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!

When in Rome

Buon giorno from Rome! Today is our second day in the capitol of Italy. Since we'll only be here for 3 short days before heading to Florence, we've packed our days full of seeing the sights. Our morning started out with a walking tour lead by the wonderful Catterina,our Swedish guide.

She was quite a character, familiar with every aspect of Rome and its culture. She carried a pink loofa on a tall metal stick as she walked so our group of 25+ could follow her through the crowds.

We walked for 3 hours. Past the Roman Forum...

...and through the city all the way to the Piazza Navona. One of the most memorable stops was at the Trevi Fountain, one of the items on my bucket list. The area is known for its pick-pockets so I was sure to get my coin out of my purse before we turned the corner. As I said before, legend has it that throwing a coin into the fountain insures your return to Rome. After today I sincerely hope that is true.

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We also got to see the Pantheon, one of my favorite churches I've studied in Art History. It was really amazing.

It is the most well preserved of any ancient Roman building. The oculus in the ceiling is 9 feet in diameter and lets in natural sunlight, as well as rain. While we were there a choir of tourists spontaneously began singing a hymn, a very beautiful moment.

More to come on the great city of Rome. Ciao!

My Florence Bucket List

It's finally official. Yesterday my mom purchased a plane ticket for me from Atlanta to Rome on May 10th! In honor of this huge step, I decided to create my Florence, or "Firenze" as the Italians say, Bucket List! I'm not allowed to get back on the plane to America at the end of my Italian adventure if I haven't completed the list. No exceptions...

I. Tour the Uffizi Gallery



I plan on putting my bags down and going straight to the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi is one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. It houses works by Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Titian, Michelangelo, and Raphael, to name a few. Apparently during popular tourist times there can be up to 5 hour waits, but it's worth it.

2. Watch the sunset at the Piazzale Michelangelo


3. Eat AT LEAST one cup of gelato everyday



There are few things in this world I love more than ice cream. I plan on taking advantage of the fact that I'll be living in a city known for its especially delicious gelato. I have also recently researched the tasty treat (on Wikipedia of course) and discovered that gelato, on average, has less sugar and butter fat which makes it ok to eat everyday...right? The main ingredient is nut puree. Italian gelato can also only be kept at its ideal texture and flavor for several days, which means most "gelaterias" make their gelato on site so it's fresh! I want to find a favorite gelato stand and befriend the gelateria.

4. Buy a purse at the Leather Markets

5. Discover everything there is to know about wine

6. Take a Gondola ride in Venice



7. Go to Capri

8. Walk the Sentiero Azzuro through the 5 villages of Cinque Terre



Here's a Cinque Terre Hiking Guide I found online. This will probably come in handy since I've heard it can be confusing.

9. Take a picture "leaning" on the Leaning Tower of Pisa

10. Stand under the Sistine Chapel ceiling

11. See Leonardo's Last Supper in Milan

12. Climb to the top of Florence's Duomo

13. See the original "David" in the Galleria dell' Accademia

14. Stand under the oculus in the Pantheon in Rome

15. Go to the Colosseum

16. Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain

The legend says that if visitors throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain they are "ensured a return to Rome."

17. Climb to the top of Old St. Peters

18. See the doors on the Florence Baptistery

19. Sit on the Spanish steps in Rome

20. Visit a vineyard in Tuscany

21. Take a day trip to Sienna

22. Fill my tummy with Pasta often

23. See the Laocoon

24. Go to the Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel in Padua to see Giotto's frescoes

25. Visit the Museum of San Marco to see Fra Angelico's frescoes