But for Now We are Young, Let Us Lay in the Sun and Count Every Beautiful Thing We Can See

I know, I know... this blog is long overdue. But in my defense, today was my last day of June classes so I've been pretty busy and it's been blazing hot so all of the energy I have left is just sucked out and into pools of sweat (serious).

All right, so for those that don't know, my mom and aunt came to visit last week! It was such an amazing time! I really wish they could have stayed for more than a week, and I'm sure they were wishing the same thing. We had so many great laughs and they were such great company. While I was in class they were able to go off and explore Florence, shop, take a few day trips, shop some more, and even dared to rent a car for a day. I even got them into see The David without waiting in line :).

On Thursday I got really sick and missed class... so we went to Venice! It was quite the adventure getting there. Booked trains, long lines, not being able to find anywhere to sit, and waiting around in Bologna, and then we finally got there.

First view of Venezia

My aunt has a cousin who lives right outside of Venice on Lido so we were able to meet up with her for a very late dinner (due to our train fiasco we missed the dinner that had been planned, but a panini and prosciutto is always close by when you're in Italy!).

My mom and I got to our hotel, and we were so happy to be in an air conditioned building, we slept so soundly. We woke up the next morning with the promise of an American breakfast, which ended up being the best cheese I've ever had with yogurt, croissants, biscuit cookies, orange juice and a cappuccino. Not all that American, but not bad at all!

Now that you know exactly what I ate, I'll tell you about our day in Venice...

The Amazing Race: Venezia

So fancy!

Awkward picture of myself, but loving it!

Piazza San Marco

Happy in Venice with my new hat!

We wished we could have stayed for more than just one night. Everyone has their own mixed feeling about Venice, but when you just stop, slow down, enjoy your surroundings and stay away from anything you need a ticket to see, it's wonderful!

When we got back to Florence we were just in time for the fireworks! Every year they have a big soccer tournament between the different neighborhoods of Florence. Afterwards they have fireworks over the Ponte Vecchio, so the three of us along with the rest of the city squeezed ourselves onto the bridge to watch (what we could actually see) the show.

Happy happy!

It was my mom and my aunt's last night in Florence. We sat outside next to a piazza, listening to music, eating gelato, and contemplating leather coats. I was sad to see them go, but it was such an amazing week I couldn't help but to be happy... And there are already talks of a reunion tour!

On Sunday Tara, two other girls from SRISA and I finally made it to the beach! Plus a few stops in between...

First, we stopped by Pisa. Pisa was never a city I had actually wanted to visit. I just wanted to snap the picture of me pushing/holding the tower and be done with it. But to my surprise, it was kind of a charming little down. We even found a big mural by Keith Haring close to the train station.

You may not know the name, but you know
you've seen his stuff before!

 And here it is..!

Everybody do the Leaning Tower!

Good arm positioning.

YES!

After we were happy with our results, we headed back to the train station, where the real fun of the day began.

Travelers Tip: When you see a sign that says something along the lines of "Train strike, warning that trains may be delayed or cancelled" do not think nothing of it! These train people mean business.

We made it to the train station only to find that every train to Viareggio was cancelled. With purchased tickets in hand, we frantically found a help desk and was directed onto another train with a few stops and a larger cost, but there was nothing stopping us from getting to the beach. We purchased the new tickets four minutes before the train to Genova was scheduled to leave, somehow managed to find seats, and we were on our way! And let me tell you, thank God we didn't just give up at Pisa, because the time we were able to spend in Viareggio totally made up for the mess we were about to endure on the way home.

WE MADE IT!

Heaven

It was such a wonderful day, regardless of the stress of the trains. But on the way back things got pretty crazy. The strike was supposed to end at nine that night, so we made sure not to leave until then. However, when we got back to Pisa and onto the platform, there was no train (or anyone else for that matter) around us. So we waited for the next one that was scheduled, and thankfully more people showed up. But the train, on the other hand, did not. No more trains were running to Florence. We were stuck. In Pisa.

There was a bus that was going to come to take everyone around one in the morning, but we really didn't feel like waiting for two and a half more hours for that. So the four of us happened to find two other girls that needed to get back, and we split a taxi. Finding a taxi for six people was difficult, finding a taxi for six people that would drive us all the way to Florence was even harder. But we eventually got one and paid 30 euro each and returned to our apartments safe and sound, and a little bit burnt.

Not the best experience, but it was a great day. Tara and I are planning on going back on Friday, since it will be her last day here. And this time we'll be skipping Pisa.

As for school, all of my June classes are done! I got a 99% on my art history final (ha) and I'll be finishing my last batik tomorrow. Although, my batik teacher said I could come in during July if I just paid by the hour, so there will hopefully be more batiks to come! I'll also have pictures of all of my final pieces soon... maybe tomorrow. Who knows.

Our fan is also broken, and July is the hottest month next to August for Italy. I wake up sweating, I fall asleep sweating, I am always sweating. I'm getting a new fan tomorrow.

Everyone is going home this weekend. Even our neighbors that I finally met yesterday are gone now. I only know of three other girls that are staying. It kind of makes me wish I were going home too. And then thinking about not going home like everyone else makes me a little homesick. But on Thursday I'll be heading to London to visit a few friends, so it'll be nice to see people I know! I am very excited, and actually, I'm just about to book my flight!

So, even a little homesick, I'm still loving this city. Having new and comfortable shoes makes me love it even more, since I swear the roads are even more beat up than when I first got here. And I've finally made the connection to the beach! Which always makes me happy. Especially when a beach looks like this one! I found a sun hat right in time!

Lastly - there has been an odd amount of yelling/shouting from the people who live right across the street from me. I don't think it's Italian, but it's super intense. I think the heat is getting to them, too.

A presto!

Quando a Roma

Cliche title, but at least it's in Italian.

So, this past weekend I traveled to Rome! In my head I think I expected amazing ruins everywhere and a really cool, trendy city mixed in. Something even more amazing than Florence. And while it was amazing, it wasn't the city I was expecting.

On Saturday we left for the station, as usual, in a rush and fear we're going to miss the train. But we made it with no major problems, and as soon as we found a seat and were settled I was out for the rest of the ride. Once in Rome we wondered around looking for our hotel, which was a little bit of an adventure in itself. Tara and I gladly sat around and relaxed for an hour before the site-seeing began. While we were waiting I had the best panini I have ever had in my life. Prusciutto with a fried egg and basil... oh my gosh.

And then we were off to see all that Roma had to offer - starting with the Vatican City.

Entrance to the city

Awkward tourist fountain picture

It was pretty cool. Not the jaw-dropping historical beauty I was expecting, but it was still very pretty. As we entered the museum, it was similar to the art museums we've seen before with busts, sculptures, frescoes, and beautiful pieces of art. They even had collections of more modern artists.

And then...

Sorry it's blurry! You should know what this is :)

You weren't allowed to take pictures, but I snuck a few in.

After we saw the Sistine Chapel we made our way into St. Peter's Basilica.

It was beautiful!

Swiss guards

Papa!

The basilica was amazing! And it really is so much more beautiful than the interior of the Duomo here in Florence.

After the Vatican City, we headed back to the hotel and Tara and I ventured out to find food and maybe a fun pub. It took us a while to search, but we ended up going back to the cafe that I had gotten my sandwich from earlier. So good. After dinner, we walked and found a little pub with no other Americans, which was totally weird since we're used to seeing tons in the pubs in Florence. But then again, we were not in the central part of Rome. It felt like we were a little bit on the outskirts in more residential areas, so it was a different experience. I was really looking forward to Sunday since my mom and my aunt would be meeting us, so after a beer we both headed back and passed right out.

Before leaving my mom had told me that her plane lands at 10 and they would probably meet us at the hotel by noon. And by 12:30 they were there! All of us headed to the Colosseum. It was amazing, and as soon as you walk out of the metro station, bam! There it was!

It was a beautiful, perfect day!

This was the most amazing part.
I didn't know they even had Roman Gladiators
so well preserved!

Family picture time!

This was really amazing. I wish you could have walked around the bottom. It's such a strange feeling when you're standing in a place that has been there since, what, 80 A.D.? Crazy!

After the Colosseum we were ready to just sit and enjoy Rome and the food. So we did! And then we finished our day with the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon -- both were amazing.

So glad my mom is here!

Trevi Fountain

That was a very long weekend. And it made Tara and I appreciate our art history professor so much! We were wishing she could be there to lead us around and tell us what everything we were looking at was. The trip was absolutely amazing, but having that knowledge would have probably made it even better. And yes, I know, you can always pay for those listening guides or head-sets, but I was not about to be caught dead with one of those. I've been living in Italy for three weeks now, I refuse to be a tourist :).

So, were my expectations of the Eternal City met? No. But I think you need more than just one night's stay to really be able to explore and find what you're looking for. A trip back would be nice, but I love Florence so much I'm happy to stay right here!

As for the rest of this week, I'll be enjoying the company of my family! I do wish my brother and dad were here as well. I know my dad would have lapped up the history, and would be getting full use of his fanny-pack :) I think that one day, my mom, dad, brother and myself need to make a trip back. Maybe even do some digging on our family and visit Calabria. I've been trying to look into a few online records, but I haven't been able to find anything too interesting just yet.

Well, it's time for me to get ready for class. Today we're going to Pitti Palace! Hopefully I can take pictures!


Oh, by the way, this was probably the highlight of the trip...

Ciao!