Under the Tuscan Sun

This weekend I was lucky enough to explore the Italian countryside, and have decided it is my favorite place on earth.

I started the weekend by catching a train on Thursday night to visit my friend Emily (from college youth group) who's studying abroad in Florence. Emily was the BEST hostess, and I'm so glad I was able to visit her and see so much of the beautiful Florence! After dropping my stuff off at her apartment Thursday night, we set out to see some of the city at night. We were busy chatting and catching up when we rounded a corner and BAM, got a glimpse of this guy:

The Duomo!

The Duomo is such a show-stopper. I had crazy deja vu when I saw because I remembered taking pictures here with my family in 2004. This time around, I was able to appreciate everything in Florence a bit more. Saturday morning brought lots of rain, so our first stop was the Uffizi Art Gallery. Emily is minoring in Art History and lucky for me was like a private tour guide! She knew a ton about the famous pieces and their meanings. I felt so grateful to be in the presence of some of the most famous pieces of art in the world! My fav's were The Birth of Venus, Judith Slaying Holofernes, & Doni Tondo. (The pics online don't do them justice though.. from two inches away they are pretty cool, I promise.)

Roaming around Florence.

Next up was lunch - waffles & gelato, of course! Whoever came up with that idea is a genius. We wandered through the city and, even in the rain, everything was so charming. Emily had discovered an amazing spot on the top of the mountainside a few weeks ago with her roomies, so we took a bus for a half an hour straight up the mountainside and were dropped off in a tiny town. She led the way up a very tiny (and VERTICAL) cobblestone street, and we climbed up until we reached the top and were blown away by the view of Florence and Tuscany. It felt like we were standing on top of the world. We could see every direction for miles, the busy city in the middle, and the rolling lush landscapes of the countryside all around. The best part was that there wasn't a tourist in site, so Emily had literally discovered her own secret spot!

Even in the rain, this place was incredible.

Enjoying our amazing view of Tuscany!

(In case you were curious what gelato on a waffle looked like.)

Other highlights of the day included the Florence Leather Market (woo!).. It was a serious task to be accomplished in a short amount of time, but I luckily found just what I was looking for. The leather boots in all the stores were also absolutely incredible but a tad pricy, so those will have to wait. Emily also knew of a English bookstore nearby so for the first time I was able to buy something I could read on something other than my Kindle app on my cracked iPhone screen. Happy day. Saturday morning we both had an early wake-up call; she was heading off to Scotland for a week and I had a train to Siena to catch. We headed to the train station and were able to catch the sunrise over the Duomo!

I then took a train further south to meet my friends from Torino in Siena! I met Molly, Becca, and Amy at our Bed & Breakfast on Saturday morning and threw my stuff in the room before we headed out to explore the medieval city. Siena is an amazing and very hill-y city that makes you feel like you're either back in the 1700's, or in a movie with gladiators. I LOVED it. Our first stop was the Opera Museum where we saw some pretty paintings that looked very famous (given that people were oohing and ahhing over them), but my favorite part was climbing the (almost deathly) six story winding staircase in the castle wall to see the view of the city from the roof. (I haven't mentioned it yet, but this entire weekend was full of rain, rain, wind, and LOTS of rain.) Luckily no one blew off the roof at the top, but it was a close call. The sun decided to come out for a few minutes so we were treated to some nice views and even a rainbow! Win.

Panoramic view on the Duomo Nuovo.

We then ventured to the Crypt beneath the Cathedral (fully frescoed underground rooms that had remained hidden for seven centuries!), the Baptistery, and finally, the Cathedral of Siena, which was a total masterpiece. I've seen more churches in the last few months than I have in my entire life, and the Cathedral in Siena blew them all out of the water. My favorite thing to do in each church we venture into (and the current count is between 30 and 200, I lost track) is to marvel at the intricate details like the stained glass, marble, and sculptures, and to say a small prayer for something I'm thinking about. The churches in Italy are some of the most spiritual places I've ever been to in my life and I'm feeling so blessed to get to experience such holy places.

The Cathedral of Siena!

Wandering the streets!

We meandered across the town until we found a perfect restaurant situated on the hillside. Shortly after sitting down, we met a middle-aged woman from Oregon who's traveling around the Italian countryside. She was so bubbly and offered lots of great advice, and just radiated confidence and happiness as she explained her adventures traveling alone. She was a great person to meet! We then hit up the local gelateria and sat in Piazza del Campo to savory our gelato & people-watch (the two best activities of all time.) In total, we saw three (!) wedding parties go into the church (plus their wedding crew complete with some ridiculous bridesmaids outfits.)

Siena is most famous for their Palio di Siena, aka their annual horse races around Piazza del Campo. There are 17 communities (called Contrade) that compete, and the city is decked out in flags from each of the the contrades. The crazy thing is that the small track around Piazza del Campo is NOT even ground, and even with added dirt, there are sudden steep points and rough corners, so it's really dangerous for the horses. But that makes it all the more entertaining for them, and I can't imagine how packed the city is during that time! This is Piazza del Campo:

Imagine horses running around that at full speed!

On Sunday, we decided to head to Montalcino for their annual "Festival of the Thrush" that Molly had heard about. Unfortunately, the only bus leaving from Siena to Montalcino was at 7am, so I had a very early morning round two. The hour-and-fifteen minute bus ride through the weaving Tuscan roads was an adventure in itself. We drove for miles along the lush green hillsides, past vineyards, horses and the occasional farmhouse or villa. We finally arrived in Montalcino before most of the town had even woken up, but preparations for the festival were already under way as people in 18th century costumes ran between houses getting ready and drummers practiced in their courtyards. We were immediately shocked by how FREEZING cold it was, and the wind chill factor was about 700. First stop was to the top of the town where we ducked into a tiny cafe for breakfast. We immediately met the coolest retired couple traveling through Italy and spent almost an hour talking to them. We were so drawn to how well-traveled and ambitious they were, full of great advice and great stories. They were renting a small cottage out of town, and had spent a month driving all over Italy exploring castles and small villages. Out of all the advice they gave us, from the best places to see in London to where to stay in Switzerland, they mentioned that saving 10% of their income every year was the key to their success. (We decided afterwards that they must have been doctors or something because half a dozen cruises a year and excursions abroad aren't the norm. I wish.)

Second cafe stop.. best hot chocolate in town!

Montalcino is made up of four districts: Borghetto (red & white), Pianello (white & blue), Ruga (yellow & blue), and Travaglio (red & yellow). This festival was their once-a-year rivalry showdown where they hold an archery competition and show off their community pride. The rivalry between communities this weekend was a BIG DEAL, and each community showcased their own flag, colors, shirts, and special food dishes & wines for sale. There were also chants and cheers and lots of competition between the routy young people leading up to the parade and archery competition.

Amy, Molly, Becca

Although we had drawn out breakfast, we still had hours to kill before the festival began so we just wandered the streets, ducking into each store to keep from freezing to death. Soon enough, we heard drums and trumpets, and ran outside to see people dressed in traditional attire of the 1800's dancing through the streets up to huge tents in a procession to the top of the town.

Dancing!


At the end of the procession, there were huge tents set up where each community sold unique foods and their prized wines. By now it was close to noon, so we enjoyed trying some home-cooked food and watching the increasing drunkenness of all the townspeople + tourists. Molly, Becca, Amy and I had to keep running into cafes to keep warm (and totalled about 4 hot chocolates that day.) The parade finally began at 3pm, and it was so much fun to see the decked out costumes, music and dancing that progressed through the streets of the town. By now hundreds of people had arrived in the town and followed the end of the parade to the archery fields where the best archers from each of the four communities competed!

So decked out!

We didn't actually get to see the archery competition because we didn't want to pay for a ticket, but by now we had been there for 8 hours and were complete exhausted. We found a warm restaurant and were able to regain consciousness from the freezing cold. We still had a few more hours, til 6:30pm, before the one lone bus going back to Siena would pick us up. So, we spent the time venturing between stores, until we had literally been up every street, in every store, and almost every cafe, in the entire town of Molticino. We also wandered down some roads until we had an amazing view of Tuscany below!

When it finally hit 5ish, the sun was beginning to set and we were too coffee-d out for another cafe, so we walked up to the huge castle on the hill and into the cute Enoteca built into it. I wasn't really paying attention but somehow Molly sweet talked the bartender into letting us go to the rooftop terrace without having to pay for a ticket, (since they were about to close anyway.) This bartender turned out to be so sweet, and led us to the very top of the fortress himself (up pitch black staircases), to a beautiful view of the city illuminated at night. At the top, the wind was so strong I had to grip onto the stone walls for dear life, but the view was definitely worth it. 

View from the fortress.

We made it to the bus stop on time and I stood there shaking in my drenched boots and socks, which had begun forming icicles, while we chatted up a cute German couple also waiting with us. (I loooove meeting people traveling in case you couldn't tell.) Just when I started wondering what the symptoms of hyperthermia were, our bus arrived! Just in time. (Sorry for the complaining.. wait did I mention it was cold?!? Just kidding.) Note to self: buy some gloves. And a hat. And four more layers of leggings.

We made it home to Siena in one piece and passed out from exhaustion. One of the most fun days of my life! Unfortunately, I faced early morning #3 on Sunday when I woke up at 4am and called a cab to the train station for my six-hour + three-stop train ride home (Becca, Molly and Amy got to stay another day since they don't have class Mondays.) With little time to spare, I made it to Italian  class by 2:30 and had to stay at school until 6 for my Operations class until 8:30. Needless to say, I was a tinsy bit tired and am currently in denial about the fact that I'm getting a really bad cold.

Sunrise at the train station, goooood morning.

Speaking of being cold it's time for my third tea of the night!
xo

Life Lately

Life has been so busy. My roommates have been cooking dinner a lot (our cooking classes are totally paying off!) so it's been nice having home cooked food. Last week was a blur because I literally studied all week for three midterms (Operations, European Union & Italian I Final). (Who knew studying abroad involved actual studying?! They should have written that in a pamphlet or something.) I literally forgot how to study for midterms and it made me miss having normal spots to study, like an actual library. Luckily Busters (fav coffee shop) opens early, so I started a few mornings off by doing actual educational things. Not to worry - that madness only lasted for a week and now we're back to the fun of living abroad. :)

I stayed in Torino last weekend and it was such a nice break. Piazza Castello & Piazza Vittorio are beautiful piazzas in the heart of downtown and my favorite spots in the city. From Piazza Castello, Via Po leads to Piazza Vittorio and is an amazing long street full of great shopping and coffeeshops that leads directly to the Po river. The river is so charming and is a fun place to run.. the quiet paths along the river make the buzz of city-life seem so far away. Not to mention fall has definitely arrived and the river is such a beauty this time of year! I'm so excited for winter to hit, and hopefully it will snow for at least ONE day while we're here. (Considering the fact that the 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Torino, I'm crossing my fingers.)

On the way to the Po River is the Mole (pronounced like "mole-ay"), a major landmark that also houses the famous Cinema Museum. I went with Virginia, Molly and Carly a few days ago and it was definitely one of the best "museums" I've been to - super funky and not really a museum at all. You walk from room to room, each decorated to match the story of a famous film while it plays on a screen. In the very center of the museum, there are two huge projectors and dozens of red reclined chairs, so you can lay down and even watch movies for as long as you want. We then took the elevator to the top of the Mole, and saw an amazing view of the city!

Example of a super random room in the museum & the Mole from the outside

Inside of the museum.

The red and pink room

View from the top!

I also hung out with Maddie and we went walking around the piazzas downtown, and found cool entertainers performing! We also stopped and got gelato, of course. ;)

A few nights ago, some friends and I discovered a great Appertivo place in Piazza Vittorio that's only  €6 for a drink & all-you-can-eat buffet of appetizers. There were salads, rices, pastas, grilled veggies, potatoes, bruschetta, etc. (We were trying to figure out how the heck are these things yet not in America, since they're so successful and such a great deal.) We met up with our european friends studying abroad here and it turned into one of my favorite nights in Torino so far.. pretty sure nothing is more entertaining than hanging out with europeans. We also had the pleasure of being serenaded at dinner by a lovely old man playing the violin, who did not in fact know how to play the violin. At least it was the thought that counts!

Another thing that has been in full swing lately are the open markets. In at least every neighborhood, there are morning markets where vendors set up booths and sell produce, meats, clothes, shoes, and the most eclectic things.. nail polish, hair extensions, pots and pans, fabrics, dishes, etc. It's so fun browsing around and finding the craziest things. A few days ago, Kaitlyn, Kathleen and I found an amazing fall festival in their midtown neighborhood. Definitely one of the biggest I've seen and such a hidden gem!

Speaking of hidden gems, this weekend some of my roomies & neighbors discovered an amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Slurp that was so off-the-beaten-path we almost didn't see it. But they served an amazing Sunday brunch in a very eccentric type of place. Later on, some of my roommates and I also had the pleasure of going to the IKEA in Torino! Never thought that would happen. We had to take the metro to the very last stop, and then get on the "Ikea bus" that took us to Ikea. We all were able to get the small things we needed. And except for the fact that everything was in Italian, it was exactly the same as the ones in America! Happy day.

Another highlight from the weekend was going to a friend's house for dinner where my friend Sky, studying abroad from South Korea, made us all an amazing dinner of curry and rice! Such a fun night complete with a stop at Grom, my new favorite gelatteria. ;)

Something else  I've been up to recently is volunteering at a private K-12 Jesuit school in Torino, called Istituto Sociale. I go with Natalie on Wednesday mornings from 9am-1pm, and we split up and help out with the 4 and 5-year-olds. There are about four classes (of 20 kids each) in the preschool group and unfortunately not one teacher can speak English. Luckily, there's an American English teacher, Donna, who leads an English workshop for a few hours each morning and takes groups of kids at a time to her classroom for crafts and games. I start in the "blue class" by helping the Italian teacher serve a small breakfast, lead singing time, and help with games. It's very chaotic, but is helping my Italian a TON. Nothing forces you to speak Italian more than when a sobbing 4-year old runs up to you shrieking in Italian that Mateo just hit her in the head with lego. We haven't covered phrases like 'stop shoving!' or 'the paint is NOT for eating!' so I've had to improvise a lot. My favorite part is getting to know some of the kids better and I've decided my favorites are Sveva and Andre.. a girl-boy duo who are so sweet and bff's.. they hold hands while walking to the playground or to lunch (precious!) and I'm secretly hoping they'll get married.

Anyway, I then spend the last half of my time with Donna leading the crafts in English. When in her room, she tries to only speak English with the group, which requires immense enthusiasm and lots and lots of repetition. The poor four year-olds have to think really hard and usually stare back with blank stares, but Donna's a great teacher so it's fun to watch! We finally take the kids in a hand-holding mob to lunch at miniature tables and chairs in the cafeteria. Lunch is an extravagant affair (and we get to eat too, such a perk!).. there is the first course of pasta or rice, the second course involving veggies, potatoes & some sort of meat, plus bread rolls, then sometimes applesauce and always yogurt! What's funny is that the kids always seem to eat it all.. which is a lot more food than I remember being able to eat at that age! We then head back up to the classrooms where some kids take naps (in the dark room with tiny beds!) Nat and I catch the bus back around 1 to make it to class by 2:30. Always a good time!

Ciao!
xoxo

Tartufo D'Alba

This weekend, USAC planned a castle tour and truffle fair trip to the city of Alba. We had heard Alba truffles were the "best in the world" and very expensive, so I was imagining an amazing chocolate festival. Turns out there are also mushroom truffles. It was a sad day when I figured that one out.

The day turned out to be really fun though! After an hour bus ride to Alba on Saturday, we started the day touring a castle and taking pictures of the surrounding vineyards. It was a nice change to be out of the city and see more of the Italian countryside!

Maddie, Maddie, Kaitlyn & Kathleen!

After checking out the castle, we went into the city of Alba for the truffle fair. It's held for a few weeks once a year, and this was the first weekend, so it was packed. There was also the weekend open market happening so the city was buzzing with activity. Once inside the truffle fair, we were surrounded by booths selling their prized truffles, (which can only be found by trained dogs and can sell for hundreds of euros for only one truffle! Some big truffles can be thousands!!) We walked around for awhile, sampling really good cheeses and truffle oils with bread.. you can't actually taste the truffles since they're so expensive.

After walking around for a bit, we left the festival and explored Alba city. It was a really quaint, small Italian town and really Italian. I wish I could be around that beautiful small-town scenery more!

Don't those just look SO GOOD? ;)