The outdoor pictures are from my solo venture to Fiesole. The church interior is a shot of a late Byzantine mosaic from the church of San Apolanais outside of Ravenna.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Fiesole
Today was my first day I spent on my own. Well thus far- I am on my way out to meet some friends at kitsch for some apertivo- yum! I started the morning in Fiesole. To get to Fiesole I had to take a bus (city bus, 1 E, no big deal)- what was a big deal though was that i went into a tabacchi and asked for/bought a 4 trip bus ticket all in Italian! Go me! I got to Fiesole, which is this hill town just outside of Florence and it was amazing. Everything you imagine when you think of the hills of Tuscany. I got off at the main piazza and started hiking up these winding streets that went straight up the mountain. The view was incredible. Unfortunately my camera died on the way up so I only have a handful of pictures, but those mental images will last a lifetime. It felt really great to go somewhere all by myself and just do it, even if it was only a few hours. On my way back down the mountain I stopped in a pastry shop and tried "paste di mandola con cioccolata" an almond pastry with chocolate. Out of this world delicious- when I missed my first bus back, I almost went back for another, but decided to just wait for lunch. I also did that transaction in Italian btw. I had lunch on my way downtown at a little family run place in my neighborhood. I couldn't even tell you what it was in Italian but for 3.80E I had a plate of green beans with onions and tomatoes (it was all stewy and delicious), about half a loaf of soft but crusty bread and aqua gassata (bubbly water). SO GOOD! It may sound like all I do is walk and eat around here and that's because, when I'm not in class, that is precisely what I do. It's what everybody does. I must have already walked over 7 miles today and I'm not even done with my travels for the day. The Italians would waste away if they didn't eat constantly. And I'm totally ok with that. I also went to the library today and got an Italian library and internet card! Woohoo! To cut down on my travels, I was supposed to hang out at the library until now-ish (my friends with whom I'm going out tonight just got back from a class trip today) but this library is so popular that I couldn't find a place to sit inside anywhere! So i came home for some tea and a cookie and I'm on my way!
Misconception about Florence that I would like to bash first: Florence is a big city. Proof against the myth: while walking to the art supply store for paint brushes I ran into a girl I go to school with in Vermont, who is not in my Syracuse program, on a street corner by the store. It was great to see a familiar face and just chat about things like profs from school and who else is in Florence that we know. Which is not that many people- but considering that it's half way around the world, the fact that it's a handful of people is quite astonishing.
Buona Sera! It is time for apertivo!
Ali
Misconception about Florence that I would like to bash first: Florence is a big city. Proof against the myth: while walking to the art supply store for paint brushes I ran into a girl I go to school with in Vermont, who is not in my Syracuse program, on a street corner by the store. It was great to see a familiar face and just chat about things like profs from school and who else is in Florence that we know. Which is not that many people- but considering that it's half way around the world, the fact that it's a handful of people is quite astonishing.
Buona Sera! It is time for apertivo!
Ali
Thursday, January 21, 2010
First week of classes- done and done!
So this week was my first week of classes- whoa. Intense. Monday's I have The Black Death followed by Italian (Wednesdays too). Tuesday's are loooong 3 hours of Watercoloring followed by Italian (only 1 hr 15) and then 3 hrs of Botticelli. Thursdays are just Watercoloring and Italian. I don't mind the long days though, because it's when you're at school that you see everyone since we're all spread out throughout the city in homestays. I do have friends in my zona (neighborhood) though, and after yesterday's zona dinner (so we could meet people who live near us) some of us went out to a wine bar- because naturally Weds would be the popular weekday going out night in Italy. They sure know how to celebrate hump day over here! Get this: the name of the bar: KIWI BAR! LOVE IT! Plus, it's only 3 blocks from my house, instead of the 35 minute walk to the main downtown area- doable when it's warm out, but it's still a bit chilly at night to be making that walk often.
They're keeping us very busy here with zona dinners and activities meetings etc so i'm already finding homework to be a bit of an issue. We have 3 day weekends though and this weekend my only field trip is to Ravenna on Saturday so hopefully I'll be able to catch up/get ahead this Friday when some of my friends are in Assisi. I'm going to Assisi next weekend, which I'm also quite excited for. I'll let you know how Ravenna goes- it's my first field trip outside of Firenze! I can't wait! Our field trips are led by TA's and grad students here at the University so they should be pretty fun since obviously they're quite knowledgeable but they still are young and know that we're here to have fun as well.
Fun is definitely not in short supply here- there are so many places to explore that I sometimes get overwhelmed with the prospect of trying to do it all! Which is quite the welcome change from the homesickness I was battling for the first full week or so. I think I reached a turning point on Tuesday; I was planning my weekend travels and I wrote out all my weekends are realized "WOW! I have SO FEW free weekends- how on EARTH am I going to go everywhere I want to go!?" The realization that instead of being infinite and looming, my time here is quite finite was a real wake up call and snapped me out of my funk. I think that Tuesday also coincided with the time that I started feeling like I had real friends here, not just people who I could hang out with for a minute or two before going to class or going out en masse. It's a really nice feeling, especially when it translates into you saying "home" and people have to ask which home. For anyone who can remember/has just gone away to college it's like the first time you say you're going home and you mean that you're going back to your dorm or your apartment. It's not a replacement for your home (in the States, as people say here) but it's a new place where you feel at home. It really makes you contemplate the nature of home and it's flexibility. I'm nearly on the other side of the world, but I have found a place to sleep that feels like a home and people with whom I can have conversations about everything from how good these jeans make my butt look to how reliable a source s Heidegger given his Nazism.
Sending my best wishes and all my love "home to the States"
Ali
They're keeping us very busy here with zona dinners and activities meetings etc so i'm already finding homework to be a bit of an issue. We have 3 day weekends though and this weekend my only field trip is to Ravenna on Saturday so hopefully I'll be able to catch up/get ahead this Friday when some of my friends are in Assisi. I'm going to Assisi next weekend, which I'm also quite excited for. I'll let you know how Ravenna goes- it's my first field trip outside of Firenze! I can't wait! Our field trips are led by TA's and grad students here at the University so they should be pretty fun since obviously they're quite knowledgeable but they still are young and know that we're here to have fun as well.
Fun is definitely not in short supply here- there are so many places to explore that I sometimes get overwhelmed with the prospect of trying to do it all! Which is quite the welcome change from the homesickness I was battling for the first full week or so. I think I reached a turning point on Tuesday; I was planning my weekend travels and I wrote out all my weekends are realized "WOW! I have SO FEW free weekends- how on EARTH am I going to go everywhere I want to go!?" The realization that instead of being infinite and looming, my time here is quite finite was a real wake up call and snapped me out of my funk. I think that Tuesday also coincided with the time that I started feeling like I had real friends here, not just people who I could hang out with for a minute or two before going to class or going out en masse. It's a really nice feeling, especially when it translates into you saying "home" and people have to ask which home. For anyone who can remember/has just gone away to college it's like the first time you say you're going home and you mean that you're going back to your dorm or your apartment. It's not a replacement for your home (in the States, as people say here) but it's a new place where you feel at home. It really makes you contemplate the nature of home and it's flexibility. I'm nearly on the other side of the world, but I have found a place to sleep that feels like a home and people with whom I can have conversations about everything from how good these jeans make my butt look to how reliable a source s Heidegger given his Nazism.
Sending my best wishes and all my love "home to the States"
Ali
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Full Immersion Weekend
Buona Sera!
This weekend was full immersion weekend. That means that, unlike most weekends when we travel or do our own thing in addition to being responsible for meals besides breakfast, it was a weekend dedicated to spending time with your host family. On one hand, it was really nice to spend time with the family, but on the other hand it made me a little homesick. Friday we had stuff at school for most of the day so just had dinner at home. Dinner here at the Harley’s is at 8 pm most nights. People generally eat lunch at around 1 pm, or we have been eating closer to 2-2:30 on the weekends. This means that you’re ready for a little snack around 5 or 6. The Italians have the perfect solution for this; apertivo! On Friday we had our own brand of apertivo in centro- gelato! I had the most delicious NON-DAIRY chocolate gelato of my life. It was served, along with strawberry gelato, in a little wafer to make a sandwich. Too delicious for words- the strawberry was basically just very smooth sorbet but the chocolate was out of this world. Good thing I had a 40 minute walk back home so I was hungry all over again for chicken and artichokes. And pasta naturally. Meals are also always served with salad, which we eat a condimenti- with salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Two interesting things about Tuscan food- everything includes olive oil, and you always mix things with the sauce/dressing/etc in the bowl before you serve it. Saturday Vittoria, our host mom, took me and Whitney to the centro and pointed out good gelaterias, trattorias, bars, restaurants etc along the way. In other words, she did a whole lot of talking because every other door is a place that sells some sort of delicious food. We had a delicious lunch at Trattoria da Rocco- a famous little place in the market where you eat in a tiny booth with other people that you enter from the OUTSIDE of the booth and the waiter serves you from a partitioned off corridor in the middle of the booths. All inside a little “building” (it’s entirely made of windows) about the size of a subway car. Afterwards, Vittoria left Whitney and I to explore so we went to the Ponte Vecchio where I took about 100 pictures of the gorgeous vistas and architecture. The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge towards the southern part of the city where there are houses and shops on the bridge- the other bridges are just for cars and pedestrians. There was a bust of some famous guy (not the important part) surrounded by a gate with 100s of locks on it. We were wondering way until we saw the sign that said “It is not allowed to put locks on the railing.” So naturally, everyone puts locks on the railing, most of them with love notes on them. Such is life in Florence. For dinner we had a piatti unico (a one pot meal) of some delicious combo of chicken and peas in a tomato-y broth. We also have bruschetta at every meal, but not the bruschetta you’re thinking of. Same crispy bread but them you rub raw garlic on it, sprinkle salt, rub a cut tomato over that and then pour on some olive oil. I’m a big fan of everything but the tomato, but I’m getting there. Saturday night was a very homesick night for me for some reason. A friend of mine put it well; it’s not that you miss home so terribly, because I’ve barely been gone, it’s that you realize how very far you are and that you don’t have the option of calling/texting/visiting whenever you want. So I went out, had a drink at Angie’s Pub (neither Irish nor a pub) met some great people, and felt a million times better. Today was much better. Ludo took me and Whitney on a short little tour around the Stadio because there was a game today! Fiorentina vs Bologna- unfortunately Viola (another name for Florence’s team) lost, but it wasn’t a very important game as far as the season goes. Afterwards we went to the Piazzale Michaelangelo which overlooks Florence and Fiesole. It was beautiful- you could see all the major monuments in the city, plus our zona (neighborhood) Campo di Marte and the old wall that used to surround Florence. From there we went to San Miniato, a 3 minute drive further up the hill, which is a gorgeous old Dominican Basilica. There was the most amazing Byzantine mosaic on the outside and above the altar, and the tile-work on the floor was incredible. The mosaic, in true Byzantine style, was figures in blues and reds on a gold background that just illuminates the whole area when the light hits it. They’re very flat, and not always the most interesting because they’re quite simple compositionally, but the colors are astounding. When we came back, we all hung out and had tea in front of a fire, which is a special Sunday treat. They burn orange peels in the fire and it makes it smell delicious.
I just had my first big Italian Sunday dinner. So delicious! Lots of food, wine and extended family/friends. Good times!
Ciao Ciao!
This weekend was full immersion weekend. That means that, unlike most weekends when we travel or do our own thing in addition to being responsible for meals besides breakfast, it was a weekend dedicated to spending time with your host family. On one hand, it was really nice to spend time with the family, but on the other hand it made me a little homesick. Friday we had stuff at school for most of the day so just had dinner at home. Dinner here at the Harley’s is at 8 pm most nights. People generally eat lunch at around 1 pm, or we have been eating closer to 2-2:30 on the weekends. This means that you’re ready for a little snack around 5 or 6. The Italians have the perfect solution for this; apertivo! On Friday we had our own brand of apertivo in centro- gelato! I had the most delicious NON-DAIRY chocolate gelato of my life. It was served, along with strawberry gelato, in a little wafer to make a sandwich. Too delicious for words- the strawberry was basically just very smooth sorbet but the chocolate was out of this world. Good thing I had a 40 minute walk back home so I was hungry all over again for chicken and artichokes. And pasta naturally. Meals are also always served with salad, which we eat a condimenti- with salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Two interesting things about Tuscan food- everything includes olive oil, and you always mix things with the sauce/dressing/etc in the bowl before you serve it. Saturday Vittoria, our host mom, took me and Whitney to the centro and pointed out good gelaterias, trattorias, bars, restaurants etc along the way. In other words, she did a whole lot of talking because every other door is a place that sells some sort of delicious food. We had a delicious lunch at Trattoria da Rocco- a famous little place in the market where you eat in a tiny booth with other people that you enter from the OUTSIDE of the booth and the waiter serves you from a partitioned off corridor in the middle of the booths. All inside a little “building” (it’s entirely made of windows) about the size of a subway car. Afterwards, Vittoria left Whitney and I to explore so we went to the Ponte Vecchio where I took about 100 pictures of the gorgeous vistas and architecture. The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge towards the southern part of the city where there are houses and shops on the bridge- the other bridges are just for cars and pedestrians. There was a bust of some famous guy (not the important part) surrounded by a gate with 100s of locks on it. We were wondering way until we saw the sign that said “It is not allowed to put locks on the railing.” So naturally, everyone puts locks on the railing, most of them with love notes on them. Such is life in Florence. For dinner we had a piatti unico (a one pot meal) of some delicious combo of chicken and peas in a tomato-y broth. We also have bruschetta at every meal, but not the bruschetta you’re thinking of. Same crispy bread but them you rub raw garlic on it, sprinkle salt, rub a cut tomato over that and then pour on some olive oil. I’m a big fan of everything but the tomato, but I’m getting there. Saturday night was a very homesick night for me for some reason. A friend of mine put it well; it’s not that you miss home so terribly, because I’ve barely been gone, it’s that you realize how very far you are and that you don’t have the option of calling/texting/visiting whenever you want. So I went out, had a drink at Angie’s Pub (neither Irish nor a pub) met some great people, and felt a million times better. Today was much better. Ludo took me and Whitney on a short little tour around the Stadio because there was a game today! Fiorentina vs Bologna- unfortunately Viola (another name for Florence’s team) lost, but it wasn’t a very important game as far as the season goes. Afterwards we went to the Piazzale Michaelangelo which overlooks Florence and Fiesole. It was beautiful- you could see all the major monuments in the city, plus our zona (neighborhood) Campo di Marte and the old wall that used to surround Florence. From there we went to San Miniato, a 3 minute drive further up the hill, which is a gorgeous old Dominican Basilica. There was the most amazing Byzantine mosaic on the outside and above the altar, and the tile-work on the floor was incredible. The mosaic, in true Byzantine style, was figures in blues and reds on a gold background that just illuminates the whole area when the light hits it. They’re very flat, and not always the most interesting because they’re quite simple compositionally, but the colors are astounding. When we came back, we all hung out and had tea in front of a fire, which is a special Sunday treat. They burn orange peels in the fire and it makes it smell delicious.
I just had my first big Italian Sunday dinner. So delicious! Lots of food, wine and extended family/friends. Good times!
Ciao Ciao!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Prima Weekend
Buon Giorno!
Today is my first Saturday in Florence and its part of full immersion weekend. Basically what that means is that Whitney (my roommate) and I spend the entire weekend with our family. Vittoria- my amazing host mom, is taking us all around the city and our neighborhood today so we can get the lay of the land. Tomorrow we're hiking to Fiesole which we can see from our bedroom window! We're right by the Stadio for all you soccer fans and can see that and THE DUOMO from our roof terrace(s). Molto bella! Yesterday we went out exploring- I went to the Duomo, but didn't climb to the top (yet- that's coming). And I saw the Piazza della Republica (the Rape of the Sabine Woman!) and Orsanmichele. We hung out in a really neat wine bar that was nearby that reminded me of Muddy Waters in Btown if muddy's was in a basement. And full of Italians- we were the only Americans there. It was great. They had live music which was 2 old guys playing acoustic and electric guitar/violin and singing. It felt so homey and wonderful and was exactly what I needed after an admittedly difficult and homesicky day. I also went to an amazing gelateria by the Duomo and had nondairy chocolate gelato that was so delicious it made my head spin. I ate it in this tiny little wafer thing- the wafer was tiny, the mound of gelato was not. Good thing the Stadio is quite far from il centro (downtown) bc by the time I got home and settled I was hungry again. For a dinner which included prosciutto tortellini in brodo. Cured ham tortellini in broth- and I LOVED it! I also just tried my first Italian soy milk- not bad. Not for my coffee, but great in cereal. Paired with toast- toast could be a food group here. Well, bread is- not grains. Just crusty, delicious bread. YUM!
I'm hoping to post some pictures later today for you all to see so be on the look out. I was going to do it now, but we're bringing our cameras with us on our outing today so I figured I'll wait and inundate you all at once with the beauty of Firenze.
Sending all my love,
Ciao Ciao!
Ali
Today is my first Saturday in Florence and its part of full immersion weekend. Basically what that means is that Whitney (my roommate) and I spend the entire weekend with our family. Vittoria- my amazing host mom, is taking us all around the city and our neighborhood today so we can get the lay of the land. Tomorrow we're hiking to Fiesole which we can see from our bedroom window! We're right by the Stadio for all you soccer fans and can see that and THE DUOMO from our roof terrace(s). Molto bella! Yesterday we went out exploring- I went to the Duomo, but didn't climb to the top (yet- that's coming). And I saw the Piazza della Republica (the Rape of the Sabine Woman!) and Orsanmichele. We hung out in a really neat wine bar that was nearby that reminded me of Muddy Waters in Btown if muddy's was in a basement. And full of Italians- we were the only Americans there. It was great. They had live music which was 2 old guys playing acoustic and electric guitar/violin and singing. It felt so homey and wonderful and was exactly what I needed after an admittedly difficult and homesicky day. I also went to an amazing gelateria by the Duomo and had nondairy chocolate gelato that was so delicious it made my head spin. I ate it in this tiny little wafer thing- the wafer was tiny, the mound of gelato was not. Good thing the Stadio is quite far from il centro (downtown) bc by the time I got home and settled I was hungry again. For a dinner which included prosciutto tortellini in brodo. Cured ham tortellini in broth- and I LOVED it! I also just tried my first Italian soy milk- not bad. Not for my coffee, but great in cereal. Paired with toast- toast could be a food group here. Well, bread is- not grains. Just crusty, delicious bread. YUM!
I'm hoping to post some pictures later today for you all to see so be on the look out. I was going to do it now, but we're bringing our cameras with us on our outing today so I figured I'll wait and inundate you all at once with the beauty of Firenze.
Sending all my love,
Ciao Ciao!
Ali
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Buon Giorno a tutti! Today is the day that I move in with my host family. Whoa! I just found out that I'm living with the family of one of the Italian professors here at Syracuse- score! There's 3 kids in the family, 2 daughters (ages 23 and 13) who live in the house and an older son who does not. I don't know my roommate yet but at 5:30 I'm being picked up so I guess I'll meet her then! I'm pretty nervous about moving in but also really excited to get settled. Plus people in the past have said good things about the family and I'm sure they'll be sensitive to the fact that we're fairly clueless seeing as the mom works for the university and has seen first hand the mass chaos. The apartment is a 20 minute walk from school, which isn't bad seeing as this is the coldest it's going to get and it's already pleasant to walk that far. They also have a roof terrace which is something I've been dying for since I got here. My hotel roommate and I had a terrace but we didn't have an opportunity to hang out on it, plus it had no view whatsoever. This apartment though apparently has beautiful views of Florence. I guess I'll wait and see!
Last night was my first night on the town. A bunch of us met up in an American bar called the Red Garter where we convened while watching Italians play a trivia game about America in Italian. Hilarious and amazing! After a very loud and overwhelming 30 minutes there we went to the COOLEST italian wine bar called Moyo. It was super chic but earthy and funky. It reminded me of the wine bar equivalent of New Moon for all of you Burlingtoners. Way more my scene then the crazy American bar. Here we actually got to sit and talk and relax while sharing bottles of wine. Best part is that this whole bar area is right by the Piazza della Santa Croce. Santa Croce- the famous, gorgeous cathedral that I've studied in way more than one art history class! I was speechless when we entered the piazza and immediately started squealing and taking pictures. Until a man with blue eyeliner and half his face painted red barked at us....then we left. But it was still AMAZING! I'm not even going to embarrass myself by explaining my reaction when I saw a glimpse of the Duomo from the bus- use your imagination. I can't wait to see it up close and personal. I also saw the River Arno for the first time last night. Absolutely beautiful- the lights of the city were reflecting off the water and the arched bridges are lit and reflect in the water as well. There was a little waterfall where we were as well which was so neat. I really want to take a stroll over the bridges soon. I just need to see where my host family lives so I can start planning out what I need to set aside time to see and what I'll just pass by on my way to school. I think that's my favorite thing about this city. You pass by a beautiful monument or famous cathedral while wandering around trying to find a bank, and every building is gorgeous in itself. So many red terra cotta roofs and stucco walls. All of which look well loved and used but never abused or in disrepair. I know I've said that to some of you before but it takes my breath away every time. I'm going to try to post pictures soon so that you can all share in the beauty that is Florence.
Be well, and lots of love!
Last night was my first night on the town. A bunch of us met up in an American bar called the Red Garter where we convened while watching Italians play a trivia game about America in Italian. Hilarious and amazing! After a very loud and overwhelming 30 minutes there we went to the COOLEST italian wine bar called Moyo. It was super chic but earthy and funky. It reminded me of the wine bar equivalent of New Moon for all of you Burlingtoners. Way more my scene then the crazy American bar. Here we actually got to sit and talk and relax while sharing bottles of wine. Best part is that this whole bar area is right by the Piazza della Santa Croce. Santa Croce- the famous, gorgeous cathedral that I've studied in way more than one art history class! I was speechless when we entered the piazza and immediately started squealing and taking pictures. Until a man with blue eyeliner and half his face painted red barked at us....then we left. But it was still AMAZING! I'm not even going to embarrass myself by explaining my reaction when I saw a glimpse of the Duomo from the bus- use your imagination. I can't wait to see it up close and personal. I also saw the River Arno for the first time last night. Absolutely beautiful- the lights of the city were reflecting off the water and the arched bridges are lit and reflect in the water as well. There was a little waterfall where we were as well which was so neat. I really want to take a stroll over the bridges soon. I just need to see where my host family lives so I can start planning out what I need to set aside time to see and what I'll just pass by on my way to school. I think that's my favorite thing about this city. You pass by a beautiful monument or famous cathedral while wandering around trying to find a bank, and every building is gorgeous in itself. So many red terra cotta roofs and stucco walls. All of which look well loved and used but never abused or in disrepair. I know I've said that to some of you before but it takes my breath away every time. I'm going to try to post pictures soon so that you can all share in the beauty that is Florence.
Be well, and lots of love!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Il Parte Prima
Buona Sera! My first day in Italy is coming to a close- a very very long day that started on Monday and ended on Tuesday. The jet lag was fairly brutal all day but now that I have the opportunity to finally sleep, it suddenly doesn't seem as crucial. I'm sure that I'll be out the second my head hits the pillow however. Florence is absolutely beautiful! The weather is fairly warm, probably upper 40s- warm enough to comfortably have a quick lunch outside in the jardino (the garden) on campus and sip an itty bitty espresso. So bitter and strong but so delicious! The Villa Rossa (the main building on campus) is so quaint and picturesque, as are all the buildings on camps. You feel like you're in a little slice of the Tuscan country side when you sit in the Jardino and look around. All buildings are incredible which is why I think it's such a gorgeous place. Lots of old architecture in this modern city. I even saw a glimpse of the Duomo from the bus! The Duomo! That's when it hit me that this isn't any old city. It's Florence!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Arrivederci!
Arrivederci family, friends and the good old East Coast! This morning I am off to the airport- leaving at 9:30 am for a 5:30 pm flight. Yay airport security! I'm pretty nervous right now and though I'm no longer wondering why I do these things to myself (that was last night at around 1:30 am) I am thinking what have I gotten myself into now??? Lots of love to everyone who put up with my worrying. I promise to make it all worth it and have an amazing experience. I'll write as soon as I have great stories to tell and pictures to share....as well as reliable internet connection. So for now I"m not going to say goodbye. I'm going to say Arrivederci (until I see you again) and Ciao (because this is both a hello and a goodbye)!
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