San Gimignano

San Gimignano boasts the world's first skyscrapers. These towers along with the city wall served as a great defense system against enemies, specifically the Florentines. The structures were in abundance until the early 14th century when the Black Plague weakened the local army and Florence was finally able to take over. While the town was left in destitute for hundreds of years it also led to the great preservation of the remaining towers and wall. Today many tourists stroll down its quaint streets and alleyways.  

One day after class Maria invited a group of us to join her on a trip to this little town. We hopped on a bus and two transfers later we arrived on a cloudy afternoon. We had just enough time to walk around a bit, shop for some souvenirs, and eat a delicious dinner. I probably consumed the best lasagna I've ever had in my life that day. 

The town is so small that one is able to walk the entire length in about 10 minutes.  This was great because we were able to walk down most of the alleyways, talk to locals, pet cute dogs, and take in dramatic panoramic views.  There isn't a whole lot to do, but considering how close it is to Siena I would highly suggest going on an afternoon after class if you get the chance.  Walk, eat a lasagna, and breath in the fresh Tuscan air.

discovering the Cinque Terre

There are places we visit in our lives that stick with us and nestle themselves in a deep spot of our hearts.  These places bring back the memories that make our hearts swell with joy while making it ache at the same time.  My first weekend in Cinque Terre is one of those places.

Cinque Terre is a hidden gem.  It's true that it is very touristy, but not as much as you would think for such a beautiful collection of towns along the Italian Riviera.  I had the luxury of going twice during my summer in abroad.

When I arrived at Riomaggiore I felt like had been transported into another world.  It all started with the train ride.  It takes about three to four hours to get to the final destination from Siena.  By the time I was almost arriving I was tired and anxious to arrive.  The last stop before finally getting there is La Spezia.  Along the ride from La Spezia to Riomaggiore is filled with views of quaint Italian communities before the train zooms through tunnels along the coast.  The best part of arriving, in my opion, was this moment.  After being in a tunnel for a few minutes you suddenly see a FLASH of sky, sea, and cliffs.  That's all you see, and you only see it for a few seconds, but it is wonderful and truly exhilirating.  To me, it felt as if I had jumped in a pool of cold water after laying in the sun for hours.  I was suddenly refreshed, and so excited to see what was to come ahead.  The closer we got to the end the longer these flashes became and a clearer picture of the paradise that awaited started to form.  

When I finally arrived and disembarked the train at Riomaggiore, the platform was surrounded by more cliffs, sky, and sea.  It seems like I keep saying that I "fell in love" with everything in Italy, but this is really what kept happening.  Every moment of this summer was amazing and I can't describe it better than falling in love.

the most beautiful train stop in the world.

Even though I am a planner, I decided to go to CT on a whim  and bought a train ticket without any idea of where I would sleep for the night.  Some of my travel mates had already arrived and secured a couple of beds in a hostel.  I figured I would do the same, but when I got there all of the beds had been booked.  There were quite a few hotel booking agencies on the main road so I went to the first one I saw that seemed most appealing (tons of flowers on the stoop) and asked for a room.  They had one, it was a private room and bath, and the rate was €80.  I managed to use my Italian skills to charm the owner and his wife to bring down the price to €60, which ended up being just double the price my friends paid for a hostel bed and a bathroom shared by ten people.  Score!

balcony views.

The room was unbelievable.  It was situated on the highest point of the town which meant that I had to climb very steep hills and countless steps to get there while dragging my overpacked carry-on bag and backpack with all of my camera equipment.  I huffed and puffed on my way up as the owner's wife sped up the hill in her stiletto heals, but after a 15 minute climb we were finally there.  I thought I had been used to hills from living in Siena for four weeks, but those hills were no match for the ones I climbed that weekend.  They definitely came in handy to counter all of the delicious food that I consumed during those three days.

In Venice, I had to make a conscious effort to get out of the touristy areas to have a more authentic experience.  In Cinque Terre, the entire place is an authentic experience, at least as the people are concerned.  The streets aren't flooded with vendors selling cheap souvenirs, and you aren't trampled with tons of day-trippers on a mission.  It did feel like the locals were catering to the tourists, but they were in fact locals were very connected to the community and deeply cared about their town.

Some study abroad-ers may be tempted to save money and simply visit Cinque Terre for the day and stay at Pisa for the night.  I would have to argue that this place is definitely worth saving your long weekend for.  Here is a breakdown of what I did during my two night stay.

Day One:   I arrived in the evening so I didn't get much done besides enjoy the beautiful views.  However, after spending the entire week studying and then taking a four hour train ride, this peaceful time just what I needed.

Day Two:  Took the train to Monterosso. A group of us reserved a block of lounge chairs on the beach.  The beach, the sand, the views -- everything-- was perfect.  We spent the evening on the quiet harbor of Vernazza.  Instead of having dinner at a restaurant we opted to order our food to go and ate by the water.  We all agreed that there is no such thing as a bad meal in Cinque Terre as we indulged on pesto pizza, trofie al pesto, and spaghetti alla bolognese.  We listened the crashing waves behind us as we gazed at the lovely lights reflecting on the water.  After our dinner we took a very short walk (you can walk from one end of Vernazza to the other in about 5 minutes) for some gelato before we headed back to catch the train to our room in Monterosso.

 Day Three:  We woke up early and had lovely breakfast with Italian pastries and cappuccino in preparation for a big hike.  We planned on hiking from Monterosso to Vernazza because I had heard that this route was less challenging than the other way around ( I was lied to, by the way.  The is the MOST challenging leg of the entire hike, but it was a lot of fun).  There were countless steps, dramatic views, and friendly cats along the way.  This leg of the hike should have only taken an hour and a half, but we were having so much fun exploring and taking pictures along the way that it took us over three hours to complete.  When we arrived in Vernazza we had lunch at same spot we picked up dinner from the night before.  Some last minutes shopping left us with a bittersweet feeling about leaving.  Even though we enjoyed our entire weekend throughout the Cinque Terre, Vernazza held an extra special place in our hearts.

There is nothing I could say to express the way my heart swells every time I think of all of the moments I  I spent in this hidden gem.  From the second I got off the train, to the the moment I frantically tried to find a hotel room, to hiking up and down the steepest hills I have ever experienced in my life, to the lasting memories I made with friends who I will know for the rest of my life, this weekend was dream.

nom.

I've decided that the reason I regretfully neglected to take photos of every delicious Italian meal I consumed was because I was just having too much fun during meal times.  I did manage to remember to take a few. Here is a collection of all of the food photos I took over the summer.

1. Seafood Risotto in Vernazza, Cinque Terre. 2. Caprese Salad in Sorrento whilst watching the sunset. 

3. homemade pasta with arugula pesto, sauteed tomatoes over a bed of arugula made for our cooking class.  4. creamed spinach with tomato sauce made for our cooking class. 5. pasta frutti di mare in the middle of nowhere in Venice.  6. antipasti plate at the Panther Contrada dinner. 7. chicken cacciatore made by gabby, alison, and myself at their place.  8. meat and cheese plate at the Boar's head restaurant. 9. Pizza in Piazza del Campo (this place is right across from the great gelato place, once I remember the name I will update this.) 10. tomato with mozzarella and roast beef at Torre contrada dinner.  11. trofie al pesto at our welcome lunch at Dante Alighieri school.  12. Moulin Rouge crepes on the day I felt really homesick.  13.  my first cappuccino e cornetto in Roma.  14. lobster tail pastry and cafe in Rome.

1. Veal alla pizzaiola and roasted potatoes made for our cooking class. 2. trofie al pomodoro for our goodby lunch at Dante.  3.  bruschetta with cheese, pears, and nuts. 4. pesto pizza at Vernazza.  4. pistachio gelato in Venice.  5. my attempt at village food: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, bread, & oil.

If you want to know where these meals specifically came from, just shoot me an email and I will give you the details!

Tips: Even if you don't blog, write.

I knew that writing this blog while I was away was going to be a challenge. When I committed to this follow-on project for the Gilman Scholarship I said that I would have it done upon my return.  There were many reasons why I didn't want to promise that it wouldn't get done right away.  The first reason was that I wasn't sure how internet access would work in a medieval city.  It turned out that my instinct was right about this one.  I didn't have internet access in my apartment and even though there was wifi available at the school it was never very reliable so I stopped carrying my laptop on my mile walk to school in hopes of being able to get online.  The second reason I thought it'd be best to delay this blog was because I wasn't sure how much time I would have to sit on my computer, sort through my thousands of photos, and edit them so they looked just right before they were posted.

I was happy that I had time to get my stories organized and that there was no pressure to post while I was abroad, but at the same time I wanted to make sure that the stories I told once I got back rang true to my feelings while I was in Italy.  Make sense?  My solution was to keep a journal.  A simple leather journal with blank pages.  I carried it everywhere and I made sure I used it.  

I wanted to make this clear so that everyone who reads this knows where my stories are coming from.  Some of my notes are scribbles from the day, but when I read some of my longer entries I feel like I'm back in my room on Via Campansi or sitting by myself in the Piazza as I wrote them.  I'm also drawing from several letters that I wrote home along with postcards and emails as well.  

The point is that I never stopped writing.  It was one of the best gifts I gave myself while I was in Italy.  In the past I have committed to projects and for some reason or another I felt that if I wasn't able to do everything perfectly and right away I should just give up.  This summer I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do every single thing that I wanted, but I knew I wanted to try my best.  Taking the time to sit in an internet cafe that was far away from my apartment on the evenings when I had the opportunity to hang out with friends, try a new restaurant, and even study, was not something that was high on my list.  Instead I put writing on my list.

Whether or not your are planning to start a travel blog I would suggest keeping a journal for yourself.  This way you can look back and read about the time in your life when everything changed--when you became a new person, when your world perspective grew, when your life's perspective evolved.  These changes may seem monumental or even small in the moment, but when you look back at them long after you've returned you will realize they are priceless.

student apartments.

Student apartments came in all shapes and sizes.  I had five roommates in a huge apartment, while others remained on their own in tiny studios.  We were all very comfortable and found benefits in all of our accommodations.  I enjoyed being on the edge of the historical center because it was very quiet and it gave me an excuse to walk more than most on a daily basis.  However, I also enjoyed that my friends had an teeny tiny apartment that had a balcony that overlooked the Piazza del Campo.  It was great from people watching, and especially Palio watching.  Not only did we get to watch the actual race from the comfort of home, but we also enjoyed watching many parades and other festivities.

my bedroom.

dinning/living room.

kitchen!

laundry day.

Gabby and Alison's deluxe balcony.

did I mention they had an amazing view?

watching the Palio from the comfort of home.

we made the best meals in their tiny kitchen.