Fall Break

Midterms were this past week, glad to have them over. Doesn't matter what country you're in, tests are pretty much the same. I think I well on them, tried to do my best focusing and studying.

I'll give an update after break is over in a week.

One love,

VA

FUA activities

I really should probably be studying for my midterm exams, but I figured it was time for a break! I can't believe that I'm already through almost half my time here. I have a lot of mixed emotions about that. I love the opportunity for growth and experiences that I've been given in Italy. Some things that I've learned and been going through I never expected. I miss my family and friends at home. I definitely can't believe that I'm less than a year away from graduating college - came to this realization while I've been preparing to sign up for my spring classes. So many things going on! After midterms I get a week long break, not sure what my plans will be yet. 

"Allora", in the past 3 days I've been involved with school activities! I'm so lucky to have these opportunities at low and sometimes free cost. Thursday night was a pasta workshop where we made fresh noodles to make lasagna with fresh pesto and bechamel sauce. I was in charge of that station, they turned out so great! I have to give a shout out to my mom here, because at the workshop I noticed how many students had never made their own pasta or sauce and I'm like really? We do this all the time! 

It starts with the dough. 

Then rolling and putting it through the machine.

My station: layering pasta and sauce and cheese.

And 25 minutes later, this is what you get!

We also made gnocchi, but if you're interested in those you'll have to check out FB, because we've got other things to cover! Besides in my family, gnocchi is old news. I actually made it for my roommates a few weeks ago. So on Friday I signed up to visit a chocolate "factory" here in town. Let me explain the definition of factory here in Italy: they make it there. I just wanted to point that out because this was a strictly mom and pop show, about 2 kitchens to make display windows full of pastries and chocolates, shelves of bread and also pizza. There aren't big machines or tons of employees. They let us try a variety of things they made, and explained their traditional methods of making these great treats!

The husband gets up at 2am every day to begin the process of making these and many more sweets!

Pure. Hot. Chocolate.

Chocolate covered range peel: they're really into orange and chocolate here. Milk chocolate with Caramel. Dark chocolate with coffee. Dark chocolate with walnut. All so creamy and smooth, melt in your mouth!

The woman that gave us our little tour, filling some shells with chocolate ganache.

I don't have any idea what this is called, but its a traditional Tuscan treat of chocolate, fig, macadamia nut, and black pepper. Was definitely one of my favorites for the day! I will be bringing lots back, I've heard its very popular around Christmas. 

Today was my last excursion with the school. Previously in the semester I had asked Gaia, one of the school staff members, if she knew of any good hiking trails around the city. She really took to the idea and we decided to make it an activity available to all students. I'm really grateful that Gaia did the hike with us, she is so wonderful! She brought us up to the top of the mountain where Fiesole resides (mentioned in previous blog, So I Cant Stand on Mountains). Little did I know - this was the place where Leonardo di Vinci used to test his flying machines and Michael Angelo first got his hands on experience sculpting!! There is a type of stone that is still used in Tuscan architecture today up on the mountain, and Michael Angelo used to experiment with it during his time here. Unfortunately, di Vinci's story is less nice: he used to pay poor people from the city to test his flying machines off of a cliff, few survived. It was crazy to think I stood on the same ground as these great men. Once again, humbling.  

Bye Florence! Yes, olive trees in the bottom of the pic.

This is where people would leap off to test the flying machines! 

This stone says... I don't know. But it has Leondaro's name on it!

Bellisima! 

Basta per adesso. Vado studiare. Ciao ciao.

One love, 

VA

BARCELONA!!

Let me start by saying, I can't wait to go back! The sights are abundant, and each one unique and beautiful. Unfortunately on our short weekend trip we just couldn't get to all of them. A girl from CMU Corrine and her roommate and I left Thursday night and arrived late to our hostel. We decided best leave the site seeing for the next day, got up early and found a place that did "free" walking tours. Its sort of a new trend where quality and service are placed at the forefront of a business and at the end of your experience (in our case it was the tour but it could be applied to a meal or a show) you get to pay what you think it was worth. So this first day we walked around the old inner city of Barcelona. This place has such rich history! You could see parts remaining from each of the past centuries all around you. For example I stood in the plaza that Christopher Columbus presented Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand with the goods from the new world and saw the last bit of a Roman acquaduct that was built in 15 BC! It was a fantastic tour and I would recommend checking it out if you're ever in the area, our tour guide's name was Chris. http://www.travelbar.com/es/free-walking-tour/

This first day after the tour we also went down to the beach. It was great weather while we were there, about 75 and sunny. Unfortunately we all forgot our bathing suits but we enjoyed a walk in the water anyways. Here are some pics!

The Roman acquaduct

A tribute to the pillars in the community that support the children. Modern art.

We were on the coast after all! (mussels in balsamic vinegar)

Beach! The sand was actually imported from the Sahara Desert before the 1992 Olympics were held here, and they spend lots of money every year to make sure that the beaches stay nice and sandy as it is now a main attraction. Water wasn't so bad!

The second day we took advantage of another great tour with Chris on bikes. This allowed us to move outside of the old inner city and out into the newer modern areas. Gaudi was the focus of many of our stops for he is responsible for the most incredible works of architecture I've ever seen. The most remarkable piece we saw by him was the Sagrada Familia. Words can't really describe the majesty of this cathedral! The crazy thing is that its not done and may not be for another half a century. Although some have hoping-ly projected that it will be finished on the 100th year anniversary of Gaudi's death - 2021. Here's his works and more from the bike tour! 

La Sagrada Familia

There are 3 facades of the church covering the Jesus of Nazareth (his birth/life), the passion (crucifixion), and the glory (depicting heaven, hell, judgement day). The first picture is the life, this side is the passion.

Notice the change from organic shapes to very sharp cuts in the stone. They are all part of the design by Gaudi. 

This is part of the glory, still under construction. 

When Gaudi came up the idea for the church he went to many people in search of funding and no one was interested. So in order to fund the construction of the Sagrada Familia he designed these luxury apartments and the residents paid for his work. Now the Sagrada Familia alone attracts 3 million visitors per year plus those who come to see his other works. 

Another apartment complex by Gaudi to fund the Sagrada. This one is made of human bones, see the skulls in the balconies also?

Okay Gaudi didn't design this, but he laid the duct work for it when he was still studying in the university. Awesome fountain in the park.

Alright just one more thing: the Magic Fountain. This might have been the highlight of the trip for me. If you go to Barcelona, this is top 3. Apparently the times change through out the year but we went around 7pm right when the show was starting and stayed about 2 hours til it was over. Basically the fountains in front of this massive castle are all lit up at night and they play music and change the fountain to it. After a long day of biking and running around, this was just what we weary travelers needed. I'll leave you with these pics. Ciao.

One love, 

VA

Quick update

Ciao! Things are going well here on my Tuscan adventure. Last weekend I went on a school planned trip to a vineyard/winery in Montefioralle. Its a tiny little town on top of a mountain about 45 minutes away from Florence. We learned that we were actually in the heart of the Chianti region, and got to try 4 different bottles. They served us some great snacks too! We also were informed that bottles of wine with the black rooster on the neck of the bottle with the pink seal is a type of certification from the government saying that the wine is truly from the Chianti region of Italy. Some of you at home might want to take note! I found that my taste in reds is refined, and brought home a 2008 Riserva Chianti which is a type of wine made with only grapes from vines 15 years or older, and is left in the barrels for an extra year before it is bottled. Chianti is also a mix of three different grapes actually, which I did not know. It was a great day and the view was great!

Me and some grapes

Roomie and I 

Okay fried pizza dough - does it get better than that? They also had fresh bread with olive oil from their olive trees, pizza, and bread w different meats. 

The label I was talking about.

Such a beautiful place!

Vineyard.

I feel like time is going by quickly. People are already talking about midterms! I think that having class only once a week makes it harder to feel like we've done a lot but I do have a bit of homework outside of class. Obviously not too much that I can't still have fun. I like my classes, they're not very challenging yet (sparing Italian) but I'm sure that will come after we've divulged a bit. 

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Barcelona for the weekend - check back Sunday for some hopefully amazing stories/pics! And on that note - ADIOS!

One love, 

VA

So I Can Stand on Mountains

Today was a beautiful day for exploring on my own. I had heard about a city about 5 miles outside of Florence called Fiesole and was intrigued by its charming reputation. I simply took a regular bus from the San Marco Piazza and we headed up one of the neighboring mountains. At the first sign I saw saying Fiesole, I hopped off. I thought that the ride had been exceptionally short, considering that I heard the downtown was at the near top of the mountain. So I soon discovered, the first stop is not the Piazza in the middle of Fiesole I wanted to get off at. Luckily, where I got off and all the way up on my walk there were amazing views of Florence. I also really enjoyed the time to myself and being in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Also on the way up there were huge villas and gardens, it made me so jealous! 

A cathedral ceiling that I stopped in

One of the pretty villas

On my journey up to the heart of the city I came across a beautiful viewing site with some benches. I took a seat and stayed there for about an hour and just soaked it all in. It gave me so much inspiration I wrote a poem! Here it goes:

Up here, everything is beautiful.

The air is cool. 

Fragrant scents from harvesting plants dance around my nose and face.

The trees are lush.

They cover every shade of green the eye can capture, their depth tricking your perception, not allowing you to see one stand alone, but only the volume of their forest.

The sky is everywhere. 

Clouds sink low into the valleys and blend the mountains all together, as if to say, "we are one."

The city is vast. 

Quiet and tranquil it sits as a lake amid high green peeks.

Il Duomo emerges tall, capturing my eye with its alluring majesty.

Everything is alive. 

My breathe captures the energy around me with every inhale. I am awakened by its purposeful energy. One season is ending, it is a time of change. 

I am alive. 

I am changing. 

I am a part of its energy, and humbled by its beauty. 

Okay I did finally get to the top of the mountain and to the main piazza of Fiesole! I walked around a few shops, went to a convent and had lunch. I highly recommend this trip because its close, the view is obviously gorgeous and I had one of my best meals here (I usually don't even tell you guys about places that aren't in my top 5). Vinandro is a nice little restaurant in the piazza and was recommended by both a Florence and Fiesole resident. Here's the pics from the rest of my adventure!

The convent at the top of the mountain

Overlooking my city. Unfortunately it was still early so the fog prevented a clearer pic. 

Pretty steep way up! 

Down in the Piazza Mino, Fiesole. 

Lunch from Vinandro. I had to order the risotto al porcini because they're in season right now, I made a fabulous choice. The porcini were cooked perfectly they were like tender silky pillows, the sauce was so flavorful and the sweetness from the white wine in it was incredible. Every bite had me amazed. Luckily I couldn't finish it all and have some for later!

Ci vediamo a dopo, ciao i miei amici. One love.

Vogue Fashion's Night Out!

Okay so I've been meaning to tell you all how it was! I didn't take any pics but my roomie did so I was waiting to get them from her. Fashion's Night Out is a promotional night for designers surrounding the fashion week events around the world. Although Florence didn't have their own runways, it is still known as the second fashion capital of the world. This is only a recent fall in the rankings - as I've learned in my fashion marketing class that Florence was the top designer headquarters in the world up until the 80's and 90's when Milan took the spotlight. This was mostly due to Milan's heavy business focus, and therefore it was easier for people to commute to. Florence is still home to many brands such as Cavalli, Ferragamo, Pucci, Patrizia Pepe, and Cavallini. This was actually the first year that Vogue has held this event in Florence ever! It turned out to be a major success and as you will see in the pictures it was well attended. Vogue also sold specialty items to help raise money for the Emilia Romana region that suffered the devastating earthquake earlier this year. So here are some pics!

Outside many store's door to let you know that they would be open until midnight with specials and events!

Live models were in many of the store's windows.

Promo sign for the shirts for sale to raise funds. 

Luisa Via della Roma - SO PACKED!

They had a big screen with the promo sigh on it. That beetle pin was something being sold to raise money for Emilia Romana. 

I'm going on a short day trip to Fiesole later this week so I'll post again soon.

A dopo, one love.

VA