Firenze on the Weekends

For these past two weeks I have been spending my weekends in Florence. Hanging out around this city, not only during the school days but also on the weekends, has made Florence feel like home to me. Each weekend has been unique and full of fun experiences.

Last weekend it was one of my friends 22^nd birthday and a group of ten of us students from CEA celebrated. All the girls wore nice dresses and all the boys scraped together a nice formal outfit. It was a nice change to see everyone all polished and sophisticated. Everyone’s chic attire added to the mood of the evening. We met up at one of our apartments and walked over to Il Latini. Outside the restaurant there was a huge mob of people trying to reserve a table. From the outside, Il Latini is deceivingly small and we were all nervous that we wouldn’t be able to get in. But after much patience, all ten of us were led to the back of the restaurant. We had the perfect table outside in an enclosed courtyard. There was perfect mood lighting and the weather was warm. The food was amazing and we had a four course meal. The dinner was great and so was the company.

The following day my food and wine class had a class excursion in the Tuscan hillside to Lari and Montespertoli. In Lari, we visited a small pasta factory. And in Montespertoli we visited a winery and had some amazing food.

We all had to wake up early and travel to the small quaint town of Lari. When we arrived to Lari it seemed as if the town was still asleep. The sky was overcast and the air was dewy. I love pasta and being able to watch the little business, Martelli, craft the many types of dough from start to finish was amazing. The long strings of spaghetti hanging from the metal drying racks were an incredible site.   Although we were told that Martelli did not make that much pasta as larger companies did, the vast amounts of pasta surprised me. Watching and tasting the pasta, convinced me to buy a package for myself. (Later that night, a big group of my friends and I made it for dinner.)

In Montespertoli, I had one of the best meals of my whole study abroad experience. We tasted three different wines: one white, and two red. My favorite was the second red wine paired with the pasta and fresh garlic bread. I enjoyed it so much that I had to buy the Chianti.

This weekend we had a class excursion to Bologna. And just so you know, Bologna is the food capital of Italy! CEA gave us all an included lunch and tour. I was so excited to taste the fresh local pasta but when lunch time came around I was very disappointed with what I ate. Our meals were cold and all the pasta had meat in it. One of my friends actually chocked on a fish bone as well. After our dissatisfying meal, we all decided to walk around and go into some museums. But before we could even get to one, my roommate Jodie was robbed. A gypsy came up to her and grabbed onto her asking for a cigarette. At the time she was alone and didn’t know how to react. Without her knowing, the Gypsy-women skillfully grabbed Jodie’s wallet out of her purse and got away. Luckily, Jodie was not hurt but we were all disheartened. For my friends and I, it felt like we all had been robbed. It set a negative tone for the next few hours in Bologna. As she was dealing with the police about her wallet, a few girls and I got tea to calm down. It was just what I needed after a rough day. Looking back on things, I am so happy that Jodie was safe and nothing truly bad happened to her. Money is something that can be replaced and it does not matter as much as someone’s safety. This trip to Bologna has made me more aware of my surroundings and has shown me what really matters in life.

After our bad day, a big group of my friends and I went to a local cafe in the Piazza del Republica. We were all attracted to this small restaurant because it had live music! After an hour of hanging out there, we all got up and danced. At first I thought everyone around us were annoyed because we were the typical loud Americans trying to be the center of attention but after awhile other people joined us. Many different types of songs were played and everyone was allowed to bust out various genres of dance. Jodie especially showed off her wonderful line dancing moves. It was an amazing end to our horrible day. It was such a pleasant, spontaneous night that I will never forget.

On Saturday, a few of my friends and I ventured out of the city walls of Firenze. We visited a small town called Fiesole that is about twenty minutes away. Fiesole has beautiful views of the city below. All of us here took many photos and explored the small convent in the town. Being in Fiesole yesterday was the first time here that it has felt like fall for me. All the leaves on the trees were changing colors and the air had a chilly, crisp feel. I loved Fiesole and want to go back again very soon.