Bologna, not like the lunch meat

My first overnight trip from Siena was a great success, although I can’t take any credit. Last weekend IES organized a cultural trip for our whole group to Bologna. At first I was not super excited about the location as I was hoping for something more exotic, but Bologna is actually really neat. We left on Thursday morning bright and early to take a bus to Firenze and then from there we hopped on a train to Bologna. It was actually a very quick trip if you don’t count the train delay.

After checking into the hotel and checking out the shopping for a little we headed to the famous Neptune fountain in the Piazza Maggiore to meet our tour guide. Bologna has a long history dating back to its founding by the Etruscans and then it’s later development by the Romans. Bologna also has the first university in Europe and was home to the Papal seat for a while. On our tour the old city hall and saw a building that they are now using as the public library that has the ruins of the ancient roman city for view underneath the floor. We of course went to the University of Bologna .The walls and ceilings of the hallways at the University are covered with the crest of each student who was elected to the equivalent of student council. Also if a professor was especially like his bust and a large plaque were put on the wall. We also saw the dissection theater which was amazing. There were beautiful sculptures of wood in every section of the ceiling and some amazing statues surrounding the professor’s seat. After the University of course we saw a few churches. I know that I’m in Italy and should get used to seeing a million church tours but really unless there’s pretty art inside I’m not really a fan. We went to the medieval church that’s famous because it’s actually 7 churches in one, so if you’re trying to reach that magical church quota it’s the place to be. At the end of our 3 hour tour (luckily we didn’t get shipwrecked) I was lacking much appreciation for medieval architecture.

After some shopping and a nice little rest back at the hotel we headed out to dinner. One of the best things about our IES outings is at every meal I sit next to different people and really get to know them better and have completely different conversations every night.

Saturday we met our guide in the morning and did some more touring. We started out at the medieval museum where we viewed many tombs of university professors. The university was and is a huge part of Bolognian culture and these tombs were amazing works of art. Being a professor in Bologna was a huge honor and professors were very respected. After the museum we saw a few more churches and then the famous towers. I didn’t know Bologna was known for its towers but apparently it is, there are two and one is leaning. After our tour a group of us headed to a Mexican restaurant. I was pretty excited about having food that was not Italian, and it was pretty good. After our long lunch we did a little shopping and headed back. We had another fabulous group dinner and then decided we wanted to go out. We ended up at a huge Irish pub that was playing reggae and a rugby match. It was really fun to go out with everyone and just hang out. Siena is lacking for good night spots so bologna was a nice change.

Sunday we went to cooking school. In the first half we learned all about making different types of pasta and then made it. We made big tortellini with cheese and little ones with ham and then some plain noodles. Folding the tortellini was like folding origami and once I got the hang of it was pretty easy, although some of the one in our group were pretty misshapen. For the second part of our “class” we got to eat everything that we made. It was quite a delicious meal, plus it’s fun when you helped make it. After our class we hopped back on the train to Florence. When we got to Florence we were pushed off our bus to Siena by a rude German school group, but after waiting around for a while we got the next bus back and were happily home in Siena. I really felt settle here when I realized that I was talking about being so happy to come home and meaning my apartment in Siena.

The Wine Harvest

I won’t be quitting school to become a wine maker anytime soon. Last Wednesday some of us from IES went to a vineyard and helped with the grape harvest. Our program director John lives in a little house located on a vineyard and last week he mentioned that over the weekend he had helped with the harvest and one of the girls in our group though it sounded neat and said she really wanted to go. John got it all arranged and Wednesday afternoon we set off to pick grapes. After a 10 minute walk up the lane we got to the vineyard and it was beautiful. Apparently it’s one of the oldest vineyards in Tuscany and it has been in the same family for a few centuries. It was just as you’d expect a Tuscan vineyard to look with rolling hills and grape vines in every direction and a few small olive groves too. We met with the owner who was so excited to have the extra help, were given a few brief instructions and then we were let loose to cut the grapes.

Now this was not the I Love Lucy version of working at a winery where she just mashes the grapes with her feet. It was actually pretty hard work, not difficult but very labor intensive. You have to keep your eyes peeled to see some of the bunches and grapes also grow in the brush at the bottom of the vine and you have to cut them from the vine and fish them out of the branches and such. In the first 15 minutes I was absolutely covered in burrs. I felt like our cat Nelson when he comes in from outside. It was fun though working with everyone and talking and the grapes tasted great. After about an hour and a half the fun and novelty of harvesting grapes in the Tuscan countryside started to wear off and it just became work and we were supposed to be there for another hour. Finally it was time to head home and there was some confusion about our transportation back. We were going to take the bus, but Giacomo, the son of the owner, said that he’d drive us all back and we thought this meant that we’d take a few of the cars and head back apparently not. At 6:30 when we were going to leave we discovered that this meant he would be taking shifts of people for the 15 minute drive back to the city starting at 6:30. Needless to say it took a little longer than anticipated to get back, but as I have discovered in my first few weeks here this is the way many things turn out. Overall it was an awesome experience that I would not have wanted to miss, and I think in a few weeks we are getting either a bottle of their olive oil or wine as a thank you.

A Failed Excursion

I have discovered that traveling from Siena is not as easy as I expected. Last Friday we had a day off from class so a few of us decided to try and go to Elba because we heard it was beautiful. There was a page on the bus website that said they ran a direct line to the coast where we could take the ferry. So Friday morning we woke up super early to head to the bus station only to be told that the beach line no longer existed. Molly, Bri, Gio and I decided that we would go back and sleep for a little and then come up with a new plan and maybe go to Elba on Saturday instead and try and go to Florence later in the day. So after a little nap we reconvened at Molly and Bri’s apartment to find a new way to get to Elba. The bus website with schedules are extremely hard to understand and the fact that only the home page can be translated into English doesn’t really help. We searched and searched but the only thing we could find was super expensive, especially since we only wanted to go for a day trip. Finally we just gave up and decided to go to Florence for the day Saturday.

Saturday at about noon Molly, Bri, Chris and I hopped on an express bus for Florence. It was actually a really quick little trip, it only took about an hour which was great. We didn’t really have anything specific in mind or planned for our outing, which probably would have been good. We ended up just walking around and I was a little underwhelmed. I think that since I’ve seen all the big sites before it just was not as exciting. It actually made me feel so much better about living in Siena. After the debacle on Friday I was feeling pretty frustrated with Siena and second guessing my choice, but after being in Florence which was so crowed and hot and just a big city I was so happy to get back to Siena. Florence is a good place to visit but for me I think Siena is better for day to day. Like everything is life there are trade offs. Sure it’s harder to get places and there may not be as many places to go at night but I am ok with that. I like not having to worry about where I am walking in Siena at night or that it’s quieter. It was worth the price of the bus ticket just to get that perspective.

A wonderful afternoon

Last Thursday afternoon after a seemingly endless Italian class we had a wonderful little IES field trip. We hopped on the bus and headed through the beautiful rolling hills to the little town of Montalcino. After about 40 minutes of watching the countryside roll by we arrived at the edge of town and hoped off the bus. The town is situated on top of a hill in the middle of a beautiful valley. We walked to the fort/castle to look and around and take some pictures and decided walk up on the castle walls. The view from the walls was just amazing and most definitely worth the admission. The weather was perfect and you could see forever is every direction. It was one of the most beautiful view I have ever seen. We were walking on the ramparts where soldiers centuries ago had fired arrows from defending the city in the fight between Florence and Siena. All the little towns in between took sides or was made an out post and so the whole area was involved. We also climbed up to one of the towers which was super cool, although going down the ladder was a bit nerve racking. After spending about a half an our at the castle we went into the town to walk around for a little. The area around Montalcino is famous for it's Brunello wine and so accordingly the town is a huge wine making and selling. It is such a tiny town, with about 3 main streets longways and maybe 7 across but in the area are close to 700 wine shops. Once we started walking around it was easy to see how they fit that many wine shops when you realize that every single shop sells wine. Even the gelato store has wine for sale. We has about 30 minutes to walk around and unless you love wine I don't think you could really spend much more time there.
After meeting back with the group we hopped back on the bus and headed to a little vineyard to take a tour and do a wine tasting. As we walked into the building we were ushered into a side area with huge casks of wine. These barrels were probably at lead 5 feel in diameter and filled with different years of wine. Our tour guide was a cute little old man whose family has owned and run the vineyard and winery for generations. He walked us all over the winery and at one point we went through a little passage way underground built centuries ago. It was funny to come out of the old small passage and end up in a huge high tech room with steel cylinders that they use to make the wine. After our tour we went into the wine tasting room and all sat around one long table set with a place for each of us. Our guide now became our host and sat at the head of the table and looked so proud sitting there and looking at all of us and teaching us about his wines. We had 5 different drinks, 3 wines, a grappa and an amaretto. The wines were really good and one of them was a Brunello which is what the region is famous for. Along with our wine we had delicious prosciutto and cheese and then we had fabulous homemade biscotti. After a few quick pictures we headed back to Siena all full and quite happy. Needless to say it was a wonderful afternoon in the Tuscan countryside.

Pictures

So I will be loading pictures during my trip onto this page if you would like to see more than just one picture a post. Here's the address
www.mediciitaly.shutterfly.com
More updates later.

Field Trips

So this week we have gone on two field trips with the IES group.
On Monday we went to visit the church and headquarters of one of the contrada. Contrada are the neighborhoods of Siena and they run the Palio. There are 17 and they each have their own name, colors and an animal symbol. We visited the Onda contrada which happens to be the one we live in and their symbol is the dolphin. Each year they have a ceremony and baptize the babies into the contrada. You have to be baptized into the contrada to be a real member even if you are older but are not technically a part of the contrada and have been invited to join. If a member of one contrada marries someone from another contrada and they have children they have to decide which one to baptize them into, and it's a huge decision. Once you are a member yo are a member until death. Each contrada has their own church that is only for use by members of the contrada where they hold weekly mass and weddings and other events. In the bottom of the church there are all the costumes that they wear for the historical parade that happens every year before the Palio and also a room with all the Palio banners they have ever won. On the ceiling they have the coat of arms of each family in the contrada. The contrada's are a very serious business and each has 2 sister contradas and one rival contrada and if they can't win the Palio they try to make sure the rival doesn't win. Our guide, a little old Italian man named Pietro, talked for a good 10 minutes about the rivalry they have and how extreme it is. The traditions of the contrada have been around for centuries and they still wear the traditional costumes for special events.
On Tuesday we went to an archaeological dig on a hilltop in Tuscany. We took a bus to Poggibonsi and then took a hike up a steep hill and arrived at the site. We then got a tour by one of the archaeologist and it was super beautiful. The site was really cool and they have been working on it for 14 years and they have uncovered a lot of remains. Now they are working on a church. It was really neat to go see how the settlement changed from huts to houses to a farm to a fortress to a city.
That's the thing about Siena there are traditions here like the Palio and Contradas that have been going on for centuries, and I live in a building that is at least 400-500 years old where a Pope was born. I don't just study the history and culture but I see it everyday and experience it.

A full week

A full week in Italy and everything here is going really well. My roommates are awesome as are the other people in the program. This weekend has been fairly similar to weekends at school only in a new more interesting location. We've walked around the city scouting cafes and pubs we want to come back to and just getting a feel for where we live. The streets are quite curvy and little and usually you don't end up where you thought you would. Saturday during one of our excursions we went to a Pucci exhibit at the Siena museum which was his spring-summer '57 collection that was based on the Palio and contrata symbols. All the clothes were so amazing and the funny thing is that about 80% would be super fashionable if you wore it today. Saturday night we went to a party of a friend of one of our Italian roommate's which was fun but got a little awkward towards the end when we we leaving but overall it was a good night. Sunday was a lazy day and I just did some errands and I was quite happy to discover that we get the Daily Show here. Next weekend we are planning a trip to Cinque Terre, which are 5 little villages on the coast since we have a three day weekend.
On another topic turns out being in such a beautiful place does not fend off my normal beginning of school feelings of homesickness. It's not even that I want to necessarily be at home or back at school but just around all my people. I love being here but at the same time I feel really cut off form everyone and everything because I haven't gotten to talk to many people from home. Every once in a while it's nice to be cut off but not for a week when you are in a new place and just need a little reassurance. We are supposed to get internet soon so that will help. It supposed to be fixed last week, twice, but they never fixed the right thing so we'll see if they actually fix it today.

So pretty!!

Life in Siena has been amazing. I have started Italian classes but I still don't really understand when most people talk to me. They all speak to way to fast and I can pick up a word maybe once or twice. I am looking forward to when I can actually understand Italian and what people are saying to me.
My apartment is great and I live seriously like 15 feet from the Campo in an old building but my apartment is surprisingly huge. The past few days I have just spent walking around and discovering little places around the city. I have seen a lot a lot of cute places but I'm not quite sure exactly how to get back there. The city just gets more and more beautiful every time I walk around.
The other night we went to a beautiful dinner in the middle of the city garden. It was just gorgeous but the walk back up the hill was a killer. I swear by the end of the semester I am going to have the best gluts. With all these hills I really have no idea how women wear high heels I have a tough enough time with flats.
Siena is pretty quite at night apparently there is no nightlife, so I guess we'll just have to find other things to do. I still can't believe that I will be living here for four months. There are a lot of tourist here still but according the my Italian roommate the tourist season is in it's last throws. When the university starts classes there should be more students here so maybe we'll meet more Italian students. My roommates are just great and we have been hanging out a lot with the other IES apartment of girls who are all really nice. It is such a great group of girls and we really just go out to eat and hang out at cafes and talk and walk around. Life here is pretty calm and I'm loving it so far.

I'm here!!

Well I am now in Siena and getting settled in. I am so glad I ma here. We were in Rome the first night and it was a little overwhelming. Siena is just beautiful and I can't believe I get to live here for 4 months. My Italian is terrible but that's what class is for I guess. I've been trying to use it, but I don't remember much.
All the people in my program seem really nice and the girls I am living with are great. Last night we went to dinner with our Italian roommate and then walked around. My apartment is fabulous. It's right off the Campo, which is the center of the historic area, and it's much bigger than I expected. I have a roommate, Gio, but our room is more than big enough for two. Julia has a single we drew straws and she won. The picture is the view from our window.
Today we had language placement and tomorrow we start our language classes and then in two weeks we start real classes. Turns out they have a new policy and we have class on Fridays so traveling is more complex to plan than I though.
It's still a little overwhelming but amazing.