When in Rome! (Sorry, I had to)

Me and MaryAnn in front of the Vittoriano Monument

I have been so busy, but I'm loving it here.  The weather finally decided to warm up, which makes a huge difference on how crowded the streets and piazzas are during the day.  


Last weekend I met up with my Michigan friend MaryAnn in Rome.  It was such a cool city, very different from Florence.  It amazed me that you could turn a corner and there would be some monument or ruin appear out of nowhere.  


One of my favorite parts of Rome was the Vatican Museum (which isn't technically in Rome, ironically).  In my Art History class we are learning about a lot of the art there, so even though I have been inside before, this time my visit had more meaning.  We decided to get a guided tour of the museum and the Sistine Chapel, and despite our initial skepticism of the tour company, it ended up being a great decision.  

St Peter's Square

The Colosseum

The city was so busy but we managed to hit all the major sites.  The food was amazing and we experienced food comas after every meal - so worth it though!  I love Rome but I can honestly say I am very happy to be living in Florence.  It seemed like it took forever to get to places in Rome, and the city overwhelmed me at times.  Florence has the perfect amount of action and calmness for studying abroad.  I can't wait for my parents to visit me next week! (Not just for free meals and a comfy bed to sleep in for a week)


Next weekend: Interlaken, Switzerland! What's on the possible agenda?  Night sledding, ice skating, beautiful sites, chocolate tasting, and canyon jumping (!!!).  Wish me luck, I'll need it.

Carnevale di Venezia - They don't call it VenICE for nothing!

Dear Mom, thank you for making me bring my Ugg boots to Italy when I wasn't planning on doing so.  While every other girl on my trip to Venice this past weekend complained about frostbitten toes, my feet were comfortably toasty.  Even so, this didn't help the icy winds and frosty weather that encompassed Venice like a snow globe this weekend.


Carnevale started on Sunday (40 days before Lent) so we got to see the opening ceremonies.  It was a very busy weekend, so I'll try and summarize what our group did:

• Saturday: woke up at 5 am to depart by bus for Venice
• Arrived Venice around 10 am and got on a boat (after a pit stop for coffee)
• Got off the boat and went to St. Mark's Square/Basilica (got a cappuccino inside the Basilica)
• Walked around St. Mark's Square (got hot chocolate/hot wine....notice a trend?)
• Got back on the boat and went to Murano - famous for glass making.  We saw a demonstration and bought some glassware
• Got back on the boat and went to Burano - famous for its picturesque colorful houses (again, got a cappuccino)
• Got back on the boat to get to our hotel, which was in Lido di Jesolo
• Went to a Venetian restaurant where we were treated to an amazing four-course meal
• Went back to the hotel and passed out, finally somewhat warmer
  
• Sunday: woke up and transfered back to Venice
• Toured a very cool contemporary art museum called The Palazzo Grassi
• Ran back to St. Mark's Square to catch the official opening of the Carnevale where we saw the "Flight of the Angel", which is when the woman who wore the most beautiful costume from last year "flies" on a rope from the top of the Saint Mark bell tower onto the main stage.  This sounds very exciting but was actually a very slow process that took about 7 minutes total...not very dramatic!
• Walked around the Carnevale which was very crowded and filled with tourists (as well as Italians) wearing masks and dressed up in crazy costumes - kind of reminded me of Halloween with no candy.  I got a blue and silver mask
• Toured the Duke's Palace - got yelled at for taking pictures and wearing masks inside
• Took a boat back to our bus, and departed for Florence, where we arrived at 9 pm

So basically my trip consisted of boats and coffee, with a few masks and costumes on the side.  I will definitely be returning to Venice in warmer conditions!

Cold but happy to be in Venice

St. Mark's Basilica - so pretty!

We watched him make a little glass horse in 60 seconds - very impressive

Me and Allie in Burano

Just one of the many Carnevale outifts

Today was Valentine's day so a few of us went to the Florence chocolate fair which has been going on all week in Piazza Republica.  There was so much chocolate I couldn't decide what I wanted.  It was very overwhelming, even for a choco-holic like myself.  I know my mom would have loved it though - so many truffles to choose from.  There were also a bunch items designed out of chocolate, like Gucci shoes and Carnival masks.  Thankfully I had to go to class, otherwise I would have spent all day there!

I wonder if these come in a size 8

No trips planned this weekend so I am excited to explore more of Florence and relax a little! I have an Italian quiz tomorrow...wish me luck (augurimi la fortuna!)

Exercise? What's that?

The entire time I have been in Italy I feel that I've been doing at least one thing wrong at all times during the day. Whether it's forgetting I have to pay for plastic bags at the grocery store, or crossing the street where I'm not supposed to, I have gotten some looks that just say, "It's okay, you're American and don't know any better." (This is actually a great excuse for day-to-day mistakes, by the way).


Anyway, Bre and I went for our first run yesterday and you would have thought we strangled the Pope with some of the looks we were getting.  I don't think there is even a word for 'exercise' in Italian.  The streets are so narrow, so we decided to run along the river to avoid any major collisions.  However, because people didn't understand why we were running, they wouldn't really move out of the way which made things difficult.  In the occasion that we would pass other runners (surprisingly, this happened twice!) I couldn't help but smile and laugh to myself because it was indeed a pretty amusing site.  


In other news, we recently discovered a secret room above Allie's doorway, so if the Italian Mafia come for us we know where to hide.  Bre and I don't have a secret room but we do have a beautiful ceiling to look at. 

Not a bad view to wake up to!

I leave for Venice bright and early tomorrow for the opening weekend of Carnevale! I hope the water isn't frozen over so we can take gondola rides and experience Venice before it sinks. Buona notte! 

Strike #1 for the Americans

Our shower....in the living room

 I came home from class today and Bre informed me that we do not have a shower for a week because it is leaking.  Not only that, but it is leaking through our floor into an antique shop below our apartment, probably ruining priceless Italian antiques.  Oops! So now our shower doors are chilling in the living room while they fix it.
   
The most interesting (and entertaining) part of this was trying to interact with the technician who spoke very little English.  While he was sitting in our kitchen waiting to work on the dishwasher (which was also broken) I realized how big of a barrier language really is.  I wanted to have a normal conversation but found that next to impossible without making bizarre hand gestures and guessing on Italian phrases (based on the Spanish I remember.)  By the end of my trip I hope to overcome this barrier and engage in more interaction with the many Florentines I see every day!

My first cup of joe!

 When I first surveyed the strange Italian appliances that came in my apartment, I knew this ancient-looking pot was for coffee but I had no idea how it worked.  I later found out it is called a Moka, and should only be used with Italian coffee.  

My roommate Allie and I decided we were getting frustrated with the 2-sip cups of coffee sold at Italian cafes.  We managed to assemble the Moka correctly and make a pretty mean cup of joe, although it took about 7 minutes.  I do miss the quick service and friendly atmosphere of Starbuck's but I think I can get used to the Moka.  (I'm more upset that my Starbuck's Gold Card will not be racking up any gold stars for the next few months.)

So difficult for a simple cup of coffee!
I sympathize with J-Woww when she tries to make coffee in Florence on Jersey Shore

Siena - frozen hills and frozen heads

Before I forget the events of our Siena trip, I thought I'd jot down some key moments.  First, we didn't realize there was a difference between the regular Siena bus and the 'Siena Rapida' bus.  We ended up taking the regular Siena route which took us about twice as long through the most random towns.  Every time we passed a sign with an arrow pointing toward Siena we would go the opposite way.  We eventually made it and managed to find our little hotel without getting completely lost.  I thought Florence was an old city but the streets and architecture of Siena gave me a new definition of old.  

We don't stand out at all do we?

While walking around in our group of 10 I realized we were pretty much the only tourists out that day, which was a nice change from the busy streets of Florence.  However, the reason we were the only people around was because it was freezing and Italians decided to hibernate instead.  Yes, it was cold, but nothing compared to the Chicago/Ann Arbor winters I am used to!  

Me and my roommate Bre in the Piazza del Campo

The weather kept us from being able to see a few sites, but the biggest challenge was navigating the streets without falling.  At one point, we had to scale down a very steep street that was coated with a layer of ice.  This process took about 20 minutes and I can honestly say I have never laughed so hard in my life for no reason.  That night, despite the freezing temperatures, we decided it was a good idea to get some gelato.  We went to a place called Grom which is also in Florence and even New York.  The gelato man gave me and all my friends a 50% discount because he heard I was gluten-free, so my friends were all very excited.

One of the coolest things we saw was inside the Basilica of San Domenico.  We were casually walking around and saw a sign that said several relics of Saint Catherine of Siena were contained inside the Chapel.  We looked closer and saw her real head sitting in the middle of the alter.  Note: it is kind of startling when you aren't expecting to see a head and then all of the sudden you see one.  Especially in a sacred place where you are supposed to be silent. 

St Catherine's head (Photo from Google Images)

I am already looking forward to Venice next weekend for Carnival, but tonight we are watching the Super Bowl at a bar with a bunch of other American students.  Go Pats! 

Senza Glutine, my favorite Italian words!

In Italian 101, I have so far only learned numbers, days of the week, and how to say, "I don't understand Italian."  But my favorite new Italian phrase is, "Avete ciba senza glutine?" (Do you have gluten-free food?)  Whenever I ask in a restaurant or cafe, even if they do not have anything for me they still know what I'm talking about.  Apparently they are very knowledgeable about celiac disease here, which is a great change from the States.

I thought finding gluten-free food in Italy would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but I have been pleasantly surprised.  In grocery stores, there are little signs below each item that is gluten-free, and I have seen many restaurants advertising gluten-free foods.  This week I made a GF turkey sandwich as well as GF pasta for dinner.  I have yet to try a restaurant with GF pizza or pasta but that is definitely on my to-do list.

My GF pasta with basil tomato sauce

A sign outside of a restaurant

Alright, I will admit this sign is a little creepy....

One place I can always find a gluten-free snack that everyone else will love is at a gelateria!  Fun fact: if the gelato is displayed in large amounts and/or is very colorful (see below picture), it is not the best stuff.  My Italian professor taught us that this is mostly for tourists.  For the best gelato, you should not be able to see it displayed, and it should be more dull in color. 

Colorful gelato = not as fresh!

Next post: We went to Siena yesterday and spent the night.  In a few words, Siena was beautiful but freezing.  Stay tuned for more!