tomatoes, great views, and gelato

Another few crazy days in Florence. On Friday we went to Palazzo Rucellai, the building where our school is….turns out the building is over 500 years old! It’s really beautiful, with paintings in each room and big open windows overlooking the streets. I feel really lucky that I get to take classes in this building. That day we just went over the tedious paperwork to get our permit of stays for Italy, and we also signed up for some events coming up…I signed up for a Firenze soccer game, an opera, and a 6-week cooking class! The woman teaches it in her own home, and we make 4-course Italian meals and then eat them. I’m soo excited, hopefully I’ll remember some techniques for when I come home! After all that, we were so hungry we stopped for lunch at a local deli right around the corner from our house..and I got THE BEST SANDWHICH in the world. You just point to what you want on the sandwich and the owner makes it fresh right there, all for 5 euro. I got freshly sliced proscuitto, big hunks of mozzarella cheese, homemade pesto, and of course, tomatoes. So simple but so delicious. After that I unfortunately had to take a nap for a few hours since my cold was so bad…but by 4 pm I felt much better. I still think im sleep deprived from the plane ride over. That afternoon we found a 99 cent store and bought several essentials for the apartment…hangers, salt and pepper, hampers, shampoo, etc. It’s really starting to sink in that I’ll be living here…I’m hoping the money flow will slow down after we get settled in! I’ve already gone through 300 euros in the last 4 days. But that includes a cell phone, internet service, essential food, and etc…I haven’t even begun to shop yet J. That night we met up with a few guys from the program and we all went out for dinner to Dantes, a famous place that’s inviting to students across the Ponte Vecchio. We sat at a huge table and it was delicious- I got the gnocchi with sausage and truffle cream. Need I say more? It was the best thing I’ve ever eaten. 2 great meals in one day. And thanks to all the walking around, I actually feel less bloated and full then I do when I’m home! And the views aren’t bad either…every single street has something pretty to look at or historical to read. They really care about keeping the city clean and beautiful. After a long and restful night of sleep, Saturday morning was spent organizing my schedule for this semester. I ended up dropping 1 class from 5 to 4 so I have more free time. But so far, this is my schedule: Art of Florence, Italian 1, The History and Culture of Italian Food, and Roman Civilization. This may be the first time I’m actually excited to start class. The only one I’m worried about is the Roman one since it might be pretty heavy, but I think it will be interesting. Saturday afternoon all the roommates and I went to the Boboli Gardens, a 100 acre park across the river. Even though it was humid and hot, we had so much fun walking all the way around the garden and seeing all the sculptures…the pics are on facebook, but it was really something to look at. We treated ourselves to some gelato after the long hike…it was refreshing.

That night after a small dinner, we all got dressed up and went out to the Space Bar, which turned out to be right down our street. It was really fun, but it’s so true what they say about Italian men.. you literally have to ignore them completely. We all stayed together and had a good night dancing away. The only unfortunate thing was the next morning: I’m not sure if it was the dancing, the lack of sleep from the plane, or a combination, but none of us woke up until 1 pm. I never do that! It was crazy! But I felt so much better when I woke up…we were supposed to go the beach today but it ended up working out. (we’re going next weekend instead, and next time I’m gonna set 2 alarms!) 3 of us hiked up the Piazza Michaelangelo, a square that’s a 15 minute hike upward but totally worth it. Once you get up there you have a breathtaking view of Florence! I could just sit there for hours and gaze at the town. I think I’ll be going back there soon to read and study since it was so beautiful. That night, to celebrate our move-in and first day of classes, we all went out for dinner to Za Zas, a restaurant recommended by a few guide books and friends of ours who studied here earlier. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the best meal we’ve had: one friend’s soup was too oily, another’s pasta was bland, etc. But luckily my meal was still really good (we ended up all sharing) I got tomato bread soup, which was thick and delicious. It was chunks of bread in it, kind of like French onion, and yummy tomatoes and other vegetables. Then I got beef Carpaccio with spinach, which was also really good (but not the best I’ve had..) overall, we still had a fun night, but we figured out it’s not so much what all the books say but what you find on your own. We had better meals at the places right around the corner from us!

That leads me to right now, 12:34 am, on the night before classes start. I’m nervous but excited. I think on the week of sept 11 a bunch of us are going to Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and Pompeii on a special bus trip, which will be really fun. I can’t wait to go Pompeii and see all the bodies in the same form...creepy!

I’m getting a little more homesick, but honestly I’ve been so caught up in everything I haven’t had time to really think about it. Hope everything is good in the states and at home, and I’ll write again soon.

Xoxo