Quinta e Sesta Settimana

Ciao all, 

Seeing as I have neglected my blog lately, this edition with cover the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, we had friends from UW who are studying abroad in Rome visiting us. It made for a busy week but it was well worth it to host them. We had so much fun showing them all of our favorites places to eat and shop while reliving some of the more touristy activities in Florence. Much of our time with them was spent eating at our favorite hole in the wall panini stand, Gusta Pizza, and Star Kebabs. One night, we all cooked together and made a huge Mexican dinner. I made my famous homemade guacamole and am missing it already. Our feast was followed by a fiesta of sorts at an exclusive Italian club that was opened to Americans for one night only this month. Having them here was a perfect change of pace from our normal routine but it also made me realize how much I miss my friends from home. I wish you were all here living with me! 

Wish you were here!

Love you and miss you all!

Another exciting part of last week was a class field trip to a vineyard with my wine marketing class. Just a short bus ride outside the city took us to the rural part of Florence. The vineyard we visited has been a family business since the 1800s. Although the vines have not started budding yet, we were able to see the aging and fermentation process. 




We tasted three different wines, tried their homemade olive oil, and ate traditional  homemade appetizers like bruschetta, Tuscan soup, and paninis. The couple who ran the vineyard was married in their backyard which was gorgeous. Now I am very excited for our wine tasting excursion in Tuscany on my birthday weekend!

Basilica of St. Anthony

Over the weekend, we had an excursion to Padua and Venice with our program. Because Venice accommodations are so expensive, we went to Padua on Saturday morning and spent the night in a hotel then left for Venice Sunday morning. Padua was a smaller city, rich in history. We visited an organic farm there and tasted some of their homemade dishes like fresh salami, ragu pasta, homemade cheese, different vegetables and desserts. Although I tried everything on my plate, some of the meat was difficult to eat after seeing the animals it was made from running outside on the farm moments before we sat down to eat.

Food Tasting in Padua

Venice on the other hand was without a doubt one of my favorite places I have been in my life. I think being near water again had a lot to do with it considering I am surrounded by buildings in Florence with almost zero vegetation and the only water close by being the Arno River, which is beautiful but nothing like the water at home.

Our bus dropped us off a landing dock that had several water taxi boats that almost looked like double decker buses which transported us to the main city. Before visiting I had no idea that Venice was actually made up of over a hundred tiny islands all connected by about 400 short bridges. There is one main channel, The Grand Canal, that weaves through all the tiny islands and the Rialto Bridge crosses the Grand Canal.

Considering that we only had one day there, we were on a mission to see and do exactly what we wanted instead of spend all our time on historical tours. We broke away from the group and took our own private gondola ride through the city. That was the best decision we ever made considering we had our own personal tour guide, Stefano, paddling us around, singing to us in Italian, and showing us what life in Venice was like for a local. I'm not a huge seafood lover, but we took Stefano's favorite restaurant recommendation and the other girls had fresh seafood they loved while I had truffle pasta :)

One of the most shocking things about Venice compared to any other city we have been in was the quietness. Without cars or mopeds the sounds of the city were so much calmer. It was refreshing to see people walking everywhere and have fresh water air to breath. The houses were absolutely adorable too. Painted all different bright colors, with doors that open right into the water, I was in love. Being so small, I felt like we were able to get a feel for most of the city in a day, although I know I will go back in my lifetime.

The glass work there was another incredible part of the city. The glass blowing island was about a 45 minute boat ride away so we didn't visit it but all the glass work was being sold in shops all over. I wanted to buy and take so many things home with me because the vases, picture frames, plates, and jewelry are so beautiful. Unfortunately I can't travel with most of it because it's too fragile.

Here's some of my pictures, I'll put the rest on Facebook because there are way too many! We were lucky to have beautiful weather for the day. It has been rainy everyday since then.

My Future Home :)

  

Me and Stefano

This weekend I'm traveling to Milan and the following week is Spring Break already! Midterms are next week, marking the half way point of my trip. It's crazy how fast time has gone already. I thought I should update you all on a few more big cultural difference I have noticed:

 - Second hand smoke makes up a majority of the air I breath outside, everyone smokes here and rolls their own cigarettes
- Public restrooms are nearly nonexistent, posing a problem from small bladdered people like me
- Most Italian couples love PDA
- Gypsies beg for money everywhere, everyday
- Sidewalks are narrow, and buildings are short
- Restaurants and most shops close for a few hours in the afternoon as a break
- Sparkling water is just as common as natural water
- Tap water at restaurants is not free and often not offered at all

That's all for now, I will post again soon! Hopefully not with such a big break this time. Wish me luck on my midterms!

Arrivederci!