Iggy Iggy Iggy Pop

Last night was my most raucous night by far here in Florence. My roommate Laura heard about a free Iggy Pop concert in the Piazza dei Republica, which is just a few blocks away from my apartment. So, after Laura finalized her fall break plans, we bought some beer and met up with Olivia to head over. When we got there, there was already a massive crowd listening to the opening bands. We hung around for about an hour until Iggy Pop came on, and then Olivia and I shoved our way to the middle of the crowd to see a bit better. It was a mad house, people were starting impromptu mosh pits everywhere and we were being pushed all over the place, so we didn't last long in the middle of the crowd and went back to find Laura not long after. It was definitely an experience though!

our view of the stage

Olivia and Laura

 

When we got back Laura and I decided to make a Mega Bed. It was the cosiest night I've had here, even though our bed frames prevent our mattresses from touching.

This morning we rose at the respectable hour of 11am, and called on Olivia, Grace and Hannah to go to the Diner. It's this restaurant here that serves American food, namely here American brunch, which is definitely one of the things I miss the most from home. Olivia was still sleeping, so Grace and Hannah met with us and we ate a scrumptious meal. I had eggs florentine, Hannah had french toast which was delicious (and which I helped her eat), Laura had chocolate chip pancakes and Grace had a breakfast sandwich. It was all super delicious, and surprisingly very affordable.

I'm in Florence this weekend for the first time, so I'm going to try and get around to some different museums and monuments here. We tried to go see the David after breakfast/lunch but it was closed due to a staff strike, so I will definitely try that again tomorrow. I'm excited to see more of Florence, seeing as I've already been here for a month (which is also insane, this Tuesday will be 5 weeks and it's totally flown by!). I'm working on planning out the rest of my weekend trips. Me, Laura, Olivia, Grace, Hannah and Vero just planned a trip to Amsterdam for Thanksgiving and I'm so excited! Additionally, possibly London or somewhere with Rachel, Prague with my parents in a month, and Oktoberfest this coming weekend!

New thing: Eggs Florentine, and a bunch of different ab workouts/the gym here in general

towards the heel of the boot!

This past weekend was my first overnight trip since I've been in Florence, and I spent it at the Amalfi Coast! It's located in, as my roommate Laura so helpfully described, towards the heel of the boot on the west side of Italy.

I went with a Florence for Fun tour group, so on Thursday night my two roommates Laura and Kodia, another girl from downstairs named Vero, Olivia, Grace and I ventured down to the train station to meet up with the 39 other people we would be traveling with, boarded the bus, and left at promptly 7pm. The bus ride down there was around 7 hours, and after dinner I passed out and slept through the whole thing. So the entire experience was relatively painless. We got to the hotel, which was called Spicy Sorrento and had a chili pepper as a mascot, at around 2am and promptly passed out.

Grace in her obviously comfortable sleeping position

We woke up at 7am on Friday to begin our day. Breakfast was provided at the hotel and it was a scrumptious buffet of carbs, meat and cheese– and of course Nutella. Then we left the hotel and walked along a road for a good long while to the port of Sorento to take a ferry to Capri. I was super nervous about the ferry, following my lovely Ireland boat experience for anyone who knows that story, so I popped some anti-nausea pills at breakfast and everything went very smoothly! When we got to Capri we had some time to gather ourselves and then we boarded a much smaller boat for a tour around the island. It was one of the most gorgeous landscapes I've ever seen.

There are grottos, or caves, all over the island. The most famous one, the Blue Grotto, has an opening that's only 3 feet tall, so it's not open when the tide is too high, and unfortunately it was closed when we were there. But when it's open the only way to get inside is to rent a rowboat and take that in, and it's officially a museum so they charge entry. I was so bummed to miss out on it!

one of the grottos

I survived the boat!

After the tour we all gathered and took a tram up to the top of the island, which is essentially a mountain. From there we walked down the other side of it in search of the restaurant that our tour guides suggested to us, and we were not disappointed. I had a green salad (which was in fact, just green lettace... two years ago that might have been just what I wanted but now this was a slight let down) but then I had my main dish of linguine with seafood (oysters and clams). It was delicious! It was definitely the best seafood I had ever had. We washed our lunch down with a couple bottles of wine, and then headed to the beach (which was conveniently right next to the restaurant).

Olivia with our delicious pasta dishes!

We swam and lounged on the beach for an hour. Laura and I swam and mini-cliff jumped off a rock near the shore. The water was so salty and sooooo deep, but I loved it because guess what... it was seaweed free!

beachin' it

After that we went back to the top of the island for a complimentary Limoncello tasting, which originates in the region. I am not a personal fan of this beverage, but it was a fun time nonetheless. After that we headed back down to the port to catch our ferry back home, and while we waited Olivia and I promptly fell asleep at the table. No shame.

We got to try 3 flavors of Limoncello: regular, lemon cream and orange cream

Olivia and I, hardcore napping

On Saturday we woke up a bit later, and were ready to leave by 10am. Our bus got there late, so we didn't get to Positano until around noon. I thought Capri was the prettiest place I had ever been but Postiano gave it a run for its money. We drove on a famous winding road called Nastro Azzurro, or blue ribbon, and it provided an amazing lookout over the ocean. (Fun fact: there's a beer brewed in Italy called Nastro Azzurro and we enjoyed some later in the day).

Positano

When we got to the beach in Positano, we decided to rent a boat which you can take out by the hour for 10 euros per person. We joined forces with another group of 7 girls who were traveling together and set out to sea! Our driver took us to a cove where we could swim, and then another rock to jump off, which was slightly bigger than the one in Capri. We enjoyed some Nastro Azzurros and lounging on the boat before heading back in and enjoying more of the same on the beach.

zoo group!

Olivia and I

Olivia, Laura, Grace and I

Laura and I (mini) cliff jumping

We beached it for the rest of the afternoon, had some sandwiches the size of our heads, and then I had white chocolate with Nutella gelato. Then we rubbed elbows with the locals to catch a cramped local bus to take us to the top of the mountain back to our bus to take us home. I spent the evening playing cards and drinking wine with Laura, Grace, Vero, and Kodia in the hotel bar.

mi e le mie panino con pomodoro, insalata, provolone e pesto!

my favorite dog I've met so far

cards at da bar, I learned how to play Presidents!

Sunday was our most productive day, ie no beaches or day drinking. We went to Pompeii! I've read a bit about Pompeii in some of my readings for Metropolitan studies, so it was totally unreal to actually see it. It's literally a dead city, perfectly preserved in the volcanic ash. We saw 5 people, who were literally mummified when the volcanic eruption destroyed the city, but it's estimated that approximately 16,000 people died when Mount Vesuvius erupted.

one of the mummified remains found

I decided I didn't want to take a formal tour– I've learned I hate them, they're much too restricting, and I had already spent way too much time being a sheep that weekend. I don't regret opting out of it, but it was an overwhelming undertaking to do alone. There is so much to see and the signage was very limited and rather unhelpful. But I still enjoyed myself, and liked wandering aimlessly, just taking everything in and hearing snippets from various tour guides along the way.

a fresco in the Villa dei Misteri (Villa of Mysteries)

We ended the day by climbing Mount Vesuvius. It took about 20 minutes from where the bus dropped us off near the mouth of the volcano, and it provided an amazing view of the surrounding area. You could see Pompeii in the distance, and it really looks like ruins in the middle of so much developed area.

the empty area in the middle is Pompeii

ya know, stretching in front of Mt Vesuvius

the mouth of the volcano

Laura and I, lady date style

"do hiking poses!"

After an hour at Vesuvius, we clambered hot and sweaty back on the bus for the lovely 7 hour ride home, and arrived in Florence at a lovely time of 10:30. All in all, a mighty successful and enjoyable weekend! We missed Hannah though, who couldn't come, but she was there in spirit :)


New thing: riding a boat without getting seasick, panna cotta, lemon chocolate, and the card game Presidents!

the fab five takes Pisa

On Saturday, Laura, Olivia, Grace, Hannah and I went to Pisa! We took an 11 o'clock train from Florence, a much more respectable time than all my previous day trips, and we arrived in Pisa at noon. It's a really cute town, and you can walk across it in less than half an hour easily.

the train station

Since this was our first trip we planned ourselves, and we didn't have any sort of schedule to keep, we ate lunch right when we got there. We found this smaller restaurant and had our first lunch of the day. I had salad and a pizza, and ate every bite. I'm loving the smaller portions here, so I don't have to feel weird about eating an entire pizza alone. After lunch we wandered through town, crossed the Arno (which is the same river that flows through Florence), and found the Leaning Tower! It was surreal to finally see it, since it's one of the most infamous landmarks in the world. We of course took the obligatory pictures of holding up/karate chopping/licking the tower.

Grace

Laura

Hannah

nomnomz

zee group!

The Cathedral and Baptistry of Pisa are in the complex with the tower too, so we bought tickets to go inside those monuments. The Baptistry is shaped like a cone, and it's a fairly small building. It's the oldest Baptistry in Italy, and because it was built on the same unstable land as the tower, it also leans– but it leans less than one degree, so it's not noticeable at all.

inside the Baptistry

After the Baptistry, Laura, Olivia and I climbed the leaning tower! I hadn't even realized you could do that. The stairs are made of marble and have been worn down by so many people using them, so the climb was a bit treacherous, especially coming down. But the view of Pisa was so great!

Pisa

Olivia, Laura and I

After that we went inside the Cathedral. I'm not religious, but I love being inside churches. The Cathedral in Pisa was beautiful.

Next, we went touristy shopping in the booths lining the monument complex, and I got a leaning shot glass. Our stomachs were calling for second lunch, so we went in search for a place. However, as one will quickly learn, finding hot food from a restaurant at 4 in the afternoon is no easy feat in Italy. After being turned away from at least 10 places, we found a very touristy place that was still serving food. I had a cheese crepe, which totally satisfied my craving for one I've had since I arrived in Europe. Paris' supply of crepes is pretty much the only thing I like better about it than Florence.

We mosied on back to the train station after eating, and then found ourselves rushing to buy our train tickets and then sprinting to the train platform to catch the train leaving in 2 minutes. We made it with time to spare, as the train left 10 minutes late. All in all, a very successful trip! I much preferred planning it with friends, rather than acting like a sheep in a tour group (or, the singular version shoop, as Laura would say).

Hannah, Olivia, Grace, Laura, and me in front of the Arno

New thing: Independently planning a day trip in Europe!

Bonus- Laura's new thing: prosciutto in bed

coastal adventures

I started my job on Tuesday at the La Pietra Policy Dialogues office, and it's great! It's such a chill environment, and my boss and the 3 other work study students are all really nice. I worked on designing the posters for a couple of the upcoming dialogues, and it made me miss working on yearbook in high school a lot. In addition to that, 2 other students and I met with an Italian student who is going to be a research assistant in the office. She just graduated from a Master's program in Florence and provided a lot of insight into the differences between American and Italian/European schooling. I think I'm going to be working with my boss Megan on developing the long-term dialogues, working primarily with their urban development programming.

Besides work, school takes over my week here. So, other than beer pong part 2 at an American bar here, I didn't do much this week.

me and my partner/roommate Laura

The week culminated in my first visit to the coast when I went on an NYU sponsored trip to Cinque Terre! It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Everything was so colorful and the water was the unbelievably clear, and super salty.

Map of Cinque Terre

Kodia, Laura, me and Carmen

Cinque Terre (translated: 5 lands) is made up of 5 different villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, and we visited 3 of them. I went with my roommates Laura and Kodia, and I knew a few other people on the trip as well. We arrived in Riomaggiore and toured the town, and then we walked up the coast to Manarola on a path called Lover's Lane. The whole pathway is lined by a fence where couples put locks on and then throw the key into the sea.

at the end of Lover's Lane

When we arrived in Manarola we took a hike through the grape vines planted on the slopes and natural ridges above the town, and then we were set loose for 2 hours to find food. Me and a couple other people ended up at this restaurant specializing in seafood, all of which is totally fresh. I had a salad and grilled calamari, and also tried some of Laura's stuffed anchovies and David's fried anchovies and octopus and it was all delicious! I was really glad I decided to be technically a pesketarian instead of a vegetarian, that seafood was much too delicious to pass up. After lunch Laura and I, with the rest of our group in tow, practically sprinted to the gelato stand I had seen when we arrived because there was a sign advertising the brioche gelato sandwiches I had heard about! I got a sandwich with raspberry and pistachio, and it was delicious.

David and I with our samiches

nomnomnom

After lunch we took the train to our next and final stop in Vernazza where we got to go SWIMMING. The water was clear and super salty, it was by far the best swim in the ocean I've ever had. We just treaded water and chilled on the beach for an hour. It was the perfect end to a perfect day!

the beach in Vernazza

Molly, the surfboard riding dog

New thing: stuffed sardines