This weekend was bittersweet as one of our good friends left us on Sunday morning :( He is off to work in Milan for 5 months. We had a party for him on Saturday night, where everyone made a dish and we ate buffet style. Of course being college students we all made the easiest things possible...so we dined on loads of pasta and cake. However, the cake that my friend and I prepared was above and beyond and wasa the highlight of the night (at least we think so):

Yes that is nutella buttercream frosting. And yes those are Kinders, M and Ms and Rochers on top. Please, you're getting drool on your keyboard.

Today we went on a tour of the OPA Museum next to Il Duomo. I was able to see the original scultptures from the facade of the building, as well as the Maesta' and the stain-glass window by Duccio. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos, but here Google Images can give you an idea:

Duccio's La Maesta' .. I wish you could see the details in the fabrics, but I guess you have to come here to do that!

2 sculptures by Pisano

Pisano's stained glass window. The middle panels depict the story of Santa Maria, the 4 figures on the sides show the 4 patron saints.

We also climbed to the roof of the building and took incredible photos of the view:

Piazza del Campo

The roof

Hello everyone, happy Wednesday. This week is going by fast, thank goodness. It is my busiest week of classes -- 7+ hours a day.

Thankfully, our afternoon contemporary and art history classes consist mostly of walking tours. This week we got a tour of the Duomo as well as some of the older part of town -- Terzo di Citta' (the city is divided into thirds, based on the 3 hills on which it was built). I appreciated having my teacher there to give insight into the artwork because most of it goes right over my head. Not to mention, my knowledge of Christianity is close to nada. Even though Siena is a tiny town, everything and everywhere has historical significance -- and the Sienese people are passionate about preserving it.

We also had a private tour of the central meeting place for the Pantera Contrada. This was truly a privilege, as you cannot get in without knowing someone (the Sienese are also very passionate about their Contrade and the pride that comes with belonging to one...sono pazzi). This tour included authentic costumes from the Palio, seeing the horse stall, jockey uniforms, etc. The most amazing were the banners on display from every year the Pantera contrada had won. Each is handmade, painted on silk cloth.

It is hard to appreciate the detail that was put into each and every banner. However, you can see how creatively different they are. Every banner also spoke to the year it was made, depicting the values and issues alive at the time.

Bologna

Bologna was a fun, but not one of my favorite cities. Our hostel was out of the way and we were forced to take taxis in and out of town...lots of wasted money. However, I had a beautiful day on Saturday to walk around. Bologna is...funky. There was a cool flea market that I explored for a couple hours, as well as an open air produce markey (obvs), My birthday dinner was de-lish. Bologa is known for their pastas, especially filled ones. I got cheese filled pasta with pinoli and pistacchios. It was a chance to try something new, because every other time I've ordered pasta in a restaurant it has been pomodoro, mozzarella and eggplant -- the go-to veggie pasta.

gasp

drool

omg

focaccia ftw

acciughe broccoli pomodri...oy.

AMAZING.

Here are a few pictures from my day-trip to Firenze last week:

Chocolate Festival..need I say more?

"waffel"

Cannoli with pistacchi. I wish I has an endless stomach...next time I will get one.

my friend ordered tiramisu...good choice. not only was it fresh, you could really taste the espresso and there was a layer of hard chocolate on top for a bit of crunch. *dro0o0o0o0olllllling*

Dylan thoroughly enjoying this masterpiece

bruschette

zuppa verdure e fagioli

This week

WHERE IS MY COMPUTER?

I shall post longer things once it arrives.

It's cold here. Culture classes began this week..I'm learning all about Il Palio and gothic architecture and blah blah blah. I took a day trip to Firenze this past weekend, which was lovely. I find that traveling by myself allows me to see more things in a shorter amount of time. I explored the city, including the main sites (il Duomo, the Baptistry, etc). My favorite part of the Mercato Centrale -- local produce, pastas, dried fruits, olive oil, vinegar...a foodie's dream.

I also visited I Musei di Firenze in Palazzo Pitti, near the Ponte Vecchio. The few galleries I saw were wonderful, including Il Museo degli Argenti where I learned a tidbit about the Medici. My ticket price included a pass into the Boboli Gardens, but I dropped it in one of the exhibits and therefore was refused entry.......next time........
I met up with a few friends who are studying in Firenze for the semester. We ate lunch at Il Gatto e La Volpe, a restaurant recommended to me by countless people.

This Sunday is my birthday! I am going to Bologna with my friends for the weekend..I am excited to explore a new city.

Pictures of Bologna coming soon, as well as my photos from Firenze this past weekend. As soon as I have a working computer.......

PS Did you know that the Jockeys in the Palio race are given whips made out of cow penises in order to whip each other/opposing horses during the race? Yummay

Il Weekend lunghissimo

Buona serata. I have not posted since last week because, alas, my computer is broken. I'm on my friend's at the moment. But thats okay, not much excitement occurred this weekend. I had a 4 day vacation from class following my exam on Thursday. Meeting with the Sienese family has become a weekly routine, so I went to their house on Thursday evening. After conversing with the girls in both italian and english, we made dinner. from scratch -- per usual.

I snapped a picture of the fish Francesca cooked in the oven:

They were some variation of mullet. I told her that I would like to cook my own fish, but I don't know how to clean them properly. "No, non pulisci, solo le metti al forno" (no, you don't clean them, you just put them in the oven). Okay, so Italians don't gut their fish. I just had to do my best to not swallow an organ or bone.

Despite wanting to travel, I spent the long weekend in Siena. I realized that there is still a lot of the city I have yet to discover. I went on a walk every morning and made sure I visited somewhere new each day. The nighttime was spent with friends at local bars and clubs. A few of our flatmates left for home this weekend, so we had a goodbye dinner at Fonte Giusta, a local trattoria. Yuuuum.

My favorite part of the weekend was Monday morning, which I spent sitting in Piazza del Campo, drinking coffee and (trying to) read an italian magazine. The weather was incredible and the sun was a nice change from the rain we had all weekend.

We are trying to plan some more trips for the coming months. Already booked: 4 days in Paris at the end of this month, as well as a trip to Venice in April. In the cards: Naples, Sicily, Greece. I also plan on doing some day trips to the country around Siena -- San Gimignano this weekend?

Here are some photos I took while walking around Siena this weekend. I'm not professional photographer, but there is a beautiful picture to capture around every corner. literally.