The Catch All Post

So, since I haven't written a post in awhile I figured I would do a post about some of the interesting things that have happened in the past week.

First off, Siena! We went to Siena on Saturday and then stopped in San Gimignano on the way back. It was a beautiful day and Siena is a city full of character. The 'old' city is divided up into neighborhoods and twice a year they have a horse race between 10 of them. It's a very big deal and they each have a museum dedicated to their winnings.

This is the main square where the horse race happens. We spent some time relaxing and enjoying the view there. People watching was also fun. When you have little children here apparently it is the thing to do to buy bags of confetti and let the children throw them around. They don't get cleaned up and you can find the confetti everywhere. It's actually kind of fun to watch. 

On the way back from Siena we stopped at San Gimignano and got gelato. They have a place there that is world famous for it and won a whole bunch of awards. 

Then next day we went to Assisi! It was another beautiful day and we got to see the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

The statue above depicts the time when St. Francis had wanted to be a Crusader so he went to get on the ship, however before he could join the Lord spoke to him and told him to go back home to Assisi. He listened and went back with his head bowed. Apparently St. Francis was rejected by his home town and Assisi was the last place to recognize him as a Saint. They now monopolize this and make a lot of money from it. 

The city is built on a lot of ancient Roman ruins and you can still see signs of it today. The curve of this courtyard is because the houses were built on the stands of the amphitheater. In the middle of one their new parking structures they came across some Roman cement that you can see roped off. We also walked through the tunnel that the gladiators used to take. 

Venice

Last Friday my roommates and I took a day trip to Venice. We boarded the train to go there at 7:30 AM and boarded the train to come back at 7:30 pm. It was a long day but packed full of beautiful vistas, charming canals, and the masks of Carnival. 

We had gorgeous sunny day in Venice and for the whole weekend.  It was about 60 degrees and the perfect weather for walking around all day. 

We arrived a little outside the center of Venice at the train station and decided to walk into the center. We passed a lot of beautiful views of canals and saw lots of people on Gondola rides. Surprisingly only a few seemed like they were enjoying it. It was Valentines Day so couples were EVERYWHERE and lots of them were on Gondolas. We all packed lunch so we ate the food we had brought and then bought several snacks and drinks to supplement that. 

Towards the end of the day we returned to the train station by water bus. It was 7 E to get a ride around the Grand Canal via this bus and 25-35 E to get an actual tour. We went the cheap way and got a very nice ride at sunset on the above boat. 

While the rest of the girls enjoyed an apertivo (where you buy a drink and get access to a buffet) I wandered out to see Venice in the moonlight. It was gorgeous to see the lights reflecting off the water. In-spite of how busy the picture makes it look it was oddly calm and peaceful, especially with the gentle sound of the water flowing by. Overall we had a great day in Venice and I would definitely love to come back and take an actual Gondola ride! 

The Diner

The Diner is an American diner with American food. My roommates were feeling homesick for some good old American food so we made our way to this little establishment around the corner from our apartment for Sunday brunch. 

After 45 minutes of waiting for a table (we left to explore a little and then came back) we made it in to this cute little place. It's decorated like an all American diner and has the classic diner food along with lots of breakfast items. It was not exactly the same quality or type of food but similar enough to remind you of home. I didn't end up getting food here and just ate at the apartment but I did get a large Mocha (which I had to add sugar to because it was so bitter). The rest got omelets or a burger. The burgers looked really yummy and like they may even be good without the bun! 

Over all the place was somewhat expensive but it had lots of American options and was definitely a hopping place, I even saw lots of Italians!

The Festival

On Sunday after eating at the Diner (post about that to follow) we decided to explore. The original plan had been to go to a museum but it was so nice out, and not raining, that we quickly decided just to wander the city. This market mostly sold jams, meats, and cheese. Side note, I am determined to someday ride on those horse and carriages through the city. 

After walking through the city some more we came across these dancers performing in a square. At the end of their performance they started to grab people in the audience to dance with them! I was one of the ones chosen! 

It was a lot of fun and a really cool memory :)

I have titled this picture "Heaven" as the festival occurring here is a chocolate one with a beautiful background of Florence! We wandered through and found some delicious looking chocolates, however I unfortunately didn't think to actually buy the chocolate dipped fruit that looked so delicious. Oh well... I'll just have to go back. It will be a hardship ;) 

These beautiful displays were only a small portion of what was offered. 

Santa Croce

Santa Croce is one of the biggest churches in the world, and is the largest Franciscan church in the world. It houses many famous Florentines inside and so is often called the Temple of Italian Glories.

Galileo and Daughter's Tomb 

During the era of Galileo it was considered helpful if a devout believer was buried with an unbeliever. That way when the final judgement came the believer could "shield" the unbeliever from God's wrath.  Since Galileo was excommunicated his illegitimate daughter who was a nun asked to be buried with her father. When hundreds of years later they dug Galileo up to be moved into the church they also found his daughter's remains. They were both buried together again in the church.  

This was the inspiration for the Statue of Liberty. The man who designed the Statue of Liberty was the mentee of the man who is buried in this tomb. 

It was a gorgeous day out and after the tour we were allowed to wander around for as long as we wanted. 

We got a little lost and ended up in a construction site that we were not supposed to be in. 

The church is designed so that the really famous people are buried in the Church walls, obvious for everyone to see. The rich were buried in the floor of the Church and the middle class were buried in this section of the church. It was off the courtyard and slightly underground. The poor were buried outside of the church in a field. 

The large sanctuary area contains 16 smaller chapels like the ones shown above. The Franciscans who owned the church gifted each of the noble families of that era with a chapel. Each family tried to out do the others and hired the most famous painters they could afford/find. So the church was decorated with no cost to the church itself. The richest family however with the biggest chapel was involved in a plot to kill off the Medici's, the then rulers of the city. The plot failed and as punishment the chapel they had decorated was striped. Very little remains of what once was described at the most beautiful thing in Florence. 

Today the frescos are so vibrant and beautiful because of the recent restoration that was done. The owner (or someone very high up) of Sony loved this church and wanted his son to be married here. The church refused saying that marriages hadn't been performed in this church in a very long time. However he offered them 4 million dollars to restore the church if they would agree to let the marriage happen there. The church couldn't refuse but did state that Sony would not be allowed to put any of their products in the church for advertising purposes, or any purpose. Thus, this man paid 4 million out of his own pocket so that his son could be married here. I guess the saying is true about how you can get anything if you are willing to pay for it...

Personally I was less impressed with the fact that famous people were buried in the church (they are dead...) and much more impressed with the beautiful stained glass windows. And honestly I have never liked stain glass windows. So that means they were very impressive! It's the original stained glass and it's so intricate and delicate. 

I could say much more about my trip to this beautiful gem in the city of Florence but I will leave it up to you to come visit and see for yourself! 

Missing Winter Carnival

I missed Winter Carnival this year while in Florence. People keep posting pictures and saying how much fun they were having. It's where I met this man who I miss dearly. 

However to conquer these feelings I went out and toured this museum. 

In Florence. So I guess I can only miss it so much. 

My first gelato!

I got this yummy gelato at a place two minutes away from my apartment that advertises "senza glutine" gelato! It was lemon flavored and tasted just like sorbet at home. However next time I am determined to try a vanilla and chocolate chip one. They serve much smaller portions here but it was just the right amount (not factoring in the cost...).

Italian Boots!

In the beginning stages of this trip I decided that I would splurge on one bigger item while I'm here. After considering what I would love to come home with I decided upon boots. Florence is known worldwide for it's wonderful leather and it's fashion. Italian leather boots was the perfect thing! In preparation for this purchase I did not bring any other boots over here with me to save room on packing. However, during the first few days over here it rained constantly and was becoming a bigger and bigger issue as I tried unsuccessfully to walk around in tennis shoes and keep them dry. After brief shopping around I came across this pair. They are incredibly comfortable even before I have broken them in. They are good in water and are sturdy enough to last a long time. They are also pretty ;)

Piazzale Michelangelo

This morning we went on a hike to the Piazzale Michelangelo that is located up on a hill and provides a lovely panoramic view of the city. Named after Michelangelo it has replicas of some of his better know works, like David, made in bronze. 

The Arno river! It's a little flooded but apparently in the Summer there is a beach along it where you don't go swimming. Right now it's super murky and brown. 

The view from Piazzale Michelangelo. The big building to the right is Santa Croce and to the left is the Duomo. I live somewhere in-between those. 

After the Piazzale we hiked (took stairs) up the hill to a church called La Basilica Di San Miniato Al Monte. 

The church was founded in 1018 on the site where the relics of the martyr St Miniatus were discovered. 

There is a cemetery behind it which was first thought of in 1837 but not planned until 1864. Multiple famous people are buried here including Carlo Lorenzini who was the author of Pinocchio. The cemetery is still being used today.