Fiesole and Caschine

My cell phone number in Italy (011-39-3395387920) (if that doesn't work try removing -39-)

Friday night found us in the Piazza Republica sipping down 1.75 euro bottles of wine. While a few people decided to check out the Discotech (read Millenium) Chris and I took the long walk home, I'm still easing into the whole party scene here, It's hard (read some of the kids blow) without Bill, Jerome, AC, Dan, Hannah, Liz, Mego, etc. Saturday morning I got up early and took a bus to the hilltop town of Fiesole. My host mother, Nadia, told me that Johnny Depp just purchased a house in the area. The bus dropped me off in a small piazza and I just started walking. I ended up on a hiking trail that led to the summit of Monte Cerci, not really a mountain (read hill). A scenic, underused trail, where on a Saturday I was the only one out. At the top there was a monument stating this was the spot where Da Vinci began his flight experiments. Saturday night, Chris and I shared a bottle of wine from our terrace, how boring! Sunday I spent the whole day reading in a few different parks, If you want to waste 10 hours check out "China Lake".

Photos:

• Butterfly on Mt. Cerci
• Entrance to some caves on Cerci
• Lizard
• Sculpture from Fiesole piazza overlooking Florence.
  

Chris

Day 5

I woke up to the lovely sounds of the city… not really, just the street cleaner… but a nice breeze kept the room cool all night. The bus ride ended up being about 15 minutes, not bad. I made a few calls to the US, 5 euro for about 20 minutes, I need to find something better. I found out I have a test on Monday over present/past tense, I am royally screwed. For lunch I went to a large market and purchased some Proscuitto, Brie, Bread, and nectarines. After about 2 hours of filling out government forms, Chris and I made our way back home. Tonight all the nearby ACM kids are meeting up for a bar hunt. Tomorrow I am going to the Palazzo Pitti for a Medici exhibit and then the weekend.

Photo:

• View from the top!
  

Another scorcher, fried under the Tuscan sun, apparently it is just like this… Today we moved in with our host families. Chris and I are living about 30 minutes (on foot) from the center of Florence (Firenze!) on the sixth floor with an older couple, Pasquale and Nadia, in their swanky apartment. They have lived here for thirty years and were unexpectedly quiet at first, though I am sure that will change. They have a dog, Morma (an famous Italian singer), it is a young black lab/greyhound, lots of fun. We have a small balcony outside our room with an absolutely amazing view of the la Citte. For dinner, first course pasta, second course salad and chicken, third course fruit.

Photos:

• Outside the Palazzo Vecchio
  

Whirlwind day of class, 3:30 minutes of Italian. Tomorrow I move in with my Italian host family. They live in town on the six floor of an apartment, and the adjective used for their flat was “Comfortable”…sounds nice. Today we took a bus to a hill overlooking Florence topped by San Miniato, a church of the Benedictine order. The first story is heavily influenced by Islamic architecture popular in Pisa and the upper story was commissioned by the textile guild, very wealth and powerfully in Florence, their symbol is an eagle holding a package filled with woolen cloth, see if you can find it.
Tonight we are going to a popular square where they have tables where you can bring your own booze. 66 centiliters (approx 24 oz) are $1.50 so we should have some fun. I will bring the flip and hopefully get some facebookworthy videos. My roommate for the rest of the term is Chris, I will get some pictures of him up soon. Also, I will be checking comments, feel free to respond or harass.


Photos:

• 360 view of Florence
• Tombs inside San Miniato
• Looking down the aisle from the transept
• Wooden vaulting
• Facade
  

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Day 2 - Uffizi

I got an early start today to avoid the crowds. I made my way about 8 blocks over to the Uffizi Museum and the Palazzo Vecchio. All the original sculptures are moved inside to protect from rain/smog/etc, but replicas remain outside on display. Try and name the infamous statue below. I walked back along the Arno River just as the sun was rising, really peaceful. Somehow I passed into Italian 2 so I will be starting that today and afterward we are taking a bus to a hilltop overlooking the city.

Photos:

• Hard to see but the Moon
• Uffizi sculpture garden
• Guess the statue in front of the Pallazo Vecchio
• "Sono Morto" I think means "I am Dead"
• The Arno

Day 1

Florence is a beautiful city. I took the Italian language test and somehow passed into the second level. The first month is strictly language which translates to the first month is mostly for meeting the city and people. Two pictures: the view of the north bank of the river Arno and a baroque church San Gaetano near our hotel/hostel.

Travel Day

I am currently sitting in the Philadelphia airport, free wi-fi, that's cool. I went into a few duty free shops, lots of people buying 10+ cartons of Marlboros...trashy foreigners. I fly into Amsterdam and then to Florence, arriving noon on Sunday. The time difference is +6 hours from Minneapolis, so noon in Florence = 6am Minnesota.

Italy T-Minus 2 days

I leave for Minneapolis tomorrow, then fly out of the country 0n Saturday morning. My goal is to update y'all daily with either a video or a series of pictures from my "adventures". Here I am packing.