Exploring Siena

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I swore I would not "do Paris in a day." Before departing for Italy, I promised myself that I would not jump from one country to the next, racking up European destinations like frat boys hoarding empty beer bottles as trophies of accomplishment. When possible, I would travel to other countries but, first and foremost, I would really get to know Italy and Siena in particular. In that aspect, today has been a great success.

After my dreaded Italian quiz, we had our first Presence of the Past field study. We met at the Basilica of San Domenica where both 'Presence' professors (one speaks English and the other, Italian) met us. Inside of the Basilica we learned (in both English and Italian) about the architecture of the church that displays characteristics of both Medieval and Renaissance art. We also saw where the supposed head of St. Catherine of Siena (my patron saint) is preserved. Afterwards, our director Amanda was very excited to bring us to the "Sala delle lupe," a room within the Palazzo Pubblico generally closed to the public. The room connects to the mayor's office and houses two recently restored she-wolf statues that were hollowed out inside to acted as rain drains in Medieval times (by far the coolest gutters I've ever seen).

We were let out of class early and I couldn't resist a long walk in the absolutely perfect weather. I decided to find out how much time it would take to walk from my apartment (right outside the city wall) to the opposite city wall. At a steady pace, it took between 20-25 minutes which isn't very long, especially considering that I circumnavigated several tourist groups and was (briefly)distracted by the countless window displays.

Outside the city wall, curiosity pulled me past the Fortress and landed me in front of what looked like a garden. After loitering around the entrance, trying to decide if I was trespassing or not, I finally walked through the archway and found myself in a cemetary. The most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. The large, marble mausoleums and raised gravestones covered in colorful flowers sat peacefully in the shade of palm trees and distant mountains. Because it was deserted, I snapped a few quick photographs and headed out as two old Italians were entering, large bouquets in hand.

On the way back to my side of the city I took multiple detours, wandering in and out of side streets in search of places I had never seen. Back on the main via after getting lost in the maze of Siena's backstreets, I walked into a ceramics shop and asked the woman, in very broken Italian, for holy water fonts. Hearing my imperfect pronunciation, she asked if I was a student and, upon learning that I am here for a semester, explained, in Italian, how she hand makes every piece of art in the shop. The detail is truly remarkable, but it was her patience with my Italian that blew me away. Though her work was a bit pricey and not exactly what I was looking for, she gave me her card and told me to visit again and practice my Italian with her. I will absolutely take her up on that offer and I can't wait.

Tonight has been quiet, just some gelato (tiramisu and riso) on the Campo with the girls. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat ice cream in the States again...

Buon Compleanno, Caroline!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Today is the 22nd birthday of my lovely roommate, Caroline. It also just so happens to be the date of the first Erasmus get-together (Erasmus is a group that plans parties and activities for study abroad students from all over the world).

Tonight's event was an aperitivo at a local bar where we set out to meet non-Americans. When I finally got up the courage to introduce myself to a group of strangers, I (of course) picked the one group at the bar who was not a part of Erasmus, but just three guys from Switzerland in Siena for two weeks. The conversation was going fine until one of them insisted that my English major was a joke and his telecommunications major had been much more difficult. He shut up when I asked him for a Kantean perspective on Dante's Inferno. (I've never actually sat down to consider what Kant would have thought about the Comedy, but I've found that when you throw out words like "Kantean," people assume you know what you're talking about.)

After a little alcohol and even less food, (the pizzas they offered were gone before they hit the table) we set out for Caroline's favorite Gelateria right off the Compo where I had a mediocre scoop of "fior di latte" alongside an exceptional tiramisu. Tomorrow morning many of us have our first quiz, so it was an early (but fun) night for all.
Happy birthday, Caroline!!

The Harry Potter Connection

Monday, September 28, 2009

A few nights ago in the Campo, Sarah had a revelation as we sat talking and ejoying gelato (great things happen when you eat gelato). Siena, she said, is "just like Hogwarts and the Palio is like Quidditch." Each contrada is a different house and the horse race is as cutthroat and serious as the Quidditch World Cup.


It's the most accurate description of this city that I've heard yet.


Pictured: Look closely and you can see the last Palio (or at least you can see the crowds that filled the Campo during the last Palio) projected on the building - one of the contradas was continuously playing a recording of the race several nights ago.

An average Sienese weekend

Sunday, September 27, 2009

For the first time since my arrival in Italy, I have finally spent an entire weekend in Siena and it has been lovely. I haven’t been feeling my best lately; everyone at IES is sick and my throat and nose are acting up, so it was a good weekend to stay local. Friday morning I had my Italian class with only one other student because the three others were either braving the police station for their permits or were too sick and sent home by our professor.

The first weekend after classes was a welcome break and I spent the afternoon struggling through my art history reading (in Italian) and catching up on various chores. The night ended with tiramisu and nocciola (hazelnut) gelato from our favorite Kopa Kabana (we’re quickly becoming recognized regulars). The weather is still so beautiful that I couldn’t help but take a long walk and revel in the fact that I am living in such a breathtaking place – the reality of this semester still hasn’t set in.

Saturday I was up with the sun; it’s impossible to sleep in when its rays light up our entire apartment. I attempted a yoga video that was part of my package and found that tile flooring, while beautiful, is really, really hard. Afterwards, I went for a run and found that the Sienese are not accustomed to joggers. If I don’t get hit by a crazy moped or bus driver before I leave, I will consider it a successful semester. Italians rival New York taxi drivers.

After a quick shower, Daniela, Sarah, and I began our trek towards the train station in anticipation of finding a grocery store that was rumored to have more variety than the God-forsaken Conad. What we found was an American’s food utopia. While still lacking in the selection to which we are so accustomed, “Pam” is two times the size of Conad and sells both baking supplies (apparently most Italians don’t use baking soda?) and ingredients for non-Italian type food. Sarah, our Mexican food aficionado, was in heaven.

Several more hours of translating/struggling through my art history reading and we finished the day in the Campo. We decided to take a chance and try a new gelato place where I ate two of the best flavors I’ve had yet: mascarpone e nutella and biscocroc (basically, cookie). Thank goodness an Italian “small” always comes with two flavors, I could never choose just one.
This morning we hurried to the 11am mass at the Duomo where we were met by more nuns than I have ever seen in one place at one time. Apparently, today is the jubilee celebration of San Vincenzo and the Bishop of Siena came out with a whole entourage of priests to say mass. While the grandeur of the ceremony was a unique experience, the hour and a half service was a bit long to stand squished in a hot chapel. (Though I was pleasantly surprise when I was able to follow much of the homily -- the Bishop speaks very slowly)

Now I’m up for an afternoon of skype and homework; a relaxing day to hopefully knockout this oncoming cold. I love traveling, but my first average Sienese weekend was an absolute success.

Tea Time!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

I expected great coffee, but nobody told me that I'd be getting fantastic Italian tea. After my having suffered through six hours with the Italian police department, I needed (and deserved) a relaxing evening. A small group of us wandered down to "The Tea Room" where we had been told there was going to be live music playing and though we were misinformed about the music, what we found was even better. The Tea Room is a quiet hole-in-the-wall full of comfy chairs, teapots, and chotchkies. For 4 euro a person, you choose from one of the (almost literally) hundreds of different teas and are then served a full pot of loose tea with a beautiful, matching teacup and a personal strainer. I picked a decaf "frutti neri" and it was one of the best teas I have ever had (and that's saying a lot). And though I was too full to test them out, the various desserts caused my mouth to water and the friendly, singing man behind the counter made me certain that The Tea Room is a place I will frequent, especially when the weather turns cold.

Again, I returned to an internet-free apartment.

The calming tea and lovely company of my previous evening made my first Thursday of classes a more bearable 6 hours. Every Thursday, sandwiched between my two, 2-hour classes on the Black Plague, I have two hours of what I have learned is basically an art history class in Italian. It's a tough day. Still, I did survive and was rewarded in the end with a package from home! While the 20-minute haul from the IES center was much more difficult weighed down by a 20-pound package and a backpack, it was absolutely worth the struggle. Full of the simplest American treats, (comics, Dove dark chocolates, and ziploc bags) the package oozed with the comforts of home.

After a dinner in the University's cafeteria, (yes, I ate Sodexo in Italy. I am appalled) we ended the night sitting in the Campo. And though the price ended up skyrocketing and sending me into a bit of a panic, I have officially booked my flight to Paris for fall break and I couldn't be more excited to meet up with three Richmond friends. Nothing makes you appreciate home like time away from it.

I've seen Dante's Inferno in the form of Italian Bureaucracy

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

As my lovely, Texan roommate put so eloquently, “y’all make gourmet burgers!” I think it’s safe to say that our “American” girls’ night, though not as healthy as its Italian predecessor, was a delicious success. The night ended with my pledge (over a bowl of popcorn with M&Ms) to “parlo solo in italiano quando nell’apartamento.”

Swearing to speak only in Italian the night before a 7am wake-up call was, perhaps, poor timing on my part. My brain doesn’t function in English at that hour, let alone in a foreign language…so I might have cheated on my oath early on, but I’m attempting to make good on it this afternoon.
My alarm clock rang so early because I had to make the 20 minute walk to the Duomo by 8:15 to complete the unbelievably frustrating, unjustifiably expensive, and apparently unending paperwork for my permit to stay; a permit necessary for those living in Italy for more than three months. I’m in Italy for 3 months and 20 days. For three hours I stood outside of the police station waiting for my name to be called, only to spend 5 minutes giving my information and fingerprints before getting directions to my next meeting around the corner. A mere two and a half hours later, I climbed the stairs of another office to give my finger and hand prints (again). A bit after 2:00, six hours after my adventure began, I was finally liberated and practically skipped down the sunny streets to the Campo where I inhaled a delicious pancetta and mozzarella panini before heading over to IES for my first “Presence of the Past” class, my only class taught in Italian. We were an hour late and I was a bit too frazzled to focus entirely, but the professor seems nice and I was excited to learn that a fresco I studied in one of my classes at Fordham is actually here in Siena. Nice to think that all the work I put into the honors program really does pay off…

After class I made the dreaded trek to Conad for groceries and was pleasantly surprised by a comparatively empty store. There are few places as stressful as the one bargain grocery store in a small Italian city. In fact, I was so cheery upon leaving that I decided to be adventurous and attempt to buy fruit from one of the tiny “frutta e verdure” stores along the main street. I chose the store (if you can call it a store, it’s more like a closet) of an old man who had actually smiled and replied to my “ciao” the day before (smiles and greetings are not always common things for a stranger to receive from the Sienese). He was just as pleasant today and we had a short, cheery conversation over my bag of grapes. It’s amazing what a little friendliness can do to improve your fluency.

Once again, I’ve returned to the apartment to find that we have no internet. Thankfully, though, I just got a visit from the building’s landlord who brought in a man to remove the red lamps from our kitchen. Finally! We can cook meat and be sure our food is actually cooked!

It’s beautiful outside and late Italian dinners I’ve been enjoying have suppressed my appetite until at least 7:30, so I think I’ll walk around and take in the lovely, sunny weather while I still can (and before the internet temptation pulls me back to e-mails and skype).

Who knew?

What I learned today: "Ciao" originates from the Venezian word "schiavo." Schiavo, in Venetian dialect, directly translates into "I am your slave."

I think I'll start using "buon giorno" instead...

"As my mustache shows, I like very much beer"

Monday, September 21, 2009

Last night, my apartment-mates and I were treated to yet another dinner provided by Daniela's family, this time prepared by her adorable cousins Alessandra and Angela. Having a roommate with relatives in Siena has profoundly enhanced my immersion into Italian culture. While it's often frustrating that I sit at the table in silence, understanding the conversation but too slow in my Italian to participate, it's also the best opportunity I have to learn the language. (Not to mention the fact that I think all of us American girls are slightly obsessed with Angela and Alessandra...)

After overreating (as always), we ended the night with a game of Italian "Taboo." My Italian vocabulary is pretty limited; bar me from using the top five words associated with the one I'm trying to describe and you can only begin to imagine the difficulty of the game. Still, I think we all did better than we expected and we've now borrowed it to practice in our apartment and hopefully strengthen our vocab. On Tuesday, it's our turn to host the Italian ladies for an American girl's night of hamburgers, french fries, ice cream sandwiches, and popcorn with m&ms.

A delicious dinner was the perfect way to prepare for the first official day of classes. Mondays are fairly easy for me with Italian at 11:00 and Dante's Divine Comedy at 2. The Dante professor has a handlebar mustache my guy friends would kill for. Originally from Genoa, his teaching method is thoroughly Italian so that the class is to be entirely lecture-based, without discussion. Two hours of being talked at may be a difficult adjustment for someone who has been spoiled by 10-people seminar classes for the past two years. Still, he recommended the best place in town to buy beer ensuring us that, "as my mustache shows, I like very much beer" and is thus a connoisseur.

Most importantly, I have finally located an online site that will let me watch "The Office" here in Italy. The plumbing may not work and the hair dryer may be melting, but at least I'm guaranteed half an hour with Michael Scott every week.

Due Belle Viste

Sunday, September 20, 2009

I love a lazy weekend. After all the traveling of my first few weeks in Italy, these past few days have been blissfully uneventful. Saturday afternoon was beautiful and we decided to take in the view from the Torre del Mangia, the bell tower in the Piazza del Campo. We waited over an hour to pay 7 euro for the privilege to climb up 500 narrow, steep steps inside a dark bell tower, only to be rained on at the top. It was absolutely worth it.

The height of the tower gives you a panoramic view of Siena that is breathtaking. The rain only lasted a few minutes (a typical Tuscan storm) and, when it cleared, the sky was a brilliant blue. It's fantastic to look down on the Campo and see the hundreds of tiny people relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous weather. It was absolutely worth it.

Last night we finally got the chance to go out on a Saturday in Siena. Caroline and I really wanted to dance, but the discoteca doesn't open until next weekend. Instead, a small group of us played cards in our apartment (Daniela's cousins Alessandra and Angela came too!!) before meeting up with some more IES kids and eventually landing in the bar, Bella Vista. Very chill, I participated in various sing-a-longs until one very drunk French girl almost started a fist fight and we were forced to leave (I still don't know what exactly happened, so don't ask)

This morning Daniela, Sarah, and I wandered over to the Duomo where we found the…err... “accelerated” mass. This time, I grabbed a leaflet and was able to follow along and participate, making the experience a bit more gratifying than the last. Now it’s another lazy Sunday afternoon of Skyping and e-mailing before the much-anticipated start of classes tomorrow morning!

Bologna (the place, not the meat)

Friday, September 18, 2009

All I do is walk and eat.

Yesterday was another early morning as the whole IES crew met at Piazza Gramsci to walk to the train station on our way to Bologna. We arrived around noon and checked into "Hotel Paradise" before being let loose to wander the city. I tried my first piadini (basically a panini on flatbread) and, in an effort to avoid the beautiful but unbelievably expensive clothing stores, I soon found myself perusing an antique market filled with everything from "Mina" records, to army uniforms, to Mussolini propaganda pamphlets.

Around 2, we met back at the "paradise" hotel (apparently paradise is a place where you find chocolates, balloons, words of wisdom, and bedtime stories everywhere you turn) for our walking tour of the city. One of the more "touristy" things I've done since my arrival, it was very interesting. We watched a public debate in the main piazza (Maggiore), walked around the oldest university in Europe, sat in a beautifully decorated room that was once used for the public dissection of human bodies for surgical study, and saw the controversial fresco of Mohammad's naked body being eaten by Satan in the Basilica of San Petronio.

We had a few hours to ourselves before dinner, so a small group of us headed to the Basilica of San Domenico where we saw some lesser-known sculptures by Michelangelo (among thousands of other beautiful pieces of art). Afterwards we wandered for a bit and eventually found the small Oratorio di Santa Cecilia known for it's beautiful frescos. A kind old Italian man realized we were Americans and gave us a written explanation of the story of the patron saint of music who was boiled and beheaded but managed to survive long enough to give her possesions to the poor before dying. Afterwards he attempted to start a conversation (in Italian) about politics. I've found that Italians are surprisingly interested in American politics.

Dinner, though not as spectacular as Tuesday night's, was good (and more importantly, free!) and included the famous bolognese sauce. Afterwards, we found our way a street full of college students and bars. The University of Bologna has 80,000 students which means there are college kids everywhere, making the nightlife a bit more exciting than that of Siena. The night was a lot of fun even though we couldn't find anywhere to dance (not like that stopped me...)

This morning, after a large and delicious breakfast, we walked to the bus that took us to the La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese for a cooking class (I wasn't kidding about the whole "all I do is walk and eat" thing...) Though we didn't actually make the dough or the filling, we did watch as the chef rolled out the pasta dough into an almost transparent sheet. We then got to cut, fill, and fold meat and cheese tortellini and a variety of pastas. Afterwards, we ate our creations and (over)filled ourseleves on all sorts of carbohydrates.

It was a long train ride and walk back to my apartment in Siena, but it's good to relax and eat something that isn't bread based. They don't eat bolonga in Bologna, they eat pasta.

"Maria e la mia prozia"

Wedneday, September 16, 2009

Today I made contact with a distant relative who lives just outside of Bologna. The phone conversation was the most difficult and exciting Italian conversation I've ever held.

The Original Sword in the Stone

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

King Arthur is a copy cat. Today we took a trip to the Abbey of San Galgano, the burial place of an Italian knight who followed a vision of Jesus and Mary up Monte Siepi where God told him to renouce his worldy pleasures. He, in turn, replied that doing so was a nice idea in theory but just about as easy as splitting a stone with his sword. To prove his point, he thrust his sword into a rock and was dumbfounded when it actually penetrated the stone. Galgano renounced his wordly possessions then and there and never left the mountain again.

Situated in one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany I've seen yet, (that's saying a whole lot) the Montesiepi chapel was built to preserve the stone penetrated by Galgano's sword. It has been proven that the sword does date back to 1180, making it the original "sword in the stone." The chapel became such a popular pilgrimage site that an Abbey was built several years later. The Abbey, now used as a concert hall, is breathtaking and one of the most peaceful places on earth. As our professor told us this morning, "it is the most beautiful abbey in the world and a tuly magical place."

After wandering around we headed to the small nearby restaurant for the best meal I've eaten since my arrival in Italy: wine, bruschetta, olive tapenade, a risotto to die for, pork, roasted potatoes, tiramasu, and espresso...how will I ever return to the Fordham caf?

Rainy Day

Monday, September 14, 2009

Maybe it's the fact that I spent all last night talking with friends from home, or maybe it's a result of the first rainy day after two weeks of perfectly beautiful Tuscan weather, but today has been an off-day. It was impossible to focus in class, I didn't get the cappuccino I had been looking forward to because of the rain, and I bummed around all afternoon uncertain of what to do.

The day did pick up when we toured the church and museum of the onda (wave) contrada. Usually closed to the public, the church is a tiny building chock-full of intersting pieces of history. When the Sienese are baptised, they are baptised into both the church and the contrada by the head of the contrada, not a priest. And though the main altar is decorated with intricate ornamentation, the seats face a side altar because that is where their Palio horse is brought in for a blessing before the race. As our director Amanda told us, "The Palio is war. It is not a game, it is war." The horse race is a religion and winning is a necessity.

Below the church is the onda's museum where the general assembly meets. One alcove is decorated with the sculptures of Giovanni Dupré, a famous artist from the contrada. Two other sections exhibit jockey uniforms from past Palios and the final room displays the prize banners given to the winning contrada. One of the banners had the picture of a saint holding the "IHS" symbol now associated with the Jesuits. It turns out that this is one of the patron saints of Siena who created the symbol that was later adopted by the Jesuits, which is why I've seen it all over the city including on the fortress wall.

I got soaked on the way back from the contrada and my 3 euro umbrella proved almost entirely useless, but it looks like it's cleared up a bit which is good because tonight some girls in our program are hosting a "wine and cheese" night. I decided to treat myself and bought a big bottle of diet coke. Wine is cheaper than soda here, and I've been missing my d-coke like crazy, so tonight I'll sip on my classy soda instead of wine :)

Side Note

Sunday, September 13, 2008

Just an observation: Italians make basic necessities expensive. Europeans pay to sit, to drink water, and to use the bathroom.
I guess I should appreciate the fact that the cost of the water prevents me from drinking so that I don't have to pay $3 to use a restroom.

Venezia!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Half an hour after having first met my future roommate on the train from the airport to Rome, Sarah Dearman and I made a pact to visit Venice and ride a gondola. I’ve only been in Italy for 13 days, but I can proudly say: mission accomplished.

Very early on Friday morning our apartment rushed out to the bus stop where we caught a bus to the first of two trains that eventually landed us in Mestre around 1:30pm. While most of our group stayed in a hostel in the city center, Daniela, Sarah, and I chose to spend only one night right outside of the city. We took a ten minute train ride into Venice and from there, we walked. And walked. And walked.

The city is beautiful. Everywhere you turn there is another shop or stand that is full of brilliantly blown glass pieces and truly marvelous masks. We spent the afternoon window shopping and wandering, getting lost in the maze of side streets and alleys. We finally managed to find our way to the famous Piazza San Marco where the number of people was only dwarfed by the number of pigeons. I don’t know much about architecture, but the palace, the clock tower, and, most of all, the basilica are breathtaking.

Around 6:00, we met up with the rest of the group and 6 of us agreed to swallow the enormous cost and ride a gondola. It took three tries, but we managed to find a young gondolier who chased us down and offered to take us all for about 15 euros a head. Alvin, our handsome gondolier, was a typical Italian man, laying on the charm and even stealing a kiss under the Bridge of Sighs from one girl in our group. I attempted to steer the boat myself and quickly learned why it is so difficult to become a gondolier. Trust me, it’s harder than it looks.
We found our other friends, grabbed dinner, and headed to a bar where we sat outside and talked, enjoying the beautiful surroundings. I can’t say it enough: this semester is simply surreal.

Around midnight, Daniela, Sarah and I caught a train back to Mestre and were up early the next morning, back in Venice and wandering again. After the success of riding a gondola, we had no set plans and spent the day taking pictures and salivating in the windows of pastry shops. The ride home consisted of two train rides, a bus, and a taxi. It was a little stressful and a bit complicated, but we have successfully utilized Italian public transportation and I now feel much more comfortable traveling. Our last bus ride, however, it worth noting. We arrived in the practically abandoned train station in Empoli where we met a nice group from Vancover. After an hour wait, a very fancy bus pulled up to the station and a Soprano-like Italian man wearing a sharp gray suit and silver chains told us he was our ride to Siena. He then turned on the green overhead lights and turned up the soft-rock radio station. I am positive we were riding a party bus.

1:30 on Sunday morning we lugged our bags into our apartment and I have never been so excited to curl up in my little, lumpy bed.

The Night of the Aquila

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Siena is an old city, rich in history and deeply proud of its culture. It is easy for an outsider to misinterpret such pride as arrogance or antagonism while in reality it is just the way in which they ensure the preservation of their traditions. As the roommate of a girl with family in Siena, I have been fortunate enough to get a glimpse into the world of contradas, the unbelievably close-knit communities that mark themselves with flags and scarves decorated in their colors and marked with their particular animal.

Daniela’s family is a part of the “Aquila” (eagle) contrada and on Thursday night, we walked to their apartment to join them in one of the many celebrations being held this week. While some dinners are only for members of the Aquila contrada, this dinner was open to invited guests. Long rows of tables lined the square and adults filled out cards marking the meats, vegetables, and desserts they wanted to eat. Younger members of the contrada cooked unbelievable amounts of food which we consumed in even more astonishing quantities. Bread, prosciutto, and cheeses were followed by beans and breadsticks and nuts which were followed by more meat than I have consumed in the past three years (sausage, ribs, pork…), and all this was finally followed by cakes, pastries, and traditional Sienese goodies. Wine (literally) flowed more freely than water and everyone was incredibly welcoming. At the end of the night, when the food is finally cleared, the younger members of the contrada have a discoteca. Unfortunately, my roommates and I had an early morning and when we realized that the dancing wouldn’t begin until at least 1am, we said goodnight to our new Italian friends and headed home. Our only consolation was that we had to wake up to catch our train to Venice on Friday. Viva aquila!

Mi Piace Gelato

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Note to self: when planning a trip in Europe, check for hostel availability far in advance. I had no idea that finding a place to sleep that’s not infested with bed bugs would be so difficult. Regardless, after a stressful afternoon of several failed attempts to understand the Italian train schedules, we made reservations for a two day trip to Venice. This weekend, Sarah and I will make good on our pact to ride a gondola, no matter what the cost.

Today I also experienced the first Sienese open market. Every Wednesday, merchants from all over come to Siena to sell their goods at wonderfully low prices. While I didn't make any purchases, I guarantee that this is going to be a dangerous, money-sucking habit of mine in the months to come.

In only one week, I have learned that the frustrations wrought by an inability to communicate and the feeling that you are once again a 3 year old child attempting to perform the most basic of functions of life can all be wiped away with a trip to the Gelateria. Our apartment agreed that tonight was a night for sweet elixir and I indulged myself with fondente (dark chocolate) and canolo (cannoli) gelato. We wandered to the Piazza del Campo where we made friends with some Americans and also a few Italians, eventually making our way to a bar where I finally got the opportunity to dance. We all have class tomorrow so we headed back early, but the bar was just filling up as we were leaving. I’ve learned that Italians adore coffee because they simply never sleep…but I do. Goodnight.

ARGH

Italian plumbing sucks. The end.

Cappuccinos, Skeletons, and Three Bags of Trash

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I now understand the Italian coffee obsession. A little more than an hour through class, Roberta suggested we take a break and grab a coffee in a little cafe right around the corner from IES. For a little over a euro, I bought the most delicious cappuccino I've ever had while talking to the friendliest barista I've yet to encounter. He knows that I am an American attempting to learn language and I am determined to become a regular and practice my spotty Italian with him.

In the afternoon the group took a bus to an archeological site right outside of Siena where we saw the ruins of a city that originated in the 4th or 5th century. Before we left, the tour guide (who told me that she finds it strange that I'm trying to learn a "language that is practically dead") showed us the bones of an actual skeleton that was in the process of being excavated. It's a bizarre feeling; walking around the deteriorating remains of buildings and people that are all older than my home country.

On our way back from the site, I made the most thrilling discovery of all: Italy does, in fact, have water bottles! Covered in dust and available for purchase in tiny bicycle shops, they’re a steal at 2 euros.
In the excitement of my find, I almost didn’t notice the two angry looking Italians standing outside of my apartment, clearly discussing the three bags of trash sitting on our stoop; the three bags that I had placed there that morning. Upon our arrival to Siena, our group was told that bags of trash and recycling (each in very particularly marked government-issued bags) were to be left outside of our door every morning between 6-9am. On Saturday, we left one bag around 7am that was still there when we returned from Follonica, so we took it back upstairs and attempted the process again today. Well, the bags still hadn’t disappeared by 6:30pm and now they were accompanied by two angry Italian tenants. Well, the four of us walked past the front door, panicked, and then decided to grab the trash bags and throw them in the gigantic trash bin we found down the street. Keep in mind that as we were laughing hysterically, running back and forth between the bins and our doorstep trying to figure out which can was which, a very large group of Italians were silently watching the ridiculous display. We finally disposed of the evidence and ran into our apartment when the two Italians tenants caught us at the door and explained that our apartment must deliver trash to the cans ourselves. Oops.

I'm a regular connoisseur

Monday, September 7, 2009

Today I attended my first "intensive" language class. After an hour of speaking (in Italian) about food, our professor walked us around Siena, showing us where to buy our books and where to find the best gelato. We were later rewarded for our hard work with a wine tasting class in the beloved Enoteca, a revered place of wine-worship in which Tuscan vino is studied, preserved, and sold.

Each of us were given three glasses, two red and one white. First, we were told to look at the wine and examine the color of it when held up against a white napkin. Next, we inhaled deeply several times to experience the smell. Afterwards, we spun the wine so we could examine the 'arches' of it's residue on the glass (more arches indicate more alcohol and slower-developing arches signify a bolder taste). Then, and only then, were we permitted to taste the wine with our eyes closed, letting it hit every inch of our tounge. Who knew drinking could be so complicated?

While I may not have fully appreciated the subtle distinctions in the taste of the wine, I did enjoy the stories behind the labels. In particular, the last red wine had a picture of Cinderella on the label because it came from a vinyard sandwiched between two of Tuscany's greatest wine makers. But, just as "everyone know's that Cinderella ends up with the prince," one day, this vinyard hopes to dwarf the leading competitors.

We followed the tasting with a tour of the cellar and around 7:00, we set out for dinner and about an hour later, we finally decided on a trattoria near our apartment. It is truly a miracle anything ever gets done in Italy. Maybe Italians consider unattentive waiters generous because they allow diners to talk in privacy, but hungry Americans such as myself find it frustrating and tedious. The food is phenomenal, but the service is reminiscent of a DMV.

A lazy Sunday afternoon

Sunday, September 6, 2009
You know why I love being Catholic? You can go anywhere in the whole world and, even if you don’t understand a word they say, you know what’s going on. Today I experienced my first Italian mass at the Duomo. Well, not actually the Duomo, but a smaller church across from it because the actual cathedral was too packed with tourists for mass (there is something so wrong with that statement…). I didn’t grab a bulletin beforehand, so I was unable to participate, though I knew what was happening when. I have a new appreciation for the idea behind the elaborate construction and artwork of medieval churches as a mode of impressing uneducated Catholics: the church certainly was beautiful and, while I didn’t follow the whole sermon, I did find myself awed by the intricate and striking details of the altar.

After mass, our original plan to experience the typical Italian breakfast of a pastry and coffee was postponed as Daniella’s aunt and uncle graciously invited us all to lunch. After walking around the city with her cousins Alessandra and Angela, we made our way to their beautiful apartment where their mother fed us the best (and the most) food we’ve had since our arrival (though there was some confusion when my poor Italian accidently told her that it was the “least” good food….) Though I struggled immensely with my Italian, I am continually impressed by the near-perfect English of Europeans.

I spent the late afternoon and early evening wandering the streets. Though I was continually whacked in the side by various contrada-parade-flag wavers, I consider it a successful day as an old Italian woman mistook me for a local and began telling me to put on a sweater because it was far too cold outside for my tank top.

Once again, the internet isn’t working so this entry will be posted late. Tomorrow my “intensive language course” begins and I am required to attend a wine tasting. Yes, the Tuscan lifestyle is a trying one.

Sabbia, Sole, and Speedos

Saturday, September 5, 2009

I spent the day tanning on the soft sands of Follonica in the provence of Grosseto. It was a beautiful, windy afternoon on the Mediterranean Sea that only advanced my ever-strengthening stereotypes of Italy:
Yes, the children run naked.
Yes, everyone is beautiful.
Yes, the men wear speedos.



And for the record, Italian buses never run on time and no one seems to care.

I've fallen back in love

Thursday, September 4, 2009

During orientation, our administrators told us that studying abroad could be a frustrating cultural shock that springs you back and forth between infatuation and total hatred of the culture. This is true...but I'm in love.

The past several days have been an absolute whirlwind that a "type A" person such as myself finds remarkably stressful. But today I applied for my permesso di soggiorno, bought a phone, found a hair dryer and straightner, and got internet! Great succesa! I had a short panic attack when I couldn't find an ATM that would accept my debit card and the bankers in their oh-so-modern-space-age banks (seriously, I had to give my fingerprint to get into one place) rambled on in Italian that my card would not be accepted...but it's all been fixed and I ended the day at an aperitivo. What is an aperitivo? A wonderful concept, that's what. Buy one drink (a glass of red wine for me) and eat as many of the delicious Italian appetizers you can. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be followed with dinner, but for poor college students such as ourseleves, it is dinner. Wrap up the night with a panna cotta gelato that melts in your mouth and you've got the most perfectly relaxing meal ever consumed. No wonder Italians are always so calm.

Tomorrow, I hit the coast for a day on the beaches of Follonica. Yes, it's love.

Errands, Errands, and more Errands

Thursday, September 3, 2009

So the “hot spot” across the street is very hot again. Siena is divided into 17 contradas and each contrada has a different animal and a different time of celebration where they cook copious amounts of food, drink copious amounts of alcohol, and sing, dance, and parade through the streets until the wee hours of the morning while wearing the colors and flags of their animal. Yesterday the celebration lasted until at least 3am and tonight I expect the same. It’s not so loud if I close my window, but doing so would probably cause a heat stroke so I’ll have to just accept another sleepless night.

In other news, there is still no internet in the apartment so I spent several hours sitting in the garden of the IES center using their wi-fi tonight. Hopefully, hopefully tomorrow.

This morning we had our Italian placement exam and I am excited to work with these professors who will undoubtedly be my best language professors ever. A few more hours of orientation were followed by a two hour walking tour throughout the whole city. It was exhausting, but I feel a little more comfortable finding my way around now. We also went grocery shopping for the first time and somewhere between attempting to read the nutritional information on a box of Italian cereal and flipping through my mini-dictionary for the translation of peanut butter (burro d’arachidi), I came to the conclusion that Italy may not have been the best place to start cooking for myself. It certainly will be an adventure.

We finished the night with dinner a cute little “osteria” where I ate a simple and delicious pasta al pomodoro. We walked through the streets and ended at the Palazzo del Campo, the real center of the town and the home of the Palio. Hundreds of Italians gather there for very late night dinners and wine. It’s beautiful and fascinating for a great people watcher like myself. While most Italians have been very helpful and patient with me, there is a remarkable sense of pride in their culture and home that sometimes translates into exclusion, but I hope that will soften as my language improves and my understanding of the culture advances.

Tomorrow I tackle the phone situation and finish all the little errands that an apartment requires. I can’t wait until I can stop worrying about necessities and start buying for pleasure. The tentative plan is to visit the Mediterranean coast on Saturday for a day at the beach :)

I have an apartment in Tuscany, jealous?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

As I sit in my beautiful, eclectic, Tuscan apartment room listening to the sound of mopeds speeding by, there is only one thing that could make this still surreal experience more perfect: internet. I’ve now been in Italy for two whole days and have not been able to check facebook, e-mail, IM, or post these inspiring blogs since arriving which means I haven’t made any contact with America since my departure. That’s made my common case of homesickness just a little more painful. I can’t wait until tomorrow morning when we were promised it would be fixed.
Yet despite my occasional feelings of isolation, today managed to be extremely exciting. We were up far too early in the morning (especially considering the fact that I was barely able to sleep last night) for a light breakfast before check-out and a beautiful 3 hour bus ride through the busy streets of Roma and into the beautiful, sunflower-filled pastures of Tuscany. Upon arrival, an Italian RA, Serena, took me and my three roommates (Sarah, Daniela, and Caroline) to our apartment and what a pleasant surprise that turned out to be. While the tiny bathroom with poor water pressure and an untrustworthy toilet is going to be a challenge for 5 girls, (we have an Italian roommate on the way…) the size, colors, and view of the place is perfectly Tuscan. Brightly colored with gigantic windows and oddball trinkets, the old building couldn’t have more character. I managed to score the “pink” room, a single bedroom with pink walls, orange doors, and multicolored shelves. I love it.

After a few hours of chaotic unpacking, we walked through the cobblestone streets to a McDonalds (one of the few “America” stores in Siena) where we met the group to find our IES study center. While a bit far from our apartment, the building has a beautiful garden and is close to the Palzzo del Campo, the heart of the city. A general meeting was followed by drinks and food at a bar/club where I accidently ate a spread of liver and spleen. I had been told it was an olive spread. We decided to wander the city to get an idea of our surroundings and ended up completely lost before sauntering back to our rooms. If the surroundings sound ridiculous, you’re right, they are. It’s as if I’m walking through a movie set where all the people are beautiful, all the shops are fashionable, all the food is delicious, and all the buildings are older than America.

Tomorrow morning is our Italian assessment (yikes!) and a walking tour of the city. For now, I think I’ll fall asleep to the sound of the Italian dance music blasting from the apparent hot spot across the street.

Fleshy Roman Food

Tuesday, September 1,

I made it! All things considered, I was incredibly lucky with my flights. Upgraded to a nicer seat, slept almost the entire time, met up with Sarah (a roommate) in London, and napped for a short while on my second flight (despite the bitter old couple next to me muttering “jesus Christ..damn it” the whole way there). Figuring out the train and the taxi was a little more complicated, but we arrived at the hotel with time to spare and sauntered down to the Coliseum after eating our first authentic Italian dish: gelato. We sat, people watching, in a cool shaded stairway as we waited for the 7:30 meeting time. The group had introductions and dinner at a famous restaurant which promised, “real, fleshy, Roman food.” I didn’t know what “fleshy” meant, but I now know it includes a thin bread with tomatoes and lettuce (my favorite!), bread, two different pasta dishes, potatoes, dessert, and wine. Yum. By the end of the meal, the heat, the jetlag, and the tremendous amount of food shocked us all comatose and it’s an early night before an early morning. Tomorrow, Siena!

Arrivederci

Monday, August 31, 2009

I’m terrible at goodbyes. I thought that after 2 years of continually waving “so-long” to friends and family in either Richmond or New York I’d grow more comfortable with the inevitable process of packing, hugging, kissing, and departing. No such luck. After (literally) days of packing and months of planning and prepping, I am finally sitting at the gate of my first flight on my way to Siena with flushed cheeks and puffy red eyes. I hate change.
Yet here I go again. As I wave ‘so-long’ (never, ever ‘goodbye!’) to Richmond, I embark on my biggest change yet: a new country, a different language, and not a single familiar face that side of the Atlantic. I’ve never blogged before and I make no promises of wit and certainly none of brevity; this is more of a journal for myself than anything else. But for any of you who are interested in my Italian escapades, I’ll do my best to update periodically. For now I think I’ll close my eyes and take solace in the single traveler’s greatest companion: my iPod. Arrivederci, America!