A Florence Thanksgiving

 Lazy weekends in Florence are the best. The free time I spend exploring the city makes me feel more like it’s my home. I learn more about the little hidden treasures, good eating spots, and create great memories with my friends while walking around.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 was the second movie I have seen since I left home. (The first one was Letters to Juliette and I saw it in Germany with my mom.) I went with a big group of my friends to a small local theatre that was about a 20 minute walk away. We wanted to see it during the opening weekend and none of us expected it to be sold out or have a long line. Harry Potter is a British fantasy book and the film was produced by an American, why would Italian want to see it? We didn’t consider how many American or British students would want to see it. The line to see the movie was so long and we were all so lucky to have made it to that showing.

Italian movie theaters are very different from American: the seats were velvet and huge, everyone had their own armrests, it had a great amount of spacious leg room, and the projection screen was pretty small. And a weird addition that Italian theaters do is an intermission half way through the film. It’s actually quite a smart idea because more people got up and bought popcorn/food. My own theory on the short break was there so Italians can have a smoking break. The only Italians, that did happen to be in the theater, all piled out of it to smoke.  I think its quite comical that they cant go longer than three hours without smoking. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, some of my other friends, who don’t necessarily like the story as much as I do, did not particularly like it. One of them, in fact, fell asleep during the first half of it and woke up at intermission. After seeing the movie, he decided to recall it “Brooms and Shit” instead of Harry Potter. I personally like this new title and think it is hilarious. But in all practicality, its too inappropriate to officially rename it that and it can be misleading to mass audiences who want to see the story of Harry Potter not one of magical brooms.

Later that night I was invited to dinner with Marissa and her parents. We went to a small restaurant by the Pitti Palace called Quartto Leoni. I had some of the best Italian food in the world. The pear ravioli with cream sauce was delicious. It was also amazing getting to know her parents. It is always so nice to have one of my friends parents come to visit. I feel like it is a piece of home for me as it is to them. I love sharing my experience with the loved ones of my friends and being surrounded by people who love each other.

I had such a nice time with Marissa, Ricky, and her parents that they all invited me to go to San Gimignano with them the next day. San Gimignano is a small hill town in Siena, Tuscany. Its famous for its medieval towers and was featured in a movie that I like called “Tea with Mussolini”. (A film about World War II featuring Cher, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith.) The views were gorgeous and there were so many old towers that were scattered about the town. It was a great excursion and I am so happy I got to spend more time with everyone.

Thanksgiving in Florence was a different, unique, and surprisingly fun. I had a feeling that since I wasn’t going to be with my family this year thanksgiving was going to be very disappointing. I actually had a wonderful time! My new Italian family made me feel at home. Although I couldn’t be with my real family I was so happy to be around people I love.

Everyone pitched in to create an amazing and very American meal. Krissy and I made crispy garlic bread, a delicious fruit salad, and yummy green beans. Jodie made mouthwatering home made corn bread from scratch. Giancarlo baked tender chicken in lemon and herbs.  Liz and Steph made big batch of tasty mashed potatoes. Jon-Michael contributed baked sweet potatoes with marsh mellows and Ali made a very good apple crumble cake. We were all stuffed at the end and it was such a good meal. Instead of doing our usual highs and lows of the day, everyone went around in a circle and spoke about what they were thankful for, their highs of the day, and described what their families would be doing to celebrate the holiday. This was particularly special to me because everyone was paying very close attention to what each person had to say. Discussing these topics made everyone very thoughtful, reflective, and thankful. If I couldn’t have been with my family at home I was so glad to be with my new friends in this beautiful.

When I got home later that night, I was able to skype with my family. I got to chat with not only my mom, dad, and sister, but I was able to see so many more people. It was such a pleasant surprise to be able to see my Aunts, cousin, Uncle, and Grandparents. Family is such an important part of my life and I was so pleased to have seen them even for a little bit. It truly made my foreign and new holiday experience so much better than I would have thought.