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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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