How to Have a Splendid Weekend in Firenze

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!

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... :)

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!