This post is about my last full weekend abroad-- cue sobs.
I was slightly worried about needing to study/ I wanted to spend the little time I have left in Florence so I didn't plan a trip for this weekend. Instead, I did some small day trips and finally checked off the last of my touristy things in Florence.
It was very nice not to have to pack and get to the airport or train station on Thursday. I had a nice relaxing afternoon and then attended the LDM farewell dinner that night with my other classmates. Whoever picked the food apparently was confused and didn't realized they were catering to college students. It wasn't horrible, but there could have been better choices for food, and a lot more of it.
Afterwards I hung out with a lot of the ID majors, signed the High Point shirt at Lion's Fountain pub, and even made it to (one of) the famous secret bakery! -Secret bakeries are present all around Florence, but as the name implies they are secret and the location of each is "unknown." These bakeries start up their ovens around 1, 2, or 3 am in the morning to make the pastries for the next day and if you are there at that time they will sell the freshly baked goods to you at a reduced price.-
Friday morning was slightly hectic, as my alarm for 5:30 am either didn't go off or I slept through it and only woke up at 6:36 when Jackie asked me "Don't you have a trip today?" I did, and I was supposed to be at the train station at 6:40 to meet and get on the bus- about a 15 to 20 minute walk! At 6:54 (pretty impressed with myself, btw), I arrived after throwing on my clothes and sprinting to the station amid strange looks from the few other people out. Irritably, many other people were late too and we didn't end up leaving until 7:30 (I could have used the bathroom!). But the important part is that I made it. :)
Friday's trip was to one of the only places I knew I wanted to visit before I got to Italy: Cinque Terre. It's located in the Liguria region of Italy and is known for it's colorful houses. Cinque Terre is made up of 5 seaside villages close to one another; the name literally means "Five Lands."
The bus dropped us off at Manarola and we had about 30 minutes of free time (most of which were spent waiting and then using the bathroom), before we took a high speed train to Riomaggiore. The train ride was less than 2 minutes so we didn't even bother sitting down.
At Riomaggiore, we had a little time to wander and explore the cute sea town. Marina, Lynde and I spent the most time on some rocks near the sea, taking pictures of everything and enjoying the sun.
Later we took a ferry to get to another city (instead of the train). The ferry gave us excellent views of the cities as they looked from the water, farther away. I really enjoyed being on the ferry and just relaxing in the sun- the smooth rocking of the boat could have sent me to sleep! The ferry stopped at Vernazza, and then Monterosso al Mare: our stop. Monterosso al Mare literally means "Red Mountain by the Sea."
We decided to get lunch with the group here, which was excellent. My only regret is that I didn't have more of the pesto pasta. Our lunch consisted of: bread and olive oil, water and white wine to drink, seafood salad, pesto pasta (main course) and gelato with fruit for dessert.
After lunch, we wandered around the city for the remaining 2 or 3 hours of our visit. We browsed shops (I bought a crocheted blouse) and found a geocache with the app on Lynde's phone! It was such a beautiful day to see such a beautiful village. We also tried Caproska Fragolas, and then sipped them by the beach. I've decided that if I get rich, I'm moving to Monterosso.
We met up with our group around 4:10 and took a train to Spezia, where we boarded the bus and returned to Firenze. We got back at 7:30, so I was just in time to take a quick shower and then eat dinner with the Riccis.
Saturday, I did some homework and preparing for finals because the studio was open and yes, Dad, I'm here to study. I finished my portfolio for my graphic design class so I rewarded myself with Gusta Pizza for dinner. :)
Aaannnndddd- here is my completed Portfolio- click on the picture of the cover to download the complete file as a PDF!
Sunday morning, I woke up early-ish and walked around the block to climb the bell tower of the Duomo. I knew I'd eventually get around to it... and then I realized this was my last week. Eep.
I was the first one there at 8 (it opened at 8:15) and the first one to get up to the top and take my beautiful pictures of Florence from above. I also went inside the cathedral and the baptistery.
On my way home, I stopped to get flowers for my host mother for Mother's Day- even though Mother's Day in Italy was technically on Friday. They celebrate it every year on May 8, as compared to ours on the second Sunday of May.
She seemed to love the flowers, and I told her they were for both her and my mother at home, but my mother got them in digital form via a picture. :)
That afternoon, I went on a wine tasting trip to the Chianti region. I was slightly worried that it would overlap with the other day trip Chianti tour I went on earlier in the semester, but it was completely different. I did this trip as a substitute for the field trip my wine class went on that I skipped in order to go to the Amalfi Coast.
The first stop was Greve, a quaint small town that has a very middle ages flair. It was probably first built in the 11th century. The city center is in the shape of a triangle and noteworthy for the loggias (a sort of exterior covered corridor) that surround the entire area. Markets are held here frequently, the best of which are on Sundays (guess I picked the right day to go). The loggias were built to ensure that market activity could continue even in the event of rain or other weather.
Next, we went to a vineyard for our first wine tasting. This vineyard, Riseccoli, specializes in Chianti Classico, which is the wine highly regulated by the Consorzio del Vino (aka Wine Consortium).
The winery gave us 3 wines to try along with some typical snacks. The first was Chianti Classico, which they make with 90% Sangiovese grapes. The remaining 10% is a mixture of Cabernet/Merlot.
There are numerous rules about how the wine must be made; the primary one being that a minimum of 80% of the grapes used to make the wine must be Sangiovese. The Consorzio del Vino also prints labels for all bottling companies to use, and no one is allowed to bottle and sell more wine than the amount of labels they have. True Chianti Classico wine is easily identified by a symbol of a black rooster.
Riseccoli also served us their homemade Finocchiona sausage with the wine, which has fennel and black pepper in it- very good. The second wine was a Super Tuscan (we have learned about this in class, as well as Chianti Classico). It was made of 40% Sangiovese and 60% Merlot and ages in French oak barrels for 3 years. The third wine was a white dessert wine made of numerous grapes that tasted almost like a liquor. They also gave us pecorino cheese with this wine. After the wines, we also were able to taste some of the olive oil they produce which was a blend of 2 black and 2 green olives. I bought some of the sausage to take back with me and I plan to share it with the Ricci's and Jackie at our last dinner together (sniff).
Then we left to go to the next tasting at a different vineyard. The small drives were great for naps, but I forced myself to stay awake and take in the beautiful scenery.
The second winery seemed much more industrial and less of a family company (to me). They used stainless steel vats to age and churn the wine, in addition to oak barrels. There our first wine was also a Chianti Classico made with 90% Sangiovese grapes. Not much you can change about the taste when the specifications are so strict. But still one of my favorite wines, so no complaints from me. The second wine was 100% Sangiovese and produced organically with no filtering- this was my favorite of the day. The third was another Super Tuscan wine.
After some time to wander around the vineyard and take pictures of the gorgeous landscape, we boarded the bus and returned to Florence. Now I am forced to face the reality of more studying and then exams and then... an airplane to take me back to America.
Current Status: soaking in all the Italy I can.
I was slightly worried about needing to study/ I wanted to spend the little time I have left in Florence so I didn't plan a trip for this weekend. Instead, I did some small day trips and finally checked off the last of my touristy things in Florence.
It was very nice not to have to pack and get to the airport or train station on Thursday. I had a nice relaxing afternoon and then attended the LDM farewell dinner that night with my other classmates. Whoever picked the food apparently was confused and didn't realized they were catering to college students. It wasn't horrible, but there could have been better choices for food, and a lot more of it.
Friday morning was slightly hectic, as my alarm for 5:30 am either didn't go off or I slept through it and only woke up at 6:36 when Jackie asked me "Don't you have a trip today?" I did, and I was supposed to be at the train station at 6:40 to meet and get on the bus- about a 15 to 20 minute walk! At 6:54 (pretty impressed with myself, btw), I arrived after throwing on my clothes and sprinting to the station amid strange looks from the few other people out. Irritably, many other people were late too and we didn't end up leaving until 7:30 (I could have used the bathroom!). But the important part is that I made it. :)
Friday's trip was to one of the only places I knew I wanted to visit before I got to Italy: Cinque Terre. It's located in the Liguria region of Italy and is known for it's colorful houses. Cinque Terre is made up of 5 seaside villages close to one another; the name literally means "Five Lands."
The bus dropped us off at Manarola and we had about 30 minutes of free time (most of which were spent waiting and then using the bathroom), before we took a high speed train to Riomaggiore. The train ride was less than 2 minutes so we didn't even bother sitting down.
Later we took a ferry to get to another city (instead of the train). The ferry gave us excellent views of the cities as they looked from the water, farther away. I really enjoyed being on the ferry and just relaxing in the sun- the smooth rocking of the boat could have sent me to sleep! The ferry stopped at Vernazza, and then Monterosso al Mare: our stop. Monterosso al Mare literally means "Red Mountain by the Sea."
We decided to get lunch with the group here, which was excellent. My only regret is that I didn't have more of the pesto pasta. Our lunch consisted of: bread and olive oil, water and white wine to drink, seafood salad, pesto pasta (main course) and gelato with fruit for dessert.
After lunch, we wandered around the city for the remaining 2 or 3 hours of our visit. We browsed shops (I bought a crocheted blouse) and found a geocache with the app on Lynde's phone! It was such a beautiful day to see such a beautiful village. We also tried Caproska Fragolas, and then sipped them by the beach. I've decided that if I get rich, I'm moving to Monterosso. We met up with our group around 4:10 and took a train to Spezia, where we boarded the bus and returned to Firenze. We got back at 7:30, so I was just in time to take a quick shower and then eat dinner with the Riccis.
Saturday, I did some homework and preparing for finals because the studio was open and yes, Dad, I'm here to study. I finished my portfolio for my graphic design class so I rewarded myself with Gusta Pizza for dinner. :)
Aaannnndddd- here is my completed Portfolio- click on the picture of the cover to download the complete file as a PDF!
On my way home, I stopped to get flowers for my host mother for Mother's Day- even though Mother's Day in Italy was technically on Friday. They celebrate it every year on May 8, as compared to ours on the second Sunday of May.
She seemed to love the flowers, and I told her they were for both her and my mother at home, but my mother got them in digital form via a picture. :)That afternoon, I went on a wine tasting trip to the Chianti region. I was slightly worried that it would overlap with the other day trip Chianti tour I went on earlier in the semester, but it was completely different. I did this trip as a substitute for the field trip my wine class went on that I skipped in order to go to the Amalfi Coast.
The first stop was Greve, a quaint small town that has a very middle ages flair. It was probably first built in the 11th century. The city center is in the shape of a triangle and noteworthy for the loggias (a sort of exterior covered corridor) that surround the entire area. Markets are held here frequently, the best of which are on Sundays (guess I picked the right day to go). The loggias were built to ensure that market activity could continue even in the event of rain or other weather.
Next, we went to a vineyard for our first wine tasting. This vineyard, Riseccoli, specializes in Chianti Classico, which is the wine highly regulated by the Consorzio del Vino (aka Wine Consortium).
The winery gave us 3 wines to try along with some typical snacks. The first was Chianti Classico, which they make with 90% Sangiovese grapes. The remaining 10% is a mixture of Cabernet/Merlot.
There are numerous rules about how the wine must be made; the primary one being that a minimum of 80% of the grapes used to make the wine must be Sangiovese. The Consorzio del Vino also prints labels for all bottling companies to use, and no one is allowed to bottle and sell more wine than the amount of labels they have. True Chianti Classico wine is easily identified by a symbol of a black rooster. Riseccoli also served us their homemade Finocchiona sausage with the wine, which has fennel and black pepper in it- very good. The second wine was a Super Tuscan (we have learned about this in class, as well as Chianti Classico). It was made of 40% Sangiovese and 60% Merlot and ages in French oak barrels for 3 years. The third wine was a white dessert wine made of numerous grapes that tasted almost like a liquor. They also gave us pecorino cheese with this wine. After the wines, we also were able to taste some of the olive oil they produce which was a blend of 2 black and 2 green olives. I bought some of the sausage to take back with me and I plan to share it with the Ricci's and Jackie at our last dinner together (sniff).
Then we left to go to the next tasting at a different vineyard. The small drives were great for naps, but I forced myself to stay awake and take in the beautiful scenery.
After some time to wander around the vineyard and take pictures of the gorgeous landscape, we boarded the bus and returned to Florence. Now I am forced to face the reality of more studying and then exams and then... an airplane to take me back to America.
Current Status: soaking in all the Italy I can.
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