Finding calm

A day in Florence is like no other. A variety of four-wheeled, three-wheeled-, two-wheeled, and human obstacles can stand in your way, even just during a simple walk to school in the morning. The city is very stimulating, be it with the beautiful scenery of the Tuscan hills, the architecture, or the various svelte Florentines that pass you by, and you have to be careful not to let things like the sweet smells from a pasticceria distract you from an oncoming Vespa. Like many things in Italy, life is a balance of fast and slow, urgent and relaxed. Because of this, tranquil places like cattedrali (cathedrals), cappelle (chapels), sinagoghe (synagogues), and moschee (mosques) are great places to take a deep breath and relax. During my time in both Florence and Italy as a whole, I have visited many of these places and found relief from the sometimes stressful life of Italian cities. I don't visit these places for religious reasons, but more for the calm they induce. They are great places to think. The quiet, cool, and beauty of a cathedral or synagogue can help anyone forget about an angry encounter with a taxi driver, a long line at a caffe, or the general claustrophobia of city life. They are great places to sketch, people watch, and admire domes of all sizes. I've visited cathedrals in Rome, Corniglia, Florence, Siena, and Pisa during my stay in Italy as well as well as the Tempio Maggiore (Great Synagogue) and mosque in Florence. All have astounded me with their artwork, architecture, and gilded streams of light, but my favorite so far has been the tiny little church of San Pietro in Corniglia. I stumbled upon it, sweat on my brow and gelato in hand, after a hike in Cinque Terre National Park. The temperature was approaching 41 degrees Celsius and my legs needed rest. I climbed the small set of stairs at San Pietro, and found myself alone in a beautiful and tiny cathedral with candles glowing and music drifting from distant corners. I sat on a pew for a few minutes, and re-energized myself for the last part of my hike.

Ceiling of the Pisa cathedral in late-afternoon light.

So, anytime you are in need of a quiet place away from the chaos of an Italian city, take the hike to San Pietro in Corniglia or just visit the nearest synagogue. Both will do the trick. --Jessica Tierney

Key words: cattedrali (cathedrals), cappelle (chapels), sinagoghe (synogogues), moschee (mosques), duomo (dome), calma (calm)

Advice

Make yourself pack as light as possible. You are going to shop when you get to Florence. Plan on bringing some things that you can wear while you are here and leave behind before you go home. If you are planning on shopping a lot think about packing a suitcase within a suitcase. See the places on your cultural list as soon as possible. You may want to hit up a few more than once. --Sarah Terranova

Parole utili: Per portare via – “to go” like for coffee; Allora – used as frequently as “ummmm” in English; Grazie mille

Saving money

Everybody knows being in Italy isn't free, however there are ways
to save money here and there, and eventually it adds up.  When I was in
Rome, we tried to walk everywhere we needed to go but unfortunately
our hostel was 8 miles away from the center so at night we had to taxi
because the busses stopped running at midnight.  One night Corbin and
I had eaten dinner in the center and needed to get back to the hostel,
but we weren't familiar as to how the busses function in Rome.  They
don't just go around in circles like at KU, or if they do, it takes a
REALLY long time; we learned the hard way.  It was around 11:15 and we
caught the bus going the opposite direction. When his final stop was at
11:40 at the bus station we knew we were in trouble.  Fortunately,
after being booted off the bus, a taxi was waiting for us, as if the
taxi driver and the bus driver planned the entire thing.  He told us
it would cost us 60 Euro to go home... yeah right.  We politely told
him he was crazy and we would wait for the next one.  A few minutes
went by and we were walking towards a more busy area to find a cab and
the same taxi rolls by again and this time shouted "45 euro".  We once
again declined.  Still searching for a cab, a couple minutes passed
and the same cab driver circled around again, this time shouting "35
Euro". I caved in.  He then asked if I smoked and iIreplied "No, but I
don't mind if you do, if you knock the price down to 30 Euro." He
obliged, and we saved 30 Euro on the ride home.  Just be aware of
scams, and if the price sounds too high, it probably is. --Ben Balson

The Streets of Florence

Forget buses and taxis. The best was to see Florence is by walking. Everywhere. You see and experience so much more. But my biggest advice is to take it slow. The beauty of this program is that except for class in the morning, you have nowhere to be! So why walk fast? Enjoy yourself, see everything, walk down streets you’ve never been on, stop into stores and look around, stop and listen to the street musicians, talk to people (in Italian, duh), ask for directions, take in the culture, eat at every gelato place. (Maybe only the last one if you want to be sick by the end of 3 kilometers. There are gelato places everywhere.)

 

I have found too that walking in small groups or even by myself is far better, because it is easier to keep the pace to a light stroll and you can stop into places that interest you with less of a chance of someone not wanting to join, thus splitting the group.

So it is best to enjoy what little time you have in this beautiful country and keep it relaxed and easy. --Corbin Soliday

tre frasi utili:

Dov’è.....? - where is .....?

Buongiorno / Buona Sera - Good morning / Good afternoon/evening

posso accarezzare il tuo cane? - can i pet your dog?

No Italian

I came to Italy not knowing any Italian, so I was really curious to know whether or not this trip was a good idea. Turns out I made a good choice because everyone was willing to help me and after only a few days in Rome I had already learned a lot of Italian. I learned to ask questions about every little detail because it helped me advance in my Italian speaking skills. I didn’t always let others speak for me because I knew little, but I asked how to say it and tried myself. This experience has been an amazing adventure/ challenge for me, but there is nothing I would change about it! Take advantage of every opportunity! --Brittni Counts

Three useful Italian words:

-          Basta

-          Grazie

-          Ciao

Train station

Look for this machine to stamp your ticket!

The not-so veloce self-service kiosk

A new experience in Italy for me was a train station.  In Kansas public transportation is limited to within cities, but in Florence one can get a train to anywhere else in the country.  The train station wasn’t anything like what I was expecting either.  So first lesson is don’t come with preconceived notions about train travel.  Second lesson buy train tickets at least the day before you want to travel.  If you wait until the day you want to depart there is added stress of the line and catching the train at the time you want.  The train station is always a bustle with people coming and going from Florence since it is a hot tourist destination.  I had a bad experience where the self service kiosks kept shutting down while people were trying to buy their tickets.  People became very irate.  When my group finally reached the kiosk for our turn we were preparing to buy our ticket when the man behind us was cursing us out to hurry up because he was going to miss his train.  One must realize that it was not my fault he was going to miss his train.  It was his fault for not being early and prepared; better early than late I always say.  The last and maybe the most important thing to remember about train travel is to validate your ticket.  They always come by and check your ticket once the train is moving, so avoid the hassle of a fine by finding a yellow box, usually located at the entrance of the track, and make sure to validate your ticket!  Buon Viaggio! --Janel Wietharn

3 useful words: Partenza=Departure, Arrivo=Arrival, and Convalida=Validate

il traffico

In Italy, the driving style is vastly different than most of us Americans are used to. Absent are the enforced traffic laws and the streets are a mesh of flesh and metal as pedestrians dash to avoid their metal encased counterparts. Outside the city, people are at the whim of automobiles, but inside the city, it is different. Inside the city, people reign supreme. Le macchine creep behind the people, as shadows at dusk, down every street until the freedom can be achieved by way of open road. Transportation is a nightmare because the buses are overcrowded, Vespas and vehicles remain at almost standstills and le bici wobble with unbalance, the consequence of not keeping speed. I strongly believe the easiest way to get around the city is andare a piedi.

The blur of a racing car when it breaks free from the crowds in the city.

A cheap lunch

Through the streets of Florence there are many places to find a quick bite to eat. A good, fast lunch is always a necessity, but it is important to find a place that will not hurt the wallet. Most paninos you would find on the street are about 5 euro and the paninos were made hours before you arrived to purchase it. One place that is a local hotspot, and has been for over a hundred years, is I Due Fratellini.  In via Cimatori, just a few blocks from both the Piazza della Signoria and the Piazza della Repubblica, I Due Fratellini has optimal location. In Florence since 1875, this panino palace is literally not much more than a hole in the wall. Just walk up, say the number of the panino you would like and sit along the streets and watch the other American tourists flock down the block to O Vesuvio to get a glimpse of the Jersey Shore. For only 2.50 euro, it’s hard to beat the quick service and fresh ingredients they have to offer. Don’t be discouraged by the long line out front, it goes rather quickly. Stop by just once and you’ll discover it will soon be your favorite place for a quick bite to eat.

Parole Utili: -Ventisette-the only thing you need to tell them to get a delicious panino of salami picante and goat cheese;  vino da asporto-for just one euro more you can get a solo cup of wine to take on the streets; un altro vino da asporto- - Just in case you need some fun in your life.

Cooking Class 2

 

Tuesday evening was our second and final (for some) cooking class of this summer semester. I would have to say that I personally enjoyed this one much more than I enjoyed the last one because I liked the food we made this time much more. We learned how to make homemade gnocchi which is a potato pasta that is very common in Tuscany with a pesto tomato sauce and an appetizer that consisted of eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella, and for dessert we made homemade tiramisu. It was all so delicious and I am really excited to go home and try out the recipes on my own. The class itself was a lot more fun this time as well. Francesca and her kids came to join us and her son Dorian cooked with my group which was very cool. He is such a happy kid all the time and he just made the cooking atmosphere so much more fun.  --Katie Copeland

Some of the common words that are helpful to know in the kitchen are:

Mescolare: to stir

Tagliare: to cut

Sale e pepe: salt and pepper

La festa di San Giovanni

St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence, is celebrated on June 24th. This day and the days leading up to it are days of great celebration for Florentines. Activities for St. John include Calcio Storico and fireworks.

Calcio Storico is a medieval soccer tournament that takes place in the square of Santa Croce. There are four teams: red, blue, white, and green. These teams play a game similar to soccer with no rules and earn points by throwing the soccer ball against the opposing team's wall. Most years the two teams who move on to the finals are the white and blue team with this year being no different. Typically a few days before the final game the tickets are sold out and come game day the stands are packed tighter than a tin of sardines. The opening ceremonies commence at 5:30 and as the teams are paraded out, hundreds of smoking, shirtless Italian men go crazy in support of their team. The opening ceremonies last about 45 minutes and include flag bearers, noblemen on horses, and religious officials, all dressed in medieval attire. When the game actually starts, the two teams attack one another with fury. These men try with all their might to score a goal but, just like in normal soccer, very little scoring is actually done. This year the blue team emerged from this blood bath victorious scoring 3 points while the defeated white team scored 1 1/2. The game itself lasts only an hour or so but the participants all end up looking like this war has waged for ages.

This year the hour long fireworks spectacle began at 10:00 pm. Many Florentines watch the show from the banks of the Arno or from one of the many bridges.

Three words you need to know for San Giovanni are: biglietto or ticket, Santa Croce which is where the game is held at, and fuochi or fireworks.

Cultural difference -- travel

  When traveling between any two places, no matter the distance, you are always going to find something different. Whether it's extremely different or something minuscule depends just how far you go. Leaving the American culture behind and entering a whole new place has brought forth many new exciting encounters and experiences. Traveling across the world leaves plenty of room for some pretty big differences. They are really all around, but I think the most significant ones are convenience and transportation.
    Convenience and transportation pretty much go hand in hand here. In my opinion, the transportation set-up  makes for suitable living and is so much less of a hassle than it is in the States. Instead of having to jump in your car to drive across town, you can easily walk pretty much anywhere. Not only is it faster and safer than getting on the road with crazy Italian drivers, it also allows you to explore the city more and stumble upon something new each day. 

    Traveling in-between cities and countries is effortless with easily accessible train stations located in the center of every city. Buying your ticket is probably the most annoying part, but once you have that out of the way all you have to do is show up, hop on the train, and you're on your way. Not only is this mode of transportation so much smoother than flying and more comfortable than driving, but it is also way more punctual. Almost always the trains leave exactly on time, never a minute late.**
    Not only is traveling more accommodating, but much more exciting as well. Lengthy train rides offer day-dreaming out the window at the beautiful scenery to pass the time while some modes of transportation are simply way more fun than others. If you travel to Venice you will have the opportunity to take "traghetti", ferries and water taxis which take you across the Grand Canal of Venice. 

    In order to take full advantage of these conveniences, remember maps and train timetables. They will be your best friends on this trip! Buon divertimento! --Molly Middleton

**Editor's note: Molly, I think your positive experience with the punctuality of trains in Italy may be atypical.

International Travel

A Rimini

One of the best things about being in Italy, besides learning the language, absorbing the culture, and inhaling the food, is being so close to the other European countries. When else can you seriously say, "Oh, I think I'm going to go to Spain this weekend, or maybe France. And next weekend I want to go to Austria." Being able to say that is AWESOME. This summer is not only a once in a lifetime opportunity to become fluent in Italian while living in Florence, but an opportunity to travel! You can go see the world! All of Europe is knocking on your backdoor, and all of Italy is just a short step away. I LOVE to travel, and so does my family. We spent Christmas in Egypt this past year, and it was a trip that I will never forget. After I decided to study abroad in Italy, I knew I wanted to purchase a Eurail Global Pass so I would have the ability to go as I please. The first weekend we were in Italy, a bunch of students and I decided to go to Rimini, a small beach town on the Adriatic coast that attracts a lot of traveling students. We stayed at a really fun hostel called Sunflower Backpacker Hostel. The beach, tanning, discotecas... It was a great way to kick-off the summer! The next weekend I went to Venice with some friends for an electronic music festival called ElectroVenice. We saw some of our favorite DJ's like Afrojack, Deadmau5, and Fatboy Slim! The third weekend we had a three day weekend, so we took advantage of the extra day and went to Vienna, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic. We took overnight trains to and from Vienna and so it made the trip seem a lot shorter. This trip was different because we weren't surrounded by Italian anymore. New countries, new languages, and new currencies. We truly felt like outsiders, but nevertheless, we had a really fun time! Tomorrow I am planning on going to Barcelona, Spain with one other friend for the weekend. I am really excited to explore this historic, and eclectic city, and to go to the beach, of course! Who knows where my Eurail pass will take me in the future... Maybe France, Switzerland, or even the Netherlands. So while I soak up the Italian culture during the week, on the weekends it is time for me to say, "Ci vediamo, Italia!" The world is out there waiting, and it is time to explore. --Meg Reesing

Vivere in famiglia

My host family is amazing! My roommate, Meg Reesing, and I are living with all-around awesome Italians. Our host-dad Stefano was in a famous 90s band, that I can only describe as the Italian love child of No
Doubt and Ricky Martin, called 'Dirotta Su Cuba'. Here he is circa 1990 rockin' out with his band when flashy fits and sweet euro-dos were acceptable. They still are actually, it's pretty great: (Stefano is the one in the sweet white fit)

https://mail.ku.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=6f57ca888df647d6b474539a0c0c3848&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dVpc_JuyhXIA%26feature%3drelated

...Vanessa (our mom- best Italian mom ever) makes us eat all our pasta which is not difficult, as it is the most delicious food ever, and Neri (their little 9-yr.-old) runs around loudly presenting his ever-changing opinions about the history of the "Carolina's"-he has an obsession with the American Revolution & Civil War and tends to ramble adorably from time to time. I think the Patriot (in Italiano) has played seven times or more since Meg and I have been living here, it's great.

Neri as Dante in a school play

 

View of the Duomo from the terrazza

Since it is close to impossible to find an American Revolution get-up in Italy, Neri resorts to a pirate hat and camouflage, clearly the next best thing. Meg's family, who are visiting her in late July, are planning on bringing some serious American toys for Neri, everyone is excited for this- mostly Neri. --Cat Novak