Florence, Italy!

So, it's been about three years since my last post, and I have decided that I am going to use this blog as sort of a journal to keep record of all the things I'm doing (or would like to do) while abroad. That's right! Goodbye USA, Hello Italy! I am currently spending a semester abroad in Italy, mainly Florence, for half of my senior year as an undergrad. Graduate school will hopefully be coming up in the near future, but that's an entirely different story for another time.

I've been in my student apartment for a week and a half now, and I love my apartment-mates. You could describe our apartment as "country-chic" as it has very rustic colors, a lot of wood work, old school appliances, and stone floors.

I think it's adorable. I have my own room; it's on the smaller side, but I don't need that much space and I am only here for three and a half months. The only part that I don't care for is the fact that in Italy, there are only dryers at the laundromat. So my denim and my shirts may be a little stiff after I hang dry them... we'll see how this goes.

So far, my roommates and I have walked a great deal of the city, as well as across the river, had some of the best gelato, and at least a gallon of cappuccino's and caffè. We've crossed the Ponte Vecchio, walked along the Arno, been to a few fabulous restaurants and had some delicious looking (and tasting!) meals.

Four Cheese Gnocchi from a small restaurant by the Cattedrale in Siena, Italy.

My favorite has actually been the seafood pasta--I love me some shrimp! It's weird that they have little tiny octopi in the dishes as well, like, whole octopi (minus the head). I've probably eaten more vegetables than I've ever had in my entire life. Surprisingly, I love eggplant. Especially when it's paired with mozzarella, a little meat, and smothered in red sauce. I love the salads here as well because everything is so fresh! There are so many markets where restaurants (as well as my housemates and I) can buy fresh produce for meals every day. Although, I do miss American dressing--creamy ranch, Caesar, Italian--I'm not a big fan of just olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Two things I have learned about food though since I've been here: I still don;t like tomatoes, no matter how many times or how many different ways I try them, they just don't taste appealing to me. I also discovered that tofu is disgusting and I could never be vegan/vegetarian. I've had raviolis, gnocchis, the best bruschetta I have ever tasted in my life, delectable paninis, and I think the best vending-machine coffee known to man. But enough about food, let me dive in to my most recent adventure:

Last Sunday, my roommates and I took a day trip to Siena! It was absolutely GORGEOUS, and it was nice to be in a city that wasn't as touristy and busy like Florence. Surrounded by greenery, Siena is tucked away into the countryside, about an hour south of Florence. I made the mistake of wearing flats that weren't completely broken in yet, to walk around the city of Siena. My heels are just recovering, and my box of band-aids has been considerably depleted. (I remember thinking while I was shopping in Wegmans for things I would need abroad, that I am ridiculously accident prone and I should get two boxes of band-aids, but I ended up only getting one. Rookie mistake.) We took a tour called the Divina bellezza: The complete Museum of the Duomo in Siena, and bought the OPA SI Pass which allowed us to see the Museo dell'Opera, the Panorama dal Facciatone, the Cript, Battistero, and Cattedrale, all for 12,00 euro.

View of Siena from the Panorama dal Facciatone

Inside the Cathedral

The outside of the Cathedral

Another view of Siena on the walk back to the bus station.

The only thing we didn't have time to see was the Piazza del Campo where twice a year, the Palio di Siena takes place. The Palio di Siena is an event with roots that lead all the way back to the 12th Century.
      For more information on this famous race, read on: Italian Site (Homepage) or English Version

All in all, I'd say this was a good first adventure out into the countryside of Toscana, Italy!