Oh my goodness, it's just been one week and I've done so much and so much has happened! I am just so happy here I don't even know how to express it! We're in Italian class from 9-1 every day and we usually go out as a group for lunch after class, sit in the Piazza del Campo, go exploring, usually get gelato somewhere, or sometimes hang out at my apartment until the people in homestays have to go back to their houses for dinner with their host family. I love that I have an apartment so close to the city and it has become kind of the hang out place, which I also love! After dinner most everyone usually comes back and we go out into the nightlife of Siena. They have an awesome carnival type amusement park called "Lunapark" that we've gone to a few times in the evening. There are about 20 people in the program from the University of Utah, but there are people from all over the world that study at the school we're at. I warn you, there will be so many pictures of food! First of all, be jealous, and second of all, it's just so amazing and a huge part of the culture I have to document the deliciousness! Also, I really was trying to write these blog posts in both Italian and English, but I just don't have enough time. Hopefully I can go back and put it into Italian also sometime, but I just want to record everything while I remember!
Proof I met Rick Steves!
Taylor (a girl in the program) started a fun game called "Pass the Pinocchio" because he is absolutely everywhere here! Whoever has it puts it in someone's bag, they pass it to another person, and so on. We're hoping it doesn't just get lost in someone's bag!
My Italian class at La Societa di Dante Alighieri. The bald guy in the back is our teacher and his name is Lorenzo.
There's a vending machine for little hot chocolates and coffee of all kinds!
So I ordered a limonata, thinking it would be the San Pellegrino we have in the US, and they gave me Fanta. Needless to say I was so disappointed, until I tasted it and it was so good! It's completely different from the Fanta at home, it doesn't have corn syrup, and it's super tart! Now I get it often and I don't even remember the last time I had Fanta back home!
Delicious tortellini with prosciutto
Inside the Palazzo Pubblico in the Piazza del Campo. They had an awesome art gallery of kid's drawings when we were there too.
A statue of the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus by Giovanni Turino, also inside the Palazzo Pubblico. I started doing some research and apparently Siena was founded by two sons of Remus and they brought a statue of the she-wolf to Siena, so it later became the symbol for the city.
On Thursday night the school hosted an aperitivi night. Every night in Siena some of the small restaurants set out aperitivi, which are like little appetizers, and they come with the price of a drink. So you can buy water, coke, fanta, or any of their alcohol selection and get the food with the price of it. We went to a few places, but this was the only picture I got! They had one of my favorite foods I've had since being here though, called Pappa al Pomodoro. It's on the right and it's kind of a sweet tomato paste with oil and all around amazing flavor!
Thursday and Friday nights we went to the amusement park, really more like carnivals in Salt Lake, called Lunapark. It's pretty fun! I don't feel like the rides are super safe at all, but it's a fun place to just go hang out! And near it is one of the only places where there is grass in the city. I didn't realize it until about three days in, but I really miss grass! Siena is amazing, but you have to seek out grass and trees to relax by.
Swings ride at Lunapark
Bumper cars
I bought this after school one day for 4 Euro, about $4.50, and even their inexpensive salads are gourmet compared to what you can get in Utah!
Wooh, Kinder egg!
Friday it was raining and i just thought the lighting was beautiful
After everyone had dinner with their host families Friday, they came over to our apartment. I just made some snacks with the super fresh tomatoes and cheese you can buy in the supermarket and we played Scopa! It's a traditional Italian card game that we learned in our Italian classes in Utah.
Friday was also Nicola's birthday, so at night Drew and Jordan carried him on their shoulders while we all sang Happy Birthday to him in Italian! We're never annoying American students... haha
Ahhh I tried a frog leg!! We went to a Chinese restaurant down the street from our apartment (I know why Chinese food in Italy, but it was fun). I made Alaina take a picture of me eating it for proof! It actually tasted like just meat in general, but I could not get over the idea of it so Jordan finished it! haha
Ewwww... but I tried it!
On Saturday, a group of us went on a wine tour to three cities in Tuscany. The postcards, movies, and everything do not exaggerate how beautiful the scenery is!
The first winery we went to was in Montalcino, where Brunello wine is famous. I don't remember the name of the winery, but it was gorgeous and this guy owns it. He was so funny and such a ladies man! The girl next to him is actually from Oregon and he just snatched her at the beginning and held her hand while he talked about his life's work! Then when we were all sitting in the tasting he kept coming up to all the girls for kisses and pictures with them!
This is a picture of him with his wife when they were younger
Giant thing of wine
Lovely table setting for the tasting
Oh my goodness, everything was so yummy! They make the olive oil there and I wanted to buy some, but they were sold out :(
This is what happens when there's a long bus ride...
Pienza!! The tour guide let us loose for about 45 minutes in Pienza. This view was absolutely gorgeous! He was also telling us that the Cypress trees, the tall skinny ones, in the countryside are the symbolic tree of Tuscany.
I keep forgetting to take a picture of my gelato! But this really should count as my first authentic gelato because it is definitely the best I've had so far! (Still in Pienza)
Pienza is also famous for Pecorino cheese, which is sheep cheese. It was delicious!
Approaching Montepulciano, which is a medieval town in Tuscany. It was super cute and I'm hoping I'll be able to go back sometime because we didn't have very much time there!
The entrance to the main part of the city
We all used Rudi's technique for curling our hair, so it obviously warranted a picture! haha (Alaina is on the left, Rudi, and myself)
You can just see the gods kissing the Earth here it's so beautiful
This is the road I live on. It's very lively at night, but thank goodness for earplugs!
No comments:
Post a Comment