Cinque Terre di Belazza

"Five Lands of Beauty"

This entire trip has been filled with different sites and experiences but I'd have to say this past weekend topped them all for most beautiful and unique adventure yet. How many people can say they were able to hike up mountains through five different villages along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea?? I wouldn't recommend experiencing the beautiful land of Cinque Terre any other way. I must admit I did not complete the entire hike but I'd say I managed around 3 out of the 5 miles (1 of which was closed). That was more than enough time for me to enjoy the amazing view and work up a little... who am I kidding, a lot of sweat. Haha.

Picture this:
You're standing still on a small rock path high up in the side of a mountain. You look out and see mountains curling in around you from both sides forming a sort of semi circle. Filling this in is the brightest blue water that sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight and continues to extend beyond the mountains into a white abyss. Breathtaking huh?
This place is God's gift to all those who have either forgotten how to appreciate true beauty and need a reminder or simply need that 'ahhh' moment of letting all the worries of the world gently roll off their shoulders. There is nothing more relaxing than enjoying something as pure as a natural masterpiece.

The colors of the houses/buildings here were so pretty! They made me smile ( :

The rest of my weekend in Cinque Terre included a nice dinner out (where I got to enjoy their famous pesto sauce!), a take over of the only local bar, sitting on the beach staring up at the stars, a little rainy day shopping, some of THE BEST pizza I have EVER had (mmm focaccia), and also kayaking in the Mediterranean Sea!! Pretty great weekend I'd say (: Needless to say none of us wanted to leave even though it was raining on Sunday. If I had enough time I would definitely go back but unfortunately I'm pretty booked up all the way until I leave. No complaining here though! I'm grateful for every second I spend here (Florence/Italy/Europe). I wouldn't want it any other way.

More Pictures!

view from my hotel room balcony!

vita, amore, felicità

Immagine Perfetta

"Picture Perfect"

Last Friday my study abroad advisor, Chiara, had a "Cultural Event" planned for those of us who would be around (most were traveling around Europe). She took us to the Santa Croce Church, a leather store, and Piazzale Michelangelo. Now first let me tell you about the fact that it's a common theme for Italians to take their time and arrive 'fashionably late' to wherever they are going. This is a commonly accepted aspect of Italian living, however, when it comes to entering the Santa Croce Church (or any church/tour) it somehow does not apply. Our group had gathered outside the church a quarter to 5 when the last tour of the night would be let in. Because we were waiting for a few more people and our tickets we didn't get to the gate till 5:02.Our tour guide, holding our tickets, asked the guard if he could open the gate and let us in. He refused saying we were late and not allowed in. Yes, TWO minutes late and he wouldn't let us in. Finally our tour guide found another guard to talk to who luckily let us in despite our tardiness. It was a funny way to experience Italian culture firsthand. Once inside the church we were able to see none other than Michelangelo, Galileo, & Machiavelli's tombs! So crazy being in the presence of such talent and greatness. The rest of the church was also extremely beautiful. I definitely recommend visiting this church if you're ever in the area. After Santa Croce we went to a leather store for a brief demonstration on how they make leather boxes and how to tell the difference between real and fake leather. It was cool to learn about it.

Next we avoided the hike and took taxis up to Piazzale Michelangelo. This is a place overlooking all of Firenze. Picture this: the Arno River placed in front, followed by endless rustic rooftops, as well as the towering Duomo, Santa Croce Church & Palazza Vecchio all in front of a gorgeous backdrop of mountains and blue skies with wisps of white clouds. Now picture it during a sunset of the prettiest oranges and yellows. Finally at dusk when all the building lights begin to shine and the sky turns a mix of light and dark blue. Perfetto! I couldn't imagine a prettier view. During the change to sunset and dusk we were also lucky enough to be sitting outside enjoying a nice apertivo and drinks. I never wanted to leave. Needless to say I will be back up there many many times before my time here is finished!

My night ended out with some of the girls at one of the many Irish pubs here. This is where we met THE COACH, yes that is what he called himself very loudly and has tattooed on his bicep. He was probably mid 60s, overly jacked, and a tad bit drunk. His former wrestling team (they were probably in their 40s) was treating him to a trip to Italy. This is when we found out he is ironically from Bridgewater, MA (a town over from Stonehill). His girlfriend apparently used to cook for the priests at Stonehill and he knows the baseball coach. He informed me, with a generous amount of spit, that apparently he also knows many of the coaches from Franklin High School as well... small small world it is. Never a dull moment in Firenze :)


Santa Croce Church pictures:

Michelangelo's Tomb

Piazzale Michelangelo pictures:

vita, amore, felicità

Cibo per l'Anima

"Food for the Soul"

I really need to be better about blogging right away. I feel like some things worth talking about happened this week but now that it's over I just can't remember anything specific... hmm. Well in classes this week really started to get into the material. Tuesday I had my cooking class and we made our first real meal and dessert! It's called "involtini di tacchino al prosciutto" or turkey rolled in proscuitto, which is basically what it sounds like but also with zucchini strips and scamorza cheese inside the roll, baked on top of a bed of spinach mmmmm lol For dessert we made "panna cotta" or cream custard along with strawberry and blackberry sauces. They were both so delicious! Unfortunately I forgot my camera but I promise you they looked as good as they tasted. The rest of the week was just an ordinary week in Italy (; haha.

This weekend I figured I'd have plenty of time to relax and get all the random things done that were slowly piling up. Wrong. Most of it was consumed with the fun activity of looking up every option and combination of flights for our fall break travels (not). I mean of course it's exciting to find flights from Barcelona to Paris for 6 euro but man did it get tiring to plug in literally every combination of cities and constantly have to change which date we would leave here or there or whateverrrr. Finally last night we found a combination that worked perfectly (Pisa-Barcelona-Paris-Prague-Amsterdam-Pisa)! And it came out to a total of 215 euros... FIVE flights across EUROPE for 215 euros... I love this place :) I have to say it was definitely a relief and a weight off my shoulders once all those flights were booked. Next we'll be researching hostels but I think I may take a few days off before I begin that lol.

Other than booking flights yesterday Hazel, Kat and I all decided to go out to dinner. We wanted to try this Greek restaurant (sometimes you need a break from pasta and pizza) but when we got there at 6:30 we were told they weren't open till 7:30... ohhh Italy. So we wandered around and eventually found a nice little place where we could eat outside. We go a meal that included water, 1st course (pasta dish), and 2nd course (meat dish) all for 13 euro. It was delicioussss, I don't know how we finished it all but we did. That wasn't even the best part though. My picturesque Italian moment came true! Sitting outside at a nice restaurant/cafe, eating a wonderful meal, and listening to an accordion player. Very Lady & the Tramp like (: Ahhh I just get goosebumps thinking about it! Quello che un bellissimo posto!


I also did some "baking" in the apartment this week. I made a chocolate mousse cake/pie. I should have waited till we had strawberries or anything to decorate it with but oh well it was still yummy!

Via dell'oriuolo is our street name (:

vita, amore, felicità

Ti Appoggii Sul Me

"Lean on Me"

Finally I am getting around to writing this post. I've been meaning to since last weekend but the days have gotten away from me. Anyways, last Saturday I was able to visit Pisa and Lucca with my study abroad program. I think it was the perfect excursion to start with. It wasn't a full weekend but during that single day we got to experience so much. The day started off with about an hour long bus ride to Pisa. As we were pulling up to the city I spotted the Leaning Tower. I can't quite describe how I was feeling when I first saw it. It was like I was actually living a part of my childhood memories. I can remember seeing pictures of it in my art and history classes way back in elementary school. But now I can say I've actually seen it in person! I feel like that's going to be a common theme to my stay here in Europe haha. So after a tour of the town and a half hour taking those clichè toursit photos holding the tower up (a must of course) we were treated to a nice lunch. It included lasagna (my favorite italian dish!), chicken, fries (weird I know), and some delicious gelato. We then got back on the bus and headed to Lucca. Now before getting here I had not heard of Lucca, but everyone was telling me it's one of the most beautiful places in Italy so I was very excited. When we arrived we got to take a bike tour! It was so much fun and definitely a unique way to experience the town. We had a little free time afterwards so a bunch of us climbed to the top of this tower that had trees on top which we had seen during our tour. The view from the top..... AMAZING. You could see for miles. I have to say looking out over all the Italian rooftops is one of my favorite things to do. So needles to say we went on a bit of a photo taking spree. All in all it was a fantastic day and it just got me that much more excited to go explore the rest of Italy!! Can't waitttt (:

Here are some photos from Pisa:

Had to (:

Here are some from Lucca:

 

View from the top of the tower in Lucca

vita, amore, felicità

Studiare All'estero in Realtà Comprende lo Studio?

" Studying Abroad Actually Includes Studying? "

It's been just over a week and honestly I'm still in a state of denial that my life here in Firenze for the next 3 & 1/2 months has actually begun. Day after day I have to remind myself that this IS real life. It's kind of exhilarating every time I "realize" where I am. I hope that excitement stays with me throughout my entire time here.

Monday marked the start of the actual study part of studying abroad. While most people may dread the beginning of classes I found that I was actually pretty excited for them. One big reason for that is the structure it would bring to my days. Being in a foreign country is overwhelming on it's own, but when you have the ability to do whatever you want every day it can get to be a little too much. And how can you not be excited when you're taking classes such as Current Trends in Italian Cuisine (which I will learn how to cook in), as well as Drawing Composition (in FLORENCE, ITALY!). Can't really complain about that lol. My schedule also includes Intermediate Italian 2 (which I am pretty nervous about), Social Psychology, and wait for it.... History of Prostitution. Yes I know, one of the weirdest classes I could have chosen but hey I needed a filler class, it looked interesting, and I'm pretty sure Stonehill would never offer it. Don't get me wrong, that's probably not a class I would take even if it were offered at Stonehill but I've decided this is a semester of trying new things, broadening my horizons, and also pushing myself out of my comfort zone. So as of now I've had the class twice and it is definitely intimidating (for obvious reasons) but I'm willing to give it a chance and hopefully in the end I can say it was worth it and that I was able to actually take something useful from it... we will see. Anyways, week one of classes is over and while i'm exhausted it was enjoyable (minus the gigantic decrease in my bank account thanks to the cost of books and supplies). Tomorrow we venture to Pisa & Lucca and I can't wait to be one of THOSE tourists that takes a picture holding the Leaning Tower up with one finger or whatever :) So stay tuned for more!

Here's a picture of some of the houses/buildings lining the Arno River, enjoy!

vita, amore, felicità

L'amore Vince Tutto

"Love Conquers All"♥

Last night the roommates and I witnessed THE absolute cutest event EVER, a proposal on the Ponte Vecchio!! Now I had never witnessed a proposal before this so that added some extra excitement. The whole night started with a walk around the city. We stopped for some gelato then ended up taking the long way to the Ponte Vecchio and thank goodness we did otherwise we would have missed this magical moment. A few nights earlier a couple of us had seen two men playing guitar while laying down on the bridge. This time one of them was back and singing beautifully so we stopped to listen. After he finished a song a man walked up to him and it looked like he was requesting a song. He was up there for a while so I started paying close attention and noticed his hand deep in his pocket (hint hint). When the performer started to play the song the man asked his girlfriend to come over. They were standing there talking for a little and then all of a sudden he got down on one knee and the whole crowd went wild! I am the biggest sucker for any of that mushy love stuff so there I am almost in tears watching this occur haha. She said yes and they started hugging and kissing each other. (Cue the hearts melting of all the women and the curse words coming from all the other boyfriends present) My first week in Italy was just topped to a point I didn't think possible by that one moment. Some of my friends have asked me if I really believe we all have that one perfect match for us out there and I always answer yes. It's moments like this one that really remind me and I'm sure many others why love is such an amazing thing ♥

Enjoy the video I took of the proposal!

vita, amore, felicità

Tre giorni in e già sposato con un venditore ambulante...

" Three days in and already married to a street vendor. . ."

We were told that you're going to have to be a little rude to certain people if you want to avoid getting sucked in to every little thing they offer or try to sell to you. I figured I would be fineee acting the way I always do while still avoiding things I wouldn't want to be a part of. Nope.

A few days ago a couple of us went wandering and found a piazza full of vendors. While Kat was off buying her Italia sweatshirt, Hazel and I decided to go look at some purses but even before we got there a vendor selling jewelry called us over. Looking back now we probably should have just said no and kept on walking toward the purses but we're just too nice. The minute we stepped foot in range of him he grabbed my hand and made a kind of eye contact that should have warned me right off the bat that this might not end well. He asked me if I was Italian and I said that I was half. He asked if it was on my mom or dad's side and I said both but he just stood there (still holding my hand) smiling at me as if he hadn't even heard my answer. He then went on to say how he would give us all a great discount because of his friend here (me), flattering I guess. I went to go look at the jewelry but he then decided to give us all home made string bracelets. He passed them out to us but when he got to me he took my wrist and tied for me... He then asked me how long I was here, which I told him, and then where I was living, which I did NOT tell him. He went on to say that if I EVER need any help with money or anything to come to him and he will help me because we are best friends now. Right then I should have just walked away but instead I started to look at the jewelry. . . .

I ended up finding a ring. I asked how much and he gave me a price while giving me that creepy smile full of uneven, discolored teeth. The whole experience was just messing with my thinking so I didn't even try to bargain (which I really regret now). Right after I paid he took a silver bracelet and put it around my wrist saying it was a present. He gave one to some of the other girls too, thankfully. BUT then he gave me something else, a plain silver ring almost like a wedding band. As he was putting it on my finger (thankfully my middle finger on my right hand) he looked yet again deeply into my eyes saying "best friend, best friend!" Then he told me that if I bring my other friends he will give me commission. This is when I knew it was time to book it out of there. Needless to say I will not be living this one down any time soon lol. But if I take nothing else from that little encounter I did learn that saying no is not always a bad thing and it is definitely something I will be working on more during my stay here.

Here is a picture of the ring I bought and the one he gave me. Oh and might I add, my finger is now green from it : -\ O well. . . .

vita, amore, felicità

C'è La Neve a Firenze!

"There is snow in Florence!" <- My last name means snow in case you didn't get it ;)

I know some of you have been patiently waiting for me to set up this blog and I apologize for the wait. As you can expect life has been pretty hectic these last few weeks. Starting back at home I was busy celebrating my birthday (despite Irene's best attempt to make sure I couldn't), packing up everything I own (only this time in a mere 2 suitcases, 1 backpack, & 1 purse), and finallyyy arriving in my dream land of Firenze, Italia. I still cannot believe I am actually here... I have literally been dreaming of this for most of my 2 decade old life haha. Simply walking down these century old streets takes my breath away. I literally cannot stop smiling, which I need to learn to stop doing since apparently sharing eye contact and a smile with an Italian man could lead him to believe I'm in love with him... haha oops.

On our first day here we took a taxi from the airport to the hotel we'd be spending the night in. My italian is very rusty and the taxi driver's english was non existent besides "it's a beautiful day," however, we did manage to make it to the correct place. Did I mention Italian driving is CRAZY and a little scary at times? It was a nice little place with an amazing view onto some of the rooftops of the city (breath taking view #1). After we got settled in a bunch of us decided to go wandering the streets a little. We ended up right smack in front of il Duomo, the FOURTH largest church in the WORLD! (breath taking view #2). That's when me and Lauren realized our apartment should be close by so we went on an adventure to find it & sure enough we did. Not merely 30 ft down our street (which literally leads to the Duomo piazza) is our door. Can you say amazing location or what? After a quick photo shoot in front of our door we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We went to a nice restaurant called the Golden View Open Bar, which was right on the river (breath taking view #3). Here is where I had my first taste of alcohol in the form of red wine, don't get too excited though it was gross. Haha I'm assuming the combination of dehydration and jet lag didn't help though. I'll give it another shot later on. The food, however, was deliciousss! Not a good sign for my waistline but I wasn't expecting anything less haha. So all in all a great end to day 1.

Day 2 we were all sooo excited to move in to our apartments, but first we had our program orientation. Once we finally finished it was a mad dash to the hotel to get all our things. When we arrived and after carrying our suitcases up THREE flights of stairs that feeling of "this cannot be real life" just washed over me once again. I walked in expecting a quaint little place with low ceilings and maybe 3 rooms total. Nope! There are 6 rooms (2 bedrooms, giant dinning/living room, kitchen, 1 full bathroom, & 1 half bath), a little balcony, and very high ceilings. The first thing we do is throw open the shutters only to see the most breath taking view (#4) of the Duomo right in front of us! How could you ask for anything more (ok I could do with some air conditioning but hey I am in Italy). So all in all I'd say my first few days were pretty darn great even with the added jet lag and heat. Sorry this is so long but there's just so much to talk about (half of which I haven't even included... yet). Hope you will keep reading and enjoying this avventura italiana with me :)

view from our apartment!

vita, amore, felicità