before italian class we went to Vecchio Forno where i got my favorite pain au chocolat. we had a quiz in italian today, it wasn't very bad! after italian we went to Fedora, the student ran bakery at FUA, and got a light lunch. they had small pizzas which were okay - Fedora is very hit or miss, as we've noticed. we took the pizzas back to the apartment to eat and do our italian homework. after lunch we went walking around town and did some shopping. we stumbled upon a really awesome gelato shop called, My Sugar, where i got a rose gelato - it was so different but so good! after gelato was italian class where we talked and tasted chianti and chianti classico. i loved the chianti classico we tasted. after wines class we went to the apartment before going to dinner. for dinner we went to a very local place for pizzas - i ordered a pizza with mozzarella, basil, olives, and spicy salami. it was so good! it doesn't seem like today was as action packed, but somehow i clocked in the most steps today.
until tomorrow, ciao! britney
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we gathered at the Santa Maria Novella train station to take a bus with our wines class to the Tuscan countryside for a field learning trip. first we made our way to Pienza, Italy (a tiny town famous for it's sheep's milk pecorino cheese) our class split in half and had ample time to walk around the town and time for a cheese tasting in one of the town shops. during our free time we found some pecorino gelato, which despite my hesitation of a cheese flavored gelato it was really good! the town was soooo cute! during our cheese tasting we tasted four pecorino cheeses and had the opportunity to hear about how they are made! i bought a couple of cheeses :) after our time in Pienza we headed to the town of Montalcino. in Montalcino we were given a quick tour and time to walk around the town because our group was ahead of schedule. Montalcino is a very wealthy wine town, the town is gorgeous - we could have definitely spent more time exploring and taking in the scenery. after our quick walk around Montalcino we traveled to a winery outside of Montalcino called Col d'Orcia. Col d'Orcia is the largest Tuscan winery and is impeccably beautiful at that. the estate was well taken care of from the vineyards, animals, cellars, and grounds. we toured the cellar and then had a tasting and lunch inside the grounds. during the tasting we tried the pinot grigio, rosso di Montalcino, and the brunello di Montalcino. the owner of Col d'Orcia guided us through the tours and tastings - he was a very knowledgable and honored man for the wine world. during the lunch portion of the visit we were served appetizers, pasta, salad, bread, salami, cheese, and dessert - all homemade on the estate. it was delicious! after lunch we toured more of the property and purchased some of the amazing wines we had tasted. we then boarded the bus and headed back to Florence. we ate dinner at our apartment (cheese, tomatoes, bread, and salami) while we worked on our italian homework (we have a quiz tomorrow!) and then went down the street and had gelato beside the Duomo, i got mint chocolate chip!
ciao! britney today we had a field learning trip to the Tuscany countryside with our italian class. we met at the Santa Maria Novella train station to catch a bus that would take us to the country. what an experience! riding the bus through the country roads was quite the experience... our first stop was Sant'Antimo abbey in Montalcino. this abbey was a benedictine monastery in a very wealthy part of the Tuscany countryside. the abbey was huge and well preserved, we had an english speaking tour guide who went over history of the time period and the art comprising the building. it was very neat because when we arrived there were nuns having mass inside the church, so we got to listen to the service from outside. the surrounding views of Montalcino were magnificent. after touring Sant'Antimo we went to a bed and breakfast in the countryside called Il Civettaio. here we were served bruschetta, wine, veggies, oil, homemade pasta, homemade tiramisu, and espresso. the bruschetta was amazing. the pasta was to die for, it was delicious! i'm going to try to make my own pasta noodles once i return to the states; i could have ate a bucket of those noodles. the tiramisu was not my favorite because i simply just don't like creamy, fluffy textures like the filling of tiramisu. the espresso and wine on the other hand were amazing! so so good. and to have a field trip where you get wine and espresso? score. it was also nice to not have to pay for water, you have to pay for water in Italy and it's getting old! we left that hidden gem and went to our next landmark: San Galgano. San Galgano is located between Chiusdino and Monticiano in Tuscany. the abbey here is famous for its missing roof that was sold because it was composed of lead. there are two abbey's on this location one containing the sword and the stone legend and the roofless abbey that was built due to the need for a larger worship space back in the day. this site was so cool and the architecture was astounding to see in person. after a long time in the bus we finally got back to the train station in Florence. tomorrow we head back out towards Montalcino for our wines class field learning day.
ciao! britney today we slept in after having a late night and busy week this past week. we went to a restaurant right down the street from our apartment on via ricasoli, it's a super cute shop we'd been eyeing. i had the prosciutto and mozzarella calzone, which was very good. after lunch we walked around town and visited some shops and then went to the Uffizi Gallery where the Medici family home is here in Florence. we toured the rooms and climbed the tower. such a fantastic place! it's so cool to be somewhere where the history runs so old and the historical preservation is so important. climbing the tower was a hike, but the views of the city were priceless! i just loved walking through the Uffizi knowing that people lived there hundreds of years ago and imagining what their life must have been like. after touring the Uffizi we went to the Magnum ice cream bar store where you can build your own magnum bar! the place was so cool and the options to customize your ice cream bar were endless! i got a vanilla ice cream bar, dipped in milk chocolate, with pistachio, brownie bits, and coconut toppings, with a white chocolate drizzle. it was so worth it, this was another place we had been eyeing in town! we went back to the apartment before we went out to dinner so that we could freshen up. we decided to go to a pizza place as seen on MTV's Jersey Shore. the pizza was really good! i got a spicy italian salami and mozzarella pizza. we have to get up super early to go on our italian class field trip tomorrow.
ciao! britney i started my day out by getting breakfast at my favorite little bakery i've discovered here in Florence, Vecchio Forno. i got a brioche au cereal, it was more on the wheat/grain side but still very good (i love that place!). we went to italian class, we have a field trip this coming saturday that i am so excited about it! i got another vending machine cappuccino... so freaking cool. after class we went to the FUA ran bakery for lunch where i got a prosciutto sandwich, cappuccino, and pastry. the sandwich and cappuccino were good, but the pastry not so much.... we went back to the apartment to recharge and then had wines class. we also have a field trip for wines class this coming sunday which i am also excited about - we tasted two wines today: a rosso di montalcino and a nobile di montepulciano (i LOVED this wine!). the two wines we tasted are from a tuscany region we will be visiting on sunday, so i'm definitely going to have to find some montepulciano to take back with me! after wines class we went back to the apartment and snacked on mozzarella and salami before we made plans to go to dinner. yesterday when we went to pizza napoli we saw a line for a panini shop that took up a majority of the street, so it was bound to be worth trying out... and we were spot on. All'Antico Vinaio was a great spot for sandwiches! they only have five sandwiches on their menu, but i'm positive they are all worth while - i had the summer sandwich with prosciutto, mozzarella, basil, and tomato. the sandwich was made right in front of you while you were in line, the ingredients all cut freshly for each sandwich, and the bread fresh and hot out of the oven. so so so so good. of course gelato followed dinner, we found Venchi where i got a strawberry gelato on a cone, this gelato was by far my favorite consistency thus far. we had some time to kill before we wanted to go to a bar so we walked around town and reached the Duomo where there were tons of people standing around the front steps. the florence philharmonic orchestra was set up and playing on the front steps of the Duomo! that was especially neat to stumble upon, such a pretty experience listening to classical music at dusk in front of the Duomo. after listening to the orchestra play we went to the Lion's Fountain, a bar known for their american college scene. the bar has college shirts on the ceiling and shots for many universities in america, the mizzou shot consisted of tequila, red bull, and pineapple - it was good! we of course had to do a round of mizzou shots and then partake in their mojito night specials going on. the music was great too, better constant american hits than any bar i've been to in the US...! tomorrow we do not have class so we are hanging around Florence to do some sightseeing.
ciao! britney my fourth day in italy! we walked to italian class and picked up waters and pastries along the way, i returned to vecchio forno for a pain au chocolat (it's the best pastry i've ever had, i'm smitten). yesterday we got intrigued by a mysterious espresso vending machine in the italian language building of the FUA campus - i'm one to try anything once so i darted to the vending machine to give it a go. IT'S MAGIC. it's like any typical vending machine, you pick what type of coffee you'd like (i got a cappuccino) after you put in only 0.70€ (!!) and the machine spits out a cup and then fills the cup with your chosen caffe. it was way worth it. i sipped my vending machine cappuccino in italian class blissfully. i'm loving italian, i've taken french for quite a few years in the US - having a teacher that speaks the native language as their first language has definitely made my learning experience beneficial and exciting. after class we had to hike to the FUA student life building for a meeting and then stopped by pizza napoli were i split a spicy salami pizza with one of my roommates for lunch. the pizza was great! when we were finished and ready to leave one of the waiters at the pizza place asked our group to come to the bar for a round of limoncello on the house - so when in italy we did exactly what they offered, bottoms up! after lunch we found a gelato shop where i got caffe gelato (it even had some espresso beans in it, so good) and then we walked back to the apartment to freshen up before wines class. during wines class we learned about optimal conditions for harvesting wines and what makes up a vino grape, then we tasted a Rosato and a Rosso di Montepulciano. they were both pretty good! after wines class we went to the apartment and did our italian homework and snacked on bread, salami, tomatoes, and cheese. each wednesday the FUA restaurant, Ganzo, holds ApreiGanzo (a common time where restaurants will offer a buffet with the purchase of a beverage) so we decided to check it out for dinner. ApreiGanzo drinks were good, the food was so/so (pastas, breads, salami, cheese, meats, veggies) but for the price it couldn't be beat! i ordered a bellini as my drink, it was delish. Ganzo has a beautiful courtyard area to sit and mingle in - plus, the weather was spectacular today. after ApreiGanzo we went to get our second gelato of the day... this one was by far the best gelato i have had so far in Florence. i got the nutella gelato from amalo, it was just so dang good. now we are back in our apartment for the night after a fun day in Florence!
ciao! britney today was my first day of classes at the Florence University of the Arts! i started the morning off with a nutella croissant from a corner cafe (that offered us student discounts!) and Italian class from 9am - 11:30am. we took a trip to a cute bookstore as a class to pick up our textbook, i got an Italian to English dictionary as well to put to use during my time in Italy. the university building that we have Italian class at is such a uniquely designed space - it makes learning bright, airy, and enjoyable. after class we went down to one of the FUA owned and operated bakeries for lunch where i got a cappuccino and a salami sandwich (the salami is SO good in Italy!!!) - as students we have a meal plan with the university so it's nice to grab food without having to spend euros. we went back to our apartment to freshen up and then went to a cafe right below our apartment for afternoon drinks, i ordered yet another cappuccino (the coffee is SO good here!). my next class was Tuscany and It's Wines which was from 3pm - 5:30pm. in this class we are learning all about wines: history, viticulture, types, tasting techniques, etc, etc, etc. we are going on a field learning trip this coming sunday - more to come on that trip later! we ended the class with two wine tastings: a greco di tufo and a valpolicella. we went back to the apartment after our wines class and snacked on our groceries we bought the previous day: cheese, bread, salami. we decided to meet up with some other mizzou students for a late dinner. i ordered the spaghetti ragu and a sangria and enjoyed eating outside on the Florence streets at night.
the first day of classes was great, i can't wait to learn more about the italian culture (language and wine!). britney after a much needed night of sleep, Florence University of the Arts orientation was in the morning. on our way to campus we stopped by Vecchio Forno (via Guelfa/via San Gallo), a bakery, to pick up pastries for breakfast - i got the pane con cioccolato, the best pastry i've had thus far in my life (i'm sure i will pick up several tasty treats during my journey). after grabbing breakfast orientation was held in one of the beautiful FUA buildings scattered around Florence a couple blocks away from the pastry shop. part of our orientation was a walking tour of the FUA buildings in Florence, we ended up close to the Fiume Arno (river Arno) and decided to grab lunch before we walked much farther. we stumbled upon a restaurant called Oinos, where i ordered a primavera pizza and cappuccino. after lunch we went back to the Fiume Arno, which was a marvelous view and picture perfect spot, from there we walked to the other side of Florence across the river. we walked across the Ponte Vecchio (a bridge notorious for the high end jewelry shops sprawled up and down the bridge). once we crossed back over to the northern part of Florence we stopped at one of the many gelato shops to cool down with the sweet treat, i had strawberry gelato!
after taking a quick afternoon break we went back out exploring. we wanted a cheaper, lighter dinner and scouted out Pane E Toscana (Borgo Albizi), known for their inexpensive and delicious paninis (panini here only means sandwich, not a specific type of sandwich!) i ordered a panini with salami, truffle cheese, truffle butter, and spinach - it was so good. we sat outside the tiny shop to eat our sandwiches and watch the street hustle and bustle. for dessert we stopped by Vestri, a chocolate shop filled to the brim with hand crafted chocolates, gelato, and candy. to end the day we went to a nearby Conad supermarket to pick up a few groceries since we have a kitchen in our apartment. i grabbed mozzarella, salami, a baguette, tomatoes, water, and chocolate. i loved getting to experience an italian supermarket! the supermarket's produce and deli were so fresh and authentic unlike USA's common grocery stores - i also found the shopping experience to be very personable, meaning that you could easily pick up as much food as you wanted without having to purchase more than you had intended to buy, the prices were very reasonable as well, and did i mention it was so fresh(?). tomorrow classes begin! more to come! britney i made it to Florence, Italy after traveling to St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Madrid in order to get here!
after walking around Florence for awhile seeing the sights, eating gelato, eating pasta, and drinking wine - i am ready to catch up on much needed sleep. tomorrow starts three weeks attending the Florence University of the Arts where i will be taking Italian and wines classes. much more to come! britney |
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