Farewell to Florence.

Italy is coming to an end. I feel terribly sad to leave this place behind. I really feel at home here (that being said, I feel comfortable anyplace) and have seen some wonderful things. I also have had a great experience getting to know the other students on this trip and know I have made lasting friendships. 

Florence was fantastic... from dinner at Il Latini to the opera, the art, the food... Florence and Italy in general has been an experience I'll never forget. 

Tonight was our farewell dinner and final cooking class. Our instructors Tina and Sue (pictured with
moi below) gave out these little fun awards and I was dubbed the wine connoisseur.

I actually teared up with some of the other girls at the thought of leaving. It's been so amazing. 

Tomorrow I catch the train back to Rome and fly out the day after... not looking forward to all the travel ahead. And I guess that's
mainly because it
means I am really leaving. 

It's been a wonderful trip...

I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon.

L'Opera!

On my last Saturday in Florence, I decided to go to the opera!

The opera was in a small church (St. Marks/Church of England) in Florence... the acoustics were incredible! I saw the below opera on the placard, which is one that is well known and written by Puccini... 

The singers had voices that made the hair on my head stand up. 

It was an interesting cultural experience, and even though some of the girls went to Venice I don't regret staying behind. 

Before the opera a group of us met up with Tina & Sue, our instructors for aperitivo in the piazza by San Spirito. 

I should probably have mentioned earlier about aperitivo. 

You can go to most bars or restaurants in Italy around 5-7 pm, where you pay for a drink and they will have a spread of food buffet style where you can eat as much as you want. It's kind of like happy hour in US but the food is better. You could actually do aperitivo as your dinner if you had a mind to. Generally 

Italians eat dinner late, around 9pm, so you

can go to aperitivo until dinner time.

 I think the States should pick up on this idea!

After that we went to the Lion's Den, an Irish pub that is crawling with young college students from all over the world. They actually had an ASU shirt hanging from the ceiling! One of the girls had met an American guy from a tour she did over the weekend so we followed them to another bar for a drink. He also took us this underground club (Discoteca?) which was full of strobe lights, techno music, and smoke. 

Totally not my scene. 

I split out of there like a banana sundae with Bri, 

but had drank a bunch of caffeine and couldn't sleep. 

So I stayed up. Brittany and I pretty much watched the sun rise this morning. Today is gonna be a loooooooonnng one!   

Chianti!

Off to Chianti! Home of delicious wine, and also as it 

turns out a famous butcher shop in Greve! 

The butcher shop was actually really neat... they have 

wild boar (as you can see below, they have a stuffed one to greet people as they walk in), all sorts of ham and beef, and cheese! 

They gave us a tasting which actually had some really good salami and prosciutto... probably the best I've had the entire month I've been here. The guy that did our tour was really enthusiastic and 

knowledgeable about the history of the butcher shop (which is hundreds of years old... this butcher shop is older than the Declaration of Independence!).

After the tasting we had free time to wander in Greve, then we went to an organic winery close by. 

The owner was awesome... I really enjoyed listening to him talk about his wine. They live a pretty rustic style life; by his own admission he likes to 'live like a peasant'. Which I can

totally get on board with. 

We tasted so much wine that at the end of it all I was a little 

loose-y goose-y. I bought a few bottles and am fervently hoping TSA will let them pass unscathed through security!      

Time is going too fast!

Time is starting to slip away on this trip. I feel like I just got to Italy and now this time next week I'll be back in Arizona. 

Today was a food touring day... parmesan cheese, prosciutto, and balsamic vinegar. 

We had a lot of tastings of the different products at all the places we went... my favorite was the cheese and the vinegar. Interesting fact: one of the owners at the prosciutto place has his nose insured for millions of euros, because recognizing the smell of perfectly cured meat is a special gift that takes years to cultivate. The family at the vinegar place were really sweet; they laid out a spread of food that was so delicious and they were interesting to talk to, you can tell they take a lot of pride in what they do. 

Can't believe it's almost time to go home!   

Amazeballs art!

Today has been one of my
most favorite days during the whole course. We went to the Uffizi Gallery which houses some of the
most famous art in the world. I can't even begin to explain how incredible it was for me to see the pieces they had there. I won't say much about it except that I highly suggest going there if your travels ever lead you to Florence. 

After the gallery, I picked a random street by the duomo and started walking in search of good food. And luckily, I found it. We found a family owned place that had some amazing Tuscan style food. I had ravioli with sage and pecorino cheese, pappardelle with wild boar
meat and sauce, and their house wine. It was a fantastic spread of food. I spent the evening listening to music and watching the fireworks which were for a local holiday celebrating one of the saints. 

Off the market!

Today we had a walk around Florence with a guide who took us to the central market in Florence (mercato centrale) and the
market at Sant' Ambrogio. Our guide gave us a lot of insight on the Italian food culture and aspects of their diet which contributes to their overall health. It hasn't escaped anyone's notice that Italians are all thin, in spite of having a generous appetite.  After our tour around the last
market, Sheila and I stopped by a jewelry stand at the gypsy market and bought some eclectic pieces. We then headed back to the central
market to eat; they have a special tripe and brisket sandwich with green sauce that is delicious. The market also has an upstairs area full of little restaurants and a small Eataly store. Brittany and I are now back in our apartment after class trying to be proactive about schoolwork but failing miserably. 

morning cappucino!

 The best pizzeria in town!

A homage to street art...

Today I spent my time wandering Florence with Katelyn. We shopped, ate food, and explored the city a little
more. The one thing I noticed was the street art all over the city. I was fascinated with one artist who uses only red and black, and his art
mainly consists of baloons, stick figures, along with a single word at times. I also saw these posters that had been drawn with scuba
masks over famous and recognizable portraits. I thought it was so cool, not to
mention tasteful in comparison with the graffiti that is all over Italy. Not the type of art I came to see in Italy specifically, but the type of art I enjoyed seeing nonetheless.

A little nudity never hurt....

Today was technically a free day... however our group had reservations at a museum in Florence so we went to see the 'David' at the Galleria Academia. Seeing this famous sculpture was really cool for me; I have always been passionate about art and it's importance in our lives and society. I dreamily toyed around with the idea of being an art historian for a long time... I often think about it now even though I love nursing and am fairly decent at
my job. I was impressed by how detailed David is carved; you can even see the veins in his arms. It was truly a beautiful piece of art... not to mention a beautiful nude male!
If only all my patients looked like the David... then maybe I wouldn't
mind putting in foley catheters or giving shots in the rear end so
much.
  I was glad I got to see it. After that the girls talked
me into going to the designer outlets at Barberini. Although I couldn't afford anything from Dolce and Gabana, I did find a cute pair of Tiffany blue Nikes. We all went back to Florence and decided to find the comforts of home at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was nice to eat something different than pasta, and also have a few drinks and let loose. Brittany, Bri, Sheila, and myself stayed up for a little while hanging out and then Brittany and I stayed up even later watching videos of baby pandas and talking. A good night full of laughs, friends, and good times on
my first weekend in Florence :)

On our beautiful balcony, enjoying the after-effects of 

three beers and too
much laughter!

Fantastic Florence!

We made it to Florence! After breakfast we boarded the bus and drove into the city. We walked with our luggage to our new residence... I have never been so glad to have only a carry-on sized bag and a tote! I was able to dodge those haggling gypsies a little quicker and not have to worry navigating my little suitcase along the narrow streets. I was thrilled to see our apartment is right next to the the famous duomo in Florence. After we did a short orientation of the building, Brittany and I headed upstairs to our new place. We are on the top floor of the building; our new digs are pretty spacious and we have a freaking private balcony! It looks right at the Duomo! The shower consists of a tiny square with a curtain that just clings to your body when you try to bathe... but other than that I love it! 

After that we hoofed it to the Accent Center by San Spirito Church, did a little orientation there, then headed to cooking class. We
made stuffed zucchini, hearty tomato soup, and a fruit tart. Excited to explore the city a little more tomorrow!