Day 3 - This one is ugly, but it's old so it's not its' fault

We were all scheduled to catch the 11:06 train into Arezzo, the closest “big” town, this morning.  That meant that we had to walk up the hill and then down the other side into the valley, altogether about a 20 minute walk.  Had it not been for the wind, the weather could possibly be considered pleasant, that is unless you’re an Eskimo.  

Megan and I trying to stay warm

Upon reaching the train station, we were instructed on how to properly validate our tickets so as to avoid getting a 50 euro fine and then made our way onto the platform.  Italy’s main train system offers two different trains, the regional (R) and the intercity (IC).  Regional trains make stops in all of the little towns and therefore take longer while IC trains only hit the major cities and move at higher speeds.  Also, we were warned to stand behind the yellow line on the platform because the speed of the train has been known to pull people towards the tracks.  Still, the first time an IC train passed where we were standing, the sounds and almost suction of air from the train took just about everybody by surprise; some people were even shocked enough to grab onto the person next to them.  Our train eventually arrived so we quickly boarded and then rode the 10 minutes or so to Arezzo, villa dotted mountains surrounding us as we moved through the valley.  The tour we took in Arezzo was led by the best tour guide of all time.  I wish he could just lead every tour we take.  He would point at something and call it fake because it was built in the 1800’s as opposed to during the Florentine or Roman Rennaisance or even medieval times.  It really throws things into perspective when you encounter a building that a local considers fake because it was built around the same time that one of the oldest universities in Texas (A&M of course) was established.  Anyways, after our tour, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted; return to the train station or walk around Arezzo for as long as we wanted.  Wanting to take advantage of every offered opportunity to sight-see, a group of friends and I decided to go around the city on our own.  First of course, we had to eat something.  We found a local Pizzeria and I got my first two slices of legitimate Italian pizza.  Vorrei un spinaci e una questa (because I didn’t know how to say onion).  An old Italian man named Donatello for some reason decided to befriend us as we sat outside the pizzeria, telling us all about the kind of pizzas and typical breads of Italy, especially as the country approaches the holy holiday of Easter.  

Donatello (like the painter/ninja turtle) with Joe

The next 4 or 5 hours were spent wandering the city, taking photos, discovering parks and enjoying each others’ company.  Some highlights included taking photos in which we tried to recreate statues behind us, walking into a church which had a glass panel set into the back of the altar so you could see the relic (in this case, a full out skeleton), and going to a park lined by a medieval wall over which you could see the spread of the city in the valley below. 

We also discovered an ancient amphitheater as well as a gelateria and most importantly, a grocery store.  While the Santa Ciara center that we stay at has a bar in the dinning hall, their wine is a little more expensive and in smaller bottles than at the super store.  Considering we drink wine with every meal, it seemed like a good idea to buy in bulk.  Also, we are always served bread with each meal so a friend and I split a bottle of olive oil and spices; we’re becoming real Italians (or at least we’re trying) and everyone else in our cafeteria was super jealous of us during dinner.  As the weather got colder and the sun started to go down, we decided to catch the train back and then make the 20 minute uphill trek to the center in time to make it for dinner.  Everybody went out to two of the local bars, first, the Velvet Undergound and then second, to a place called Roggio which is more of a pizzeria than a club.  Some people ordered pizza at Roggio but let me taste some.  The pizza we had at lunch just couldn’t hold a candle to this, with its super thin crust, minimal tomato sauce, and just enough cheese that it was oily but not overbearing.  It was a great end to a long day. 

Ciao until next time,

Becca

Day 2 - You Had Me at "Castig"

After sleeping poorly all night, I finally just got up around 7:10 so that my friend Megan and I could go to the local Friday market.  It wasn’t too exciting because they were just setting up but there were fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and fish, but it was certainly reminiscent of the Monday markets I used to frequent in Arad.  One of the fish kiosks displayed not just your usual salmon and tuna, but octopus and sting ray.  Only 12 euros a kilo, a real bargain.  I then walked back towards the center (Santa Ciara) but passed the local church along the way.  Taking inspiration from my friend Joe’s “open door policy,” I saw an open door and of course, proceeded to go through it.  You have to understand that this town has a population of only 13,000 so this church isn’t anything grand like you’d see in Florence or Rome.  That being said, it’s still pretty incredible.

Collegiata (our neighborhood church)

The Corinthian-capitaled columns that line the nave, the carved wooden kneelers for the choir in the semicircular apse, a massive pipe organ balcony; it’s just incredible that this tiny town could produce something this impressive over five hundred years ago.  We left the church and went back to the center (Santa Chiara) for breakfast and then went on another walking tour of the city.  Lunch (which of course was awesome) was followed by nap time.  No joke, the city shuts down from 1 until 4 so that everyone can go home to eat with their families and take naps.  I wanted to try to stay awake so I attempted to watercolor.  Note: I have never watercolored and it’s been a long time since I have done any kind of freehand drawing/coloring. 

the view of Santa Ciara from my window

my attempt at watercoloring the view from my window

Eventually, time caught up with me and I just took a nap but hey, I managed to stay awake for at least a couple of hours.  After nap time was a travel info session so we could learn how to use the trains and what to say to make sure we get on the right one (va bene per Castiglion Fiorentino) and then we had an Italian survival crash course.  I know I’ll be saying mi despiace, non lo so (I’m sorry, I don’t know) a lot.  Dinner came next, of course accompanied by a bottle of chianti, and then a few of us went to the teatre communale where the city was honoring, I think, a retired pianist by having a concert for him.

fellow students sitting in theater boxes across from mine

It was really neat to 1) see the theater with it’s 19^th century architecture and painting, and 2) to go to an event with locals, especially when there is classical music involved.  I thoroughly enjoyed the concert though it lasted a little too long.  After the concert, we met up with other people on our program at a pub called the Velvet Underground.  Pretty much everything here is called a “bar;” cafés, pubs, clubs, just about anywhere you can sit around and talk.  The Underground was more of an American style bar with music and lots and lots of Italians.  Everything here is super expensive, except for the wine of course.  People on my program were buying Texas Teas for 5 Euros (about $6.80).  It was basically like Logan’s or Mad Hatter’s, nothing special but it was neat to be surrounded by Italian people our age.  My internet is being a little sketchy right now so I'll have to post photos later.

Ciao until next time,

Becca

Day 1 - Everything went wrong... until I got to Italy

Good news is, I DID make it to Italy.  Lets just refer to day 1 as a fiasco which in my book just might go down in infamy as  “the day of stress and waiting.”  I got picked up by a shuttle five minutes after I was supposed to be at the airport, the second woman we picked up took 30 minutes to get ready so we were extra late, I rushed through security and bashed my knee on a table which in turn led to my hobbling down the terminal at super speed to catch a 10:45 plane which wound up delayed until 2:00, the power completely went out in our terminal for about 10 minutes so security swarmed the area to make sure it wasn't a terrorist attack, we had to run for our flight to Rome (which the airlines delayed an hour and a half just for us) but then we wound up sitting on the runway for the next three hours because it was snowing, and I ate three mediocre meals within a 36 hour time-frame.  On our flight to Newark, while I definitely could have done without the turbulence, our landing was unlike anything I had previously experienced on an airplane.  Sinking into the clouds at the beginning of our decline, we were completely immersed in clouds of chalk-white, so dense that it was impossible to see anything past the tip of the wing.  As we descended, the clouds progressed in hue from white to steely grey, pale pink, and finally a bright, firey orange that eventually cleared enough to show the snow-covered buildings and ground only a mere hundred yards below us.  That was pretty awesome.

Once I got to Rome, the first interaction I had with an Italian happened when a woman tried to talk to me about my cowboy boots.  Guess that's a bit of a novelty here.  We took a two hour bus ride to the city of Castiglion Fiorentino, passing villas, vineyards, and snow-capped mountain peaks.  I tried to stay awake in order to enjoy all of the architecture and culture we were passing, by I was just too tired and eventually drifted away until we got to Santa Chiara, the building in which I will be living, eating, and going to classes for the next three months.  After unpacking, it was time for a short tour of the city and then dinner.  If I didn't know that every day I would be walking up 45 degree inclines (if you don't know what that means, get out a protractor) I would be scared of how fantastic the food is.  We get served a three course meal with bread every lunch and dinner plus there is a bar in our cafeteria where we can buy wines by the bottle, beer, and even some liquor.  I split a bottle of chianti with four friends and, needless to say, immensely enjoyed my meal.  While most people went back to their rooms to try to connect to the internet or go to sleep, I went with some friends to explore the city.  Though we got lost multiple times and couldn't read the map, our little adventure made me appreciate my decision to come here so much more.  The architecture is old, fantastic, and exactly what you would imagine a tiny European town to be.  Small, cobblestone streets that cars zoom down, little doors, all of which are unlocked, situated in just about any arbitrary fashion, churches and piazzas, even a library which was once a jail.  Of course, I did all of this exploration at night, and apparently all of the restaurant owners are on holiday, so I have not actually seen much of the commerce or culture of the city yet but I am sure I will.

I think that's plenty to start y'all off with so until next time, 

Ciao

Becca