Carnevale in Venice: According to Kaitlin J.

Over the weekend, 75 students from Northern California traveled to Verona & Venice to take part in the world-famous Carnevale celebrations! Here are some photos from Kaitlin J's point of view...

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Settling In: According to Zach W.

During my second full week of living in Florence, things began to become more and more normal. I can now walk the city and get to all major landmarks without a map; i know a couple hole-in-the-wall authentic Tuscan/Florentine restaurants; and I have a favorite caffe to get my morning coffee. I’ve come to realize how different the culture really is here. You will never see an Italian running after a bus or hurrying in any way shape or form. Everyone here just seems happy and content with their lives. It’s very refreshing as I’ve lived in San Francisco my whole life and you see people rushing around (including me) all day everyday. It feels like Italians try and make every moment of everyday enjoyable for themselves.

Im off to Venice for the weekend, Ill be writing all about it next week!

-Zachary Weisenburger 2014 AIFS Study Abroad Student

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Cooking Class: According to Hailie G.

Just got my hands messy making some home made raviolis with spinach and cheese, with an artichoke quiche appitizer (not sure if that's what it was called) and panna cotta with chocolate for dessert. Mmmm!

Don't tell my mom that I am learning how to cook.. or that I know how to cook. 

We had to meet on the middle of the Ponte Vecchio (view shown below). This is that bridge with all that snazzy gold on it *sparkle in my eye* 

Anyway, that isn't the topic. So from there we went to this little restaurant/caffe where we were learned to make this lovely meal.

The chefs were amazing! They were very funny and totally entertaining. The main one, Francesco loved my friend Melodie's name. He even started singing to her a little bit *chuckle.*

I just threw this one in here because it was cool.

I am not sure what to say about this other than it was such a good experience. I had never made raviolis before, let alone home made pasta. It was quite the accomplishment! We didn't use any egg white or water to close the ravioli either like you see on tv, but still it tasted marvelous! We had to use a lot of team work though because once we got the pasta rolling everything sped up. We had a little assembly line going. I am getting a little sick, so in all honesty everything was a bit of a fog, but luckily they gave us the recipes so I can continue to make it when I get home. Yay! So, take a look at our wonderful food and be jealous :)

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Week 2: According to Brigitte F.

It has been about two weeks now that I’ve been living here in Florence. I’m getting around the town pretty easily and don’t get lost as often. Already, there are a few things I love about living here.

I love waking up each morning, sticking my head out the window and listening to Florence wake up. A vendor sets up his fruit market right below my bedroom window and soon the chatter of Italian starts.

I love hearing the accordion, violin, and chiming bells as I stroll through the city.

I love how the citizens of each city are so proud of their home and distinct history and culture. They gladly will boast about the famous people who were born, lived or died in their cities.

Gelato!

And, of course, I love the food. I have a meal voucher plan through AIFS for a number of restaurants in the city; so far I have eaten at three of them: Il Teatro, The Diner, and Osteria de’ Peccatori. The food is delicious and the portions are large, keeping me full and happy. Back home I don’t eat red meat, but I decided that I couldn’t experience Italy without tasting all of its amazing dishes that include red meat; so I have been eating just about whatever here. There are so many great dishes and a few strange ones. At the AIFS welcome dinner I had pate, chicken liver, which is a local specialty! Tortellini in cream sauce, thinly sliced prosciutto, nocciola gelato… I don’t think I could ever tire of this cuisine.

In my classes I learn about so many different pieces of art and architecture that are within walking distance, it’s amazing. Just a couple of minutes from my apartment is Il Duomo, Piazza della Reppublica, and many more monuments. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much art and history.

Last Saturday we had the chance to go on a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. In Pisa we toured Piazza dei Miracoli, including the Cathedral, Baptistery, and of course the Campanile (Leaning Tower of Pisa). Inside the cathedral there are numerous paintings, mosaics and beautiful things to gaze at. I was awed by all of it and am unable to truly express what a rewarding experience it was.  Hearing and seeing the history and art of Pisa was a wonderful. A short bus-ride away in Lucca we strolled through the streets and along the city walls. The surrounding area and top of the large wall itself are so green; it was a welcome break from the city-feel of Florence to see nature and take a leisurely walk through, what felt like, a pretty quiet town. I plan on taking my mom to visit both Pisa and Lucca when she flies over.

Here is the interior of the Cathedral at Pisa. Photos can’t do it justice.

I really enjoy the fresh market in Sant‘ Ambrogio square. It’s a little bit of a walk from my apartment, but now I have the path down and it’s definitely worth it. There are a lot of fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses and other items to choose from at good prices. I’ve even gotten to know a couple of vendors.

I’ve been trying to use Italian where ever I can, but I often have to say “Parla Inglese?” or resort to hand gestures and motioning. I can’t wait until I can communicate easily with the locals!

Last night I explored the other side of Florence across the Arno River with some students. The Ponte Vecchio bridge and Florence was lit up by shining lights. The day had not been rainy (finally!) and the clouds made for a beautiful sunset.

Until next time, arrivederci!

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Shoe Shopping in Florence: According to Fiona

Like most people visiting Florence, I wanted to buy some nice Italian shoes. I went online and simply googled “10 best shoe stores in Florence,” and after some clicking around I ended up on TripAdvisor.com, where I found two promising shops.

The one I decided to visit first is called Goccia, which is on Via Pellicceria in Florence (really close to the Piazza de Repubblica). It’s a pretty tiny shop, but it’s worth finding for sure! I was there during the last few days of their winter collection sale. (The TripAdvisor review that convinced me to go)

I bought 3 pairs of shoes there! 

Petra, me and Nino. They’re both very nice, and speak English really well. They’re really helpful; just tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll be able to assist you.

My roommates Elizabeth V. and Kat L. tagged along, and they both bought shoes there too. Elizabeth V. ordered this style of shoes to be made for her.

Elizabeth V.

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Weekly Round-Up: According to Elizabeth M.

Elizabeth M. shares a few photos and talks about pizza making, the hunt for the perfect gelato, and more...

Ciao! It’s been about a week and a half now that I’ve been in Florence, and it’s hard to believe that it’s still only the beginning of the trip! I feel like I’ve done so much already, and there’s still so much more for me to do! This is a photo of the pizza that I made yesterday (and ate half of right then because yum, it was delicious) and a lovely glass of complimentary wine! Today I have a wine tasting class after our ILC (Italian Life & Culture) class, and I’m so excited to try out all the delicious wines!  :)

Kaitlin and I have been wandering around trying to find the best gelato, and so far we have found two delicious places! The first is located across the Ponte Vecchio and is named Gelateria della Passera. It’s located at Via Toscanella, 15R, and has an amazing Earl Grey flavor. Plus, it’s only 1 euro for a scoop in a cup, and yummmm. The second place we found is called Le Botteghe di Leonardo and is located on Via Valori, 12. We got a scoop in a cone, and it was SO delicious. This is Kaitlin’s scoop of nocciola (hazelnut) and she said it was amaaazing.

This is us at a lovely pizzeria in Lucca. I ordered the ‘fortuna’ pizza and it was delicious, I ate the entire thing, and it was a large pizza!

And a ‘lovely’ photo of me and my roomies in front of the leaning tower of Pisa! Hahaha!

We’re all enjoying Florence so much, hope you’re all doing well! xo

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