It's My Life - These are my Italian Confessions

2011-05-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Better Late than Never?

2011-05-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

So I just found four blogs that I never got to post while I was in Italy.

All I can say is I certainly miss Italy. Not a day goes by that I don't think about all the memories that our home for those four months holds. The Palazzo Alberti will forever hold a special place in my heart. Italy was an amazing experience and will always remain a beautiful memory. And now a year later, I'm engaged and preparing for graduation. Ohhh, how time flies!

This is the story of my life and I write it every day… - Bon Jovi

2011-05-09T18:45:00.002-07:00

Goodbyes have started. My biggest goodbye so far was to the elementary school students. I have learned so much from the children and I have also taught them along the way. Since it was my last visit on Monday, I brought the children special candy from home; I gave a variety to choose from: Bottlecaps, LemonHeads and Fruity Good and Plenty. In class, we talked about Halloween; the students drew pictures of their favorite Halloween costumes and enjoyed their American candies. Just before I was about to leave the children all asked for my signature. I signed each of their agenda books on the May 8^th: the day I will leave Italy. Some of the students even asked for my address; I gave it to them and I hope we will stay in touch. It’s remarkable to me how attached I feel to the children and I’ve just known them for a couple of weeks. I will certainly miss seeing them every week. I’m leaning now, more than ever, in the direction of becoming a teacher because of this experience. As the saying goes “Everything happens for a reason” and so I think one of my reasons for coming to Italy was for me to realize my love for teaching.

My last weekend was spent in Sansepolcro. It was very relaxing and I got to check things off of my to-do list. I was able to finally purchase the Sansepolcro ceramic piece I’ve been eyeing for about a month now. I organized my room and even started packing. It’s going to be interesting trying to fit all of my souvenirs into my suitcase, especially with the less than fifty pound weight limit. Probably one of the most accomplishing events was Kelsey, Kim, Hilary and I walked the Corso on Friday and Saturday night. This is a very Italian thing to do because every weekend the Italians walk up and down the street, talking to each other, meeting friends and admiring the window displays. It was very entertaining to people watch; in our Italy Today book, Bella Figura, one of the chapters describes how Italians dress nicely because they want to be looked at. This statement was definitely proven true this past weekend. Most were dressed in their best. My favorite outfit was a plain black dress and she styled it up with a pair of gold high-heeled shoes that resembled Dorothy’s from the Wizard of Oz.

In addition to people watching, walking the Corso also set the stage for Kim’s love to finally introduce himself. A few weeks back, Kim and her Italian ragazzo met at La Scorpione, the discoclub in Sansepolcro. He asked her to dance and Kim declined; ever since then they have eyed each other every time they’ve seen each other around Sansepolcro and it’s been almost every day. That’s right, she sees him almost every day all around Sansepolcro; I think he is looking for her. After waving to Kim from across the piazza Friday afternoon, he finally got up enough courage to talk to her on Saturday night. It was really adorable to see Kim use her Italian knowledge to talk to her ragazzo, Francesco. The same night, Kelsey charmed Francesco’s friend, Paolo. The friend wanted to know if Kelsey was married because he thought she was really pretty. Paolo even put his arm around Kelsey, which of course lead to endless jokes made on Kelsey for the rest of the weekend. To quote Dr. Webb, this was definitely an “enchanted evening.”

In addition to participating in walking the Corso, this weekend the group also experienced La Scampanata, an incredible, amusing and extraordinary occasion. It’s comparable to Meredith’s Cornhuskin’s saying “You just have to experience it.” This event is really difficult to describe but I will try. La Scampanata is an event that takes place in Anghiari at the beginning of May. Males must register to participate. Then, on the day of the event, the participants arrive in the main piazza and check in before 6 a.m. Friends make it a competition to make those participating late...The last person to check in is carried throughout the town while the townspeople cover him in various kitchen items (flour, eggs, etc.). On the first of May, Kim, Kelsey, Hilary, John Rose, Dr. Webb and I left Sansepolcro for Anghairi in the wee-hours of the morning, around 5:30 a.m. We arrived and braced ourselves for the event to come. We were nearly surrounded by people in yellow shirts that read “La Scampanata 2010.” As we waited for the last person to arrive, I took many pictures. The atmosphere was extreme; there was music playing, the sun rising and anticipation mounting. Nearly 6:10 a.m., the last person arrived and the food tossing almost automatically began. This was one crazy event that extremely hard to describe in words because it was so much fun. I can’t believe that such a bazaar event can be so entertaining. I have come to the conclusion that this event was my favorite morning in Italy.

After spending three months in Italy, I know feel as if I have three homes. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I love Pittsburgh, I will always look forward to return to that city to visit, and a piece of my heart will remain there forever. Second is my current home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Even though at first I had a little trouble adjusting, Manteo definitely ranks as high as Pittsburgh. Lastly is Sansepolcro; this town is like Manteo, a small town, except it has a splash of Italian culture. I can’t believe in this short amount of time, I’ve met know so many people. Almost every time I walk down the main street, I spot someone I know; it’s a really good feeling and this makes it all the harder to leave.

As I’m getting ready to leave there are a few songs that are repeating in my head. One of which goes like this…

“I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn

And we are led To those who help us most to grow
If we let them And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...”

–For Good from Wicked: The Musical

Well, I do believe this is true. I do sense people come into our lives for a reason and show us something we didn’t know before. I know I’m going to find it more difficult to leave Italy because I’m going to miss the people so much. Megan encourages everyone with horizontal spirit fingers. Kim has fascinated all of Italy with her head to toe fashion and captivating accessories. Kelsey has shown it is possible to fall asleep just about anywhere. Kayley shined a new light on the importance of school supplies and how it’s always possible to add more. Lilly knows everything is “phenomenal,” especially macchinas. Shannon has growing love for dogs with each passing day. Hilary taught us the most important part of a meal is dessert. The “ghost” that occupied the room next to the parlor was all-knowing and knew how to solve any household problem. Also, Dr. Webb and John Rose are two of the most outstanding people I’ve ever met. They love each other very much, care greatly for their “granddaughters” and just want the best for us. All the girls and professors here have definitely left a handprint on my heart and I will remember them forever. This has been an incredible experience filled with ups and downs, but we all made it through and learned a lot along the way. For example, how important it is to know what the word “oveste” means, how important it is to have a watch with the correct time, a working alarm clock, snacks for road trips, and a smile no matter what happens. I cannot believe how quickly time has passed, but the memories made here will last a lifetime.

Now, the other song that is constantly running through my head is the song, “Who says you can’t go home, there’s only one place that call me one of their own, I’ve been all around the world and as a matter of fact, there’s only one place left I wanna go…Who says you can’t go home?” – Bon Jovi

I will miss Italy but I know this is not the final goodbye, I will return one day. More than anything, I am looking forward to seeing my mom, dad, two brothers, sister and my boyfriend waiting for me in the airport. Until next time, arrivederci Italy!

Can summer come too quickly?

2011-05-09T18:45:00.001-07:00

The countdown of remaining day is already in the teens; we have less than two weeks left in Italy. Time has flown by so quickly. I’m a little hesitant about leaving Italy but my adventure has been indescribably perfect and I would not change a thing. As the weeks wind down, I’m certainly still keeping busy.

Kim and I even decided to make some major changes before we leave; this past week, we went to Jean Louis David and both had our hair done with a very Italian style. This haircut experience was one of the most fascinating and entertaining yet. The stylist started by giving me a book to choice a hairstyle. I thought it would be fun to let the stylist decide; so I asked him to pick one for me. After having a new ‘do chosen, my hair was then washed and conditioned. When it came time to cut my hair I was a little nervous because the stylist was using a razor. It was a way of cutting hair that I’ve never seen before; he would comb my hair then razor across a given section. This technique allowed for deep layers and precise, straight cuts. Once my haircut was finished another person came and styled my hair; she blow-dried my hair and made it curl out. I love my new hair cut; it’s a lot shorter than I normally have my hair but change is a good thing.

Also this past week, I have not been feeling well lately, perhaps it’s due to the weather fluctuating; so I set out to find a remedy for my little cold. I went to the town pharmacy, which is right down the street. It was interesting to find only the bare minimum located in front of the counter; almost all medication is behind the counter and the clerk must assist the customer in getting the proper medicine. So I used my little Italian vocabulary and said, “Ho mal di gola e…” (I have a sore throat and..) then I pointed to my nose and head. The physician somewhat understood then handed me a spray for my sore throat. I further explained that I wanted a medicine for “tutti” (all) of my symptoms. I was then given a form of ibuprofen. I felt skilled to have used Italian, be understood and able to get what I needed.

One of my favorite parts of the week is going to the elementary school. It is even more exciting when I see one of my students outside of class. Since Sansepolcro is such a small town, I see my students quite often. I saw one of my girls last weekend while I was walking the streets. She stopped her mom and told her to wave to the “ragazze americane.” Another time, I was purchasing something in one of the little boutiques; a different student popped her head out behind the counter. The student was more than delighted to see me outside of school and turns out her mother owns the boutique. The connection I’ve developed with these 4^th and 5^th graders is incredible, considering I’ve only known them just a couple weeks. Normally, I go to the elementary school only on Mondays but this past week I was invited to have lunch with the children. Whenever I walked into the cafeteria on Wednesday afternoon, I reached celebrity status, all the kids were waving at me and all of my students were shouting my name, “Jess, Jess, Jess!” It was very flattering. I was given a special table setting with a glass plate and metal silverware; the children had plastic plates and silverware. I spent my time at lunch talking with the children and they were identifying objects around the room. They would point to an object, I would say it in English then they would repeat it in Italian. I really enjoyed this extra visit to the elementary school.

The group is certainly still keeping busy with little weekend excursions. This past weekend we went to Gubbio and Anghiari. On Saturday, after a short bus ride of only 90 minutes, we arrived in Gubbio. Our first stop of the day was to Mausoleum of the Forty Martyrs where we learned about the heart wrenching story. This site is now a memorial for the forty innocent hostages that were shot by Nazi troops on June 22, 1944; the troops slaughtered the people as a form of retaliation against the partisans who killed two Nazi soldiers. One of the victims of this event was our tour guide’s father, so this made the story all the more powerful and devastating.

After learning about this horrible event, we had a change of pace and were stuck by a more uplifting event. We were taken to the top of the mountain. To get to the top we had to ride green cages that cages were big enough for two people; Kim was my partner. The contraption did not stop moving so to board we had to just jump on. It was certainly a fun experience and I took some incredible pictures of the surrounding scenery. We then explored the top of the town, looked around a church and learned a little about nature from Dr. Swabb and Mr. Ed, the science professors. When it was time to go back down to the main square, the cage lift was not in operation. So we had to walk down the mountain on a rather tricky path. A restaurant owner informed the group it should take about twenty minutes to walk; however, forty five minutes later we were finally at the bottom. The group was given forty-five minutes to walk around and explore. Kim and I found a great pizza place and I ordered my new favorite pizza: zucchini and tomatoes; it was scrumptious. After our little lunch break, we boarded back on the bus and headed to a place where Dr. Swabb and Mr. Ed explained why dinosaurs are extinct. One theory was developed by a scientist who found an inquisitive lining of red substance on a mountain near Gubbio. The red clay represents the great dying of seventy-percent of all living organisms, including the dinosaurs.

After an intellectually filled day, the group returned to Sansepolcro and prepared for the next day. I enjoy Saturday night because there’s always something going on. This past Saturday some of the girls watched New Moon complete with a bag of popcorn. It was a relaxing way to end the day.

The next day, Sunday, the group took a fifteen minute bus ride to Anghiari for an arts and crafts show. I was expecting the setup to be comparable to the markets and festivals we have seen several times in Italy; however, there were yellow signs pointing to what shops were open and had merchandise. This arrangement was clever and promoted all visitors to walk all over the town. So in addition to looking at stunning jewelry I also went on a tour of the town. Some of my favorite items from the craft fair were guitar shaped Hello Kitty earrings, spectacular glass sculptures and the sweetest smelling aromas. Despite the many tempting offers, I surprisingly only bought one souvenir: peach and mango aroma beads.

Before I know it I will be taking my suitcase out of its laundry room holding place; it’s nearly time to begin packing. I have bought a decent amount of presents so packing will be a very interesting process. Wish me luck!

As Time Flies By

2011-05-09T18:44:00.001-07:00

What will I miss most when I return to the United States? The Italian food! It was said best by a Venice store owner who explained, “It’s all good food. Every restaurant has pasta and pizza.” Pasta and pizza are certainly the two main food groups here in Italy. The pasta options are endless but, for the most part, are all equally delicious. However, as mentioned in my previous blog, I do have favorite, gnocchi with marinara sauce. Italians are very passionate with the preparation of meals; it a significant part of Italian culture. Lunch is taken very seriously and most of the shops will close to respect this tradition. Maybe this explains my dad’s obsession with food, it is his culture and it is in his blood. Recently we had a cooking lesson preformed by Sara’s husband, Fabrizio, who is a chef. He taught us how to make homemade pasta and gnocchi; I cannot wait to show everyone at home how it is done.

This past Friday afternoon the group visited Anghiari, a town not too far away from Sansepolcro by bus. Once again, my adventure is always the process of getting to the destination. Kim, Shannon, Lilly and I thought the bus was leaving at 12:37 p.m.; so we planned to be at the bus stop at 12:30. It turned out that the bus actually left at 12:27 so we missed the bus by three minutes. The next bus was not for another ninety minutes. So, Kim and I walked the main street of Sansepolcro and window shopped since all the stores were closed for lunch. We headed back to the bus stop and waited there for 45 minutes with Shannon and Lilly. Even though we missed our bus, it was a beautiful day so it was nice to absorb the vitamin D. We caught the bus at 1:45 and arrived in Anghiari about fifteen minutes later. The late comers met up in the main piazza with the other group who were on the earlier bus. The group each had a gelato with flavors ranging from panna cotta to vanilla and John Rose enjoyed a cup of tea. After we were finished with our afternoon treats, the group meandered through the streets, hiked up a few hills, climbed a few stairs and got to upper part of the city that had an incredible view. We were even able to see Sansepolcro from the top. We took some pictures and then made our way back down through the town. Anghiari was a quaint, little town with a few stores and the main attraction was the Brusati factory, where fine linens are produced and manufactured. I would like to return to Anghiari for another visit; it was a nice change of scenery but I still prefer Sansepolcro.

The next morning, Kim, Kelsey and I took a bus to Arezzo then rode the train to Florence. It was a quick trip, only about two hours total. We spent the day exploring the markets and enjoying the sunshine. I purchased quite a few family presents; I’m not going to say specifically what because I know some of my family will read this and I want the presents to be left a surprise. I can say that my shoulders were not happy with all the presents I purchased; it was a bit of a challenge carrying everything I bought. After my mission of family presents was completed, Kim, Kelsey and I went to H&M. It is one of my new favorite stores since it is affordable and has cute clothes.

Kim always dresses in the cutest clothes paired with the perfect accessories. She usually wears a headband or flower in her hair; John Rose has a different name for her hair accessories. Every day when Kim doesn’t wear one John Rose asks her where her “fascinator” is; it’s a palazzo joke. Kim has become my stylist and I call her K.Fashionista. She helped me pick out some cute outfits at H&M; however, the outfits looked better on the hanger. Instead, I got accessories to extend my jewelry collection; I even got a “fascinator.” Kim purchased a few cute outfits. And Kelsey, who I call Little Gray because she wants to be a doctor, found a dress she liked.

On our way back to the train station, we found a little mini-market selling antiques with profits supporting the Misericordia. One of the women working the stand, speaking only in Italian, asked me where I was from and why I was visiting Florence. I explained to her that I am an American student studying aboard for about three months in a small town. She told me she has never been to the United States but all the pictures she has seen are bellisimo. After our little talk, I found the perfect antique elephant figurine; it was only five euro and since the lady enjoyed our conversation she gave me a free calendar containing pictures of Florence. The elephant figurine has accents of gold and its trunk is up, which I have just recently learned means good luck.

After a successful shopping day in Florence, we headed back to Sansepolcro. I used my time wisely and was able to get some reading for my literature class accomplished while on the train. Upon arriving back at the palazzo, I organized my gifts and placed them in my suitcase so they would not be in the way. I wrote down all I had purchased and luckily I only have three more gifts to find; this is a major accomplishment.

In Sansepolcro there is a disco club called Lo Scorpione. It opens at 10:45 p.m. on the weekends but for some reason the locals do not go to the club until closer to 1:30 a.m. Due to all the traveling on weekends, the group had not been to Lo Scorpione yet so we all decided that this Saturday night was the time to go. To prepare for our late night out, after the Florence trip, I took a nap. I am a morning person, I enjoy going to bed relatively early compared to everyone here and then waking up earlier; so I really need that nap if I planned to stay out late. So after a two hour nap, I woke up, had a delicious cereal dinner and got ready for our big night out. My outfit was a black skirt paired with a black tanktop and my silver sweater; I would like to thank K.Fashionista for helping me make this outfit possible. Once we were all ready we had to use some persuasion and convincing then Lilly and Kayley agreed to go to club too. We were very ‘Italian’ that night because we did not officially leave the palazzo until about 2:15 a.m.

I had never been to a club before so I knew this was going to be an interesting experience to have my first occurrence to be in a European club. We get to Lo Scorpione and the cost for donnas (women) is ten euro with a drink included. My drink of choice for the night was Coke with lemon. The atmosphere of the club was very different than I thought it was going to be. The club was set up with white lounge couches squaring around the dance floor. It was dimly lit with strobe lights projecting onto the dance floor. The music was, legitimately as reflected in the name of ‘discoclub,’ for the most part all disco; so to me, all the songs sounded the same. The DJ did however play one American song that I recognized, “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. The experience of the club was very noisy, dark and smokey. It was an enjoyable time however, clubs just are not my scene; so this club may have been a once in a lifetime experience for me.

It is incomprehensible to me how quickly time has flown by. Just the other day, I registered for classes for my Junior year in college; it’s unbelievable that I’m almost more than halfway through my college career. Time continues to fly by here in Italy as well. Three weeks, that’s all we have left of our time in Italy. That means only a few more weeks of classes, a couple more blogs and not enough of Margarita’s and Alessandra’s marvelous lunches. I cannot believe how quickly time has flown before I know it I will be back on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Until then I will be living it up in Italy because this once in a lifetime opportunity is drawing to an end.

Easter Break

2010-04-12T06:41:00.001-07:00

With every wrong turn, there’s a lesson learned. Well, we certainly learned a thing or two this past weekend over Easter break. Kelsey, Kim, Megan, Shannon and I toured all over the Napoli area; we visited Pompei, Capri, Positano and stayed in Sorrento. Similar to my other travel breaks, a major part of the trip is just getting to the destination. A couple of days before the travel break, we went to the travel agency to purchase our train tickets. We didn’t notice until we were on the bus that the time for the train was wrong. We had accidentally purchased a ticket for a 1 p.m. train when we needed the 3:05 p.m. train.

Upon arriving at the train station we immediately went to the ticket office to ask the proper procedure for having the wrong time. The man informed us to board the train and we would have to pay an eight euro penalty fee. So, the five of us get on the train and it is completely full; all the compartments are filled, people are piled in the aisles with their luggage. We had to resort to standing in the area by the bathroom. About two hours into the trip, the ticket checker came around and asked to see our ticket. She immediately noticed we had the wrong time. She kindly explained to us that since the train was so full due to the vacation, a fee of eight euro needed to be paid. She also told us if we had gotten to the train station an hour after our incorrect time, we could have exchanged the ticket for the correct time for a fee of three euro. So now, we know better for next time. If the train time is incorrect, it must be changed within an hour after the printed ticket time. After standing for nearly two hours, fold out chairs in the aisle became available for all of us and that’s where we sat for the remainder of the trip. Upon arriving we took Circumvesuviana, the commuter train, to get to our hostel in Sorrento. That ride was about 90 minutes and then we walked fifteen minutes to the hostel. So little recap to get to our final destination it took a bus, train, commuter train and walking; it was quite a journey.

We checked into our hostel about 10 p.m. on Thursday night. It was very modern and well decorated. We stayed in a room with ten other females. Since it was fairly late, we decided to eat dinner in the hostel; the bottom level was complete with restaurant and a bar area. There was even an option to sit outside under umbrellas on couches. I ordered gnocchi sorrentina style; it was spectacular and I have now found a new favorite type of pasta.

The next day we took the commuter train to Pompeii; it was about a 45 minute ride. The main attraction was the ruins. Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and completely buried the city; it wasn’t until 1592 that it was accidentally found again. After excavation, Pompeii is now one of the most accurate examples of life during the Roman Empire. After spending close to three hours walking around the ruins, we had lunch. In addition to the ruins, Pompeii is known for its lemons and oranges. Nearly everywhere we went had lemons for sale; some lemons were even larger than my hand. After lunch, I treated myself to a lemon slushie that was delectably fresh. After walking around for a little while longer in Pompei we headed back to Sorrento to explore the center square. There were incredible shopping opportunities; however, I behaved myself and only bought a pair of sweatpants and a magnet to add to my collection. The magnet was from a family owed shop that has been in operation for over 50 years. I like how all of my magnets from each of the cities have a special meaning that I will remember for the rest of my life.

For dinner, we followed Rick Steves’s advice and went to a little restaurant off the beaten track that was located on the waterfront. We ended up being very lucky and the recommended restaurant had a spaghetti special of 3.5 euro that night. So we had a magnificent view of the ocean as well as a delicious and inexpensive dinner. We were heading back to the hostile when we came across the Good Friday procession. There were hundreds of people lining the streets. We found a place to stand and joined the crowd with anticipation for the procession. With the celebration commemorating the death of Jesus Christ, it was an ill-omened experience. It lasted nearly two hours and had hundreds of participates of men and children wearing black robes. The main elements of the procession portrayed the 12 Stations of the Cross from Christ being condemned to death to being laid in the tomb.

Upon returning to the hostel, we noticed a special offer for a boat trip to Capri. It would cost fifty euro for a private boat ride over to Capri complete with lunch, beverages, tours of the main caves and blue grotto. We signed up to participate in the boat trip the following morning. The next day we were on the boat departing Sorrento by 9:30 a.m. We spent the next three hours riding around looking at different caves. Our captain even stopped at one cave and told us we could climb up the mountain and go inside the cave. He told us that we should only do it if we are “adventurous” because we would have to walk through the black tunnel in order to get into the cave. We all decided to go into the cave. The captain pulled the boat as close to shore as he could and we hopped off. We climbed up the rocky stairs built into the mountain, through the black tunnel (that really was completely dark) and into the cave. It was certainly an experience to remember. After a few quick pictures we got back on the boat and headed to the two rocks that are the symbol of Capri. The next part of the tour allowed us to enter the blue grotto, if we wanted. It was high tide so boats were not permitted to enter; however, if an individual wanted to enter he/she could swim. The water was too cold for me so I opted out of that activity.

After the blue grotto attempt, we headed to Capri and we were given three hours to walk around and explore the island. Capri was incredibly beautiful and had some amazing shops. I didn’t purchase anything but it was still enjoyable to look at the stores that were all very extravagantly decorated. One of my favorite shops was a home décor store. The table settings were beach themed: compete with coral and clown fish center piece, crab napkin holders and turtle candles.

For dinner that night, we followed Rick Steve’s advice again and went to a seafood restaurant by the water. Bruschetta, an appetizer included in the cover charge, was actually my favorite part of the meal. For the main course, I shared seafood pasta with Shannon. It certainly was fresh and some of the shells still had sand in them. After our dinner, we took the commuter train back to our hostile and settled in for the night.

Positano was our destination for Easter. We had to purchase a special type of bus ticket for the ride down to Positano. We arrived at the bus stop thirty-five minutes early and the line for the bus was incredibly long; there were already about fifty people in front of us. We waited and hoped to get on the bus whenever it arrived. Luckily, there was enough room for us but there were no seats; we had to stand in the bus aisles and hold on to the rails as the bus swirled up the mountain to Positano. Despite the tight conditions on the bus, the views were stunning. The mountains mixed with the community life of colorful houses and made for some unbelievable pictures. We spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach and absorbing the sun.

The bus ride back to Sorrento was even more hectic than getting there. We were waiting at the bus stop for nearly forty minutes before it finally came. During the time waiting, we met a family from Dublin and a family from Baltimore. When the bus arrived twenty minutes late, everyone in line went crazy. The line no longer existed and everyone was pushing to get on the bus. The man from Baltimore blocked the entrance and allowed his family to enter then said “Come on North Carolina.” He made sure we got on the bus because he knew how long we had been waiting. It was very generous of him to look out for his family, as well as our group. The bus ride was very crazy and I felt like a sardine. I cannot even begin to imagine bus rides in the summer.

So as you can see, my Easter holiday was spent very differently than normal. I continue to miss my family and I missed them even more on Easter day; I have never experienced a holiday without being with my three siblings and parents. My mom still included me though in our family traditions; she sent me pictures on Easter Sunday of my family before church and she even still hid an Easter basket for me to find whenever I return to the States. Thanks Ma Mere!

Next weekend I plan on a return visit to Florence with Kim. Looks as though rubbing the snout of Il Porcellino, the bronze 'Little Pig' in Florence's Mercato Nuovo, really does predict a future visit…

Everything from Foreigners to Breakfast: A Mixture of Italian Life

2010-04-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting aspects of studying abroad in Europe is how easy it is to serendipitously meet individuals from other countries. For instance, while walking through the Pantheon in Rome I heard people speaking Italian, French, English, Spanish and another language that I could not identify. It’s incredible that the culture is significantly varied. I saw this diversity again while looking for the train back from Rome, when Kelsey, Kim and I met a French woman. We ended up sitting in her compartment and I talked with her for nearly the whole ride. I have taken French since 6^th grade so I was more than excited to be able to communicate with someone from France. From our conversation, I learned her name is Julie and she is twenty-eight years old. She lives in Italy now and she travels on weekends to check up on her family. Her grandmother lives in Rome with her brother, who is a priest. Her mother is still in France and Julie wants to visit her more often. In Italian class, I frequently combine French and Italian; this was the most ideal situation for me because Julie’s primary language was French but from living in Italy she has picked up a little Italian. Additionally, she spoke hardly any English but I was still able to communicate with her. Having a full conversation in another language made me feel very accomplished and I really enjoyed this chance encounter and I hope to be able to meet more people on our next adventure.

An adventure I forgot to mention in my last blog was a trip to Deruta. This afternoon excursion was two weeks ago. We ate paper bag lunches on the bus that consisted of four different sandwiches, fruit, water and juice; Margarita’s meals are always exceedingly satisfying. After a short bus ride of about ninety five minutes, the first stop was the Maioliche Originali Deruta. This is a family owned factory that produces a variety of original ceramic pottery for sale. The pieces range from everyday use items such as plates, cups, salad tongs, etc. to elaborate and large works of art. I looked at each item with appreciation, knowing that it was handmade and individually painted. After looking around the showroom, we had the opportunity to see how the ceramic process was begun and completed. We watched as one of the workers “threw” five different pieces on the potter’s wheel in less than ten minutes; it was unbelievable. He certainly made it look easy; I took a ceramics class last year and I personally know how difficult throwing pots on potter’s wheel can be, especially when trying to make each piece a consistent size. The potter told us how he can make close to two hundred pieces a day; he is undeniably talented. After our visit to the factory, we went to a ceramic museum. This museum was designed like a maze; it was not just a straight walk, there were a lot of twists and turns getting to each of the different rooms. This made for a very unique experience because I wasn’t able to predict what was coming next. The contents of the rooms ranged from older broken pieces of ceramics to more modern colorful pieces. After the museum we were given the opportunity to walk around the town. I took a few pictures in the park then ventured on in hopes of finding a ceramic piece for myself. The town comprised of various ceramic shops so there was a lot to choose from. Dr. Webb, Bekah, Dr. Bailey (art history teacher) and Megan accompanied me to one of the side streets where we found a smaller ceramic shop. We looked around and I purchased a pink ceramic jewelry holder that was made in the 1950s; it is perfect for me: pink and an antique!

In addition to classes, every Monday I go to the elementary school for my service learning component of the curriculum. I have always considered becoming a teacher and this is experience has pushed me even further in that direction. I have two classes at the elementary school, which is only about a five minute walk from the palazzo. The first class is fifth graders. For this class, I have to individually test each child on his/her English; I use a version of the standardized test the children will take at the end of April. I enjoy working with the kids and it is very helpful that they want to learn. The first Monday I tested about four kids and this past week I tested six. The teacher hopes I will be able to test each child twice before the exam. I grade the children on a scale of 1 to 5; most children know the colors, introductions, and vocabulary. A common struggle for almost all the children is verbs. At 10 o’clock, the children go to a different classroom to have a snack and then I have a new class.

I enter into the new class’s snack room where I get the opportunity to just talk to the children. This past Monday I talked to a girl named Asya. We talked about our love for High School Musical; we even sang a song together from the movie. She was very impressed that I knew all the words. After a fifteen minute snack break, the new class goes back into the teaching classroom. This class contains fourth graders. This class structure is different from the first class and my lesson plans are new topic each week. This past week I explained to them what I do for Easter in English then asked what vocabulary words they recognized. I then repeated the paragraph in Italian, my pronunciation is not that great but the children were more than willing to help me. Near the end of class, I gave the kids an Easter word search and before I left they turned the papers into me. To help me with my Italian on the word search the children wrote the Easter words in both English and Italian. The children really enjoy helping me learn Italian; it is more than adorable. It wasn’t until I got back to my room in the palazzo that I looked at the papers and a couple of the children wrote Ti Voglio Bene on the top of their papers. This means I love you for a friend or I like you a lot. The kids are so cute and I love them too!

This weekend’s excursion was to Assisi. In my art history class, we learned about St. Francis of Assisi and this knowledge provided the foundation for the trip. St. Francis was very humble person who loved to talk to animals, especially birds. The basilica in Assisi contained twenty seven frescoes of Saint Francis’ life by the artist Giotto. The “Serman to the birds” was a fresco that really stood out to me. The fresco is very simple with a gray background; the foreground is Saint Francis caring after the birds; this is a large contributing fresco to his life because the communication with the birds is what St. Francis was known for. Later I came to find out that this fresco is actually one of the most famous and most often reproduced pieces of the Giotto series. In addition to all the frescoes, the church had two levels and the lower level contained the tomb of St. Francis. Whenever I went to visit the tomb, the entire room was nearly filled with people sitting and praying. St. Francis was a very famous saint who still has a great amount of respect today. After touring the basilica, the group went and ate lunch then headed back to Sansepolcro. Due to the thunderstorm that appeared to be coming, our hike was canceled. Instead we went to one of Saint Francis’ favorite sites; Castello di Montauto was very close to Sansepolcro and nestled on the top of a mountain. All the surrounded area was covered trees, it was very peaceful. I understand why Saint Francis enjoyed being there; the whole atmosphere was very serene. It was interesting to see the bed where Saint Francis used to sleep. It didn’t even look like a bed, but rather a hole in the wall made of rocks. Saint Francis was certainly a modest man who wanted to be as natural as possible; he didn’t support living a life of luxury.

After returning from Saturday’s adventure, we were all pretty tired and went to bed fairly early. The next day was Palm Sunday. The fabulous chefs: Kelsey, Shannon, Bekah and Hilary made a delightful breakfast of eggs, pancakes, fruit, toast, tea and coffee. It was a nice chance because this was not a traditional Italian breakfast since the food was warm. This was also a bonding experience because we sat and talked for nearly two hours; it was lovely to relax and just enjoy breakfast.

Next weekend marks our Easter break and most of us are headed south to the beaches of Capri. I’m really looking forward to some fun in the sun!

Roma, Roma, Roma!

2010-03-26T03:57:00.001-07:00

This past weekend marked the second independent travel break; Kim, Kelsey and I traveled to the capital of Italy. Rome was certainly an incredibly unpredictable experience. Our adventure began on Thursday afternoon after classes were over. We went to the bus stop but currently in Sansepolcro, there is a festival going on to celebrate the middle of Lent, with the coming of Easter in two weeks. Due to all the festivities, the bus stop had changed and we nearly missed our bus. We traveled by bus to Arezzo then took a train to Rome. It took about five hours until we were finally in our Bed & Breakfast. We placed our luggage in the room and went out to explore.

While walking around Rome, we visited to the Trevi Fountain. This is my favorite site in Rome because I love fountains. Back at Meredith, whenever I have a bad day or just want to think, I go sit by the front fountain; something about the water flowing is just so relaxing to me. During our visit to the Trevi Fountain, in addition to throwing in a coin and making a wish, Kelsey, Kim and I were bombarded by men wanting us to purchase a picture in front of the fountain. It was a little overwhelming because at one point two men crowded us at the same time but Kim used her favorite word, Basta and they went away. Other than the men with cameras, there was little no people there and I really enjoyed seeing the fountain lit up at night.

We returned to our B&B, called Domus and Betti, and planned for our next day. Our bedroom was covered in pink, from the wallpaper down to the lace on the end tables; I certainly enjoyed all the decorations. The B&B included four rooms: three bedrooms and a bathroom; the bathroom was the most interesting. The shower had a little ceramic panel on the floor with a draping cloth that didn’t touch the ground. Inside the shower was a sign insisting that no water get on the floor, ironically this was nearly impossible considering the base of the shower was the floor. After cleaning up the water from my shower, I went to bed and prepared myself for the next day.

Eugene, an older gentleman, ran the B&B. He was more than hospitable; he offered us maps, magazines and books of Rome. For breakfast, we were given coupons for a café down the street where we drank cappuccino and ate croissants filled with Nutella. Upon arriving in Rome we purchased a EuroPass for 25 euro. This pass was for internet access at local cafes, unlimited public transportation, and entry into our first two museums for free plus discounts at all the other museums for three days. Using our Europass, we took the Metro to our first stop of the day, the Coliseum. It was a picturesque experience; I took about 100 pictures inside and outside the Coliseum. I also overheard a conversation of a tour group while inside and learned there is a rumored secret passage that was made just for royalty to enter into the battles unnoticed and the most interesting part was that it is still unfound. I was interested to see if this statement was true so I researched a little bit about the Coliseum and what I found was slightly different from what I heard. There are secret passages that the gladiators used to reach the arena without being seen in the street; also, the emperors used an underground corridor to avoid the public. There was no mention of other secret passage ways still unfound, but I guess it still remains a mystery.

After the Coliseum, we went to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Rome was built on seven hills and Palatine Hill is the middle hill. This central location is one of the oldest sites in the city, it overlooks and connects to the Roman Forum. We spent nearly two hours walking around, getting lost and taking pictures in the Forum/Palatine Hill. The ruins are quite impressive on their own but the beautiful blue sky made for some unbelievable pictures. After taking another 200 pictures in combination with all the walking from the morning required a lunch break, we stopped at a sandwich vendor and I ate a delectable tuna sandwich.

Our next stop of the day was to two out of the three National Museums of Rome. I particularly enjoyed the first museum, Palazzo Massimo, because of the historical artifacts that are housed on the bottom floor. The gems, jewels and coins in the collection were very intricate with detailing. What I thought was most appealing was the connection to art; there were sets of jewelry paired with a portrait of the owner wearing it. I have definitely refined my interests from all the museums I have experienced in Italy; I now know my interests can be focused specifically on how individuals used to live. I enjoy seeing where the items come from, who owned them and how they were used.

After three historical places and two museums, we trekked on to the Pantheon. When we arrived, we found a lot of construction being done on the front of the building, but the inside was still able to be explored. The interior was intentionally designed to symbolize the arched vault of heaven; I discovered later that Pantheon means “Every God” in Greek. The structure was very impressive but there were so many people inside that it limited the amount of time I spent looking around.

Our total now ranked to five historical sites and two museums in less than two days, it was now time for a recreational break. We each treated ourselves to some gelato; I chose coffee, chocolate and strawberry- this was my favorite combination yet. After, we decided to walk around Rome with no specific location in mind and see what we could find. Luck seemed to be on our side, as I was able to find souvenirs for my brothers, my sister’s birthday present and I even found the perfect magnet to add to my collection. Can you guess what it is? The Trevi Fountain, of course!

After a text message dinner suggestion from Megan, we went to the Hard Rock Café. The wait was two hours. In the time it took for a table, we met Megan’s mom, I purchased a Bon Jovi Rome shirt and was given a rose. The food was well worth the wait, I haven’t had a real hamburger in what seems like forever. Plus, at the Hard Rock Café on the table was Heinz ketchup, which is only made in Pittsburgh (a nice taste from my hometown). The ultimate icing on my cake was in the restaurant there was a shirt Jon Bon Jovi himself wore in concert, it was framed and hanging on the wall. The thought crossed my mind a couple of times during dinner to ask how much the shirt would be to purchase but I restrained myself.

So after a very long day we headed back to our B&B and planned for the Vatican Museum the next day. We had every intention to be in line before the Museum opened, but fate had another idea. We were informed by Eugene that morning he had overbooked the B&B, which meant we had no where to stay for the night. We spent the morning trying to figure out what to do and if there was anywhere else to stay on such short notice. The result was that we had to leave Rome a day early because we couldn’t find anywhere else to stay. Eugene felt very sorry for the inconvenience he caused and he offered to lock up our bags while we went out that day, he printed us the train schedule, and made us espresso while explaining to us that whenever we come back to Rome he will give us the largest room. It was a slight let down to have to leave early but we did have a few hours left in Rome and we spent nearly half of that time waiting in line for the Vatican. Yes, we had also spent the same amount of time waiting for dinner the previous night. A word to the wise: whenever visiting Rome be prepared to wait. However, this waiting in line could have been prevented if we would have reserved tickets online a week in advance. Now, we know better for next time.

Just as for dinner, the wait for the Vatican was well worth it. We spent about two hours inside and I could have easily stayed longer if we didn’t have the time limit of having to catch the train. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the Vatican was not the Sistine Chapel but rather the hallway before it. This area was called Galleria Delle'Carte Geografiche and as we were walking through I heard someone say, “I could spend a week looking at all these paintings and I could still probably miss something.” This is a very true statement; the frescoes were incredibly detailed and covered every inch of the hallway. The Vatican was the perfect way to end our journey to Rome. Even though we weren’t able to make it to St. Peter’s Basilica as originally planned, it gives me all the more reason to return to Rome!

Pictures from Roma Adventure. Enjoy!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032551&id=1397160099&l=3842c6a209

Woahhh, We are Halfway There...

2010-03-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe we are already half-way through the semester. My class schedule changed this past week. It seems just as we get used to the schedule it changes. I will continue to have Justice & Liberty, Italy Today, Italian and service learning. I will no longer have Travel to Learn and Art History. Art History was an accelerated class and it surely kept me busy. I’m looking forward to having more time to focus on my other classes.

As a part of our service learning here in Italy, we must teach at a school in Sansepolcro. I’m am teaching elementary school children. My first class has about fifteen 5^th grade children and the other class has about twenty-five 4^th graders. The children have a standardized exam in April to test each child’s basic English language knowledge. I was given a booklet with the specific topics that will be on the exam. I will go to the school every Monday to help the children enrich their English vocabulary. My first lesson is to teach the class body parts and months of the year. The children speak mostly Italian and are more than helpful with trying to explain what they are saying. It’s really adorable.

On my first visit to the school I already learned a lot more about the Italian culture. Each student has a supplies trapper with scissors, colored pencils, crayons, erasers and pens. For the most part, the girls had pink High School Musical trappers and the boys had superhero trappers with Superman or Spiderman. I find it fascinating these American themes have spread all the way to Italy, even to the children. Another surprise is that one of the children asked me if I have ever met Chuck Norris or Johnny Depp; they all assumed since I was from America I would know at least one celebrity. The children were also very interested in asking questions about mio ragazzo, my boyfriend. I wear his class ring and they thought that meant I was married. I tried in my best Italian to explain that many studenti di comprare gli anelli per celebrare il completamento della scuola superiore (students buy a ring to celebrate completing high school). They wanted to know if they could get a ring once they went to middle school. So the children got to ask me several questions in Italian; it was very beneficial for me to learn more vocabulary. It was then time to focus on their English. I was surprised at how well many of the children spoke English. Most were able to say introductions, feelings, days of the week, months of the year and use various other vocabulary. It was very impressive. I’m looking forward to going back next week.

This past weekend I went with Shannon to Venice to meet up with her mom. We left on Friday afternoon after our Italian midterm. Due to our class schedule, we missed the only InterCity (IC) train of the day in Arezzo by a couple of minutes. IC are the cheaper trains and tend to take longer getting to one’s destination. So we both had to pay an extra twenty euro for a Eurostar (ES) train. It was certainly a new experience. The train is a little more modern with electronic screens announcing each stop. The section we stayed in had sections of four with a table. The bonus on this train was that there were outlets to charge computers. Other than that there was no huge difference from IC trains. However, ES trains are normally faster, but since we had a stop in Florence with a forty minute wait, the overall trip was not faster than an IC train would have been. Final conclusion: IC trains are little to no different from EuroStar trains; but now at least we know. Plus, we can say we’ve ridden an ES train…it’s always good to look for the positive in a situation!

Our journey took about six hours. We left Sansepolcro at 12:45 for a bus to Arezzo then waited an hour for our train to Florence. We had a forty minute wait in Florence for our ES train to Venice. We arrived in Venice at 6:33 p.m. After walking to our Bed & Breakfast to drop off our luggage, we had an Italian dinner at 8 o’clock. The restaurant was called Agli Artiste. I had the most delicious fettuccini alfredo. This is one of my favorite meals in the whole world; so it surprises me that it took me about a month and a half to have alfredo in Italy.

The following day’s big adventure was to the Doges’ Palace. For the people of Venice, this building has always been the symbol of the state: the residence of the Doge, the supreme leader of the city, the place where government and the court of law met. This three floor building has Gothic architecture exterior. I learned in my Art History class that the Gothic style evolved from the Romanesque period during the 12^th century. My favorite part of the palace was the main staircase; it was covered in gold plating and marvelous frescoes. The Chamber of the Great Council was spectacular and it was the largest room. I found it most interesting how much detail went into the main rooms and how basic the prisons were. I understand that the prisons were for criminals, but by just going down a set of stairs, I found a completely different atmosphere. The main rooms were very large and elegant whereas the prison rooms were gray, very cold and miserable.

Our next stop was the Basilica of St. Mark. The architecture of this cathedral is very different from the Doges’ Palace. The Basilica has more of a Byzantine architectural influence; this style has a great emphasis on a gold pattern. This church has three different naves and very impressive architecture both inside and out. Once inside the gold altarpiece on the great altar caught my eye. It really has superb craftsmanship, which was first created in the 10^th century and later enhanced with details in the 14^th century. I have noticed that many historical artifacts in Italy pay particular attention to detailing and I appreciate the quality of workmanship that is not comparable to that of today.

I was entranced with the architecture, history and art of Venice’s past; and now it was time to climb the Torre of St. Mark’s Square. It turned out that this tower is not for climbing but rather to reach the top by elevator. It was a huge let down to me because so far in almost every city the group has climbed a tower. It cost eight euro to be lifted to the top. Granted, I note this is very considerate of people who are not able to climb stairs; this service allows them to be taken to the top in a matter of seconds. However, I’m love the thrill of walking up the stairs hoping the view is worth the burn in my legs; then reaching the top, having the feeling of conquering the tower with the reward of a spectacular view. The lift was a definite disappointment but the view was incomparable; I really enjoyed seeing all of Venice from the water to the many buildings.

The rest of the day was spent having a delicious lunch, walking over the Rialto Bridge and searching for the perfect present for my brothers. The next day was travel day back to Sansepolcro. We ate breakfast at the hotel where we met a group of older people from Britain. It is very interesting to stay in a smaller hotel because it encourages one to meet new people from all over the world. Shannon and I spoke to our new friends and found out that they had just visited friends in Bath, where John Rose is from; what a small world after all.

A traditional gondola ride costs one hundred euro during the day and one hundred and fifty at night. However, the water taxi, that happened to transport us from our hotel to the train station, cost only about seven euro and toured the Grand Canal. I took about a hundred pictures and it was the perfect way to end a visit to Venice.

Next weekend marks another independent travel break. Where to this time? Kim, Kelsey and I are headed to Rome. I’m really looking forward to climbing a tower or something during my next adventure to make up for my little misadventure elevator ride in Venice. But also to explore the Vatican, throw a euro in the Trevi fountain, scale the Spanish steps, discover the Pantheon and so much more!

Oh Romeo, Romeo Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

2010-03-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

From start to finish, what an adventure I had this past weekend, which marked our first independent travel break. Kim, Shannon, Megan and I all ventured to the city where Romeo first met Juliet: Verona. The group went to the travel agency a couple of days before the trip and purchased our train tickets. After comparing many options on hostileworld.com, we found a lovely Bed & Breakfast for about 23 euro a night. With bus tickets, train tickets, and a place to sleep, we thought we were prepared for our first solo trip…who knew a little word oveste could throw us for a huge loop.

So we knew we had to go to binario seven but our train was at seven west (oveste means west in Italian). We didn’t realize how large the Bologna train station was so there were multiple binario. We ended up missing our train because we were not at the right seven. We had to make new arrangements and call the bed and breakfast to inform them that we were going to be late. To counteract our little mishap, we treated ourselves to a much needed American cheeseburger. It was a nice change from all the Italian pasta and pizza we’ve been eating.

A few hours later, we found our correct train and made our way to Verona. The MapQuest directions were accidentally left back at the palazzo, so I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of the map in the train station and use that. Turns out it didn’t have all the small street names on it so we ended walking around in the dark on a highway at about eleven o’clock at night. Being four college girls alone in an unknown city, we were a little paranoid of other people walking on the sidewalk at the same time as we were; so every time we saw someone walking towards us in the distance we would cross the highway so we weren’t on the same side as a stranger.

After walking around for about thirty minutes we finally found a business that was open. We went inside the café and there were three older adults playing cards. The older man, named Giovanni, looked at our map and explained how we didn’t even have the street name of the B&B on our map. He offered to drive us two at a time to the B&B’s road. Shannon and Kim left first and I stayed with Megan so I could keep her safe with my intense karate skills. After about seven minutes without any update on location, I called Shannon to see where they were and make sure they were safe. Giovanni came back to drive Megan and me to the other girls; it turned out he was really nice, drove us there safely, and I had nothing to worry about but you can never be too sure. It’s never a bad thing to be cautious. Once on the street, the B&B host came to show us where we were staying.

So we learned a lot before the trip even started. But half the fun is just getting there right? One, make sure at least one person in the group has a guidebook to look up unknown words such as oveste. Two, make sure everyone in the group has maps of the city and phone numbers of the B&B/hotel. Three, it is important to remain calm throughout the whole getting lost period. I was very impressed with our group: even though it was a bad situation we all remained cool, calm and collected; this was a great help throughout the whole process. Four, be grateful for any help that is received. Thank you, Giovanni and B&B host!

After a few lessons learned, we settled into our completely charming B&B. We shared a four bedroom that was decorated with two glass end tables, red flower décor on the wall and a beautiful glass chandelier. The other rooms in the B&B included a living room, kitchen and two bathrooms. The décor at the B&B was so modern yet retro; complete with vintage picture of Paris paired with a Marilyn Monroe picture. The quality of our B&B certainly made up for our crazy journey there. Due to our experience getting there, we formed a plan for the activities we wanted to experience the next day. Each of us said what we wanted to do and that activity was put on the list; I really liked this approach because we each of us were part of the planning process.

Castelvecchio was our first stop that next day. It was located less than a ten minute walk from our B&B; so not only was our B&B charming but it also had a prime location. By the order of Cangrande II della Scala, the Castelvecchio was built between 1354 and 1356. The design was created by the della Scala family to defend against both outside assaults and popular rebellion. Currently, this castle has a unique design; first, visitors enter into the courtyard area with fountains and greenery. They then proceed to a museum portion which leads to an outdoor view of the castle then back to museum. I really enjoyed this layout because we were given the chance to explore the castle while looking at art. My favorite part of the castle was the view over the Roman Bridge. This castle has such amazing views and incredible architecture that the group spent over two hours exploring it.

After a delightful ham and brie sandwich lunch with Coke and lemon, we ventured into the market. I found a lovely magnet. In every city we have been to, I have purchased a magnet: a Carnevale mask from Venice, a sunflower from Florence, an elephant symbol representing the contrada of torre (tower) area from Siena, and now Romeo and Juliet from Venice. These are special gifts that are small enough to travel with, plus whenever I have my own refrigerator it will be wonderfully decorated. In addition to adding to my magnet collection, I also found my Bon Jovi jacket.

After my shopping success, the group went to Juliet’s house. We each wrote our love letter and attached it to the wall. Outside Juliet’s balcony is her statue. For good romantic luck, the visitors are supposed to touch her right breast. I couldn’t bring myself to do that so for my picture I’m pointing instead…plus I’ve already found my Romeo.

The remainder of the day was spent experiencing Verona’s culture. We went to a candy store. We each purchased a bag of different candies then turned into excited little kids as we tried the various flavors. We then sent out for the Roman Amphitheater where assortments of opera concerts are regularly still held each summer. The views from the top of the theatre were once again incredible; it was just about sunset so the skyline was dimly lit and very picturesque.

All the day’s walking was really tiring, so the group headed back for a rest and freshening up before dinner. We ate at a nice restaurant called Il Cielo di Biancaneve. I had a wonderful pasta dish and then grilled chicken, my favorite! For dessert, we found a German restaurant with amazing chocolate fondue that had ten different fruits to dip. This was definitely one of my favorite days in Italy so far.

The second day was also another busy but fun filled day. We explored the Duomo of Verona, Giardeno Giusti and climbed the Torre dei Lamberti. The Duomo was covered in beautiful frescoes and had two large piano organs. The Giardeno Giusti had spectacular greenery, marble statues, and a scenic view of Verona. The Torre dei Lamberti has 386 stairs before reaching the top; it was a hike but climbing towers is just what the roomies and I do. In addition to the activities, we also spent two hours relaxing by a river. This was one event that couldn’t have been planned for but it was a great way to immerse ourselves in Italian culture. Italians are very leisurely about their plans and so we were too; we experienced the unpredictable pleasure that only relaxing by a river on a nice day can bring.

With two activity-filled days in Verona, it was such an incredible adventure. I would love to go back. Even the few bumps in the road at the beginning turned into a learning experience; Verona has to be my favorite city so far!

Pictures from this adventure...Check them out!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031467&id=1397160099&l=7951fa05a4

Chores, Family & Siena for the Day!

2010-03-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

Each week everyone in the palazzo has a different chore. This past week I was on lounge control with Megan. Let’s just say Megan and I run a tight ship. Any cup that was left or blanket unfolded in the lounge, Megan and I found the culprit. I was “The Convicter” and Megan was “The Enforcer.” Whenever I found the mess, I informed Megan and she requested that a fine of two euro be paid immediately by the culprit. Two euro that way it’s evenly divided between us, we put some thought into our rules! We didn’t get anyone to pay her fine but next time we are lounge monitors together, we will implement the rules more assertively.

Another event I will remember for a long time also includes Megan and getting lost in Firenze at night. It was a group of five trying to get back to the hotel by bus. We got on the bus thinking it will just circle around the city and we will just get off at our stop: we were so wrong. The bus started driving over a highway, confused on we didn’t know where we were going so we got off the bus. We went to ask a local store where we were located on the map. The man told us we had gone in the complete wrong direction and we were almost off the map. He laughed when we showed him how far away our hotel was; he informed us it would take two buses to get back to where we needed to be. Luckily, while waiting for the next bus, a taxi pulled up and Shannon took action. We rode back to the hotel in the taxi, lesson learned: ask the destination of the bus before entering.

Another important fact to know about public transit is how the ticket system works. The whole system is based on a trust and honor system. First an individual must buy a ticket and then, once on the bus or train, he or she must validate it in a little machine with the time and date. The driver does not require this action be done, which I find really odd that the bus system is on a trust factor. Even though the driver doesn’t demand that everyone has a ticket, it’s important to have one because public transportation does random checks, where the conductor goes around checking everyone’s ticket. If an individual doesn’t have a ticket, then he or she will be fined. On our way back from Firenze, both the train and the bus were checked for tickets. Good thing I remembered where mine were or else that would have been a one hundred and fifty euro fine.

We also enjoy taking bike rides here. I’m looking forward to warmer weather so we can take bike rides more often. One day, Shannon, Megan and I went for a bike ride around Sansepolcro with no plan in mind other than just to ride and explore. We went in circles a couple of times and got lost but we did eventually figure our way and we also learned where a few new places including Sansepolcro’s tiny train station. It was really beneficial because when we went on a walk with Bekah, she toured us around places we’ve never been inside the city wall; we actually came to a point where the bike riders knew exactly where we were because it had been one of the places where we had gotten lost. It was a big accomplishment for me to know where I was and remember I had been there before, because I’m not so great with directions.

A trip to Siena was our big adventure this week. We left early Saturday morning on a bus to Arezzo then we took another bus to Siena. The entire trip took about three hours. Upon arriving, the group immediately went to the tourist office to request a map of the city. Afterwards, Bekah took us into the Church of San Domenico. It was very different from many churches here because there were a lot of windows and this allowed for an abundant amount of light in the church. This is uncommon because most churches are dimly lit with very little sunlight. Inside there were frescoes representing Saint Catherine. On the left side of the chapel is an altar that holds the head of Saint Catherine. It all seems a little too ominous to me that people would come to pray to someone’s head…but to each their own!

After that we went to the main square called Piazza del Campo. It is a big meeting place for everyone to gather, people watch, read, nap or relax. It is also the location where Il Palio takes place. Il Palio is a horse race that is held twice a year in July and August. The horse riders each represent one of the seventeen contrade, city wards of Siena, wearing colors corresponding to their region. Each of the contrade has a flag and corresponding symbol; my favorite was the elephant and it represents the torre (tower) area. For the race, a layer of dirt is laid circling the Piazza del Campo. The race lasts just a little over 90 seconds and hundreds come to partake in this event; the Piazza del Campo is filled with people from all over the world.

Also, in the Piazza del Campo is the Fonte Gaia. It is a work of art that is considered to be “the queen of Sienese fountains” because of its central location and impeccable detailing. The Fonte Gaia is three hundred and twenty one meters above sea level which makes it the highest elevation of all the fountains. This fountain brings water from the northern part of the city. The fountain’s panels are prime examples of Italian sculpture during the time of the 1400s. “Ci vediamo alla Fontana” is often said and everyone knows that it means the meeting point is in from of the town’s most famous fountains. This saying reminds me of the Kaufmann’s clock. This is because in Pittsburgh when people are meeting downtown, they say “Meet Me Under Kaufmann’s Clock.” Everyone knows where to meet, just like the people of Siena.

The group went to two museums, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Museo Civico. In the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo there were pieces from 1300 to 1500. There were many rooms in this museum with multiple levels; the floor plan was very unique and had different rooms everywhere. Perhaps, this is due to the fact that the museum is located in the corner of where the Duomo can be seen. From this museum I learned I prefer looking at artifacts – everyday household items – that describe how people lived (journals, pillows, lamps, etc.) rather than paintings and sculptures. When I go back to Firenze, the Pitti Palace is on my to do list; it’s a vast palace that for the most part is still set up as if someone is living there. The other museum we went to was the Museo Civico and it included several art pieces that we had discussed in my art history class. The most prominent fresco was the “Allegory of Good and Bad Government.” It was fascinating to see pieces we’ve talked about and learned about in art history. The scale always surprises me; the relics of Jesus were quite large, while the Good and Bad Government was tiny; the people could barely be seen.

Our other big adventure for the day was climbing the Torre del Mangia. This 102 meter high tower was built in 1848. Megan, Shannon and I climbed the tower; it took us about twenty minutes to climb and we spent at least forty minutes enjoying the view. This spectacular view showed most of Siena. I particularly liked how the landscape changed from city to greenery to mountains. After our adventure up the tower, we once again enjoyed some delightful gelato. The flavors I choice were coffee and latte, it was scrumptious.

Upon returning from Siena, the group had a pasta dinner together at the dining room table. Making a pasta dinner is a usual event here; we take turns supplying the pasta and we each have our own sauce. One school night, we had a pasta dinner with music playing and Shannon and Kim even made a fruit salad. It’s enjoyable to have dinner all together because then we can share the experiences from our day. It’s also as if we are a big family!

Next weekend’s escapade? It looks like the roomies and I are venturing to where Romeo first met Juliet…VERONA!

This is a link to my pictures from Siena! :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030661&id=1397160099&l=fb60e11eaf

How to Have a Splendid Weekend in Firenze

2010-02-24T04:07:00.000-08:00

So I’ve been in Italy for about three weeks now and this experience still seems so surreal to me. I have to constantly remind myself that I’m in Italy because sometimes I forget where I am; luckily all I have to do is look out the window and see the charming, Tuscan houses of Sansepolcro.

Our big trip this past week was to Firenze (Florence). Let’s just start with the fact that Florence is incredible. With its breathtaking architecture, remarkable artwork, and fascinating history, it truly is one of the greatest cities in the world. The group took a bus to Arezzo, then a train to Firenze; it took about two and a half hours to reach our final destination. We learned that even if a train stop says Florence this does not mean it’s the one we want. We wanted to get off at Florence’s central station, Santa Maria Novella. This train station had many other services including a locker check-in for bags, cafés, several stores and even a McDonald’s. It’s crazy how McDonald’s is everywhere! I was curious to see how much a meal at McDonald’s would cost in Italy, so I just peeked at the prices. It was 4 euro for a kid’s meal and 7 euro and higher for any other meal. Do the conversion, it’s pretty pricey! Needless to say, I didn’t have any McDonald’s; I would rather use my euros for something I can’t get in the United States.

After arriving, John Rose played tour guide around the city, showed us the market, and the group took a picture on the Ponte Vecchio. This was the same location where the Arno River flooded in 1966. John Rose told us the river flooded the city and caused tremendous damage to local shops and thousands of cars were just swept away by the water. After our little history lessons, we ventured to the hotel in the rain. Luckily, we all came prepared with umbrellas and rain boots.

The hotel, Convento della Calza, where we stayed used to be a monastery. After settling into our rooms, I then adventured around with my roommates before dinner. We found a great pastry café and I had a delightful chocolate snack. We had dinner back at the hotel: bread, pasta, grilled chicken, cauliflower and potatoes. It was very delicious. Chicken is my favorite and I’ve noticed that chicken isn’t usually served all that much in Italy. So I really enjoyed having chicken for dinner, especially with potatoes. Potatoes are to chicken as icing is to cake: the perfect combination!
Right after dinner, the group went to sleep. Traveling is exhausting and we wanted to be well rested for our big day in Florence. After a good night’s sleep, we all had breakfast together at the hotel. I was more than excited because the hotel had little packets of Nutella for the breakfast pastries (I may have put a few in my purse for later). In Italy, breakfast is a very simple meal. There is usually never anything that has been cooked (i.e. no eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, etc.). This is something I really miss from home, our Sunday morning breakfast after church; my family usually has a breakfast that includes all of the above foods. I’m looking forward to a Sunday morning breakfast when I get home, I’m especially looking forward to the homemade pancakes my mom makes from my Pappy’s recipe.

The first stop of the day was the Accademia museum. It was a little bit of a challenge locating the entrance; we walked in circles looking for how to enter, we kept mistaking the art student’s gallery entrance for the actual entrance. We got it all straightened out and made it inside. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed to be taken inside the museum so I made sure to buy bunches of postcards. The main attraction at the Accademia was, of course, Michelangelo’s David. This marble statue was carved by Michelangelo at the age of 26. He used a leftover piece of block that came from the Carrara Mountains and the sculpture depicts the biblical story of David and Goliath. David was certainly the main attraction as it was the largest and most detailed piece in the museum. My roommate, Shannon, got teary-eyed just seeing the David because she’s a very passionate art major who is seriously in love with this piece (she even bought a calendar of David and it now hangs in our room next to her bed). I wasn’t as emotional but I was certainly surprised of the sculpture’s scale. I’ve seen pictures but the detailing of the piece is immensely impressive in person. This museum also is the home to some of Michelangelo’s other unfinished marble sculptures and various other paintings.

For lunch, all the girls met back together for a delicious lunch at a restaurant called I Ghibellini. I ordered penne alla boccalona (penna pasta with hot peppers) with patate fritte (french fries). I was starving, the food was scrumptious and I ate everything. After lunch, most of the group climbed the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The duomo is a Gothic designed cathedral that was created in 1296, consecrated in 1436, holds 20,000 people and has 463 stairs to get to the top. The exterior of the building is green, pink and white marble with elaborately detailed doors. The inside is decorated with morals just as elaborative as the outside. There was so much detail inside and out, it’s a shame that kind of dedication and attention to detail isn’t as prominent in today’s architecture.

Eight euro and four hundred and sixty-three stairs later, the climb to the top of the duomo was definitely a workout (my legs are still feeling the burn, two days later). Although the climb was exhausting, the view was more than worth it. I felt like was on top of the world and for as far as I could see was Firenze. I took about seventy-five pictures of this spectacular view - the city, the mountains, and the green pastures. This is certainly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.

After climbing the duomo, the group ventured to find a gelato treat. The flavors I chose were caramel and strawberry. Gelato cannot even begin to compare to American ice cream, I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is but gelato is molto buono! The gelato was the perfect treat before the market. The market had seemed to have a little bit of everything (leather goods, purses, hats, scarves, shirts, etc.) and it’s very common to bargain prices. The extra kick of sugar perhaps boosted our negotiation skills. I got a few presents for my family and scarves for myself, all for less than 30 euro; I felt very accomplished.

The next day’s big adventure was to the Uffizi museum. Galleria degli Uffizi has some of the world’s greatest pieces with artists including Michelangelo, Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, and Raphael. My guidebook had told me the Uffizi was one of Italy’s most crowded museums and to book tickets in advance to avoid lines, this was a suggestion we should have taken more seriously. The ticket line was about an hour wait. Just like the Duomo, the wait for the Uffizi was worth it. My favorite room was the Niobe room. This neoclassical design-inspired room, completed in 1779, had detailed golden walls worthy of the title “throne room.” The statues in this room depicted the myth of Niobe and there were four monumental paintings by Rubens, Suttermans and Grisoni. This room was breathtaking with its lavish sculptures, huge paintings, and incredibly detailed gold walls.

Firenze has so much to see and to do, that I didn’t have enough time for everything I wanted to see. I didn’t make it to the Church of San Lorenzo. It’s one of the oldest religious structures in Florence. Founded before the year 400, it contains art by Donatello and Bronzino. I also wish I would have made it to the paper shop some of the girls went to. Firenze is known for paper making and I didn’t get the chance to find the shop. All the more reason to go back, right?

So the recipe for a splendid time in Firenze is as follows: Mix one bus ride with a train station, combine with an ex-monastery hotel. Sprinkle in some fabulous food. Once fully rested, add in a walk up the duomo, an adventure in the market and two incredible museums. Enjoy! Warning: Be prepared to return and repeat.

Che bella la vita de studente!

2010-02-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

The palazzo is beginning to feel like a home. I feel more confident in my directional skills and I no longer have to buy a GPS because I have officially navigated my way around the palazzo. I know how to get from my room to the classroom, kitchen and downstairs exit: mission accomplished. Now, if I can only navigate my way around outside the palazzo throughout the little streets of Sansepolcro…hey it’s a work in progress!

In my new home, I find much enjoyment when I go in the kitchen and find my favorite snacks restocked in the cabinets. Margarita, our fabulous chef, refills and purchases our desired foods. Some of my favorites include green apple juice and chocolate croissants for breakfast. A staple here in the palazzo is Nutella (it’s a spreadable chocolate substance that’s good on just about anything; it kind of reminds me of a chocolate peanut butter). Before coming to Italy, I had never tasted Nutella and now I’m hooked. The Art History class, that some studentesse are taking, is two hours long and about half way through we have “Nutella Time.” I’ve even become creative with my Nutella and added it to bananas, cookies and even, potato chips, let me just say it was a successful experience. Nutella is a boost of energy and a spoonful of happiness. So all of those out there who haven’t tried it, I highly recommend a jar.

My dad is convinced my whole family is all Italian; he is similar to an Italian version of the father from the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He even (jokingly, of course) changed my boyfriend’s last name from Andrews to Andrewlini so he could be Italian too. Needless to say, like most Italians, my dad is very passionate and he is more than pleased that I’m back in our “home country and going back to my roots.” Of all the events my dad would want me to photograph, he has requested that I capture every meal on film; so most lunches I take a picture of the food so my Daddy-o can see authentic Italian cooking.

Speaking of lunches, every single meal is delicious and out of this world. Margarita, our Italian chef, plans lunch every weekday and it usually includes several courses. The menu of what we are eating is always written in Italian on the dry-erase board by the table. My favorite foods so far have been risotto, a traditional Italian rice dish and a cooked olive oil/zucchini dish. Lunch isn’t only a time of great food but also lessons on how to properly spit out an orange seed: the key is to be discrete.

My roommates and I have all bonded and become close friends; perhaps this is because we are all huge Nutella fans (hmm, I wonder?). The roomies (as I call them) include Shannon, Megan, and Kim. We have a lot of fun together but we also get our school work done as well. We have quite a bit of complex reading, for our Justice and Liberty class. So for the first couple of reading assignments, we took turns reading aloud and summarizing it together. For the most part, we stayed on topic and finished the readings in a timely fashion. I liked that we helped each other with the readings because it emphasized everyone’s strengths; when one person didn’t understand, someone else did. It’s as if we are a little family.

Our group outing this past weekend was a day trip to Arezzo. We left Saturday morning to catch the nine a.m. bus to Arezzo. We were truly lucky because the day before it had been snowing, so the entire bus ride we were privileged to see all of the trees covered in snow. There was a white fog out the front window so we couldn’t see very far off into the distance, only the snow covered trees were visible. With all the surrounding white fog and snow capped trees, it felt like a beautiful dream. Bekah, our RD, said it was as if we were in Narnia. After a winding fourty five minute ride, we arrived in Arezzo. Bekah showed us the bus schedule and explained how to decode it. We were then shown the train station we will be using next weekend for Florence (I can’t wait for Florence, there’s going to be such great shopping there!!).

One of the day’s first stops was a very nice shop called Donna Pue. It was an accessory shop and had everything a girl could possibly want (purses, sunglasses, jewelry, hats, gloves, etc.). I was searching for gloves because that first day I left mine on the bus coming from the airport. The lady in the shop was an adorable older woman who helped us learn the colors. She went around her shop picking up items and saying the color (blu, rosso, giallo). I bought a pair of marrone knitted gloves; I also got an oro headband. Another good purchase of the day was Megan getting her black ‘trash bag’ jacket on sale. Here, almost every Italian wears a black, shiny, puffy jacket that looks like a trash bag and Megan wanted one. It was a major score because she found one for about twelve euro and we’ve seen some for as much as six hundred euro. Overall, shopping experience: successo!

We continued to venture around Arezzo and we can upon il prato, a very large and beautiful park. There was so much snow that we had an Italian snow ball fight. Good thing I had just bought gloves, my hands were nice and warm. I really liked the park, there was snow everywhere and it was just beautiful. I don’t know what it is, but I love snow. Snow makes trees look prettier, the atmosphere more magical and it’s my present from Pittsburgh. I grew up in Pittsburgh (Go Steelers!) and I now live on the Outer Banks (not much snow there) so whenever I see snow it reminds me of my old home.

After the snow ball fight, it was getting close to one p.m.; so the girls decided that we needed to find a place to eat quickly. Lunch is very important in Italy and should be spent with family and friends, so most places close from one to four p.m., sometimes later. It’s nice that the shop keepers and restaurants get a break but we didn’t have much time and we had to find something quick. We ended up getting lost for close to an hour and we decided to just go to whatever restaurant or café we found first. It was only about 12:15 and some owners had already closed for lunch. We found this place that had Pizzeria on the outside thinking there would be pizza inside, that was a negative. Helpful lesson of the day: Pizzeria does not always mean pizza is served there.

With the help of our map plus Kim’s and Shannon’s navigational skills, we found our way. We ended up having lunch in a cute little café called Gusto. I ate a salami and cheese sandwich with a coke. Coke Cola here is in a narrower and taller can and since I really like them I’ve been collecting some and putting them on my dresser. The café was right across from the bus station so we ate quickly to catch the bus before two.

The buses were a little overwhelming since Sansepolcro is a small town and it’s not a destination printed in clear writing on any of the buses. After boarding about five buses saying “Sansepolcro?” we finally found the right one. Once we found our way and got off the bus at the Sansepolcro gate, it certainly felt like an accomplishment. Arezzo is very pretty and definitely worth the short but winding bus ride, I can’t wait to go back another day.

After Saturday’s big adventure, Sunday was Valentine’s Day. We woke up to a delightful surprise of chocolates, sweetheart candies, heart cookies, and a card from our valentines: Dr. Webb, John Rose, Bekah and Sara. It was so sweet of them to get us something for Valentine’s Day. To thank them, we took a bike ride and got them each some flowers. The rest of the day was spent doing homework, mostly reading. I then had a delicious dinner with the roomies. We went to a Pakistani takeout restaurant that serves panine sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, piccante sauce, ranch, mayonnaise with chopped lamb meat. It was so good that we went back and got dinner the next day at the same place.

The upcoming weekend’s adventure is to Florence. I’m looking forward to viewing some historic artwork in amazing museums, leisurely walking around the beautiful gardens and of course, one of my favorite past times, shopping! Something I hope to accomplish within the next week is to end my hunt for the perfect, black leather “Bon Jovi” jacket…hopefully, this will be a mission possible. I’ll keep you posted!

It's the Start of Something New... :)

2010-02-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

I’m in Sansepolcro, Italy in the heart of Tuscany. It is nearly unbelievable. The beginning of my sophomore year, I could have never predicted that I would be in Italy by the second semester. Needless to say, I had not planned on studying abroad this year. My heart was set on going to Paris but somehow the Sansepolcro program caught my eye and I’m really glad it did. I’ve only been here for about a week and it’s already amazingly incredible. But before I begin my adventure in Italy I have to go back to last week when my journey began a couple days earlier than expected.

For an anticipated Sunday afternoon flight, I left my home of Manteo and arrived in Raleigh on Friday morning due to the triple threat snow storm. And so I had an adventure and I had not even left the United States yet! I settled in with my fabulous host Chelsea, who went to Sansepolcro last semester and she was more than kind to me. She’s shared stories of her adventures in Italy and even some cookies from the dining hall. Being back at Meredith was a nice way to say goodbye to the States. I was able to get a manicure and take some great pictures of the campus covered in snow; I consider this my silver lining.

The flight was certainly a separate adventure of its own. The most difficult part was when each girl was saying goodbye to her loved ones and my family could not be there; I’m still blaming the ice, because snow is just too beautiful to cause problems of that sort. Kevin, Associate Director & International Student Advisor, was there to help me on my way and this really meant a lot to me; silver lining again, thank you Kevin!

So after two flights and a four hour bus ride, I was greeted at the gate of Sansepolcro by Dr. Webb and Sara (our teachers and advisors). We arrived around lunch time and the jet lagged group of girls was informed that we could not go to sleep until 9:30 p.m. Now, this was a little bit of a challenge, especially for me because I had not slept a wink on the plane. In a twenty-four hour time period, I had two hours of sleep. It turned out being okay because John Rose and Dr. Webb certainly kept us busy with a walk around Sansepolcro and to the PAM grocery store. It’s a little different to United States grocery stores; I especially noticed how the shampoo and conditioner is much smaller and sold for 4 euro (about $5.50 a bottle for a much smaller size). Another difference is that whenever an individual is buying fruits, gloves must be used to place the items in the bag then weighed before reaching the register. That night we had a delicious pizza dinner with dinner guests. Our guests greeted us with their musical singing talents. It was a truly amazing experience to hear professional Italian opera singers.

We settled in the first night and prepared for our classes that very next day. The group is staying in the Palazzo Alberti. The palazzo is nothing like I expected; the pictures we were shown does not give our home, for the next three months, justice. It is completely breathtaking with the architecture of the building and the frescoes in the foyer. I am happy to report that despite my lack of ability with directions, I have not gotten lost once…fingers crossed this pattern continues. The palazzo is a huge palace for the new celebrities of Sansepolcro. I say celebrities because almost every time we walk down the streets, we get looks from locals of all ages. Possibly, this is caused by the fact that we are Americans in a small walled town.

Classes began with the start of Italy Today, Italian 101 followed by a delicious lunch then art history. My other classes include Learn to Travel/Travel to Learn and Justice & Liberty, a literature class. All my classes are taught in English and focus on the Italian language, geography and culture.

During the week, adventures included a trip to the PAM and Coop (grocery stores). I prefer the Coop grocery store even though it is a longer walk to a place outside the city wall. I also enjoyed a drink at the Happy Bar. The cappuccino was delicious, once I added a packet of sugar. I knew this already but Italian coffee is very strong, espresso is not my favorite so I will stick to cappuccino. Sansepolcro is such a magnificent town, with its cobbled streets, locals who close from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for a lunch break, breathtaking architecture, beautifully detailed doors and the shielding wall that encompasses the town; I have definitely had a couple of “Gee, Toto, I don’t think we are in Raleigh anymore…” moments.

So in addition to exploring Sansepolcro, the entire week, as a group, we were trying to figure out where our Sunday Surprise was going to take us. We were told Surprise Sunday included buying a comfortable pair of rain boots, would take a bus ride to get to the destination, and Dr. Webb and John Rose had not been there before. We spent the week playing detectives and asking tons of questions trying to decode the clues.

In the meantime, we had to do some shoe shopping for Surprise Sunday (as if a girl needs a reason to buy a new pair of shoes). My final choice was a pair of white Baci Baci rain boots. It was fun to go shoe shopping but the most surprising part of this experience was how much the sales clerk assisted me. She was very patient while I was trying to speak to her in Italian. Then, whenever I was paying she counted my change back to me in English (one, two, three euros). She went out of her way to make sure I understood and it was very sweet of her to do so. Like almost everyone else in town, I think she appreciated that I was trying to use Italian to communicate with her.

Surprise Sunday arrived and we were on the bus by 5:20 a.m. We still did not know where we were going. I slept for almost the whole ride. Signs began to show up…we were going to Carnevale in Venice. We had just learned about Carnevale in our Italy Today class. It is a celebration before Lent that includes special treats including castagnole, people dress in costumes wearing elaborate masks and there’s a lot of confetti. The biggest celebration is held in Venice, what a coincidence right?

We arrived in Venice after a four hour bus ride. We then took a boat ride to where the Carnevale was being held in the St. Marks Square. All I have to say is Carnevale was really the biggest celebration I’ve ever seen. I spent the day calling it “Disney World times ten because we don’t know the language.” So many people came to participate and enjoy the ambiance the environment provided. It was nice to see people of all ages come out to experience Carnevale.

The costumes were so elaborate and beautiful that around every corner was a new experience. One of my most memorable moments of the day was the Vampire men costumes complete with fangs, long nails and full facial makeup. They were certainly in full character, they even growled at Shannon and me. As the saying goes ‘a Carnevale ogni scherzo vale’ (anything goes at Carnevale). Another memorable costume was the Star Wars family including Yoda and Darth Vader. The most interesting part about the costumes was how the characters would pose and allow crowds of people to take pictures of them. Some costumes I captured on films were princesses in gowns, an elegant yellow dressed woman posed by a lamp post and a character who resembled the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ standing on a bridge by a gondola.

For lunch, Bekah, our Residence Director, taught us how to look for a good local restaurant. It should be on a side street with no or hardly any English on the menu and, if Italians are walking in, chances are they are locals so follow them. The restaurant we found was called Osteria da Carla. It was a rather small restaurant with only about seven or so tables and the menu was limited but the food was delicious. I had the most scrumptious ravioli. Despite how most Americans perceive Italian food as piquant and full of spice, on the contrary, the food is simple and full of natural favoring. So, when I return to the United States and cook meals in the future, I will now remember that simple equals perfecto!

The best part about Carnevale was that everyone’s experience was different. Even though we all went to the same place, we all had some event that really stood out to each of us so we all had a story to share.

I can’t wait to see where next weekend’s excursion takes our group!