Carnevale in Venice and Bologna

So it has been a really busy couple weeks for me in Florence. Between midterms, several Carnevale events, and day trips, I have constantly been on the go. Last weekend I went on a school sponsored day trip Modena and Bologna. In Modena we ventured to a balsamic vinegar farm in the outskirts of the city. We took tours of the balsamic vinegar brewing/storage rooms and the vineyards. I tasted balsamic vinegar that was over 30 years old. From there, we went to Bologna. Bologna is the college town of Italy. There isn’t much to do there really besides climb a tower and see the oldest university in Europe.

My friend Becky and I stayed at our friend Kelly’s for the night in Bologna. Kelly goes to the U of M with us, and she is studying at the university there. She had a Carnevale party which was a lot of fun. A short explanation about Carnevale is that it is a big festival throughout parts of the world that lead up to Mardi Gras. People wear costumes and throw parties to celebrate, and I would say it is equivalent to our Halloween. At this Carnevale party no one really spoke English, so it was a good experience to meet real Italian students not the typical Americans studying in Italy that I am used to being with.

One of the best places to celebrate Carnevale is Venice which is where I went this weekend with some friends from school. The day started out at 7:30 in the morning for a 3 hour bus ride followed by a short boat ride that took us right into Venice. The city was jam packed with all sorts of people costumes and music. We spent a lot of time in the San Marco Square and then weaved in out of side streets. The day wouldn’t be complete without a gondola ride, and it was absolutely worth it. We also saw a glass blowing exhibit and ate some great pizza! Venice is such a unique city, it doesn't compare to anything else I've seen Italy.

Now that Carnevale is ending and spring break is coming up, I have to revert back to school mode and study for midterms. I have 4 midterms this week and then a week long break in the Greek Islands and Athens.

Pictures:

Carnevale in Venice

Siena, San Gimignano, and Exploring more of Florence

My weekend started out with a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. It was a school sponsored trip that was free for all of us. The hardest part of the day was waking up early to meet everyone at the bus station at 8:15. Our first stop was Siena. We were provided with a tour guide to tell us about famous churches and historical information about the city. My guide was kinda crazy and loved to tell us way to much information about everything little detail she could think of. Her tour was very similar to the type of tours we take in my Renaissance Art History class.

The city of Siena is a beautiful town located right near where all the Chianti wine comes from. It was nice to go to a place that was a little less touristy. Unfortunately when I was there, it rained most of the time. At one of the convenience stores we ran into other American students buying umbrellas like us. They were studying in Siena, so they gave us some good advice as to where to eat and walk around for the 2 hours we had before we headed off to San Gimignano.

The best part of San Gimignano was the lookout point at the highest part of the city. The clouds were beginning to clear up as we reached the top. On a darker note, they are also known for their torture museum there. I made my way through the dungeons and dark creepy corners of this museum. My perception of the medieval period was scarred from seeing some exhibits there. We really only had about 2 hours in San Gimignano, so that’s all I had time to do. From there we all headed back to Florence.

On Saturday, my friend Amy planned “Amy’s day of Fun” for a group of us that were in town this weekend. We first climbed the Duomo (it is the highest view from inside the city). It was quite a hike to get to the top; clearly the church was not made for tourists to be climbing the dark and narrow winding staircases. Once again, I took some great photos of the city, they never get old.

From the Duomo, Amy’s Day of Fun took us to the Boboli Gardens which is definitely a sight to see. Luckily, the rain held off while we were there. It was also nice to see some greenery within such a close vicinity to the city. The landscape, views of castles, and greenery make it a great place to relax. I highly recommend going to there.

Later that night, me and my roommates decided to host a pot luck dinner for everyone that was with us during the day. We ended up having 15 people at our apartment, and surprisingly our place could fit everyone. We had to bring in out patio chairs and table, but it all worked out. The theme for dinner was anything but Italian. We have all been eating so much pasta and pizza that we needed a break. I made sloppy joes that were delicious.

As far as classes go, they are pretty interesting. However, I am definitely learning more about Italian culture just by living here and trying to get around. I have midterms coming up in two weeks, and then I'm off to Greece for spring break!

Pictures:

Siena, San Gimignano, and Florence.

A Great Weekend Exploring Tuscany!

This Friday, our school sponsored a hike into the Fiesole Hills, which are the hills surrounding Florence. It was about a 20 minute bus ride north of the city and about 25 of us met at the base of the hills around 10:30, where Lorenzo, the director of the program was waiting for us. During the hike we were able to see some incredible views of the city. We basically kept winding around on some dirt paths/ uphill trails for a couple hours until we got to the top of Monte Ceceri. From there we made our way down to eat at one of the best pizza places in the area.

Later that night, I went to the synagogue, and this was an experience. We had to be there before 5 because they lock the doors after that for security reasons. When we got there around 4:50 they we had to check our phones and cameras into the front desk, and then we were escorted by a security guard to the main entrance. This is the only synagogue in Florence, and it is strictly Orthodox. The inside is unbelievable; there is gold paneling, dark old wooden benches, very elaborate decorations, and a great big dome in the center. It sticks out in the skyline of Florence as the building with the teal colored dome.

Unfortunately, the attendance of services was very small. There were only about 25 people there all together. I’ve heard that there are only about 1,000 Jews in Florence. It was an orthodox service, which is not quite my style, but we were somewhat able to follow along. After services, I went with Chabad for a Kiddush and Shabbat dinner. At Chabad there were people from France, Argentina, Israel, the U.S. and Italy. We also met some other American students from NYU that live close to us.

Then on Saturday, I took a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. I went with 5 friends from school, and it was our first time taking the trains, therefore it took us a while to figure out how they work. Our first stop was Pisa which was only an hour train ride. Pisa is a city that revolves around tourism. The only sight to see there is the leaning tower. It is definitely worth seeing, but you can’t really spend more than 2 hours looking around and taking pictures.

From Pisa we took a half an hour train ride to Lucca. Lucca is a walking city surrounded by massive walls built to protect it. We entered through this tunnel that opened up to a gorgeous view on top of the city walls. We walked around for a couple hours taking pictures, admiring the old buildings, and window shopping. A highlight of the day was finding the Amphitheater in the middle of the city. We got lost looking for it, and we were expecting to find a structure like the coliseum. After searching for a good hour, it turned out that it was a hidden round plaza that looked just like the rest of the city. From there, we watched the sunset with the hills in the background behind the city walls (check out the pictures, they are pretty awesome). For dinner we took Rick Steves’ advice and made a reservation at Trattoria Del Leo, which is one of the restaurants he recommends in his book Rick Steves’ Italy 2009 (This guide book was extremely helpful for this trip!). Before our reservation at 7:30 we went to a local bar for apperativos. Many local bars and even some restaurants have this throughout Italy. It’s a time before dinner where you can order a drink and then help yourself to a buffet of appetizers. After filling up on appetizers, we had a delicious dinner and caught the 9:45 train back to Florence. I highly recommend going to Lucca. It has a very relaxing atmosphere and delicious food.Lucca has been one of my favorite adventures so far. I had a great weekend, I was able to explore three different parts of the Tuscany region! Next weekend I am going to Sienna San Gi

Pictures:

Pisa and Lucca - A Search for the Amphitheater

Hiking in the Fiesole Hills