Florentina Viola

After a day of climbing the Duomo and going to Ponte Vecchio, I continued my productive streak of seeing Florence by going to the soccer game today, January 29. My friends and I met early and headed to the stadium which is seriously 3 blocks from where I live. The game was so much fun! We sat in the fan section and I made sure to wear purple. Firenze scored their first goal within the first four minutes of the game and ended up beating Siena 2-1. It was so exciting! My favorite part of the game was the fans. They were on their feet the entire game and sang chants the whole time. One person would initiate a song then everyone would join in, filled with energy, knowing all the words. I wish I could have joined in, or even have known shat they were saying.



After Florentina's first goal!



After the game we all got gelato down the street. I got an extra big one with yogurt, pistachio, and strawberry flavors. Delish!

Upon returning home, Cristina invited me to join her, her neighbor and her grandson for tea. I happily joined, as I can never turn down tea and hoped it would warm me up after the game. After we were all done, Cristina and her neighbor began playing cards and asked if I wanted to learn to play Buraco. Putting off the nap I had planned, I happily agreed. I watched the first game as they explained the rules and then began to play with them. Although trying to learn a new card game when there is a language barrier is difficult, I eventually picked up the rules. Playing with them was so much fun and reminded me of playing Shangai Rummy with my own grandparents. I now have a new game to teach them!

We got so enthralled in the game we played until Cristina realized she had to start dinner. Tonight for dinner we started off with two different kinds of pasta, one with broccoli and bow ties with vodka sauce. We then had delicious roasted vegetables including cauliflower, zucchini, and carrots with pineapple for dessert! Although I didn’t get much work done during the day, I spent time with my host family instead which was more than worth it.