Beach time!

What a weekend. Thursday was pretty routine, classes and a dinner out with the girls. We finally checked out a local pizzeria right around the corner from us, and we think we’ll be going back…the owners were so nice, helped us speak Italian, and the food was GREAT! We all got an assortment of pizzas and split…marinara, prosciutto, spicy sausage, etc…all very good. The pizza here is thinner, but it tastes so fresh. After that a few of us went for a nice hour walk around the city, and it’s so fun to roam around and find new places. We found a few local hangouts farther down the Arno River which we definitely want to find again. I think Florence is most beautiful right at sunset. If you go to the river and watch the sun set, all the colors reflect on the river and the city itself. We took pictures of it (Facebook will be updated once our internet works again) but it cant even capture it! After pizza and the walk, we had a quite night in and watched a movie…

Friday was an exciting day. We left for Chianti at 9 am. Our school sponsored the trip, and it was completely free. The staff here are soo much fun- they love answering all our questions and told us a lot about wine country and everything. We drove through green mountains for an hour until we arrived at a small castle that’s over 900 years old. It was a really interesting tour…the guide said the Medici family, one of the most powerful and influential families in Florence over 1,000 years ago, had a battle in the castle and overtook it from the original owners. The more recent story is about a mother with her family who bought the castle in the 1960s and completely renovated it…in the 1980s her daughter then decided to open a vineyard in the back in tribute to her mother. The castle now sells delicious Chianti and they even make their own extra virgin olive oil. Another cute part of the story was about this man named Mario, the castle’s gatekeeper. Since 1953, this man has been guarding the castle for 7 days a week for over 50 years! He was so old and so cute (we got a picture with him) Anyways, during the tour we went into the cellar to see how they store the wine and we learned about why Chianti wine is different from other types (I think it’s because of the type of grape) and lots more. At lunch we were treated to a feast of pasta, a traditional tomatoey-bread dip, olive tapenade, bread with their own homemade olive out, and of course, the Chianti wine. We tried two types: 1 was young, only 3 years old, and really rich tasting (I didn’t actually like it…but I still tasted it) and a better, aged wine that was really smooth. He even showed us how to drink it properly!

After lunch we headed outside of the castle we headed down the grassy hill towards the grapes. It was such an amazing sight- rows and rows of purple grapes (which were deliciously sweet) all getting ready to be picked and made into wine. It was quite a hike, but completely worth it. After a little cat nap near the castle, we went into the gift shop and bought some amazing olive oil which is now already half gone! It definitely is the best I’ve ever had.

We got back from Chianti around 5, and that night we had a simple dinner and then decided to go out and try to find a certain bar. The night turn an unexpected turn when we couldn’t find this ‘bar’ that no one had heard of, so we were stuck sitting on the steps of the Duomo (a popular hang out later at night) figuring out what to do. Luckily, one of my roommates has already made friends with an Italian guy, so we met up with him and his friends. They took us to one of their favorite local bars and we had a relaxing (and cheaper) night out. These Italian guys aren’t like the sketchy ones who yell at you on the street- they’re really polite and want to know everything about America and our lives. Likewise, we want to know everything about Italy, so it was an interesting night. We practiced our Italian and they practiced English…they told us about their favorite places to go and what they did on the weekends, etc. What’s funny is that a few of them had never even been to the Duomo or some of the most popular Florence attractions- which at first I thought was odd, but I guess it’s the same as me and Philadelphia. When you live so close to something, you don’t always appreciate it.

Saturday was a relaxing day in Florence…we slept in a little, and then headed straight for the central market (my new fave place). All 7 of us went, and even though I didn’t buy much food (just some mozzarella, chicken, peppers, and peaches..all soo cheap) it’s just fun to walk around and people watch. Half the customers are complete tourists, either from the states or Germany, and half are definitely regulars who know the workers. We’re kind of in the middle. I also found a new love! We were walking past the meat section and I saw the most gorgeous man in Italy so far. He looks like a model! Indescribable. So of course, I had to go up and buy something…I asked for chicken, and he grabbed some, cut it into fillets and gave it to me for 2 euro. I definitely will be going back there….

In the late afternoon a few of us went on our usual walk, and we discovered more tiny bars and cafes we want to try soon. We ended up stopping at a bar right on the River for some wine. This bar was literally on the river- you had to walk down a narrow path till you hit the river, and this little beach-inspired bar was next to the water, as if it was an ocean. This is why I love walking around!

And Sunday…what a day. We got up at 630 for our trip to Cinque Terre, a region on the coast of Italy that holds 5 small towns in a row. There is an amazing 5.6 mile hike from the first town to the last, and we made it all the way in about 5 hours. It was INCREDIBLE VIEWS. I’m adding pictures to Facebook now, but really it went beyond words. We climbed up so high on the mountains we were near the clouds! It felt like a small hidden world (kinda reminded me of what Greece would look like) with little white cottages on the mountains and blue, clear water. After a loooong hike we finally reached the last town and rested at the beautiful beach. The water was salty and soo warm. I’m really glad we did this trip, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a good work-out and amazing views!! Such a nice day out.

We just got back a few hours ago, and I’m exhausted. Class tomorrow, cooking Wednesday, blog post soon! Xoxoxoxox miss everyone!