After our first week of school, which consisted of only three days of classes, we spent a quiet weekend exploring Florence and running countless errands. I finally feel settled here and have accepted the fact that I will be sleeping very little over the next four months as we attempt to see as much of Europe as we possibly can. Florence is quickly becoming home and surprisingly, I am really not homesick (sorry mom and dad!). We’ve befriended multiple waiters at what is becoming our favorite osteria, discovered the late night bakery and successfully ordered dinner in Italian on many occasions.
On Sunday we ventured to Viareggio with our program for Carnival. Viareggio is a small town about 60 miles northwest of Florence, on the Western coast of Italy. Viareggio is popular for two things: its beach location and Carnival.
This year, the Viareggio Carnival celebrated its 140th anniversary, as it continues to attract over one million people each year. In Viareggio, Carnival lasts an entire month, from February 3rd to March 3rd, as the city fills with parades, parties, fireworks, festivals and sporting events.
Carnival is essentially Madison’s Freak Fest meets the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The streets are filled with gigantic floats, as people dressed in costume celebrate the final days before Lent begins. Each large float comes complete with its very own flash mob dancing through the streets and singing along, often times to popular American songs like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.
My favorite floats included what we thought was a legalize gay marriage float showing two men in wedding attire and an eclectic float that centered around a picture of Obama kissing Princess Diana on the cheek. Of course, being outsiders of Italian culture and politics, we we’re somewhat confused by the floats, but couldn’t help but marvel at these giant papier-mâché creations.
We joined in on the fun by purchasing traditional Carnival masks, but being girls, we obviously visited four different stands before making our decision. No Carnival would be complete without typical festival food, so we ended our day by chowing down on a delicious doughnut. We left Viareggio with a trail of confetti, silly string and glitter behind us, and returned to Florence to pretend to do work for our second week of class.
On Thursday, we will embark on our first European adventure to Prague, where two of my best friends from high school are studying for the semester. The job of constructing our itinerary has fallen on me so I hope my roommates are ready for some major history lessons. We’re looking forward to visiting the Jewish quarter and synagogues, the Lennon Wall, Old Town Square, and the Prague Castle among other things. My brother (hi Jason!), who studied in Florence five years ago, told me that the nightlife in Prague is crazy, so we are definitely looking forward to this weekend. Check back next week to hear about our trip!
Ciao a tutti!
Sources:
http://viareggio.ilcarnevale.com/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/travel-tips-and-articles/76302