What I have been up to lately:
- Took a tour in the Chianti region with Chris and most of the group. We first stopped in a small town called Santa Brigida, named after a Saint who lived there in a tiny cave because she wished to live a humble life, like many who have dedicated their lives to Christ. We saw the cave that she lived in and the rest of the cute little town, which had beautiful views, and unexpectedly, beautiful fall foliage. There was an elderly man walking the streets of the town singing opera to "his dear friends" (us) which was very Italian and homey. From there, we went to a castle that was previously owned by a powerful Italian family, then taken over by the Medici family when they killed the others out. Now, it is owned by a winemaker and her husband, who live there with their two children. It is a 40 room castle and we took a tour of a few important rooms before heading down to the cellars to see where they make, age, and store the wine. After this, we went back upstairs for a wine tasting where we sampled a white wine and two Chianti reds, and tasted some traditional Italian snacks consisting of various crostini, cheese, salami (not for me of course!), and biscotti. We also tasted the extra virgin olive oil that they also produce on their property and met the grounds keeper of over 50 years, an 80-something old man dressed like Robin Hood who spoke little and smiled much. As you can imagine, I took many pictures, which will be posted to facebook when I have a few more to post with them.
- We took a pizza making class at a local restaurant that we have eaten at a few times called Il Teatro. Basically, we just got to make our own pizzas with whatever toppings we wanted, while learning how the Italians make their dough and use their brick ovens. It was delicious and we were served free wine and dessert, which was a chocolate sauce covered panna cotta.
- Today the president of Colby-Sawyer came to visit with a group of alumni that he is currently travelling around Europe with. They took us to lunch at Il Teatro, where we had a free four course meal served with endless water, wine, and coffee. For those who love food and want to hear about our courses, here they are. We started off with bruschetta, which has become a huge trend in America, but is often done very differently than it is actually done here. Here it is toasted bread topped with diced tomatoes that have been marinated in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and chopped basil. Simple, but delicious. Next, we had a dish of two different pastas: gnocchi with spinach and ricotta cheese sauce, and pesto filled ravioli with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. The third course for meat eaters was a pork dish, which I think was layered with bruschetta and rucola and served with potatoes. I had the option of a seafood dish or an omelette, but since I do not eat fish or eggs, I got mixed grilled vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, and peppers) and caprese, which is just tomatoes and mozzarella. For dessert, we were served a vanilla custard topped with fresh strawberries and bananas in a chocolate cookie cup. The meal was extremely (maybe excessively) filling, and I think I have had my share of wine for a while, but it was good to share our experience with the alumni and get to know the president of the school who is also a humanities professor that I could cross paths with in the future if I remain at Colby-Sawyer.
- I don't often write about the church or museum visits we make during classes, but this morning in art history we finally visited the church of Santa Maria Novella, and I just wanted to share that it is the most beautiful church I have ever seen (including Saint Anne's Basillica in Quebec!), and the artwork inside is absolutely phenomenal. Truly unbelieveable to be so not religious and still see religious art that I can not help but appreciate.
"La bella vita" is not always as sweet as it sounds. When it rains, it pours, and in Florence... it rains. It has been raining for a good week now, and the monotony of walking back and forth from school to my apartment in this dreary weather is taking its toll. However, I have London to look forward to in less than a week, and in just a few weeks we will be headed home. Back to the familiarity of life in the United States of America. Back to family, and friends, and overall companionship. The closer it gets, the less bittersweet it seems. Saying goodbye to this beautiful country will certainly be hard, but the reward on the other side of the ocean has never seemed so great. If I take anything from this experience (which I obviously will; how many people can say they spent their first semester of college in Europe?), it will be appreciation for the little things involved in my everyday life, and how easy life is made for me by the people that surround me. I have had some rough nights lately, being extremely homesick and just ready to leave, and I know that it can seem to others that I don't appreciate this experience, but that is entirely not true. I'm glad I came here, I really am, and I had some great, once in a lifetime experiences. But throughout this trip, I have learned that feeling alone and trapped can be ultimately dibilitating. Back at school, I would be meeting new people everyday. Here, it is the same few people who are basically still strangers to me that I spend every waking hour with. What I have realized from this is that I can be in the greatest place on earth and not have any fun, because what makes a place feel like home is the people there who care about you. Nothing is as great an experience if you can't share it with the ones you love. My time here has had ups and downs and I appreciate every second of it, but what I appreciate most is that when I leave here I will be returning home to some of the greatest people this world can possibly know. I have always loved my family and friends, but being this far away and in such an amazing place where I could easily get caught up and never want to leave, and still wanting to return home to them in the end, has made all the difference in the way I view companionship and love, and myself and the world. Think on that, my friends.
Ciao
