Fabulous Firenze

A Florentine foray: not a bad way to kick off my personal travel itinerary for the semester.  My suitemates and I have now mastered the 6:30 AM apartment-wide wake-up call, ticketless boarding on TrenItalia and the ideal napping position on the oddly concave seats of Italian train cars.  When we awoke from our groggy slumbers upon arrival at Firenze Rifredi midday Friday, we were tremendously excited to embark on our first self-planned excursion.  This eagerness was quickly tempered by our realization that we had absolutely no idea where we were in relation to where we would be staying.  Luckily, Sara's fluency in Spanish translates to expert Survival Italian and, after asking upwards of five random Florentine natives how to get to the city center, we navigated ourselves to the Duomo and then broke out some Mapquest directions to Hostel Veronique, primely located right next to a covered leather market and just minutes from the city's most famous museums.

Thankfully, we made sure to satisfy our educational activity quota in advance by purchasing tickets to the Accademia and the Uffizi galleries.  We first ventured to the Accademia to scout out Michelangelo's renowned David sculpture, which was hands-down everyone's favorite artwork on the trip.  The 17-foot-tall marble statue was exquisitely carved and perfectly rendered such intricate details as the veins in the upper arms and the curvatures of each kneecap.  We followed up the sculptural tour with a visit to the Uffizi, Italy's most famous and most visited art gallery, where we made sure to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus.  Not going to lie, I am not the most well versed when it comes to art history, but this semester is teaching me a thing or two and I am glad we hit the artistic must-sees!

Friday evening, Megan's Rick Steves' guidebook led us to a trattoria just a few minutes from our hostel where I munched on a delicious traditional antipasto with mouth-watering sliced meats, light cheeses and olives, then followed up with lasagna layered with decadent bechamel sauce.  After some perusing through downtown and scoping out the nightlife, we called it an earlier night, knowing that we had to get up at a reasonable hour to get in line for the Duomo the following day. Though we spent around an hour waiting come morning, Florence's famous cathedral did not disappoint, its interior sparsely decorated, but radiant in architectural glamour nonetheless.

However, despite our pride in all of the killer sightseeing we accomplished, the girls were all happiest to hit the famous leather market downtown where we put our bartering skills to the test for the majority of Saturday afternoon.  Chocolate brown calfskin jackets, a rainbow of shoulder bags bearing Firenze's fleur de lis logo (also one of Kappa's mascots, a sweet reminder of my sisters at Emory), lambskin wallets, pocketbooks in every color and texture, an overwhelming display of goods that screamed, "Ditch your budget! Buy, buy, buy!"  And buy we did, although we learned to bargain with the shrewdest of salesmen, pulling off the faux walk-away and "That guy offered me a better deal" measures expertly.  I ended up snagging a streamlined leather jacket with rocker edge for under 100 euro by the trip's end, a hard-won purchase I know I will always treasure.

Saturday night, we enjoyed "Wine Town," a festival where one could purchase a "credit card" with five points to be used at several of the 15 participating restaurants serving various regional wines. After we finished sipping, we stopped for some photos of the Ponte Vecchio before heading to Sant'Agostino 23, a dinner spot serving local "slow food" that did not disappoint.  Memorable dishes included an intriguing appetizer containing zucchini, mozzarella, bready pastry and anchovy paste, a fantastic carbonara, a palate piquing squid ink pasta and the fluffiest of cheesecakes (this coming from the dessert connoisseur).  After all was said and done with dinner, we went to space.  Okay, not actually...but we did make our way to Space nightclub, a flashy discoteca a short walk away from our hostel.  From the hundreds of waving glowsticks to the elevated dance platforms, the swarm of people bathed in neon light to the old Usher throwbacks, the experience confirmed that Italia knows how to do nightlife.  I definitely prefer burning off calories during a dance party to hitting the gym, not that there are any traditional American gyms in all of Italy (I need to find the magical beautifying/slimming device that all of these Roman/Florentine women are using; they, for the majority, are so effortlessly chic).

All in all, the trip was jam-packed with enthralling mini-excursions, an abundance of delicious gelato, and the recurring thrills of being in a new city.  The entire clan agreed that Florence was breathtaking and we would love to return again, but that we are content to live in a larger city on a day-to-day basis with more ground to cover in the long-term.  I realize that I have yet to share details about my classes (coming soon...I have less time to write about them, because the work is starting to pile up for them), but I will get some more newsy posts over to you all in the near future.  And I obviously must make mention of my Mom, Dad, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Kevin's trip to Italia.  Last week, I was lucky enough to enjoy several scrumptious dinners with the New/Moss crew and receive a top-notch tour of downtown Roma, including the Colosseum (finally).  Most pictures below are courtesy of Megan, our apartment's expert photographer:

Posing by the Duomo our first night in town

80-flavor gelato shop = perfection

Daytime Duomo shot!

And again...waiting to enter Saturday

Blissful!

Yes, we ate where the Jersey Shore cast worked
in Florence.  Not ashamed...

Leather galore!

Amazing antipasto!

All I can say is...Sant'Agostino 23, thank you!

Locks of love...so sweet!

A personal shot of the Duomo...I am proud
when my dinky camera captures the good stuff.

Wine Town: Firenze!

Ponte Vecchio from my Canon...even an amateur camera can't deny
how beautiful this place is.

Hope we meet again, Florence!

Hoping to shoot more posts your way this week if time permits with the update on daily life here.  If not, right after this weekend for sure.  I always love hearing from you all so keep me in the loop and maybe we can orchestrate some souvenir selections from the Eternal City.

Con affetto,

Alexi

Coastal Lovin'

If I wasn't already head over heels for Italia, this past weekend's trip certainly would have sealed the deal.  IES includes one optional excursion in our study abroad package and my pick was a weekend touring the scenic Amalfi Coast.  Now, I know you all must be raising your eyebrows thinking, "Does this girl actually go to school?" and I promise, I do...It's just that I have been waiting for things to settle down to give you the full update on that aspect of this journey.  So, before I bore you with some proof that I actually study here, I'll give you the best of Amalfi.

First Stop: Pompeii

After wrenching myself from bed to make a 7:15 AM bus and passing out for the 3.5 hour drive (which will seem like nothing by the end of this semester of exhaustive travels!), we arrived at the ruins of Pompeii for an 11 AM tour from our chipper, fedora-clad guide Francesco, who sported a hilarious man-purse (murse?) I might add.  Pompeii, a town in the region of Campania, was buried under the ashes and debris expelled by the volcano Mount Vesuvius about 2,000 years ago.  Since its rediscovery in the mid-1700s, its remains have been analyzed and provide extraordinarily detailed evidence of how Romans lived two millenia ago!  Long, fact-filled tours are normally not my thing, but this one was an exception because we actually visually reconstructed the ancient town. We observed the same bodies recovered from the eruption, examined ancient frescoes of vibrant reds and blues, and toured through remains of the palace of justice, the city center, housing for both the affluent and the poor, and beyond.  The faded image of Mt. Vesuvius served as a picturesque backdrop to the compilation of ruins and Francesco's many exuberant exclamations of "Mamma Mia!" livened up the tour.  

Entrance to the ruins

The ruins in front of Mt. Vesuvius

Ancient frescoes

Adornments in the bathhouse, a central social locale for early Roman life

Francesco behind Pompeii's "fast food" counter

Just chillin' by some ancient columns

Not too shabby looking for an ancient city!

Next Up: Sorrento

After our visit to the ruins, we re-boarded the bus for a quick one-hour drive to the luxurious Hotel Capodimonte in Sorrento.  "Capodimonte" translates from Italian as "head of the mountain" and, true to its name, the hotel provided a fantastic panoramic view of the coastline from its elevated perch. We chose to while away our first night's free time by relaxing poolside before a delicious four course dinner.  The gnocchi with creamy gorgonzola and smoky pancetta and the seafood risotto were to die for!  Post-dinner, we walked around downtown Sorrento; stores stay open until 10 or 11 PM for all of the tourists it inevitably ropes in.  We sipped on some wine by the coastal overlook and turned in early in anticipation of next morning's crack of dawn wake up call.

View from our poolside overlook of Sorrento

Had to take more than one!

Houses downtown...so endearing!

Looking up from the Port of Sorrento

Waiting for our ferry from Sorrento to Capri

Crossing Over to...Capri!

Bright and early Saturday morning, the IES-ers marched down to the port of Sorrento to take a brief ferry ride to the isle of Capri, where we would spend the better part of the day.  Funny enough, I unknowingly had thrown on capri pants that morning.  The boat ride left my roommate and I feeling a little queasy, but upon docking, it was evident that any minor stomach pain was justifiable in the face of this breathtaking limestone island.  After stepping off the boat, we took the "funicolare," a vertical shuttle, up the mountain to do some individual exploring.  I joined a group of girls for a tour of the Carthusia perfume factory, a quaint little operation that churns out the most sophisticated scents I have ever encountered.  My ultimate pick was "Carthusian Lady," a perfume combining 80 flowers to produce an intricate, dressier scent for a more formal occasion.  I hope Mom is a fan; these one-of-a-kind souvenirs aren't exactly Target-priced!  When we had finished our rounds and sufficiently window-shopped (Dolce and Gabbana wasn't quite in the budget!), a couple of friends and I traversed a winding path down the mountain to one of the exquisite private beaches.  Even without a paralyzing fear of heights, the walk was certainly anxiety-inducing, but by the time our sore bodies hit the crystal blue water, we all agreed that the trek was well worth it.  And we had to again remind ourselves just how worthwhile it was when, after an hour of enjoying the surf, we dragged ourselves back up the mountain to catch the funicolare down its' opposite side.  We spent our final hour on a boat tour of the entire island with close-up views of the blue and green grottos, a stroll under the "Lover's Arch," a glimpse of Giorgio Armani's vacation home, and sightings of the island's smaller towns, its various monuments and cliff after fabled cliff.  Our early afternoon departure was difficult to stomach, but hey!, at least I got to snack on some of Capri's own "Caprese al Limone" gelato to soothe the pain of leaving it behind.

Step off of the boat and onto paradise...

The dream dress of every girl on our program

For Isabella, your favorite store!

The perfume factory!

These Capresians (sp?) have good taste!

Mountain-side snapshot

After our dip in the ocean...irresistible photo op!

Giorgio Armani's digs

Water by the green grotto...looks just like oil paint!

A long wait at the Grotto Azzurra

Positively Precious: Positano

While we could only steal a quick peek on a Sunday pitstop, this city absolutely wows.  I had to stick it in here for kicks.  I wish I could bring Positano home with me or at least airlift one of those houses! I am so jealous that my parents get to spend some more time here so enjoy it for me, please.

Not to scare you, Mom and Dad, but I may have to marry an Italian
if that means I can live here...

Love at first sight!

Final Destination: Amalfi

Our last stop in Amalfi was a nice finishing touch to the jam-packed weekend.  We visited the church of St. Andrew (whose given holiday is my birthday...kindred spirits much?  Okay, jokes aside...) and roamed around the shops in town, picking up limoncello pitchers here and tiles of the gorgeous coastal landscapes there, than speculating on prices.  While we intended to stop in Ravello for lunch and to view a villa, a fire had tragically struck the town and made it impossible for us to incorporate the stop into our journey.  Nonetheless, our bus toured the entire coastline impromptu and, even in motion, through the tinted glass, we could still capture the most gratifying parting snapshots.  Not a shabby introduction to travels abroad here!

Central strip of housing

Belltower and St. Andrew's Church

Where would Italy be without its' glorious fountains?

Tilework in the cloister of St. Andrew's

Impressive architectural detail in the crypt

Hey, birthday buddy!

I know this was a bit of an exhaustive post, but I just wanted to give you all a thorough recap of the weekend and assure you that I am learning (really) even when it is just some history pleasantly picked up on a short getaway.  To come: the 4-1-1 on school here, field studies, and  some upcoming trips to Florence this weekend and Oktoberfest the next.  

Ciao,

Lex

The Highlight Reel: Round Two

Times flies when you're a roaming Roman!  Two weeks down in the Eternal City and it feels like just yesterday that I de-boarded that United plane in a jet-lagged haze.  Well, that's not entirely true...in some ways, I feel like I have been here forever.  While I am not sleeping on a comfy Tempurpedic mattress pad, our sweet little apartment has become home (I have mastered drying on a clothesline and sufficiently adjusted to no A/C...ever).  I have also eaten more pizza and pasta here than I did last year and I really don't regret a single bite.  Our takeout pizza place up the street is renowned in Roma (and that's saying something with so many fantastic joints) and their suppli (fried risotto and mozzarella balls that are coated in breadcrumbs) put 2Amy's in DC to shame!  Today was our first day of area studies courses and so the reality has finally set in that this isn't just some freak vacation...it's life...at home...in Rome!  Here are some select happenings/observations of this past week.

Nuovi Amici Italiani

Living with Susanna, our lovely ISC, was the best pre-departure decision I made by far.  We are all delighted by her charming personality, but more than that, she has made the immersion process so simple and enjoyable.  Before coming here, I never had to bridge a language gap with a friend.  It was easy, dialogue flowed smoothly, and that was that.  But I never realized how rewarding it could be to gain friends by dutifully committing to bridging a cultural or language gap.  Luckily, Sus is incredibly inviting and we have gotten to meet all of her closest friends in our first few weeks here.  Sure, we've cheated a bit (most of her friends speak a decent bit of English), but we have also been spending lots of time with these full-fledged Italian natives.  I have learned the expression for cheers-ing (yes, I am aware I invented that verb) in Italian, the strong pronunciation of r's, and the word for earrings (orecchini...her friends have adorable ones) among other useful tidbits.  After our night out in Trastevere with the Roman crew, my roommate and I were way too giddy about our six new Italian friends and immediately Facebook friended the whole lot, then wrote on their walls in Italian to invite them out with us again.  Meeting these new people has made me value creating international bonds so much more.  Even after the program, I definitely will aim to not only be more receptive to those of different backgrounds, but to aggressively seize the opportunity to make diverse friends.  These ties can prove to be the most rewarding!

Some of the suitemates with Susanna and friends in Trastevere

Stumble Upon Roma

StumbleUpon.com is one of my absolute favorite websites because you can input any and all of your interests and it shoots you to limitless other obscure websites that will keep you entertained for hours.  It is my go-to for cute quotes, scenic photos, addicting computer games, and fascinating tidbits of information.  I cannot help thinking that living in Monteverde in Roma is a real-life version of Stumble Upon.  Seriously, though.  My friends and I will start off looking for a cheap dinner spot in the city center and end up being thrust into dozens of mini-adventures on the way to our destination.  These little snapshots largely contribute to the awesome bigger picture.  From a captivating little breakdance show by Piazza Venezia to an impromptu visit to the Pantheon on yet another gelato quest,  I have been enjoying "surfing sites" in real time in Italia.  I am definitely ready to put all of these enthralling monuments, restaurants, and events into context through all that we will learn in our area studies courses!

Breakdancers on Via Del Corso

Suitemates in front of the Trevi at night

Just happened upon the Pantheon

View on the gorgeous morning walk to school

Central city street

Cute lunch spot in town

A "scopiero della fame" (hunger strike) occurring right by the Trevi

Notable Nuances

Sure, there are definite similarities between Italians and Americans (We both love food and vino; Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have also made their way over here to dominate pop culture...and grocery store speakers), but the distinctions are what you obviously make note of when you're an "americana" transplanted from the US.  First of all, I don't think that I would ever receive an info sheet to fill in from an American professor that asked if I had ever spoken in public, then followed up with the question, "Were you sober?"  Yet, such was the case with a handout from my International Relations teacher here.  Yes, the drinking age is obviously lower in Italy, but there is this more relaxed dialogue taking place in the classrooms here from day one that is simply different.  I can't tell yet if it's a European thing, an Italian thing, or a professor-specific sort of thing so I will have to get back to you on that one.  All that I can say is that I look forward to learning more about these educational distinctions.  In addition, one of the most difficult things to adjust to here is the forward mannerism of Italian men.  I know that this may come off as a trivial commentary, but it is tough to enjoy dancing at a discoteca when a random guy is grabbing your wrist or pulling your hair.  While I am sure that most of my female friends could write an essay about the flaws of American boys, there is a definite increase in aggression here that warrants a heightened level of awareness and takes definite adjustment.  As a lady in the big city, you must always travel in a large group, maintain an air of confidence at all times, and ensure that your personal space is respected.  I am glad to be learning some street smarts on this awesome journey.

I will follow up soon with more detail on classes.  This semester will be rife with some incredible field studies; I am looking forward to the gorgeous architectural and artistic masterpieces for the course "Rome as a Living Museum" as well as the various urban landscapes we will journey to for "Culture and Urban Change in Contemporary Italy."  Coming up this weekend is our IES excursion to the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Capri...can't wait!

Ciao for now!