Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Firenze
Sorry for the lag time in the blogging. I'm only like 20 days late.
So for the Fourth of July weekend we spent it in Florence. We took the train from Perugia to Firenze ( which is Florence in Italia). Most of us were staying at different hotels, so we had to walk all over the city. Though I was lucky, cuz I was at the first hotel, (so I got nap time!!!!!!! woo hoo)
We then all met at the Uffizi Museum to get inspired by art. They had a lot of sculpture and medieval art. One of the highlights was the "Birth of Venus". We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I snuck one in. Well I guess I didn't sneak too well, cuz I got yelled at by one of the guards. Oops, sono American :) hehehe By the way if you ever get a chance to see the "Birth of Venus" in real life I highly recommend it. It is stunning!! I actually saw a few people brought to tears, no kidding. I wasn't even a big fan of it before, but it is breathtaking.
We then had a ton of free time until we all met up for dinner, so we shopped!!! I unfortunately spent a tad bit too much, but it was soooo worth it. Apparently Florence is known for it leather, so I had to buy me a bag, maybe two :) It was fun dealing with all the vendors and shop keepers. You are expected to haggle with them, so it was interesting to find out how low they'd go.
Then we went to dinner at Za-Za's, the food wasn't great but the atmosphere and service were. One thing I love about Italy is the patio seating. It forces you to relax and take in your surroundings. Plus the Italians love to drag out dinner. Even if you have one course don't expect to get out under 2 hours. We then had a nice leisurely stroll back to the hotel ( we kinda got lost), and passed out.
The next day we started off with a group trip to the Academia, which is where Michelangelo's David is. Unfortunately that is about all there is to see, but seeing the David in person is pretty awesome. I snuck a few pics there (didn't get caught this time.... getting more stealthy) We had most of the day free and Jason recommended that we just wander around and see what we find.
By this time in the trip I think we were all needing a little "alone" time, so we all jumped at the chance to "get lost". I have to say this was the most fun I've had!! Just wandering around at my own pace, seeing what I'd like to see. I think when you don't have a designation you stumble upon some pretty cool things. I stumbled upon an old Perumeria, The Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which has been around since the mid 1600's and it is still in business. I wanted to buy something there, but it was super expensive. The stuff there was amazing and incredibly beautiful. Even the building is gorgeous. I've heard it described as looking like the interior of a music box, each room decorated differently.
Then I wandered over to the Ponte Vecchio. This is a bridge covered in jewelry shops. A lot of window shopping done there. Then after crossing the Arno river I went to the Pitti Palace. I had so much fun there!! I went to the modern art gallery ( for Italians anything beyond the 18th century is considered "modern") I got to see a John Singer Sargent and a lot of beautiful Tuscan art. I also got to see the Royal apartments. Which I have to say, after seeing the White House , the Pitti Palace makes those rooms loook down right shabby. I wanted to see the Boboli Gardens, which surrounds the palace, but I was quite exhausted after wandering around Florence and walking around the Palace. I think I might have gone up 8 flight of stairs just in the Pitti Palace. No wonder Italians are in such good shape :)
Anyway, Sam, Robert and I met up, grabbed our luggage and made our way over to the Train station, where we had a fabulous meal at McDonalds (chicken nuggets never tasted soooo good) then we headed back to Corciano. We got back a little after 10pm, and were greeted by all of our Italian neighbors with a fourth of July party. They had hot dogs, watermelon, fireworks, the whole shebang. It was nice to get a little taste of home.
So for the Fourth of July weekend we spent it in Florence. We took the train from Perugia to Firenze ( which is Florence in Italia). Most of us were staying at different hotels, so we had to walk all over the city. Though I was lucky, cuz I was at the first hotel, (so I got nap time!!!!!!! woo hoo)
We then all met at the Uffizi Museum to get inspired by art. They had a lot of sculpture and medieval art. One of the highlights was the "Birth of Venus". We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I snuck one in. Well I guess I didn't sneak too well, cuz I got yelled at by one of the guards. Oops, sono American :) hehehe By the way if you ever get a chance to see the "Birth of Venus" in real life I highly recommend it. It is stunning!! I actually saw a few people brought to tears, no kidding. I wasn't even a big fan of it before, but it is breathtaking.
We then had a ton of free time until we all met up for dinner, so we shopped!!! I unfortunately spent a tad bit too much, but it was soooo worth it. Apparently Florence is known for it leather, so I had to buy me a bag, maybe two :) It was fun dealing with all the vendors and shop keepers. You are expected to haggle with them, so it was interesting to find out how low they'd go.
Then we went to dinner at Za-Za's, the food wasn't great but the atmosphere and service were. One thing I love about Italy is the patio seating. It forces you to relax and take in your surroundings. Plus the Italians love to drag out dinner. Even if you have one course don't expect to get out under 2 hours. We then had a nice leisurely stroll back to the hotel ( we kinda got lost), and passed out.
The next day we started off with a group trip to the Academia, which is where Michelangelo's David is. Unfortunately that is about all there is to see, but seeing the David in person is pretty awesome. I snuck a few pics there (didn't get caught this time.... getting more stealthy) We had most of the day free and Jason recommended that we just wander around and see what we find.
By this time in the trip I think we were all needing a little "alone" time, so we all jumped at the chance to "get lost". I have to say this was the most fun I've had!! Just wandering around at my own pace, seeing what I'd like to see. I think when you don't have a designation you stumble upon some pretty cool things. I stumbled upon an old Perumeria, The Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which has been around since the mid 1600's and it is still in business. I wanted to buy something there, but it was super expensive. The stuff there was amazing and incredibly beautiful. Even the building is gorgeous. I've heard it described as looking like the interior of a music box, each room decorated differently.
Then I wandered over to the Ponte Vecchio. This is a bridge covered in jewelry shops. A lot of window shopping done there. Then after crossing the Arno river I went to the Pitti Palace. I had so much fun there!! I went to the modern art gallery ( for Italians anything beyond the 18th century is considered "modern") I got to see a John Singer Sargent and a lot of beautiful Tuscan art. I also got to see the Royal apartments. Which I have to say, after seeing the White House , the Pitti Palace makes those rooms loook down right shabby. I wanted to see the Boboli Gardens, which surrounds the palace, but I was quite exhausted after wandering around Florence and walking around the Palace. I think I might have gone up 8 flight of stairs just in the Pitti Palace. No wonder Italians are in such good shape :)
Anyway, Sam, Robert and I met up, grabbed our luggage and made our way over to the Train station, where we had a fabulous meal at McDonalds (chicken nuggets never tasted soooo good) then we headed back to Corciano. We got back a little after 10pm, and were greeted by all of our Italian neighbors with a fourth of July party. They had hot dogs, watermelon, fireworks, the whole shebang. It was nice to get a little taste of home.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Siena & Il Palio
Sorry, I've fallen behind on the blogging :) Been quite worn out and don't have the patience for computer stuff after a long day of painting in the sun. You'd think by now I'd be black, but alas I am still my pasty ol' self :)
Anyway, We had a terrific time in Siena. It was quite an experience!! They have this horse race 2 times a year called il Palio. We just happened to be in Italy when it was going on so Jason offered to take those of us who wanted to go.
This race is a huge spectacle. People from all over the world come to see this race. Basically all 10 Contrades or city wards are represented by a horse and rider. There is a huge parade preceding the race where everyone dresses in costume and throws their contrades' flag. It is a full day experience.
It took forever to get into the piazza. We had to run to each gate and try to get in before they closed it. Finally we got to one gate that was still letting people in. We had to wait about a half an hour in a little alley way with elbow to elbow people, who did not smell very good :( For those who are claustrophobic, I would not recommend this event. Plus once you get into the Piazza you can't get back out, so no potty breaks for 3-4 hours. It was 100+ degrees and none of us wanted to drink any water, cuz we wouldn't be able to pee. And they call this fun!!
So we waited around int the Piazza for the race to start, in the sweltering heat with no water. It was supposed to start at 7, but you know those Italians, they can never start on time. So at 8:30 the race finally started. Which by the way did I tell you that the race is only 3 laps!! So we waited around in a stinky, sweaty mob of people for 4 hours for a 20 second race. No kidding it took about 20 secs!!
After the race, the wining Contrades people come stampeding through the crowd toward the winner and then rip all of his clothes off. Well that part was interesting :) Except for the almost getting stampeded by insane Italians.
All I have to say is I'm glad I went, but I can't say that I'd do it again :)
Arrivederci
Anyway, We had a terrific time in Siena. It was quite an experience!! They have this horse race 2 times a year called il Palio. We just happened to be in Italy when it was going on so Jason offered to take those of us who wanted to go.
This race is a huge spectacle. People from all over the world come to see this race. Basically all 10 Contrades or city wards are represented by a horse and rider. There is a huge parade preceding the race where everyone dresses in costume and throws their contrades' flag. It is a full day experience.
It took forever to get into the piazza. We had to run to each gate and try to get in before they closed it. Finally we got to one gate that was still letting people in. We had to wait about a half an hour in a little alley way with elbow to elbow people, who did not smell very good :( For those who are claustrophobic, I would not recommend this event. Plus once you get into the Piazza you can't get back out, so no potty breaks for 3-4 hours. It was 100+ degrees and none of us wanted to drink any water, cuz we wouldn't be able to pee. And they call this fun!!
So we waited around int the Piazza for the race to start, in the sweltering heat with no water. It was supposed to start at 7, but you know those Italians, they can never start on time. So at 8:30 the race finally started. Which by the way did I tell you that the race is only 3 laps!! So we waited around in a stinky, sweaty mob of people for 4 hours for a 20 second race. No kidding it took about 20 secs!!
After the race, the wining Contrades people come stampeding through the crowd toward the winner and then rip all of his clothes off. Well that part was interesting :) Except for the almost getting stampeded by insane Italians.
All I have to say is I'm glad I went, but I can't say that I'd do it again :)
Arrivederci
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Day trip to Orvieto
We went to Orvieto today. It is an old city built upon volcanic fallout, that has a labyrinth of underground tunnels underneath, dug by the Etruscans. Many of the caves haven't all been excavated yet, but they believe they run under the whole city and were meant as a form of escape for the towns people during a siege. It was extremely nice to go down into the caves, cuz it was about 15 degrees cooler down there. This is where they made the olive oil and stored their wine, because of the temperature.
It was a pretty small town, there wasn't too much to see. The Duomo was very, very dramatic. The inside and the sides of the outside are all done in a black and white stripe, which was very striking. Also the rose window was quite intricate and beautiful.
Other that those two things, we didn't do too much more. We window shopped and my roommate, Sam, and I had a fabulous dinner at this little cafe on the main strip. It was very chic and the food was the best I've had so far. Plus our waiter was soooo Italian, we loved it. Then we made a gelato run and I had the best kiwi gelato of my life :) mmmmmm
I love Gelato!!!!
It was a pretty small town, there wasn't too much to see. The Duomo was very, very dramatic. The inside and the sides of the outside are all done in a black and white stripe, which was very striking. Also the rose window was quite intricate and beautiful.
Other that those two things, we didn't do too much more. We window shopped and my roommate, Sam, and I had a fabulous dinner at this little cafe on the main strip. It was very chic and the food was the best I've had so far. Plus our waiter was soooo Italian, we loved it. Then we made a gelato run and I had the best kiwi gelato of my life :) mmmmmm
I love Gelato!!!!
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