Firenze parte uno

       Ciao tutti!!! So I am officially done traveling for awhile after being gone for the past four weekends. Now I have all these blogs to catch up on. I am going to write them in chronological order, but I just wanted to tell everyone that I have been safe on all my trips and I had an amazing time. But stay tuned for more blog posts this week on Siena, Florence round 2, Pisa and Amsterdam.
    My first trip but actually my second time in Florence was short and uneventful. I went to Florence with six of my friends in the program (Alex, Ari, Sabrina, Maddie, Andrea and Kerry) to celebrate Ari's birthday. Alex organized the train tickets, hostel and itinerary and even bought Opera tickets. I was so excited to see my first opera in Italy.
    We started off our Florence weekend with an early morning wake up call to catch a nine o'clock train on Saturday. Some people in the group had a fun Friday night, and needed some help waking up. All in all, everyone made the train, and in 35 minutes we were in Firenze. Of course I had my backpack on my back, my walking shoes on my feet, and my camera around my neck the whole day. It was a gorgeous day outside, in the low 70s high 60s and the sky was clear. Our first stop was a bar, to grab a caffe and load up on fuel for our long day ahead.
    We walked to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella first because it was right next to the train station. The last time I was in Florence was over four years ago with my mom when I was sixteen. I only spent less than 12 hours in Florence because it was a stop on a cruise, and therefore I still had plenty of things I wanted to see. Memories of the trip four years were coming back to me. I had a special connection with Florence because my studied there when she was abroad and now here I was in Florence while I was studying abroad. It was a special city.
    After the small Piazza we made our way over to the Piazza del Duomo where the beautiful church was located in the middle of the city. It was a tall and wide church that could be climbed to the top to see the entire city. My friends decided they did not want to climb the Duomo with their backpack so we just entered the main floor of the Duomo. I would put "climb Duomo" on my list of things to do when I return. I do not remember if I went into the Duomo the first time I visited but the church was absolutely beautiful.
    Then we walked to the Academia where we can see the original David, but the line for tickets was long, and we only had limited time. (another thing to put on my list). The group split up, because we wanted to do different things, and we agreed on a time to meet for lunch. I went with Alex and Ari, and we walked to the Piazza Santa Lorenzo to go to the outdoor leather market. At the outdoor leather market I bought some gifts for family members but wanted to return to buy more leather goods (added to the list). Everywhere in Florence was completely filled with tourists. I heard more english being spoken than Italian. Also some of the main roads were closed to the public for walking because of a huge bike race. This was another reason that Florence was even more crowded. But it was also a special day where about ten museums and places were free to the public. One of the museums I wandered into was the Museum of Palazzo Medici Riccardi. The Medici family was a political dynasty, banking family that first began to gather prominence in the Republic of Florence in the lat 14th century. This family was an important symbol and well-known in the city of Florence.   
    It was now lunch time, and my friend Ari found this cute sandwich shop right next to the piazza with all the monuments including a replica of the David. The group met up for lunch and I had a vegetable panini and it was delicious. Then we went to vivoli (gelateria). My mom used to go to this gelateria all the time when she was studying abroad in Florence and she took me there when I went to Florence for the first time. I always thought it was the best gelato in the world, and I still think so. I had pistachio and fragola (strawberry) and the salty and the sweet was the perfect combination. After gelato we split up again and Ari, Alex and I went to take pictures in front of the Santa Croce. I love this church because the star on the top of it resembles a jewish star. We did not have time to enter the church but I will put this on my list of things to do when I return. Then we walked to the Ponte Vecchio and saw the beautiful view of the water and we also went by the Uffizi to see the artists painting beautiful landscapes of Florence. I remember buying a painting of the Duomo when I was in Florence and it is still hanging in my room in my house in New Jersey. Another activity I want to do when I return is to visit the Uffizi. This list is really long and I hope I can conquer Florence when I return.
    There was also a bike race occurring in the town of Florence during our visit and many streets were closed. The streets were filled with tons of tourists from all over the world. I heard tons of different languages, including English. We then made our way over to the Palazzo Pitti also known as the Pitti Palace. This Palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and today houses several minor collection and is fully open to the public. We wandered through the Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace and admired all the sculptures. There were many steps to walk up to the top but with my backpack and camera I made it to the top. The view was so worth it and on the way up we stopped to take pictures. Alex was very into mimicking the exact pose of the sculptures. For one of the poses she needed props so she cut down a piece of a branch and used my umbrella, and Ari's nectarine to take a perfect picture. We finally made it to the top of the garden after many laughs along the way. The view was breath taking. I took many pictures of everything including myself and my friends, and it turned out to be an amazing day.
    It was now time to check into the hostel and meet up with my other friends. We booked an eight person hostel room for seven girls but the bigger room had a leak in it so the guy put us in the six person room with three bunk beds and a single bed in the middle of the room. It was a tight squeeze and I felt like we were girl scouts all over again. We planned to spend as little time as possible in the tiny room. We got ready for the opera and left to grab an aperitvi and some dinner. We found a place that sold drinks with free appetizers so we all bought a drink for four euros and indulged in the appetizers as dinner. This is one way to save money on dinner when you are abroad. Then we made our way to the opera. The opera was Carmen, a french opera set in Seville, Spain. Get this: I was in Italy seeing my first opera, in French, and the plot was set in Spain and the commentary between acts was in English. This was a extremely multicultural and I really enjoyed it. The actors were amazing and their voices were beautiful Also we saw the opera in an old church called St. Mark's Anglican Church in the middle of Florence, Italy. I will never forget this night.
   But the night was no where near over. After the opera my friends and I went back to the hostel and celebrated Ari's birthday with wine. We also befriended an Aussie who was staying in the hostel as well. After making a lot of noise and getting yelled at by the creepy owner of the hostel, we left and made our way to a discoteca called Space. Everyone danced the night away, and by the time we left the dance club it was almost five in the morning. We made our way back to the hostel just as the sun was rising and took a nap before departing in the morning. When we woke up it was raining a bit, and we stopped in a caffè for some much needed coffee. We took the twelve o clock train back to Bologna and after walking in the rain with my umbrella back to my apartment I was home by one o clock. I left Florence knowing I would definitely return soon to see my Aunt Dianne and to visit places I did not get to see.
    I know I am really behind on my blog, but hopefully within the week I will be all caught up. Stay tuned for posts about Siena, Florence+Pisa and Amsterdam. I am having the time of my life and everyday is a new adventure. My roommate and I are getting along so well. She is adorable and always makes sure I eat and wake up. She made me dinner last week! Pasta con Tonno. It was delicious. She also loves chocolate and i dolci and always tells me to mangia mangia! She always does not understand how I never blow dry my and go outside with wet hair. Also on of my other housemates Simona had her graduation last Thursday and she invited me to see it. I met her entire family and celebrated with her! She graduated with a degree in political science and now she is getting her masters. I bought her an owl key chain (green her favorite color) from Florence, a box of pasta because she loves food, and a bottle of Valipolicella wine for a gift. Right now I am currently in the study room of my apartment building studying for my first midterm in theater on Thursday. Later tonight I am going out with my roommates to see my first Italian film. Also I received a package from my mom and I just would like to thank her for sending me an amazing package full of goodies that I love including a new workout outfit.
    I had my last cooking class with Rita last Wednesday. We made a faro, soup with celery, carrots and beans and a torta di creme (cream pie/cake) It was an absolute delicious meal. I can't wait to have another class with Rita in November with my mom. We are going to learn how to make pasta from scratch in Italy! It can't get any better than that. Overall, my life has been very busy, but in a good way and I am so happy with my decision to study abroad in Italy. I miss everyone and I but I will see you soon. I can't believe I only have two more months in Italy!
Con tanto amore,
Samantha

We have arrived in Florence

Maddie and Alex

Piazza San Maria Novella

Gypsies! always watch your bag in Florence

San Maria Novella Church

Funny Signs

Duomo

Alex and Ari

Church approved attire

Inside the Duomo

The ceiling is beautiful

Alex lighting a candle

Ari thinking

Me and the Duomo

 

always traveling with a backpack

Athletic clothes

Academia

San Lorenzo church

San Lorenzo leather market

Leather!!!

Can't get enough of purses

Medici Museum

Mounds of gelato (not good gelato like this)

Replica of the David

Chilling with the monuments

Sandwhich Place

Santa Croce

I love this church

Star of David

Street closed for bike race

Vivoli

Sam and Gelato are happy

Pistacchio and Fragola

The three muskateers

Ari and Alex's future apartment

Bike race

Walking to the Ponte Vecchio

Museum

Boat house

Uffizi

Painters and Artists

What an amazing city

Casually painting in the street

Getting closer to the Ponte Vecchio

The street of gold

Dreaming of gold

Classic Ponte Vecchio Picture

A rower in the river

I love this picture

A girl drinking a cappuccino after 11 p,m, means she is american

Mounds of gelato to attract the tourists

Palazzo Pitti

I spy an owl

Tons of statues

A beautiful garden

Mimicking a statue

Mimicking number 2

The family picture

A pond with fish

Posing for the camera

Cutting down a branch for props

The statue to mimic

Alex's photo shoot with a statue

We made it to the top

The view was amazing

Relaxing

On top of the world

Our small room

There was a bidet in the room

Florence at night

The church

Selfie with Sabrina during intermission

The finale

All of the actors

It was a beautiful church

Discoteca

My roommate (Sara) made me dinner

Pasta con tonno

Simona is on the left with Catch the dog and her friend

My package

Ready to celebrate

Laurea in Italy

Rita making crust of the torta

The torta is finished

It was delicious and it is all gone

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole crew in Firenze after the opera

My "school" life and "food" life in Bologna

      Hello to all!!! Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I have been really busy with classes starting and weekend trips but on this rainy day in Bologna I thought I would write a blog post about last week, what classes I am taking and what I have been up to.
    So first of all I am super excited to see my Aunt Dianne tomorrow! It seems like forever since I have seen family. Actually it has been over 2 months but still that is a long time and probably the longest time I have gone without seeing a single family member. However my time in Italy has been going by fast and before I know it my mom will be visiting! I really appreciate all the emails I get from my family everyday. I know I have not been responding to most of them but I want all of you to know I really really appreciate it and just a short email saying hi really means a lot. I love all of you and I really enjoy writing this blog for everyone to read.
    So what classes did I decide to take this semester? Well through my program I am required to take 3.5 classes this semester not counting the other two half credit classes I took in Lecce and the first month of September. The half credit class that everyone is required to take is a writing workshop taught by the head professor Ivan Tassi. He talks really fast with tons of enthusiasm using his hands and is very easy to understand. I have only had one class so far but I really enjoyed a small class of only four people. We are required to write 450 word-essays every week to improve our writing and Ivan can also help us for other writing assignments and exams in other classes. My other two E.C.C.O classes are Storia Culturale and Teatro. My teatro class is taught by a professor who is a regista (director) of plays and also talks on the radio. He has the clearest voice, and pronounces everything with perfection. The first four classes were lectures about the history of theater but now we are learning about the italian language, how to pronounce words correctly and soon we will start reading plays. I have never taken an acting class before so I am really excited for something different and new. The final is a performance the first week of December open for anyone to see. I am nervous but also excited to perform! and I will keep you updated with this class. My other class storia culturale is also called "eating pages" and it is essentially a literature analysis class involving food. We read literature about food, short stories about food, and recipes and talk about them in class. The class is taught by an older woman who just talks for 2 hours about the literature we read and I feel like I am listening to a cute grandma recount about her day. I love listening to her voice and seeing how excited she gets over food.
    My last class is called La storia della scienza, and this class is a Unibo class which means it is taught at the University of Bologna. The class is required for philosophy and anthropology majors and there are over 200 people in the lecture hall. The professor is an older man who is easy to understand, and he is constantly engaging the class in discussion. The class is primarily about Darwin, natural selection, and the history of science. There are three lectures a week for two hours and I really like listening to the lectures. The professor puts up modules everyday of what we talked about which really helps me know what is going on, and we have to read one book (still on order). The final is a sit down exam of 10 open ended questions and the professor said he will talk more about the exam in the upcoming weeks. I am really happy with the four classes I have for the semester. It is so strange not having a single lab for a science class, not having class on friday, and having so much free time!
    With all this free time I have been going to my gym studio everyday taking a yoga or Pilates class and I finally played tennis! My tennis coach gave me a name to contact so I could play tennis. I contacted Mirko (tennis pro) and last Thursday I had a lesson with him. It was so weird playing tennis after not playing for 2 months, but I did not forget how to play. My timing was a little off and the surface was different: red clay! Yes I get to play on red clay now! The tennis club has five tennis courts: 3 red clay and 2 grass turf, and now that the weather is cold and rainy, they are all covered with a bubble. Yesterday I played tennis with a guy in his late 30s. We played for over an hour and my timing was a lot better, and I got to serve a lot. We started to play a set but did not finish (tied 4-4). My goal for the year is to try to play at least once a week and take a lesson with Mirko once a month. The tennis club is about a 45 minute walk from where I live (3.7 km) and a 20 minute bus ride. I have not taken the bus yet but I plan to take it only when the weather is really cold and snowy. I really enjoy the walk, listening to my music and passing through a really nice part of town. Walking to and from the tennis club is 7.4 km=4.6 miles, but it is always worth it because I get to play tennis!
    I also found two bars/caffe close to where I live to do homework and relax. One of them I go to in the morning after I workout and the barrista always knows what I want (caffe) and we are on a name to name basis. The other caffe just opened last week and it is very clean, comfy, and plays good music. I like to go here in between my classes to catch up on my work, and people watch. I really love where I live and I like living in a city for the first time.
    Also I got a roommate yesterday! Her name is Sara and she is a first year student studying civil engineering. So far all I know is she is from Puglia (south of Italy), her classes are far away so she has to take a bus, she doesn't know how to set up the internet, her phone volume is really loud, she doesn't smoke and hates the smell of smoke and she has a boyfriend. She already asked me if he can stay over one night while I am away next week in Amsterdam. I hope I can get to know her in the upcoming weeks but right now I am just adjusting to living with something else. I don't think I will have a problem because I will be gone most weekends and I am rarely home during the day. I just can't always stay up really late in my room with the light on and I have to be quite when I wake up early to go to exercise class. I will keep you updated on my roommate situation!
       The last thing I want to talk about is my cooking class. My program has included three cooking classes with a sweet woman named Rita. We are split into three different groups and go to Rita's house once a week for three weeks to learn different dishes and to eat what we cook. We also had a class all together and learned how to make pizza dough from scratch and gelato tiramisu. The food was absolutely delicious and the tiramisu was probably one of the best desserts I have ever tasted. All I kept thinking about was that my grandma and my brother would be in heaven and would have eaten the whole ice cream cake. Well Rita made two tiramisu's that night so there was one for each of you. The first cooking class we learned how to make apple, pear, chocolate and hazelnut torta, ricotta, parmesan and chives with pasta and broccoli and bread crumbs with penne pasta, and we had fresh vegetables to cleanse our palate. It was a delicious meal! Tonight I had my second cooking class and we made flan with almonds and caramel, homemade bread, and potatoes and meat tomato stew. I obviously do not eat the meat but she made me and my other friend who is a vegetarian potatoes with bean burgers. The meal was delicious and the bread turned out fantastic. Everyone in the group were able to bring the bread home with them. I can't wait for next weeks class! Rita is a fantastic cook and teacher and I always feel happy when I leave her house. She reminds me so much of my mom and how much she enjoys cooking for people. It is definitely nice to have a motherly "cooking" figure while abroad.
        So there you have it, there is my update on Bologna. I am going to Florence this weekend to see Aunt Dianne and also visit some museums and tourist sites. I have an itinerary all mapped out and I am excited to visit la sinagoga di Firenze   again but actually go inside. I am also going to Pisa for a day to see the Leaning tower and some of the tourists sites. I will definitely be writing about my visit when I get back as well as my other visit to Florence and my visit to Siena last weekend. By the way even though it rained in Siena the city is absolutely gorgeous. I am so jealous that my mom got to spend an entire month there. I can't even imagine seeing the city on a sunny day. I just wanted to write a post before I left because it has been too long. Again I miss everyone and I look forward to hearing from all of you! Keep me updated!
Con tanto amore,
Samantha

Apple, Pear, Chocolate, Hazelnut Torta and my friend Lucy

Tennis courts-red clay!

Nice part of town

My walk on my way to the tennis courts

Lunch: salad with broccoli, noodles and an over easy egg

Rita cooking!

The flan before it was all gone

My piece of flan