeelicious, second plate of ravioli I had that night. It practically melted in my mouth, and the very delicate, light flavor of the pear added a little "je ne sais quoi."
Caroline ordered a plate of prosciutto and melon which ended up being a very large plate of prosciutto accompanied by, more or less, half a melon. After our complimentary flutes of prosecco and a glass or two of some vino rosso of the region, this tickled us, but we managed to finish the entire plate. We had the best time talking and laughing and ended up staying for nearly three hours! I am really taking to the European schedule of late, lengthy, and slow-paced dinners. It was a delightful evening that left me very satisfied (especially because I had eaten two dinners).
The next morning, we set off on a CET-sponsored day-trip to Ravenna, a small medieval town about 2.5 hours outside of Florence. The city is not tourism-driven as many parts of Italy are, so we enjoyed walking around in the quaint, un-crowded streets and ducking into churches that were covered with fantastic mosaics, many of which were largely comprised of real gold tiles. The colors, bright blues, greens, reds, and golds, were amazing. With each historic spot we entered, I was blown away by how beautiful the interiors were. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea, though my camera did not do anything justice:
After a full day of sight-seeing, Caroline and I watched part of Few Good Men and called it a night at around 10:30 in preparation for Saturday's festivities: a day hiking in Cinque Terre! (More to come later.)Ciao for now,
Grace
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Buongiorno! Mi chiamo Grace. Come ti chiami?
Buonasera! (Good evening!)
The view as I crossed the Arno to walk back to my apartment today...unreal.
These past few days have been busy busy but things are starting to feel much more like real life over here. Going to class, having time to go to the grocery store, cooking dinner (yes, Mom, I cooked food for myself last night!), etc. Which I am glad for- everything is easier to manage when you have a schedule and a routine.
BUT lots of new and exciting things are still happening all the time. Like the fact that yesterday I had my very first Italian class and can now present myself!
"Buongiorno, mi chiamo Grace. Sono americana di Atlanta in Georgia. Come stai?" (Hello, my name is Grace. I am American from Atlanta, GA. How are you?)
Our Italian teacher, Mathilde, is very energetic and inspiring- we are all very excited to learn to speak the language. She told us that, although there are many many Americans and tourists in this city, we are NOT tourists and should go where the locals go and do what the locals do. This has become my mission for the fall: Be a local.
On Saturday night, we had our pizza making class. This was another new and exciting experience! In groups of four, we got to go behind the counter and the very nice Italian pizza maker would guide us as we manipulated the dough and added toppings while saying things like, "Bravissimo, pizza girl!!" It was quite exciting. We did not, however, throw toss the dough in the air, so there was no dough-sticking-to-the-ceiling bridges to be crossed. Phew.
Amy, Caroline, Margaret, and I with our delicious pizzas! Mine had mozzarella, mushrooms, and some spicy peperoni.
This afternoon, we waited in a very slow moving line and bought tickets to the Italy-Slovenia football match, which is tonight! I am very excited to go to my first ever real-life football match as the only soccer games I have ever seen are my younger sister's team when she was five (Go Spartans!) and a few games in high school. While those were both quite the events at the time, football is such a big deal around the world, so it will be great to see everything in action--the fans and the players. I know nothing about Italian or Slovenian football, but I have seen quite a few Slovenian fans milling about this city today. Hopefully it's gonna be big.
I also tried an Italian popsicle this afternoon- mint dipped in chocolate and nuts. Gillis and I were shuffling back to my apartment and feeling the afternoon snoozes after waiting in the line for the tickets when we both turned and spotted the shop. Neither of us could really spit out any words, but in a matter of 3 seconds of spying the rows and rows of delicious treats in the window we were both in the store ready to order. Needless to say, we were more than happy with our afternoon snack and felt quite refreshed and pleased with ourselves. Now we are resting up before we make dinner and head over to meet the others to go to the game!
Arrivederci,
Grace
The view as I crossed the Arno to walk back to my apartment today...unreal.These past few days have been busy busy but things are starting to feel much more like real life over here. Going to class, having time to go to the grocery store, cooking dinner (yes, Mom, I cooked food for myself last night!), etc. Which I am glad for- everything is easier to manage when you have a schedule and a routine.
BUT lots of new and exciting things are still happening all the time. Like the fact that yesterday I had my very first Italian class and can now present myself!
"Buongiorno, mi chiamo Grace. Sono americana di Atlanta in Georgia. Come stai?" (Hello, my name is Grace. I am American from Atlanta, GA. How are you?)
Our Italian teacher, Mathilde, is very energetic and inspiring- we are all very excited to learn to speak the language. She told us that, although there are many many Americans and tourists in this city, we are NOT tourists and should go where the locals go and do what the locals do. This has become my mission for the fall: Be a local.
On Saturday night, we had our pizza making class. This was another new and exciting experience! In groups of four, we got to go behind the counter and the very nice Italian pizza maker would guide us as we manipulated the dough and added toppings while saying things like, "Bravissimo, pizza girl!!" It was quite exciting. We did not, however, throw toss the dough in the air, so there was no dough-sticking-to-the-ceiling bridges to be crossed. Phew.
Amy, Caroline, Margaret, and I with our delicious pizzas! Mine had mozzarella, mushrooms, and some spicy peperoni.This afternoon, we waited in a very slow moving line and bought tickets to the Italy-Slovenia football match, which is tonight! I am very excited to go to my first ever real-life football match as the only soccer games I have ever seen are my younger sister's team when she was five (Go Spartans!) and a few games in high school. While those were both quite the events at the time, football is such a big deal around the world, so it will be great to see everything in action--the fans and the players. I know nothing about Italian or Slovenian football, but I have seen quite a few Slovenian fans milling about this city today. Hopefully it's gonna be big.
I also tried an Italian popsicle this afternoon- mint dipped in chocolate and nuts. Gillis and I were shuffling back to my apartment and feeling the afternoon snoozes after waiting in the line for the tickets when we both turned and spotted the shop. Neither of us could really spit out any words, but in a matter of 3 seconds of spying the rows and rows of delicious treats in the window we were both in the store ready to order. Needless to say, we were more than happy with our afternoon snack and felt quite refreshed and pleased with ourselves. Now we are resting up before we make dinner and head over to meet the others to go to the game!
Arrivederci,
Grace
Saturday, September 3, 2011
It begins: a semester abroad in FLORENCE, ITALY
Ciao!! So here I am, in Florence, Italy, on day 3 of my fall semester abroad. I am (fairly) settled in in my new home for the next 3.5 months, an apartment very close to the Ponte Vecchio. Clothes have been stuffed into tiny, Italian-sized armoires and closets as well as under my bed, suitcases have been stored on top of said tiny Italian-sized armoires and under my bed, and some pictures have been pinned to the walls (sadly none of which are mine...yet!). The fan has been blowing constantly to relieve us from the oppressive heat that takes the city during the day but lessens in the evenings, when it is quite pleasant to walk around and see the sights! Life is good but totally unreal right now.
Here are some things I have learned in the past few days. I apologize for the lack of pictures- I will get on that soon!
1. I have FANTASTIC roommates in Borgo San Jacopo. Caroline and I share a room, Christie and Amy live on one side, and Caterina, our Italian roommate, lives in the room on the other side. On our very first afternoon in Florence, when we were totally bleary-eyed and generally disoriented as to where we were and what time it was, Caterina stuck her head into our room and said, "Would you like some pasta?" Of course, we said that, why, yes, yes we would!, and Caterina made delicious rigatoni with lentils. We sat at the table and asked questions about Caterina's life in Florence, etc. Last night, we cooked dinner with her and another apartment group and had the most delicious pesto I have ever tasted in my life. That came out of a jar. It was unbelievable. We decided that we may have to ship some of the stuff home.
2. Gelato is going to be a main staple of my diet here in Florence. Last night, we happened upon a gelateria called Cantino del Gelato right down the street from us that was TO. DIE. FOR. It was the real deal- kept in metal canisters and extra light and out of this world. I had a cono piccolo (small cone) with a scoop of nutella marscapone gelato. Sounds odd, I know, but trust me when I say it rocked. Today, we went back, and I had limone (lemon) and was again far far far from disappointed. It was the perfect refresher after walking around in the heat and humidity. We have decided that we may have to get some gelato every night after dinner....is this a bad idea? I hope not.
3. This city is TEAMING with tourists and American students. It is sometimes feels hard to pick out the Italians amongst the crowds, but, don't worry, they're here somewhere! Luckily, September is the end of the high tourism season in Florence, so these people should be clearing out soon. We are excited to have more air to breath and less people to dodge as we trounce around the city.
4. The food aspect of this chapter of my life may be my most favorite part of being abroad. (I'm not sure if this is too obvious to mention because, let's face it, eating is one of the highlights of my day, everyday.) I have eaten countless delicious paninis, gelato (as mentioned), pasta, prosciutto, bruschetta, pizza, and other Italian yummies. And I arrived only three nights ago. This place is just delicious. I can't wait to update you on all the things I am learning to cook and have eaten throughout my time here. In about an hour, we are going to go to a pizza-making class! I'll try not to get the dough stuck on the ceiling or anything.
5. Italian sounds different enough from Spanish that it is impossible for me to understand. My parents claim I'm a language person, but I am just not getting by so far. Eeeeveryone speaks English here, so it's not a problem, luckily. However, I feel so ignorant and hindered in my basic day-to-day life communication skills with Italians here. I hate that all I can do is smile, point, and say, "One?" I want to be able to show the people here that I am trying and am interested in learning their language and making the effort. Italian class starts on Monday, and it's on.
6. Fun fact: A singular panini is called a panino.
We have started to think about where we might like to travel with in Italy and within Europe during our stay here in Florence. I can't wait to see other parts of Tuscany and even just explore Florence a lot- there is so much to see and so much to eat and so very much shopping to be done.
Arrivederchi for now! I will write soon with updates and hopefully pictures of my apartment and some of the beautiful things I have seen, people I've been hanging out with, and food I have eaten.
Ciao,
Grace
Here are some things I have learned in the past few days. I apologize for the lack of pictures- I will get on that soon!
1. I have FANTASTIC roommates in Borgo San Jacopo. Caroline and I share a room, Christie and Amy live on one side, and Caterina, our Italian roommate, lives in the room on the other side. On our very first afternoon in Florence, when we were totally bleary-eyed and generally disoriented as to where we were and what time it was, Caterina stuck her head into our room and said, "Would you like some pasta?" Of course, we said that, why, yes, yes we would!, and Caterina made delicious rigatoni with lentils. We sat at the table and asked questions about Caterina's life in Florence, etc. Last night, we cooked dinner with her and another apartment group and had the most delicious pesto I have ever tasted in my life. That came out of a jar. It was unbelievable. We decided that we may have to ship some of the stuff home.
2. Gelato is going to be a main staple of my diet here in Florence. Last night, we happened upon a gelateria called Cantino del Gelato right down the street from us that was TO. DIE. FOR. It was the real deal- kept in metal canisters and extra light and out of this world. I had a cono piccolo (small cone) with a scoop of nutella marscapone gelato. Sounds odd, I know, but trust me when I say it rocked. Today, we went back, and I had limone (lemon) and was again far far far from disappointed. It was the perfect refresher after walking around in the heat and humidity. We have decided that we may have to get some gelato every night after dinner....is this a bad idea? I hope not.
3. This city is TEAMING with tourists and American students. It is sometimes feels hard to pick out the Italians amongst the crowds, but, don't worry, they're here somewhere! Luckily, September is the end of the high tourism season in Florence, so these people should be clearing out soon. We are excited to have more air to breath and less people to dodge as we trounce around the city.
4. The food aspect of this chapter of my life may be my most favorite part of being abroad. (I'm not sure if this is too obvious to mention because, let's face it, eating is one of the highlights of my day, everyday.) I have eaten countless delicious paninis, gelato (as mentioned), pasta, prosciutto, bruschetta, pizza, and other Italian yummies. And I arrived only three nights ago. This place is just delicious. I can't wait to update you on all the things I am learning to cook and have eaten throughout my time here. In about an hour, we are going to go to a pizza-making class! I'll try not to get the dough stuck on the ceiling or anything.
5. Italian sounds different enough from Spanish that it is impossible for me to understand. My parents claim I'm a language person, but I am just not getting by so far. Eeeeveryone speaks English here, so it's not a problem, luckily. However, I feel so ignorant and hindered in my basic day-to-day life communication skills with Italians here. I hate that all I can do is smile, point, and say, "One?" I want to be able to show the people here that I am trying and am interested in learning their language and making the effort. Italian class starts on Monday, and it's on.
6. Fun fact: A singular panini is called a panino.
We have started to think about where we might like to travel with in Italy and within Europe during our stay here in Florence. I can't wait to see other parts of Tuscany and even just explore Florence a lot- there is so much to see and so much to eat and so very much shopping to be done.
Arrivederchi for now! I will write soon with updates and hopefully pictures of my apartment and some of the beautiful things I have seen, people I've been hanging out with, and food I have eaten.
Ciao,
Grace
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)