Verona, Italy

This past weekend our study abroad group went on a weekend trip to Verona and Lake Garda. We spent a day in each place, touring the area with the group and exploring it on our own. I have to say, so far no place we have been comes close to being as wonderful as Florence, but I was glad to see some different parts of Tuscany.









We arrived in Verona on Saturday and discovered a food festival was taking place in one of the central parts of the city. It was very neat to see the vendors handing out samples of fresh italian ingredients, and the variety that was present.





I used the food festival as an opportunity to eat my first Italian cannoli. It was DELICIOUS. Here's my friend Shepp taking a big ole bite.



We also found cookies that look like fruits and veggies.



One of the reasons I was most excited to visit Verona was Juliet's house. If you have ever seen the movie "Letters to Juliet" you know that Verona is the town in which Romeo and Juliet lived, and the balcony, where she supposedly shouted those famous words to Romeo, continues to be a major tourist attraction.





Well, long story short, the movie makes it seem like there is a wall full of letters written to Juliet by people from all around the world asking for her guidance in their love life, for her help in making sure things turn out the way they would like them to. My friends and I wrote letters during lunch, so excited to see the wall of letters and to tac ours up as well, in order to be a part of the story. If you haven't guessed it already, there was no said wall of letters, only one covered with graffiti and gum...bummer, right? There is also a statue of Juliet and our tour guide told us it is good luck to "touch her breast" while taking a picture. So wait a second...not only is there no romantic wall of letters, the tradition is to touch her boob? Chivalry is dead haha. However, I did find this one letter stuck to the wall. Some hopeful out there decided to give it a try anyway.



It was also a holiday in Verona when we were visiting. Locals bring flowers to the church for Saturday mass in order for the priest to bless the flowers. I didn't really understand the significance of this, but we saw flowers being sold all around the city, and groups of people walking towards mass with all kinds of beautiful arrangements.



We also saw a wedding taking place in one of the chapels in Verona. Part of the wedding party had stepped outside of the church for a quick cigarette break. I thought this was the ultimate portrait of Italian life.



On Sunday we said Ciao to Verona and headed to the lake. This weekend 9 of us will be going to Cinque Terre to hike through the 5 hill towns! I cannot wait.

Painting for Beginners

For the first 3 weeks Missy and I are taking Foundation Painting every day from 9:00-11:30. Our sweet professor is a woman named Alessandra Ragionieri, a native of Florence.



After the first day of class we went to an italian art store called Salvini's to get all of our supplies. I felt like a real artist picking out all of the oil paints, brushes, solvents, and other necessary tools.



At first I was very worried about my skill level, but after a few days I began to get the hang of it little by little. So far we have done 1 still life of three objects and 1 still life with fruit, working on shading, color composition, and mixing paints.







For most of our paintings we are required to begin with a pastel sketch of our objects.

Eating my way through Italia

I knew before coming to Italy that my trip would be fantastic, and that Italy is known for its food, but I wasn't prepared for just how delicious it would be. It's not long after I have sat down for one meal that I'm planning the next, always trying to fit in all the famous ristorantes, bars (more like our cafes at home), and gelaterias.

This is the best pasta I have had in Italy thus far. Last night we went to a restaurant near the Duomo called Yellow Bar. Some of my friends are taking a cooking class here and their teacher recommended Yellow Bar for its freshly made pasta. I ordered the green and yellow noodles with ham, mushrooms, and tomato and cream sauce. It was so good that everyone at the table of 9 kept wanting a bite, and I gladly shared for fear I would eat the entire pile myself.


Eating in Italy can be quite the task due to their large number of courses. Waiters expect you to order an antipasti (appetizer), primo piatto (first course..pasta, soup, etc.), and a secondo piatto (main course...meat or fish). This also means meals are much longer than the U.S. because of how spaced out the food is. I ordered one of my favorite antipasti's at Yellow Bar, prosciutto and Mozzarella



My favorite Pizza was the Margherita at a place called Gusta Pizza on the other side of the river in Florence. Yummm

I also loved my pizza at Le Campane. So colorful!



Another favorite Italian food of mine is the Panini. We have a great panini shop next to our apartment owned by a nice man named Pino, but no panini has come close to this one from Antica Sosa. After we walked through the leather market we found this cute ristorante around the corner where you could eat outside and enjoy a cold Corona. My panini was full of delicious apples, turkey, brie cheese, and pesto sauce. 4 of the things I love most in the world of food.



I also love one of Florence's specialties, cannellini beans.


Don't even get me started on Gelato. Two places are tied for my favorite right now, it's a close call. Grom has a flavor they are known for called "Crim de Grom," a cream with biscotti mashed up inside, and an awesome coconut flavor. At Perque No, the name of my other favorite gelato place which sums up my attitude of "why not?", I had cinnamon and pear!

Florence at first glance

Yesterday our group went on a walking tour of Florence led by a local Florentine in order to introduce us to the city. Florence is known as the first Renaissance city, home to 372,000 citizens, 56 museums, and 150 churches.

The first stop was The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Cathedral). The Piazza del Duomo is in the center of the city and includes the Baptistery, the church, which is the third largest in Europe, and Giotto's bell tower. We plan to climb to the top of the Duomo to see the best view of the city, all 653 steps.

















We also walked by San Lorenzo, an open air market consisting of stands selling leather goods, bracelets, florentine stationary, etc. Some merchants throw a blanket on the ground and sell knock off purses to tourists. However, this is illegal in Florence. If the police spot them the vendors scoop up all their merchandise and make a run for it. If you are caught buying one of these bags you could also be fined 100 euro.





This chain connected to two posts was one of my favorite spots on the tour. These "love locks" all have the names of happy couples on them who have visited Florence together. When you come with your true love you're supposed to buy a lock, put both of your names on it with a message, lock it to the chain, and throw the key into the Arno river. I thought it was the sweetest idea, adding much appreciated character to the street.





The love locks are located near the Ponte Vecchio or "old bridge." This is the only bridge that wasn't destroyed by bombs during World War II. It is now home to a famous jewelry market, but be prepared to spend lots-o-money...it's very expensive. The bridge used to be the location of the town's fish market, but it is said that Cosimo Medici (a member of the rich banking family who ruled Florence) didn't like the smell of fish and demanded it be closed.



This is a view of one of the smaller bridges from the Ponte Vecchio



Our wonderful tour guide! Whenever something would happen she would shout "Mama Mia!"

The Vatican in pictures

The Vatican is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Housing one of the largest collections of art and sculpture in the world, if you stood in front of each work of art for one minute each it would take you 10 years to see them all. It seemed like around every corner I turned there stood a sculpture I know to be of the best in the world. It was packed with people from a variety of countries. An estimated 17,000 people from around the world visit The Vatican EVERY DAY!


This was the ceiling in one of my favorite rooms. It is a long hallway full of maps made centuries ago during a time when there was no technology to help them. All of the maps are very accurate, large enough to fill a wall, and decorated with bright colors. The ceiling was the most impressive part of the room, shown here with painting and relief sculptures.















Once you have walked through the vatican museums you end up at the Sistine Chapel, my favorite work of art. I had prepared myself to be amazed by Michelangelo's masterpiece, but I wasn't prepared for how incredible the ceiling fresco actually is. This was the first professional painting Michelangelo had ever been commissioned for, and he did it against his will. He would have much rather worked on the tomb of Pope Julius II, who instead commanded him to paint the ceiling of the most sacred chapel in the Vatican. It is also amazing that all the Pope wanted Michelangelo to paint were the 12 apostles surrounded by a geometrical pattern. Going above and beyond, Michelangelo painted over 300 figures, playing by his own rules (as usual). You are not supposed to take pictures, but I couldn't resist. This masterpiece took the artist 4 years to complete, standing on scaffolding with his neck and back bent over backwards. After only a few short minutes my neck hurt from looking up at the ceiling. SO COOL!