TUSC[ANYa]

Sorry about the delayed update, I'm leaving in a few days, so I made sure to supersaturate this week with all things Florence. Here is the blog for the whole week.

I started out by going to Fiesole, an adorable little town just 30 minutes by local bus from my house. No it's not a part of the city, but it does offer amazing views of Florence.

Even more interstingly, Fiesole was an Etruscan town, with many artifacts of its history still preserved, including a wall that dates back to the 4th century!

The quiet little city really is lovely, and a wonderful getaway from city smog, tourists, and traffic. Some rich Florentines have their fancy villas in the Fiesolean hills.

The rest of the week was spent covering some of the most famous Florentine. If you're ever in Florence and want to see Michelagelo's David, you will go to the Galleria Academia. Be sure to go on a Thursday night around 8pm. Entrance is free between 7-9, and while you may have to wait in line a little bit, you will save 10 Euro and avoid tourists, as mostly only Florentine locals know about the deal.

I had always know that David was over 13 feet tall, but I didn't realize how impressive the statue actually was until I saw it. I sat there and stared at him in awe for a good half hour, but despite his size, fame, and near-perfection, I still prefer Donatello's version. I know I am nobody to criticize Michelangelo, but I still feel his David's hand are freakishly large, and even if the proportions are fine, I am annoyed by the awkward bending of his right wrist. The poor guy who modeled for the project, however good-looking and chiseled, must have ended up with a serious case of carpal tunnel! But I'll stop playing amateur art-critic and go on to the Uffizi.

The collection of the gallery was absolutely incredible! Every famous work you've ever seen in a classic art history text book is probably there. I was glad to see old some German and Italian favorites such as Holbein, Duerer, and my brother's favorite - Canoletto. While not as vast as I had imagined, the collection was important enough to have spent an entire day at the gallery. I enjoyed every minute, but although the rooms were themed chronologically and by country, I felt I was in a bit of a maze, because you had to enter little rooms frm the main hallway that led to other little rooms but then you had to retrace your steps to get to the next section. Defitely worth a visit or two, though, and if you don't want to wait in the usual 2 hour line, pay an extra 4 Euro to make a reservation!

Still in the historic center I visited the Santa Maria Novella Church and the neighboring Santa Maria Novella Farmacy, which I found more interesting. Still selling perfumes, soaps, extracts, and elixirs, the farmacy dates back to the 1300s and is the oldest in Florence. I really liked the little exhibition of old pharmaceutical tools. I went with my new friend and classmate Gabrigela and we got some lovely perfumed soaps.

Going back to Michelangelo, as you really can't get away from him or Brunelleschi in Florence, I visited the San Lorenzo Cathedral and Capilla Medici, which houses the Medici tombs. Couldn't really take pictures inside, but the work of both master's was beautiful.

I also finally ventured out to the other side of the Arno river, the Oltrarno, where I got to enjoy some prettyfrescoes at Santa Maria del Carmine and other cool sights such as artisan guilds and preparations for a "block party," a monthly (or yearly) dinner where the whole neighborhood comes together - what a lovely idea!

I thought the Palazzo Pitti, despite its fame and grandiosity, was actually a rather grotesque building. And while there is a nice collection of art and furniture inside, I was unimpressed by the state of some of the pieces, especially the stale, smelly tapestries that made one gag.

So I went to the adjacent Boboli Gardens to get some fresh air. Expansive and green, they were a nice break from architecture and people and offered their own fun little museums such as of porcelain and silver.

Of course I sampled some gelato on the other side of the river. As always, I tried three flavors, one invariable being phistaccio. I was light and had little pieces of nuts, but the other two flavors were even better. I loved the freshness of the pear and the richness ofchocolate orange. Oh and speaking of chocolate, I got a whole box of it as a little farewell present for the whole school. My classmates and teachers enjoyed them so much that in the excitement we forgot to take a class picture. But since my new teacher, Enzo (I got transferred to a more advanced class) is a good friend of my host family, I will see him again on Sunday for my good-bye dinner.

Speaking of good-byes, yesterday was my last real day in Florence. This weekend I am going to Sienna, San Gimignano, and Bologna. Ciao, Florence, I've really enjoyed the beautiful, artistic city!

Yep, move over Barcelona and St. Petersburg; Venice has come to eclipse your beauty. But don't worry, I am still true to my birth city, and Barcelona is still my favorite city in Europe overall. Venice, however, is gorgeous! In fact, I'll keep the word-count down on this blog and will just supersaturate it with pictures.

Here are some striking views of the Grand Canal, starting with a view from the famous Rialto Bridge.

You could even see the dazzling canal immediately upon exiting the train station! And it only took about four short stops on the vaporetto (water bus) to get to San Toma, the station literally steps away from my hostel. Right around the corner from the boat stop was a lovely little plaza, and right behind the plaza was the Museum of Venice, my aptly named hostel.

The hostel itself was awesome! Housed in a 17th-century palace, it had decorative staircases and ceilings. I stayed in a room with eight other girls and we had a little balcony with a view of the Grand Canal! We were walking distance from the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square (Ok, Venice isn't really all that big, but still, the location was great) and dinner and breakfast were included.

The staff and fellow travelers were all friendly. Mostly Canadians and Australians, so everyone spoke English and got along. Friday evening we bought some wine and went to the beach off the Lido. The water was warm and there were plenty of people there since the Venice Film Festival was in full swing (it was too expensive for me to go to it, though) and although the music they played on the beach was at least 5 if not 15 years old, we still had a blast.

I had planned this detailed itinerary of important Venice sites to visit, but as soon as I got outside I decided to put away my guidebook and map and just walked around for several hours, because everything was gorgeous and worth seeing! So I just wandered around for hours, and if I stumbled upon a monumnet I admired it, but just the picturesque little canals made me happy enough.

Of course the most important sight was St. Mark's Square. While smaller than I expected, it was still very impressive.

I really loved the views of the lagoon and the views of it flooded by night.

The Basilica was opulent and I thought the cross made of candles was pretty.

The Duke's Palace had a wonderful art collection and I really liked the architecture. Crossing the Bridge of Sighs was fun, but I couldn't understand why on earth you would put a prison right next to a palace!

I also went on top of the Campanile for some incredible views of the city. Didn't get to climb it though, since there was an elevator, but that didn't upset me too much.

The streets of Venice were lovely as well, of course.

I really enjoyed people, or rather couple-watching. Venice is definitely a city of lovers, so it was very bittersweet. The couples (many of them matching in shirts or hats or getting married) were adorable, but I really missed my own other half.

So the next day I went to the Gardens where Dave had spent some time seven years ago to find the little pond with the turtles that he wanted me to see. The park was lovely and had a huge World art exhibition, but was more important for its sentimental value.

Among other notable visits was the Jewish Ghetto, which I happened to visit during the European Jewish Culture and History Day (September 6) so entrance to all museums and synagogues was free. Inside the synagogues were beautiful, but unlike in Rome and Florence, were not housed in grand buildings, rather hidden on the upper floors of regular-looking houses. Nevertheless, an interesting and rewarding sight!

That same day I was lucky enough to catch the annual historic regata and boat race on the Grand Canal!

In terms of food - I didn't have any Venetian gelato, because it was too cold, but I did have some delicious mozarella souffle and one of those prosciutto wraps. I got a panino from the fun little Twins cafe, run by two twin brothers who decorate their eatery with photos of twin clients. I wish I had brought a hard copy of a picture with my own twinnie! But we will go back there together one day!

The best food I had though, was at a kosher restaurant in the Old Ghetto, called Gam-Gam. I had some amazing sardines lightly fried with onions and pine nuts (my favorite) and a most wonderful dish of four types of eggplant (another one of my favorite things to eat). I must say, each little dish was absolutely perfect, and the eggplant caviar was the most delicious I had ever had in my life! My mouth is watering as I am typing this, hehe.

And what's a trip without some shopping? Bought some pistacchio sweets and a pair of sexy little suede boots.

With all my daytrips and weekend excursions, Florence still remains partly unexplored. I've been trying to catch up and have recently been discovering the lovely sights of the Eastern part of the city. The other day I also went windowshopping in the fancy designer clothes district with Franca.

One of my favorite Florentine sights so far has been the Synagogue; unlike in Rome, where there are twelve synagogues, it is the only one in the city, since there are only 900 Jews in Florence. The architecture is beautiful with Moorish themes and the interior is a stunning combination of wood and mosaic. There is also a little museum with Judaica, telling the history of our people in Florence and a lovely garden with pomegranate trees. It was protected by guards, and for security reasons photography (again) was not allowed, but I would really recommend seeing it!

Other highlights include Casa Buanarotti - a house where Michelangelo once lived that today houses some of his work; and Orsanmichele - a pretty 13th century church.

Aside from historic monuments I'm seeing a lot of other fun things. Check out the adorable itty-bitty little bus, the identical kissing Fiats, and the banner that reads "[he] who speaks two languages lives two lives."

I also found this cute little eatery with wood panel ceilings and pull-down, theater-style seats. While their food was simple, the decor was fun.

And of course, I went to a new gelato place. Called Perche No? it had a delicious amaretto mousee, but the almond and pistacchio were tasty but not superb.

I still haven't written about the wonderful Roman cuisine that I got to sample while I was there!

My first stop was actually for gelato. Always on the hunt for the best pistacchio, I went to the most famous gelateria in Rome - San Crispino. The pistacchio rivaled that of Vivoli, and the fig flavor was quite delightul as well, even though I don't like fresh figs. The wine flavor, however, was strangely bitter and not at all tasty.

Since I was with my parents, I could afford to eat at nicer places, so one night we went to this beautiful restaurant located in the Villa Borghese. The Casina Valadieri offered fantastic views of night-time Rome.

The food there was creative and delicious. We ordered an eggplant "box" - seared tuna with spices wrapped in thin slices of grilled eggplant; tender flaky fish stuffed with other seafood; and lamb chops with anchovies! Dessert was pretty great as well - pear and chocolate mousse in a light, crispy tart. I would definitely recommend this restaurant!

Rome's "simpler" food involved beef carpaccio and seafood platters, as well as thinly sliced steak with arugula served on a sizzling skillet, a plate of Italian meats, sausages, and cold cuts, and of course, caprese salad.

But even more exciting was the Roman-Jewish food. We went to a fantastic restaruant, Al Pompiere, in the old Jewish Ghetto. There I had the most deliciously prepared artichoke I have ever had - carciofi alla giudea and other typical specialties such as brain with artichokes, sweetbreads, oxtails, and other fun parts such as lungs and heart in tomato sauce. If you like strange foods, this would ahve been a feast for you!

I also tried a pistacchio canollo - but it wasn't that impressive. Still looking for some mindblowing Italian canolli.

And here is the wonderful little food market we went to in Rome where we found wild strawberries.

I would love to come back someday, as there is so much to do and see in Rome! I did manage to cover a lot of the city though, including some fascinating museums and the most famous monumets. I took the express Eurostar train, which got me there less than an hour and a half!

I particularly enjoyed going to Rome because I met up with my parents there. The got to travel throughout Italy and stop in Rome because they were on their way to present some papers at a conference in Napoli! Who said research was boring?

As silly as it sounds, due to the large distances between Rome's historic monuments, the easiest way to travel around the city was the tourist bus. Surprisingly, it was actually a lot of fun, very convenient, and offered splendid views of the city that otherwise would have been difficult to see, such as panoramic views of piazzas and bridges .

Some of our most obvious visits included the Colosseum, of course. It was... colossal, haha. All jokes aside though, it really was impressive, a bit imposing even. You keep seeing it in pictures, but only once you're there do you realize how grand it is.

We spent quite a bit of time exploring the nearby Ancient Forum. It was incredible to see remnants of architecture not just from centuries, but eons ago! This was perhaps my favorite place to visit. Just think of all the history that took palce there!

Yet another unmissable stop was the Vatican, including all of its numerous museums and the legendary Basilica di San Pietro.

St. Peter's itself was gigantic, and quite beautiful inside. I was especially excited to see Michelangelo's famous Pieta. But I will say it again and again, no Cathedral on earth rivals France's Chartres - the most beautiful one on earth!

We were lucky enough to end up in Rome on the last weekend of the month, because on the last Sunday of each month admission to Vatican City is free! We dedicated a half a day to exploring the treasures in the galleries of the Vatican Museums and I found the collection and exhibition of Antique Greco-Roman sculptures to be the best one I had ever seen, not just due to its vastness, but beauty and efficiency of presentation.

I really also liked the beautiful and detailed staircases and ceilings.

As for the Sisitine Chapel - it was of course breathtaking, but I was suprised at how small the panels seemed. Somehow, I always imagined them bigger, but was nevertheless thrilled to have been able to see them.

Another one of my favorite spots was the Roman Synagogue. Although a newly-reconstructed building, its original architechture had been preserved. Interestingly, the synagogue boasts the only square dome in all of Rome. Why? Because our people wanted to be different! How awesome is that? Unfortunately, it was forbidden to take pictures inside, due to security reasons since there had been terrorist attacks in the past, but the interior decor was gorgeous and there was a wonderful little museum with relics donated by generations of Jews who had lived in the Roman Ghetto.

The ancient area around the former Ghetto was also fascinating, with ancient ruins standing right in the middle of modern streets!

Another famous spot was the Trevi Fountain. It was lovely, but other than being the largest Baroque fountain in the city and appearing in Fellini's films, I don't really see what the hype about it is.

My pictures of the Spanish Steps did not turn out as pretty as the ones in the guidebook, but I really liked the views from the top after climbing them.

The Pantheon, although of great historical importance, was actually rather disappointing visually. Luckily, it led us to a wonderful open-air market where we got to sample some wonderful local olive oil, pesto, and liqueur, and most importantly, found some wild strawberries - I have not eaten them since childhood! [market and food pics coming]

I have yet to talk about the gastronomic adventures in Rome, but my lunch break is over, so I'll post the pictures later!

The most adorable, charming little city ever! Actually, it's not so little, and apparently, the second richest Italian city (after Parma) but Verona's historic center is spaced very close together, making it cozy and irresistibly cute.

I only had about a half a day in Verona, as I had to catch a train to Rome to meet up with my parents on Saturday. I know, a ridiculous itinerary, going North and then South of Florence in one weekend, but Friday was my last chance to catch an opera performance at the historic Verona Arena.

Nevertheless, I got to see all the most important sites, such as Juliet's house, of course, Dante's Plaza, Ponte Schaligero, and more.

I especially enjoyed the Romanesque castle where we were lucky enough to catch the sunset.

Awesome little things and coincidences tend to happen to me quite often when I travel, and this trip was of course no different. At the train station on my way to Verona I ran into Rafaella, a girl I had met at the winery last week. It was great to have some company and someone to share the experience with, especially since it was her first trip to the opera and we both really enjoyed Bizet's Carmen.

Despite the performance being in an open-air amphitheatre, the acoustics were great and the show was fantastic! The singing, the costumes, the dancing were all impeccable! Our seats were pretty great, too and it was a totally new experience, sitting in an arena on the hot stones on a lovely, warm Italian night.

Check out the video clips!

I totally fell in love with the city and wish I had gotten to spend more time there.

Today was another memorable day - I visited an important monument and finally went out. It's been so hot and we've been doing so much sightseeing in the afternoon, that by the time we have dinner we're all ready to crash.

But this night a large group of students from my school got together and went out for aperitivo. A favorite Italian pastime, it is a before-dinner drink that in many places also buys you access to an all-you-can eat buffet. I expected some bland bar food, but in fact, there were about a dozen of yummy dishes such as seafood and veggie fritters, cold cuts, and little open-face sandwiches. The drinks were all right, but the food was great!

The evening ended in a fun and loud game of fooseball with two of our teachers who joined us for aperitivo. It was very interesting to watch people's reactions and remark the different the body language and reactions of people of different countries when a goal was shot.

The aperitivo bar we went to is in South Florence, on the other side of the Arno River, which was fantastic, because it provided an opportunity to take some lovely pictures of the Ponte Vecchio at sunset and at night.

Earlier in the day, I went to Santa Croce - a Basilica is not only remarkable because it is the largest Franciscan church in the world, but also because of a prominent Star of David, in its Neo-Gothic facade, deisgned by Jewish architect Niccolo Matas. The Holy Cross is the final resting of some of the most famous Florentines and the home of Giotto's famous frescoes.

Clearly, a site not to miss, so most of the day was spent admiring its art and paying respect to some of Florence's greatest such as Michelangelo and Galileo.

What a perfectly balanced day of gastronomic, historic, cultural, and alcoholic value!

I've been so excited to share the details of my travels, I completely forgot to talk about my everyday life, such as school and family - which are both great!

The people at school are really nice and laid-back - everyone is on a first-name, informal "you" basis. The male instructors especially love to tease our teacher Rafaella by barging into our classroom in the middle of a lesson and hugging her, prompting the whole class to tease her about her jealous husband. So we never get bored in class.

I've committed some really funny linguistic faux pas recently, as the entry's heading suggests. I've been spending time with so many German-speakers, I sometimes mix words. In German, for example, the word essen means to eat. One day we were choosing a place for lunch and I decided I wanted pizza. Italian verbs in the infinitive end in -ARE, -ERE, or -IRE, so I somehow managed to put an Italian verb ending on a German word, culminating in essere. I thought I was saying to eat, but in fact, in Italian essere means to be. So I announced to the girls, "I want to BE a pizza!" Haha! Even more entertaining was the "BOOB of bread." In Italian fetta means piece, while tetta means boob. What a difference one letter makes! Speaking of food, I've recently had some delicious gnocchi with meat sauce and involtini, a traditional Tuscan dish of slices of beef stuffed with parmesan and veggies - both very tasty!

Since the last weekend was rather intense in terms of traveling and sightseeing, and since I have even more ambitious plans for the upcoming several days, I've taken the beginning of this week rather slow. Mostly I've been
wandering around the city and stopping at sites such as Dante's house and Piazza della Signoria.

I've also been spending a lot of time with my host-family, especially since they have a friend and her little grand-daughter in town. Siria, my new 12-year old buddy, has really taken to me. She always asks to sit next to me during dinner and grabs me by the hand to take me upstairs to chat as soon as I get home - so cute! The other day we cooked zucchini flowers for dinner - I had never eaten flowers like that before - they were delicious!

My host-parents are always very sweet, and my host-mom calls me miciottola, an adorable little nickname she made up and means something along the lines of "my little kitty." My host-brother Davide, although old enough to be my father, calls me sorrelina - little sister. It's all very fun and endearing; I love living with the Bensi family!

Today was my most fantastic day in Italy yet! Not only did I get to visit the beautiful city of Pisa, but I finally made it out of the city on my own. The last few daytrips I took out of Florence were with groups, but only because the locations were far away and it was cheaper to go with a bigger group. Normally, I prefer to travel solo, since few people tend to be able to keep up with me and share my level of hyperexcitement or my sometimes overwhelming feeling of glee and giddyness.

A true adventure is one where I get to explore new cities, figure out how to buy tickets and find my own directions, and form my own opinions of the sites I visit, rather than be guided to the places and told what to think about the monuments. Sure, it doesn't take a genius to figure out a ticktet machine and look up a train schedule and get on the right platform to reach a particular destination. Nor is reading a map rocket science, but for me, it is always a thrill to do things on my own.

I never plan a specific itinerary. I just choose a city to visit and in the process of wandering around exploring its important sites, awesome things just happen. That's the kind of trip my friend and classmate Lidia and I went on today.

We had no idea what time or how often the trains to Pisa ran, so when we got to the train station, we just bought the first tickets available - which was great, because the time at which they got us to Pisa was absolutely perfect. It took us about a half an hour of wondering the lovely streets of the city to reach the city center. We didn't have a map or a guide, we just let our sense of "ooo there's something preeetty down the street" guide us. That's hope we ended up on a picturesque bridge and found an old med school.

When we finally got to the famous and historic city center, a gorgeous view of the Tower, the Cathedral, and the Battisero came into view. Each monument was praiseworthy, but despite the Leaning Tower's fame and gravity-defying appeal, I think I was more struck the ancient Romanesque-Gothic Duomo. Gothic architecture happens to be a huge weakness of mine, and the 1000-year-old Pisa Cathedral was particularly impressive. Relatively simple and elegant, but with enough detail to please me, it really complemented the numerous leaning columns of the Tower.

The Tower itself was incredible. While smaller than I had imagined, it did not fail inspire awe. We spent quite a while admiring the wonder, but unlike all the other crowd-following tourists, we did not take any banal "supporting the Tower" pictures. We did, however, make sure to climb up to the top for incredible views of the Cathedral and Battisero and the city.

The most fortunate part of our visit was the accidentally perfect timing. When we got to the information center, the only soonest available tickets to climb the tower were at 7:40pm. We did not expect to stay in the city so late, but we were so lucky we were "forced to." The late tower climb coincided with the sunset, exactly at the time we reached the top.

What a fortunate coincidence! The sunset was stunning and Lidia and I sat atop the tower giggling with joy at the amazingness of our adventure and the beauty our our lives. For some reason, we really enjoyed the Tower's bells.

I don't know if this happens to everyone, and maybe it's due to the fact the Tower is indeed leaning, but climbing its some 300 stairs was incredibly strenuous and even head-spinning. But the slippery, winding marble steps also offered some pretty great photo opportunities.

Staying late in Pisa allowed us to see the Tower glowing at night by the time we climbed down, a totally different, and in some ways even more delightful sight.

Really an unforgettable trip, and I look forward to many others like the one today.

I now have a new favorite dream vacation spot - Cinque Terre! Oh, what a beautiful, beautiful place in the Liguria (birthplace of pesto) region of Italy! Five adorable little villages banded together centuries centuries ago against pirates and are today a part of a giant national park. They are coastline villages with gorgeous sea views and small, colorful houses crowded on top of one another. We spent the whole day trekking and hiking a total of 9 kilometers from village to village and I fell in love with each one!

Riomaggiore, the first village we visited, was my favorite - probably because it offer the initial breathtaking scenery and thus made the biggest impression.

Silly, romantic little girl that I am, I really loved the Via dell'amore, (Lover's Road) a picturesque path connecting Riomaggiore to the next village - Manarola. Along the way, couples scribble their names on the walls, attach locks to symbolize the eternity of their love, and take pictures in front of the kissing sculpture.

I didn't have a lock, nor was my beloved with me, but I did take a picture with the statue holding a photo of us. I also wrote our initials on the wall - hopefully they'll still be there when we come back there together someday. (yeah, yeah, I know: "awww... barf!")

Manarola was also stunning, and only about a kilometer away from Riomaggiore.

It took over 300 steps to reach the third village - Corniglia, but the views from the restaurant where we had lunch was totally worth the hike.

The next stop was Monterosso al Mare. There we got aboard a little ferry and sailed to the last village - Vernazza. While rather similar, each of the five "lands" is charming in its own way, so I really don't know where I'd buy my little dream vacation home, but it will certainly be one of them!

The wonderful trip, of course, included a new gelato flavor - basil! How awesome is that? Believe it or not, it tastes phenomenal... especially on top of two scoops of straciatella and psitacio! Don't worry, with the amount of walking I'm doing here, none of the numerous gelato calories will register.

Saturday was spent at a lovely beach in Rosignano, about two hours by train from Florence.

I'll let the pictures speak for the beauty of the beach...

...and the wickedness of the Tuscan sun. I'm so pale (translucent, rather) even a parasol couldn't prevent me from burning! But I do make a pretty cute little tomato, un pomodorino carino!

Maybe it's the heat, or maybe we're just becoming jaded, walking by the Cathedral and other gorgeous sights every day on our way to school, but we really didn't feel like doing anything today. The lazy afternoon was spent strolling through the city, shopping, and eating gelato, of course.

We walked through several little street markets, including the Mercato Nuovo, where visitors come to touch the sount of the bronze boar, Il Procellino for good luck. We couldn't resist taking a cheesy picture, but instead of rubbing the snout, we decided to sit on the poor little piggy. Amusingly, everyone around us decided to follow our example and copy our pose. Look at us, such trendsetting tourists!

Today's gelateria was disovered accidentally, but was absolutely amazing. Located right by the Arno, This place served the most natural sorbet - no sugar, no cream, just cold fruit on a stick. The flavors were so fresh and delicious, I had to get two - kiwi and raspberry. While not the most original flavors, they had a very real and intense taste. Definitely coming back!

After three intense days of dutiful sightseeing, I decided it was time to take a little break and travel a short distance outside of Florence... to a winery of course! Some classmates and I took a bus to the local, well-known Chianti producer - Castello del Verrazzano, founded by the family of Giovanni Verrazano who discovered New York and after whom the bridge is named.

The winery and the views it offers are truly stunning!

I did not find the tour particularly thrilling, nor the explanations especially enlightening, but perhaps I am just jaded, having visited so many other wineries. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the trip.

The sampling part of the tour was fancier than I had expected. The tables were nicely set and We were served salumi and prosciutto, made from the wild boar that apparently mates right on the winery's territory.

The meats and the bread with olive oil were pretty tasty, but lacked the melon that would have made them delicious. I did like the wine - we tried four or five different ones - medium and fullbodied, all nice and dry, but I didn't love any enough to buy some to take home.

Glad I went tough, everything was lovely, and the views alone were totally worth the trip!

Unfazed by today's ridiculously hot weather, I managed to make the day my most productive and eventful day yet! Two museums, a gelateria, a pizzeria, shopping, cooking, and a birthday dinner party made up today's excitement. The exploration began at the lovely Piazza San Firenze, only a block or two away from the school.

My first stop was the Museo Nazionale del Bargello. Interestingly, built in 1255 the fortress-shaped building was once a prison with a torture chamber and was the site of public executions. Despite its gory history, the museum
is actually quite beautiful. Only in the 19th century did the Bargello become a museum - and no, not of torture instruments, but rather of some of the fines Italian sculptures, including Donatello's David and Michelangelo's tipsy Bacchus.

While I have not yet seen the original David by Michelangelo, and even though I understand how different the styles and skill of bronze and marble sculpture are, I am tempted to say I prefer Donatello's Goliath-slayer. It might be because Michelangelo's hero, only preparing for the great fight, seems pensive and doubtful as he leans
back and stares afar. Donatello's, on the other hand, is triumphant, almost smug with his hand on his hip resting
his foot on the opponent's head. Then again, maybe it's the long hair, the trendy sandals, and the fact that everyone looks better in black - just kidding! All facetiousness aside though, I really liked Donatello's sculpture. I am now very curious to see the other, more famous David.

I continued my walk down to the river where I was excited to discover... the science museum! Yeah, yeah, call me a nerd/geek/whatever, but how can 17th century microscopes and 15th century globes not be awesome? Not to mention unsual, fun little gadgets, as well as Galileo's own telescope! Can you imagine what modern science would be like if all those physical and astronomical tools had not been invented and had not since eveolved?

Full of artistic and scientific impressions and thoughts on how Florentines influenced Italian culture and the
world, I figured it was time to gain some more experience on the gastronomical front. I was lucky to find myself
only a few blocks away from Vivoli, a gelateria that boasts serving the greatest gelato on earth. Having not only
read about it, but also having heard of it from friends and even my host family, I was anxious to try their sweet,
frozen goodness. Vivoli did not disappoint - I of course got pistacio - it was thick, rich, and very pistacioy,
for lack of a better word to describe it! I was particularly impressed by the pear with caramel - the pear was
very fresh and flavorful, and the caramel just crunchy and sweet enough to complement it. I don't know if I'm just
buying into the hype of this renowned place, but if you're ever in Florence - do try it and let me know! That
afternoon the pizza sampling continued for lunch. Today's treats: Neapolitan (anchovies and capers) and another
one with mushrooms and prosciutto. I loved the toppings, but felt that yeterday's crust was better and crispier. With many more days in Italy ahead of me, I look forward to training and satisfying my pizza palate.

On my way home I picked up a lemon pie for my host-dad, who was celebrating his birthday today. My host-mom made a festive dinner with fried calamari and clam spaghetti. I even got to help her cool! We had a garden celebration and I got to meet some of my host parents' friends. Everyone was very sweet and while I could barley follow their conversations, every now and then they would take turns to talk to my on my Italian level or try to explain what they had been talking about. My lemon pie was warmly welcomed and went very well with the local prosecco.

Overall, a beautiful day that I am not yet sure I will be able to top, but I promise to keep trying!

Whenever I find myself in a city that has a tall tower, I make sure not to leave before I climb it. Germany, for example, happens to have towers in almost every city I visited, some with up to 300 steps to conquer, and I have made it to the top of each one. Not that I am particularly fond of the exercise, but I do find some satisfaction in the huffing and puffing up the stairs. No, not so much the physical aspect of it, rather the feeling of accomplishment when I reach the observation deck at the top of the stair which makes me appreciate the panoramic views that much more.

The Florence Cathedral, Il Duomo, has an observation deck at the top of its legendary dome, masterfully completed by Brunelleschi in 1436, even though construction began in 1296. As the fourth tallest cathedral in the world, Il Duomo requires 463 steps to reach the top of the dome. To date, it is the tallest viewpoint I have ever climbed, but the quad pain that will last me a few days is well worth the the memories of the breathtaking views which will last a lot longer.

Il Duomo is a gorgeous example of the combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles, so typical of Florentine
architecture. The inside is Gothic with Renaissance frescoes painted on the massive dome. I am still amazed by how
the masters were able to paint it centuries ago. A wonder even in modern times, the dome must have been a miracle
at the time of its creation.

The facade of the Cathedral is, sadly, Neo-Gothic, and while Gothic Revival can be beautiful, as Il Duomo proves, I still prefer the real thing. Nevertheless, I am overall impressed with this true Florentine masterpiece.

Taking a break from art and architechture with my friend Lidia, I explored another important aspect of Italian culture - food! Today's gastronimic "adventures" included a margherita pizza and two kinds of bruschette. Simple foods though they may be, all three were delicious with a perfect blend of spices, flavors, and textures - prefectly crispy crust and bread with just enough moisture from the cheese and olive oil!

I will let you know as soon as I try something more "exotic."