SHANanagains in Sansepolcro

'He is fit!"

2010-04-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Friday 9th
One thing that I love about being here in Italy is seeing the amazing views. I have yet to go to a place where the views and scenery are not absolutely breathtaking and beautiful. Every time we go on an excursion, we hear “oh it’s beautiful, you are going to love it”, and it is true. Every place has such magnificent views. Friday was a beautiful day, and we spent the afternoon in a neighboring town called Anghiari. The hilly streets were full of shops, churches, homes and cafes. Dr. Webb got us some gelato and I ate mine, and walked up the street to look out at the views. The beautiful walled town overlooks Sansepolcro and some of the Tuscan mountains. It was a lovely view!

John Rose’s daughter and her family were here in Sansepolcro this week. His granddaughter, Charlie and her friend Courtney, came to go out with Megan, Kayley, Lilly and me. We had plans at night to go meet some boys from Città di Castello. The girls and I went to a bar right across from the Palazzo and enjoyed a drink as we waited for the boys to come. As I was sitting in the bar I noticed a North Carolina licenses plate hanging on the wall, and got really excited. It felt like a piece of home was there with us! It was really interesting to talk to Courtney and Charlie; comparing different words and phrases that Americans and British say. We learned that “fit” means “hot”, as in” that boy in the blue shirt is very fit.”
We met the Città di Castello boys and went to another bar for a drink. The boys bought Lilly, Kayley, Megan and my drink. They told us that it was what Italian gentlemen do. At 12:30 Lilly and I walked John Rose’s granddaughter and her friend back to their hotel.

Saturday 10th
I was able to sleep in till 11:30, and it was wonderful! I enjoyed a nice leisurely morning and then went to a soccer game. The Sansepolcro team was playing a neighboring city, Città di Castello. One of our Italian friends, Luca, took us to the game and we were able to watch Sansepolcro beat Città di Castello. It was a really fun experience. I enjoyed cheering on the Sansepolcro team and listening to the crowds yell with excitement or anger. The players were very rough and intense which made the game even more fun to watch.

After the game I got some gelato and then went to get Chinese food for dinner. I know that sounds interesting, to be getting Chinese while in Italy, but it was actually pretty good. Megan and I split Chicken with mushrooms and shrimp and a side of some rice.
There is a club or discotecca called Lo Scorpione, right outside the city walls. Our Italian friends talked about it, and we had planned to go. We were informed that the club does not get “good” till about 2am. So I took a nap before I went. At 11:30 I woke up from a 30 minute nap and started to get ready. At 2:15, on true Italian time, Lilly, Kayley, Kim, Megan, Jess, and I went to Lo Scorpione. All the Italians whom we had talked to about the discotecca said that it was boring and small; however I disagree. The club was really quite nice, it had a lot of couches and tables for people to sit down on and was large so people were able to move. Apparently, the night that we chose to go was a special night for the men at the club. There was a burlesque dancer who came out dressed as a ballerina. She ended up dancing till she was in nothing but pasties. At one point I looked around: everyone one of us American girls had our mouths dropped, in shock. Our surprised reactions were opposite to those of the Italians, who were acting as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. After dancing and drinks as we left the club at 5 AM (like the Italians do ;). It was such a fun experience; I would really love to go back before I leave. I would also highly encourage everyone to go at least once because it was so different from anything I had ever done.

Sunday 11th
After only getting 5 hours of sleep I woke up, ate breakfast and started on some homework. Later in the day, John Rose came into the kitchen to tell us that the bell tower here in Sansepolcro was open to be climbed. It is not open all the time, and was a special occasion , so Megan, Kayley and I acted upon the opportunity and went to climb the 14th century tower. I have climbed multiple towers in different cities, but by far this one was the scariest. To get up to the very top I had to climb a little ladder and walk (or crawl in my case) across a wooden plank to get to another plank which you then squeezed through a tiny wooden door to get to the top of the tower.
I have seen the views out of many towers, and enjoyed each; looking out of the Sansepolcro tower has been my favorite, because I was able see and recognize places in the town. I was able to find my favorite gelateria, the grocery store I always go to, and my home for 3 months.

It was rainy and cold, so after climbing the tower Megan, Courtney, Charlie and I had a nice cup of hot chocolate and talked about more words that were different in Italian (most of our words and discussions consisted of boys). They told us that mingin means ugly. So now we know two words to describe boys: fit and mingin.
Monday 19th
We have a service learning project with our Italy Today class. I was assigned to go to one of the Middle Schools here in Sansepolcro and work with the English teacher and her class. I had gone the previous week and was a little stressed. The first time I went there was very little structure in the class. I did not know how much English they knew, or even what they were learning. After a stressful 50 minute class I spoke to the teacher and figured out what I could do for the next week. She had given me a list of subjects I could teach for the next week. For my second time I chose to teach a lesson on food. I went in and asked the students how much they knew about food in English. With the help of the students I made a list of food on the board broken into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts. We also brainstormed reasons why we liked the food. Once the list was made I gave them a piece of paper that said “My favorite food is___. I like it because_____.” I had each of the students draw a picture of the favorite food which they wrote about. Once completing the assignment, each student came up to present their picture and tell the class what there favorite food was, and why they liked it.
Tuesday 20th
Jess and Kim got their haircut. It looked so good that Megan and I decided to get ours done as well. It was really funny trying to tell the hairdresser that I wanted to keep my hair long, but just add layers into it. The hairdresser came to cut my hair, and had an electronic razor in her hand (the kind my brothers would use if they wanted a buzz). I was nervous, hoping that my Italian translation was correct. She would take some of my hair and comb it, then she would angle my hair and use the razor to cut the layers. Every time I have got layers at home the hairdresser uses succors. It was a fun experience, and happily my hair cut was a good one.
I had met a nice Italian boy here in Sansepolcro, and had a date. He came to the Palazzo to pick me up at 9:00. Lilly, Megan, and Kayley were watching from the window in the classrooms to see when he arrived, which he thought was funny. He was very sweet, and brought me flowers when he picked me up. We walked around the streets of Sansepolcro and then went to a bar. He does not speak much English, and I do not speak much Italian, so the language barrier made the night interesting. I brought a pocket dictionary and phrasebook with me. When we were confused with what we were trying to say we would look up a word, and it was very helpful. I had a really fun time!

2010-04-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

April 1st
For my Easter break I left for the south of Italy with Megan, Kim, Jess and Kelsey. We were going to stay in Sorrento. We were on the bus to Arezzo when Kelsey gave us our tickets and realized that our tickets were actually for two hours earlier. Since we missed our first train we lost our seats, had to pay 8 euro, and ended up standing for about two hours in a crowded small aisle between the compartments in the train. After a couple of people got off the train we were able to sit in pull out chairs that were in the aisle. A five hour ride, on a crowded train is a long time when you don’t have seats!

When we got to Naples, we had to take a connecting train to Sorrento. We got off our stop around 9:30ish and walked to our Hostel. I thought it was really cool when we arrived, there was a bar that served drinks and food that played music and karaoke. After dinner Megan and I sat in the bar and had a drink with some people who were studying abroad in Madrid.
April 2nd
Pompei! We got on a transit train and headed for the ancient city in ruins. Pompei and its people were killed from an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. The ancient city of Pompei is in ruins, but we were able to see some of what was left.

I saw two people who had died during the eruption and you could see the pain they felt as they were dying with their body stance and facial expressions.
After Pompei we went to Sorrento and did some shopping on the main street. We looked at souvenir shops, clothes shops and sandal shops. One thing that Sorrento and the south are famous for is hand make sandals. We went into some shops; you were able to pick what color leather, what style and how you wanted your sandals made. I would have loved to buy some, but as I am low in the money department, I didn’t.
That night we went to dinner, but as none of us have a lot of money right now we were looking for some of the cheapest food we could find. We were able to find a bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce for 3.50 euro. The pasta was very good, and I was happy I was able to get the spaghetti at such a cheap price.
April 3rd
Our hostel had an Easter special where we could be picked up by bus, taken to a boat and given a tour around the island of Capri. The 5 of us girls signed up for the excursion and left by 9:30. At 10:00 the boat was taking off. It was such a beautiful day, but when the boat was moving it was a little windy and cold.

The boat ride around Capri has been one of my favorite things I’ve done since I’ve been in Italy. Our boat driver took us all the way around the island and we were able to see different caves.

He told us that we were able to walk up into one cave. I went to go walk up the cave, but for some reason he suggested not taking our shoes, which resulted in very painful walk as there were small rocks the whole way up. Inside the cave it was dark, wet and cold. The view down was so incredible, looking down I could see our boat in the bright blue water. After out lunch and drinks that were included in the boat ride, he dropped us of on the Island and we went to walk around. The shops were nice, but very expensive. There was one shop that had kitchen supplies that I loved. I really wanted to get some silver wear for my apartment next year, but each individual piece of silverware was 15 euro, so I didn’t get anything.
One of the famous things to do in Capri is to look in the Blue Grotto, or cave. Usually you are able to pay to take a row boat in and look inside, but the tide was too high so we were not allowed to take the row boats in there. He told us that we could swim into the cave, but told us he did not think it was a good idea. The tide was so high that it was smashing up against the entrance, which would also make it very hard to enter into Though I did not go in the cave, I would not let myself leave without jumping into the Italian ocean. I jumped in and it was freezing! I got out right away!

Kelsey had read in her Rick Steve’s tour guide book about a place called Delfinos, it was supposed to have the best seafood, for moderate prices. Jess and I split some seafood pasta and I got a salad. I thought it was good, but I ended up eating sand from some of my seafood, which I did not particularly enjoy.
Around 11:00 Megan and I went down to the bar for a drink. As we were enjoying our drink a weird Italian guy started talking to Megan. He kept trying to put his arms around her, play with her hands and get her to dance. I was looking at him as if he was crazy, and then looked over to my side and saw some guy staring at me. He then came over and talked to me and asked me why I was so sad. I was explaining to him that I was not sad at all, but the boy talking to Megan was weird, and just a little too much for my liking. Finally the weird guy talking to Megan left, and the guy (whose name I cannot remember, it was an Italian name that I could not pronounce) the guy who came to talk to Megan and I asked us if we liked ice cream. We said yes and he told us he would take us to the best place. We didn’t want to go just with the Italian boys, so we asked our friend Tom (the American we met who studies in Madrid- a very trust worthy type of guy) to come with us. Tom did, so Megan and I went with the Italian guys for Gelato at the famous place Primavera. It was fun to have the local Italian boys walk us through the city.

April 4th
In the morning I went to an Easter mass at the cathedral which was right next to our hostel. I got there early and was able to see everyone come in and greet each other. They all did the double side cheek kiss. I felt very out of place as the church was so small and everyone knew each other, but I was happy that I was able to attend Easter mass.
After mass Megan, Kim, Jess, Kelsey and I got on a bus to go to the Amalfi coast. The bus was so crowded we had to stand in the aisle for an hour long drive on curvy roads. We got off at Positano and realized we had a really long walk down to the beach. Finally making it to the bottom I got some pizza and a drink and sat on a blanket in the sand. With all the cold weather that we have had I was so happy to be able to lie out in the sun on an Italian beach.

We were not able to stay at Positano for very long; since it was a holiday the buses didn’t come as often, and we needed to be able to get back on a bus. We stood in line for about an hour waiting and when the bus came it stopped at the end of the line. All of the people that got there after us got on the bus before us and got seats. We were almost not even able to get on the bus until a dad, from America, who we had talked to before the bus came, blocked the people behind him and said “come on North Carolina, get on while you can.” The bus was so packed that I stood on the stairs inside the bus with two other women. I was literally not even able to move my feet for a good 30 minutes until people started getting off.

We made it back safely, showered and Megan and I went out for an Easter dinner. We each ordered both order pasta and then decided to split a fish. The fish came with its head, fins, tail and eyes. After our waiter placed the fish on our table we looked at the fish, then at each other, and back at the fish, as if expecting it to cut and debone its self. I cut of the head and tail and tried to debone it.
Apparently I didn’t do that great of a job with the deboning, as both of us were picking bones out of our mouth as we ate our fish. It was an interesting experience. I really enjoyed going to the south of Italy. It was so beautiful and I loved the coast!

Dertua and Assisi

2010-04-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

March 15th
Our art history class took a field trip to Deruta, which is about an hour away from Sansepolcro. Dertura is a well known city for ceramics. Our first stop was at a ceramics factory which Dr. Bailey was able to get us a tour and we were able to see how everything was made. The first floor was the showroom for all the beautiful ceramics; there were table tops, plates, cups, vases, wine stoppers and much more. The ceramics had so many different patterns and colors, all of which were handmade and painted. On the second floor we were able to see the process of how the ceramics were made. There was a man working on the potter’s wheel. I have learned how to work on the potters wheel in a couple different ceramics classes, and it is not easy, yet the man on the potter’s wheel made it look like such an easy task. He made a bowl, a plate, a vase, and a cup within five minutes!

After watching him make the pieces, the daughter whose father owns the shop, showed us the kiln and how the pieces look after they have been bisque fired( first firing) and then we walked over to where both her parents, and owners of the shop, were painting glaze on different pieces. Her mother was painting a huge vase with a large intricate pattern which was being made as a set.

Her dad was also creating a pattern for a set, however he was free handing his pattern. Watching him work was so neat! He was able to paint the pattern on with such ease, and made it look so great!

Our next stop in Deruta was the Museum. We were able to see ceramic pieces in chronological order and see the remains and restorations of pieces , some as old as 2 thousand years ago.

After the museum we were able to look in the shops. Each shop more or less has the same stuff, but with different colors or patterns.

March 27th
We went to Assisi! It was only about an hour and 15 minuet bus ride from Sansepolcro. Assisi is a beautiful historic town. We went to the Basilica of Saint Francis and saw Giotto’s frescoes which we had learned about in our art history class from a guest lecture with Dr. Mulvaney, an art history professor at Meredith. Giotto was a famous gothic artist who helped to close the gap from byzantine to a more realistic art style. He worked to create a sculptural emphasis, more 3 dimensional figures, lifelike backgrounds, and illusions of space. Saint Francis receiving the Stigmata is one of Giotto’s more famous pieces where 3 dimensional figures, life like and illusions of 3D spaces are seen. The frescoes depicted scenes from the life of Saint Francis, that showed how very Christ like he was. The 28 frescoes are all around the church and are under different frescoes of the Old Testament.

Saturtday night some of the girls and I went out to K-Caffe, and enjoyed the night out!

March 28th
Sunday was a nice relaxing day which I had been wanting for a long time. I was able to sleep in till 11:30, and it was wonderful! Kelsey and I had planned to have a breakfast party because Italians do not typically have hot breakfasts, and we had been craving one for a long time. We had gone to the store the day before and got eggs, sausage, and pancake mix. At 12:00 we started making our breakfast, which was actually brunch. All the girls helped pitch in from making toast, cutting sausages and making coffee. By about 12:30ish the table was set :we had eggs, sausage, pancakes and oatmeal made. There was also toast and jam, coffee, hot tea, orange juice and water. I really enjoyed eating a “Sunday morning American breakfast” like my dad and mom used to make.

After breakfast I did some organizing and cleaning my section of the room. I then went out with Kim, Kelsey, Dr. Webb, and John Rose. Some of the grand Palazzos here in Sansepolcro were getting shown, our very own Palazzo Alberti included. We went to tour one of the Palazzos and the line, or lack thereof, to get into it was long and crowded. As I have previously said, Italians seem to not have a personal space bubble. As we were standing in the unorganized line, people were smashing into to us and I had a bosoms up against my back and in my face. I need my personal bubble, and I did not get that, so waiting in line was not my favorite part of the day.
The tour of the Palazzo was in Italian and afterwards, a woman who was doing some of the touring came to give us information about the family and the Palazzo in English. She told us that they were a rich family, and during the Renaissance period Sansepolcro was actually a large and powerful place since it was a connection from the Adriatic Coast to Florence.
Next Kim, Kelsey and I went into the Aboca Museum. This museum had old medicines, herbs, and plants used to make the medicines. The museum had one room showing only ceramics that were used to hold the medicines. The ceramics were similar to some of the patterns and decorations that I had seen in Deruta.
At 5:45 PM I was walking on the main street and heard the bells ring at the cathedral, which meant mass was going to start soon. I was happy because I had wanted to go to church since it was Palm Sunday, but had slept in too much to go in the morning. I walked in and after waiting realized that the bell meant that mass was starting in 15 minutes. While waiting, I saw that everyone was getting olive branches, so I went and got one as well. I was later told that they use olive branches rather than palms because the olive trees are plentifully here. The church has at least two confessions booths. I was so surprised to see people using these during mass. My church at home does not have confessions booths in the open, so no one does his or her confession while the mass is going on, which was very different for me. Another difference that I noticed, and was also surprised about, was that after receiving the Eucharist the Italians did not make the sign of the cross. I, as well as fellow parishioners at my church, make the sign of the cross after communion.

Ancient City with my Momma!

2010-03-26T03:58:00.000-07:00

March 17th
Saint Patrick’s Day! We had a wonderful green lunch to celebrate the Irish holiday here in Italy. All of the food is so good here, but I especially love the pesto! For our green lunch we had: pesto pasta, broccoli, spinach, some meat and some delicious panna cotta with kiwi. It was very yummy! We all wore green and it was as if we were back home.
My mom and Suzanne had left to go to Florence on the 16th. After my art history test I left to meet my mom and Suzanne. This was the first time I was traveling completely alone. I got to the bus station in time to catch my bus to Arezzo and then the train to Florence. I stood at the bus stop and waited; 5 minutes after the bus should have come I realized something was wrong. An old man was staring at me; I looked at him and then looked away, then looked back a couple of times and I saw that he was still staring at me. After a couple of awkward stares he said something to me in Italian. I had no idea what he was saying. Apparently he was trying to tell me that the bus was not going to come to that particular stop because Sansepolcro was having a festival over the weekend and there was a tractor blocking the bus route. A nice Indian man who spoke a little English walked me up the street to the next bus stop where I anxiously waited for an hour to see if the bus would come.
It would not have been that big a deal if a bus was late or in a different location if I was at least traveling with someone, but since I was alone and it was getting dark I was freaking out when the next bus was 3 minutes late. Thankfully it came. The driver ended up driving a completely different windy and dimly lit route to Arezzo, that I had never been on, and then after a couple of stops I was the only person on the bus. He was a pleasant man; he talked to me about the music and helped me get me my heavy suitcase of the bus.
Since I had missed my first bus I only had 9 minutes to get off the bus, buy my ticket, and get on the train. I used the self serve train ticket machine for the first time. Everything ended up working out, I got on the train, made it to Florence and saw my momma!
March 18th
This was my second trip to Florence, which was good because there were things that I still really wanted to see. My first stop was something I had already done. If you have previously read, I had really enjoyed seeing Michelangelo’s David last time I was in Florence. So in the morning I excited walked to the Accademia to see David again! He was just as amazing seen for the second time. I was still in awe of Michelangelo and his spectacular talent.
The next stop was the Museo Nazionale del Bargello( Bargello Museum) which is home to two different David sculptures created by Donatello. One was a large piece in marble, the other a bronze piece in which David is depicted as feminine and childish. It was an interesting comparison to Michelangelo’s David.
After lunch we went to the Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace). This place is huge, and we could have easily spent the entire day there. It was very exhausting walking around because there are so many rooms and so much to see. I enjoyed being able to see the rooms which the Medics actually lived in. Everything in the rooms was so nice, from the carpets, to the paintings hanging on the wall, the chairs, and the frescoes on the ceiling. It was incredible.
March 19th
My mom was making her rounds in Italy, and her next and final stop was Rome. After arriving and putting our bags in the bed and breakfast we went to the Pantheon. I enjoyed walking inside and looking up into the skylight of the dome. The floors were cool with different types of marble and designs.

We decided to sit down in the Piazza where the Pantheon is located. It was good place for people watching. I always think it is fun to look at people and try to guess where they are from, or listen to the language they speak.
We went on a night walk (that Rick Steves recommends) from the Campo di Fori, to the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Novena and the Spanish steps.

The walk was so much fun. We were able to see the city at night for the first time and all lit up. The Piazza Novana had musicians, magicians, artists, and jugglers. In the middle of the Piazza is a huge fountain in which Bernini depicted four river gods. It was under restoration when I was there so I was not able to see it in all its glory.
March 20th
My mom woke me up bright and early, we had reservations to go to the Museo Vaticano (Vatican Museum) at 8 AM. Luckily we had reservations, because even at 8 AM the line was very long. We spent about 3 hours in the Museum looking at the Sistien Chapel, the browsing through the Egyptian room, the map room, and Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael’s rooms).

My favorite room was the Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). I sat down on the benches and looked up to see Michelangelo’s work. I was thinking how hard and how long it must have been for him to paint such a detailed meticulous work, and upside down!

We also went into the Basilica di San Pietro (Saint Peters Church). The Cathedral was huge, and is home to Michelangelo’s Pieta, as well as Bernini’s Baldacchino. There were lots of different little sections of the church, one was only for prayer, one was only for confessions, and one mass was currently being held. Saint Peters is the largest that I have been in. After going and seeing the entire church, all the great art work, and detail in the building, it only seems appropriate that it is in the Vatican City.

After our morning in the Musei Vaticani and the Basilica di San Pietro we had lunch at the Fontana di Trevi and then went to see the Colosseo!

The building of the Colosseo (Coliseum) was started in 72 AD by Jewish slaves. In its original life it was filled with marble seats, and sculptures under each arch. Shows and fights were put on with animals and gladiators for the citizens enjoyment.
We also walked to the Foro Romano (Roman Forum). Though there is not much of it left it was still interesting to imagine how it was.

If I were able to go back in time for a day I would love to be able to go and see the Colosseum , and the Roman Forum, as they originally were.
After a long and tiring day we enjoyed dinner by the Spanish steps, and I had some delicious gelato!
March 21st
After having a few busy days we slept in till 9 and left the bed and breakfast around 10 AM. I wanted to go to Porta Portese for the flea market that they were having. As we were walking we saw a marathon with hundreds of runners. There were people lined up on the streets and bands cheering the athletes on.

The flea market was an interesting experience, and different from that back in Raleigh. Porta Portese’s flea market is one single long road. On each side of the road are tall buildings, giving you a slight claustrophobic feel. Here the shops sell some jewelry, clothes, and shoes, but most of the shops all had the same things. The difference is that back in Raleigh the flea market is spread out in a large open space with different items being sold. In North Carolina the shops range from clothes, to music, to food and to antiques.
After the flea market we went back to the Piazza Novana because we wanted to see it in daylight. We walked around and looked at some of the art that people were selling. My mom and I had bought some art work from people painting in Venice and Florence, but in Rome we didn’t see anyone painting to sell their work. We saw people selling artwork but it was all replicas of the same things.
We walked around the shops by the Spanish steps. There were lots of nice designer stores like Prada, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbanna, and Stuart Weitzman. When I was in Verona I had decided to slide down a cement wall and ripped my pants so my momma wanted to buy me some, I got a new pair of pants from a store called Zara.
I had really been looking forward to my momma coming to visit me and I am so happy that she came. We had a wonderful time touring Italy together, and it is one that I will always remember.

My mom came to visit!

2010-03-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

March 10th
I was sleeping and I had a dream; I was speaking in Italian and trying to order a bus ticket for my mom. I had said “biglietto per favore” (ticket please).My dream was realistic, because I in fact needed to get a bus ticket for my mom who was coming to see me this week! I got her a bus ticket to come back to Sansepolcro from the Arezzo train station, and then back to Arezzo to take a train to Florence.
March 12th
My mom came! She flew into Rome and took a train to Venice. Jess and I took a train to meet her in Venice. After arriving around 6:30 we decided to drop our stuff of at the albergo (hotel). My mom and her friend Suzanne decided they would lead the way and that it would be nice to just stroll around rather than to look at the maps which I had previously printed. We ended up getting a little lost, you can imagine at this point, and with a heavy bag on my back, I was saying “we should have looked at the map I printed!” A sweet old woman was walking behind us and heard where we were trying to go. She ended up walking us directly to where we needed to go. Jess and I thought that it was funny, two weeks in a row an elderly person has helped us to get to where we need to be.
We went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. I ordered sea food pasta. It had calamari, muscles, shrimp and scallops. It was very good. My mom and her friend Suzanne ordered a sea bass. The pesce (fish) came on a plate, eyes, tail, bones and all. The waiter peeled of the skin, cut the head and tail off then deboned the fish. I had never seen the process of doing this to the fish. It was something new for me, and it was good too!
March 13th
My mom, Suzanne, Jess and I woke up ate breakfast and headed out to the streets of Venice! Our first stop was The Doge’s Palace. It was filled with beautiful paintings, grand council chambers, dark cold prison cells, and antique weapons. The Doge’s Palace served home to the doge, the head of state in the Venetian Republic, as well as the center of political and administrative life for the legislator. The palace has lots of rooms each with its own purpose and design; my favorite was the map room it had two huge globes and frescoes of maps on the wall. I was able to find Italy and Arezzo on the map.

After the Doge’s Palace we went into the Basilica San Marco. The mosaics were incredible. The entire cathedral was covered in small tiles; they were of every color and the back ground to each piece was thousands of small gold tiles. The mosaics above my head were so detailed and breathtaking, and there were also really cool mosaics on the floor. The mosaics above were of Jesus and his apostles. The mosaics on the floor geometrical design.
Venice has a clock tower, and Jess and I decided we must climb it! We were very excited to climb to the top of the tower; we paid our 8 euro entrance fee got in line and then realized there were no stairs for us to climb, since they were off limits for some reason. We got in a crowded ascensore(elevator) and rode to the top. I was upset that we were not able to climb the tower, because the climbing is part of the experience. The view was pretty, but If you enjoy the journey of getting to the top of the tower, I would not recommend “climbing, or riding” to the top of the Venice bell tower. I felt that paying for the elevator ride and getting up to the top within a minute was very anti climatic.

Later in the day we walked over to the Rialto Bridge. Il ponte ( the bridge) is very long and wide with stairs and shops on both sides. We went into one shop and learned how the cameos were made. A man showed us antique cameos from his grandfather and portraits of people which he has made. He showed the sea shells which they are made on and the process he does to carve them. My mom bought me a beautiful blue ring. The ring is a side profile for the goddess of beauty. I love it!

We went to Leone Bianco, which translates as white lion for dinner. I got some lasagna and it was some of the best I have ever had. We sat in the restaurant for about two hours. Jess and I always laugh and say we feel like real Italians when we stay in a restaurant for hours at a time.
March 14th
Our hotel served the typical Italian breakfast: bread, croissants, dry cereal, juice, tea and coffee. As we were eating our breakfast we heard some people talking. They were speaking English but had an accent. We were trying to figure out if they were British, Scottish, or Irish. After a while of listening we decided to ask them where they were from. They told us they were from Winsor. John Rose is from Bath and we asked one of the women if she had ever been. She told she has a friend there and had just visited.

We took a water taxi from our hotel to the train station. Jess and I stood on the outside portion of the boat and were able to take some nice pictures of the Grand Canal. We saw some buildings that we assumed had to be vacant because of the water damage. The bottom of the door was under the water level. Jess told me that supposedly Venice goes further underwater oggi giorno (every day).

When we bought out train tickets to go back to Arezzo we realized that Jess was sitting in a different cabin than my mom, Suzanne, and me. We thought maybe we could get lucky and the extra seats around us would not fill up and that she could stay. They ended up filling up and we squeezed together so she would not have to switch cabins. Because we were squeezing together I had decided to stand. One boy that was sitting in our section realized that I was standing and got out of his seat so that I could sit. His name was Giovanni and he was from Sicily, studying in Perugia to become a doctor. He was such a gentiluomini (gentlemen)! After our train ride from Venice to Arezzo I showed my mom how the buses and biglietti (tickets) work and we got on the bus to go back to Sansepolcro!
I gave my mom a quick tour of the Palazzo and we went to dinner. We ate at the Ristorante Fiorentina. If you are ever in Sansepolcro, you must make it a point to eat here. The whole dinner and experience was great! The owner is friendly old man who takes great pride in telling you about the choices and how each dish is made. The atmosphere was great. I ordered Ravioli with meat inside and got a pink sauce which had tomatoes and cheese. We split some pork loins and grilled vegetables which were delicious. Ristorante Fiorentina made pane fresco (fresh bread) and brought it to the table nice and hot! Though the food was excellent my favorite part was the kart of homemade dessert. We were able to sample different ones, and my mom and I got 4. It was a great way to end the an awesome weekend with my mom!

Vonderful Verona

2010-03-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

March 4th
Our first independent travel break! My roommates and I decided to go to Verona; home of Romeo and Juliet. Verona is in Northern Italy located in the Provence of Vento and is close to the famous Venice. The journey there was an interesting one, and the experience in Verona was one of the best.
Here’s how our journey began….. giovedì (Thursday) after our literature class we got on a bus to Arezzo, and then a train to Bologna. Once in Bologna Jess, Megan, Kim and I looked at the train times to figure out what binaro or lane connecting train we would be leaving from; under the departures we found our train and saw that it was in binaro 7. Once we got to the location where our train was leaving from we realized that it was headed to Roma! We were very confused because the board had said we would be departing from binaro 7. We went back to look at the board and realized that we were in the 7th binaro ovest (west). We ran over to the ovest side of the transition and saw that we missed our connecting train. So we had to wait two hours for the next train.
Here is the good news; I had been craving an “American cheeseburger” for some time, and there just so happened to be a McDonald’s right next to the train station. I ordered a Big Mac, and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. After our delicious dinner we headed back to the train station and boarded our train to Verona.

We finally arrived in Verona at 11 pm. I had printed MapQuest directions from the train station to the Bed and Breakfast Divina so that we could easily get there. But when we got to Verona the MapQuest directions were nowhere to be found; we decided we could just try to figure it out. We started on our dark and rainy walk on a 4 lane high way. We crossed over the highway 2 different times so we would not have to walk past some suspicious looking men. We also saw a man stop and pick up a prostitute right in front of us. We thought it would be a good idea to stop and ask for directions, but because it was now 11:30 on a Thursday night, most places were closed. Luckily we found a café with two older gentlemen and a woman. We tried to ask them where we were but they did not speak any English. After a couple of minutes of trying to figure things out, the gentlemen told us that he would take us two at a time to our Bed and Breakfast. So Kim and I gratefully, yet a little hesitantly got in his car. He drove us to our street and then we waited for Megan and Jess to get there ride. We finally all made it to the bed and breakfast at 12:00. After about an hour of walking in the rain!
When we arrived the man from the Bed and Breakfast showed us to our room and the kitchen. He then got a map and showed us the most popular places to go. While looking at the map we saw where we had been before getting our ride, it was on the opposite side of town! After the long night we headed to bed!
March 5th
I woke up, got ready and headed straight to the Castlevechio. It is an old castle that now has a museum inside. I was able to see frescoes, sculptures, jewelry, weapons and paintings. One that I particularly liked was called Deposizione dalla Croce by Liberale Da Verona . It was a very moving piece to me. The expressions that Liberale Da Verona was able to create on the face of Jesus and his followers was incredible. Looking at the painting you are able to feel the pain and sadness expressed in the painting.

After the Castlevechio we got some lunch and went to Juliet’s house. Walking into the corridor there were lettere (letters) of different sizes and colors pinned on every space of the wall. Each letter was wishing for Juliet to help with love. Some said, “ Help me to find my Romeo” while others had initials a couples and wrote “forever.” I wrote my letter and pinned it to the wall! There was a statue of Juliet; people believe that touching her breast brings good luck to your love life, so I touched it, hopefully my good luck will come!

After Juliet’s house we stopped at a candy store. I felt as if I was half my age, as my excitement took over while I picked out one or two of just about every candy. We enjoyed eating our candy; some pieces were much better than others. I particularly liked the candy spider and a set of vampire teeth.
With our ”zucchero (sugar) high” we walked over to the Roman Arena. It was built in 30 AD and was able to seat 30,000 people. I loved it; it might have been one of my favorite things in Verona. Megan and I decided that we should run around the stadium. As we were running around the top row of the arena we were able to look down and see the city of Verona! These days the arena is used for Opera shows and plays. We were lucky for, there was hardly anyone there. It was as if we had the Arena all to ourselves!

We went to a nice Italian restaurant decorated with children movie and book characters. An Italian copy of Little Red Riding Hood was on our table. I ordered pasta with sundried pomodori (tomatoes), cheese and some meat for my first course and it was delicious. For my second course I ordered some bistecca (steak) cooked in soy and ginger. I ate every last bite of each of my courses, and I was stuffed. After dinner we went to go get a drink. There was a place that we had seen the night before on the same street as our bed and breakfast so we decided to go there. Once we walked in we realized that it was a German restaurant, but we decided to stay and get a drink. We figured since we were in a German restaurant it would be appropriate to get a beer, I got a Kulmacher. I saw a soft pretzel and chocolate fondue on the menu and even though I was still stuffed from my first two course meal I got both and stuffed myself even more. The combination of fruit and my pretzel dipped in chocolate was delectable!
March 6th
Sabbato (Saturday) morning we woke up ate colazione (breakfast) and headed off to find the Duomo of Verona. The Duomo was beautiful. I get awestruck walking into these cathedrals and seeing such detailed frescoes and paintings. I say it every time, but it’s true, the attention to detail is surprising.
After going into the Duomo we walked to the Pietra Bridge. The views were incredible. The green hills and buildings we saw from the bridge were beautiful. After standing and looking down over the bridge we went to sit beside the river. The sun was shining and we lay down and took in the scenery.

The next stop was the Giardino Giusti. The garden was nice, but because it’s winter the garden was not at its prime.

What caught my eye the most was the way the shrubbery seemed to be designed around the sculptures. Most of the sculptures couldn’t be fully appreciated since they were being covered for the winter. We were also able to climb the terrace of the garden and over look some of Verona.
After lunch we went to climb the Torre dei Lamberti, which is located in the Piazza Erbe. After 368 steps we reached the top.

Now I have climbed the Duomo in Florence, and the tower in Siena and Verona. I would love to make climbing to the highest possible thing in each city we visit a tradition. Though I enjoyed climbing the torre (tower) this experience was not my favorite. The area at the top was small, and there was a HUGE group of Asians literally running and screaming at the top. I felt as if at any moment I could get hit and get knocked over and fall!
After researching things to do in Verona we found that the night life is very popular. We headed to the Piazza Erbe after eating dinner to get a drink. The Piazza was surprisingly full considering that it was very cold outside. I found a spot next to a fire, sat down and did some people watching. It was a good end to another great day in Verona.

Verona was actually the favorite place that I have visited so far. Getting there was a little difficult, but we laugh about how our poor parents would have felt so helpless if we were to call them while we were: lost in the rain at 11:30 at night walking on the highway, seeing prostitutes, and getting a ride from a man who does not even speak our language. After getting there everything was perfect and so much fun! The city was quaint, yet touristy. It was the perfect mix and I would highly recommend traveling to Verona!

Siena Adventures

2010-03-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

February 26th
On venerdì (Friday) some of the girls and I went to the police station to get our finger prints done for our permesso di soggiorno(permit of stay). We needed to give the police a couple passport pictures as well. I had gone to a photo shop the day before and gotten my picture taken. It truly looked like a mug shot and I felt like such a criminal as I stood in the police station getting each and every one of my ten fingers scanned. After going to the police station Bekah led us into a pet shop outside the Sansepolcro walls. Inside the store there were some adorable cucciolo (puppies) jumping up and down in the window. Being obsessed with dogs, I really wanted to buy one and bring it back to the Palazzo. Friday night we stayed in and watched Romeo and Juliet for our art history class. I went to bed early so I could get a full night of sleep and be well rested for the adventure that was in store for me the next day.
February 27th
Sabato (Saturday) morning I woke up at 6:30; the group and I were going to Siena and were catching a bus that left Sansepolcro at 7:15. Siena is a beautiful medieval walled city located in Tuscany that is about a 2 hour bus ride from Sansepolcro. After getting off our connecting bus from Arezzo, Bekah showed us the post where the bus times could be found. We were extremely lucky because the sun was shining and it was relatively warm. She then led us to the information station and I bought a 50 centesimi map. Acting as our tour guide for the beginning part of our Siena adventure, Bekah lead us into the San Domenico where Saint Catherine, the female patron saint of Italy, saw visions of Christ. There is a whole cappella (chapel) dedicated to the saint, in which her holy face is located. Next Bekah led us to the Duomo.

Surprisingly I learned that the word Duomo does not actually mean Dome. It means grand cathedral. There are many cathedrals in each city, but the grandest and largest is the Duomo. It just so happens that many of the Duomo’s actually have a dome. Bekah informed the group that at one time Siena was a very large and powerful city. Siena had planned to have the largest Duomo, which would have been bigger than the one in Florence. In 1348 the black plague came from fleas in China and killed 3/5 of the population. After the plague the people of Siena no longer had the people, power or money to construct a Duomo larger than the one in Florence.
The Cathedral was very pretty; it had three main peaks at doors. There were many sculptures and reliefs on top of the cathedral. At the very top were three peaks or pilasters that had different paintings and depictions of Jesus.
The next stop on our tour of Siena was the Piazza del Campo. Bekah told us that it is a very popular place for people to sit for lunch, after work and on the weekends. We saw couples enjoying a drink, children chasing after pigeons and some people sleeping.

We went into the Palazzo Pubblico which had beautiful art. Each room of the museum was decorated from head to toe. The ceilings were filled with detailed frescoes. I stood with my head facing the ceiling admiring the fine attention to detail, and wondering how long it would have taken to complete such a remarkable work of art. I saw Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of a Good and Bad Government among many others.
Kim, Megan, Jess, and I went to Alfieri, a nice sandwich shop for lunch. I got a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich on delicious thick bread. After lunch we walked around; we had to let our food settle because we were going to climb and conquer the tower! After climbing the Duomo in Florence we wanted to climb this one too so we could see the city of Siena and the rolling green hills. The climb was long and tiring just like the hike of the Florence Duomo was. This time the hallways and staircases were so small and skinny that some points were hard to walk and we had to duck. I’m not sure if this top of the tower seemed higher, or what, but I was scared at the top. Once I got adjusted I was able to look at the amazing views. I took a lot of pictures, but unfortunately the pictures do not do the breathtaking views justice.

On the tower is a (campana) bell that rings every thirty minuets, and we were right under; we stayed on top of the tower for about 35 minutes, so it rang twice, and each time we jumped and screamed.
After our climb to view the Siena we went and found Bekah. She was resting and reading a book in the Piazza del Campo . Exhausted I joined her, took of my scarpe (shoes) and lay down to rest! I enjoyed the atmosphere and people watching.
The rest of the group met up with us and we all went to get gelato! Bekah had previously studied abroad in Siena so she knew the place to get the very best gelato. She took us to Kopa Kabana Gelateria. I picked one that looked pretty and got it, I can’t remember what the name was, but it tasted like almonds with raspberries on it. I liked it, and ate every last bite.
Kim, Jess and I went to the Museo Opera del Duomo which was the Museum for the Duomo in Siena. Unfourtnealty they were closing within 30 minutes, so we were practically forced to run through. We saw some really cool cloaks that the priests would have wore. They were embroidered different colors.
On the way back to the bus stop we stopped in a paper store. Some of the girls had gone in a paper store in Florence and loved it. They had been able to see the process of hand dying paper, and came back to the Palazzo Alberti with some. I stopped in and looked around and got some pens that were covered in the hand dyed paper.
Once again, we were very pleased and felt accomplished when me managed to get on the right bus, as well as the connecting bus and safely made it back to Sansepolcro. We had wanted to go out that night, but after waking up at 6:30 and walking around all day we were exhausted! I was in bed at about 11:00, and got some much needed sleep!

February 28th
Domenica (Sunday) morning I woke up and did some school work. Bekah had the idea to go on a walk so we could get some vitamin D. She took us around to some of the different churches in Sansepolcro. Though the sun was not shining it was a nice day and I was happy to be out. As we were walking from one church to another we past a park and I saw a couple making out. After visiting another church and walking passed the park again the same couple was still making out! I found it very disturbing such a public display of affection. I have never seen anything like that back in the United States and it was grossing me out. After saying “get a room” Bekah informed me that most families live in small houses together, so there really is no place to “ get a room”, so most couples will just go to public places. She also informed us that most families live in buildings that house anywhere from 2 to 4 families. This is much different than most of the neighbor hoods where I am from which are single family homes.
I love pasta and could eat it every day, but I have been craving a nice juicy cheeseburger. I made it my mission to find a good cheeseburger. I was told to go to Compass Rose which is an Irish pub here in Sansepolcro. I was so excited to go and get my much desired burger, but I was very disappointed when I found out that it was closed for the day. Jess, Kelsey and I remembered seeing a sign for cheeseburger over by the bus stop so we walked over there to get one. I ordered it and was very excited to get back to the Palazzo and eat it. I am pretty sure that I was not eating a regular cheeseburger; I think that it might have been a lamb-cheeseburger. It was not good, and it was a major let down. Hopefully next time I go to Compass Rose it will be open and my craving can be fulfilled. I will keep you posted on my mission for a good cheeseburger!

MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE

2010-02-28T12:18:00.000-08:00

February 20th- FIRENZE!!!
It is possible that my life may now be complete; I checked two things off my bucket list in one day. I did and saw some things that will be some of the most memorable experiences in my life. For those who do not know I am studying Art Education and Art History. I really enjoy learning about different art styles, artists, and the history behind different pieces. During the spring semester of my freshman year I took an art history class with Dr. Mulvaney, who got me very interested in learning more about the history of art. One day she taught us about Michelangelo and David. Michelangelo was only 26 years old when the Cathedral Works Committee commissioned him to make David from a let over, previously worked on piece of marble. After working on the 13 ½ foot sculpture for 3 years Michelangelo finished David in 1504. I also learned about the Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery with Ghilberti’s doors, and the Brunelleschi’s Duomo in my art history class. As Santa Maria del Fiore, the Cathedral was constructed the Opera de Duomo held a contest to see who could design a successful l dome. Filippo Brunellescho had a secretive plan that did not need supports. The Opera de Duomo took a chance on him and he created a 142 foot dome in the 12th century. The Duomo has two layers, an interior, and exterior made for wind and weather protection. From the time I saw David and the architecture projected on the wall in class, I knew that one day I would have to go to Firenze and see the art for myself….

Michelangelo once said "In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it." Saturday morning I woke up in Firenze, home to the Duomo and David! After a quick breakfast I excitedly departed for the Accademia home of the infamous David. As I previously stated I really wanted to come to Italy and see David, but I don’t think that expresses how much I love him. My roommates here keep telling me it’s weird that I am in love with a piece of marble. My response back is that he is perfectly sculpted, handsome piece of marble that has not ,nor will ever, let me down.  I walked into the room with David, not knowing he was in there because I was looking at other pieces; then looked up and was in ecstasy. I think my eyes started to water with all my excitement. He was even better in person than in the pictures. I was shocked at how large he actually is. David is stunning, shocking, magnificent, and any other adjective that means or is equivalent to the word awesome. Michelangelo was an insanely talented artist; his attention to detail is incredible. David’s flawlessly sculptured body shows with each muscle, vein, and knuckle from his curly hair down to his toe nail. Seeing him put me in a good mood for the entire weekend!

After purchasing postcards and a calendar of my true marble love, we headed to the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, Battistero (baptistery), Duomo ,and Torre (tower). Once again I was so excited. I love to see the pieces of art and architecture that I have learned about in Dr. Mulvaney’s art history class. There is so much attention to detail on Santa Maria del Fiore. The green and pinkish red walls with additional sculptures and reliefs on the exterior gave the cathedral visual interest that I really enjoyed. There is always something for the eyes to look at. It is the most decorative cathedral I have ever seen.

After taking lots and lots of pictures we strolled the streets of Firenze to find some gelato. For some reason every time we really wanted it we could not find any gelatrias. We ended up stopping in la loggia Degli Albigi a pastry shop. I got a cute petite cheesecake with strawberry sauce on it. It was delizioso!

After we finished out desserts we met up with Hilary, Kelsey, Megan and Kayley and had lunch in I Ghibellini a nice pizzeria. I ordered a huge ham and cheese calzone. After we finished eating we discussed the plans for the rest of the day.
Megan, Jess, Lilly, Hilary, Kayley and I were going to climb the Duomo! We knew the 463 steps would be hard, but we knew the view would be worth it! The stairways were dark and very narrow.

I would not recommend climbing the Duomo if you are severally claustrophobic because it is tight squeeze. It was a little painful on my legs and lungs as we were hurrying up the Duomo. I stopped every once in a while to catch my breath. When you are halfway to the top you are up behind a glass wall looking up in the detailed frescoes of The Last Judgment. It was awesome to see the frescoes up close. The very last part of the climb was very steep! Finally seeing the view was incredible. The Duomo overlooked all of Firenze. Depending on what side of the Duomo you walked to the views changed. Some were just buildings and churches that went on for miles, and on another side we could see the mountains. Since we worked so hard to climb to the top we decided we were going to stay up there for a while. After 20-30 minutes we walked back down all the stairs.

With shaking legs we decided to treat ourselves to some much needed gelato. After our delicious gelato we walked around the markets. Scarves, purses, Italia clothing, shoes, decorative items and more are sold in the markets. I bought two beautiful sciarpas (scarves) for 5 euro.
Feeling exhausted from walking all over Firenze and up the Duomo we decided to try to get a bus back to our hotel since it was on the other side of town. As we walked up to the bus stop there was a bus that had just arrived. We ran into a bar to buy a ticket and hopped on a very crowded bus. Stupidly we did not ask the driver where he was going. He started driving north. Megan decided that one stop looked like ours and we should get off. Jess and I were discussing that we were going north and we needed to go south, but Megan hopped off the bus. We all needed to stick together so we all got off. I knew that we were not where we needed to be at all! Lilly suggested we go into a farmacia and ask where we were on the map. He pointed to the very top of the map (our hotel was at the very bottom). We then asked him how to get back to our hotel and he laughed. He told us that we would have to get a bus back to the train station and then hop on another bus to go to the hotel. We sat and waited at the bus stop as it started to get dark and rain. Bus after bus came by the stop, and we asked where they were going (yes, we learned our lesson). None of the buses were going to the train station or even in the direction we needed. I went to sit on some stairs and eat some crackers I had packed. Lilly suggested that maybe we could get a taxi. I had no idea how to get a taxi, and we thought maybe we could go into a bar and have the bar tender call one for us. Right then a taxi drove past us and the light turned red ,thank you God. I jumped up and ran across the two other lanes to get to his taxi and knock on the window to get a ride. He let us in and only 11 Euro later we made it back to our hotel. I truly believe that was God answering our needed prayer to get back to our Hotel!
Lilly, Kayley, Hilary, Kelsey and I decided to go out to a nice dinner, we went to Conter Ugolino. I ordered frutta del mare (seafood) pasta, salad and mela (apple) pie. I decided I would get apple pie because it reminds me of my dad and back home, but it was nothing like any apple pie I have ever had. It was a flat moist pastry with a thin layer of apple slice on the top. Once again exhausted from the day I was in bed early.
Saturday was one of the most memorable days of my life. I will never forget my feeling I had when I actually saw David for the first time. I will never forget the pain in my legs as I climbed all 463 stairs of the Duomo. I will never forget the breathtaking views from the top of the Duomo. The whole experience in Firenze was one that I will never forget, and that I would recommend everyone do in their lifetime.

2010-02-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

February 9th
The heaters for the Palazzo are right next to the window, and I like to stand next to them for two reasons-The 1st being to get warm and 2nd being to look out and people watch. The view from the window in the classroom is into a hair salon. As I was warming up and people watching I saw a nonna (grandma) walking out with a newly done hair style. It reminded me of taking my nana to get her hair done when she is in North Carolina visiting my family. Hopefully she will be coming to North Carolina close to the time I get back.
In order to stay here for a long time I have to get a permit of stay. I took a copy of every page of my passport, my student ID card and other information to the post office. I had to pull a number and wait to be helped. When my number was called, I walked up and slid my papers under the opening in the glass/plastic wall. The post office worker diligently looked through every paper and stamped the information. (Now all I have to do is get my finger prints done in a couple of weeks, and I’ll get my permit of stay!)
Luckily for me the Pam (grocery store) is in the same indoor shopping area as the post office, so I didn’t have to walk extra in cold to go grocery shopping. I knew I wanted to buy pasta, vino, something salty and something sweet. I ended up walking down each and every isle about 3 times not knowing where everything was. I did eventually find what I was looking for and, I was very pleased to find a bag of pasta for 37 centesimi and pasta sauce for 67 centesimi. A bag of pasta is enough for 3 meals! I found some Pam brand popcorn, saltines (I made sure I bought salato) and a bottle of vino. My mom would be so proud with my bargain hunting skills—6 items for 3.70 euro!
February 10th
We had been doing so much homework and reading that we decided it would be a good idea to get out of the Palazzo and do something fun. Jess, Lilly, Kim, Megan and I went out to get some gelato. It was cold and raining, which was not the best gelato weather, but we all still wanted some. I asked for saggiare (sample) and then ordered cioccolata e nocciola(Chocolate and hazelnut).
February 12th
It snowed, and we learned the word for snow…It is neve. The snowflakes were huge. I got excited to see such large pieces of snow. As we ate lunch we could see the snow starting to stick to the roof of the buildings near us.
Like I have previously said, I spend a lot of time looking out the window keeping warm and people watching. As I was looking out the window I saw a mangy dog without a collar. I told my roommates how bad I wanted to go and rescue it and bring it into the Palazzo. We decided John Rose and Dr. Webb might not be too keen on the idea. (Maybe I’ll secretly rescue it……) After lunch we walked to the bus station to get tickets for Arezzo on Saturday. When we were leaving I saw un cane (a dog). Being the dog lover I am, I was excited to give the dog some “loving.” The dog gave me a kiss, and I said “grazie per un baci!” It made me happy because I have been missing my dogs like crazy!

February 13th
Saturday morning we woke up and got ready. We hoped on the bus and headed to Arezzo. Arezzo was founded by the Etruscans and conquered by the Romans in 311 BC; It is located in the Toscana and is a 45-55 minuet bus ride from Sansepolcro (Sansepolcro is located in the Provence of Arezzo.) Arezzo is on a hill and the scenery on the bus ride was amazing. As we drove through the mountain tops, I was in shock and awe. After the snow from the day before, everything was dusted in a beautiful white powder. I kept saying over and over again that the mountains and trees looked like something that could be in a calendar.

When we got off the bus Bekah (our Resident Director) told us how the train and bus station work. We stopped by the information station to get a map of Arezzo and started on our walk. Jess, Megan, Kim and I walked up the main street and went into some shops. I meet a very nice woman, who was working in an accessory shop. She was speaking to us in Italian and I tried to tell here “parlo un po’ Italiano.” I asked her how to say gloves….”come si diche” (and pointed to my glove) she responded “guanto.” She also taught us the word for purple, black, grey, and brown. (viola, nerro, grigio, marrone)
The sights were beautiful. The Pieve Di S. Maria had a lot of columns and was like nothing I have ever seen in America.

We walked up to il parto (the park) where some Italian kids and teenagers were having snowball fights. Megan and I could not resist, and started throwing snow balls at each other as well as Jess and Kim (I won the snowball war….) In the park we walked to the wall and looked down to see a spectacular view. We could see the land, the mountain and all the houses below us.

There was a beautiful piece of sculpture in the park, but unfortunately people have vandalized and covered the back side with graffiti. I have seen quite a bit of graffiti while in Italy, especially on sculptures and old buildings. I find it very sad that the people who are doing the vandalizing do not respect the artwork that they are lucky to have.

The next place we went to was the Cattedrale. Once again I was in awe. The church had such colorful and decorative stained glass windows. As I was in there I told Jess “My mom would love this.” (So I think I will have to take her to Arezzo when she comes to visit me.) The cathedral had both paintings and sculptures of all kind, I enjoyed taking all the art work in. I thought the ceiling was the coolest. It was very Sistine Chapel-ish as it was divided into sections, each with a different depiction of a bible story. I was wishing that I had more knowledge of the different stories so I could know exactly what each depiction was.
After visiting the Catterdrale we decided we needed to hurry up and eat before everything closed at 1:00. Megan, Kim, Jess and I walked around and got quite lost. For about an hour we tried to decipher the map. We ended up walking outside of the Arezzo walls, and decided we would just walk parallel to the walls so we could end up back at the bus station. Luckily, we made it back and sat to eat lunch at a café right next to the bus station. I ordered salami and smoked cheese sandwich. The salami said salami piccante, so when I ordered I said “no piccante”, and was happy that my sandwich did not burn my mouth.
Bekah took us to Arezzo and gave us information on the bus, but we had to get back to Sansepolcro on our own. Thank God, I was with the girls, because I was very confused with the bus system. The problem was that the paper posted at the bus station was old, so the times were not right. We ended up peaking our heads into every bus and saying “Sansepolcro?” until we found a bus driver that said “si, si, si!” When I got back into Sansepolcro it felt like such a sense of accomplishment for making it back!
Exhausted from our day in Arezzo, I took a 3 hour nap. The rest was much needed before I had to do homework and reading for classes. As I was doing the class work, I was looking forward to “going out on the town.” At 11:30 we left the Palazzo Alberti and went to K café (This is where we went last week, we really liked it.) As we were standing, waiting to order our drinks 3 boys walked up to me and asked us where we were from. I told him, and then asked how he knew we were not from Sansepolcro. He ended up saying that he could hear us speaking in English. I thought it was because we looked different because people here always stare at us, like they know we are Americans. I talked to the boys for a couple of minutes until one asked me for my number. As he pulled out his phone there was a picture of a girl on the background. He then proceeded to tell me that it was his sister. I guess he thought I was a stupid Americana raggaza. (So no, he did not get my number… but I thought it was funny.)
More boys came up to talk to us as we were sitting at the table. I was happy because last time no one spoke to us. (It was like we were aliens from another planet). It was fun to sit with the Italanio raggazo and speak with them. They would ask us questions to get to know us and I tried my best to use the little Italian that I know. We invited some of the boys over for lunch. (John Rose likes for lunch guests to come over.) So hopefully they come! We shall see…….

2010-02-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

February 2nd
I have finally arrived in the beautiful Sansepolcro! It was a long tiring journey to get here. I got to the airport at 10:00 am, got my ticket and sat quietly waiting for the first plane to take off at 1:00 pm. The girls and I flew to New York, had a short lay over, and then boarded for an 8 hour flight to Rome. After the plane we all loaded onto a mini bus for a 4 hour drive to Sansepolcro. I got off the bus very excited, yet very tired (I was not able to sleep on either plane or the bus). Once I walked into the Palazzo Alberti my first thoughts were- BURR, its cold in here, and wow this place is much nicer than I was expecting! I walked up to the 3rd floor and saw just one of our common rooms, I became amazed. We sat in a pale green common room, with comfy couches and Renaissance painting close ups. We got a quick briefing and then were able to choose our rooms. Jess, Kim, Megan and I picked a room with windows that open up to the main street Via XX Settembre. (I spend a lot of time looking out the window and people watching). Dr. Webb and John Rose insisted that we stay up till 9:30 Italian time so we went on a walk around Sansepolcro. We walked to the Porta Fiorentina and to the Porta Romana (these are the two main entrances in Sansepolcro) and took in the beautiful cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and lively people. We saw some churches, lots of shops, and went into Pam, a grocery store. I had only brought mini shampoo bottles for when we go on our excursions, so I needed to buy some big bottles. It was so hard to figure out what type to buy. Everything was in Italian. I ended up just picking one. After a really long day I was very happy to come back to the Palazzo, eat dinner, shower and most of all go to sleep.

February 3rd
Tonight I went to Happy Bar with Megan, Jess, Lilly and Kelsey. Megan and I tried to talk to the bar tender in Italian to figure out what was good to order. It was only our second day there, and we only had one class of Italian, so we did not know how to say very much. We tried to say “que es tu favarito” to ask him what his favorite was. Que es tu favarito is Spanish and not Italian so that didn’t really work. It was fun to try to talk to him and made me excited to learn Italian so I can communicate with the local people. Both of us ended up ordering a very rich cioccolata . What I got a was pudding substance in a cup which needed to be eaten with a spoon. It was nothing like American hot chocolate, which is meant to be drunk.

February 4th
The food here has been amazing. Every day we all gather around the table for different and delicious 3 to 4 course lunches. Today we had vegetable soup, bread, a regular salad, a chicken tomato and olive salad, potatoes, pork and sausage. The food is very filling. The desserts have been very different from anything I have had in America. We have had a whole baked apple, a layered cake, and some different pastries. I know that apples, pastries, and cakes are the same thing we eat in America, but the tastes and consistencies are different here. Today after our literature class we bundled up and walked to the COOP. It is a grocery store outside the Sansepolcro walls. The walk was about half a mile and was very pleasant. Anyone who knows me knows that I get very excited over food, so I was very excited to be in an Italian grocery store with so much new and exciting food to look at. Jess and I had a lot of fun with the baskets. They are like American baskets, but with a handle and wheels so you can also drag them. I ended up buying some chocolate cookie candies, braided bread that was like a bretzle, (bread+ pretzel=yum, something I can get at home) and some earl grey tea, (like I have in the mornings with my momma). The Palazzo is very cold, and we’re constantly making tea to keep us warm!

February 5th
In our Italy Today class we learned about Carnevale, which literally means no means no meat, It is an Italian tradition 2 weeks before Lent where Italians wear masks and dress up in different costumes. We also went on a walk around Sansepolcro today. We went into the original and first chapel, where Piero della de Francesca, (a famous painter who lived in Sansepolcro) is buried. The class also went and saw the outside of what was his house hundreds of years ago.
We have a special surprise on Sunday, which we know nothing about. All we have been told is that we need to dress warm and wear boots that can get wet. So I went out to get some rain boots. I had to tell the sales woman in Italian that I wanted a size “trenta otto” I bought some Baci-Baci cream colored rain boots for 34 euro. I was very excited. All of us girls went and strolled around the town. We went up a couple different streets and looked in some shops. I was looking at an umbrella in one shop and said “come se dice umbrella in Italian,” she responded “ombrello” It was fun to window shop and just be out with the some of the people. We were all getting hungry and wanted pizza so we thought we could try the pizza shop underneath us. We went into the shop just as a big party was going in. The hostess was speaking to us in Italian but we did not understand. Apparently she was asking us if we had reservations. Much to our surprise we needed to get reservations for this pizza place. We tried to ask if we could take our pizza to go, and she opened the door and started to point out as if she was directing us to another pizza place. Luckily Kayley was there (who speaks more Italian than the rest of us) and spoke to the hostess telling her we wanted to order our food to go. So we were given menus. The menus were in Italian. Many other girls and I just ordered, not really knowing what we were getting. Kelsey and I ordered a Napoli pizza. When we got upstairs into the Palazzo and sat to eat down we realized that we had ordered an anchovy and caper pizza.
As a group we watched Notting Hill after our pizza dinner. As we were watching the movie we heard the streets getting loud and busy. After the movie Megan, Jess, Kayley, Kelsey and I decided we would venture out into the streets. We walked down and went into one café/bar. It was busy and we just stood in the back, not knowing what to do or say, so we decided to leave and go somewhere less crowded. We went to K Café, the store menu says its fashion disco. As we sat and drank our drinks we could hear some nice Madonna disco music. It was fun to get out and be with other Italians, even if we they did not talk to us.

February 7th
SURPRISE DAY! After getting 4 hours of sleep the alarm went off at 4:20 to wake us up for the journey to our surprise! Loaded up in the bus, I was looking at road signs to see where we might be going. After a while I saw some signs to Venezia. We were going to Carnevale in Venezia. The tradition is being kept alive today. We saw crazy, elaborate, and wild costumes; Jess was describing the Carnevale as Disney land, without the rides. There were parades, food venders, crazy people, and beautiful water and building sights. Jess, Meghan, Kim, Bekah and I went into Osteria de Carla for lunch. We were impressed because we found an authentic and not touristy restaurant. It was different than any restaurant I have ever been to in America. They had 4 options: pasta of the day, fish of the day, soup and then ravioli. I ordered the pasta of the day which was lasagna. The waitress set bread on our table, but here you have to pay for the bread, so we decided not to get it, but I was so tempted. After lunch we went to get gelato. The gelato here really puts ice cream in the States to shame. I got cioccolata and a creamy yet tart fruity gelato. After our gelato we went and explored the streets of Venice. It was incredible to look and see all the buildings and shops. Since many people dress up and wear masks at Carnevale I had to buy one at one of the little shops. I bought a nice blue one with feathers. I loved all the waterways and bridges. In awe of everything I took over 300 pictures. It was such an awesome experience and l loved the entire thing!