I didn't think I'd be writing mid-way through my trip home. Yep, that's right... I'm not home yet. This morning, Maria Pia dropped me off at the airport in Florence at 8 am. The place was flooded with Americans that were going home after their semester abroad. I was pleased to see that they were all waiting in a different line than I was. Little did I know, they'd get home today, and I wouldn't. I spoke with the check-in lady and she wasn't able to get anyone taken care of right away because they were waiting to see if my flight had been cancelled (it was coming from Paris to get us in Florence and bring us back to Paris). An hour later, it wasn't cancelled, but just slightly delayed. I was relieved. So, I got checked in and even had a chance to buy a special treat for my family from duty free. By the way, all of this trouble was because it snowed about 2 inches in Paris last night. So, I got on the plane around 11:30 (original time would have been 10:15 am), but we didn't take off until 12:15pm. On board, I was assured that I would not miss my connector to the States (scheduled for 1:40) because "all of the flights are delayed due to the snow."
We landed in Paris around 2pm and I rushed to the info counter. "Your flight left at 1:40, miss." Sweet. The reality didn't hit me until I reached the terminal that I was meant to take off in. (Charles de Gaulle Airport is enormous, so I had to go to another building about 15 minutes away.) Once I arrived at my terminal, I tried asking people where to go, but no one spoke English. So, I found a Customer Services desk and got in line. I was in line breaking the news to Paul via text and started to cry. Two Japanese girls turned around and actually spoke to me in English, asking if everything was ok. I looked like a fool, but I couldn't help it because it was my first time flying alone and I had no idea what I was doing. One of them helped to make sure I was in the right place. She brought me around the airport while her sister held her place in line. She brought me to another area, which ended up being wrong, so I found myself back in line with them. We waited for three hours. That line CRAWLED. Her sister bought me coffee because she felt so badly for me. She didn't speak any English, but was adorable. I don't know what I would have done if I had waited in that line all alone. It was really nice to have someone to calm me down and just talk to me about things unrelated to airport troubles.
At 5pm, I made it to the ticket counter and waited 5 minutes for the lady to finish typing all this crazy stuff for me. At that point she broke the news: "There is absolutely nothing available tonight." I started tearing up and I could tell she felt so badly. We talked about availabilities and I tried to get myself on a flight to JFK instead of Newark that was scheduled to arrive at 10:00am EST tomorrow. Unfortunately, it was completely booked and I ended up getting a flight into Newark, same time as it was supposed to be today. The lady handed me a hotel and meal voucher, told me not to talk to anyone, and go straight to the hotel and then come back in the morning. So, now I'm here, writing this unfortunate blog entry. The airline has my checked luggage with tons of money's worth of Christmas presents. They said that it will safely arrive in Newark with me tomorrow. I have my carry on, but am without a toothbrush, etc. So, I'm going to go on a search for something. I'm glad I have my computer to keep me occupied. I'm waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I can't wait to get out of here. Who would have thought I'd say that about Paris? Not to worry, I'll like it when I come back on the 30th for New Years, when I'm SUPPOSED to be here.
Well, that's about it. Off to find something to eat and I'll hope for a smoother day tomorrow.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Telaio
Ciao a tutti!
Last night, we had a great time together at one of our favorite bars, Kikuya. There, we exchanged our final Secret Santa gifts. I had Grace and gave her a Universita' di Firenze long sleeve t-shirt, which I had heard her say she wanted to buy. She loved it. Jeff had me and bought me a Pane D'oro cake which I have now packed away in my suitcase for Christmas. He also ordered me a mysterious book that hasn't arrived in the bookstore yet. He did an awesome job!
Today, we didn't have class, but Elisa set up a visit to see real silk looms (telaio/telai) in action. We thought it was going to be boring, but we ended up loving it! Students in attendance included me, Andrea, Grace and Carla because we all take History of Costume together. During the semester, our teacher had explained how a loom worked, but it was too complicated for us to understand. So, Elisa had us go to this place and get a tour of everything in English. The woman who gave us the tour was, of course, a master at fabrics and weaving, etc. I can't even describe how crazy the process was. The looms were enormous and sooooo old. They worked by manual operation, and we watched one woman weave very intricate and expensive velvet. The other woman weaved brocaded silk. Our tour guide said that all their clients are strictly the very wealthy including, kings, queens, the Pope, Versace, Fendi, Gucci, etc. We even saw some of the fabrics woven with with emblems of the designers. It was awesome! Now, I can really understand and appreciate why nice clothes can cost as much as they do. Fancy silks and velvets can't be machine woven; it's all done by hand!
After the telaio, I visited the Galleria Palatina to confirm what I had in my notes for Museologia. Then, I came home and packed. Everything is ready to go! My suitcase looks hilarious. Maria Pia helped me put wine bottles into huge water bottles, and then tape them up to keep them from leaking if they break. The Pane D'oro box is enormous, and I have a ton of little gifts everywhere! I just hope that everything goes smoothly at the airport tomorrow. Maggie flew out today and called me when she was at the airport. She told me that there was a lot of trouble with the personnel there because there were so many American students pissing them off. Everyone was trying to get away with going over weight, etc. Of course, I'm going to be grouped in with the rude Americans who don't bother to learn Italian. So tomorrow, I'm going to try to prove them wrong and speak all in Italian and be really nice. It won't be that hard. I hope they don't address me in English.
Anyway, that wraps up the first semester... I'll be home in America from Dec. 18th thru the 29th. Then, I'm flying out to Paris, where I will spend New Years with almost everyone from Holy Cross that is studying abroad (it's HC study abroad tradition). Then, I'll be back in Florence on the 3rd of January, ready to start studying for finals. Ugh. I may send an update from the US. We'll see.
Tanti Auguri, Buone Feste, e Buon Natale!
Last night, we had a great time together at one of our favorite bars, Kikuya. There, we exchanged our final Secret Santa gifts. I had Grace and gave her a Universita' di Firenze long sleeve t-shirt, which I had heard her say she wanted to buy. She loved it. Jeff had me and bought me a Pane D'oro cake which I have now packed away in my suitcase for Christmas. He also ordered me a mysterious book that hasn't arrived in the bookstore yet. He did an awesome job!
Today, we didn't have class, but Elisa set up a visit to see real silk looms (telaio/telai) in action. We thought it was going to be boring, but we ended up loving it! Students in attendance included me, Andrea, Grace and Carla because we all take History of Costume together. During the semester, our teacher had explained how a loom worked, but it was too complicated for us to understand. So, Elisa had us go to this place and get a tour of everything in English. The woman who gave us the tour was, of course, a master at fabrics and weaving, etc. I can't even describe how crazy the process was. The looms were enormous and sooooo old. They worked by manual operation, and we watched one woman weave very intricate and expensive velvet. The other woman weaved brocaded silk. Our tour guide said that all their clients are strictly the very wealthy including, kings, queens, the Pope, Versace, Fendi, Gucci, etc. We even saw some of the fabrics woven with with emblems of the designers. It was awesome! Now, I can really understand and appreciate why nice clothes can cost as much as they do. Fancy silks and velvets can't be machine woven; it's all done by hand!
After the telaio, I visited the Galleria Palatina to confirm what I had in my notes for Museologia. Then, I came home and packed. Everything is ready to go! My suitcase looks hilarious. Maria Pia helped me put wine bottles into huge water bottles, and then tape them up to keep them from leaking if they break. The Pane D'oro box is enormous, and I have a ton of little gifts everywhere! I just hope that everything goes smoothly at the airport tomorrow. Maggie flew out today and called me when she was at the airport. She told me that there was a lot of trouble with the personnel there because there were so many American students pissing them off. Everyone was trying to get away with going over weight, etc. Of course, I'm going to be grouped in with the rude Americans who don't bother to learn Italian. So tomorrow, I'm going to try to prove them wrong and speak all in Italian and be really nice. It won't be that hard. I hope they don't address me in English.
Anyway, that wraps up the first semester... I'll be home in America from Dec. 18th thru the 29th. Then, I'm flying out to Paris, where I will spend New Years with almost everyone from Holy Cross that is studying abroad (it's HC study abroad tradition). Then, I'll be back in Florence on the 3rd of January, ready to start studying for finals. Ugh. I may send an update from the US. We'll see.
Tanti Auguri, Buone Feste, e Buon Natale!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday night
Last night was soooo much fun, but started off a little annoyingly. Andrea and I were hoping to grab the 8:06 bus into the center, knowing that there had been a strike that day. We knew that we risked not being able to get a bus, but we had seen a bunch of buses go by, so we thought everything would be ok. Nope, it wasn't. We waited for a half hour in the freezing cold and then had to call Maria Pia to take us in to town. We felt so bad, but she didn't seem to mind. She had told us beforehand that she would take us anyway.
So, we met Kevin, Benedetta and Eleonora at this pizza place called Yellow. I knew it was popular, but I didn't expect to see the mob of people standing outside the door, waiting for a table. Eleonora and Benedetta had made a reservation for 8:30, but we didn't end up sitting until 9:45. They didn't have a list or anything, so the reservation did absolutely nothing. That's Italy for you. We almost went to another place, but obviously, we didn't. Anyway, we had a really nice dinner together and spoke a little Italian and a little English, to please both parties. Benedetta and Eleonora's friend Giulia also joined us. She was really nice.
After dinner, we went to Cafe Bigallo and met up with Grace and Carla for some drinks all together. We had a great time! Then, we walked over to a bar at Santa Croce called "The William." We had never been there before and it was definitely a very Italian place. I really liked the atmosphere. I think we're going to go again tomorrow. I just love hanging out with Benedetta and her friends, and I think that they really enjoy it too. It's such a good exchange for each of us with the language and cultural differences. We always have so much fun together.
Tomorrow will be a really long day but I'm looking forward to the evening. We'll be going out to dinner with a Holy Cross professor that's on sabbatical here this year. He's from Italy, so we'll be speaking in Italian. I had him as a sub once in my philosophy class. He's a crazy, really funny guy. I can't wait!
More soon. Ciao.
So, we met Kevin, Benedetta and Eleonora at this pizza place called Yellow. I knew it was popular, but I didn't expect to see the mob of people standing outside the door, waiting for a table. Eleonora and Benedetta had made a reservation for 8:30, but we didn't end up sitting until 9:45. They didn't have a list or anything, so the reservation did absolutely nothing. That's Italy for you. We almost went to another place, but obviously, we didn't. Anyway, we had a really nice dinner together and spoke a little Italian and a little English, to please both parties. Benedetta and Eleonora's friend Giulia also joined us. She was really nice.
After dinner, we went to Cafe Bigallo and met up with Grace and Carla for some drinks all together. We had a great time! Then, we walked over to a bar at Santa Croce called "The William." We had never been there before and it was definitely a very Italian place. I really liked the atmosphere. I think we're going to go again tomorrow. I just love hanging out with Benedetta and her friends, and I think that they really enjoy it too. It's such a good exchange for each of us with the language and cultural differences. We always have so much fun together.
Tomorrow will be a really long day but I'm looking forward to the evening. We'll be going out to dinner with a Holy Cross professor that's on sabbatical here this year. He's from Italy, so we'll be speaking in Italian. I had him as a sub once in my philosophy class. He's a crazy, really funny guy. I can't wait!
More soon. Ciao.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Lunch in Fiesole and Christmas shopping
Buona sera! Today, I reluctantly got up really early to meet Maggie Wright, Jeff, and Elia (our cultural advisor) for lunch. Andrea came as well. We all met up near Piazza San Marco and took Elia's car to Fiesole. We saw this cool Etruscan museum and the ancient amphitheater below it. It was sooo cool! And so old! We got to walk all over it and had lots of fun.
After that, we had lunch at a nice restaurant. Holy Cross paid for everything (yay!), so we ate bruschetta and assorted crostinis for apps, and each had a bowl of pasta. We also ordered a cheese platter and after lunch, coffees and cappuccinos. It was really nice to be able to have a long conversation in Italian. Elia made fun of me for the way I speak. He said that I pronounce every syllable and speak slowly- like an old woman! This was no surprise because I know I speak the same way in English. Oh well, that just means that people can understand me even better, right?! I hope so.
After lunch, Andrea, Maggie and I went downtown and I finished up my Christmas shopping. Andrea and I found a great gift for Maria Pia at the Luca della Robbia ceramics store. It's a wine carafe and it's beautiful! I can't wait to give it to her! We made friends with Mr. della Robbia, the guy who runs the place. We talked for about a half hour and he gave us a discount on our purchases! What a nice guy. I'll be going back there a lot.
Tonight, Kevin, Andrea, Benedetta, Benedetta's friend (Eleonora) and myself are going out to dinner in the center at this really good pizza place. They want to talk about America haha. Italians are crazy about America and it's so funny to hear! I'm really looking forward to speaking more Italian and hanging out with them. I really enjoy their company. They are so much fun... and Italian!
Perhaps I'll have more to report tomorrow, after my evening has finished...
Ciao!
After that, we had lunch at a nice restaurant. Holy Cross paid for everything (yay!), so we ate bruschetta and assorted crostinis for apps, and each had a bowl of pasta. We also ordered a cheese platter and after lunch, coffees and cappuccinos. It was really nice to be able to have a long conversation in Italian. Elia made fun of me for the way I speak. He said that I pronounce every syllable and speak slowly- like an old woman! This was no surprise because I know I speak the same way in English. Oh well, that just means that people can understand me even better, right?! I hope so.
After lunch, Andrea, Maggie and I went downtown and I finished up my Christmas shopping. Andrea and I found a great gift for Maria Pia at the Luca della Robbia ceramics store. It's a wine carafe and it's beautiful! I can't wait to give it to her! We made friends with Mr. della Robbia, the guy who runs the place. We talked for about a half hour and he gave us a discount on our purchases! What a nice guy. I'll be going back there a lot.
Tonight, Kevin, Andrea, Benedetta, Benedetta's friend (Eleonora) and myself are going out to dinner in the center at this really good pizza place. They want to talk about America haha. Italians are crazy about America and it's so funny to hear! I'm really looking forward to speaking more Italian and hanging out with them. I really enjoy their company. They are so much fun... and Italian!
Perhaps I'll have more to report tomorrow, after my evening has finished...
Ciao!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Pranzo in Chianti
Buona sera a tutti!
Today was the Festa della Madonna, so nobody had school. So, we met the directors of CLIDA (Gabriella and Alberto) and our teacher, Maria (who looks like Donatella Versace) and her husband in the center. First, the 7 of us exchanged Secret Santa gift #1's. (Maggie Wright was away for the day, but we already had her gift thrown in there). We used Maria to mask our identities. Then, we got in separate cars and drove to Chianti to a beautiful villa with vineyards and olive groves. One of the guys who runs the place is friends with Maria and her husband, so that's how all this happened.
We got a great tour of the villa and the Italian-style garden (that's the kind with the bushes all pruned to geometric shapes). Then, we even got a tour of the private part of the residence (where the owners live when they are there). They had just left yesterday, so everything was perfect and spotless and the caretaker was happy to show us around. They had the most amazing libraries. There were three of them, one after another, and they all smelled like old books! It was so cozy. The villa was from the Renaissance, so that's pretty old. It was soooo cool.
After seeing the villa, we went and saw the wine cellars where they make Chianti. I love the smell of wine cellars. Fermented grapes! Mmmm. Everything was so clean and perfect. It was awesome. I can't even really describe everything. There were just rows and rows of huge oak barrels that were taller than I am. The wine was in there aging for a few years. I'm not sure when it was supposed to be done.
After the cellar tour, we were brought to a nice little lunch room where we ate for about 2.5 hours, I think. We started with antipasto, which included a buffet of bruschetta, 2 types of salami, 2 types of pecorino, spinach pie, and liver crostini. The rest of the courses were not buffet style, but were served to us. The first course was a lasagna covered in bechemel sauce. The second was two types of beef with rosemary potatoes and beans. One of the beefs was kind of like roast beef soaked in olive oil. The other kind was beef that was slow-cooked for 8 hours and very tender and juicy. Both were great. Throughout the first three courses, we were drinking Chianti Classico, and then the reserve label of Chianti Classico. Both were fabulous. For dessert, we had Cantucci (which is like a biscotti) and Vin Santo (dessert wine), along with an amazing cake. It was kind of like a cheesecake, but much lighter. It was called Torta della Nonna, which means "Grandma's cake." However, I feel like a lot of different cakes that I've eaten are called that... who knows. After lunch, we were informed that every single thing on that table had come right from the villa and its surrounding area. The wine and olive oil were made right in the villa, along with the bread, pasta, etc. The vegetables and beans were grown right there, and the meat was purchased from a place right below the hill where the villa sits. It was so easy to tell how fresh everything was.
After lunch, we had a nice tour of the area where they make Vin Santo and Balsamic Vinegar. They even had grapes hanging to dry in one of the rooms for the Vin Santo. It was so cool and of course, the view outside of every window of this villa was spectacular. We then toured the inn part of the villa, which was unbelievably beautiful. Clearly, it's very expensive for people to stay there. Everything was so cute and perfect and Renaissance. I loved it. The place is called VIGNAMAGGIO and their website is: http://www.vignamaggio.com. If I had money, I'd certainly stay there! They even had tennis courts and a pool. I had yet to see those accommodations in any of the Italian hotels.
Well, I think that's about it. We had a great day and now I have a terrible stomach ache. I think I'm going to be full until lunch tomorrow! Of course, Maria Pia insists on something for dinner. I told her all I wanted was fresh vegetables. We'll see what she ends up making. Anyway, now I have lots of homework and a wine headache, so this evening will be interesting.
The rest of the week is going to be terrible with the presentations and homework that I have due. I should have more to report by Saturday. Until then, I'll just be studying.
Ciao!
PS- Totally forgot to say that the movie "Much Ado About Nothing" was filmed at this villa, and Mona Lisa lived there when she was alive! The painting of the Mona Lisa by da Vinci was painted on this site. We even saw the background of the Chianti countryside that was used! Soooo crazy!
Today was the Festa della Madonna, so nobody had school. So, we met the directors of CLIDA (Gabriella and Alberto) and our teacher, Maria (who looks like Donatella Versace) and her husband in the center. First, the 7 of us exchanged Secret Santa gift #1's. (Maggie Wright was away for the day, but we already had her gift thrown in there). We used Maria to mask our identities. Then, we got in separate cars and drove to Chianti to a beautiful villa with vineyards and olive groves. One of the guys who runs the place is friends with Maria and her husband, so that's how all this happened.
We got a great tour of the villa and the Italian-style garden (that's the kind with the bushes all pruned to geometric shapes). Then, we even got a tour of the private part of the residence (where the owners live when they are there). They had just left yesterday, so everything was perfect and spotless and the caretaker was happy to show us around. They had the most amazing libraries. There were three of them, one after another, and they all smelled like old books! It was so cozy. The villa was from the Renaissance, so that's pretty old. It was soooo cool.
After seeing the villa, we went and saw the wine cellars where they make Chianti. I love the smell of wine cellars. Fermented grapes! Mmmm. Everything was so clean and perfect. It was awesome. I can't even really describe everything. There were just rows and rows of huge oak barrels that were taller than I am. The wine was in there aging for a few years. I'm not sure when it was supposed to be done.
After the cellar tour, we were brought to a nice little lunch room where we ate for about 2.5 hours, I think. We started with antipasto, which included a buffet of bruschetta, 2 types of salami, 2 types of pecorino, spinach pie, and liver crostini. The rest of the courses were not buffet style, but were served to us. The first course was a lasagna covered in bechemel sauce. The second was two types of beef with rosemary potatoes and beans. One of the beefs was kind of like roast beef soaked in olive oil. The other kind was beef that was slow-cooked for 8 hours and very tender and juicy. Both were great. Throughout the first three courses, we were drinking Chianti Classico, and then the reserve label of Chianti Classico. Both were fabulous. For dessert, we had Cantucci (which is like a biscotti) and Vin Santo (dessert wine), along with an amazing cake. It was kind of like a cheesecake, but much lighter. It was called Torta della Nonna, which means "Grandma's cake." However, I feel like a lot of different cakes that I've eaten are called that... who knows. After lunch, we were informed that every single thing on that table had come right from the villa and its surrounding area. The wine and olive oil were made right in the villa, along with the bread, pasta, etc. The vegetables and beans were grown right there, and the meat was purchased from a place right below the hill where the villa sits. It was so easy to tell how fresh everything was.
After lunch, we had a nice tour of the area where they make Vin Santo and Balsamic Vinegar. They even had grapes hanging to dry in one of the rooms for the Vin Santo. It was so cool and of course, the view outside of every window of this villa was spectacular. We then toured the inn part of the villa, which was unbelievably beautiful. Clearly, it's very expensive for people to stay there. Everything was so cute and perfect and Renaissance. I loved it. The place is called VIGNAMAGGIO and their website is: http://www.vignamaggio.com. If I had money, I'd certainly stay there! They even had tennis courts and a pool. I had yet to see those accommodations in any of the Italian hotels.
Well, I think that's about it. We had a great day and now I have a terrible stomach ache. I think I'm going to be full until lunch tomorrow! Of course, Maria Pia insists on something for dinner. I told her all I wanted was fresh vegetables. We'll see what she ends up making. Anyway, now I have lots of homework and a wine headache, so this evening will be interesting.
The rest of the week is going to be terrible with the presentations and homework that I have due. I should have more to report by Saturday. Until then, I'll just be studying.
Ciao!
PS- Totally forgot to say that the movie "Much Ado About Nothing" was filmed at this villa, and Mona Lisa lived there when she was alive! The painting of the Mona Lisa by da Vinci was painted on this site. We even saw the background of the Chianti countryside that was used! Soooo crazy!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Space and Arezzo
Last night, Benedetta and her friend Eleonora came out with us. WE HAD A BLAST. Of course, they wanted to practice their English on us and we wanted to practice our Italian on them, but it worked out fine. We took them dancing at Space, the really American discoteca that we go to. They had an awesome time. Eleonora actually just contacted Kevin asking to please let them know every time we go dancing! I'm so excited! Italians to hang out with! Woo!
Today, Maggie Rossi, Kevin and myself took the train to Arezzo for a little day trip to get out of the city. It was such an adorable town. All of the streets were narrow, sloped, and cobblestoned. We also went on a great day because every first Sunday of every month, the town sets up an antique marketplace that stretches all over the place! They had some really random and unique stuff. The only thing I bought though, was a postcard, and that wasn't even from the marketplace! I just enjoyed the browsing.
We had a nice lunch at a restaurant that we stumbled upon... The food was delicious but the service was terrible. All we ordered were beans for an appetizer to share (which never came) and noodles, and it took us two hours to get our food, eat it, and then get the check. Whatever. The best part about Arezzo though, is that La Vita e' Bella (Life is Beautiful) was filmed there! So, we went to all the piazzas from the different scenes and took some pictures. As soon as I get back home to the States, I'm going to watch that movie again. I love it. It was really cool to picture the scenes happening.
Anyway, I'm going to lay down and watch a movie because I'm really tired of doing homework. I'll update more on Tuesday night. We'll be going to pranzo with the Materassi's in Chianti, so I know I'll have a lot to say.
Buona notte!
Today, Maggie Rossi, Kevin and myself took the train to Arezzo for a little day trip to get out of the city. It was such an adorable town. All of the streets were narrow, sloped, and cobblestoned. We also went on a great day because every first Sunday of every month, the town sets up an antique marketplace that stretches all over the place! They had some really random and unique stuff. The only thing I bought though, was a postcard, and that wasn't even from the marketplace! I just enjoyed the browsing.
We had a nice lunch at a restaurant that we stumbled upon... The food was delicious but the service was terrible. All we ordered were beans for an appetizer to share (which never came) and noodles, and it took us two hours to get our food, eat it, and then get the check. Whatever. The best part about Arezzo though, is that La Vita e' Bella (Life is Beautiful) was filmed there! So, we went to all the piazzas from the different scenes and took some pictures. As soon as I get back home to the States, I'm going to watch that movie again. I love it. It was really cool to picture the scenes happening.
Anyway, I'm going to lay down and watch a movie because I'm really tired of doing homework. I'll update more on Tuesday night. We'll be going to pranzo with the Materassi's in Chianti, so I know I'll have a lot to say.
Buona notte!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
English lesson, tutoring session
Ciao!
So yesterday, after being very productive on my work, I took the bus an hour away to Benedetta's house to teach her parents English, as promised. Antonio seemed to know a lot more than Annarita, but they were both hilarious and fun to work with. I didn't know where to begin, but there were a lot of things that Antonio wanted to work on, so we just started from there. It was soooo funny to hear them try to pronounce their th's and ed's. They had a really hard time with that... it's a work in progress!
We had dinner as a break between the lesson and it was very good. Roasted potatoes, green beans, salad, and steak, sausage and peppers on sticks. It was much more healthy than Maria Pia's cooking, thank goodness. (By the way, I asked Maria Pia to stop making me pasta and only serve me the main course. She fortunately complied. Phew. Save a few calories there.) For dessert, we had fruit, and cantucci with Vin Santo. So yummy. Then, we got back to the lesson!
Poor Annarita was having a lot of trouble with the alphabet because, in Italian, the letter E, sounds like the English letter A, and I sounds like the English letter E. So, she kept messing it up. Sometimes I do too when I'm saying the alphabet, so it's ok. We ended the lesson around 10:30 and I was sooooo tired.
Side note: Of course, Benedetta was there and was telling me about this huge party that she's having in January for her 18th birthday (18 is big here, just like 16 is big at home). It's going to be in a castle in Fiesole! Soooo cool! And, she has invited me, Kevin, Maggie, Maggie and Andrea! It was sooo nice of her and I'm really excited. Except, it's formal, so I'm going to have to find a dress when I get home for Christmas. Ugh.
So anyway, after all that, Annarita and Antonio brought me home.
Today was also a big day. However, it was exhausting. For Museologia tutoring, we all met at the Uffizi Gallery to do a quick run-through of the important pieces of art, etc. The biggest treat came second, with the Vasarian Corridor. The Vasarian Corridor is a long corridor (duh) that starts from the Uffizi, runs along the private area of the Uffizi, through the Palazzo Vecchio, over the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno, through the top of a church, and finishes in the Boboli Gardens behind Palazzo Pitti. It is about 1 km long and is filled with paintings on both sides of the corridor.
In the past, it's original use was for the Medici family. They used to use the corridor as a cut through from the Uffizi (their gallery) to their home in Palazzo Pitti (Boboli Gardens out back). Naturally (ha), they didn't want to have to go outside and walk to their home for risk of dirtying their shoes! They also created this corridor as a way of "walking over the heads" of the regular townspeople. Hmmm... a little arrogant I would say?
The special thing about the Vasarian Corridor nowadays is that it's not opened to the public because none of the works are protected by glass or rails, and the corridor is too small to handle large masses of people. The only way to see the Vasarian Corridor is by making a reservation WAY in advance and paying a TON of money. The Corridor is usually closed, so the reason it costs so much is because they have to turn everything on, and get a staff member to accompany you the whole way. Plus, you can only bring a max of about 10 or so people. To get idea, most websites I went to said that the admission price for one person was around 90 euro. I'm assuming that part of our tuition this year went to this tour, because we didn't have to pay anything today.
It was the coolest thing to see! We got to walk over the Arno and look down on all the places that we usually walk. The paintings were beautiful and we were able to get our faces right up next to them! Nothing in the way! It was also amazing to be all alone in this huge corridor. Elisa, despite being evil, is still incredibly knowledgeable about all of the artwork, so she made a great tour guide. That is one experience that I will never forget. So many Florentines still have not seen the Corridor and never will! Also, come January, it will be closing for 2 years for restorations. I didn't see anything that needed restoring, but whatever.
So after that, we had our Storia del Costume tutoring and now I'm back home. I'm dead and I have mountains of work today because I have two presentations due for next week and my internship resumes to work on. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday!
More to come this weekend! Ciao!
So yesterday, after being very productive on my work, I took the bus an hour away to Benedetta's house to teach her parents English, as promised. Antonio seemed to know a lot more than Annarita, but they were both hilarious and fun to work with. I didn't know where to begin, but there were a lot of things that Antonio wanted to work on, so we just started from there. It was soooo funny to hear them try to pronounce their th's and ed's. They had a really hard time with that... it's a work in progress!
We had dinner as a break between the lesson and it was very good. Roasted potatoes, green beans, salad, and steak, sausage and peppers on sticks. It was much more healthy than Maria Pia's cooking, thank goodness. (By the way, I asked Maria Pia to stop making me pasta and only serve me the main course. She fortunately complied. Phew. Save a few calories there.) For dessert, we had fruit, and cantucci with Vin Santo. So yummy. Then, we got back to the lesson!
Poor Annarita was having a lot of trouble with the alphabet because, in Italian, the letter E, sounds like the English letter A, and I sounds like the English letter E. So, she kept messing it up. Sometimes I do too when I'm saying the alphabet, so it's ok. We ended the lesson around 10:30 and I was sooooo tired.
Side note: Of course, Benedetta was there and was telling me about this huge party that she's having in January for her 18th birthday (18 is big here, just like 16 is big at home). It's going to be in a castle in Fiesole! Soooo cool! And, she has invited me, Kevin, Maggie, Maggie and Andrea! It was sooo nice of her and I'm really excited. Except, it's formal, so I'm going to have to find a dress when I get home for Christmas. Ugh.
So anyway, after all that, Annarita and Antonio brought me home.
Today was also a big day. However, it was exhausting. For Museologia tutoring, we all met at the Uffizi Gallery to do a quick run-through of the important pieces of art, etc. The biggest treat came second, with the Vasarian Corridor. The Vasarian Corridor is a long corridor (duh) that starts from the Uffizi, runs along the private area of the Uffizi, through the Palazzo Vecchio, over the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno, through the top of a church, and finishes in the Boboli Gardens behind Palazzo Pitti. It is about 1 km long and is filled with paintings on both sides of the corridor.
In the past, it's original use was for the Medici family. They used to use the corridor as a cut through from the Uffizi (their gallery) to their home in Palazzo Pitti (Boboli Gardens out back). Naturally (ha), they didn't want to have to go outside and walk to their home for risk of dirtying their shoes! They also created this corridor as a way of "walking over the heads" of the regular townspeople. Hmmm... a little arrogant I would say?
The special thing about the Vasarian Corridor nowadays is that it's not opened to the public because none of the works are protected by glass or rails, and the corridor is too small to handle large masses of people. The only way to see the Vasarian Corridor is by making a reservation WAY in advance and paying a TON of money. The Corridor is usually closed, so the reason it costs so much is because they have to turn everything on, and get a staff member to accompany you the whole way. Plus, you can only bring a max of about 10 or so people. To get idea, most websites I went to said that the admission price for one person was around 90 euro. I'm assuming that part of our tuition this year went to this tour, because we didn't have to pay anything today.
It was the coolest thing to see! We got to walk over the Arno and look down on all the places that we usually walk. The paintings were beautiful and we were able to get our faces right up next to them! Nothing in the way! It was also amazing to be all alone in this huge corridor. Elisa, despite being evil, is still incredibly knowledgeable about all of the artwork, so she made a great tour guide. That is one experience that I will never forget. So many Florentines still have not seen the Corridor and never will! Also, come January, it will be closing for 2 years for restorations. I didn't see anything that needed restoring, but whatever.
So after that, we had our Storia del Costume tutoring and now I'm back home. I'm dead and I have mountains of work today because I have two presentations due for next week and my internship resumes to work on. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday!
More to come this weekend! Ciao!
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