How do I begin to describe the day I had yesterday. Absolutely amazing. I know that I will see many beautiful and breath-taking things while I'm here in Europe, but after yesterday I am feeling in awe of what I have already seen...it almost feels like enough to satisfy my desire to see new and beautiful places.
We left early in the morning to make it to the Cinque Terre, which is an area north of Florence, on the coast. It is comprised of five small villages that are built on the rocky coast of the Italian Riviera. Each of the villages are a few kilometers apart and are connected by train and footpaths. They are the quintessential villages of Italy: small clusters of pastel buildings overlooking the sea, with its blue-green water crashing against the rocky shores.
The first two villages, Riomaggiore and Manarola, are connected by a paved trail called "Via dell'amore", or Lover's Lane. It sprinkled a little bit as we were on the lane, but afterwards it cleared and became a perfect day, slightly cloudy so it wasn't too hot, nice breeze, perfect...
Next is Corniglia, which is built up a bit higher on a hill, looking as if one of the houses on the edge could break off into the ocean at any moment. We stopped to have lunch here, sitting on benches overlooking the ocean. We explored the streets and found a tiny little church that overlooked the town.
The fourth town is Vernazza, which may have been my favorite. It has a natural harbor, with lots of little, brightly-colored boats. We stopped for an espresso and then explored the streets and went inside a tiny, charming church, with a domed, stone roof and beautiful views of the ocean out the high windows.
The last and largest town is Monterosso del Mare, or Monterosso. Here we made our best discovery. There was a small castle-like building at one end of the main street, up a slight hill, and we followed the path there, passing little cafes that overlooked the ocean. It turned out that the castle was actually someone's private residence (my dream house, by the way!). But there were stone steps that continued up the practically vertical mountain. We kept climbing and found a little overlook where there was a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, overlooking the ocean, like everything else.
But the best was yet to come. Curious, we continued climbing, following small and seemingly-forgotten little paths. Farther up the hill was a small church, so beautiful and peaceful, with paintings and music playing inside. There was another set of stairs that continued up, and curious, we followed it.
It led to one of the coolest places I have ever been. At the very top of the hill, as high above the town as you could get, was an old, forgotten cemetery, but not a normal one. This place had crypts, with smooth marble fronts, stacked on top of one another, 10 high. There were also mausoleums of families, with small shrines and wrought-iron gates, some left open. Inside were graves of over a centuries worth of family members. Many of the graves were from the 1800s. The cemetery seemed to continue on forever, and we explored for quite awhile. The thing that made it so much better was the fact that we three girls were the only ones there. It was like a hidden treasure that we had discovered.
Being there, I found myself becoming a true traveler, having the desire and the curiousity to keep going, to constantly see something new, to always want to know what is around the next bend or behind the next door. I know that this is the attitude that will make my time here that much more amazing.
So, in conclusion, I highly recommend going to the Cinque Terre for anyone traveling to Italy. Even just a day is enough to see and appreciate the towns and their beautiful setting. And they are the types of places where you can make your own little discoveries, like I did!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
The (Sur)realities of Italy
Today we began our literature class: Italy and It's Culture in British and American Literature. It's in English (thankfully) and we're basically just reading excerpts from different books about Italy and examining how our culture views Italy...and how realistic those perceptions actually are.
It made me think about my own perceptions of Italy and what I was expecting...and what the reality is. So far, I've been pleased with what I've seen: the history, the architecture, the food, the gelato, and the way the city is. I've always idealized Italy as something of a paradise, and being here makes me realize that it's a real place, just like my own hometown.
However....
it is a beautiful, surreal, and fascinating place at the same time, and in that way, my expectations have not been disappointed.
The other day I returned from town and walked up the steps into the dorm. The entrance area is a big open room with winding stone steps and a stone floor. Connected to it is a small chapel, where the choir was practicing that day. As I was walking up to the dorm I could hear their sound resonating on the stone and filling the whole building. It was so beautiful I had to sit down on the stairs and listen until they finished their song. It really made me feel for that moment that I was in a movie, and that music was the soundtrack. For that surreal moment, I felt like Italy really was a paradise.
The campus makes me feel that way on almost a daily basis, also. Heather and I went exploring a little bit this evening and found several little paths made in between the hedges. There are little winding paths with benches along them and a low wall that faces a field. On the other side of the field are yellow houses with red roofs and those characteristically-Tuscan trees: tall, deep green, and skinny. We walked down into the field as the sun was getting low and just stood (ok, not really, we actually frolicked a little bit, because after all, it's ITALY!!). It was beautiful. So many things here are beautiful. I don't know if I ever want to leave!
It made me think about my own perceptions of Italy and what I was expecting...and what the reality is. So far, I've been pleased with what I've seen: the history, the architecture, the food, the gelato, and the way the city is. I've always idealized Italy as something of a paradise, and being here makes me realize that it's a real place, just like my own hometown.
However....
it is a beautiful, surreal, and fascinating place at the same time, and in that way, my expectations have not been disappointed.
The other day I returned from town and walked up the steps into the dorm. The entrance area is a big open room with winding stone steps and a stone floor. Connected to it is a small chapel, where the choir was practicing that day. As I was walking up to the dorm I could hear their sound resonating on the stone and filling the whole building. It was so beautiful I had to sit down on the stairs and listen until they finished their song. It really made me feel for that moment that I was in a movie, and that music was the soundtrack. For that surreal moment, I felt like Italy really was a paradise.
The campus makes me feel that way on almost a daily basis, also. Heather and I went exploring a little bit this evening and found several little paths made in between the hedges. There are little winding paths with benches along them and a low wall that faces a field. On the other side of the field are yellow houses with red roofs and those characteristically-Tuscan trees: tall, deep green, and skinny. We walked down into the field as the sun was getting low and just stood (ok, not really, we actually frolicked a little bit, because after all, it's ITALY!!). It was beautiful. So many things here are beautiful. I don't know if I ever want to leave!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Discovering Florence
I'm getting settled into a routine in school. Classes have been going now for four days and I feel like I'm starting to get a grasp on the language a little bit more. We've started at the very beginning (my name is...., I'm 20 years old....I am American, etc.), but I've been doing some studying on my own and trying to learn as many new words as I can.
So that's the boring stuff. However, we have an amazing schedule. Class starts at 9 and I'm almost always out by 12:30. Mondays are electives. I'm taking ceramics; fine arts and monuments, which prepares us for the tours that we will be taking around the country; and a literature class which examines how Italy is viewed in English and US literature.
Otherwise, I'm still loving Florence. (Almost) everything about it! We've started finding places that we can make our own: cafes, gelato shops, piazzas. One of my favorite places is the Piazza della Signoria, where there are many famous statues, including the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, and the Neptune Fountain, as well as a copy of Michelangelo's David. The Ponte Vecchio is interesting (and expensive). The Duomo is the most important building in the city and is so beautiful, made with the characteristic green, white, and pink marble of Tuscany. Orsanmichele is a small, but beautiful, church that used to be a grain market in the late 1200s. I love how the streets of the city are paved with cobblestones in the historic area. I just love everything!
We went to see the real David at the Museo 'dell Accademia on Wednesday night. It's in a very small museum, where there was also a display of musical instruments owned by one of the Medici! So many things in this city have been affected by the Medici family.
But back to the David. It amazed me, standing in front of it, that a man could chip away at a huge chunk of stone and make it into what it is. You can see the definition of the muscles and the curls of the hair. So realistic.
I can't wait to the see the Uffizi Museum. There is the art that makes Florence the famous center of culture and art that it is!
So that's the boring stuff. However, we have an amazing schedule. Class starts at 9 and I'm almost always out by 12:30. Mondays are electives. I'm taking ceramics; fine arts and monuments, which prepares us for the tours that we will be taking around the country; and a literature class which examines how Italy is viewed in English and US literature.
Otherwise, I'm still loving Florence. (Almost) everything about it! We've started finding places that we can make our own: cafes, gelato shops, piazzas. One of my favorite places is the Piazza della Signoria, where there are many famous statues, including the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, and the Neptune Fountain, as well as a copy of Michelangelo's David. The Ponte Vecchio is interesting (and expensive). The Duomo is the most important building in the city and is so beautiful, made with the characteristic green, white, and pink marble of Tuscany. Orsanmichele is a small, but beautiful, church that used to be a grain market in the late 1200s. I love how the streets of the city are paved with cobblestones in the historic area. I just love everything!
We went to see the real David at the Museo 'dell Accademia on Wednesday night. It's in a very small museum, where there was also a display of musical instruments owned by one of the Medici! So many things in this city have been affected by the Medici family.
But back to the David. It amazed me, standing in front of it, that a man could chip away at a huge chunk of stone and make it into what it is. You can see the definition of the muscles and the curls of the hair. So realistic.
I can't wait to the see the Uffizi Museum. There is the art that makes Florence the famous center of culture and art that it is!
Monday, September 17, 2007
The First Tale
Well, I made it. And now, I live in Italy! The trip here had a few ups and downs, but overall was successful and not too difficult. I think the best part of it was when I woke up from a short nap on the flight from Munich to Pisa and right below me were the snow-covered Alps. Absolutely gorgeous and seeming close enough to touch. In between the mountains were little villages, with white houses with red roofs, just like you see in movies. That made me feel so excited to be in Europe and to know that I will be here for 10 months.
After arriving, I settled in with my roommates Heather, Jessica, and Sarah, my awesome friends from Southern. We have a big room together and have been having so much fun. We don't get much sleep because we end up spending so much time talking and laughing. The campus is absolutely beautiful; so old, with so much history. It overlooks the city and sits on a slight hill, but is only a 15 minute bus ride away from the center of town. In the center of Florence is the Duomo, which is the main cathedral of the city. It is amazing and surreal to look at. I'll try to post photos later!
In the last few days, we've seen a lot of Florence: the River Arno, with the Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce, Piazza della Signoria, Orsanmichele, the Palazzo Pitti, San Lorenzo, and many other beautiful buildings, and there is still so many more things to see. I love this city! I am so excited that it is going to be my home for the next few months.
We also found the best gelato in the city (so the guidebooks say, and after having been there twice, I believe it!). I can see I will have to exercise some self-restraint in the next few months!
Classes begin tomorrow, which will change a lot, I'm sure. But I'm excited to begin learning the beautiful language that is spoken here, for multiple reasons (but the main one is that it's frustrating to not always be able to communicate!)
Wish me luck in class!
Love, Jen
After arriving, I settled in with my roommates Heather, Jessica, and Sarah, my awesome friends from Southern. We have a big room together and have been having so much fun. We don't get much sleep because we end up spending so much time talking and laughing. The campus is absolutely beautiful; so old, with so much history. It overlooks the city and sits on a slight hill, but is only a 15 minute bus ride away from the center of town. In the center of Florence is the Duomo, which is the main cathedral of the city. It is amazing and surreal to look at. I'll try to post photos later!
In the last few days, we've seen a lot of Florence: the River Arno, with the Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce, Piazza della Signoria, Orsanmichele, the Palazzo Pitti, San Lorenzo, and many other beautiful buildings, and there is still so many more things to see. I love this city! I am so excited that it is going to be my home for the next few months.
We also found the best gelato in the city (so the guidebooks say, and after having been there twice, I believe it!). I can see I will have to exercise some self-restraint in the next few months!
Classes begin tomorrow, which will change a lot, I'm sure. But I'm excited to begin learning the beautiful language that is spoken here, for multiple reasons (but the main one is that it's frustrating to not always be able to communicate!)
Wish me luck in class!
Love, Jen
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