The Beginning of the End

My European adventure has come to an end! It has been a bittersweet goodbye, as Florence had become a home for many of us, but there is nothing else like coming home to family, friends and Christmas time. Don't worry though...I have no doubt in my mind that I will someday return again.

I think that it is necessary to give credit where credit is due, for this trip would not have happened without the help of several people. First, if it wasn't for my parents I would have had no means of even getting a plane ticket to anywhere! Second, I must tell you that if it weren't for my Nana, I would have had no desire at all to go to Italia. She was the one who would tell me things about Italy and where we came from. I will never forget her describing to me the leaning tower of Pisa or telling me stories about how her parents (who were first cousins!) came over from Sicily. I even made her sit down one day and tell me everything she knew about our family genealogy.

Whether or not my desire to learn more about Italian culture is an innate one or something that simply grew out of the experiences I have had throughout my life, it has become more than simply a desire now. It has become my passion (dare I say obsession?) and I will forever hold on to it deep within my heart.

Il Dolce Far Niente...revisited

Everytime I try and describe what it is that I love so much about Italian life, I can't help but think: il dolce far niente, il dolce far niente... For as long as I have been here, I have seen this phrase in action over and over again. I have experienced it and fallen in love with it again and again...

One of my absolute favorite things that I have experienced is a full-course meal. This past weekend, John and I were invited into the home of a young, Italian couple who live in the quieter part of Florence. John has been teaching a young man named Claudio english for the past month or so. Claudio's girlfriend, Anna Maria is a fantastic cook and both of them are very down -to-earth and hospitable people. Their home is situated on the other side of the Arno river, way up on a little Florentine hill that overlooks the Tuscan hillsides and has a beautiful view of the stars at night. It is a small condo-like home, but warm and spacious enough for two.

As I said before, Anna Maria is a wonderful cook and everything we ate was out of this world. For our antipasto, she made baked prunes wrapped in speck (like prosciutto, but a little dryer and saltier). Our primo was a white-bean pureed soup, with giant, whole prawns. Secondo was some sort of beef filet served with mashed chesnuts. If you have never had a chestnut before, it is a very sweet and soft nut when cooked. They are a Tuscan specialty and they even sell them on the streets and make chesnut cake around christmas time. Dessert was Claudio's specialty: mini chocolate cakes with vanilla cream...

But although this was probably one of the best tasting meals I have had here in Italy, it wasn't necessarily the food that made it so wonderful. Rather, it was the good company, the conversation (half italian and half english...), the relaxing atmosphere. We talked about how our cultures differ. Anna Maria is from Sicily, Claudio is from Tuscany, John is from New England, and I from the South.... there are many differences, but then again there are also many similarities.

1 more day left of my life here in Florence. Wish me luck and more importantly, dolce....

London & Liverpool

After 1 hour on a train, 2 hours on a plane, and 1 hour on a bus, we had finally made it to the UK! It was a nice change to be in a country that speaks your language, even though many British accents were thick enough to be a different language all on its own. Still, London was probably as close to being home in the U.S. as were were going to get. It's almost like a cross between New York and Paris. Like New York, it has just about everything and there is so much to do that no matter how long you live there you will never be able to see it all. Yet it has the history like Paris....the old buildings where kings and queens used to live. Of course there is one thing that you won't find in either New York or Paris: true pub atmosphere! There really isn't anything else like it. People go to the pub to relax, have a drink, and catch up with an ole mate. They sit at tables, drinking their ale and only around dinner time do they order their mushy peas and fish and chips. I liked it far better than the loud, bouncing Italian discoteca's...

Aaaand after another 5 hours on a coach bus we made to Liverpool! It was, needless to say, much smaller than London but still a city all on its own. Liverpool is just along the bay in northern England. Most people think of the Beatles when they hear the name Liverpool said but even though it is where the Beatles got started, it is becoming much more than just that. They have begun to build up and clean up much of the city. It now has a huge outdoor shopping mall, as well as a few sky scrapers and quaint part of town with pubs and little shops. I have to say, I think I liked it better than London.

When we got there, we went straight to the Beatles museum, as it was only a 5 minute walk from our hotel. It was definitely worth seeing! After that, we walked around the mall area, surrounded by all the Fiorentina and Liverpool fans who were getting excited for the match! We bought our Liverpool scarfs and at about 2 hours before the game, we headed over to Anfield Road, Liverpool's home stadium. We found a bar just outside the stadium called The Albert where we were able to have a Carlsburg beer (Liverpool's sponsor) and sing a few "song-cheers" before the game. There is nothing else like it...nothing else like soccer fans getting excited for a game.
Well, unfortunately Liverpool lost to Fiorentina 2-1. Still...we got to see some of the best players play: Torres, Gerrard and Aquiliani. The Florentine fans were ecstatic and I can at least say that I was happy for them because they have played some really tough teams this year. It was also quite nice to travel with happy fan group back to Italy and to come home to a proud city.

Here is an example of something you might see if you go to Liverpool before a game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Fxie-2XTI

Steve Gerrard & Fernando Torres

The line up.

Fiorentina fans going crazy!

As the days go by...

We are getting down to our last few days here in Florence. For those of you who are wondering, I have been checking things off my "Florence-to-do List".
-Climbed the Duomo at sunset with my cousins and friends..it was awesome
-Eaten at Gusta Pizza TWICE. Best pizza in Florence. Probably the best pizza of my life.
-Saw the David...twice.
-Eaten a full course meal 2 nights in a row. Thought I was going to explode but it was totally worth it.
-Tried Bistecca alla Fiorentina at a restaraunt called Il Latini. The whole meal was an experience to say the least and the steak that came out was 2 pounds (don't worry..we shared)
-Tried gelato at La Carabe with Ray! They didn't have Cassata Siciliana but their almond gelato was the best I have ever had.
-Found a NEW secret bakery on the other side of the city. Went 2 nights in a row.
-I have been to numerous wonderful restaraunts in Florence! So far, Francescano is a hands down favorite.

Yet there is one thing that Florence was not able to offer: Thanksgiving. This we took into our own hands, cooking up all our favorite family recipes for a giant thanksgiving feast. Friends (and even family!) came to celebrate this very special meal. Although it had been difficult to find some specific ingredients in Florence, we made it happen. We found an 8 lb turkey at the market, stuffed it, and managed to fit it in our tiny little oven where it cooked all day. We made all the goodies: mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, corn bread, apple pie, pumpkin torte... I insisted on making sweet tea as thanksgiving at my house never goes with out it. The only Italian thing we allowed in was the wine. It was to say the least a good ole' American Thanksgiving.

And now, Christmas is just around the corner. While you wouldn't know it was Thanksgiving if you walked the streets of Florence on thanksgiving day, you definitely can tell that Christmas is in the air here in Italy. Lights have been strung throughout the city and shops have been putting their best christmas things in the windows. There is a giant christmas festival in the Piazza Santa Croce, filled with German made goods, beer tents, and sausage & pretzel stands. More and more italian people from the outskirts of Florence are coming into the city to do their shopping. Yes, Christmas is almost here...

Although excited to go home to see friends and family, it is difficult to immagine waking up and not hearing the sounds of the cathedral bells ringing. It is difficult to immagine not saying "grazie" and "buona sera" everytime you walk into a store. It is difficult to immagine having to get into a car to go anywhere and not being able to walk the streets full of life, full of history. I pass the same shops everyday, the same poor gypsies, the same churches, the same bars, the same graffiti. Here, I am able to walk 10 minutes in one direction and see the most beautiful bridges over water and walk another 10 minutes in the other direction and see one of the most beautiful cathedrals built by man. I can go into the Uffizi or Accademia almost anytime I want and visit and re-visit the same paintings, getting a different reaction everytime, noticing something new everytime. I can walk two blocks and order a cappucino and it will somehow still always be better than any coffee I order in the united states. I can go to the market and have no trouble finding taleggio cheese, proscuitto, or a Chianti classico. It has been a most wonderful way of living and I hope that I can bring bits and pieces home with me. I do not know if I can make you understand what it is exactly that I love so much about Italy, but I hope that I can at the very least give you glimpse.

ROMA: Dove vita vive su vita.

Roma: Dover vita vive su vita --- Where life lives on life.

Rome has so many different aspects to it that it is a difficult city to describe. It is full of ancient ruins, hundreds of years of history and the layering of different structures from different time periods makes it this giant patchwork of life. Essentially, life lives on life. Considering that Italians like to reuse buildings over and over again, only making changes when a structure is crumbling and needs repair, this layering of time is made possible.

It is strange to walk by a United Color of Benetton (a popular clothing store in Europe) and see that the store is being held up by ancient Roman columns. Or to walk into a mall that was intricately designed during the High Baroque period. Or even see the Trevi Fountain...still standing, with it's water flowing from the same aqueducts built in 1453.

And still...life lives on. The people currently living in Rome continue to live and pass the same beautiful structures everyday as if they were a part of ordinary life. Well, I guess I would do the same if I were them.

But there is something else fascinating about life in Rome. Have you ever heard of La Dolce Vita? I myself have not seen this classic film which takes place in Rome, but I can see why it was named so. Sure, it is probably almost as crazy at New York City and you will get run over by a Vespa if you don't keep your eyes and ears open, but there is something about slowly sipping your espresso at the famous Sant'Eustachio cafe while looking out of your fashionable "glamour" sunglasses and perhaps seeing a couple passionately kissing in the street. And there is something about walking past the Pantheon on a beautiful sunny day, hearning a saxophone playing throughout the piazza and seeing a horse and buggy pass you by. And...there is something about walking by the Trevi Fountain at night, seeing it completely lit up and surrounded by visitors and couples, young and old, who have come to throw their coin in in hopes that they will someday return to such a spectacular place. Yes, life in Rome is surely the sweet life.

The Pantheon

The Coliseum

Michelangelo's La Pieta

Vatican City

La vita e' troppo breve.

La vita e' troppo breve--Life is too brief.

My Uncle George was Mr. Holland's Opus meets School House Rock. He loved music more than anything and teaching it was his way of sharing his talent with the world. I'm not sure what his students thought of him or how he even acted in the classroom, but I do know the kind of man that he was during family gatherings and holidays. He would sit in the living room, while playing his guitar and singing some ridiculous song that he had just made up off the top of his head. He had serious talent, but somehow seriousness just wasn't his thing. He couldn't help but make some corny joke while helping himself to a second piece of pumpkin pie, at which my Nana would scoff "Oh George! You're bad!"-- and then she'd laugh. I can still hear his kind of stuttered laughter...it was the kind of laugh that you could recognize in an instant.

The only thing that he loved more than his music was his family. Of this I am sure because he was always there for his sisters, his brothers, his children, his wife and his mother.

He tried to teach me how to play the guitar once: James Taylor "Fire and Rain".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwugjyeSKx4

http://www.mathewsfuneralhome.com/obit18.html

Florence-to-do List

35 days left in Florence.

Despite the fact that I have been living here for almost 2 1/2 months now, there are still many things that I have yet to see and do in Florence and only a month left to do them. So, I made a list...

1. Climb the Duomo. Yes, I live next to the thing and I still have not climbed it yet. I have been waiting until tourist season is at its minimum.

2. Climb the campanile (bell tower next to the Duomo). Supposedly, the view is even better from the Duomo's neighbor because you can actually see the Dome itself when you climb the campanile.

3. See the David. Once again, I have been waiting until tourist season dies down...

4. Eat a full course Italian meal. I'm talking the full works: Antipasto, Primi, Secondi, Contorni, Dolci...don't forget the wine and espresso.

5. Try Bistecca alla Fiorentina. A Florentine specialty.

6. Go to mass in the following churches: Chiesa di Dante, Orsanmichele, Santa Croce.

7. Go to a bar in "L'Oltrarno" (the other side of the Arno). This is where the true locals hang out.

8. Try Gelato at La Carribe. Sicilian gelateria. I have become obsessed with this one type of Gelato called "Cassata Siciliana". It is gelato made with ricotta and dried fruit. SO GOOD.

9. Go back to the Secret Bakery. Bakery that is only open from 2-4am and is quite literally hidden. The men that work here make all the croissants for the bakeries all over Florence and will sell them to you for 1 euro. Delicious.

10. There are of course, numerous restaurants that I am dying to try: La Giostra, Il Latini, Cibreo, Gusta Pizza, Francesovini...

We will see how far my bank account takes me. I will keep you updated...