Clean Sheets

It was to school for me on Monday. After a long day of classes and homework, I arrived home to find fresh, clean sheets on my bed! After being used to doing all my shores on my own while I’m at school it so nice to be taken care of by my host family. My host mother does the laundry for us, prepares delicious meals every night, doesn’t let us help with the dishes, and even gives us clean sheets after only being here a week. What a life!

Ali and I share a room here in the Brandigi home, and also share a bathroom. The living arrangements are great, as Ali and I get along very well and enjoy each others company. We have plenty of closet space, a small desk, and each have a twin bed. I must say my bed it so comfortable! Although the house is sometimes cold, my comforter keeps me at the perfect temperature every night.

       

After coming home to a clean room, I set out on a run around the nearby soccer stadium. It was lovely as many people were out for a run, or on their bikes. Soon after I returned dinner was served. Tonight started with one of my favorites, minestrone soup. This version had collard greens, beans, and bread right in the soup. We were then served sautéed fish and tomato slices with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The meal was fresh, delicious and packed with vegetables just how I like it. We all finished the tiramisu for dessert.

The Tiramisu Dilemma

After two days of day trips, I was ready for a relaxed Sunday. I slept in until 9:30am which felt glorious after getting up before the sun for my day trips this weekend. My roommate and I awoke to breakfast on the table waking for us… its nice to have a host family!

Breakfast was followed a lovely run around my neighborhood. Later I met with friends to go shopping in the city center. We all had difficulties packing when coming here and needed a few alterations to our wardrobe. Before we knew it, it was 4’o’clock and I needed to head home as my host mother had offered to show Ali and I how to make tiramisu! I did not want to be late for this.

We all headed towards home, walking quickly, but were pressed for time so we decided to take the bus to cut down on the travel time. This was my first time taking the bus, and maybe the last. As my friend and I got on the bus we double checked with the driver that it was going the right place. Unfortunately, it was not going the right way. Maria and I rode the bus for an entire hour as it went its full route to finally arrive at our stop – a trip that would’ve taken a mere five minutes had we gotten on the right way. We were tired, and hungry and miserable the whole way, kicking ourselves for getting on the wrong way.

When I finally arrived home, an hour late for my tiramisu lesson with Cristina, I felt so bad and apologized again and again. Luckily, she was very nice about it and said she was more sorry for me because I rode the bus for an hour. I was able to catch the tail end of her making tiramisu, but she said she would show me next time.

Dinner tonight, merely the precursor to the dessert to come, started with bell peppers sautéed in vinegar and sugar which were surprisingly delicious. Then we had lasagna! A different lasagna than I’ve ever tasted with different types of cheese, onions, and artichokes. And then of course was the tiramisu for dessert. My first time trying it! What better way than homemade by an authentic Italian cook? I had missed my homemade dinners over the weekend and this dinner was the perfect meal to come back to.

Ravenna - Land of Mosaics and Cold

After a full day in Assisi the day before, on Saturday, January 21, my roommate and I were up before the sun at 6am to catch the 7:30am bus to Ravenna. This was another school sponsored field trip that I signed up for, and again I embarked on the day trip knowing nothing about Ravenna or what the day had in store. I was just hoping it would be as good of a surprise as our trip to Assisi!

Unfortunately it was not. After about a two and a half hour bus ride, we arrived in Ravenna and toured about four different churches and monuments. Just as Assisi was known for the fresco paintings, Ravenna is known for mosaic art. We went to each location, which are all about a ten minute walk from each other, looking at the mosaics and learning about the history. This would have made for a fine time except the fact that it was freezing! And if you thought just the walks in between each location were cold you thought wrong, for the churches themselves were even colder than the weather outside thus giving us no break from the cold. Many of the other students and I were miserable throughout the tours due to the weather and unfortunately I could barely appreciate the beautiful history that surrounded me.

By the time the tours ended it was past one in the afternoon, our feet were numb, and we were all overly hungry for lunch. After seeing our final church, some friends and I stopped in the gift shop to ask for a lunch recommendation – something cheap and simple. We got directions and headed out, desperately seeking warmth.

We arrived at the suggested eatery, looked at the menu and happily ordered. We all got different types of grilled wraps which are very typical of the area. I got the very traditional wrap of grilled vegetables and cheese. As we were waiting for our food I was able to watch the woman make our lunch over an open grill. I always love watching people prepare food, especially the food I am about to eat. While watching I hung my head close to the open grill to catch the heat it was giving off. It definitely warmed me up!

Friends and I hung out at the restaurant until it was time to go, as none of us wanted to venture back out into the cold. We then headed back on the bus. Although I was planning on getting some sleep on the bus as I usually do on these trips, the bus driver put in a movie and I got sucked into Inception!

Upon returning home and telling our host mom how cold it had been in Ravenna, Cristina prepared tea and hot water bottles for Ali and me. What a lovely thought! It was perfect, and about the only that could have warmed me up after such a cold day.

After some rest, I headed back out to the much warmer Florence for a night out with friends J

Assisi - An Unexpected Gem

On Friday, January 20, 2012, I went to Assissi! It was an all school field trip and my first trip since arriving in Florence a little over a week ago. Since it was a school sponsored trip, the travel and tours were taken care of for the students…so all I had to do was sign up! I’d say a trip with no planning is a good way to ease into right?

We all met at the school at 8:00am, boarded the busses and headed out for the two hour drive. Of course after a bunch of college students woke up at 6:30am, the entire bus was asleep within minutes of departure.

Upon signing up for this trip, I had no idea what Assisi had in store. All I assumed is that St. Francis of Assisi was from there, and there’d probably be a church. I must say I wasn’t too excited for a day of tours, churches and history, but Assisi surprised me! As I expected, we toured a church, learned about St. Francis’s life from a tour guide provided by the school and viewed the various fresco paintings on the walls. After about an hour of touring, we were set free to explore the small city on our own and find lunch.

The city of Assisi is beautifully quaint with cobble stone roads, small boutique shops, and stone buildings with flower pots along the window sills and colored shutters lining the windows. It is located on the top of the hill making the roads steep but the views gorgeous. Some other students and I ventured up the roads in search of something hot for lunch, as it was cold outside and even colder in the church! With limited choices we decided on a small restaurant where I got a most delicious barley soup! It was perfect for the chilly day – warm and hearty.

After we were all nourished and warmer we set out to hike up to the top of the hill of Assisi, as suggested by our tour guide. I must say, this was my favorite part of the day as the view from the top of the hill was amazing. As we reached the top, the sun came out and made for the most beautiful view of the surrounding hilly landscape. We spent lots of time their exploring the stone fort that sat atop the hill, enjoying the scenery and taking pictures.

On out way back down the hill, and back to the bus we stopped for huge meringues that we eyed on our way up the hill.

After a nap on the bus ride back to Florence and a little relaxation at home, I met friends Maria and Jess for dinner. We were all exhausted from our long day, and knew we had another early morning ahead of us so we opted for a low key dinner at Pizza place near our houses. I shared Pizza and beer with friends to end the night. My first pizza in Florence!