I just love Thursdays...

The rules are simple. Wander the city with no map.

Every Thursday is an adventure here in Florence. It's the first day of my weekend and the only day I get to truly just wander around the city aimlessly hoping to stumble upon something..anything.

And, today was that day--the weather wasn't too shabby either!

My day began with a short devotional, an incredible workout and a bowl of Special K cereal with a sliced banana (My day could have ended there and I would have been happy).

I took a quick shower to wash off and headed out to find a "paper" store, which I had stumbled upon last night on my way to a bar called 21 for my roommate's 21st birthday--how fitting.

If you don't know this all ready, "little" and "knick knack" is my middle name. Ask anyone, especially my mom or Will, and you will come to find out that I collect anything "mini sized" and I simply can't resist buying cool notebooks (especially if they are mini).


After several wrong turns, which happens more often than not, I finally found what I was looking for.

Fabriano Boutique.

I absolutely fell in love with this place. I would buy the entire store if I could. They sold more notebooks and drawing pads than I could count as well as pens and color pencils. Their journals were as cute as they could be and my favorite had to be the one that said, "I write better than Dante." 

I just couldn't resist and purchased an Italian made card that simply says, "With Love." I plan to frame it when I get home to remind me of my time in Florence.

I also purchased a pair of mismatched earrings from a cute cute boutique across the street.

I continued my adventure walking along the Arno River and snapped a few pictures along the way.

(I treated myself to gelato)

Ah a great day in Florence!

XOXO,

Meggie

six degrees of separation

First of all, I would like to congratulate myself on getting a 93 (Yes Mom, that is still an A even in Italy,) on my first Italian Quiz :)


You could say I'm a natural... I mean, I'm practically a native.


Anyways, aside from seeing the beautiful sunrise every morning over the Arno River, as I wander down the empty streets, I have come to find that I see the same people beginning their work day.


Every morning while crossing the Ponte, I see the same shop keeper opening his gelato shop, delicately placing each flavor in the same place it was the day before. As I continue past Piazza della Repubblica, I peer in the window at Hotel Savoy and wonder what it would be like to sit and eat breakfast at this incredible hotel, while people watching and reading a good book. And then, there's the old man. The one who doesn't speak any English. The same old man who showed me how to get to class on my first day of school. Every morning he opens his Newsstand and every morning someone is there buying the day's newspaper. 


It's incredible. 


But, perhaps my favorite is the man who sits in the cafe on the corner before I turn for class. The man who sits at the same table in the back drinking his coffee. He carefully reads the newspaper as if his life depended on it, not wanting to miss a single word. He takes his time and sometimes is still sitting there when I walk back. It's as if he has no where to be and that if he did have somewhere to be, they would wait for him.


While having early classes isn't unusual for me, in fact it's quite normal, I enjoy waking up early and starting my day. Life is too short to waste it sleeping, especially when you're in Italy. These stories remind me of when my sister was in Italy and she too passed the same man selling fruit every morning. 


And then I wonder, why doesn't this happen at home?


Maybe it's because I live in Columbia and there are no precious old men selling fruit on the street corner. Or, maybe it's the fact that Americans are always moving so fast to get from Point A to Point B*. And trust me, I'm just as guilty of this as the next girl. 


To quote Ferris Bueller, which is one of my favorite movies of all time--in fact it inspired one of my nicknames back home--"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." 


Cliche, I know, but so true. 


I look forward to my mornings. I look forward to seeing these people that I don't even know. I enjoy creating stories in my head about what they do when they're not at work, or when they're not reading in the cafe on the corner. 


Everyone has heard of the six degrees of separation idea. "everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend," statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer."


Could it be possible that somehow I'm connected to these complete strangers?


Possibly. 


But, more than likely, possibly not. Either way, it's a crazy concept that has intrigued me since the show "Six Degrees" aired on ABC, and then sadly never returned. 


I think part of my belief in this idea is my belief in fate.  Like my mom says, "If you go back and it's there, then it was meant to be."  It's the idea of knowing that one day you will be reunited with something or someone. Serendipity, another one of my favorite movies, is all about fate. They use the tagline "Can Once In A Lifetime Happen Twice?" 


Like I said earlier, I look forward to walking past these total strangers every morning, hoping that one day, when I'm back home in America, or even out and about in this crazy city, I'll run into them. And maybe, just maybe come to find I have a friend, who has a friend, who knows someone....


Maybe it's a small world after all...


XOXO,
Meggie





*In fact, I struggle keeping up with my mom when we're shopping at the mall!

Just another case of the Mondays...

Yesterday was just one of those days. The wonderful weather from the previous week disappeared without a trace and the rain clouds and chilly temperatures came rolling in...

After skyping with my mom later that evening, I came up with an idea for my next post. Walking through the leather market yesterday, I discovered that Italians will say just about anything to get you to say something or turn around for that matter.

Here are a few of my favorite "pick up lines:"

The conversation went something like this:

"Miss, Miss you dropped something."  I kept walking with my head down--I knew I didn't drop anything. "Miss, Miss you dropped your smile" Clearly he was desperate. So I cracked a smile but continued to look down. "Miss you dropped my heart."

However, one of my all time favorite is, "Ah for you, I give you special price."

Okay, A. It's I will give you a special price and B. I don't particularly care for your silly putty that you can mold into whatever shape you want.

Despite the cold temperatures, my roomies and I continued with our Monday night tradition. Every Monday (well, at least for the past 3), my roomies and I have "family dinner" night. We typically all chip in to buy groceries and prepare a certain part of the meal.

However, last night, Kelly decided to take full control and make homemade meatballs and homemade bruschetta. This was by far one of my favorite meals I have had thus far--including eating out. Everything was perfectly prepared. The pasta was cooked Al dente, which is very common in Italy, and the bruschetta was absolutely amazing!

(Snaps for Kelly)

Ahhh, until next Monday.

 It's my turn to prepare a meal. Any suggestions?

XOXO,
Meggie

Apologies for the short post--it was just one of those days...

Wine Tasting in Chianti

Last week my friend Vaughn invited me to go to Chianti, a small town between Florence and Viena, for wine tasting. I immediately signed up for my 45 Euro adventure (which by the way, was a STEAL, once you hear about everything I saw and did).

This same day, my roommates had decided to go to Verona for the day. Their train left at 6:55 A.M. and my bus left around 7:30. Everything was working out perfectly. We would all walk to the train station together, I would wish them safe travels and then I would catch my bus. It was a flawless plan.

Not exactly...

Leaving the apartment at 6:25 turned into leaving at 6:35, which would give us barely enough time to make it to the train station. We casually walked along the Arno and talked about our fun-filled days.

Then, I looked at my watch.

Panic set in.

We had 10 minutes to get to the train station, which, by now, was 15 minutes away. We naturally started running. Boots, pea coats, scarves and earmuffs couldn't stop us.* My roommates had to make their train. Nearing the train station, Kelly pulled out the tickets, handed them to Jennifer, our expert traveler roommate, who then told us what number to look for to find their platform. With seconds to spare, the girls found their platform, validated their tickets and boarded the train for Verona. Before I could even say "bye," the train had left the station.**

After catching my breath, I sat down for a few minutes--Yes, we were running that fast. I then wandered around looking at the different destination and arrival boards and watched as families bid farewell to their loved ones or jumped for joy when a loved one stepped off the train.  I'm such a people person. I love seeing where people are going, creating mini stories in my head about random people wandering the train station. It could keep me occupied for hours.

However, while looking ever so casually at the destination and arrival boards, a woman approached me and started speaking Italian and pointing to the boards. Before she got much further, which I'm sure she was almost done because they talk so fast, all I could manage to say was "no." She laughed, patted my shoulder, said "grazie"and found a police officer to help her.

A few minutes later, I caught up with Vaughn and her roommate Haley. We signed in with our tour guide Lucca, got info packets from our other tour guide Christina and began our trek to the bus stop, which was only a few minutes from the train station.

We boarded the bus and began our 1 hour ride to Chianti. I should have remembered my "wine country" experience in California.

While in San Francisco, my family had rented a car for the day so we could tour Sonoma. We began our journey with a stop for coffee and then began to drive through the windy roads of the "wine country." I eventually had to lay down in the back seat and close my eyes for the rest of the drive. Ever since then, long windy car rides do not sit well with me and I either need to sleep or take a Dramamine. 


Unfortunately, I could do neither.

After about 15 minutes, car sickness began to kick in and I could only keep my eyes ahead of me (thank goodness the bus ride was only an hour). We finally stopped in the town's center where we ate breakfast at a small cafe and used the restroom. We then began our 2.5 mile "hike" through the wine country.

The hike started out lovely. There were patches of snow every so often, but nothing too serious or too dangerous. The walk was leisurely and we stopped every so often to take pictures.

(Me, Haley and Vaughn at the beginning of our journey through Chianti)

And then, it all changed..

I'm still not exactly sure when the "leisurely" hike turned into "treacherous," but I soon found myself walking in ankle deep gooey, thick mud. And, as if the hike was not a workout already, trying to lift my legs out of thick mud was like a calf workout in itself.

(My boots at the end of the tour--and this wasn't even the worst of it)

After about 2 hours of hiking through mud, we finally saw pavement. Hallelujah! I've never been so excited to see pavement in my entire life. We continued to hike for another 15 minutes, having zero idea where we were headed. But it was paved. And I could life my legs without cringing.. so I didn't really mind the additional hiking.

We finally stopped at a Church with probably the best view of the entire day. Despite the clouds and  gloomy weather, my pictures still captured the incredible view.

(View from the Church)

After taking a short 15 minute break taking in the view, we began our hike down. By far the greatest new of the day came from Lucca when he told us we were only 30 or so minutes away from where we started and all we were essentially doing was making one big circle.

Chianti Legend: It is rumored that the background of the ever so famous "Mona Lisa" was inspired by the Chianti Region. It is believed that she had actually had a house here. My picture doesn't necessarily do it justice but, I believe it. What do you think? 

Once back to our initial starting point, we stopped in one of the most famous butcher shops in Italy (If I understood that correctly). There, Dario Cecchini, the owner, offered us fresh Salami, wine and of course Prosiutto. However, I didn't want to fill up on snacks because I knew we had a delicious meal in store for us.

(Photo courtesy of Haley :) This was taken in the Butcher shop with my friend Vaughn)

(How ironic to have this outside your butcher shop!)

We walked another 15 or so minutes to Lorenzo's house***, which was no more than a small mansion. NBD. He showed us his cellar, where the wine is actually made and told us the history of his family's winemaking--his family, The Sassolini family, has been making wine since the 16th century, everyone except his father was in this business, and the cellar he showed us, which is where he actually makes the wine, has been there since the 13th century.

(Again, photo courtesy of Haley--I'm pretty sure these barrels were bigger than the Trojan Horse.

 Ok, not really..but they were huge!)

Next, we headed back to Lorenzo's house for a delicious 5 course gourmet Italian meal, which included fresh baked bread with fresh Salami and Prosiutto, Cannelloni beans, baked bread with his homemade olive oil, pesto pasta, pasta with a tomato basil sauce and a typical Italian dessert, which is similar to biscotti. 

(Just Lorenzo's backyard..)

Oh, and we got to try 3 different Chianti wines,  along with a dessert wine and Grappa. Lorenzo! You outdid yourself!

 I told you this 45 Euro trip was a Steal!!

(Lorenzo serving his first of many Chianti Classico wines)

(Again, thanks Haley)

I have to laugh, shortly before our lunch was over, Lorenzo offered us "special price" on his wines.  For only 10 Euro, I purchased a Chianti Classico for my family to try when they visit me!

After a leisurely 3 hour lunch, we headed back to the bus stop to catch the bus home. On the way back I sat with Haley in the front of the bus where we could see the road clearly in front of us--she too gets car-sick during long windy road car rides.

By far, one of the best conversations I had thus far in Italy, we sat for an hour talking about the amazing day we had just experienced, our faith, and our favorite Devo's. For the first time, I couldn't understand the abbreviation--"Devo" is short for "Devotional." I told her how I was probably reading everything backwards because I was starting with The New Testament. But, she assured me that you can't do it backwards and that there is no wrong way. She then told me that when she was talking with one of her friends before she came to Italy, her friend had told her how much her faith would grow while she was here. She continued to say that while you learn to grow more independent, learn how to navigate in a foreign city and get used to the everyday differences, the one thing that always stays consistent is God and your Faith. The bus ride ended all too soon and our conversation had only just begun. We ended our conversation with our plan to attend an Italian Church service this Sunday (today) at the Duomo.

XOXO,

Meggie

*I was channeling my inner Home Alone

**I later found out my roomies had snagged first class tickets unbeknownst to them..not too shabby right?

***Don't I sound so Italian?? And by the way, Lorenzo is everything and more when it comes to the typical Italian stallion. Such a presh head!

Sunrise on the Arno

(The perks of having an 8 A.M.)

Anita's

After my Art History class, I did some homework, cleaned up my room and enjoyed relaxing for once. I debated whether or not I should treat myself to a Valentine's Day present but decided not to because I knew we were planning on going out to eat. Earlier in the week, my roommates and I decided that we wanted to go to a "Romantic Roomie" dinner at this place called Anita's* After mapping out the correct way to go, we discovered that Anita's was practically in the neighborhood and was only about a 10 minute walk from our apartment.

Seeing that it was Valentine's Day, we decided to "go all out." We wanted appetizers and a first course complimented by a delicious bottle of house wine. We naturally had to end the night with dessert.

We started out our meal with Bruschetta (which by the way is pronounced, "bru-sket-ta"--who knew?) and a Caprese salad. I decided to also try a bowl of "Ribollita,"which is a Tuscan Bread Soup. My roommate had told me it was delicious and tasted almost like a tomato soup with large pieces of bread. 

Sold. 

It sounded delicious. 

However, when our waiter brought out what I would call "mush" (there was nothing "soupy" about it), I was slightly underwhelmed. But, what the heck, I'm in Florence, this is a traditional Florentine dish, I need to at least try it. 

For the record, I didn't hate it.

(don't tell the Italians this, but while I was eating it, all I could think about was the chicken flavoring in Ramen noodles)

So, would I order it again? 

Probably not. But, at least I can say I tried it.**

I somewhat "refused" to take a picture of it because it just did not look appetizing but I found a picture of it online: Sidenote: Mine was the color of  The Incredible Hulk and was not as rustic as this one--it also had peas in it, which I am not a big fan of when it comes to vegetables.

(This is only a picture of what it looks like--not the actual dish I had)

My Pasta on the other hand was much much better.

(Penne with tomato basil sauce, mushrooms and black olives)

And of course...Dessert!

(Chocolate Cake--we also had Tiramisu but I didn't have a chance to take a picture of it)

All in all, it was a great Valentine's Day. I loved spending time with my wonderful roomies and enjoying a delicious meal.

XOXO,

Meggie

*Later that night I was talking with my mom about my interesting soup and she said that it was like when my sister went to Australia and tried Vegemite. Never again.

**We had tried to eat there once before but it was closed. We went too "Euro" on this one and decided to have dinner around 10:15. We got lost and made several wrong turns and made it there around 10:45... Anita's closes at 10:30.

The Best Love Story..

I've always been a Valentine's Day kind-of-girl. Maybe it's due to the fact that my mom always leaves me a little something on the kitchen table (Dove Heart-shaped chocolates are my absolute fave). Maybe it's because I have been fortunate enough to have such loving friends and family in my life and having an entire day dedicated to them is simply amazing and well-deserved. Or it could be the fact that my favorite color is Pink...

But, whatever the reason may be, I simply love celebrating this holiday. Yesterday, I saw someone had posted a Facebook status about Valentine's Day that said something along the lines of, "Valentine's Day is just one day--you should love everyday." I sat there stunned for a moment. Everything about that statement was so true. While Valentine's Day is said to be the "most romantic day of the year" and is often celebrated with roses and chocolates--you should celebrate the power of love everyday. 

I took some time yesterday morning to read the GREATEST Love story of all time--The Gospels. 

In Eugene H. Peterson's, The Message Remix, Peterson says in Matthew 18:12-14 "Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers."

God loves each and every one of us so much that he is willing to leave far more behind for OUR sake. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my Dove chocolates, the sentimental cards from my Mom and Dad and the smell of roses from my boyfriend. But, chocolates get eaten, cards get thrown out* and roses die. 

But, God's Love for us is never ending. It never dies. It never waivers.

In fact, God loved us so much that he gave his one and only Son so that everyone who loves Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  

Now that right there, that my friends, is true love. 

XOXO,

Meggie

*for the record, I have kept every single card y'all have give me! In the Trusty household, finding THE perfect card is like a competition. We all try to out do each-other and pick the funniest, sweetest or silliest one.

Carnevale!!

First of all, I would like to note that I have been spelling "Carnivale" wrong the entire time. It is correctly spelled, "Carnevale."

Our journey first began at 7:00 A.M. when my roommates and I woke up to get ready for the long day we had ahead of ourselves. However, excitement soon kicked in as we were about to embark on an incredible journey to the beautiful city of Venice!

I diligently put on each layer of clothing, as I did not want to have the slightest bit of skin showing, as the forecast for the day was a high of 32 degrees with 30mph winds. First, I put on my first pair of socks, then the jeans (leggings underneath was just not happening--although it would have been a nice touch), followed by the second pair of socks. Next I slipped on my uggs, my turtleneck and a thick black knit sweater, which I purchased only days earlier. I then put on my Barbour jacket, a birthday present from my boyfriend Will (thanks again, it has come in handy thus far and has kept me oh so warm in these chilly temperatures), followed by my black puffer jacket, mittens, and earmuffs. I put my scarf on last to ensure that every part of my neck was covered.

As we made our way down the stairs and out into the "cold" Florence weather, we knew we were in for a treat. Venice would only be colder. The winds picked up and the dark clouds started rolling in. It was apparent that on this particular Saturday, every city in Italy was in for a cold day.*

We briskly walked to the train station--we found a shortcut that cut our walking time in half. Thank goodness for roommates with a sense of direction! We made a quick stop at McDonald's to grab something to drink--I was craving orange juice and was desperately trying to get over this nasty cold. We then followed our instructions given to us by our trip leader, which took us all the way to the end of platform 16, where we then checked in and loaded the busses.

(On the way to Venice with my roommate Kristen)

Boy, were we in for a treat.

A three hour bus ride suddenly turned into five hours due to the inclement weather--We left at 9:30 and arrived in Venice around 2:30. Winding our way through the mountains, I have truly never seen so much snow. Snow covered mountains. Snow covered streets. Everywhere I looked, it was white. There was no evidence of activity anywhere. However, it was sort of magical and calming despite the freezing temperatures.

After a 20 minute bathroom break, where I purchased gummy bears to tide me over until lunch, and a few random stops along the way, we finally made it to Venice. And by Venice, I really mean the bus parking lot on the "outskirts" of Venice.

My roommates and I actually thought we had boarded the wrong bus. Where were the gondolas, the grand canals...the masks?!

After a 15 minute trek in the freezing cold, not to mention the harsh winds blowing in our face, we finally made it to the Venice we had been dreaming of--canals, side streets, vendors at every corner.

(First taste of Venice--after the long walk)

But, first things first.

I needed a mask. And, not just any mask. A mask that said, "Yeah, I'm American but it's Carnevale so I want to blend in and live in the moment--I also want a REALLY cool souvenir to take home."

After debating whether or not I should get a black and gold one, a purple and white one, or a pink and gold one, I finally decided to go with the pink and gold one. (It was only natural that I  to stick with my signature color--I later found out that the bright colors were actually the more traditional ones, while the muted colors for just for "show." Thank goodness I LOVE pink). Note: Aside from lunch, that mask stayed on from 2:30 to 8:30. 

1. Carnevale Mask. Check.

(Me and and my roommate Kelly with our masks)

Alright..now off to Piazza San Marco. 

Ok..so do we go right or left here. 

Wait, maybe we need to go straight. 

After crossing several bridges, that began to look the same after a while, we finally began to see more and more people. After what seemed like a 45 minute walk**, we finally began to feel like we were going in the right direction. In fact, despite the crowded streets and giant mass of people, we ran into our friends from Florence on the way (small world), who then directed us in the direction of San Marco.

Ok, this must be it. 

We're getting closer.

Ah-ha! Piazza San Marco!

2. Find Piazza San Marco. Check!

(Piazza San Marco)

(Finally here!)

Alright, so now we're freezing what next. 

Lunch. 

Perfect, we can enjoy a hot meal and start to regain the feeling in our toes and face. After a leisurely lunch at an overpriced "ristorante"--it was in the middle of San Marco so the price was inevitable--we made our way outside to brave the cold and take part in the festivities.

Music played from a grand stage in the center of the Piazza and people decked out in masks and capes roamed the busy streets occasionally posing for pictures, like the one below. 

We eventually made our way through the crowds and ventured to the center of San Marco. We listened to music through our thick earmuffs and ate Italy's version of carnival food.

Carnevale is Italy's version of Mardi Gras so the food is oh so delicious (and plentiful) and of course oh so bad for you--but it's a week or so before Lent--INDULGE! So..that's exactly what I did. I'm going to call what I ate for lack of a better word, fried dough, because essentially that's all it really was. It was the size of a small clementine and covered in sugar. The inside was warm and moist and it tasted absolutely heavenly.***

Alright, enough food, time to get warm. 

Perfecto. 

Bar Americano. Note: Bar simply means Cafe. 

It was right in the middle of the Piazza and provided enough heat to warm ourselves up for a couple of minutes. There, my roommate Kelly bought a chocolate filled doughnut type thing (again, sorry for the unappetizing descriptions. But, please note, they were all delicious)!

Right before the sun began to set, we found ourselves on other side of the Piazza and stumbled upon this lovely view!

(Solo pic for my mom, she loves these pictures).

(Bellini)

And now, for the fun stuff. 

The nighttime atmosphere. 

While, we all had a fabulous time hanging out with our friends and sipping on Bellini (A grapefruit cocktail with Prosecco--an Italian staple), Venice Carnevale shuts down around 10 P.M. Thank goodness we decided not to stay the night! 

Here are a few pictures from the nighttime festivities...

But, of course, all fun must come to end. Around 7:30, we started our walk back from San Marco to the train station where we were meeting the group to go home. Note: They told us to allow an hour to walk back and thank goodness we did! After several wrong turns down several side streets--everything looked the same at night--we finally got the directions we were looking for from a woman who told us to simply follow the signs that said--completely blanking on the name, but I will get back to you on this one (I got a "follow the yellow-brick-road vibe)!

After a few stops to get my Nutella Crepe and gelato from Grom for my roommate, we eventually made it back to the train station, and with time to spare. 

(Nutella Crepe)

The walk back to the busses seemed even longer, but it felt amazing to sit down on a warm bus and sleep. The ride home seemed to last all of 5 minutes. We got back in Florence around 1:30 A.M. and in bed by 2 A.M.

The day was absolutely freezing but completely worth it. I had so much fun and would love to go back to Venice again when the weather warms up. But, until then...

3. Venice for Carnevale, Check!

XOXO,

Meggie

*My mom told me there was a "cold front" in Charlotte on Saturday--finally, y'all can relate to this insanely cold weather we are having over here!

**We made several stops in the side shops to warm up. At one point, I think my hands we're purple--I took my gloves off for 1 minute to adjust my mask and suddenly I thought my fingers were going to snap off.

***I wish I could say my indulging in sweets stopped there but... I bought a Nutella Crepe for the ride home. And, for future reference, Nutella Crepes are a staple in this apartment. If it's not gelato, it's a Nutella Crepe.

Shot Cafe...

Yep. That's right. Shot Cafe, how American.

When My roommates and I first walked in I saw a sign that said, "1 Euro = $1." I immediately thought it was a typo because 1 Euro does NOT equal 1 USD. Trust me, we don't even like to add up the USD amount..especially when we are booking trips...

Flash forward 30 minutes..

1. Our friends arrive.
2. The bartender takes their order.
3. The girls order their drinks and pay.

Normal, right?

Nope! 

They handed the bartender $5 AMERICAN DOLLARS--I've never been so excited to see George Washington!

"You didn't know they take American money? Didn't you see the sign in the front?"


Alright, now I'm feeling silly...suddenly my 4 Euro cocktail did NOT taste as good as her $4 cocktail.

Florence: 1
Meggie: 0

Note to Self: Always carry American money--you never know who might accept it as a form of payment.

My roommates and I are obviously coming back with our George Washingtons.

This place is going in the books!

XOXO,
Meggie

GustaPizza

By far, the best place to get pizza in Florence is GustaPizza. A hole in the wall restaurant located on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio and 7 minutes from my apartment, GustaPizza knows how to make a mean pizza.

Not only do you receive a "heart-shaped" pizza, but you pay no more than 5 euro for the best pizza in Florence. In fact, just writing about it makes me want to go there for dinner tonight.

I ventured out and ordered a "cheese-less" pizza with tomato sauce, garlic, basil, oregano and other various herbs.

While it was delish, the margherita pizza looked just as a delicious and I secretly wished I had ordered that instead!

However, despite my "mis-order," every single one of my roommates devoured their entire pizza and we all promised we'd return to GustaPizza soon. I think it's "soon."


XOXO,
Meggie

Uffizi Gallery

So...I've been without internet for a few days. But, I'm here now (temporarily I'm sure). But, before I tell you about my incredible experience at the Uffizi Gallery, I just want to say, " 'atta boy Eli!!" Watching the game at 12:30 my time was not exactly what I had in mind but c'mon..it's THE SUPERBOWL*

Sorry, I just had to...

Anyways, the Uffizi Gallery, is conveniently located 3 minutes from my apartment (I guess you could say it's practically in my backyard) so it was only fitting that I spend a lazy Sunday morning looking at the work of Leonardo, Raphael, Botticelli**just to name a few. With my Rick Steves' 2010 Florence/Tuscany book in hand, (thankfully I found it at my apartment because it was a lifesaver yesterday....and thank you Mom for nicely "forcing" me to read it--mom does in fact know best I'm afraid) I quietly followed his instructions (and the giant mass of people--last Superbowl reference, I promise!) and climbed the 4 massive flights of stairs, which would become my starting point for the tour.

Sidenote (this will make sense as you continue to read): Prior to leaving, I bought Eugene H. Peterson's "The Message Remix"--New Testament in contemporary terms, in hopes of building a stronger faith in myself and in God. While I'm by no means an expert, and have not been able to attend church since I left home, I finished Matthew yesterday before going to the Uffizi Gallery--thank goodness I did. It was a truly moving experience seeing the story of Our Savior, Jesus Christ in art dating back centuries ago! Even more moving was the fact that I suddenly understood everything. It was as if in that moment, God pressed the "easy" button and BAM!  I mean, here right in front of my eyes was a depiction of the Crucification. Oh and over there, that's a painting of the Birth of Jesus. 

Down the hall, enter the first door on the left--Giotto's Madonna and Child...


Sure enough, in all of it's glory, stood this magnificent painting, which was followed by a series of paintings with similar "Madonna and Child" themes as well as angels. However, as Rick Steves' said, each painting became progressively more "real." Painted only a few decades apart, no 2 paintings looked alike.

Giotto- Madonna and Child

Enter room 3

Simone Martini- Annunciation

                                              Gentile da Fabriano- Adoration of the Magi

U- turn into room 7

Paolo Ucello- The Battle of San Romano

Sidenote: "Google Images" just doesn't cut it when looking at Renaissance art...

Enter Room 8

Piero della Francesca- The Duke and Duchess of Urbino

While you can't see it, these paintings are actually quite unique. According to Rick Steves, "in medieval times, only saints and angels were worthy of being painted." However.."Renaissance artists discovered the beauty in ordinary people, literally painted them, warts and all."

Y'all should really look into getting this book! It's amazing what I'm learning. Although, coming to Florence is also another really good idea!

Enter Room 9

Fra Fillippo- Madonna and Child with Two Angels

Antonio Pollaiuolo- Labors of Hercules

Enter the large Botticelli room and take a seat..(I spent the most time in this room)

Ahh and the Renaissance blossoms in Florence...

Again, I have to give my mom credit. She was the one who told me that I would absolutely fall in love with Botticelli..and boy was she right. 

Botticelli- Birth of Venus

I mean, just look at this. Look at her. Look at them. Her purity. Their innocence. I literally stood there in awe. For some reason, I could not take my eyes off this painting...and then I saw this one...

Botticelli- Allegory of Spring

So much going on. So many messages. Three Graces--possibly of Love. Cupid shooting an arrow carelessly not caring who it hits. As Rick Steves says, during this time Adam and Eve are out and the natural beauty of the human body is in (and not sinful). 

These are by far my 2 favorite Botticelli's--as if I can be "picky" with Renaissance Art...I can already see the eyes rolling.

I still don't know how I left this room but I did..and I had to settle for Leonardo. Unfortunately 2 of his 3 works at this museum are being restored (one being, Adoration of the Magi). However, I did get to see Leonardo's Annunciation. 

Ok, I can check him off my list (for now at least). 

I can finally say I've seen a Leonardo!

Now skipping ahead a few rooms. I obviously chose a bad time to visit because many of the rooms are under renovation and restoration so I was unable to see: Hans Baldung Grien- Copy of Durer's Adam and Eve, Lucas Cranach-Adam and Eve, Cranach- Martin Luther and Cranach- Katherine von Bora.

I was unable to also see the self portrait of Raphael--I did a project on him in 7th grade so he holds a special place in my heart.

However, I did get to see this painting...done by Leonardo's teacher, Verrocchio. 

Continue to read...

Battesimo di Cristo-(Baptism of Christ)

Renaissance Rumor: The Fact: Leonardo did in fact paint the angel on the far left at the ripe age of 14. The Rumor: After learning of Leonardo's incredible work, Verrocchio put down his brushes and never painted again, which is just silly. This painting is incredible Verrocchio!

I finished my tour wandering through the "foreign artists"exhibit but quickly made my way through it and continued to the gift shop. How American.

If you can't tell already, I liked the Museum. And by liked, I really mean I LOVED the museum.

And, if you've been keeping up with my blog, you already know I'm taking an Art History class. I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

XOXO,

Meggie

*My roommate is a die hard Pats fan and my other 3 roommates were rooting for the Pats..I mean..Tom Brady so I was flying solo last night!

**Slightly obsessed with Botticelli. I bought a book of his work at the gift shop and I can't put it down. It's simply incredible!

Mercato Centrale

Because I don't have class on Thursday, I decided to run a few errands with my free time.

 I needed to pick up:

1. Books for school
2. Purchase some earmuffs (it's freezing and snowing here--and our apartment has no hot water or heat...again)
3. Go to the market to pick up some fresh veggies (I've been craving Zucchini).

The books were easy enough and the earmuffs have yet to be purchased. But boy did I hit it big when I found the Mercato Centrale!

It's essentially an outdoor market underneath a tent with plastic side panels due to the weather. The market is filled with the freshest fruits, veggies and pastas you could ever imagine and some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

 I was so overwhelmed when I stepped inside that I didn't know where to began and just started to weave my way through the different stations. I wound up at a station that was selling Zucchini and of course had to buy "some". However, Note to Self: Learn Italian (especially how to say that I don't want 1 kilogram). The woman was talking so fast that I replied "si," and in no time I found myself with 11/eleven/undici Zucchinis all for the low price of 2 euro.

Alright, obviously I was doing something wrong here because no one else was carrying around 11 zucchinis*.

I continued to stop at various stations where I purchased 3 oranges (they had to have been picked straight from the tree because there were still leaves on them), 3 kiwis, and 1 eggplant. I'm hoping to sauté some of the zucchini and eggplant tonight and place it over pasta. It will be my own version of pasta primavera!

Total Cost at the Mercato Centrale: 5 Euro.

Not bad for my first trip to the market. Zucchini anyone?


**I finally realized I just needed to specify the number of items I wanted to purchase because no one in their right mind would purchase 11 zucchinis-- Italians buy their foods fresh everyday.

(The best orange I've ever had)

(fresh veggies)

(11 zucchinis AKA 1 kilogram)