Finals? What finals?? [Valle D’Aosta]

I have a confession to make… study abroad was not about the classes or the grades. Shocking! I know! We cared more about the experiences, the travel, the culture, the people, and the food than what grades we would have at the end of the semester (though we still went to class and did all our work!). To make sure we all kept our priorities straight, our Parma mommies arranged for us all to take a weekend getaway together just a few days before finals would begin. Obviously, they didn’t think it was important or necessary for us to study for our finals! So where did they take us? Valle D’Aosta in the Italian Alps!

Valle D’Aosta is the region in red

Valle D’Aosta lies on the Italian borders with both France and Switzerland, giving it an unparalleled views of the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps. One can see Mont Blanc (the highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe), Monte Rosa, and the Matterhorn. All provide breathtaking scenery for the smallest region of Italy.

the view of Aosta from the balcony of my hotel room

walking from the hotel to the center of Aosta

The beauty of Aosta comes from more than just the mountains. Aosta became a Roman city in 25 BC and many ruins, including large triumphal arches, city walls, and theater facades, can still be seen throughout the city.

Roman ruins are scattered throughout the city

beautiful views of the mountains from within the city

the Arch of Augustus, built in 25 BC to celebrate a Roman victory in the war to claim this territory from the natives

the nighttime view of Aosta from my balcony

another view from my balcony

After our brief city walk on the first day, we took a trek through the mountains on the second day. Unfortunately, it had not snowed much yet in the mountains so it was not possible for us to ski or snowboard, but we were able to walk the trails where we could see more of the French and Swiss Alps, and a little church where we stopped for refreshments. And, of course, many many picture breaks were taken.

our first view from the mountains

a pretty little church on the mountainside

housemates! from L to R: Kevin, Tommy, Liana, Alison, Justin, Joe, Cailin, me, and Liz

breathtaking… I can’t believe I walked through the Alps!

Later that day we went back down into the valley where we went to Aosta’s Christmas market. While it was much smaller than Vienna’s Christmas markets, it was a much more homey and natural feel. There were wood carvings, benches, and stands of mulled wine lining the winding pathways through a small section of the pathway. There was even a fireplace on the pathway that we relaxed around for a while!

cool decorations and carvings at the Christmas fair

lots of cute little shops for Christmas knick-knacks

a giant, wooden Frosty the Snowman 🙂

drinking our mulled wine and ciders… yummy!

Despite all the fun we had walking through the Alps and soaking up some more Italian Christmas cheer, we did spend a great deal of time in the hotel studying for our finals (which we passed!). I guess some things just don’t change… 😉

a castle in the valley

On our way home to Parma, we stopped at two castles in Valle D’Aosta. While the first one was closed and we could only walk around the outside (I actually slid down a hill when I climbed up to take a picture next to the castle), the second castle was open for us to visit.

Forte di Bard, the second castle we visited, was built in the 1830s by Charles Albert of Savoy on a critical pass between Italy and France. Not only did it provide a pretty view of the Valle D’Aosta, it is a spot full of rich history because of its strategic location for rulers to maintain control and prevent attacks. The castle that currently stands on the top of the mountain replaced a series of castles that had stood in the same spot since the 5th century; one of which held a battle in 1800 that prevented Napoleon Bonaparte’s surprise attack on the Po Valley and Turin.

the view from Forte di Bard

Forte di Bard and the mountains

The most amazing part of the castle was the sheer size of it. It seemed like a miracle that a structure that large could balance on top of a mountain peak for centuries.

within the fort’s walls

Christmastime in Parma

From Christmas in Vienna to Parma…

Knowing that Italians take their religion, and therefore Christmas, much more seriously (and publicly) than the U.S., I was excited to see how Parma would decorate for the upcoming holiday. The one downside to the beginning of the Christmas season at “home”? It meant the beginning of the end of my fantastic time abroad. I knew I had to make the most of every moment, and try not to stress out about the upcoming finals per usual…

So to celebrate the season I joined the rest of the city of Parma in Piazza Garibaldi (the main square in town) one night to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree.

Parma’s beautiful Palazzo del Governatore (Governor’s Palace), built in the 17th century, at sunset

the other half of Piazza Garibaldi (across from the Palazzo del Governatore) with the Christmas tree and an “igloo” filled with little craft stands

Pretty Christmas lights adorned all the main streets–every street had a different size, color, and type of decoration!

Before the sun went down and the tree could be lit, people wandered the square and surrounding streets shopping, looking at the pretty Christmas lights, checking out the stands of knick-knacks and candies, and talking with their Parmigiani neighbors. As the sky became darker, more people filled the streets until the huge piazza was packed with people standing on top of each other. Although we did not all plan to go together, by the time the tree was about to be lit, almost all students from BC were crowded around the Christmas tree, taking pictures like tourists and listening to the adorable Italian children around us.

the soon-to-be-lit Christmas tree in the center of town (with the 13th century Palazzo del Governatore behind the tree)

Piazza Garibaldi

one of the main shopping streets in Parma off of Piazza Garibaldi

strings of lights, paper holly, and round ornaments with pictures of angels decorated the tree

After the tree was lit, a piano and chorus sang Christmas carols and we all sung along. Surprisingly, the majority of songs were in English so it was a nice touch of home in our most recent home. I love the sense of community that Parma has given us over the past 3 months.

Phantom of the Opera!

Well, now that you’ve seen one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world (in Vienna), I’d like to give you something to compare it to…

As a part of the program in Parma, our mommies (they’re officially site coordinators, but there’s not much of a difference) arranged for us to go to see an opera in October. One of my favorite musicals is Phantom of the Opera so you can say I was just a little (super) excited to be going to an actual opera in an opera house like I’ve seen portrayed in both the movie and the play. Look out, opera house! Here I come!

Parma’s claim to fame, besides its yummy prosciutto and cheese, is that it was home to famous composer Giuseppe Verdi (or at least it was the major city near his home). Verdi is most known for his operas Aida, La traviata, and Rigoletto. All of October in Parma is dedicated to him, with events all around the main piazza and shows in the opera house.

Parma’s opera house is named Teatro Regio, for the royalty that lived in Parma during the early 19th century when it was constructed. And boy, does it look fit for royalty. Just see for yourself. Words alone cannot describe.

the ceiling inside the theatre

ornately decorated box seats

the view looking out from the stage (minus the floor seats)

I was lucky enough to see one of Verdi’s own inside this gorgeous theatre. Does it get any better than this?

a view of the theatre before the performance from an upper level box

The opera we were going to see was Verdi’s Un ballo in machera, set in 17th century Boston. Ironic! Basically it’s about this love triangle involving the governor, his wife, and the governor’s right-hand man/best friend. Can you say awkward? Anyway, it’s full of jealousy, love triangles, conspiracies, singing, and Italian and I watched sitting in a gorgeous theatre. Needless to say, I loved every second of it and I was actually able to understand about 1/4 of it! (We did talk about the plot in class, though, so I had a headstart.)

the stage during the performance– Notice the subtitles (in Italian) above the stage to help the audience follow along.

a view from a box closer to the stage, with the chandelier lit up for the performance

It’s just hard NOT to be in awe and feel lucky when in a setting like this. Thanks again, Mom and Dad, for this experience. Gorgeous costumes, scenery, and a cultural experience all as class work! Not too bad!

the masquerade scene

(And no, there was no Phantom in this opera, though I haven’t decided whether that’s unfortunate or not…)

la bella Venezia!

Venice was one of the few places that I had been planning to visit since I knew I’d be studying abroad… I actually almost chose the Venice study abroad program through BC, but eventually chose Parma because of its more cultural classroom experience. I definitely made the right decision. Though Venice was beautiful and I look forward to going back again someday, it was extremely touristy and I’m happy I don’t have to deal with tourists on a daily basis. That said, the Venetian people were extremely accommodating and friendly, showing us around the city at night and giving us free seafood to taste! (what can I say, we’re cute!)

We left Parma early Friday morning (3 am wake up!) right after our late night at the opera–we were tired to say the least, but so excited for our amazing long weekend in Venice!

view of Venice right when you step out of the train station

beautiful canals are EVERYWHERE

my favorite breakfast… brioche and cappuccino!

street markets of fresh fruits, veggies, and fishies

Most of our weekend was spent walking around Venice getting lost (intentionally) so we could explore the beautiful side streets. Venice, the only pedestrian-only city in the entire world, was filled with so many people and boats acting as cars that my friends didn’t even notice the lack of cars until I pointed it out to them! Obviously the lack of technology didn’t detract from its liveliness!

Rialto bridge

Of course, we had to see the major “attractions” of Venice while we were there: Rialto bridge, the Grand Canal, the Cathedral, St. Mark’s piazza, etc.

the Grand Canal 🙂

the golden inside of Venice’s Cathedral

eating calamari for the first time… I did this just for you, Gram! I hope you’re proud!

After lunch on our first day we took a tour of 3 of the islands of Venice:  Murano, Burano, and Torcello. Murano, our first stop on the tour, is most famously known for its glass and is primarily inhabited by glass factories. We stopped only quickly in the factory (it was disappointingly short) and then got to look around at their collection/store. It’s absolutely amazing how they’re able to make such delicate creatures and elegant designs with mere melted glass.

heating up the glass

Next up was Burano, the island of lace and my personal favorite. It was so picturesque and colorful, both residential and commercial. It was Italy as I think most people in the world picture it.

just some of the beautiful lace

The Venetian woman I made friends with and watched for a while. She told me about her personal history with lace, how she started making the lace about 50 years ago at the school right across the piazza from where we were and how often she works. According to our conversation (all in Italian, may I add), it will take 7 women to complete the one piece of art in her hands. Each woman specializes in one stitch and does all those stitches before passing it along to the next woman. Our conversation was intriguing and I loved being able to talk to a local. Meeting new people is the best part of all these trips that I take!

an island rich with color

Last (but most certainly not least) was Torcello, the original settlement of Venice. This was the most residential area of Venice we had seen; there was nothing on the island except houses, overgrown land, and the oldest church we’ve seen in Italy so far.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta from 639 AD (left)… the mosaics inside were gorgeous! It was so hard to believe that they’re still surviving after all these years. Santa Fosca (right) is an 11th/12th century church that we couldn’t go into.

The Last Judgment mosaic within Santa Maria Assunta

the Venetian sunset as seen from Torcello

Venice at dusk

The next day (after a much needed, looooong night’s sleep) we had decided that we were going to put our maps at the bottom of our purses and just walk through the streets that looked most interesting to us. We found ourselves delicious cappuccino and ended up in a residential area of the city with no tourists.

just a regular Venetian house and “car”

After miraculously ending up in the center of the city again (I think we had to break out a map), we did a lot of shopping (only window shopping, I promise) and had a delicious pizza for lunch. Then we went to a park where we just hung out, learned Korean games from my friend Esther, and even made some new Venetian friends, Tony and Kristian.

Piazza di San Marco

fun in the park

the Venice girls! 🙂 My roommate Cailin was also in Venice this weekend so she met up with us for a little while when we were in the park!

Jackie, Tony and I spent the rest of the night getting great pictures of the city at night and checking out some of the mellow Venetian nightlife.

the Grand Canal, even more beautiful at night

gorgeous Venetian masks

While I may not get to see places like the true tourist because of my money and time constraints, I have so much fun traveling to all these new places. My friends and I have learned how to make the most of our time in places… talking to locals, learning about their lives and crafts, taking the time to eat local cuisine and seeing the city in a more relaxed manner more like the locals would. Maybe I miss a few museums or sights because I don’t have the money to enter, but in all of these trips so far it’s been the people and experiences that have made the places so exciting. That’s the reason I love to travel… I could Google search any monument or artwork and find a picture, but the purpose of these trips is to experience culture and the pulse of the city.

relaxing in Parma… finally :)

I spend most of my time in Parma doing what anyone would do in his/her hometown… I go to wake up, go to class, do homework, cook dinner, clean the apartment, go shopping, bike around town, and go to town events… except I’m in Italy and this is my first apartment so everything seems so much more exciting! These are photos from my daily life in Parma… 🙂

Bridget and Cynthia walking through Parma

Parma’s “river”

I love autumn ❤

villa family dinner numero 3 (or maybe 4?) was molto delicioso!

the organic festival we went to on Saturday around town

After our class trip to the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory we went to a beautiful castle. We didn’t go inside, but we wandered around the outside through the gardens, taking pictures, being silly, and taking naps (?!)…

the castle

the garden

the girls 🙂

such a beautiful day

Joe resting on the bench

Regular classes resumed after our excursion through the countryside, but I love that we can go and actually experience culture and history in person as we travel through Italy. THIS is exactly what study abroad should be. Classroom learning is important, but just as important are the experiences that shape a person’s way of thinking and challenge her assumptions. I’ve learned so much about myself through BC and its emphasis on experiential learning… my PULSE class that taught me philosophy and theology through a community service placement in the South End of Boston, TechTrek that showed me the business world/organizational culture/technology through our field study in Silicon Valley, and now classes in Italy that teach me about the things I’m experiencing everyday from the language to the culture and the sights. As I sat in front of the Venice train station this weekend (more about that later), a man from Detroit struck up a conversation with me because he saw me studying in English. We talked about my studies and travels as I gave him travel advice and as we were parting he commented that I didn’t realize how lucky I was.

But that’s where he’s wrong… I do know how lucky I am.

When people say that to me it actually gets me really upset. This man talked to me for ten minutes and he doesn’t know me personally so I’m not attacking him, but he’s not the only person who’s said this to me; even people close to me have said it and that hurts even worse. I’m not going to deny that I have a fairly easy life; I think fully recognizing that leads to an appreciation for everything and everyone I have in my life. I have two parents and an amazing brother who love me, a family who’d do anything for me, and friends who are always there for me. I rarely have to worry about anything of great substance. My parents ensure that my focus is on my schoolwork and becoming the person that I want to be. I know that I’m extremely lucky to have the experiences that I do and even the time and motivation to reflect upon them, especially at such a young age. While experiences like mine are certainly a privilege, the SJ Cadet in me recognizes that there is a responsibility that comes with this privilege (see, what I learned in high school is actually applicable to real life!); experiences like this are not something that should be wasted because not everyone is lucky enough to have them.

My parents do more for me than I should ever expect and though I may not thank them enough out loud, I hope they know that I appreciate everything they do for me. So Mom and Dad, thank you not only for financial and material support, but thank you for your dedication, caring concern, opportunities for growth and learning, conversations that challenge my beliefs, loyalty, love, and experiences that give me a different perspective on my own life (among many other things). I don’t mean for this to sound conceited, but I finally like the person that I’m becoming after years of uncertainty and that’s all because of what you’ve given me. I appreciate that and all the little moments in my life (both with you and on my own that have been shaped by your influence) more than you can ever know. I love you and miss you!

p.s. Mom, don’t cry 😉 I can hear you sniffling all the way from Parma!

yummy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese!!

“Senza patienza non andrai al paradiso, non sarai nel paradiso,” Anna remarks as she motions upward. Immediately she lowers her eyes, shakes her head and adds, “senza patienza andrai nella terra.” Anna is one of my lovely Italian mothers here and her words have been my motto for this semester … “Without patience you will not go to heaven, you won’t be in paradise. Without patience you will just go into the earth.”

Getting to know Parma has been much more difficult than learning Florence was, but I have to keep reminding myself to be patient because I still have two months here, plenty of time to get to know the city completely. I know I’m here to STUDY abroad but class is getting in the way of my cultural experience! I spend much more time in the classroom here than at BC (which I never expected would happen). At the end of the long day of classes (9 to 4 with no lunch break on Thursdays… ahh!) I’m usually too tired to go out and explore Parma, especially because it’s so cold! I’m glad there are cultural experiences built into our time here so I get to experience Parma through my classes. It makes studying fun! Last week our History of Parma class took us to a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory where we learned all about the process of making the cheese and the economic implications it’s had on the region.

Fresh milk comes into the factory twice a day, early morning and night. The milk from the night is stored in large containers (not shown here) where the fat separates overnight. That milk is naturally skimmed and then mixed with the morning milk which has not been skimmed to create a half-and-half like mix that goes into these large cone-shaped vats. The man here is checking the granulation of the milk after natural whey starters and natural rennet is added.

heat is then added to expel the water from the granules

The heat causes the granules to sink to the bottom and form a giant mass that will eventually form the cheese.

The mass of cheese is lifted up…

…then cut in half…

… and then hung to dry.

The cheese is then placed in these molds for 2 to 3 days.

This second mold will hold the stencil and the cheese together for a day to give the cheese its outer markings, labeling the specific date the cheese was made along with other required factory information and seals. After this the cheese will be placed into one more mold to give it the curved shape. (You can see the date of this cheese written on the top… 10-10-11 or October 10, 2011.)

Cheese is immersed in a salt water solution for a little less than a month, and it’s turned everyday to make sure that the salt enters the cheese evenly.

Finally, cheese is placed on the shelf to be aged for 24 months or more!

Cheese is only branded with the “Parmigiano-Reggiano Consorzio Tutela” mark (the large oval in the center) after it passes inspection…

Cheese is only tested (by sound and look) after the minimum period of aging (12 months) has passed.

passed inspection!

delicioso 🙂

the cheese is flipped and dusted often mainly by hand, but the bottom rows can be done by machine

so much cheese!!!

who knew food could be so beautiful??

Then we got a taste test, my favorite part… and everyone else’s too!

Buon Appetito da Parma!

Bolognese, per favore!

Another Saturday, another adventure… This time a group of us decided to take a day trip to Bologna, a charming Italian city known for its university and, of course, Bolognese sauce! Early Saturday morning we biked to the train station and jumped on the first train bound for Bologna. We were all busy admiring the cleanliness of the train when the controllare came over to collect our tickets. I handed him my ticket and was immediately told to fork over an extra 8 euro for getting on the wrong train. Apparently in all the excitement of the morning we had gotten on the wrong train (we can blame it partly on Joe… he has a bad track record with trains, just reread my Arezzo/Assisi post! 😉 haha just kidding, Joe)–still going in the right direction, but much more expensive. We’re getting better at making mistakes! Luckily the controllare’s payment machine broke so we were able to jump off the train at the next stop and get onto the train we were supposed to be on without paying the extra 8 euro!

Bologna was a beautiful city of arcade-lined streets and rich colors. Although Bologna is a big city by Italian standards, it still had the small town charm where you could see Italians and fewer tourists filling the streets. As we walked away from the train station we walked through a pretty park full of fall colors. I absolutely love autumn here. It’s just like autumn in New England except without the drastic temperature drop. Italian fall actually feels like fall! How crazy is that?!

the stereotypical Italian woman leaning on the windowsill to watch the people below

the turtle fountain in the park

the Saturday morning marketplace

This was the sight I saw most in Bologna…Cailin and the Joes were always stopping to consult the map!

so many arcades and they all looked different in color and style!

Neptune’s Fountain in Piazza Maggiore

part of Piazza Maggiore

As we neared Piazza Maggiore we started to notice large crowds of people and big charter buses with dozens of bikes piled up around them. Needless to say we were very confused… until we reached the piazza. At the “entrance” to the piazza stood a bright yellow arch and two fences running back into the piazza to form a pathway that cut underneath the arch. We had just stumbled upon an annual bike race that begins in Bologna! I don’t watch cycling regularly, but I’ve been told by my friend Charlotte (she’s at BC now but she saw pictures) that we saw some really big cycling teams… I didn’t even know and they were standing less than 10 feet from me!

watching the introduction of the racing teams!

Walking into festivals, races and other events accidentally is one of my favorite parts of traveling. It’s an unexpected chance to see the towns in all their glory, prepared for visitors and still authentic. Although this wasn’t as exciting as St. Andrew’s festival in Amalfi last summer, it was still fun to stop and watch for 15 minutes.

After watching the bikers get introduced and finally begin the race we walked through Bologna, making sure we saw the university and the two leaning towers…

one of the leaning towers (the other was covered by scaffolding–you can see part of it there on the right)… We didn’t climb either tower; according to local legend, if you climb the tower you won’t graduate!

I absolutely loved the colors of the buildings.

Piazza del Porta Ravegnana– the piazza that the two towers stand in

every day Italian life ❤

The University of Bologna is the oldest university in Europe so it was really cool to be there, even though we didn’t see any buildings that looked that old. Obviously they restore/update/rebuild the buildings of the school on a regular basis to give the students a nice school. Everything was beautiful, even the graffiti that covered the walls. Students definitely weren’t afraid to deface their campus with their political views or random thoughts. Yet the graffiti didn’t detract from the scholarly feel of the area… it almost seemed to add to it because the graffiti usually meant something (rather than just tagging the artist’s name). The University of Bologna and surrounding area reminded me so much of Yale and New Haven (the pretty parts, of course). I loved it. I got a taste of home without having to travel across the Atlantic. 🙂

BC kids take over Uni. Bologna!

(this picture could’ve been taken anywhere in New Haven)

Besides its homey feel, my favorite part of Bologna was the colors of the buildings!

When we were done walking through the university buildings (there’s no actual campus for most European universities), we headed to a restaurant called Cesari that Joe C. had found online. It definitely lived up to the reviews that he saw… it was so delicious!!!

the main attraction in Bologna… pasta with Bolognese sauce!!

the group from L to R: Phoebe, Cailin, Joe R., Patrice (my friend from BC who’s studying in Milan… I randomly bumped into her in the train station in Bologna and she tagged along with us for the day!), Joe C…. missing from the picture are Tommy and myself

Tommy’s so happy because he got the Grom gelato that he’d been bugging us for all day 🙂

my extra-dark chocolate and salty caramel gelato… yummmmmyyyy 😀

After our late lunch/dinner we took an earlier train back home to Parma because we had run out of (free) things to do. Most of our time in Bologna was spent just walking around and exploring, but we (or at least I) had so much fun doing it. Plus, it’s always nice to go somewhere with a different group of people and get to know them better!

one of the 12 ancient gates to the city (from the inside)

waving good bye to Bologna from outside the gate

Home sweet home– in Parma :)

First, I’d like to give you a tour of my apartment! I made a video for you, but it costs too much money to upload so I can only hope that these pictures show you enough to give you a general feel for our apartment. I live in a villa with 8 other BC students (4 boys, 4 girls besides me), but Cailin and I have an apartment to ourselves within the villa. Cailin and I have a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. It’s a really awesome space for only two people. Then we have a common room downstairs that we share with all the other BC kids.

walking into the kitchen

the other half of the kitchen–Notice the window that opens on the floor and the slanted ceilings? We live in the attic. It’s awesome, except when I hit my head (very often because the ceilings get really low in the bathroom).

the bathroom (if you couldn’t tell…)–We have one of the two washing machines in the whole house! Definitely a perk because we can do our laundry whenever we want 🙂

I took this right after we moved in. We unpacked our clothes and everything ASAP because we were all so tired of living out of our suitcases!

Immediately after moving in one of our program directors (aka our mothers while we’re here) Betta took us on a walk of our neighborhood, showing us the essentials like the grocery store, pharmacy, bank ATM, etc. Then we headed to our welcome dinner (#2!) for some delicious authentic Parmesan food. Oh my goodness was it delicious!!

The next day we got a brief tour of our new home… Though the tour was extremely boring and aimed at kindergardeners (we had just taken a 3 week art history course and could’ve taught our tour guide a few things), on day 1 I already knew that I loved it here and my opinion still hasn’t changed.

the clock tower on the governor’s palace

Piazza Garibaldi–the forum of Parma and a spot that I bike through many, many times every day (and yes, I did just say bike…)

the opposite end of the forum

Parma, Parma, Parma! (the Parma flag)

one of the main streets off the forum… so much shopping!!!

a random side street

EVERYONE here bikes… seriously, everyone, from the kids to the elderly.

welcome to the home of opera composer Verdi!! October happens to be Verdi Festival month… how lucky am I?? 

Parma’s Duomo!

Parma’s Baptistery

the Bishop’s Palace– The plates decorating the outside walls were a sign to pilgrims that they would find food, shelter, and hospitality in that building.

a calendar of figures above the door into the Duomo– Each figure represented a task or job during the month like harvesting grapes or curing ham.

inside the Duomo

so ornately decorated

This is what an art/architectural history tour looks like when we don’t have Rocky with us. Kevin is only smiling because he heard my camera clicking as I took the picture… trust me, he looked miserable and tired before!

my first home-cooked meal in my first apartment!

the meal– chicken with mozzarella and tomatoes, with a side of roasted vegetables… yummy!!

family dinner time! We’ve planned to have a pot luck supper every Wednesday night where each room brings a different plate and then we spend hours just sitting there eating and talking. It’s our own little family and one of the best parts of the week! (Cailin is missing because she’s taking the picture… everyone else is here. From left to right: Tommy, Liz, me, Allison, Joe, Liana, Kevin, and Justin)

my brand new bike! 

The people at the bike shop are such awesome people, so much fun to talk to and learn Italian from. I’m the lucky one who’s chain fell off going over a cobblestone within the first 24 hours so I got to go visit a second time. But I didn’t mind because I love that shop! And despite my fear of falling off a bike (because of a pretty bad fall many years ago), I’m absolutely loving riding a bike everywhere!!! At first it hurt to ride and I was walking around with a sore tailbone 24/7, but now that I’ve been riding my bike for almost two weeks I’m doing a much better job and am no longer hurting! woohoo!! 😀

the simplest dinner ever… chicken and onions… and I loved every bite of it!

it may not look that appetizing, but I love my eggs and I missed them (these pictures are nothing more than proof to my parents that I can take care of myself and feed myself a well-balanced meal 😉 )

I loved Florence and the city life, but Parma is home… I felt that as soon as I got here. It’s small enough that I can see people waving to others that they know on the street, but big enough that it takes me 45 minutes to bike all the way from my house to the other side of the city. I have room to explore and meet new people without feeling too overwhelmed or like I’m in a place that’s unauthentic. I have to speak Italian to everyone, but if I have trouble with a word some hand gestures, charades, and maybe an English word or two will get me by. There are so many people here that are excited to help students out with Italian phrases and culture that you’d really have to try hard to not learn anything!

Ti mancherò, Firenze…

How does one spend her last day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world after three magical weeks?? By eating, of course… we’re in Italy, the land of food! And there’s no better place to eat food than in a piazza that overlooks the whole city of Florence. Great food, new friends, and a beautiful view–sounds like a good arrivederci to me!

After our art history exam in the morning we went to the grocery store to buy the essentials for a picnic lunch…crackers, tomato and onion spread for the crackers, grapes, raspberries (my favorite!), prosciutto, salami, 2 different types of cheeses, wine, and water. Then we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo (a fitting final outing because it was my first Florentine outing) and sat on the steps overlooking the Duomo and city as we ate our delicious meal.

the BEST raspberries I’ve ever eaten

After finishing our lunch we walked around the piazza taking silly pictures, talking about our favorite and least favorite parts of Florence, and what we’re looking forward to in Parma. We had nowhere to be, no more art history final to worry about and we were prepared to get silly and have fun…

my friend Bridget

Esther, Jackie and I (R to L)

Jackie taking a long last look at Firenze

We were all so excited to see this statue because we could tell you exactly what each of the figures represented, where the originals can be found, and all about the symbolism behind them. Thank you, Rocky and your awesome art history class!!

Bridget, me, Jackie, Cynthia, Esther, and Cynthia’s visiting friend Audrey– I look like a giant compared to all these girls!

Bridget and Esther 🙂

On our way back down into the city we passed a giant pile of confetti left over from a wedding photo shoot so naturally we decided to stop and have our own…

the confetti pile!

We walked through the gardens to get back to our hotel, taking our time walking so we could enjoy every last second of our time in Firenze.

I will miss you, Florence…

❤

Assisi… oh wait, let’s go to Arezzo first!

I’ve determined that when it comes to transportation I can be a very unlucky person.

My friend Joe and I left Firenze on Saturday (September 24– I know I’m really behind with these posts) at 8 am for Assisi, hoping to get there before lunch so we’d have the whole day to sightsee before heading back “home” around 6. Unfortunately, we missed our connecting train in Arezzo by 2 minutes (literally!) and had 2 hours to wait before the next train to Assisi would come. Fun! Instead of just sitting in the train station, we decided to go out and explore Arezzo for a bit before we came back for the train. Why not take the opportunity to see a different town? The main town of Arezzo is situated on a hill with the train station on the bottom so we walked up to the park at the top before heading back down for the train. It was a nice walk and we got a beautiful view of Tuscany from the park. Not a complete waste of time!

Joe walking through the streets of Arezzo

from inside the park

Toscana

Joe taking in the beautiful scenery

an everyday Italian scene… a man leaning on a statue to talk on the cell phone

We finally arrived at Assisi six hours later, including our brief excursion in Arezzo, 3.5 hours more than it should’ve taken. I can’t complain… I’m happy we were there at all!

view of Assisi from the train station

The first thing we did when we arrived was head straight for the Basilica of St. Francis. By this point in our art history class we already knew the story of St. Francis and the different types of churches so we went through this fairly quickly. It was different from what I would’ve expected though. There were two different stories of altars, nothing like I’ve ever seen before. I wish I could’ve taken pictures for you to see what I mean. Then in the very bottom of the basilica (the lower sanctuary) was the body of St. Francis. It was a beautiful sanctuary and I wish I could’ve actually spent a few minutes in there, but because of our delay in Arezzo we had only 3 hours to see the entire city of Assisi before our train home.

walking up to the Basilica of St. Francis

convent attached to the back of the Basilica

“PAX” (peace) and a cross… seen outside the entrance of the Basilica’s second floor

the entrance to the second floor of the Basilica

the view from above (aka the second floor)

After the Basilica of St. Francis, Joe and I walked up the hill to the Assisi gates and then “hiked” down the road to San Damiano, the church that St. Francis repaired with his own two hands when he heard his call from God and where he spent a good portion of his saintly days. The church was extremely small but beautiful, with a convent of similar manner attached where St. Francis lived.

random side street view

walking up Assisi

cute little chapel on the side of the street down to San Damiano

SAN DAMIANO, the major site to see in Assisi…

from the outside– unfortunately, photographs weren’t allowed inside

the San Damiano convent courtyard

along the path down to San Damiano

From San Damiano we walked back up into the town and stopped in the church where Saint Clare of Assisi (a contemporary and follower of St. Francis) is buried. Two saints in one day… holiest day trip ever!! In the same sanctuary, we were able to see what is believed to be some of the possessions of St. Francis including his robe, Bible, and a stocking for his foot from when he had the stygmata, among a few other items. Whether or not these were actually his are up for debate, but it was interesting to see anyway.

a random Assisi street

As we walked through the town one last time on the way to the bus I joked that there were a million churches in this town, practically one around every corner. As soon as I said those words, I caught the glimpse of a sign for “Chiesa Nuova” or New Church and dragged Joe in that direction… what was one more church after a day of churches and saints? Although he initially doubted my instincts, he was happy I forced him to see it… Chiesa Nuova (ironically built in 1615) stands on the ground where St. Francis’ house once was. We walked in and were able to see his front door, the place where his father imprisoned him, and his father’s shop. It was pretty cool and the church was pretty too; unlike the other churches we saw, the ground plan of this was a Greek cross (a cross with arms all of equal length) so you could stand in the middle and see the entire thing at once. It was also small and intimate compared to the grand, over-the-top churches that we’ve been seeing everywhere else.

Chiesa Nuova… small, unassuming church on the outside, packed with St. Francis history on the inside

the entrance to Chiesa Nuova from the historical St. Francis street

Oh, and don’t worry, Joe ate his words like a man and said I was right, he was wrong… I was happy. 😉