Rainy day in Siena. Cloudy day in San Gimignano.

Siena

You can't tell, but these umbrellas belong to Kate, Caitie, and Steph.  In Siena.

Siena

Vanessa in Siena

Kate in Siena

Caitie in Siena

Steph in Siena

San Gimignano

Enjoying the view through the camera lens in San Gimignano

In San Gimignano

Our guide, Guido, points something out in a piazza in San Gimignano.

Tower with flowers in San Gimignano

What a week it has been!

Since the Thursday we left Lincoln, it has felt like a whirlwind! The best way I can describe our week is that there aren't enough hours in the day! I'm starting to feel like I have a grasp on the center of the city and that I can find my way to our classroom (which is right by the Santa Croce), the Duomo, and back to our apartment. Then I can base where things are off those three places.

Even with this new confidence, I feel like I may be hitting the low part of my culture shock. This means nothing more than that things annoy me that normally wouldn't. Yet, this is showing me a huge difference between my Midwestern culture and the Florentine culture: the awareness of your effect on other people. We, as Midwesterners, tend to stay out of others' way or at least say excuse me. This isn't the case here, people just cut in front of you at the cafe and will cut you off as you walk down the street without saying a word. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a difference and something I have a hard time getting used to. In class, we discussed it briefly and we said it's aggressive behavior to us, but not to the Itailians and that makes it hard for me to deal with because it's strictly my own cultural barrier.

Although my perception is gloomy at times, I can't even begin to describe the beauty here! We went to Siena and San Giminagno today and the view was breathtaking! Both of the cities are on a hill and showed you countryside as far as the eye can see! Everything was just so green and lush! Beauty doesn't just mean the countryside though, food can also be beautiful and ever since we got here it has been! I've decided that my favorite meal so far is tortellini with cream and ham! It's to die for! Things are so filling that all of us average only about two meals a day, but I know if I could eat more I definitely would just because everything is delicious!

But hey I have two more weeks to try everything!

Here's to many more delicious meals!

Ciao,

Caitie

Learning about Florence

I can't believe we have been here for almost a week now! I feel like I have learned so much already about the Italian culture.

I know the blog is a few days late so let me recap the previous two days,


Tuesday morning after another short night of sleep we woke up to a beautiful but cloudy day. At ten we met our guide Lena at the school for a walking tour of Florence. Lena would probably cringe if I called her a tour guide. She teaches Art History at the school and gave the background and explanation of why things were the way they were. She took specific places and went into great depth of their history rather than simply identifying everything that we saw with brief explanations.

The tour started at the Piazza Della Signoria where the Palazzo Vecchio is. I know these names may not make sense to someone who hasn't been here but I recommend researching them. Originally the famous statue of David stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio. The Medici (which was one of the most prominent families in the history of Italy) placed it outside the doorway to remind everyone who came in how wealthy and important their family was. During the tour we learned more about the Medici family and the neighborhoods throughout Florence. Our tour ended at the Accademia Gallery where the statue of David is located now. Lina got us reservations so we skipped the long line and got right in. After the walking tour I think all of us were happy that we didn't have to stand in line.

As you walk in the Accademia Gallery Michelangelo's unfinished slave statues line the walls. The figures look like they are breaking free from the stone. Caty thinks that this was the way he actually intended to finish them. Then we saw David. Some pieces of iconic art can be disappointing in person however this statue exceeded my expectations. You can see and experience the life that Michelangelo brought into this piece of marble. It was magical and will definitely be one of my favorite memories of this trip!

On Wednesday we met Rachel at the Bargello which is a sculpture Museum and saw Donatello's David as well other versions and sculptures. I enjoyed seeing them all on consecutive days because we were really able to compare their differences and similarities.

After the museum we came back to our apartment for class and we took Rachel to our favorite restaurant so far down the street. We found the restaurant on the first night we were here. It was late and we were starving so we agreed that we would eat at the first restaurant that we found and coincidentally it has been our favorite one so far!  

After dinner we wandered down to the Duomo and walked through the Cathedral and then some of us went through the Duomo Museum! There is so much to say about both places I feel like I cannot give them the justice they deserve. That is how I feel about most of the things we are learning and seeing. On our tour Lena told us that, everything in Florence is the way it is for a reason. I have seen this to be true, it is a city with incredible history and depth. This month we are only scratching surface.


Ciao,

Kate

Around Florence, the early days

On the Arno River with the Ponte Vecchio in the background

Steph and Kate eating gelato on the steps of the Duomo

Vanessa and Caitie eating gelato on the steps of the Duomo

Today we had a guided art and architecture tour of Florence.  Here is our guide, Lena, teaching us in the piazza outside Santa Croce.

The group with Lena in Piazza della Signoria

With Lena in Piazza della Repubblica

We stopped for a break and snack at Cafe Gilli.  Kate and I enjoyed chocolate croissants. 

Pictures from our day at Maggiolata in Lucignano

In Lucignano

A spot with a view with Chris, our CIS representative in Lucignano

We all caught flowers that the float-riders threw.  Vanessa

Caitie

Steph

Caity

Kate

The prettiest post-parade litter

And A Fiume Arno Runs Through It

I won't lie, I have been here before.  Given, the few days I spent in Italy were really actually just a few, I ended up leaving a piece of my heart here.  This last semester, in the exit interview in my academic department I made the comment that if dialogue, my favorite communication concept to study and practice, was the blood that ran through my veins, then art was the vein that carried the blood.  I love art.  I find peace and tranquility in creating something that can be used as expression or a portal for my perception of beauty.  I love art and its history.  When I first came to Italy I came with the People to People Student Ambassador program.  I was 16 and all I wanted to see was Michelangelo's Pieta that is housed in St. Peter's Basilica.  The whole trip that's all I wanted to see, and I often found myself thinking about only that when I should have been present in where I was.

So, here I am in one of my favorite places in the entire world, living amongst some of the most beautiful art in the history of the Western world.  Leading up to this trip I had this super exotic picture of Italy in my mind, almost as though I would walk off the train that took us to Florence to be serenaded by beautiful Italian men holding bread and cheese waiting to walk me home.  I knew that culture shock would not be a huge problem, but I felt like I had anticipated more.  So the last few days I have spent time in my mind trying to think of where I want to go and what I want to do tomorrow, next week, next, next, next.  I am definitely in next mode, trying to figure out what my life will look like when I get home.  I happened to have graduated from NWU a week and a half ago.

Today was different.  After class we took a walk to the Galleria degli Uffizi.  On our way we walked along the Arno River.  There have been places and landmarks that have looked like they might be familiar, but I haven't been entirely sure.  Today, walking along the river it hit me like a bus, I knew where we were.  I knew where some places were.  Today, for the first time since I have been here, I felt exactly the feeling I have been anticipating.  It's the same feeling I get when I see a piece of artwork that I know, or recognize the brushstrokes of an artist.  For me, coming to Florence is like coming to visit an old friend.  When I walked along the Arno, it felt like I was finally reunited.  I was reminded why I wanted to come back.  I am present.  I feel at peace.  When I took my Art History classes early into my undergraduate career I often found myself recalling that which I had already seen.  Now, I find myself absorbing the art in light of my education, really appreciating it for what it is.  I am here, in the now, taking in the world.  The Italians are a people that live in the now, taking lunch breaks that last for a couple hours at a time.  They eat meals like it is an enjoyable experience, and not simply a bodily transaction.  I am finding that it is important to be aware of the future, but you lose who you are and where you are if you stop being present.  And if I stop being present, I can't really see the art.  I can't see the people.  And I won't see Florence.

-Cathryn V.

Che giornata!

Che giornata (what a day)! 

Waking up, I was somewhat skeptical about the type of day I was going to have. I usually try to stay as positive as possible, but when you are running on one hour of sleep, "positive" is far from my English vocabulary. Jet lag and a noisy neighborhood are to blame for the lack of sleep; all 5 of us live on Borgo Pinti, which is a "via" commonly used for the party people of Florence to walk home late at night. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but the windows here in Italy lack the strong seals we are used to in the United States. Therefore, we can hear EVERYTHING going on outside (a pro and a con, unfortunately). On our first night here, Vanessa, Kate, and I all had a little scare when it sounded like a man was talking inside of our apartment at 3 a.m; it ended up being someone talking on their phone right outside, but that goes to show how little of a seal there is on the windows. We also live very close to a hospital, so we have occasionally heard sirens blaring late at night. 

On the other hand, living so close to the center of Florence has its many perks that, in my opinion, outweigh the negatives. A 10 minute walk is all it takes to reach the Piazza del Duomo, and a 15-20 minute one to reach other breathtaking areas of Florence (Santa Maria Novella, the train station,"high-end" shops, endless gelato and cafe bars). Also, who is going to complain about an apartment location in ITALY?! It is an amazing location, and after a few days I think I will have this sleeping thing down. 

Back to our day.

As I said, it was quite the task waking up at 7:20 a.m considering I fell asleep at 6 a.m. We met Rachel and Chris at the train station at 8:45 where Angelo picked us up to drive us to Lucignano for a festival called "La Maggiolata." Some cafe americano helped wake me up, which was much needed because we spent all day in Lucignano (10 a.m until 8:30 p.m). La Maggiolata, at a basic level, is to welcome Spring. More complexly, it celebrates the passing of youth. Lucignano is a very small town consisting of about 3,000 Italians. It is guarded by high walls and beautiful architecture. There were 4 neighborhoods competing in the festival to win the beloved trophy at the end. The people representing these neighborhoods all dress in full-blown costumes, have intricate props, and play the part. It was amazing to be a part of the celebration and did I mention how welcoming the people were? It helps a LOT that we have Chris who speaks fluent Italian, so the locals really light up when they hear him talk.  If he didn't accompany us on these trips, I think we would be perceived differently. However, I am determined to learn some basic Italian while I am here, so hopefully we can get by without him. The other girls are picking up Italian, too, so we can all help each other. 

There is so much I could say about our day today, but I would have to say my 3 favorite parts were: the stripping of flowers from the float, talking to 2 Lucignano men (who were about 65 or 70 years old and knew little to no English), and bonding with the girls.

When the parades have made their rounds, they come back and strip all of the flowers from the floats and throw (and I mean THROW) at the crowd and all over the streets. It is absolutely beautiful and exhilarating. 

The 2 men I talked to were the cutest old men I have ever met (I probably say this about all old people, but they really were). The language barrier was severe, but we were determined to talk to one another, therefore we were able to understand some things. Overall, we talked about the Wizard of Oz (because of Kansas' relation to Nebraska), tornados, and the Greek mafia historically making its way into Sicily and then Sicily mafia making its way to the United States. We obviously weren't able to talk in great detail about these, and in retrospect it was a rather silly conversation, but it was still a very genuine experience for me. 

Lastly, I had a really amazing time with all of the girls. We won't go into detail about what happened to Rachel, Kate, Caty and I (ha ha), but it's the little things like that and delirious car rides home with Vanessa and Caitie that really help make the trip special. 

Fino a domani

Steph

I'll try anything once!

I'll try anything once is something I have tried to live by and being in Italy has definitely put this to the test. This is the start of the third day and so far I have tried a few things I never would have thought I would try. On our first night we went out to eat and with the menus being in Italian you aren't really sure what you are ordering, so we asked what was our server what her favorite was and that is what I ordered. What I had was called Florentine Gnudi with butter and sage and it was one of the best things I have ever tried. Seriously, this was the best way to spend our first night. The next day we went to an outdoor market and did a little shopping and there again I branched out and tried something new. I had what is called lampredotto, which is basically a type of sandwich with tripe (or sheep stomach). I had it with two types of sauce, a green and a red, they were a tad spicy and full of flavor. I was a little apprehensive about trying sheep stomach, but I have to say I am glad I did. The meat itself had a texture I wasn't use to, but once you got over that the lampredotto overall was really good. And to end the night we went out for dinner and tried real Italian pizza and it was amazing! I got the traditional pizza margherita, but we are all really open to sharing our food with everyone else in our group, so I was able to try a few other kinds as well. I surprised myself though when I tried a pizza with anchovies on it. This is definitely a one time only thing for me here, anchovies is not something I will be trying again anytime soon. After dinner, we of course, had to go get gelato which is the perfect end to any night. Overall our first few days in Italy have been amazing and I can't wait to see what else I can try in the next few weeks!

First full day in Italy

After a morning orientation, we ventured to the Sant'Ambrogio Market where we ate sandwiches and purchased fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese and olives.

Our welcome dinner.  The ambience was lovely.

Pizza!  

Who wants to stop for gelato on the way home?  Caitie does!  (We all did, but Caitie was the most expressive.)

One thing we've learned about Kate is she loves to know where she is and where she is going.  

Waiting to order gelato

Favorite gelati so far?  Mango, strawberry and ambrosia (cinnamon and honey)

Obviously, it was good.

Our CIS representative, Chris, introduced us to his friend who owns a business.  He gave each of us a little Prosecco as a welcome.  

The trip to Italy

After a long journey, we are safe and sound.  Here is pictorial evidence of our trip.

Ready to go at the Lincoln Airport

Chillin' at the Denver Airport

Not a lot of time to spare in the Frankfurt Airport

We AND our luggage made it to Rome!

The intrepid travelers relax as we wait for our train to Florence.