This blog officially picks up where the last one left off... Thursday, after classes, when we made our glorious return (naturally, via train) to Florence. This includes a glorious return to the most glorious of hostels... Plus Florence. Oh yes. Which means that our first night was spent enjoying their downstairs bar and playing card games with new hostel friends!
The next morning, Ari found a lovely black and floral scarf at the incredible Florence markets, and then saw the Capella dei Principi, the official chapel of the Medici family. The inside is decorated with beautiful green and russet marble, and all the family members are buried below. Then we boarded a train to Perugia for the international chocolate festival: 'Eurochocolate.' We had no idea the bounty of magnificence that lay in wait for our sweet-starved bodies. But first... we had to prove our worth by climbing for an hour to reach the town summit (which is actually on the top of a mountain.. not exaggerating- at points you have to take outdoor escalators). But we got there eventually, and were immediately awed by the sheer quantity of chocolate, and the beauty of the location (inside of a mountain-top castle overlooking the whole city). There was chocolate from literally all over the world, and in nearly every form (liquid, bars, sculptures, cutlery, giant chess pieces, etc.). It is also all served by extremely attractive men.. and the combination of molten chocolate happiness and sexy man specimen is pretty overwhelming. Needless to say, we ended up with massive sacks of booty (chocolate booty, that is) and happy tummies.
Saturday, we decided to do a wine tour through the hostel company. It was an amazing deal: for only 25 Euro, we got a full day tour of Chianti, with two wineries, lunch, and a visit to the Medieval town of San Gimignano. While on the bus, our tour guide taught us some funny Italian hand gestures and phrases, as well as some amusing cultural differences. We were told that the proper response to the "Ciao, bella!" (Hi, beautiful!) much used by the overeager opposite sex, is "Ciao, brutto!" (Hi, ugly!). Our first stop was a little farm that used to be owned by the famous Florentine Pitti family. There we tasted about four different types of their wine, and their homemade olive oil, sausages, cheese, and bruschetta (with homegrown tomatoes). It was amazing. Then we hopped back on the bus and drove through the gorgeous countryside of Chianti to San Gimignano, which is possibly the most beautiful place we have been to so far in Europe. We were sad that we only had an hour or so there, but we did get to taste "Italy's best gelato" (it actually did win first place in the contest), and we climbed to the top of a tower for a stunning view of the entire region. There was a beautiful garden on top, with groves of olive trees, and a harp player strumming a melody to accompany our wanderings and wistful sighs... bellissima. After walking back down the mountain, we boarded the bus bound for the second winery of the day, which makes wines that have won gold medals in NYC. We tasted this medal-winning wine, but sadly were not quite at the level of wine connoisseurs in appreciating it. We're getting much better, though! We tried 10-ish types of wine here, and then some incredible home-made olive oil with truffles, and honey with truffles. It was incredible, and apparently a potent aphrodisiac (although there were no problems on the bus ride home). At this point, we were quite tired, so we rested for a bit back in Florence before heading out for dinner and our night-time stroll (where we were amazed anew at the audacity of some of the men in the more Southern sections of Italy).
Sunday morning, we remained in Florence in order to see some of the sights that we had missed the previous visit. After some thrifty gift-purchases in the market, we went to the Palazzo Vecchio, a Medici palace in the middle of the city, and spent several hours wandering the rooms. In accordance with all of the other grand Palazzi, it was sumptous, massive and filled with artwork. Then we grabbed a quick panino before heading over to the church of Santa Croce, which is famous not only for its beauty, but also for the ridiculous number of famous Italians that are buried there. We saw the tombs of: Galileo Galilei, Niccolo Machiavelli, Michelangelo Buonarrotti, and tributes to Dante Alighieri (who is actually buried in Ravenna), and Leonardo Da Vinci. Napoleon's family is also buried there, for some reason. Then we spent a wonderfully relaxing afternoon wandering around Florence, until we happened upon a massive crowd of people outside Florence's famous 'Duomo' and baptistry. We waited around to see what it was all about, and it turns out that a new Bishop was being inducted for Florence. There was actually a parade of berobed holy men. Also lots of camera crews, and catholic secret service. Sadly, no pope and no funny looking Swiss Guards.
We then made our way to the train station, and after a few train-related mishaps, returned home to Padova. Where we found ourselves in the midst of a nation-wide protest over a huge education reform that the Italian Prime Minister (Berlusconi) is pushing through both houses, and just got approved. This reform is hugely cutting down on the staffs, courses offered, and hours of the public schools, and has angered almost every Italian citizen, but unfortunately Berlusconi seems unbothered. There have been demonstrations all over the country, and especially in Padova, where the university tradition is particularly strong. Every day as we walk to and from the university, we see professors holding classes outside in the piazze as a form of protest- and this happens with or without good weather. Last night we saw a candlelit march of practically the entire student body of the University of Padova (thousands of students) who were staging a funeral for the death of the education system in Italy. Interestingly enough, Berlusconi has been publicly announcing that all nationwide demonstrations are just propaganda coming from the political left. It is kind of unbelievable to witness a government that is so clearly disinterested in what the people have to say, and yet still remains in power. Berlusconi actually owns three tv news stations, and controls a few national newspapers. Both of our host families are up in arms about it...Katie's because her host mom is a teacher, and Ari's because her host parents can't handle a cut in school hours, since they both work. It's pretty upsetting to see in action for us, since we can't really comprehend the passing of a bill that is so obviously against the people's wishes and the general welfare of the nation.
Other than that, life is wonderful and back to usual at the moment. We've just finished classes for the week, so we're off on one more group trip early tomorrow morning. This one is going to Trento and involves... a castle and some yummy food. We are excited. Saturday we're thinking about once more wandering Venice for the day. Sunday will most likely be.. markets and homework. Seems like this will be our last weekend around home though (we have all kinds of plans involving Prague, Lugano, Paris, Vienna, and Lucca). So if this was totally boring to read... sorry. We're not feeling particularly creative, and we swear that the next one will be better.
In the meantime, we love you all and send baci! Hope all is well back in the homeland!
~le ragazze
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
What happens when we tap into the flow...
... the flow of free wine at our group lunch, and the flow of our creative juices in composing a collaborative novel following said lunch.
We know what you are thinking, but trust us: we have serious literary success in our futures.
So. An explanation. Last last Friday (aka two weeks ago), there was another group trip! This time we all boarded a coach bus and headed out to Vicenza at the crack of dawn. After we arrived (and listened to intensely lengthy history lectures in Italian), we went to see a beautiful, ancient Roman indoor theatre. This theatre was actually stunning and so well designed for acoustics that the actors don't need to use microphones. But other than the theatre, there is not much to report about the objects and sights we were supposed to be appreciating in Vicenza. The real highlights of the trip were three things: the FANTASTIC shopping in the area (including the best H&M we have ever seen), a delicious free lunch (with...free high-quality wine), and then, the birth of the greatest collaborative novel the world has ever seen. After several hours of unnecessarily long history lecture, Ari decided that it was time for a little literary pick-me-up. So, she started a collaborative novel...between herself, Katie, and one of the boys from the group (Andrew). It started out innocently enough, and then devolved into an epic tale of a fairy godmother, an orphan, a naked man-beast, a British anteater, a diabolical villain, and a quest. The composition of this novel started about midday, and is still enjoying new installations daily. Which, by the way, Ari needs to harness her creative genius tonight to finish her section. True to our usual form, we spent the entire day marveling at our creation, and laughing so hard that we were sore the next day. It was lovely.
As it turns out, we needed a bit of recovery the next day, which coincided nicely with the onset of two thorough colds, cramps, and the absence of Ari's entire host family for the weekend. The day was spent in pajamas on the couch, watching Disney movies in Italian, drinking tea, and enjoying a fabulous indoor picnic. This enabled us to recover our strength for the market on Sunday, as well as the coming week of intense traveling.
We love Italian professors. Wednesday... class was randomly canceled (again)... so we popped over to Verona for the day! After (finally) navigating the bus system, we explored the downtown area for a while- which included yummy lunch, an old Roman amphitheater, and some snazzy, old buildings. Then, we found the castle. Both of our childhood dreams were realized as we strolled along the turrets and waved dramatically at the peasants milling about in the courtyard below. We were highly amused. The view from these turrets was spectacular and resembled something straight out of a storybook. After crossing our fantastic drawbridge and bidding our admiring knights adieu, we set off on our own quest to find another cool church. This one was built in the 10th century, and is perfectly preserved, with a cute little courtyard and a cloister. It was particularly interesting because underneath some of the frescoes on the walls of the church, you can see the remains of the frescoes that were painted over. (At this point, after seeing enormous quantities of old churches, we tend to look for the distinguishing factors in each.. the better to remember them, if you will.)
After that solid day of adventuring we returned to Padova for the weekly Spritz night, classes on Thursday, and then immediately left for FLORENCE PART DEUX! (Which we will write about in the blog to follow, as we didn't want to burden you all with the biggest novel of a blog ever written...so read on!)
Love you all, loyal readers.
~le ragazze
We know what you are thinking, but trust us: we have serious literary success in our futures.
So. An explanation. Last last Friday (aka two weeks ago), there was another group trip! This time we all boarded a coach bus and headed out to Vicenza at the crack of dawn. After we arrived (and listened to intensely lengthy history lectures in Italian), we went to see a beautiful, ancient Roman indoor theatre. This theatre was actually stunning and so well designed for acoustics that the actors don't need to use microphones. But other than the theatre, there is not much to report about the objects and sights we were supposed to be appreciating in Vicenza. The real highlights of the trip were three things: the FANTASTIC shopping in the area (including the best H&M we have ever seen), a delicious free lunch (with...free high-quality wine), and then, the birth of the greatest collaborative novel the world has ever seen. After several hours of unnecessarily long history lecture, Ari decided that it was time for a little literary pick-me-up. So, she started a collaborative novel...between herself, Katie, and one of the boys from the group (Andrew). It started out innocently enough, and then devolved into an epic tale of a fairy godmother, an orphan, a naked man-beast, a British anteater, a diabolical villain, and a quest. The composition of this novel started about midday, and is still enjoying new installations daily. Which, by the way, Ari needs to harness her creative genius tonight to finish her section. True to our usual form, we spent the entire day marveling at our creation, and laughing so hard that we were sore the next day. It was lovely.
As it turns out, we needed a bit of recovery the next day, which coincided nicely with the onset of two thorough colds, cramps, and the absence of Ari's entire host family for the weekend. The day was spent in pajamas on the couch, watching Disney movies in Italian, drinking tea, and enjoying a fabulous indoor picnic. This enabled us to recover our strength for the market on Sunday, as well as the coming week of intense traveling.
We love Italian professors. Wednesday... class was randomly canceled (again)... so we popped over to Verona for the day! After (finally) navigating the bus system, we explored the downtown area for a while- which included yummy lunch, an old Roman amphitheater, and some snazzy, old buildings. Then, we found the castle. Both of our childhood dreams were realized as we strolled along the turrets and waved dramatically at the peasants milling about in the courtyard below. We were highly amused. The view from these turrets was spectacular and resembled something straight out of a storybook. After crossing our fantastic drawbridge and bidding our admiring knights adieu, we set off on our own quest to find another cool church. This one was built in the 10th century, and is perfectly preserved, with a cute little courtyard and a cloister. It was particularly interesting because underneath some of the frescoes on the walls of the church, you can see the remains of the frescoes that were painted over. (At this point, after seeing enormous quantities of old churches, we tend to look for the distinguishing factors in each.. the better to remember them, if you will.)
After that solid day of adventuring we returned to Padova for the weekly Spritz night, classes on Thursday, and then immediately left for FLORENCE PART DEUX! (Which we will write about in the blog to follow, as we didn't want to burden you all with the biggest novel of a blog ever written...so read on!)
Love you all, loyal readers.
~le ragazze
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Rome: The Poster Child for Manic Depression
Ciao a tutti! We thought it was just about time to let you all know how our weekend in Rome went.... so here she is.
Forgive us if we slur our words or sound rather uneducated, because at the moment we are very tired and in Ari's case, very much sedated on cold medication. We also cannot get the picture section to function, so it will be picture-less for the moment... we will add when we can. This will also probably be brief...at least for us. Yes, we know that last time we said that it ended up being the longest post on record, but this time we mean business. We are striving for the digest version of our Rome adventures...and misadventures. Enjoy.
Thursday afternoon our Italian class was cancelled, so we got an early (ish) start and took a train to Rome around 11. We spent the entire train ride playing cards... and are convinced that we succeeded in playing the longest game of Rummy on record (for curious parties, Katie won after a long, neck-in-neck battle). Ari thinks that Katie's need to flaunt her victory in such a childish way is just evidence of her innate need for attention. Katie thinks that Ari is bitter and doesn't know how to accept defeat gracefully.
After arriving, we promptly lost ourselves in the loud, bustling labyrinth that is Rome. We were immediately hit with the chaos and noise of the city...apparently we have grown accustomed to the sleepy nature of Padova. Eventually, we located our sad excuse for a hostel (Globtrotters, Gulliver's House- misspelled in accordance with their actual name). So this place is basically a converted apartment, and the best way to describe it succinctly is to say that it is a piece of crap (sorry, Mama Bacon). The dormitories are 8 beds to a room, mixed boys and girls, with charmingly unwashed blankets and no top sheet. When Ari asked for a top sheet, the slightly unwashed, mullet-sporting Norse hostel wench looked at her as if she had demanded fresh chocolate chip cookies on her pillow every night before replying "um, no." When we walked into our room, there was a mostly unclothed couple spooning in one of the bunk beds. This room was also lacking bed lamps, so that when we walked into the dark room at night to retrieve our belongings, we were yelled at by our roommates for waking them up with the noise caused by our inability to see. Ari's bed turned out to be occupied. She had to move. We also were treated to a symphony of snoring by our large, hairy naked bunkmates, which meant that sleep was elusive to say the least. Showers were also... less than fun. Ari's shower ran frigid ice water into a hair-clogged, soap scum-filled basin until it completely overflowed and flooded the entire bathroom.
Painful hostel aside... the afternoon we arrived we met up with Katie's aunt and uncle who were visiting for the week, and went out for "the best coffee in Rome." Ari had hot chocolate, poverina, but it was certainly delicious. They showed us their favorite piazza and then had to leave, so we found a fabulous, little restaurant on a side street. Katie had incredible salmon ravioli and Ari had pesto gnocchi with clams, then we split a tiramisù.
The next day, we decided to see as much as we could of Ancient Rome. So we started with a walking tour of the Fori Imperiali, which is basically the ruins of the town center where everyone went shopping, eating out, making business deals, etc. This was soooo cool and took us most of the morning. Then we walked over to the Colosseum, which was massive and very cool. After this extremely exhausting morning (it was also much warmer than we anticipated), we met up with the Aunt Mary and Uncle Wayne for lunch at the home of the original tartuffo (a gelato mound-shaped concoction). Afterward, they took us over to see the Trevi Fountain, where it is said that if you toss a coin over your shoulder and wish to return to Rome, you'll come back one day. This is also supposed to be the place with the clearest water in Rome/in the world. It tasted delicious... There are also fountains all over the city that look decorative, but are actually drinking fountains. The water comes out of a spout, so you plug the spout with your finger and it shoots out the top. It is a strange sight to see people doing this all over the city...or washing their fresh fruit in the fountains. Then they took us to the area with the Spanish steps, where they decided that we absolutely had to read a book that they had been recommending, so we went into an American bookstore and they bought us: "The Agony and the Ecstasy," about the life of Michelangelo, and "Beach Music," a fiction set in Rome. We each started out with one and are planning on trading.. thus far, excellent reads. For some reason that day we were so overwhelmed and tired that we couldn't handle any more stimulation. So we promptly found the only reasonably priced cafe near la Piazza di Spagna, and sat there, drinking our respective hot drinks, and chatting. For about three hours. True to our usual form, we had no idea that much time had passed until the sun started to go down, and the cafe started to close. So we thought we'd sit some more... and walked to the reputed "best pizza" in Rome: Pizzeria Baffetto. There was an enormous line of all native Italian speakers, which we took as a good sign, and when we eventually ate... it was worth the wait. Katie had pizza with beans on it. Sounds weird... incredible. We were shocked, however, when the couple next to us ate TWO entire pizzas each. Stamina and dedication.
Saturday was devoted exclusively to Vatican City. We headed over in the morning and hopped in the ENORMOUS line for i Musei Vaticani. Inside were many lovely statues, works of art, Egyptian artifacts, etc. We had a little lunch, and then entered the main Piazza. This view, for those who haven't seen it, is breathtaking. The piazza (designed by Bernini) is huge, ringed with the massive Colonnade that is four columns deep, dotted with fountains, and crowned with St. Peter's Basilica. We had just enough time to enter St. Peter's and view the amazing Basilica (which is... overwhelming in size and amazing mosaics), before meeting up with the relatives. We decided that no church we have seen on this trip (and we have seen at least 20) even compares to this one. It is full of beautiful art that looks like it is painted, but upon closer examination, all the 'paintings' are actually mosaics, made of tiny little colored tiles. The detail is unbelievable (mama Bennett would love it). Then we met up with the relatives, who were staying in the same hotel as the Prince of Lichtenstein practically adjacent to the Vatican. There we were taken on...
... a PRIVATE TOUR OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND PAPAL PALACE. AFTER CLOSING TIME. WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE.
Turns out, this Aunt and Uncle are good friends with the man who handles the fundraising for the Vatican (and occasionally writes some of the Pope's speeches), and since this man is friends with the Pope, he got special papal permission to take us on a tour. After admiring the beauty of the Sistine sans tourists, we were taken into the Room of Tears, where the Pope goes after being elected to change his clothes and collect himself before greeting the public. There was clothing worn by previous Popes, and the voting sheet. After wandering the Papal Palace for a bit, we left with the relatives for dinner. It was delicious and totally family-style, which is decidedly our favorite method of eating here, because we get to try a little bit of everything. We went back to our hovel of a hostel for an earlyish night after that.
On Sunday, our plans were to take a morning tour of some Roman catacombs and then check out the big outdoor market. Our plans were foiled, however, when we realized that public transportation in Rome is a nightmare. After successfully figuring out which was our stop on the subway, we exited, only to be faced with a row of controllari (italian subway monitors) who demanded to see our tickets. Since you need a ticket to get on the train to begin with, just like the subways in America, Katie did not see the necessity in keeping the thing, and was hence written up for a 100 Euro (roughly $150) fine. She was... displeased. She is hoping that this turns out to be bogus, but was told that a letter will be sent to her home in Maine from the embassy in Rome. After getting out of this awful situation, it took us a long time to figure out what bus we needed for the catacombs. After getting on the bus, we got off at the wrong stop, and ended up lost... walking with all of our luggage through countryside until we found our destination. Since the catacombs were closed for lunch and nap time, we grabbed a light lunch at the local pasticceria, where we saw the silliest beggar bum of all time. He was actually pouring himself red wine from a bottle, sporting a Ralph Lauren Polo, and smoking cigarettes like it was his job, while leisurely asking passers-by for money to eat. The saddest thing about this was that people actually gave it to him.
The catacombs tour turned out to be awesome...11 miles of twisty, dark tunnels full of bone-filled ancient graves. Apparently some guy broke into the catacombs a little while back and was lost in them for three full days. We both wanted to try our hand at exploring, but thought better of it. We did not get to see all 11 miles, but what we did see was thrilling and spooky. It goes four levels underground.
Afterwards, we were tired, slightly cranky, and much in need of solace in the form of lovely little Padova. We hopped on the first bus, then subway, to the train station. We practically cried with joy when we saw the Padova train station ahead. Then we went home to Katie's house, made tea, and watched Mulan in Italian. That made us feel better.
What we have learned from this experience is that we much prefer the quieter city feel of Padova to the overwhelming, noisy rush of Rome. Granted, Rome has many beautiful and historic experiences to offer, but we think that to get a feel for the real Italian lifestyle, it is best to leave the big city behind. We also learned that the universe can be a fickle mistress...manic-depressive, if you will. One moment she is granting you private tours of the Vatican, and the next she leaves you in the fetal position under your lice-infested bedspread listening to the snoring symphony of the great unwashed. She has taken us from the great to the greasy, the divine to the disease-ridden, from frescoes... to fines. But that's the universe for you. We prescribe a solid visit to the local shrink.
So now we are back in Padova, sitting in an internet cafe, and procrastinating studying for our Italian quiz tomorrow. All is well overall, tonight is Spritz Night, so much fun should be had by all in the Piazza delle Erbe. We send all our love, and hope everything is lovely back in the US. Don't forget to comment!
Molti Baci,
Le Ragazze
Forgive us if we slur our words or sound rather uneducated, because at the moment we are very tired and in Ari's case, very much sedated on cold medication. We also cannot get the picture section to function, so it will be picture-less for the moment... we will add when we can. This will also probably be brief...at least for us. Yes, we know that last time we said that it ended up being the longest post on record, but this time we mean business. We are striving for the digest version of our Rome adventures...and misadventures. Enjoy.
Thursday afternoon our Italian class was cancelled, so we got an early (ish) start and took a train to Rome around 11. We spent the entire train ride playing cards... and are convinced that we succeeded in playing the longest game of Rummy on record (for curious parties, Katie won after a long, neck-in-neck battle). Ari thinks that Katie's need to flaunt her victory in such a childish way is just evidence of her innate need for attention. Katie thinks that Ari is bitter and doesn't know how to accept defeat gracefully.
After arriving, we promptly lost ourselves in the loud, bustling labyrinth that is Rome. We were immediately hit with the chaos and noise of the city...apparently we have grown accustomed to the sleepy nature of Padova. Eventually, we located our sad excuse for a hostel (Globtrotters, Gulliver's House- misspelled in accordance with their actual name). So this place is basically a converted apartment, and the best way to describe it succinctly is to say that it is a piece of crap (sorry, Mama Bacon). The dormitories are 8 beds to a room, mixed boys and girls, with charmingly unwashed blankets and no top sheet. When Ari asked for a top sheet, the slightly unwashed, mullet-sporting Norse hostel wench looked at her as if she had demanded fresh chocolate chip cookies on her pillow every night before replying "um, no." When we walked into our room, there was a mostly unclothed couple spooning in one of the bunk beds. This room was also lacking bed lamps, so that when we walked into the dark room at night to retrieve our belongings, we were yelled at by our roommates for waking them up with the noise caused by our inability to see. Ari's bed turned out to be occupied. She had to move. We also were treated to a symphony of snoring by our large, hairy naked bunkmates, which meant that sleep was elusive to say the least. Showers were also... less than fun. Ari's shower ran frigid ice water into a hair-clogged, soap scum-filled basin until it completely overflowed and flooded the entire bathroom.
Painful hostel aside... the afternoon we arrived we met up with Katie's aunt and uncle who were visiting for the week, and went out for "the best coffee in Rome." Ari had hot chocolate, poverina, but it was certainly delicious. They showed us their favorite piazza and then had to leave, so we found a fabulous, little restaurant on a side street. Katie had incredible salmon ravioli and Ari had pesto gnocchi with clams, then we split a tiramisù.
The next day, we decided to see as much as we could of Ancient Rome. So we started with a walking tour of the Fori Imperiali, which is basically the ruins of the town center where everyone went shopping, eating out, making business deals, etc. This was soooo cool and took us most of the morning. Then we walked over to the Colosseum, which was massive and very cool. After this extremely exhausting morning (it was also much warmer than we anticipated), we met up with the Aunt Mary and Uncle Wayne for lunch at the home of the original tartuffo (a gelato mound-shaped concoction). Afterward, they took us over to see the Trevi Fountain, where it is said that if you toss a coin over your shoulder and wish to return to Rome, you'll come back one day. This is also supposed to be the place with the clearest water in Rome/in the world. It tasted delicious... There are also fountains all over the city that look decorative, but are actually drinking fountains. The water comes out of a spout, so you plug the spout with your finger and it shoots out the top. It is a strange sight to see people doing this all over the city...or washing their fresh fruit in the fountains. Then they took us to the area with the Spanish steps, where they decided that we absolutely had to read a book that they had been recommending, so we went into an American bookstore and they bought us: "The Agony and the Ecstasy," about the life of Michelangelo, and "Beach Music," a fiction set in Rome. We each started out with one and are planning on trading.. thus far, excellent reads. For some reason that day we were so overwhelmed and tired that we couldn't handle any more stimulation. So we promptly found the only reasonably priced cafe near la Piazza di Spagna, and sat there, drinking our respective hot drinks, and chatting. For about three hours. True to our usual form, we had no idea that much time had passed until the sun started to go down, and the cafe started to close. So we thought we'd sit some more... and walked to the reputed "best pizza" in Rome: Pizzeria Baffetto. There was an enormous line of all native Italian speakers, which we took as a good sign, and when we eventually ate... it was worth the wait. Katie had pizza with beans on it. Sounds weird... incredible. We were shocked, however, when the couple next to us ate TWO entire pizzas each. Stamina and dedication.
Saturday was devoted exclusively to Vatican City. We headed over in the morning and hopped in the ENORMOUS line for i Musei Vaticani. Inside were many lovely statues, works of art, Egyptian artifacts, etc. We had a little lunch, and then entered the main Piazza. This view, for those who haven't seen it, is breathtaking. The piazza (designed by Bernini) is huge, ringed with the massive Colonnade that is four columns deep, dotted with fountains, and crowned with St. Peter's Basilica. We had just enough time to enter St. Peter's and view the amazing Basilica (which is... overwhelming in size and amazing mosaics), before meeting up with the relatives. We decided that no church we have seen on this trip (and we have seen at least 20) even compares to this one. It is full of beautiful art that looks like it is painted, but upon closer examination, all the 'paintings' are actually mosaics, made of tiny little colored tiles. The detail is unbelievable (mama Bennett would love it). Then we met up with the relatives, who were staying in the same hotel as the Prince of Lichtenstein practically adjacent to the Vatican. There we were taken on...
... a PRIVATE TOUR OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND PAPAL PALACE. AFTER CLOSING TIME. WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE.
Turns out, this Aunt and Uncle are good friends with the man who handles the fundraising for the Vatican (and occasionally writes some of the Pope's speeches), and since this man is friends with the Pope, he got special papal permission to take us on a tour. After admiring the beauty of the Sistine sans tourists, we were taken into the Room of Tears, where the Pope goes after being elected to change his clothes and collect himself before greeting the public. There was clothing worn by previous Popes, and the voting sheet. After wandering the Papal Palace for a bit, we left with the relatives for dinner. It was delicious and totally family-style, which is decidedly our favorite method of eating here, because we get to try a little bit of everything. We went back to our hovel of a hostel for an earlyish night after that.
On Sunday, our plans were to take a morning tour of some Roman catacombs and then check out the big outdoor market. Our plans were foiled, however, when we realized that public transportation in Rome is a nightmare. After successfully figuring out which was our stop on the subway, we exited, only to be faced with a row of controllari (italian subway monitors) who demanded to see our tickets. Since you need a ticket to get on the train to begin with, just like the subways in America, Katie did not see the necessity in keeping the thing, and was hence written up for a 100 Euro (roughly $150) fine. She was... displeased. She is hoping that this turns out to be bogus, but was told that a letter will be sent to her home in Maine from the embassy in Rome. After getting out of this awful situation, it took us a long time to figure out what bus we needed for the catacombs. After getting on the bus, we got off at the wrong stop, and ended up lost... walking with all of our luggage through countryside until we found our destination. Since the catacombs were closed for lunch and nap time, we grabbed a light lunch at the local pasticceria, where we saw the silliest beggar bum of all time. He was actually pouring himself red wine from a bottle, sporting a Ralph Lauren Polo, and smoking cigarettes like it was his job, while leisurely asking passers-by for money to eat. The saddest thing about this was that people actually gave it to him.
The catacombs tour turned out to be awesome...11 miles of twisty, dark tunnels full of bone-filled ancient graves. Apparently some guy broke into the catacombs a little while back and was lost in them for three full days. We both wanted to try our hand at exploring, but thought better of it. We did not get to see all 11 miles, but what we did see was thrilling and spooky. It goes four levels underground.
Afterwards, we were tired, slightly cranky, and much in need of solace in the form of lovely little Padova. We hopped on the first bus, then subway, to the train station. We practically cried with joy when we saw the Padova train station ahead. Then we went home to Katie's house, made tea, and watched Mulan in Italian. That made us feel better.
What we have learned from this experience is that we much prefer the quieter city feel of Padova to the overwhelming, noisy rush of Rome. Granted, Rome has many beautiful and historic experiences to offer, but we think that to get a feel for the real Italian lifestyle, it is best to leave the big city behind. We also learned that the universe can be a fickle mistress...manic-depressive, if you will. One moment she is granting you private tours of the Vatican, and the next she leaves you in the fetal position under your lice-infested bedspread listening to the snoring symphony of the great unwashed. She has taken us from the great to the greasy, the divine to the disease-ridden, from frescoes... to fines. But that's the universe for you. We prescribe a solid visit to the local shrink.
So now we are back in Padova, sitting in an internet cafe, and procrastinating studying for our Italian quiz tomorrow. All is well overall, tonight is Spritz Night, so much fun should be had by all in the Piazza delle Erbe. We send all our love, and hope everything is lovely back in the US. Don't forget to comment!
Molti Baci,
Le Ragazze
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Italian Myths...BUSTED!!
Buongiorno famiglie, amici, e tutti!
After a solid month of going and coming and losing sleep and travelling to foreign lands, we felt it necessary to spend some time exploring our own city. (slash, we hit the point of exhaustion that can only come after four weeks of constant travelling, and a very stressful final, which actually didn't end up being that bad.) In order to properly recover, we were forced to spend an afternoon at Katie's house with a beautiful Disney classic- Bella e La Bestia- and gallons of tea pumped into our systems. Turns out, the movie is actually better in Italian than in English. We found the lines more romantic and as a result, spent the rest of the afternoon quoting the dramatic, final scene...
Bestia: Sei tornata... (You came back...)
Bella: Non potevo lasciarti da solo! Non lasciarmi! (I couldn't leave you alone! Don't leave me!)
Bestia: Forse... *gasp* è meglio... *gasp* così... (Maybe... *gasp* it's better... *gasp* this way...)
Bella: NO!! Non dirmi queste cose! (NO!! Don't say these things!)
Bestia: *dies*
Bella: Ma... ti amo... *dramatic tears* (But... I love you...)
Bestia: *transforms* Bella... Sono io. (Belle... it's me.)
Bella: *searches face for remnants of the Bestia she knows and loves* Sei proprio tu! (It really is you!)
*music swells* *kissing and fireworks and lots of transformations* *Katie and Ari tear up and try to hide it*
Fin.
We will take this moment to thoroughly apologize for that. We are massive dorks. You love us anyway.
Saturday was spent sightseeing churches/gardens, etc. and picnicking in Padova. Sunday we hopped the morning train to Venice and spent the day giggling, eating, and socializing with gondoliers. We think it is amazing that we can just, you know, head over to Venice for the day and hang out. It is only about a 25-minute train ride, and only like 2 Euro. That night we went back to Katie's house and watched Airplane!. It was lovely.
Since this past weekend the two of us decided to remain in Padova for some much needed rest and relaxation (R&R for all you hipsters up on your abbrev's), we figured that this blog entry would be the perfect opportunity to present to you, in its true, raw, unedited form...what Italy is REALLY about.
ITALY 101
Fun Facts/Things that Italy does WAY better:
1. Outdoor markets. In Italy, not only do most residents buy their food daily from markets, but these wonderful stalls sprout up all over the city's piazze selling everything from fresh roasted nuts (roasted in front of you) to incredibly fashionable clothing, for extremely low prices. We have decided that this would not work (tragically) in the US, because unlike Italians, Americans will not buy clothing unless they get to try it on first. Nevertheless, we love the markets here, and can easily pass many hours hunting through the many different stands. Note: Ari has already bought a wonderful purse and scarf, Katie has bought a scarf, and both of us have purchased lots of fruit/picnic materials.
2. Pizza. In Italy when you order pizza at a restaurant, you receive an entire massive pizza all to yourself. There is really no other option here, and if you say you want to split it, they get confused. Sometimes they just say no. Good thing is, the pizza is extremely thin, which means two things: it must be eaten with a knife and fork, and it is actually possible to finish a whole pie. As we are sure you can imagine, they taste WAY better than any sad imitation coming out of the US. They also have really interesting topping options, like for example, tuna and onion (one of Katie's more interesting experiments), and...french fries. Ari's host brothers love the french fry pizza. We think that is a little disgusting, but...
3. Churches. Here, everywhere you go, there will be more gorgeous churches than you have time to see. They are massive, full of lofty domes, stained glass, frescoes by famous artists, and the tourists experience rare moments of silent reverence when inside. We think it is interesting that in America, the main tourist spots are often government buildings or modern architecture, while the biggest attractions here are the basilicas.
4. The Italian idea of time. Here, nobody freaks out about timeliness, work hours, schedules, bus times, or really anything that Americans develop ulcers about. Katie loves it, considering her general inability to be on time. Ever. We also just love that the things that Italians value most do not revolve around a tight schedule... if they are enjoying their socialization and nap time after lunch, then they may just not reopen their store for a few hours. Or if it is raining outside, (tempo brutto), they might not open their store at all. Just because they don't feel like it. There are also random and mandatory 'days of rest' for every type of business. So maybe on Tuesday afternoon... shoe stores won't be open. Or on Wednesday night... food stores. Or whatever. When Italians hear about what Americans consider a 'normal' work week, they think we are crazy.
5. Pasta. We're not gonna lie to you. The food here is way, way, way better. Always. We have yet to have a bad meal, and we've been adventurous. This includes horse, sardines, unidentifiable meat sandwiches, fried cheese slabs, and then of course, the staples (pasta, polenta, minestrone, salad, pizza, etc.). Americans do not know how to cook pasta. Here, no matter where you buy your pasta (dining hall, fast food, bar) it will be perfectly al dente with sauce made from fresh ingredients, served warm. It is considered a sin to let your pasta get cold here...they actually get a little offended if you take too long to eat it. As for desserts- gelato kicks ice cream booty. Bacio (chocolate and hazlenut) is our favorite flavor thus far. We have also embarked on a quest to find the country's best tiramisù... it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. So far Katie's favorite was her Italian family's nonna's. Ari's was one we had in Florence.
6. Shopping in general. The clothes in the US can't even begin to compete with the clothes here. Even the stuff for 10 Euro at the markets is cuter than in any US mall. We think this is because the styles are classy, classic, simple, and flattering. Nothing is overdone (except occasionally the shoes. Bright gold sequined sneakers are fairly common here).
7. The family dynamic. There is so much more emphasis on family closeness here. Like for example, in Ari's host family, the nonna regularly sends food over for the family and occasionally irons the laundry. In return, her parents go over there, walk her dog, and take care of her apartment. She lives two blocks away. This also means that meals are an elaborate affair, often lasting many hours until the family has fully caught up on everyone else's lives. This part of the day is never rushed, since socialization is definitely the priority here.
8. Cleanliness. Every day we walk past old little shop owners washing the sidewalks outside of their stores. And we have never experienced laundry so clean and good-smelling. When we return from weekend travels, our rooms are spotless.
9. Architecture. Since Italy was built wayyyy before the US, the buildings here tend to be ancient and beautiful. Of course, we realize that what may be charmingly crumbly to us tends to just mean old and crappy to the residents. Nevertheless, our surroundings are always picturesque.
10. Train travel. And really travel in general. It is so common to backpack all over Europe, that the train system is surprisingly easy to navigate, cheap, and generally enjoyable. It is sad that this does not exist in the US. Hostels are also everywhere, and not the horror movie/cockroach-laden type, but clean, affordable, and filled with friendly travellers from all over the world.
Things We Miss
1. Communication. It makes us so sad that we only have a limited number of hours per day/week online. We have so many things to accomplish plan-wise, and so many people that we want to communicate with! Internet access is underrated. And we miss it. We also miss being able to check the weather forecast for the day, and not having to pay the big bucks to talk to our loved ones on the phone :(
2. Cars. While in Padova, we really have to walk everywhere (or figure out the bus system), which is good for burning off pasta, but bad for other reasons. We do enjoy walking around and taking in the daily sights, but the weather is already getting coldish, which makes being outside slightly less appealing. Also, it is tragic that Ari and Katie live so far apart (a 50 minute walk), because the buses don't run at night, so we can't really visit each other after dinner to hang out/watch movies, etc.
3. Normal work hours. Although it is charming that people here feel that they can open and close their stores whenever they want... it is kind of annoying if you have to purchase anything in the middle of the day. Or if you need to eat out and all of the restaurants are randomly closed. This would not happen in the US. Also, don't even bother trying to find ANYTHING open on a Sunday. The entire country shuts down on Sundays...sometimes this bleeds over into Mondays as well.
4. Being generally regarded as intelligent human beings. Since we are only functional (not fluent) in the language, we pretty much get treated like we are very stupid, all the time. Although some things we have mastered (ordering in restaurants, asking for directions, etc.) it is impossible for our truly spectacular wit to shine through all the bumbling idiocy when we try to speak Italian. This also happens with our Italian families. At our houses, the families will chat for a bit, then turn to us and explain very slowly and using tiny words what just went down. Usually we have understood pretty well, but then can't express perfectly our response, so they assume that we are confused. Sad and somewhat frustrating.
5. Hot drinks to go. The cafés here are amazing, but 'to go' practically doesn't exist in this country. So if you want a drink for the road, you are pretty much out of luck. The only remedy for this here is the 'drink at the bar caffé,' which is a shot of espresso consumed quickly and immediately while standing...like a power shot. Ari has completely given up coffee, so although Katie indulges in the espresso shot regularly, Ari is left decaffeinated and sad. That said, hot beverages are generally wonderful here. Especially the hot chocolate, which is really more like a cup of hot, steaming chocolate pudding. Seriously, you need a spoon to consume it, and it makes your whole body feel happy.
6. The US dollar. Enough said.
7. Showers. This is exclusively Katie's issue, because at her house, there is kind of a water problem. First off, the shower head was made for midgets and is the kind that you need to hold in your hand to use properly. Secondly, there are hot water issues. Katie's shower routine: jump in and get body wet during the approx. 40 seconds of warm water, turn shower off, soap hair and body, turn shower back on, rinse off in the approx. 30 seconds of warm water and attempt to condition. Fin. If other things need to be accomplished... they will be done in ice water. Boo.
8. TOILETS. Here in Europe it is completely acceptable (and common) for a bathroom in a restaurant, store, etc. to consist of a gaping hole in the ground. We kid you not. Sometimes they provide you with handy little places to put your feet while squatting and attempting not to pee on yourself. Sometimes not. Even for those who have peed in the wilderness, this is a difficult feat. They claim that it is more sanitary this way...because there is no hiney to seat contact. Katie maintains it is less sanitary because there is no 'spray containment' factor. We have expanded our bladders by astronomical amounts since arriving, because we avoid the hole-in-ground situation whenever possible. This newfound skill is also useful on train trips, because the bathrooms in the stations are 'pay to pee only' and the bathrooms on the trains... are unmentionable and terrifying.
Myths... BUSTED!
1. Coffee is the only acceptable hot drink in Italy. FALSE. Basically every place that serves coffee also offers tea, you just have to ask for it, because it often is not on the menu.
2. People in Italy frown upon wearing flip-flops and shorts. FALSE. They are quite common, especially among the younger generation, but they are often dressed up a little more. Example- shiny gold studded flip-flops and cute little tweed shorts (maybe with leggings underneath).
3. Italians are greasy and smell bad. FALSE. They are actually kind of freakishly clean, and most of the smelly people we have encountered are from other countries. This often happens on trains, when you are shmooshed up against some stinky stranger in the compartment between train cars. We actually happen to think that the Italian men have some secret magic man cologne that they aren't telling the rest of the world about, because when they walk by... happiness.
4. It is absolutely necessary to bring all of your toiletries with you. FALSE. They have everything here that you could ever need...including supermarkets with toiletry aisles. We are bitter about our overweight baggage fees because of 4 months worth of shampoo. Boo.
5. If you come here, you will lose touch with American music. FALSE. It is the preferred music choice. This includes oldies like 'Rock Around the Clock' and 'Ghostbusters'... and follows all the latest pop, like 'I Kissed a Girl.' We wish we could say that we escaped 'I Kissed a Girl' but sadly, we did not. Rap is a little scarce, however.
6. Italian mommas are loud, loving, and try to make you eat WAY too much. TOTALLY TRUE.
7. Italian chicks are wicked hot. Unfortunately, TRUE. They are in perfect shape. And often, stunning.
8. Italian men are overly aggressive. DEPENDS. In the Veneto, where we live, the men are actually kind of similar to American men: sadly lacking in game, with the occasional catcall from older construction worker types. However, the further south you go, the more outspoken the men become. Needless to say, we prefer the south.
9. Nobody speaks English in Padova. MOSTLY TRUE. Every now and then we will encounter a store clerk who insists on replying to us in English even though we keep speaking to him in Italian. This is sad for us, but we do not give up, and eventually they switch back to Italian. Most of the time though, the people know 2 or 3 English phrases and that is it. Like for example, Ari's host brothers last night were showcasing their knowledge of food names:
Alessandro- 'pesh!' (cross between Italian for fish (pesce) and English)
Ricardo- 'feesh!' (fish)
Francesco- 'cock-ee' (cookie)
Stupid Moment of the Week
Katie is often asked by her host mother whether or not she likes the food that is being served at the house for dinner. Katie always tries to explain that she likes all food. Really. And she will still happily eat it even if she doesn't like it. Christiana (host momma) explained that in Italian, the expression for this is 'Sono una buona forchetta (I'm a good fork).' This means 'I will eat anything.' Several days later, with the whole family at the table, Katie randomly announced, 'Sono una forchetta!' (I'm a fork!) while grinning like an idiot at her 'clever' use of slang. The family was like... 'Our host daughter is stupid. How sad for us.' After some blank looks, they said... 'or a spoon? or a knife? or a napkin?' Katie realized she said something dumb... and tried to explain herself. The family got a good laugh. And once again, Katie proved the blonde stereotype transcends language barriers.
So we just realized what a monstrous novel we just wrote for you. We hope you are amused rather than horrified at our verbosity. We love you all, and thanks for reading!
-le ragazze
After a solid month of going and coming and losing sleep and travelling to foreign lands, we felt it necessary to spend some time exploring our own city. (slash, we hit the point of exhaustion that can only come after four weeks of constant travelling, and a very stressful final, which actually didn't end up being that bad.) In order to properly recover, we were forced to spend an afternoon at Katie's house with a beautiful Disney classic- Bella e La Bestia- and gallons of tea pumped into our systems. Turns out, the movie is actually better in Italian than in English. We found the lines more romantic and as a result, spent the rest of the afternoon quoting the dramatic, final scene...
Bestia: Sei tornata... (You came back...)
Bella: Non potevo lasciarti da solo! Non lasciarmi! (I couldn't leave you alone! Don't leave me!)
Bestia: Forse... *gasp* è meglio... *gasp* così... (Maybe... *gasp* it's better... *gasp* this way...)
Bella: NO!! Non dirmi queste cose! (NO!! Don't say these things!)
Bestia: *dies*
Bella: Ma... ti amo... *dramatic tears* (But... I love you...)
Bestia: *transforms* Bella... Sono io. (Belle... it's me.)
Bella: *searches face for remnants of the Bestia she knows and loves* Sei proprio tu! (It really is you!)
*music swells* *kissing and fireworks and lots of transformations* *Katie and Ari tear up and try to hide it*
Fin.
We will take this moment to thoroughly apologize for that. We are massive dorks. You love us anyway.
Saturday was spent sightseeing churches/gardens, etc. and picnicking in Padova. Sunday we hopped the morning train to Venice and spent the day giggling, eating, and socializing with gondoliers. We think it is amazing that we can just, you know, head over to Venice for the day and hang out. It is only about a 25-minute train ride, and only like 2 Euro. That night we went back to Katie's house and watched Airplane!. It was lovely.
Since this past weekend the two of us decided to remain in Padova for some much needed rest and relaxation (R&R for all you hipsters up on your abbrev's), we figured that this blog entry would be the perfect opportunity to present to you, in its true, raw, unedited form...what Italy is REALLY about.
ITALY 101
Fun Facts/Things that Italy does WAY better:
1. Outdoor markets. In Italy, not only do most residents buy their food daily from markets, but these wonderful stalls sprout up all over the city's piazze selling everything from fresh roasted nuts (roasted in front of you) to incredibly fashionable clothing, for extremely low prices. We have decided that this would not work (tragically) in the US, because unlike Italians, Americans will not buy clothing unless they get to try it on first. Nevertheless, we love the markets here, and can easily pass many hours hunting through the many different stands. Note: Ari has already bought a wonderful purse and scarf, Katie has bought a scarf, and both of us have purchased lots of fruit/picnic materials.
2. Pizza. In Italy when you order pizza at a restaurant, you receive an entire massive pizza all to yourself. There is really no other option here, and if you say you want to split it, they get confused. Sometimes they just say no. Good thing is, the pizza is extremely thin, which means two things: it must be eaten with a knife and fork, and it is actually possible to finish a whole pie. As we are sure you can imagine, they taste WAY better than any sad imitation coming out of the US. They also have really interesting topping options, like for example, tuna and onion (one of Katie's more interesting experiments), and...french fries. Ari's host brothers love the french fry pizza. We think that is a little disgusting, but...
3. Churches. Here, everywhere you go, there will be more gorgeous churches than you have time to see. They are massive, full of lofty domes, stained glass, frescoes by famous artists, and the tourists experience rare moments of silent reverence when inside. We think it is interesting that in America, the main tourist spots are often government buildings or modern architecture, while the biggest attractions here are the basilicas.
4. The Italian idea of time. Here, nobody freaks out about timeliness, work hours, schedules, bus times, or really anything that Americans develop ulcers about. Katie loves it, considering her general inability to be on time. Ever. We also just love that the things that Italians value most do not revolve around a tight schedule... if they are enjoying their socialization and nap time after lunch, then they may just not reopen their store for a few hours. Or if it is raining outside, (tempo brutto), they might not open their store at all. Just because they don't feel like it. There are also random and mandatory 'days of rest' for every type of business. So maybe on Tuesday afternoon... shoe stores won't be open. Or on Wednesday night... food stores. Or whatever. When Italians hear about what Americans consider a 'normal' work week, they think we are crazy.
5. Pasta. We're not gonna lie to you. The food here is way, way, way better. Always. We have yet to have a bad meal, and we've been adventurous. This includes horse, sardines, unidentifiable meat sandwiches, fried cheese slabs, and then of course, the staples (pasta, polenta, minestrone, salad, pizza, etc.). Americans do not know how to cook pasta. Here, no matter where you buy your pasta (dining hall, fast food, bar) it will be perfectly al dente with sauce made from fresh ingredients, served warm. It is considered a sin to let your pasta get cold here...they actually get a little offended if you take too long to eat it. As for desserts- gelato kicks ice cream booty. Bacio (chocolate and hazlenut) is our favorite flavor thus far. We have also embarked on a quest to find the country's best tiramisù... it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. So far Katie's favorite was her Italian family's nonna's. Ari's was one we had in Florence.
6. Shopping in general. The clothes in the US can't even begin to compete with the clothes here. Even the stuff for 10 Euro at the markets is cuter than in any US mall. We think this is because the styles are classy, classic, simple, and flattering. Nothing is overdone (except occasionally the shoes. Bright gold sequined sneakers are fairly common here).
7. The family dynamic. There is so much more emphasis on family closeness here. Like for example, in Ari's host family, the nonna regularly sends food over for the family and occasionally irons the laundry. In return, her parents go over there, walk her dog, and take care of her apartment. She lives two blocks away. This also means that meals are an elaborate affair, often lasting many hours until the family has fully caught up on everyone else's lives. This part of the day is never rushed, since socialization is definitely the priority here.
8. Cleanliness. Every day we walk past old little shop owners washing the sidewalks outside of their stores. And we have never experienced laundry so clean and good-smelling. When we return from weekend travels, our rooms are spotless.
9. Architecture. Since Italy was built wayyyy before the US, the buildings here tend to be ancient and beautiful. Of course, we realize that what may be charmingly crumbly to us tends to just mean old and crappy to the residents. Nevertheless, our surroundings are always picturesque.
10. Train travel. And really travel in general. It is so common to backpack all over Europe, that the train system is surprisingly easy to navigate, cheap, and generally enjoyable. It is sad that this does not exist in the US. Hostels are also everywhere, and not the horror movie/cockroach-laden type, but clean, affordable, and filled with friendly travellers from all over the world.
Things We Miss
1. Communication. It makes us so sad that we only have a limited number of hours per day/week online. We have so many things to accomplish plan-wise, and so many people that we want to communicate with! Internet access is underrated. And we miss it. We also miss being able to check the weather forecast for the day, and not having to pay the big bucks to talk to our loved ones on the phone :(
2. Cars. While in Padova, we really have to walk everywhere (or figure out the bus system), which is good for burning off pasta, but bad for other reasons. We do enjoy walking around and taking in the daily sights, but the weather is already getting coldish, which makes being outside slightly less appealing. Also, it is tragic that Ari and Katie live so far apart (a 50 minute walk), because the buses don't run at night, so we can't really visit each other after dinner to hang out/watch movies, etc.
3. Normal work hours. Although it is charming that people here feel that they can open and close their stores whenever they want... it is kind of annoying if you have to purchase anything in the middle of the day. Or if you need to eat out and all of the restaurants are randomly closed. This would not happen in the US. Also, don't even bother trying to find ANYTHING open on a Sunday. The entire country shuts down on Sundays...sometimes this bleeds over into Mondays as well.
4. Being generally regarded as intelligent human beings. Since we are only functional (not fluent) in the language, we pretty much get treated like we are very stupid, all the time. Although some things we have mastered (ordering in restaurants, asking for directions, etc.) it is impossible for our truly spectacular wit to shine through all the bumbling idiocy when we try to speak Italian. This also happens with our Italian families. At our houses, the families will chat for a bit, then turn to us and explain very slowly and using tiny words what just went down. Usually we have understood pretty well, but then can't express perfectly our response, so they assume that we are confused. Sad and somewhat frustrating.
5. Hot drinks to go. The cafés here are amazing, but 'to go' practically doesn't exist in this country. So if you want a drink for the road, you are pretty much out of luck. The only remedy for this here is the 'drink at the bar caffé,' which is a shot of espresso consumed quickly and immediately while standing...like a power shot. Ari has completely given up coffee, so although Katie indulges in the espresso shot regularly, Ari is left decaffeinated and sad. That said, hot beverages are generally wonderful here. Especially the hot chocolate, which is really more like a cup of hot, steaming chocolate pudding. Seriously, you need a spoon to consume it, and it makes your whole body feel happy.
6. The US dollar. Enough said.
7. Showers. This is exclusively Katie's issue, because at her house, there is kind of a water problem. First off, the shower head was made for midgets and is the kind that you need to hold in your hand to use properly. Secondly, there are hot water issues. Katie's shower routine: jump in and get body wet during the approx. 40 seconds of warm water, turn shower off, soap hair and body, turn shower back on, rinse off in the approx. 30 seconds of warm water and attempt to condition. Fin. If other things need to be accomplished... they will be done in ice water. Boo.
8. TOILETS. Here in Europe it is completely acceptable (and common) for a bathroom in a restaurant, store, etc. to consist of a gaping hole in the ground. We kid you not. Sometimes they provide you with handy little places to put your feet while squatting and attempting not to pee on yourself. Sometimes not. Even for those who have peed in the wilderness, this is a difficult feat. They claim that it is more sanitary this way...because there is no hiney to seat contact. Katie maintains it is less sanitary because there is no 'spray containment' factor. We have expanded our bladders by astronomical amounts since arriving, because we avoid the hole-in-ground situation whenever possible. This newfound skill is also useful on train trips, because the bathrooms in the stations are 'pay to pee only' and the bathrooms on the trains... are unmentionable and terrifying.
Myths... BUSTED!
1. Coffee is the only acceptable hot drink in Italy. FALSE. Basically every place that serves coffee also offers tea, you just have to ask for it, because it often is not on the menu.
2. People in Italy frown upon wearing flip-flops and shorts. FALSE. They are quite common, especially among the younger generation, but they are often dressed up a little more. Example- shiny gold studded flip-flops and cute little tweed shorts (maybe with leggings underneath).
3. Italians are greasy and smell bad. FALSE. They are actually kind of freakishly clean, and most of the smelly people we have encountered are from other countries. This often happens on trains, when you are shmooshed up against some stinky stranger in the compartment between train cars. We actually happen to think that the Italian men have some secret magic man cologne that they aren't telling the rest of the world about, because when they walk by... happiness.
4. It is absolutely necessary to bring all of your toiletries with you. FALSE. They have everything here that you could ever need...including supermarkets with toiletry aisles. We are bitter about our overweight baggage fees because of 4 months worth of shampoo. Boo.
5. If you come here, you will lose touch with American music. FALSE. It is the preferred music choice. This includes oldies like 'Rock Around the Clock' and 'Ghostbusters'... and follows all the latest pop, like 'I Kissed a Girl.' We wish we could say that we escaped 'I Kissed a Girl' but sadly, we did not. Rap is a little scarce, however.
6. Italian mommas are loud, loving, and try to make you eat WAY too much. TOTALLY TRUE.
7. Italian chicks are wicked hot. Unfortunately, TRUE. They are in perfect shape. And often, stunning.
8. Italian men are overly aggressive. DEPENDS. In the Veneto, where we live, the men are actually kind of similar to American men: sadly lacking in game, with the occasional catcall from older construction worker types. However, the further south you go, the more outspoken the men become. Needless to say, we prefer the south.
9. Nobody speaks English in Padova. MOSTLY TRUE. Every now and then we will encounter a store clerk who insists on replying to us in English even though we keep speaking to him in Italian. This is sad for us, but we do not give up, and eventually they switch back to Italian. Most of the time though, the people know 2 or 3 English phrases and that is it. Like for example, Ari's host brothers last night were showcasing their knowledge of food names:
Alessandro- 'pesh!' (cross between Italian for fish (pesce) and English)
Ricardo- 'feesh!' (fish)
Francesco- 'cock-ee' (cookie)
Stupid Moment of the Week
Katie is often asked by her host mother whether or not she likes the food that is being served at the house for dinner. Katie always tries to explain that she likes all food. Really. And she will still happily eat it even if she doesn't like it. Christiana (host momma) explained that in Italian, the expression for this is 'Sono una buona forchetta (I'm a good fork).' This means 'I will eat anything.' Several days later, with the whole family at the table, Katie randomly announced, 'Sono una forchetta!' (I'm a fork!) while grinning like an idiot at her 'clever' use of slang. The family was like... 'Our host daughter is stupid. How sad for us.' After some blank looks, they said... 'or a spoon? or a knife? or a napkin?' Katie realized she said something dumb... and tried to explain herself. The family got a good laugh. And once again, Katie proved the blonde stereotype transcends language barriers.
So we just realized what a monstrous novel we just wrote for you. We hope you are amused rather than horrified at our verbosity. We love you all, and thanks for reading!
-le ragazze
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
When You Put In For Mamma...
Buongiorno a tutti! Speriamo che stiate bene!
(Good day everyone! We hope that you are all doing well!) PS props to Katie for writing that sentence using, dun dun dun, the SUBJUNCTIVE! (which she just learned). PPS thanks to Ari for supporting Katie in such a sweet and public manner (which she just did).
Hokay. We will begin by warning you that this post is not going to be that long, because we have our final for our intensive Italian class tomorrow...which is very lame. We both need to go study A LOT. So bear with us as we attempt to cogently summarize our amazing weekend in Florence, and the surrounding events.
First off, we ended up leaving Padova a full day earlier because of that train strike that was supposed to happen last Friday. It did not end up happening because no one can plan here... for anything... except us. So we got to Florence Thursday night after a two hour train ride and quickly located our lovely palace of a hostel. We are actually not being sarcastic when we call it a palace, because it was basically a nice hotel designed for young people. For 20 Euro a night, we got: a nice room in a startlingly pink hallway with private bathroom and shower, air conditioning, flat-screen tvs in the rooms, and a balcony. In the hostel there was a restaurant, a bar, a discoteca, a swimming pool, pool table, ping pong, full-service spa, internet café, and rooftop terrace. And it was packed with fun-loving youngsters from all over the world. We couldn't believe our good luck! (slash, Katie's good internet searching). That night we stayed in to eat dinner and ended up hanging out with some of the other hostel residents. We played cards and made merry with a couple awesome Aussies who have been travelling all over Europe together.
The next morning we woke up, found a fun little café called Bar Mama! where we ate breakfast and made a serious schedule for our time in Firenze. We headed over to Chiesa San Lorenzo and got our first taste of some of the incredible Florentine artwork. San Lorenzo is the official church of the Medici family (the family that basically ran Florence, and later Tuscany, for hundreds of years). The founding father of the Medici dynasty is buried (along with Donatello) underneath the main sanctuary. After taking in some lovely frescoes, we walked outside to the Central Market to browse the massive row of stalls. We were accosted by the young Italian stall-boys, who apparently are much more aggressive the further south you go in Italy. The best pickup line that we have heard so far in Europe happened here. He shouted 'Ragazze, you dropped something!' And when we turned around, he put his hands over his chest and said 'My heart.' Awwww. Not. But we got a good laugh out of it. Amid the array of brightly colored scarves and sweet leather jackets, we found a little stall to stop and have lunch. Long story short... we had no idea what the names of the sandwiches meant, and we still have no idea what we ate. The only word we recognized was tripe. We did not eat that, but what we did try... looked like... animal chunks. But it did not taste as disgusting as it looked. We swear. And we celebrated our willingness to try the local fares, even when we didn't have any clue what it was.
Next we walked over to the Galleria dell'Accademia, where we had our first museum experience of the trip. Let us just say... for those of you who have seen pictures of the statue of David by Michelangelo (which, we are sure, is most)... when you turn the corner in the Galleria and see David in all his glory at the end of the hallway- it is breathtaking.
Pictures cannot even begin to do it the justice that it deserves.. seriously awe-inspiring. We also discovered a new favorite painter at this museum, Alessandro Allori, who does some incredible detail with flowers in all of his works. We were told that it would take a half hour to get through the Galleria, but naturally, it took the two of us two hours. Afterward, we wandered the streets until we reached Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful, old bridge lined with glittering fine jewelry shops that spans the Arno River. As you can see... not a bad view. We met up with some of the boys from the program on Ponte Vecchio, had a mini photo-shoot, and then found a little jazz restaurant down the street. Walking back, we grabbed some FANTASTIC gelato, and were treated to an outdoor opera concert in an old market area. Wonderful. Then it was time to get our groove on. Impromptu dance party at the hostel discoteca with some program kiddies until 3 in the morning when we decided sleep was a better plan.
Somehow we managed to drag ourselves out of bed the next morning, to begin a very busy day of art-viewing and generally spazzing out all over the city at how much beautiful stuff there was to see and do. The first thing we did was head over to the Uffizi, where we made a reservation for later in the day. We discovered that that day, and only that day, admission was free (usually 14 Euro). We decided that when we
put good energy into the universe, it comes back to us in ways like this. In the meantime, we went over to the Duomo, the most famous Florentine church. After viewing the basilica, we climbed the 404 stairs to the top of the Campanile (bell tower), for some breathtaking views of the city. While at the top, we officially lost our hearing abilities when noon arrived, and the bell started to ring. In fact, the bells continued to ring in our ears for quite a while afterwards. After struggling back down 404 stairs, we picked up some delicious focaccia and cheese to go and were admitted into the Uffizi.
There is really nothing that we can say about the Uffizi that would accurately express how unbelievable it was, so we will just say this. We spent a solid 4 hours wandering around the most awe-inspiring collection of art either of us has ever seen. Some favorites
include La Primavera (Botticelli), Judith Slaying Holofernes (Artemisia Gentileschi), Bacchus (Caravaggio), The Birth of Venus (Botticelli), Adoration of the Magi (unfinished, by da Vinci), Adoration of the Child (delle Notti), Amore e Psiche (Crespi)... and MANY MANY more that we can't remember. Outside of the Uffizi, there is a piazza filled with neoclassical sculptures, including Katie's all-time favorite work of art... The Rape of the Sabine Women (here pictured). It is a masterpiece of graceful, flowing marble that displays an incredible array of emotion. Truly inspiring. After that intense artistic experience, we were completely drained, so we walked back to the hostel for a much needed pre-dinner nap. For dinner, we found a tiny little family-run trattoria on a side street, where we had an amazing typical Florentine meal. This included fabulous tortellini, Florentine bistecca (think massive, juicy steak), Tuscan white beans, Tuscan wine, and tiramisù. We split all of this and were more full than either of us can remember being. Ever. True to form, we also managed to make friends with all of the tables around us and the sweet ladies that ran the restaurant gave us a discount on our meal because she liked us so much. Also possibly because she didn't speak a word of English, so we translated for the Americans around us who were having serious communication difficulties. This made us feel very cool.
On our final day, we were sad to realize that out of the many hundreds of possible things left to see in the city, we only had time for one: the palace of the Medici, Palazzo Pitti. Out of all of the palazzi that we have seen thus far (a good number), we ranked this one far above the rest. First off... ENORMOUS. Secondly, absolutely saturated with art from floor to ceiling. Our favorite thing about the art in this particular location is the incredible mix of secular/mythological with religious. A lot of the art from the time periods that we have seen is religiously based, but this palazzo has mythological figures 
in the frescoes of every ceiling. They also have a fascinating collection of period costumes, which was fun for the two of us, since we like to imagine ourselves dressing up and attending balls. Thirdly, another extremely lucky event was the free admission to both the Palazzo Pitti and the MILES of gorgeous gardens behind (usually a total of 20 Euro). It was free only for that day. Fourthly, the previously mentioned gardens... dotted with lovely statues and filled with a labyrinth of winding, woodland paths. Basically what our childhood (and present) dreams are made of.
We would like to stop and take this opportunity to effusively thank our parents, and all those who made it possible for us to be here, doing this. When we walk to school every morning among the charmingly crumbly old buildings, we think about how lucky we are to be here.. and want the people responsible to know that we could not be more appreciative. Thanks, responsible peoples. We loves you.
And as our grammar rapidly declines, we thinks it is time for a nap. Oh wait, we can't. We have a final tomorrow. This school is interfering with our cultural education/playtime. Silly school. Please don't judge us.
Until next time...molti baci! (many kisses)
Le Ragazze
(Good day everyone! We hope that you are all doing well!) PS props to Katie for writing that sentence using, dun dun dun, the SUBJUNCTIVE! (which she just learned). PPS thanks to Ari for supporting Katie in such a sweet and public manner (which she just did).
Hokay. We will begin by warning you that this post is not going to be that long, because we have our final for our intensive Italian class tomorrow...which is very lame. We both need to go study A LOT. So bear with us as we attempt to cogently summarize our amazing weekend in Florence, and the surrounding events.
First off, we ended up leaving Padova a full day earlier because of that train strike that was supposed to happen last Friday. It did not end up happening because no one can plan here... for anything... except us. So we got to Florence Thursday night after a two hour train ride and quickly located our lovely palace of a hostel. We are actually not being sarcastic when we call it a palace, because it was basically a nice hotel designed for young people. For 20 Euro a night, we got: a nice room in a startlingly pink hallway with private bathroom and shower, air conditioning, flat-screen tvs in the rooms, and a balcony. In the hostel there was a restaurant, a bar, a discoteca, a swimming pool, pool table, ping pong, full-service spa, internet café, and rooftop terrace. And it was packed with fun-loving youngsters from all over the world. We couldn't believe our good luck! (slash, Katie's good internet searching). That night we stayed in to eat dinner and ended up hanging out with some of the other hostel residents. We played cards and made merry with a couple awesome Aussies who have been travelling all over Europe together.
The next morning we woke up, found a fun little café called Bar Mama! where we ate breakfast and made a serious schedule for our time in Firenze. We headed over to Chiesa San Lorenzo and got our first taste of some of the incredible Florentine artwork. San Lorenzo is the official church of the Medici family (the family that basically ran Florence, and later Tuscany, for hundreds of years). The founding father of the Medici dynasty is buried (along with Donatello) underneath the main sanctuary. After taking in some lovely frescoes, we walked outside to the Central Market to browse the massive row of stalls. We were accosted by the young Italian stall-boys, who apparently are much more aggressive the further south you go in Italy. The best pickup line that we have heard so far in Europe happened here. He shouted 'Ragazze, you dropped something!' And when we turned around, he put his hands over his chest and said 'My heart.' Awwww. Not. But we got a good laugh out of it. Amid the array of brightly colored scarves and sweet leather jackets, we found a little stall to stop and have lunch. Long story short... we had no idea what the names of the sandwiches meant, and we still have no idea what we ate. The only word we recognized was tripe. We did not eat that, but what we did try... looked like... animal chunks. But it did not taste as disgusting as it looked. We swear. And we celebrated our willingness to try the local fares, even when we didn't have any clue what it was.Next we walked over to the Galleria dell'Accademia, where we had our first museum experience of the trip. Let us just say... for those of you who have seen pictures of the statue of David by Michelangelo (which, we are sure, is most)... when you turn the corner in the Galleria and see David in all his glory at the end of the hallway- it is breathtaking.
Pictures cannot even begin to do it the justice that it deserves.. seriously awe-inspiring. We also discovered a new favorite painter at this museum, Alessandro Allori, who does some incredible detail with flowers in all of his works. We were told that it would take a half hour to get through the Galleria, but naturally, it took the two of us two hours. Afterward, we wandered the streets until we reached Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful, old bridge lined with glittering fine jewelry shops that spans the Arno River. As you can see... not a bad view. We met up with some of the boys from the program on Ponte Vecchio, had a mini photo-shoot, and then found a little jazz restaurant down the street. Walking back, we grabbed some FANTASTIC gelato, and were treated to an outdoor opera concert in an old market area. Wonderful. Then it was time to get our groove on. Impromptu dance party at the hostel discoteca with some program kiddies until 3 in the morning when we decided sleep was a better plan.
Somehow we managed to drag ourselves out of bed the next morning, to begin a very busy day of art-viewing and generally spazzing out all over the city at how much beautiful stuff there was to see and do. The first thing we did was head over to the Uffizi, where we made a reservation for later in the day. We discovered that that day, and only that day, admission was free (usually 14 Euro). We decided that when we
put good energy into the universe, it comes back to us in ways like this. In the meantime, we went over to the Duomo, the most famous Florentine church. After viewing the basilica, we climbed the 404 stairs to the top of the Campanile (bell tower), for some breathtaking views of the city. While at the top, we officially lost our hearing abilities when noon arrived, and the bell started to ring. In fact, the bells continued to ring in our ears for quite a while afterwards. After struggling back down 404 stairs, we picked up some delicious focaccia and cheese to go and were admitted into the Uffizi.There is really nothing that we can say about the Uffizi that would accurately express how unbelievable it was, so we will just say this. We spent a solid 4 hours wandering around the most awe-inspiring collection of art either of us has ever seen. Some favorites
include La Primavera (Botticelli), Judith Slaying Holofernes (Artemisia Gentileschi), Bacchus (Caravaggio), The Birth of Venus (Botticelli), Adoration of the Magi (unfinished, by da Vinci), Adoration of the Child (delle Notti), Amore e Psiche (Crespi)... and MANY MANY more that we can't remember. Outside of the Uffizi, there is a piazza filled with neoclassical sculptures, including Katie's all-time favorite work of art... The Rape of the Sabine Women (here pictured). It is a masterpiece of graceful, flowing marble that displays an incredible array of emotion. Truly inspiring. After that intense artistic experience, we were completely drained, so we walked back to the hostel for a much needed pre-dinner nap. For dinner, we found a tiny little family-run trattoria on a side street, where we had an amazing typical Florentine meal. This included fabulous tortellini, Florentine bistecca (think massive, juicy steak), Tuscan white beans, Tuscan wine, and tiramisù. We split all of this and were more full than either of us can remember being. Ever. True to form, we also managed to make friends with all of the tables around us and the sweet ladies that ran the restaurant gave us a discount on our meal because she liked us so much. Also possibly because she didn't speak a word of English, so we translated for the Americans around us who were having serious communication difficulties. This made us feel very cool.
On our final day, we were sad to realize that out of the many hundreds of possible things left to see in the city, we only had time for one: the palace of the Medici, Palazzo Pitti. Out of all of the palazzi that we have seen thus far (a good number), we ranked this one far above the rest. First off... ENORMOUS. Secondly, absolutely saturated with art from floor to ceiling. Our favorite thing about the art in this particular location is the incredible mix of secular/mythological with religious. A lot of the art from the time periods that we have seen is religiously based, but this palazzo has mythological figures 
in the frescoes of every ceiling. They also have a fascinating collection of period costumes, which was fun for the two of us, since we like to imagine ourselves dressing up and attending balls. Thirdly, another extremely lucky event was the free admission to both the Palazzo Pitti and the MILES of gorgeous gardens behind (usually a total of 20 Euro). It was free only for that day. Fourthly, the previously mentioned gardens... dotted with lovely statues and filled with a labyrinth of winding, woodland paths. Basically what our childhood (and present) dreams are made of.We would like to stop and take this opportunity to effusively thank our parents, and all those who made it possible for us to be here, doing this. When we walk to school every morning among the charmingly crumbly old buildings, we think about how lucky we are to be here.. and want the people responsible to know that we could not be more appreciative. Thanks, responsible peoples. We loves you.
And as our grammar rapidly declines, we thinks it is time for a nap. Oh wait, we can't. We have a final tomorrow. This school is interfering with our cultural education/playtime. Silly school. Please don't judge us.
Until next time...molti baci! (many kisses)
Le Ragazze
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