This weekend was originally supposed to be filled with adventures in Rome...but since Annie's flight was cancelled (she flew here for her spring break!) she wasn't able to arrive until Saturday afternoon. I'll skip the details of the nightmare that was fixing and changing our train tickets and accommodations. The important thing is that we'll all get a chance to have some Lizzy McGuire moments next Thursday!
Don't get me wrong, I was excited to go to Rome this weekend- but I was equally as happy to have another weekend in Florence without the stresses of traveling. There's so much to do and see here that I think sometimes gets overlooked by students in the frenzy of country hopping and rushing from one destination to the next.
Thursday my wine tasting class took a field trip to "Eataly" for a special meeting and tasting with a wine producer from the Tuscany region. Our class got out about an hour early, so I wandered around the city for a little bit before meeting up with Michelle for lunch at Panbriaco: an adorable sandwich shop where you can get a delicious panino for 3 euros.
Michelle and I went to Zara's, H+M, and OVS. I ended up purchasing a new coat and 2 new shirts. They were welcome additions as I had definitely been feeling a little constrained by my limited wardrobe. After our shopping spree, I went back with Michelle to her apartment and booked the remainder of my flights for spring break with the other girls that I will be traveling with on our week off--what a relief it is to be done with that!
Friday morning I had a small breakfast with the Ricci's and then promptly went back to bed (seven thirty is pretty early for a college student :P ). Around noon, I had breakfast #2 at an American diner a couple blocks away from my apartment. I had sunny side up eggs, or "dippy" as I always called them, toast, "hash browns", and fruit. I don't think I realized how much I missed american-style breakfast until I started eating. Authentic Italian food is the bomb.com, but sometimes a break from pasta is nice. (Did I just say that?)
Liz and I finally found a nice cafe to sit and do our homework at that afternoon. We sat outside near the Pitti Palace for a while, but the wind was brutal so we settled for coffee and a sofa. The library here is not a very nice place to do work and I am constantly distracted in my room. I definitely miss the ample study spots at HPU, but they do have better cappuccinos here. :)
Saturday I had a museum day with Marina! We went to the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi Gallery. At the beginning of the semester I purchased a museum pass that will get me into most of the museums in Florence. It was nice to be able to use that- and nice to know that I can return again to see more later! We had hoped to also visit the Boboli gardens located directly behind the pitti palace, but unfortunately they were closed due to the wind. Now I just have to find time to go back- maybe when it's a little warmer.
Dinner was at Trattoria Zaza, a very popular (and huge!) restaurant. I was very glad that someone thought to make a reservation so we were able to walk in and be seated right away. Marina and I were both stuck between 2 items on the menu, so we ended up sharing 2 dishes! I had a half plate of ravioli with truffle sauce and a half plate of fettuccine noodles with pesto sauce. Both were delicious and I was happy for a chance to be indecisive.
Sunday was the only day this weekend that was pre-planned and didn't change. I had a wonderful day exploring the Tuscan countryside with Marina. The area called Chianti is about 30-45 minutes away from Florence, but it seems like a whole new world. I felt like I was walking around in a mural- or one of the scenes painted on the walls at Olive Garden.
Our first stop was San Gimignano, which has the nickname of "the 100 tower city." While it never had exactly 100 towers (actually it was more like 75), the town built did build a lot for defense against the Florentine army and other surrounding cities. Most of these towers also served as apartments. Today, only 14 towers are still standing and only one is open to the public. But instead of walking up more national treasure like stairs, Marina and I opted to go to an fortress where we got an amazing view-- for free. :) The actual city is also very lovely to walk/wander around. While I didn't feel rushed, I also could have happily stayed there much longer- maybe even the whole day.
Next we took a very short visit to the walled city of Monteriggioni. Very small city- only about 40 people live there...total. We payed 2 euros for a ticket to walk up stairs onto a platform that enabled one to see both over the walls to the surrounding countryside and also look down on the city center. There were 2 platforms- one near the north gate and one near the south gate, and the ticket permitted you to climb both. Well worth the 2 euros in my opinion!
Because I ate the apple I brought with me as a snack before Monterriggioni, I was able to hold off for lunch until we arrived in Sienna around 1. Marina and I decided to get lunch with our guide and others in the group that made the same decision. For 11 euros we got unlimited pasta for a first course, pork, potatoes, and salad for a second course, and unlimited red wine. I'm assuming this fee also included the cover charge. And everything was delicious. :)
We had a walking tour of Sienna with a different guide. I remembered a lot of the information from my first trip to Sienna, but it was still a nice tour and I learned some new things too. When I visited Italy with the choir tour about 2 years ago, Sienna was my favorite city. It was lovely to be back, although my perspective has changed a little since I have now seen many more quaint towns.
After some free time to wander around Sienna, and take a lot of pictures of the beautiful arches and alleyways, we went back on the bus to travel to our last stop of the day: a vineyard near San Gimignano! Even though it's still winter and no leaves are on the vines, the estate was beautiful and offered a lovely view of the countryside. We also had a small tasting of 3 wines, 3 olive oils, and 1 balsalmic vinegar. The wine company was definitely on a smaller scale and family owned- we had the tasting inside their house!
All in all, the trip to Chianti was wonderful and probably my favorite day trip so far. Plus, we found out that our guide might be the same one for the trip we booked to Cinque Terre in May- which would be awesome because he was very good.
When I arrived home that night, Francesca introduced me to the new host student that will be staying here for 3 weeks. Her name is Antonia and she is from London, England. I may have used the word "new" incorrectly however, because today we learned that this is her 6th time staying with the Ricci's. She seems very nice, and I am excited to get to know her more. Also her italian is very advanced and I must admit it's nice to have another "translator."
Today is Yeapsira's birthday, and tonight we will be having a celebration for him- with family. Saturday he will have a party where many of his friends will be invited. Yeapsira is now 6!
So, even though I didn't leave for the weekend or go to Rome (yet!), I still had a lovely time exploring more of Florence and Chianti!
Itwas is the best of times.
Don't get me wrong, I was excited to go to Rome this weekend- but I was equally as happy to have another weekend in Florence without the stresses of traveling. There's so much to do and see here that I think sometimes gets overlooked by students in the frenzy of country hopping and rushing from one destination to the next.
Thursday my wine tasting class took a field trip to "Eataly" for a special meeting and tasting with a wine producer from the Tuscany region. Our class got out about an hour early, so I wandered around the city for a little bit before meeting up with Michelle for lunch at Panbriaco: an adorable sandwich shop where you can get a delicious panino for 3 euros.
Michelle and I went to Zara's, H+M, and OVS. I ended up purchasing a new coat and 2 new shirts. They were welcome additions as I had definitely been feeling a little constrained by my limited wardrobe. After our shopping spree, I went back with Michelle to her apartment and booked the remainder of my flights for spring break with the other girls that I will be traveling with on our week off--what a relief it is to be done with that!
Liz and I finally found a nice cafe to sit and do our homework at that afternoon. We sat outside near the Pitti Palace for a while, but the wind was brutal so we settled for coffee and a sofa. The library here is not a very nice place to do work and I am constantly distracted in my room. I definitely miss the ample study spots at HPU, but they do have better cappuccinos here. :)Saturday I had a museum day with Marina! We went to the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi Gallery. At the beginning of the semester I purchased a museum pass that will get me into most of the museums in Florence. It was nice to be able to use that- and nice to know that I can return again to see more later! We had hoped to also visit the Boboli gardens located directly behind the pitti palace, but unfortunately they were closed due to the wind. Now I just have to find time to go back- maybe when it's a little warmer.
 |
| Ravioli with truffle sauce |
Sunday was the only day this weekend that was pre-planned and didn't change. I had a wonderful day exploring the Tuscan countryside with Marina. The area called Chianti is about 30-45 minutes away from Florence, but it seems like a whole new world. I felt like I was walking around in a mural- or one of the scenes painted on the walls at Olive Garden.
Our first stop was San Gimignano, which has the nickname of "the 100 tower city." While it never had exactly 100 towers (actually it was more like 75), the town built did build a lot for defense against the Florentine army and other surrounding cities. Most of these towers also served as apartments. Today, only 14 towers are still standing and only one is open to the public. But instead of walking up more national treasure like stairs, Marina and I opted to go to an fortress where we got an amazing view-- for free. :) The actual city is also very lovely to walk/wander around. While I didn't feel rushed, I also could have happily stayed there much longer- maybe even the whole day. Next we took a very short visit to the walled city of Monteriggioni. Very small city- only about 40 people live there...total. We payed 2 euros for a ticket to walk up stairs onto a platform that enabled one to see both over the walls to the surrounding countryside and also look down on the city center. There were 2 platforms- one near the north gate and one near the south gate, and the ticket permitted you to climb both. Well worth the 2 euros in my opinion!
Because I ate the apple I brought with me as a snack before Monterriggioni, I was able to hold off for lunch until we arrived in Sienna around 1. Marina and I decided to get lunch with our guide and others in the group that made the same decision. For 11 euros we got unlimited pasta for a first course, pork, potatoes, and salad for a second course, and unlimited red wine. I'm assuming this fee also included the cover charge. And everything was delicious. :)
We had a walking tour of Sienna with a different guide. I remembered a lot of the information from my first trip to Sienna, but it was still a nice tour and I learned some new things too. When I visited Italy with the choir tour about 2 years ago, Sienna was my favorite city. It was lovely to be back, although my perspective has changed a little since I have now seen many more quaint towns. After some free time to wander around Sienna, and take a lot of pictures of the beautiful arches and alleyways, we went back on the bus to travel to our last stop of the day: a vineyard near San Gimignano! Even though it's still winter and no leaves are on the vines, the estate was beautiful and offered a lovely view of the countryside. We also had a small tasting of 3 wines, 3 olive oils, and 1 balsalmic vinegar. The wine company was definitely on a smaller scale and family owned- we had the tasting inside their house!
All in all, the trip to Chianti was wonderful and probably my favorite day trip so far. Plus, we found out that our guide might be the same one for the trip we booked to Cinque Terre in May- which would be awesome because he was very good. When I arrived home that night, Francesca introduced me to the new host student that will be staying here for 3 weeks. Her name is Antonia and she is from London, England. I may have used the word "new" incorrectly however, because today we learned that this is her 6th time staying with the Ricci's. She seems very nice, and I am excited to get to know her more. Also her italian is very advanced and I must admit it's nice to have another "translator."
Today is Yeapsira's birthday, and tonight we will be having a celebration for him- with family. Saturday he will have a party where many of his friends will be invited. Yeapsira is now 6!
So, even though I didn't leave for the weekend or go to Rome (yet!), I still had a lovely time exploring more of Florence and Chianti!
It
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