Northern Italy: Place to Place with a Friendly Face

All at once it seemed like everyone in my program was having friends and family coming to Florence to visit them. I felt a little sad that none of my friends or family could come; I wanted so badly to share my experiences with them and let them see in person the beautiful city I called home and praised so often. Then about a week before spring break at UT, my good friend Alyssa told me she was trying to work things out so that she could visit! I was so excited because we had been discussing the possibility before I left and she had worked so hard to save up and travel for spring break. Well it did work out, and she arrived in Florence early Friday morning on the 9^th of March. The poor thing had just finished two days of flying and as soon as she arrived we headed to the Santa Maria Novella train station to go to Milan!

It was my first train ride ever and I was super excited about it. Everything went smoothly and we arrived in Milan around mid-day. It took a while to figure out which form of transportation we should take to find our hostel, but we finally found it. We stayed one night at Hostel Greco; it was super cheap but a bit far from the city center. I had booked it a few nights before on Hostel World and was nervous because it didn’t have the best reviews. It was also my first time staying in a hostel – and this one we shared with about eight other girls and guys. As usual, my worrying was unnecessary because everything worked out fine. We had a place to sleep and a city to explore!

Milan was originally where I wanted to study abroad just because it is Italy’s fashion capital and I thought I’d somehow figure my way into fashion week. But after visiting – we had a short time, unfortunately, just half a day – I’m glad I chose Florence. Milan is very much more of a modern city with not nearly as much to see as Florence. I think I would have grown tired of the city.

We visited the beautiful Duomo and the famous shopping area right next to it – Quadrilatero d’Oro. It was like a fashionista’s heaven! There were beautiful designer stores everywhere and quaint little cafes. I love browsing the window displays because they often have cool themes corresponding to the designer’s fashion line items. It was also funny seeing a McDonald’s planted in the middle of it all. I’m beginning to think our fast food restaurants here are of a higher luxury standard to Italians. I’ll admit, I caved and got a strawberry milkshake and cheeseburger once… so good. After a short time wandering the streets we found a cute but bit pricey restaurant to have a delicious dinner before heading back to the hostel.

The next morning we woke up early and headed back to the train station to visit Verona for the day. I was happily settled on the train waiting for departure, just thinking about how lucky we were to get such cheap tickets and make all of our trips on time. I started reading the back of my ticket and saw it said you must validate your ticket if you don’t have an assigned seat. I mentioned it to Alyssa and remembered seeing someone stick their ticket in a machine before boarding the train. By the time I decided maybe I should run off the train and validate them, it was too late and we began moving. We were just hoping that no one would come around to check. But of course, they did. A man checking tickets looked at ours and began telling us in Italian that we had to pay a fine for no validation. Neither of us fully understood and he asked if we spoke English. We said yes, but he continued on in Italian while another passenger on the train began arguing with him and yelling about how it was unfair. Once the attendant collected our money, he left our car and didn’t return to check anyone else’s tickets. We had to pay around 11 euro (the price of our ticket) and a 45 euro fine on top of that. So much for our cheap tickets! All because we didn’t get a little stamp of the date on our ticket. Everyone else on the train was a lot more helpful trying to explain to us (in Italian and Spanish, since Alyssa knows Spanish pretty well) what we had to do once we got to Verona. Once we arrived there, we were able to get a bit of a refund towards our return ticket to Florence. The man who was arguing with the train attendant went out of his way to show us where to go and he even complained to the station about what happened. Even though this was such an annoying and unfortunate happening that could have been avoided, it changed my views on how Italians just keep to themselves. We were obviously in a dilemma and quite a bit of them went out of their way to help. It was so nice!

That trouble aside, we began our day’s exploration of Verona. We stopped for lunch and I had my first Kebab and a beer. It was a delicious combination – food always seems to make everything better! In total, we spent about six hours in Verona and saw quite a bit of the city and its history. It’s very touristy, but reminded me of Florence on a smaller scale. It was just as beautiful. We visited the Castelvecchio first, which was massive and now houses museums. It was right along the river so once we climbed to the top we had a great view of the city. We also saw a bit of a movie being filmed; someone said it was a new Romeo and Juliet film.

This brings me to the reason I was most excited to visit Verona. It is, of course, the city in which William Shakespeare based the play “Romeo and Juliet”. Because of this, there are a ton of tourist sites pertaining to the story, including Juliet’s house and Juliet’s tomb, both of which my friend and I visited. I don’t know if the Capulets and Montagues actually existed – I’m pretty sure it’s all just made up – but nonetheless it was a thrilling feeling being there and sort of living the story.

I love Shakespeare and am such a hopeless romantic so that sort of thing is definitely my cup of tea. I even stayed up until 5am watching “Letters to Juliet” the night before the trip just to be inspired and excited for when I’d get to write my own letter. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s about Juliet’s house in Verona where girls go and write to her letters of their love or heartbreak, leave them in the wall, and wait for a response. The main character goes to the wall, finds a letter from years ago, and decides to respond to it as Juliet. She ends up helping the author of the letter find her long lost love and, in the process, finds her own love (who happens to be a cute brit - Totally my kind of movie). Haha

In the film, Juliet’s house is hidden away in a peaceful courtyard of plants, benches, and a statue of herself. It was a bit disappointing that the wall wasn’t like the movie, but I sort of expected that. The courtyard was full of tourists and there were gift shops all around. The walls were covered in signatures and there were no letters. We actually had to go inside and take a tour of the house up to the room where you can either write or email Juliet your letter. SO 2012. I chose to write mine and although I had been contemplating what to say, I still just made it general. I put my address down for a response, but I’m not sure they actually do that. Who knows – it’d be cool if they did! J

Another central site we visited was Verona’s Arena – sort of like the Colosseum but on a much smaller scale. Lastly, we went to Juliet’s tomb, which was on the opposite side of the city and consisted of a small museum that led down to a dark underground tunnel and room that contained an empty tomb. We did a lot in two days and were completely exhausted by the time we returned to Florence Saturday night.

The next day I had been particularly anticipating because it was the day of the Pitti Immagine Taste Festival! Since I’ve been abroad, my affection for food has been growing immensely. I am always hungry and can always eat more. I’m also more open than ever to trying new things. The food festival was fantastic. We paid 15 euro and basically got to eat all kinds of foods from every region of Italy. There were olive oils, breads, pestos, meats, cheeses, wines, cookies, cakes – everything! They were all bite and taste sizes so you really had to make your way around to all the booths to get your money’s worth. I definitely did and I got pretty full and a bit tipsy! haha At the end there was a small market where you could purchase your favorite foods you tried.

The rest of my friend’s stay was spent in Florence doing everything I could think of that would give her a clear picture of what my life had been like there so far. I FINALLY went shopping and we also went to a classical music concert held in the British Library. We also both developed a cannoli addiction that I have yet to rid myself of. I have a feeling it will just be replaced with the next dessert I try!

Alyssa left early Thursday morning before I woke up for class, but she left behind a reminder of how sweet a friend she is. There were fresh flowers on the table and kitchen counter with a note saying they were a “thank you” for letting her stay the week! It was so sweet of her and it’s also inspired me to have fresh flowers in my apartment more often. The wonderful thing about Europe is the open air markets that sell those sorts of things – I’m really going to miss it when I return home. Alyssa had also brought me a present from home when she arrived – American Vogue! She knows me too well. J

I also had another trip on my horizon. The next day I packed and left early, along with other students in my program, for a weekend stay in Venice! We headed towards northeast Italy, where I had just been only a week prior. But this time we’d be on the water and I’d get to see yet another ocean. I’ve been exposed to so many different types of transportation this semester and Venice definitely was quite a new experience. Our bus stopped at a vacant lot near the city and we all had to transfer onto boats to get to our hotels. I snagged a seat on the top deck so I had a great view as we sailed into the city.

Venice didn’t look too different than Florence – colorful, ancient buildings, piazzas, statues… except, of course, it is completely on the water and your only way to get around is by boat or on foot. But it did feel a lot more like a fairytale. One of the school faculty said you haven’t experienced Venice unless you get lost in the city. It’s very easy to. The streets are narrow and curving, many dead end to water and there are bridges everywhere. A friend and I wandered one night to see what being lost in the city felt like. I think the city was meant to be seen that way, not by following a map from point to point.

There were a few things, though, that killed the magic for me. As you can imagine the city is an extremely popular tourist site and that’s pretty much completely what it thrives and survives on. It’s expensive and you pay for everything – public restrooms and even to sit at an outside table to have gelato. Everywhere you turn there are street performers or gondoliers trying to get you to purchase their goods or go for an overpriced ride in a gondola. I remember watching a video in my Italian class back home about the tradition and expertise it takes to become a gondolier and how respected it is. I got a completely different impression, though, because I thought it was the main transportation for all Venetians. Gondolas now are decorated in such a gaudy manner and seem to be for the retired tourists willing to pay the overpriced amount. But I guess I can’t blame a city that’s struggling to survive. It was also sad to learn that many people don’t live there anymore and looking around, most of the buildings did look vacant. I imagine life would be a bit difficult there and it’d also be weird knowing that the city is constantly sinking! It was built atop tree trunks that were driven into the ocean bed and I suppose over the years they’ve begun to give way and shift around.

Through tours with our school, we saw a ton of historic sites and famous churches, including the Basilica di San Marco that had the entire ceiling and walls in mosaic. But I was more excited for our free time on Saturday that I used to visit the islands of Murano and Burano. I took a boat from the main land to Murano, which is the island where most of Venice’s glassblowing takes place. I was able to see a bit of this in action and wandered through shops of gorgeous Venetian glass products, including some of the most amazing chandeliers I’ve ever seen. Afterwards, I island hopped to Burano, which was probably the closest real life experience I’d ever have to the Wizard of Oz. It was a cute island with not much more than residences, all of which were painted in bright colors of the rainbow with contrasting flower pots outside and trim on the houses. Hopefully my friends and I didn’t freak out too many residents with our picture taking and running around their front and back yards!

It was sad leaving Venice because I felt like the city was a whole new experience and a breath of fresh air from the routine I was falling into with school. I also had tons of homework to face back home – but I could only hide from it for so long!

Here are more pictures from my time in Milan, Verona, Florence, and Venice!

Roman Holiday! (minus the princess part)

Since I’ve been in Italy, I’ve probably visited more churches than I have just going to Sunday service throughout my 20 years of life. I’ve always thought churches were beautiful, but the ones here are breathtaking. I find myself in awe at the detail and craftsmanship and wonder how on earth they constructed anything so spectacular hundreds and thousands of years ago? But I guess with such religious devotion you’d want only the best for places of worship. Religion still seems to be of great importance in Italy – almost everyone who is religious is catholic. Good luck finding a protestant church! I wonder, though, the ratio of visitors who go to attend mass compared to those who just visit it as an art museum and historical site?

I attended mass at the Duomo with a few friends because I wanted to experience the church fulfilling its purpose, how it was meant to serve the people. The mass was in English and it was wonderful being in a church after not going for so long. I’m not catholic so I didn’t know the prayers, but they sounded similar to the ones I’d heard when I went with my dad to mass in the states. The sermon had a great message – something along the lines of not worrying about material goods and possessions because in the end they don’t matter and aren’t the sum of your life. The priest also talked about not burdening yourself with past events – something I struggle with all too often. At the time I was still pretty frustrated about what happened with my sublease in Austin. I kept praying about it and realized that I needed to just accept the cards I’d been dealt and move on. God wouldn’t put me through anything I couldn’t handle. He never has.

I’ve always loved classical music and dressing up, so I was excited to attend my first Italian opera! It was at the Teatro Comunale, a beautiful theater with rows and decks of seats all in the royal Florentine red. We saw the performance “Tosca”, a play in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. The music was lovely and I recognized one of the songs from when I studied classical music for music memory competition in middle school. The story was about a political rebel who was fleeing from imprisonment and his singer girlfriend. I was pleased with myself because for the most part I could understand everything, even though it seemed they were speaking a mix of Italian and Latin (I think). The story, of course, had a fatal Romeo & Juliet-type ending and received applause from everyone, even a few “bravos” and standing ovations.

The next morning we left bright and early for Rome! We stayed at the Hotel Portamaggiore, which was pretty far from the center of the city but had its own interesting ruins surrounding it. Something I found quite interesting about Rome was the mixture of old and new. I had seen pictures of the famous sites but never thought about what surrounded them. You walk down a narrow, winding street of cafes and shops and suddenly you turn a corner to find Trevi Fountain or Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps). It felt like finding a hidden treasure or taking a step back in time. There were people everywhere and I loved feeling anonymous, being lost in the crowd in another huge city. It wasn’t overwhelming; I could see myself living there and loving it.

Our first day we didn’t waste any time and saw a ton of sites: lots of churches and lots of art. My tour guide, Peter, was hilarious and had a joke for everything. He’s one of those quotable people, saying things like, “Okay we enter this church, steal your pictures, and run like hell” or “You see this ancient roman bath? It’s very similar to the one I have in my hotel.” He’d say “come along children” and by the end of the tour he was more like our really awesome grandpa instead of a tour guide.

The second day in Rome was dedicated to the Vatican. We waited outside the huge walled city for a while before finally being herded inside along with the other curious tourists. We made our way through gorgeous rooms of artwork and relics, down long hallways of frescos towards the Sistine Chapel. The only thing I knew about it was that it was one of Michelangelo’s most famous works. Our guide explained the meaning behind the paintings, that they represented God’s creation and the fall of man. Luckily I got a good long view of the paintings with my neck craned to the ceiling, taking baby steps. That’s how fast I could move. The entire place was packed with people and guards shouting for us to move along. No pictures were allowed, but I guess I could have snuck a few. Other people certainly did. Something that has become a pet peeve of mine on this trip is when people use their flash to take pictures of art work. I don’t know if they realize what it does to a painting over time or if they don’t think their one flash will make a difference - similar to how one would think their vote in an election doesn’t matter. But it all adds up and the eventual outcome can be drastic. I’ve tried to lessen my random photo snaps and try, instead, to really study the art and just remember how it made me feel – something some quick photos don’t always capture.

St. Peter’s Basilica was next and it was just as beautiful as the Duomo in Florence. There was a ray of light shining through one of the windows that made people look like glowing angels or spirits when they passed through – it looked pretty hilarious. Another odd sighting was one section of the church that had the body of a dead pope on display in a glass casket. It was his actual body covered in wax. It still puzzles me how the bodies or body parts of saints and popes are preserved and worshipped. I’ve always believed that the body is meaningless without the spirit. But I guess they can be symbols of remembrance of the good deeds you’ve done?

On our way back to the hotel my roommate and I took the right bus in the wrong direction and found ourselves on the complete opposite side of Rome. Oops! Even though it took us an extra hour to get back, at least we got a “tour” of a side of Rome we might not otherwise have seen. Besides that minor error, the transportation in Rome was fairly easy to figure out. There were the buses, trains, and, my favorite, the subway. I don't know what it's like to teleport, but I think subways are man's closest invention to it. You descend into the subway in one neighborhood, you see nothing but darkness and flashing lights throughout the journey, and then you ascend into a completely different looking place!

The last oober famous site we visited was the Colosseum, on our third day in Rome. It. Was. Amazing. The funny thing was it is surrounded by modern streets and apartments, so it was so unexpected when we came upon it. Part of it was under construction so I didn’t make the complete circle around, but I did climb as high up as possible – talk about a work-out. There were even guys dressed up as Roman warriors outside. How cute! Not. These dudes are one of the many tricksters out to rob tourists of their money. They ask if you want a picture with them (with your own camera) then charge you for it. Another trick I saw partially played out was a man giving his camera to a girl, asking her to take a photo of him. When the camera “doesn’t work” the man comes over to try and figure it out while you get pick-pocketed. There were about fifteen of us staring at the situation, so fortunately nothing happened to the girl.

After the day’s sightseeing some friends and I decided to just roam… Rome. It’s was nice to give the camera a rest and just live. We grabbed some gelato and stretched out by the river to rest a while. It was a perfect sunny day and the weather was fantastic! By the time I got home I was dead tired and slept through dinner until our departure the next morning. Some of us woke up earlier than the others to make an extra stop in Tivoli on our way home. It was so worth it! I’m such a sucker for European romanticism and fairy-tale like dwellings, and that’s exactly how I’d describe Villa d’este and the remains of an ancient roman estate we visited. The estate was in the Tivoli countryside, just outside Rome, and had paths of trees, ponds surrounded by goddess statues, and the fantastic remains of buildings that once served as a Roman ruler’s home.

Villa d’este was my favorite. The villa had rooms full of paintings and frescoes and there wasn’t much light except for a few windows that gave us a sneak peak of the gardens outside. The views were spectacular and once I stayed a while on the balcony, I raced down the steps to explore the garden. It was a work of art in its own with perfectly and creatively trimmed shrubbery. It was maze-like and definitely fulfilled my desire to just run around in gardens or a vineyard - kind of like how Lizzie in Pride & Prejudice runs away to the desolate countryside to escape. I love when life here is so comparable to a book or movie I love. J

Every turn housed a magnificent water fountain, some tucked away in caves. There were steps leading to even larger fountains, including one known as the organ fountain where we heard an organ playing music by the fountain’s water pressure. There was also a row of large ponds with fish! I still think this place was one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in Europe so far and I felt such a connection to it. It was a nice way to wind down after a crazy few days in massive Rome!

Here are more pictures from my time in Rome and Tivoli!