wine, statues, and tandies- oh my!

What a weekend! I went on my first trip away from Florence this past weekend, and it was so great. I'm loving exploring more of Italy; there is so much to see and do in this country alone. Seeing everything that I want to see on the entire continent of Europe is becoming more and more overwhelming!

On Saturday, Laura and I rose at the crack of dawn (6:30 in less dramatic terms) to meet up with our Florence for Fun group, the tour group we booked our Chianti trip with. We took an 8am bus to the lovely village of Panzano in the Chianti region. From there we took a trail away from the town into the grape groves, and hiked down into the valley. We stood in the center of Chianti, which is also the center of Tuscany.

the center of the world!/Tuscany

The hike took about 3 hours, and the scenery was unreal. Olive trees and grave vines grow together in the valley, and there are random villas throughout them. I was pondering if life would ever seem real if you lived in one of them...probz not man. So, after that little stroll down and up the mountain around Chianti, we went up to a church that overlooks the whole thing. I don't think I'll ever get used to the scenery.

After our hike we went into town to go to a Villa where we were going to have lunch and wine tasting. We got all settled in and our hungry tummies were ready when, nope, time for the wine cellar tour. Sooooo, we did that for half an hour and finally sat down for lunch and it was delicious! Of course the prosciutto and salami came out first, so I waited with my empty plate for the beans to arrive. These white cannelini beans here are everywhere, and they're delicious! They're cooked with some fort of oil and onion sauce and they are oh so tasty.

The rest of the lunch included bread with the homemade olive oil, pasta with pesto and marinara sauce, and then an almond cookie for dessert. And of course, the wine tasting! The winery was small and family owned, and it was called Azienda Agricola Sala di Lorenzo Sassolini (Farm Room of Lorenzo Sassolini). We were given three red wines (Chianti Classico, Granducale IGT and Granducale Ferdinando III), a dessert wine (Vin Santo), and grappa. I bought a bottle of the Granducale IGT to have with my parents when they come to visit. It wasn't necessarily my favorite, but it was good and definitely one of the most unique reds I've ever tasted. I can't wait to get my dad's thoughts on it!

After that we mosied on down to the bus stop to catch the bus back to Florence. Laura and I were exhausted so, upon boarding the bus, we promptly fell asleep. Then, when I woke up I found myself surrounded by people. Fun fact about buses between cities in Italy– apparently they overbook. There was standing room only for at least half the passengers. I felt badly for the standing people, but mostly I was just exhausted. So we enjoyed our seats and wore sunglasses to avoid eye contact. We scurried on home, went to the store for more adult juiceboxes and got our comfy pant time on.

while wondering the courtyard around the villa, Laura and I obviously decided to be the statues

Despite the exhausting day that was Saturday, Laura and I rose once again at the ass crack of dawn (aka 7:45), and ventured to the train station with a bunch of other kids in the program to go to Lucca with a school sponsored trip. Obviously, two early mornings earned us McDonalds breakfast, which I swear tastes better here. Even though the woman taking my order's expression when I said "Egg McMuffin with no meat" made me feel a teensy bit judged.

We arrived in Lucca and took a tour of the town with a guide. The tour lasted 2 and a half hours. Suffice it to say, I was less than listening the entire time. I believe this picture Laura took sums up our feelings during the tour.

Grace, me and Olivia

So, after that we dragged ourselves off to lunch. I had a side of beans, as well as vegetable soup with corn meal. Then, feeling much re-energized, we rented bikes for an hour! It was so fun. Kodia and I had singles, and then Grace and Vero, and Laura and Olivia had tandems (or affectionately, tandies). It was a great way to see the city, not to mention the hilarity that ensued with them on the tandems was well with the 3 euros. I loved being on a bike again, I've missed riding so much since being here. But Italian driving is an excellent excuse to stay off the roads!

the tandems

After our bike ride through, and getting lost in, Lucca, we returned the bikes and found our way to a tower on the edge of the city that you could climb. We trekked up the stairs and found ourselves overlooking the town. I'm not sure if it's an Italy thing, or it's unique to Tuscany, but there's some ordinance that all the roofs in town have to be red. It makes for an amazing look over the city.

zee group

my roommates, Kodia and Laura

It was a great and exhausting weekend! My day concluded yet again with a bus nap and comfy pants time.

New thing(s): Grappa (liquor made from grapes, and also disgusting) and brie cheese

scampagnate e multo vino!

So yesterday as a whole was pretty darn swell. I peeled myself out of bed to get to campus at 9 for my urban studs lecture, which was actually pretty fantastic. I like my professor a lot, and we talked about the evolution of cities for 3 hours. It's nice to finally be in a class that isn't introductory and where I feel like I can bring some background knowledge to the table! #metstudies4lyfeman (Lauren I hope you're reading this)

Then, after that and an Italian quiz, I went home and went grocery shopping to get sustenance for myself and supplies for our picnic! (also known as scampagnate) Then I hung around the apartment until everyone got back, we got ready and began our trek to the Piazzale Michaelangelo. It's on the outskirts of the city, across the river from where we live, and it's really high up. I think there were 4 or 5 sets of stairs/hills that we had to climb, but the view was SPECTACULAR.

crossing the Arno

zee group!

So after some picture worthy moments, we settled down on the steps in the middle of the plaza to eat. Our spread inclued: Laura's homemade bruschetta, a toasted baguette, three types of cheese, crackers, grapes annnnnnd wine juice boxes, which are actually probably my favorite thing I've gotten here so far.

WINE IN JUICE BOXES?!

the aftermath of our nomming

After dinner we all got ready and hung out at Grace and Olivia's apartment, who live in the building down the street from me. Eventually, we graced the streets of Florence with our presence, in search of a bar my suitemate and her friends were at called Uncle Jimmy's. Needless to say, us being five girls in a city we don't know at all with boxes of wine in our systems, it took us a good long while to find it. But after getting swept up in a street of Italians dancing, a pit stop to get pasta for Grace's hungry stomach, attempting to get directions from an Italian hotel worker who didn't speak any English, and running into another group of American students who were also in search of a bar, and my just flawless map reading skills, we found Uncle Jimmy's. Which was empty as can be. We ended up bar hopping for a while, before heading home at the very reasonable hour of 3am.

New thing: Does wine in juice boxes count? It is in a different container.

Ho bisogno di pizza

One note: So Italian internet is kind of terrible. Learning this the hard way, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep in touch with my loverlies back home. My sincerest apologies, I promise I'm not leaving you behind for greener Italian pastures, I miss you all lots and lots.

Anywho, this week has been fantistico so far. On Monday night I had some friends over for dinner and it was honestly one of the best evenings I've had here in Florence so far. We all ate and drank and talked and it was really nice to be around such a friendly group of people. I also was/am getting over a head cold so it was lovely to take it easy for an evening.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I had no class, but I was on campus for my interview at La Pietra Policy Dialogues for a work study job. I interviewed with the head of the program, Megan Metters, and she was so nice. I had spoken with her earlier in the summer about LPPD and so it was a really comfortable interview. (Additionally, I learned today that I got the job! Yippee! I won't be completely broke this semester!) And so after the interview I hung around campus for a bit, admired the gorgeous scenery, and walked on the path from hell a few times. It's a bitch and a half, let me tell you.

Then I went back to my place and made dindinz, and got ready to go out. But before we could go, Laura and I obviously needed to get some gelato in our tummies. I got kiwi. I swear, gelato is god's gift to earth.

My friend from NYU (Sam) put me in touch with one of his friends from home, and so I met up with her. Her name is Hannah and she's a total gem. We were going to a bar that was having a beer pong tourney, and my friend Sam (different Sam from back at NYU) and I were to be partners. So we met up at the place, and went to the plaza in Santa Croce to hang out for a bit, before the games started at 11!

Sadly, Sam and I were quickly defeated. We were playing against two girls who were much too serious about the whole affair. But we spent the rest of the night dancing and singing karaoke so it was still just a lovely time, rounded out by a slice of pizza at 3am at a quaint establishment called Mr. Pizza.







Today I slept in and rolled out of bed at 10:30 to make it to campus for Italian at noon. Then, I waited around for the first event at the La Pietra Dialogues, for which I volunteered. I checked people in as they arrived and such. The talk was given by two NYU professors, one of whom is my politics professor here, and it was about the Euro Crisis. It was really interesting but got to be a bit long, especially in the Q&A portion of the discussion. Apparently Europeans know how to ask verbose questions like it's their job.

After the chat Laura and I mosied on home and found our kitchen filled with a dinner party one of our roommates were having. And so, we ventured outwards and upwards in search of food. In our attempt to get away from the Duomo and the tourist trap restaurants, we, being the logical and good directional girls that we are, just wandered in a circle and stayed right in the area of the tourist trap places. But we ended up having a delicious dinner all the same. We both got big salads and then we split an anchovy and capers pizza, which was so good! Really salty, but in the best way. And all of that only cost us 12 euros each.

My goblet of Perseco

Laura and our pizza!

nomnomnom

 And then we wandered home and I studied for my Italian quiz tomorrow. (Mi chiamo Chloe! Sono Americana, di Fort Wayne). Tomorrow we have plans to go to the Piazza Michalangelo and have a picnic with wine and cheese. So European, yeah?

One of my big goals for this trip is to make a constant effort to try/do new things. So, to keep me on track, I'll be listing something new I did at the end of every blog post.

New thing #1: Mushroom pizza without picking off the mushrooms.

Classico!

Overheard in the main villa on campus:

Dude 1: I'm going to peek in on that pilates class.
Dude 2: Why?
Dude 1: It's just a bunch of girls working out.
Dude 2: Yeah, classes like that are a great place to pick up girls.
Dude 1: I know, I joined a yoga class last semester to do that.
Dude 2: Nice.
....
Dude 1: What are pilates anyway?

Just a little gem for your day ;)

Anywho, no pictures from today, but lots of plans were made!
I signed up with my roommate Laura to go on two NYU trips, one to Lucca this Sunday and then to Cinque Terre next Friday! They're both in Italy and I'm really looking forward to them :) Then the weekend after that I am going to sign up to go to the Amalfi Coast with a tour group based here in Florence. So, hopefully my lack of pictures so far will be made up for in the next three weeks.

Classes are going well. My longest day is Monday and so I'm done with that now. I'm interviewing with the La Pietra Dialogues tomorrow at 3, and then I volunteered to work the first event this Wednesday. I'm really excited to get more involved with that.


I'm making dinner with some friends at my apartment tonight. Yay friendz! So here's a picture of my adorable face for everyone who misses it.

Lata skataz

Holy mother of gelato

So today was spent doing all the logistical bidness for my semester in Florence. I clambered out of bed at a respectful 12:30 and got dressed in time to catch the bus to campus, in the rain. I had honestly forgotten how rough rain can be in a city. On campus I went to a meeting for work study jobs and then an info session on the La Pietra Dialogues, which I will hopefully be working with. I'm interviewing for that next week. After that I schlepped through the rain back to my dorm to get my book lists, and went to the Paperback Exchange bookstore, which sells a lot of English titles and serves as our university bookstore here.

My roommate Laura and I successfully spoiled our dinners getting gelato ice cream sandwiches. Laura's much superior (to my nonexistent) Italian allowed her to communicate our desire for "pane e gelato" and it was one of the most delicious things I've had here.

nomnomnom

After our late afternoon dessert, we got ready and went out with the rest of our roommates to a Florence for Fun (a tour/trip group based here in Florence) Welcome Dinner. We enjoyed appetizers, 3 different kinds of pasta (I opted out of the one type with meat in it, but the other two were delicious), tiramisu, and of course, unlimited wine.

After dinner we all went to a bar called the Lion's Fountain, which is the most American I think we're going to get here. The ceiling is plastered with various American college t-shirts, and American hits from the early 2000s are playing. Then, we trickled off to Space, a discotheque here, which was less than thrilling but night clubs always are. I danced on a lit up platform with some of my roommates, so if nothing else I've got that peachy venture, eh?

I am going to make an effort this week to be better at taking pictures. I've been overwhelmed with everything else so far, but it all changes soon. The beautiful town of Firenze is forthcoming, I promise!

And it begin$

Okay, so week one is underway and I'm pretty much just exhausted, but it's also been absolutely spectacular! Everything in Florence is absolutely gorgeous, I continue to be blown away. I think I finally finalized my schedule for classes, and I landed upon Culture of the City (a class for my major), US and European relations since World
War II, The Etruscans, and of course some Italiano! Should be a good class load, and a bunch of them have trips to Rome and such included. Sweet action maaaan.

I got my phone to use here today. It's swanky, eh? My roommate bought stickers for us to bedazzle our phones, as it's the phone pretty much everyone in the program has. I currently have a turtle and jellyfish puffy sticker on the back.

I also took some time today to actually look around campus and holy shit is it gorgeous. I continue to be stunned everywhere I go there.

 

It was hot as balls today, and it rained, but iz all good dude. It's too pretty here for it to be even slightly lessened by rain.

I miss everyone from home like crazy, but I put up all the pictures I brought last night so basically you're all here too.

I'll be baachhhh

So after a just lovely 15 hours of travel, losing a bag and logistical orientation stuff, I'm finally in my room in Florence!

The highlight of my airport experience was definitely the woman riding through the terminal on her bike, straight chillen, and of course the excessive amount of movies watched on the flight from Chicago to Frankfurt. All of my roommates are passed out from the strenuous travel so I'm just hanging. Pics of my living quarters to come, but for now satisfy your adoring eyes on this unreal aerial view of the Swiss alps.