I Cibi di Firenze ~ The Food of Florence

When deciding where to study abroad, one of the major positives of
Italy was of course, the FOOD. Since I've been in Florence, I have
eaten so many incredible foods that have almost made up for the fact
that I can't have the frozen yogurt I love so much back home.

Gnocchi with prawns & pink sauc

There are so many things to appreciate about Florentine restaurants.
Although the service is typically not very good and the bread isn't
very tasty, the main dish is always delicious and not overly
expensive.. Every time I have gotten a pasta & seafood dish, it
definitely did not cost as much as it would in America. You would
think that pizza is just pizza BUT there is something about pizza in
Italy that puts me under a spell, telling me that I must eat the
entire thing. There are some very well known panini shops right near
campus that are the perfect stop between classes... There's nothing
better than an eggplant, marinara, and mozzarella panini before
heading to Ethics of Globalization! One restaurant, Il Principe, has
become a personal favorite of our's. The owner is an awesome Italian
guy who speaks to us in English but always encourages us to practice
speaking Italian. The place is a little reminiscent of an American
sandwich shop.. You can get any meat, on any bread, with any cheese
and veggies you want, and it comes with a generous serving of fries.
Or you can get a pizza or a massive salad. The first time we went, I
was offered bread with my salad and of course I said yes, expecting a
slice or two. But, much to my surprise and excitement, I was given a
big, delicious roll to enjoy. (I just went about two hours ago and our owner-friend was very happy to see us)

Then.... There's the gelato. While I miss my fro yo dearly, this
Italian staple is serving as an excellent substitute. The flavors are
endless and all equally delicious.. My favorite combination though
comes from the gelateria near school that gives A STUDENT DISCOUNT.
That favorite combination is white chocolate, cranberry, and regular
(or dark) chocolate.. You can always find me there on Tuesday
afternoons in between my Michelangelo, Caravaggio, & Bernini art
history class and International Terrorism.. It's the perfect half-way
snack between 5 hours of class. From the classics like Mint and
Fragola (Strawberry) to exciting flavors like Nutella and Tiramisu.. Every cup or
cone of gelato is de-li-cious!

One really cool thing about the school we attend is that is has
several different branches including a culinary arts program. The
classes would cost extra for us to take and don't give us any USD
credit, but we still benefit from what the culinary arts students are
learning. GANZO is the name of the student-run restaurant that we get
30 vouchers to through our program. Each day the menu is a little
different and all the dishes venture a little out of the norm. From
octopus salad to seabass to chocolate mousse, every thing is yummy and
its fun to run into classmates and recognize the faces of the waiters
and staff, as they are all students.

Talking about GANZO brings me to my next point... The Italian cultural
experience called Apertivo. It is something put on by many of the
restaurants here as a way for friends to meet up and eat a little
something after work and before heading home for dinner. "Apertivo"
comes from the word "aprire" which means "to open". So, this
in-between meal serves to open up the stomach and taste buds before
dinner time. It typically costs between 4 and 8 euro and includes a
drink and a small buffet of several dishes. Ganzo has an apertivo
every Wednesday and this past wednesday was my first time going. For 4
euros we were given a drink of choice and were then unleashed upon a
buffet of never-ending options. While apertivo isn't supposed to take
the place of dinner, it did in our case because the food was too good
to turn down.

Here's what they offered:
Couscous with vegetables
Rice balls
Bread with melted brie and walnuts
Fresh vegetables
Tempure fried vegetables
Mozzarella balls
Tortilla chips
Quesadillas with GUACAMOLE
Green beans
Proscuitto
Curry rice
Fruit skewers
A rice and caprese dish
Baby hashbrowns
... And probably some more dishes that I can't remember!

Needless to say, there was something for everyone and plenty to fill-up on.

Shopping at the grocery store, however, has been a little more of an
adventure. There are so many things in America that I'm used to eating
that just don't exist here. Skim milk and apple juice are
non-existent, cookie dough is no where to be found, and our cereal
options are very limited. It isn't surprising for the store to run out
Cherrios.... That is a problem that would probably never happen at
home. It is fun, though, to go to the farmer's market every weekend to
pick up fresh fruit and vegetables and stare at the endless supplies
and varieties of pasta, balsamic vinegar, and cheese. I now fully
understand why the Italians eat so well.

Attempting to cook with limited supplies & skills

After 2 trips to the grocery store & some risky experimentation,
we finally had some delicious home-made Nutella-Marshmallow Brownies to enjoy!

Good ol' American Menu 

Whenever we have a craving for American food, there are a few places to go for our fix. Mama's Bakery on the other side of the river serves
BAGELS with cream cheese, peanut butter, or nutella (I get the
everything bagel w/ sun-dried tomato cream chesse), sandwiches,
brownies, cupcakes, cookies, AMERICAN COFFEE, and more. "The Diner" serves omelettes, pancakes, hot chocolate, burgers, shakes, and other typical American dishes. The food isn't anything too special but it is a nice reminder of home!




Well, I guess if there's one thing I can talk about, it's food! I'm
sure that right about now you are saying "OK OK we get it! The food is
amazing!". I hope I haven't made you too hungry or jealous. If you are
jealous, go to Starbucks and drink a vanilla latte or go to
Yogurtland, and then I will be jealous of you!! If I figure out a way
to bring gelato home in my suitcase, I will bring enough for all of
you!

My Amalfi Coast weekend adventure!

Where to begin... How about we start with the 7 hour bus trip from

Florence to Sorrento. I don't know about you, but that was a lot of

bus time for me! We didn't get to go to bed at the Hotel Cavour

(hostel) until 2:30 AM and had to be up on a few hours later to begin

our adventure to Capri.

The fabulous Amalfi Coast 

Capri... One of those beautiful seaside towns that you've always heard about but might never actually see. It was so wonderful and I feel so lucky that I got to experience it with great friends. After a lot of walking, we finally made it down to the beach, passing white-walled almost Grecian looking shops and homes along the way. We had a great lunch overlooking the Mediterranean... A vegetable calzone & a sunny day at the beach, could life be any better? I think not. We also went on a ferry trip around the island and along the way we saw Moussolini's summer home, the homes of Sophia Loren and Julia Roberts, the "kissing arch", an incredible piece of rock in the form of the Virgin Mary, and the famous Blue Grotto. Then we went to lay out on the beach, but it wasn't like any regular California beach. This is beach didn't have sand, it has a shore full of stones to lay on. While it wasn't too comfortable, I still managed to fall asleep and woke up just in time for a free Limoncello tasting.. the Amalfi coast is famous for its lemons. After a not so sunny summer in California, it was so nice to enjoy the sun and a great time with friends.

The Kissing Arch

Beautiful Mediterranean water!

It's Mary!

The next day we went to Positano, another city I knew nothing about. After making the 20 minute trek from the bus, down countless flights of steps, we arrived at the beach and I knew it was going to be a relaxing day. I spent about 4 hours laying out, but left the beach for a while to get some gelato and explore. Cally, and I made our way through the streets full of nice jewelry shops and art galleries.

Ancient Amphitheater

And then, we went to Pompei and climbed to the top of Mt. Vesuvius!! I studied Latin all 4 years in high school and learned a lot about the history of Pompei, so this experience was very very exciting for me. We were taken on a tour and saw so many aspects of this ancient city - amphitheaters, bath houses, brothels, temples, and even snack bars (there were 85 in Pompei). We even saw the bodies of people who died in the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It was sad and unbelievable sight. 

The main "forum" of Pompei

The body of a man buried alive in the ash of Mt. Vesuvius 

One of many brothels in Pompei

Then, it was time to climb.. We were all asking ourselves and each other "What is
possessing us to climb to the top of an active volcano? What are we thinking?", but after getting over of unnecessary fears, we started to hike. It was an exhausting walk up the mountain, but it was so worth it. 

Vesuvius!

Almost to the top!

Thetas "kiting" the volcano

View from the mountain

On the way down, I slipped a few times but was very proud of myself for not falling down the side of the mountain, but.. I couldn't be proud of myself for long...... 

Thank you, bus driver, thank, thank you, bus driver (camp reference)

After making it alllll the way back to bus, I tripped on the road, scraping my knee. Thank goodness for our bus driver and his handy-dandy first-aid kit! After taking care of my wound, it was time to settle in for the long trip to Florence. I couldn't wait to be back in the city I am now calling home!

Venice and Pisa and Lucca, oh my!

Last weekend, I went on a fun-filled adventure through Italy. It was a weekend full of learning experiences, great memories, and great food. I wasn't expecting to be overly-thrilled with Venice but I ended up loving it! That morning was a little crazy... I missed my connecting train because the first one was late and then I had to figure out Venice's "water bus" system... Not an easy task. But Venice was beautiful! Surrounded by water and full of nice shops, nice hotels, and flowers planted on every window-sill, it was a great place to spend the afternoon.  It was insanely crowded and there were gypsies everywhere, but nothing could take away from how exciting it was to stand in St. Mark's Square. 

Me in St. Mark's Square

UPS GONDOLA!!!! You don't see one of those every day!

At Stazione Santa Maria Novella waiting for the train

Later that weekend, my roommates & our friend, Brock, went to Pisa despite the rumors that there is nothing to do there. Unfortunately.. those rumors are pretty accurate. We struggled to find a good place to
eat lunch, but we achieved our main goal of finding the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Like any other tourists, we spent a good 15 minutes finding the perfect spot to take pictures "leaning against the tower". 




















After that, we set out for Lucca... A town we knew nothing about, except for the fact that we HAD TO go there... 

The City Walls

Everyone who told us that Lucca is amazing was right. It doesn't have
anything extremely well-known or exciting, but it is nonetheless a
great city. It is surrounded by ancient city walls and has some
beautiful churches and piazzas. The thing I liked most was that it was
a great city but didn't have the hectic hustle and bustle of Rome or
Florence. We enjoyed our walk through the markets, watched a wedding
procession, and ate some delicious pastries called "frates".. think of
a doughnut.. But think of the BEST doughnut you've ever had! (You can
even get it with Nutella if you want).

Enjoying our "frates"

just your typical water fountain statue

Me in St. Mark's Square

We had a great day exploring, but we were so tired when we finally go
home. We went straight to bed.. Dreading the fact that we would have so much
homework to do when we woke up Sunday morning.

Home, sweet Home

I'm finally settled in Florence!!! I can't believe I'm actually living and studying here... it's the perfect place to spend a semester.

My mom, grandma, and I spent a few days in Florence together so that I could get to know the city a little better. After delicious hotel breakfasts (just so you know, EVERY hotel in Italy seems to have great breakfast), we set off on some adventures which were much easier now that we didn't have the rental car.

We went to mass at the Duomo on Sunday... it was in Italian, but it was a great way for me to get back to practicing the language. The next day we set out to explore the city and stop by some of the interesting piazzas and museums we found in our travel book.

We went into Italy's main department store (a cross between Nordstrom & Bloomingdales) & just looked around to see what Italians like to buy. We went to the Ferragamo shoe museum, which was having an exhibit on Greta Garbo, so that was fun to see. We saw the "fake David" and THEN it was started pouring rain. Not wanting to pay for taxi, we talked about 15 minutes back to the hotel. We were freezing cold and not happy, but then we started to see the humor in the situation after my grandma asked a local store owner for a plastic bag to cover her hair. I decided to use a map to shield my purse from the downpour. Later that night when it was no longer raining, we met up with Cally & her mom for  dinner at a restaurant near the Duomo.

We also went to the Galleria dell'accademia and saw the real David... it's so impressive to actually see in person! We also went to the Uffizi gallery and saw my all-time favorite paintings, the Birth of Venus & Primavera by Botticelli. Although, I had to share my time in front of the paintings with about 30 other people, it was still incredible to see.

Later that day, I moved into my apartment!!! It's only about 10 minutes from school & way bigger than any of us expected. The only problems we're having are a large metal panel than falls down in the kitchen & a stove that doesn't seem to work.. hopefully we'll fix these issues very soon because now we have food and no place to cook it!

Our new apartment...

a sitting area right when you walk in

Our kitchen 

Mine & Cally's bedroom

Mine & Cally's Show-let/To-wer  

 (aka the tiniest bathroom on the planet)

                                                                           

Our BEAUTIFUL living room ceiling!

Our backyard!!!!!

Our living room

Kierra & I 

We've had orientation for the last 3 days, but still time to have fun and explore - Cally took us to the oldest gelato shop in Florence... it was actually open during WWII to keep a sense on normalcy in the city. The two of us also tried a Greek restaurant last night... we needed a little break from all the pasta.

Cally, Colleen, & Kierra