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
0 Comments
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 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 |
Let's be friends!Connect with me below. Archives
June 2018
Categories
All
|