The Seasons are a changin'.....




A warm cup of Caffe Macchiato (thanks italian professor), God's word, drawing pencils, and cozy PJ's started off my morning. I can't remember the last time I ever had a lazy day quite like this one!  It was chilly outside all day with some scattered showers, exactly what Fall should feel like.  As much as I do love Summer, Fall is starting to grow on me.  I was tempted the other day to purchase a cinnamon candle and kitchen towels with orange leaves on them (Don't worry I stopped myself from such nonsense) to decorate the apartment! I may just give in and get the towels tho, that can be justified right?.  BUT anyway its the season for boots, jackets, coats, scarves gloves, pumpkin spice, orange leaves, windy afternoons! I LOVE AUTUMN! There I said it.  


So what better way to spend it than in pjs, with a blanket, a coffee and drawing pencils.  All my roommates were gone for the day attending the EuroChocolate Festival in Perugia (of course left it to the last minute to purchase my ticket and lucked out).  As much as I do love CHOCOLATE, it was great to have the apartment to myself.  I got all the peace and quiet I needed to prepare myself for the following week: MIDTERMS!. Also it was my first weekend in Florence in a month and a half! 


ok dinner time! ciao ciao 

M’illumino d’immenso...Toscana



Toscana: semplice, bella, pacifica
Simple, Beautiful, Peaceful
"I flood myself with the light of the immense"
Giuseppe Ungaretti 
(borrowed from a fellow blogger)

The Tuscan Countryside is everything you can image it to be. Century-old farm houses, beautiful, untouched landscapes, olive trees at every corner, and the quiet air that surrounds it all.  The most mesmerizing part of Tuscany is that it has been preserved and thankfully secluded from the industrial, materialistic lifestyle.  Although you may still find all the amenities of today's technology, something about the air, the landscapes and the local people tell me it's different. 

In Arezzo, a well preserved Medieval town situated in the center of Tuscany, we toured the many churches of the city and roamed the ancient cobble streets. The school provided us with a 3 hour guided tour, who rambled on about the different artists and paintings that the city boasted.  Although beautiful and majestic, I stood astonished at the complexities of them all.  

After the guided tour we had some free time so we found this lovely little outdoor farmer's market and indulged ourselves in some sweet and savory bites. I was like a freakin kid in candy shop!  We got to sample a variety of cheeses and salamis. My oh my, they were delightful additions to my lunch. 

Hannah, Jessica, headed for this beautiful hilltop park where we ate, better acquainted ourselves, and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of Arezzo. 

   
This is what comes to mind when I think of Italian cuisine 
Fresh, Fresh, Fresh


(Mind you, I went on this trip not knowing a soul but I ended up meeting some lovely new additions to my Italian travels.  I only have one being to thank <3) 

Our hotel was in Cortona, a revamped monastery with all its beautiful tuscan charm.  We had a walking tour of Cortona, which just reassured me that choosing Italy was the best decision of my life.  When I think of Italy, Tuscan country side is what I was envisioning.  It was even better than the images I had in my mind. 

The gang I was with decided to take more time back down the hillside town.  Cortona is situated up top a hill so every single street is inclined! (Thank you stairmaster).  All I wanted was a blanket, a great book and a secluded location to just soak it all in.  But instead we decided to get a little lost and discover Cortona for yourselves. It was brilliantly filled with olives trees, tall grasses, and countryside views as far as we could see. 

The night concluded with a fabulous five course meal at a local restaurant where I finally indulged in Florentine steak, which is said to be the best steak in Italy. We did the classic Italian dinner, following our meal with quite the intellectual conversation and wine. 

The next morning for breakfast we had a lovely conversation with a British couple from America who just bought a home in Cortona (Under the Tuscan Sun much?).  Even they were surprised but their own realization that today was the long awaited day they would receive the keys to their new life. I envied them, but hey you never know what the future holds right? :) 

Pienza followed breakfast where we stopped at a local cheese production farm where they produced Pecorino di Pienza.  The owner produces the cheese and his brothers produce the sheep's milk.  Now that is family business.  October through November, sheep milk is not at its best because the sheep are normally pregnant so we didn't quite get to see the production but the explanation was fantastic. 

  
The lovely cheese I couldn't help but purchase
 

After, the owner and his wife prepared for us a little feast. My new favorite combo: Cheese and honey! 

Cheese, cold cuts, fruit, Tuscan bread, fresh Ricotta

Montepulciano: the city of Vino Nobile.  After a walk through yet another hill top city, we went wine tasting in this medieval town.  The wine cellar we visited what was said to be the most beautifully preserved cellar is all of Europe according to BBC.  

 

That concluded my tour of the Tuscan countryside. It was a nice break from tall buildings, busy streets, and tourist crowds.  

Lesson learned: Simplicitiy.  Real Italian cooking doesn't have more than 4 ingredients: always fresh and local. Plain, simple, and delish. THAT's IT!  

Life is best lived with simple ingredients. 

Ciao ciao, until next time 

Beatrice 

Navy waters, Rocky cliffs, Clear skys, Sail boats...AMALFI COAST

Yes yes, it has taken me many weeks to finally update my blog, but my intentions were to wait until I had the most memorable weekends of my life to update ya'll (ode to my new Texas friend Katie). Siena, Fiorentine Soccer game, and Cinque Terre, one weekend, followed by an unforgettable and most cherished weekend in Romania, then the beautifully breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

But I will start with this past weekend's festivities and work backwards in later posts. Amalfi Coast could not have been a better way to end September and begin October.  It was probably the best trip I have taken to this day (my lists of trips was quite short prior to Italy).

Thursday evening around 7:30pm my roommates, Jessica, Lauren and I headed to the train station where we met our trip leader from Bus2Alps.  Getting there nice and early, we scored some pretty sweet seats on the bus, which is prime considering the bus trip was 7 hours long. Yes, the joys of traveling as a poor college student. But after all the bus trips I've taken in Italy, I'm starting bare them a little more.

My roommates and I booked our trip with Bus2Alps, which was great because they took care of all the accommodations, traveling, and activities which makes EVERYTHING so much easier because you don't look like the American trying to speak Italian at the train station trying to pick the CORRECT train to where you would like to go.

Anyway, following our long ride we got to our hostel around 2:00am in the city of Sorrento and headed for our 11 person room! (coed I should add). Toward the end of the trip I think we all bonded during our late night conversations and awesome bunk-beds. We met so many more students from Florence who are doing other programs.  Never realized how many schools existed in Florence

The hostel we stayed at was actually really really nice.  It had this beautiful roof top terrace that had the most breathtaking views.




After our so called 'cat nap', our large group headed for Capri at unrighteous hour of 8:00am.  We got to the docks about an hour later and then boarded our private boat ride to Capri.  The boat ride was awesome. Although slightly queazy (don't worry I didn't get sick) the boat ride was the most enjoyable thing ever. I've forgotten how utterly amazing it is to be in the middle of the sea on a boat with the salt air through your hair (and oh yes I went there). As cheesy as that sounds, its just exactly how it felt.

Here are photos from the ride to Capri:


Me, Katie, Lauren and Jessica



Our first stop was the Blue Grotto.  Not everyone gets the chance to enter because it is dependent on the water and weather conditions. But somehow we got extremely lucky and we were given the thumbs up. Even our group leaders were surprised.

With four to a boat, we hopped into tiny rowboats, where we were led into the blue grotto.  The entrance is extremely tiny so the Italian on the boat had us all lie down and duck as he slid us through the passage.  As you slid through the dark passage, the gleaming blue light hits you right away.  It seemed as though there were blue lights underneath the ocean floor.  It was insane.  I’ve never seen water so aqua blue.   Our driver was quite the entertainer. He sang some Italian songs as he circled the cave and then rattled off some facts about the Grotto. I was far too entertained by what I was seeing to remember anything he said. 




Surreal right?

The coloring has something to do with the reflection of the sun into the water and the darkness of the cave. 

We got back onto our boat and headed for a tour of the island.  The houses wedged into the Capri cliffs were just magnificent.   We also stopped at the Green Grotto and the White Grotto.  The best way to describe the colors is by describing crystal clear aqua green gems.  Its like nothing I’ve ever seen.

The boat dropped us off at the docks where we took a long walk up to Anacapri. Our group leaders pointed out some great places to have lunch and different things to do, but our first stop was FOOD. Lauren and I split two seafood dishes that were probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had, EVER.

Calamari fritto (Best Calamari ever to enter my mouth)

Risotto with clams, mussles, squid, and shrimp. So much flavor with such little ingredients


After we savored every single bite of our lunch, we stopped at this little jewelry shop where I couldn’t help but buy pink pearl earrings.  They are my first pair of pearls and what better place to buy them than on the island of Capri in Italy?  (that was my justification for the purchase).

Next was the chair lift to the top of Anacapri.  It was a single person chairlift, but the magnificent views kept you company. It was thirteen minutes of pure solitude with only your thoughts and the incredible surroundings of the island.

The top of Anacapri 

Standing on top of this I just was in complete awe of how beautiful God's creation truly is.  It reminded me of how small we really are in comparison to the world.  It just put everything into perspective for me in regards to how big God is.

After we soaked up the views for a little, we headed back down the chair lift and tested some of the local limoncello that Capri is famous for.  The taste differed at all the different locations. Some were incredibly sour, others just incredibly strong. (not really my cup of tea or cup of liquor).  We also stopped by this custom shoe shop....then walked right out because with four girls, that could have been dangerous.

The following day we took our bus to the city of Positano.  By foot we navigated through the streets of the city, small and narrow with all the Italian charm you could ask for. We finally made it to the beaches of Positano which were painful and astonishing.  Painful because they are pebble beaches which kill your feet and makes you look like an elderly person trying to walk. (

We relaxed on the beach, soaked up some much needed sun, swam the clear waters of the coast, and then headed into the beach city to purchase what would be the best sandwich of my life. Italians are so simple with their food yet the flavors are just so mouth watering. The store was extremely crowded as everyone grabbed a number and pushed their way to the counter. Number 65...FINALLY. Pesto, Salami, Mozzarella, Swiss, and Tomatoes topped off my sandwich. It took me a few hours to finish it!

After grabbing lunch a boat waited for us at the dock and we managed to get seats right at the tip of it. (They weren't quite seats but nothing blocked our view, who could ask for more)  First stop: CLIFF JUMPING!...Best experience yet. As you fall, you think you will hit the water much faster than you do.  Its the craziest thing.  I felt as if I could do anything after that.

Second Stop: CAVE SWIMMING!. It was incredible. (enough said)







After all the crazy festivities and a beautiful boat ride back, we lounged on the beach, opened  a bottle of wine, and napped the remainder of the time we had their. It was great to finally just relax and inhale all your surroundings.  It reminded me that I am actually living in Italy! 



The following day we headed for Pompeii. It is the place of Roman ruins, so I will let the photos speak for themselves 






Until next time, Ciao ciao!

promise it won't take this long :)

Beatrice 



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