David stop, you're making me blush...

Yep.

You guessed it.

Today I went to the Galleria dell' Accademia--you know, the one with Michelangelo's David.

Seeing that today, March 8, is National Women's Day, women are granted free access into all state museums. While my museum pass through ISA already allows me free access to most of the major museums, I decided to take advantage of the day!

That said, I knew the lines would be long and wanted to start my day early, "Rube Time," as my family would say.

Growing up, my grandfather, Rube, taught me three very valuable things:
1. Where the candy drawer was.
2. How to play poker.
3. Always arrive early to beat the crowd--hints the name,"Rube Time."


While the museum opened at 8:15 AM, I arrived shortly after 8:30 AM and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no line. I made my way through the metal detectors and security and entered the first room. Despite my Rick Steves book in hand, I managed to turn right instead of left.

Hmm..something is missing here. Where is David? I know I didn't miss him, I couldn't have. There's no way!

Slightly confused, I took a few moments in the first room stopping occasionally at paintings that seemed interesting, but it was still no David. Where were the marble figures Michelangelo so famously left unfinished? Where was one of the most recognized statues in the world?

After making a quick sweep, I walked back out, this time turning left. There, in all his glory stood Michelangelo's David. Even better was the fact that lining either side of the hallway, as if they were leading the way to David, stood Michelangelo's marble statues.

..I slowly walked toward the massive figure.

Surely, he's not that big when I get closer..

Now wait, that doesn't make sense.

Is he really that big?

The answer is Yes--17 feet to be exact.

Sure, I've seen pictures, none of which prepared me for this little gem however. Speechless, I sat down simply staring at him.

I bet I'm like the size of his thigh.

Wait, maybe his calf.

Is his hand the size of my face?

All of these thoughts crept into my head as I beganto slwoly walk around this magnificent sculpture.

And, to make the day even better, the museum was not even crowded! David and I were practically on a "One-on-One" date, Bachelor style.

I found it interesting that when Michelangelo was asked to construct this, he was given the same giant piece of marble that others had previously turned down simply because it was too tall or too shallow. (Rick Steves).

Poor decision guys...

...Sticking with The Bachelor "theme," I was given a rose and retreated back down the hall to visit with the others. The "others" being Michangelo's unfinished marble sculptures.

There I saw, The Awakening Prisoner, Young Prisoner, St. Matthew, The Bearded Prisoner, Atlas Prisoner and my personal favorite, Pieta.


It's incredible to think that while most artists sketched out their designs and marked where to chip away stone or where to create a jagged edge, Michelangelo just did it in the moment, all free-hand, no plans.

Like most museums, I was unable to take pictures but, I have found a few on the internet. As usual, none of these do any of Michelangelo's work justice.

(Keep in mind he's 17 feet tall)

(Pieta: Can you believe that at one point this was just a giant cube of solid marble?)

There were also a few other smaller rooms with a few works done by other artists but, the biggest draw in this museum are the works of Michelangelo.

If you come to Florence, be sure to visit this museum and get there early. When I left the museum around 9:30AM there was a huge line down majority of the sidewalk. It pays to get there "Rube Time." Because it was "off" season, I got lucky but, you should really try to get there a little before 8:15 AM.

XOXO,
Meggie

Oh the Places You'll Go...

Oh, the Places You'll Go! 

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

The past two weekends, I have been able to explore the hillsides of Italy in Cortona and Arrezo, the lovely town of Siena, have the "World's Best Gelato" in San Gimignano and visit one of the most historic church's in Assisi.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Our day began at 8:45 A.M at the train station. There, we met our group and loaded up the busses. Our first stop of the day was Arezzo, which was only an hour or so bus ride. Once we arrived, we began our walking tour through the lovely city, full of historic buildings and beautiful architecture. We dined at one of the oldest restaurants there where I indulged in a chocolate croissant and even got one for the road!

(You don't see many places like this anymore..)

(The main Piazza--We spent a hour or so just laying down and enjoying the beautiful weather)

(Love the alleyways)

We then boarded the bus and headed to our final destination, and my personal favorite, Cortona. Because we spent majority of our day in Arezzo, we only had an hour and a half to wander through the hilly town. During our free time, I splurged and bought a black onyx wrap bracelet while my roommates enjoyed Tequila Sunrises for "Apertivo--" This is the more polite way for Italians to say "Happy Hour" but, you didn't heard that from me!

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures that I took in Cortona. I could not have asked for a more beautiful day!

(I'm convinced that there is no "bad view" in Italy)

(I could live here)

(Me and Teenie)

...

An excellent way to end a great day!

.....................

Saturday, March 3, 2012

After a short bus ride, (it was just under an hour) we finally arrived in Siena. With my Rick Steves book in hand, my roommates and I were determined to eat at a delicious cafe seeing that more times than not we have okay lunches with not okay prices. After a short tour with the group, hitting all the major hot spots

(The most gorgeous exterior of a Church that I have ever seen..)

(The inside of the Chapel--not even in the Church yet...)

We decided to follow Rick Steves advice and ate at a "bar" called Bar Paninotecca San Paolo. This bar was not only located in the main Piazza but, the view was amazing and the prices were unbeatable. It was by far the best meal I've had thus far on our many day trips. I should refer to Rick more often!

(Chicken, tomato, cheese and hot sauce)

(Yep, that was our view of the main square from the bar. Not bad for 4 Euro.)

After lunch, we shopped around for souvenirs and boarded the bus and began our drive to our final destination of the day, San Gimignano. There, we ate the "World's best Gelato."* Naturally I got chocolate, menta** and chocolate chip.

(World's Best Gelato)

(Gelato)

Sunday, March 4, 2012

While I did absolutely fall in love with Cortona, Assisi was incredible and might be my new favorite, at least for now. It's quaint alleyways and amazing architecture make touring the city that much more enjoyable. Due to the city's small size, every side street eventually brought you back to where you started. So, lucky for me, there was no way I could get lost. 

By far the prettiest sight I saw here was The Basilica of St. Francis. It was the most serene and peaceful church and the view from it was incredible. Here, we also followed Rick's advice and dined at one of the restaurants listed in his book. While my pasta was "not the best," the Bruschetta was amazing!

(Hello Assisi!)

(Yeah, I could live here)

(Antique"ed" photo-- thank you iPhoto)

(Almost there...)

(Getting closer..)

(Hello St. Francis!)

...

(View looking away from St. Francis)

I would say, I've had two pretty amazing weekends! With midterms the only thing standing in between me and my spring break, I can't help but think of all the other places I will be visiting in the coming weeks!

You'll get mixed up, of course, 

as you already know.

You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

XOXO,

Meggie

*For 3 Euro you could get 3 different flavors of gelato in a cone or cup. 

**Menta is actually "mint" flavored while After Eight is mint chocolate chip.

A Taste of Home...

While I do love Italian food very much, and can barely get myself to write this out of fear that I'm "wishing" it away too soon, there are certain things I miss back home.


Of course, first and foremost,  I miss my mama's cooking.  Homemade meals are the best and can often turn any horrible day into an amazing day. In fact, every meal I make here, I'm constantly reminded of the homemade meals my mom makes and it suddenly becomes apparent that no matter how hard I try or how many extra spices I add, it just doesn't taste the same. 


And, along with my mama's cooking, I also miss the small things like peanut butter and bagels with cream cheese, two things, which are very hard to find in Italy...


Unless....you go to Mama's Bakery

Via della Chiesa, 34-red  
50125 Florence, Italy


Located on our side of the bridge, which is always a plus, Mama's Bakery has everything ranging from American pastries like cupcakes or cookies as well as bagels with several varieties of cream cheese. I never realized how much I loved bagels and cream cheese until I was unable to have one at my beck and call. 


Oh, how I long for Saturday mornings at the Trusty house. I miss waking up to the smell of a freshly toasted bagel, which my dad has so generously picked up for me up at Panera.

.....

As Kristen and I rounded the corner, we immediately knew which one was Mama's. The only colored wall on the street and the clear glass doors were a dead giveaway to this oh so adorable bakery.

Welcome to Mama's Bakery.

(I know..can this bakery be any cuter?)

While we had only come in to order a toasted bagel with cream cheese, we each ended up ordering a cupcake as well as a treat for the road.

(My appetizer: devil's food cupcake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles)

(Lunch: A perfectly toasted plain bagel with cream cheese)

and..it just wouldn't be complete without a snack for the walk home...

(The cutest to-go bag and label from Mama's)

(Dessert: A heart-shaped whoopie cake--a chocolate cake sandwiched between cream)

XOXO,

Meggie

Pino's Sandwiches

First of all, sorry this is the first post in several days. Things have been crazy here this past week!

 Also, I would like to apologize in advance for the overload of posts that are about to be written in the next few days. I constantly keep a running list of what I want to blog about for my next post. Seeing that I haven't blogged in a while, my list is extremely long and I refuse to take anything off of it!

So that said, let's talk about panini's.

At home, my family and I fondly refer to our panini maker as "ni-ni" and even call our panini's "ni-ni's." We love them. We love how the cheese melts into the tortilla if we are making quesadillas or how the turkey and mustard melt into the bread if we are making a sandwhich. They are practically a weeknight staple at the Trusty household.

No more than 48 hours after I arrived in Italy, I discovered that panini's are a coveted lunch time item here and are just as popular as pizza or pasta.

There it was.

Another sure fire sign that I was in the right place.

While I do love this other panini place called "Antico Noe," my favorite has to be Pino's, which is really called "Salumeria Verdi" (Pino's is just a nickname). For 3.50 Euro, you can choose from a wide selection of panini's ranging from "The Turkey Best," which includes: turkey, eggplant, spinach, peppers and hot sauce, or the classic "Caprese," which has fresh tomato and mozzarella and Pino's famous pesto.

I also love this place because the panini's are made right in front of you. They are not sitting around for hours waiting to be heated up (which is how most panini places are here). All of his ingredients are made fresh everyday!

Unlike Antico's, there is a huge seating area where you can sit and enjoy each other's company while also enjoying a delicious panini. And, if the weather is nice, Piazza Santa Croce is a five minute walk from Pino's so you can sit in the Piazza on a warm sunny day and enjoy your sandwich there!

Here, I typically order the "Caprese," because it never fails to satisfy me. However, today I was feeling lucky and decided to order the "Fantasy," which is the American equivalent of "Build Your Own," and allows you to choose any five ingredients.

I kept it simple and went with turkey and mozzarella with pesto and hot sauce. I wanted to add sauteed peppers to it as well, but Mr. Pino himself had already placed my ni-ni in the press.

By the time Mr. Pino took it out of the press, the cheese had melted to perfection and the pesto and hot sauce had spread throughout the entire sandwich and were practically dripping after ever bite I took.

(The best panini ever)

Despite it's lack of peppers, it was by far one of the best panini's I've had in Italy thus far. In fact, just writing about it is making me want it again. Trusty Fam, get ready for Pino's!

If you ever come to Florence, Pino's Sandwiches is a must!


XOXO,
Meggie