"There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passion of life."

~ Federico Fellini, Italian film director


Last week Food, Culture and Society was arguably the best class that I have ever attended. Instead of our usual half hour of instruction followed by two hours of cooking we set off on a walking (food) tour. As per usual, I didn't have my camera so I'm directing you to Mollie's blog (http://molliefashionfirenze.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-sweet-it-is.html) for some amazing photos to see in conjunction with my entry!

Our first stop was Il Re Gelato where we were able to witness the production of strawberry gelato. Antonio, the mastermind behind the wide array of flavors on display, ushered us into his workshop where we all found a place around a table set with 2 bowls. He began rattling off in Italian as his hands delicately placed first the bowl of beautiful strawberries and then the bowl of clear liquid (a combination of 3 simple sugars) on a small scale in front of him. Though we had our cooking instructor there to translate what he was saying, watching his precision and the fluidity of his trained movements was enough to know that he was describing the importance of every detail of this production.

After adding one blood orange to the bowl of strawberries and blending them, Antonio poured the fruit into a machine to heat the substance. While we waited, he soundlessly passed one piece of chocolate to each of us and motioned us to suck on it and with an emphatic wave of his finger and gnashing of his teeth as a warning not to chew it.

I love chocolate. Specifically, dark chocolate so there are few types that are too bitter for me but the chocolate that he gave us had only the slightest hint that it was even chocolate at all. Informing us that Antonio wanted us to "prepare our mouth" for the sweetness of the fruit sorbet, Cecilia (our cooking teacher) watched as each of our faces morphed into the War Head pucker that I haven't felt since the fourth grade.

Mixing the strawberry/orange mixture with the simple sugars, (that's all that is in this gelato!!) Antonio again poured the liquid into the same machine but this time to freeze it into the proper consistency. We watched as he scraped the inside of the metal bowl into swoops of fluffy pink waves, listening as Cecilia translated that if the consistency of the mixture is exactly right there should not be even the slightest clumping in the metal barrel.

With the gelato ready to be served, we all waited anxiously for our taste but Antonio did not reflect any of our eagerness. Swiping melted chocolate on a plate he removed from the freezer, Antonio explained that this is the proper foundation so that the gelato neither melts too quickly nor slides around on the plate. He then continued to slowly scoop out one rolling spoonful of gelato and then sliced a strawberry on top before adding the final touch of shaved chocolate. Presenting the plate to our teacher, he immediately reeled it back in and retreated to his cupboard where he pulled out green sugar crystals to sprinkle on the plate, making sure to have Cecilia explain to us the importance of utilizing 3 different colors with each serving of gelato. Dessert is this man's art.

Needless to say, it was one of the best gelatos that I have ever had and that is saying a lot coming from someone who always opts for some variation of chocolate for dessert. I don't know if it was the freshness and simplicity of the ingredients or witnessing the production that made it so divine but watching Antonio's passion for his work was most definitely my favorite part of the tour.

Making another stop to try some aperitivos at the quaintest hole in the wall that I have been to yet, we missed turning down the right street because Cecilia was so absorbed in telling Mollie and me her favorite restaurants in Florence. The way that Italians have a passion that dictates time is the most refreshing thing to witness and has been my favorite aspect of the pace of life here.

Full and content with our food tour of Florence, I went home to change into my sneakers and go for a run along the Arno just in time to watch the sun set. In a matter of 15 minutes the sky had changed into the most exquisite shades of purple and blue and I kept tripping on the uneven cobblestones to look up at it.

As "Be Still" by the Fray came on my shuffle I started to skip to a song better suited for running but instead stopped and decided to be still, to sit and to embrace the beauty of Florence at sunset.

All you need is love

I don't always know the top 20 songs and still don't really get this whole electronic music thing but that's because I was brought up on the good stuff... mainly, The Beatles. And, I think on this Valentine's Day it is fitting to pass along their message that I was reminded of again this weekend: All you need is love.

Getting to see the Lennon Wall in Prague was the hilight of an amazing weekend in what (I think, bold statement...) is the neatest city that I have ever been to (which is saying a lot considering when I got home Saturday night it was 3 degrees outside).

Not only was the wall amazing to see for all of the vibrant colors and impressive graffiti it boasts, but what it stands for is truly overwhelming. A place where students felt free to protest communism and an oppressiveness that I have never known, the wall stands for freedom and love.

Besides the wall, every building gave off the vibe that it had passed the intense scrutiny of the strictest building codes. Beautiful pastels were splashed on every building and each detail, down to the crown molding and door handles, was exquisite. We even got to venture to the Castle at the top of the city and see all of the snow dusted rooftops of Prague. Despite all of the times we voiced our fears that we would be coming back to Florence with 8 toes, I really wouldn't have wanted to see the city any other way. The snow was beautiful.

To top of an amazing weekend we got.....chocolate chip cookies! I'm not going to lie, I would still choose my mom's or a good Toll House break and bake but it definitely satisfied a craving and was a great break from the Antarctic weather.

After a looong bus ride, we made it back to Florence in time to get back in our school routine here and spend an amazing Valentine's Day with great friends. I hope every one of you had a great day too.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love"
1 Corinthians 13:13

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene

The inner english major nerd in me came out in full force this weekend as Mollie, Adair and I left Florence and headed to Verona.

We got to the hotel around dinner time and rather than waste a night staying in we grabbed a map and a general direction of where town was and took off. After 30 minutes of walking past car dealerships and other scenic landmarks we arrived in the charming city of Verona. We were just beginning our search for pasta when we saw it. Correction. Adair spotted the place that up to this point we only knew as the fatalistic starting point of Amanda Seyfried's journey in "Letters to Juliet".

Juliet's house. As in, Romeo and Juliet.

After finding our pasta and the best gelato, oreo, nutella cookie sundae ever we went back to the hotel to prepare for our day long tour. aka- the 3 of us went home and wrote letters to Juliet in the hopes that we could drop them off the next day when the rest of our group was seeing Juliet's house for the first time.

Our tour guide took us up on the top of a mountain so that we had a beautiful birds eye view of Verona. 

We did make it back to Juliet's house where we stealthily snuck inside to deposit our letters. This may or may not be one of the cheesier things that I've ever done but don't judge... I was obviously just doing it out of curiosity. Apparently the "Juliet's" (according to the movie, a group of women who get together around a big table overflowing with letters) actually write you back...   

We also made a visit to Lake Garda, a sleepy town that I'm sure is bustling and beautiful in the summer just like the pictures paint it out to be. Unfortunately, it is February and uncharacteristically freezing but we had an amazing lunch and the town was cozy and fun to see.

After heading back to Verona for the rest of the day, we did a little more exploring, a little more shopping and had dinner before going back to the hotel. 

Scheduled to make one more stop the next day we decided as a group to forego the last city on our trip and head back to Florence. This picture from the bus ride home should give you a little indication of why...

Ciao bella,

secrets, secrets are no fun....

Unless they lead you to a delicious chocolate filled croissant.


After leaving a way too crowded American club, Christina's feet were killing her and we were cold and ready to head back to the sweat pants waiting for us at our apartment. It was around 2:00 and we were just starting to make the trek back home when we decided to try to stumble upon a Florentine delicacy: a treat from an infamous "secret bakery".

We were a little skeptical that we would find it. A) we haven't really been in Florence long enough to earn the stripes to merit one of these coveted baked goods and B) we don't know our way around well enough or have enough Italian vocab in our back pocket to follow the directions any local would give us. Nevertheless, we decided we were out late enough and craving chocolate badly enough to at least attempt it.

After a little courage and an, "it's ok we'll never see these people again" we decided to use our Italian (Christina can actually form entire sentences!) and ask a group of girls if they knew anything about one of these so called secret bakeries. For the hundredth time that day we were answered with, "we speak English" and amazingly, these girls knew what we were talking about. They affirmed our crazy treasure hunt and told us where to go.

Taking a right, another right and a left past the landmark we were given, we found it. An unmarked wooden door that we knew must be it. We walked up to it, softly knocked and then with the wafting aroma of fresh pastries in the air encouraging us, loudly rapped on the door.

Nothing.

Guess tonight wasn't the night to find it after all.

Cold and about ready to give up Christina spotted two people with white paper bags walking down the street towards us. Just a few feet away we turned a corner to see a group of about 10 people standing outside of an unmarked door. Getting into line behind them we were just questioning why we were standing out in the freezing cold waiting for what could potentially be nothing when a woman peered out from the cracked door and instantly put a finger to her lips to quiet her hungry patrons. Making our way to the front of the line we ordered 2 croissants with chocolate and waited. Thirty seconds later we were greeted with the warmth of a warm croissant and the amazing smell of freshly baked bread.

Let's just say they were amazing and a secret worth keeping.

a day of firsts

After three days of being here we finally have towels, bearings and feel like it's time to start exploring, getting lost and finding Florentine gems. Thus, today is a big day of firsts!

First remodel of our apartment...starting to feel like home! We even made curtains out of the leftover sheets.

First trip to the market... aka first experience with extreme eye candy everywhere. Mom and Jen you would have died. 

First purchase...a new fur vest from the market! Since I speak NO Italian yet (working on it!) and the man who sold this to me spoke NO english we found common ground with....Spanish! Bueno! 

First pizza... Ley Ley we have you to thank for the most amazing pizza I have ever eaten in my life. We ventured to the other side of the river to Gusta Pizza, ordered the house wine and 4 different pizzas and literally savored every last bite of them. Trying to decide now how many days we have to wait until it is acceptable to go back...tomorrow too soon?

First trip to the art bar...our new favorite cozy spot where every drink literally looks like a work of art!

First italian old man crush...Christina needed a memory card for her camera and popped in a store near the Duomo. We went inside and she was chatting it up with the sweetest old man, Mario. He has been working there since the beginning of WWII when he used to have to work for FOURTEEN months to earn ONE euro.

(photo courtesy of Christina)

First run... Mollie, Christina and I put on a few layers and headed to the Arno for our first run in Florence. We only got lost once and it was amazing to get to run along the beautiful river and see a side of Florence that we haven't explored yet. 

That's all for now!

ciao bella,

FIRENZE

After being in Dallas long enough to relish the relaxing routine of living at home but also to realize that my friends are already well into their routines back at school, I am finally in ITALY! Italy. I still can't even really believe that I am here. Or maybe I can believe that I am here, but not that Florence will be my home for the next 4 months. I have been planning this semester for 2 years now and I cannot believe that it is finally here. After a smooth flight and short drive from Pisa we were greeted in Florence by the most beautiful weather and amazing view of the Arno River. I can only think that this is just a little glimpse of how amazing the rest of our semester is going to be!

Beautiful view of Arno River upon arriving

Our apartment is definitely...cozy. Mollie, Adair Christina and I have one combined kitchen/living/dining room, 2 small bedrooms and a bathroom where the shower has a mind of its own. After 8 seconds of hot water a continuous stream of ice water changed any plans I had for washing my hair last night. BUT it is quaint in its own cozy way and definitely in an amazing location. We are so close to the Duomo, classes and a delicious Gelateria. After the rest of the day spend unpacking and wandering around trying to find towels and laughing at our terrible (terrible as in nonexistent...) understanding of Italian we called it an early night to get some sleep before orientation.

Mollie and me at the Basilica di Santa Croce

Delicious tomatoes at dinner

After a long day of orientation and a nice welcome reception I finished the day with my first delicious dark chocolate gelato. It is almost 10:45 and I am amazed that I am still awake this long without taking a nap so it is definitely time for me to call it a night. I already feel like Florence is the best place that I could have chosen to spend 4 months and I am excited to wake up tomorrow and explore more of this beautiful city!


Ciao Bella,

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point" C.S. Lewis

For most of of my peers, September 11, 2001 was a day of confusion. We watched classmates leave school without a doctor's note and grown men cry. After school our mothers did not ask us to review our spelling words or force us to eat all of our broccoli at dinner. In one morning the world was turned upside down and as a fifth grader, all I knew was that something terribly sad had happened that no one could make sense of. As more information was uncovered, I remember wondering why some bad men would want to cause so many tears to fall.

Last night I sat in the outdoor amphitheater at UVA surrounded by my peers, all of us between the ages of 8 and 11 on that September morning. We all sat still, holding candles in a glowing arc while we listened to a man who had been on the 104th floor of the South tower share his story. He recounted the horrific realization that a plane had flown into the North tower and then deciding with a group of his friends to leave the building. I sat in solemn silence listening to him tell his story, every detail morphing into the difference between life and death: They had decided against the elevators and instead chosen the stairs. At the 75th floor an announcement told them to remain inside the building but they continued their descent. Finally, they made it out.

10 years later, I have matured from a fifth grader to a third year college student and I still can't make sense of what happened that day. I still can't understand how someone could have so much hatred and do something so heinous. This is a question that I will never be able to answer but now my focus has shifted. Rather than ask the question why of the perpetrators I find myself asking how to the strength of the heroes and survivors. About 10 floors to the bottom, the speaker relived watching a swarm of men charge up the stairs past him; heroes fighting the current of fear pushing in the opposite direction. Running towards danger, towards uncertainty and for many towards death, these brave servicemen rushed in to help those trapped inside.

Though 10 more years will pass and I will still not be able to make sense of what happened that day I will have the image of men rushing into the crumbling towers as a symbol of inconceivable courage. In them we see the full embodiment of selflessness, hope and strength unknown. Because of them we can thank God everyday for this country we are blessed to call home.