Ciao, raggazi!
Here we are, already almost half-way through another college semester. Normally, when October rolls around at Wake Forest, I am already counting down the days until the holidays, but over here in bellissima Firenze, time is just going way too fast! This weekend was lovely as always, made all the more enjoyable because instead of Kristen and I embarking on our European adventures alone (a gamble at best, as we all know), we were joined by her fabulous Dad & step-Mom, Leo and Celeste.
That’s them posing up at our gorgeous NYU campus. Adorable, right? Let me just tell you guys, after an entire month in a foreign country with absolulutely minimal supervision, having some responsible adults around was a breath of fresh air. Not to mention all the usual perks of parent visitation were totally amplified by the Italian setting…the resteraunts we went to this weekend were insane! Convincing Kristen’s parents that “no, of course we don’t go out too much” and “yes, we absolutely check for rouge Vespas before hopping across Via Cavour” was a little bit tricky, but something tells me just two bites of the best paninis in Florence pretty much wiped away any of their lingering doubts…
Anyways. We decided to kick off our weekend with a near-crippling leisurely climb up to the top of the Duomo. Despite feeling like I was about to pass out on the darling German family snapping pics to my left, the trip was worth it. I mean, would you just look at these views?
Spectacular, si? If you look slightly to the right of the gigantic straight out of Lord of the Rings Gothic tower, you can just make out where my apartment is. I know, I know, to study abroad is to live la dolce vita. We explored Florence all afternoon, making sure that Celeste & Leo got the full Italian experience during their stay (and by Italian experience, I mean eating as much gelatto and drinking as much wine as we could possibly get away with in a single day). We had an absolutely magical night out at a resteraunt right on the Arno, and Kristen and I posed on the Ponte Vecchio! (We figured we needed at least one pretty picture of us in Firenze to negate the atrocious photos of us from last weekend at Oktoberfest. Trust me, we look like scary monsters in far too many of them…)
Note the shoes…I bought them here for under 10 euro. Who says you have to be a fashion snob in Italia?
The rest of the weekend was just as blissful as our first day with Celeste & Leo. Saturday we visited this Italian town called Sienna. It was, I kid you not, the most charming city I have ever been in. It’s all beautiful architecture coupled with adorable Italian locals walking the streets…sigh. I never wanted to leave. There was one point where Kristen & I fully sprawled out on the warm cobble-stoned piazza and stared up at the Tuscan sky. Granted, within five minutes a female officer was standing over our tranquil faces yelling Italian and gesturing wildly, but those few moments before we were caught breaking municipal policy? Bellisimo.
We spent the rest of the day shopping through Sienna and San Gimgnano, attempting to blend in, but obviously failing miserably. It got so bad that we were actually stopped by a random tourist and asked to take a photo with her. Our only explanation? We stand out that badly. But you guys be the judges…
That hat Kristen’s wearing looks pretty Euro to me. Then again, I’m currently writing this blog wearing leopard-print Sperry top-siders. Guess developing some authentic European flavor will just have to be a work in progress for now…
Until next week, collegiettes!