venezia.

Buongiorno!

The past week has been very busy! Wednesday my class went on a field trip to Venice, overnight. I think Venice was my favourite Italian city. I loved the canals and the maze-like streets, but I’ll tell you more about Venice in a bit.

Friday I went to Florence again, this time with two friends. We shopped in the Mercato San Lorenzo, and we even went inside the Duomo. Then Saturday we went to Castellina in Chianti. We started out wanting to go to Monteriggioni, but the buses don’t go there on the weekends. So we picked a random place to go. I recognised the name Castellina from my guide book, and knew it was in the Chianti region, so we chose it. It was an adventure for sure. We wandered around the city, visited its tower and museum, and tasted some wine. Chianti is a beautiful region, well-known for its wine and castles. This is another area I would love to explore on a future trip to Italy. Castellina was a gorgeous little town. Yesterday we explored Siena’s sights, and today we went to another little town called Colle di Val d’Elsa. It was really pretty.

Anyway, my trip to Venice was amazing. The first day, we left around 8 in the morning, and arrived in Venice around 1 in the afternoon. This included an hour long stop for lunch. The first things we visited were the Piazza San Marco, the Basilica di San Marco, and the Doge’s Palace.

The Piazza San Marco is the centre of Venice. This is where you can find the Basilica di San Marco and the Doge’s Palace. It is quite famous for its pigeons, and let me tell you, there were a lot. I saw some people feeding them bread, and they were crowding him, they were even landing on his hands. It opens to the Grand Canal. The Piazza features two columns, one for each of the patron saints of Venice: Saint Mark and Saint Teodoro of Amasea. This used to be the official entrance to the city.




The Basilica di San Marco is in the Piazza. Supposedly, in 828, Venetian merchants stole the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria. Although there have been chapels and churches of San Marco since this time, the current Basilica was constructed in 1063. The body of Saint Mark is supposed to be buried within the church, although it is thought by some that it is actually the body of Alexander the Great. There is also a room where Saint Mark’s treasure is kept. The inside of the basilica is covered with mosaics. The floor is warped due to the settling of the city, and the domes at the top of the basilica aren’t exactly circular, for the same reason.
The Doge’s Palace, or the Palazzo Ducale di Venezia also lies in the Piazza. This gothic building was the residence of the Doges, or Dukes, of Venice. It was built between 1309 and 1424. However, it was reconstructed after being damaged by a fire in 1574, so, although it was decided to keep the original gothic style, there are some classical features. Inside the palace, we saw many paintings. Some of them are replacements, because the originals were taken by the French during Napoleon’s invasion.


The Bridge of Sighs connects the interrogation rooms in the Palazzo Ducale to the prison. Prisoners were brought across this beautiful bridge. It was called the Bridge of Sighs by Lord Byron because this would be the last view of Venice prisoners saw before being imprisoned. However, by the time the bridge was built, the days of execution and the inquisition were over. Besides which, it would be hard to see Venice through the little, grilled windows.

After the guided tour was over, a couple of my friends decided they wanted to explore the city, so I joined them. We wandered around looking through shops. At one point, we were lost and didn’t know the name of the hotel we were staying at. However, thankfully, we each had a map. We realised, after an hour or two of trying to figure out how we were going to get back, that one of the maps was different and had the name of the hotel on it. So we created a route for ourselves, which we followed. It took us across many canals and through backstreets, but we made it back by about 9 or 10. We had fun though, and we got to see a lot of Venice this way.
Venice is built on a lagoon near the Adriatic Sea, and includes 118 different islands. The city was created when the people of the Roman Veneto towns had to flee from invasions. They began to form a federation of sorts, and elected their first duke, or doge, in 726. Because of its location on the Adriatic Sea, it became an important trade port. Its government was one of the most stable in Italy, and even in Europe. It traded things such as glass, and the city was thriving. However, in 1797, Venice was conquered by Napoleon, who gave it to the Austrians. Then in 1866, Venice was united with the Kingdom of Italy. Now it is one of the touristiest destinations in Italy. Be prepared to spend a lot of money if you visit here, especially on food. The prices in Venice are pretty high.

One thing I find the most interesting about Venice is the way it is built. Venice was built on stilts basically. Much of it sits on wood piles. Because of the lack of oxygen under water, the wood does not decay, but instead is petrified. However, walking around the city and through old buildings, you can see how this has affected the city. The once flat streets and floors are now warped. Many columns become twisted. The city is sinking, about 14 inches per century. Buildings right by the water are regularly flooded due to something called Acqua Alta. This means High Water, and is caused by storms over the Adriatic. People who live there sometimes just move up to the top floors, leaving the lower, flooded floors abandoned. The Piazza San Marco is the lowest point in the city, so it is always the first to flood.



Canals and streets are interchangeable. You might walk down a street and find a canal at the end of it. To make up for this, Venice has about 400 bridges. Watertaxis and vaporetti (waterbuses) are the public transport. There are also gondolas, which are the traditional Venetian boat, but these are mostly used for tourists now, and cost a fair amount.

The next day, Thursday, we took a vaporetto out to San Michele, an island cemetery. This is where some famous people, such as Ezra Pound, are buried. Also, many Venetians are buried here. In the afternoon, I explored the city a little bit more with the same two girls, then we found a café which was pretty reasonably priced for Venice, and we sat at a little table for about four hours, drinking coffees, eating tiramisu, and talking. It was in a great location, right by a bridge going across a canal, but away from the touristiest part of Venice. It was also delicious.
The bus left around 6 in the evening, and after driving for four hours, with an hour long dinner stop, we arrived in Siena at 11. I was pretty tired, so I just went straight to bed.

Again, 2 days was really not enough time to really see Venice, but I think we did a pretty good job just by wandering around the streets. When you’re in Venice, you really have to accept that you’re going to need a map, or you’ll never find your way around the city.



This week is going to be busy, I only have about five days left in Italy! My friends and I have planned to explore the touristy sights in Siena, as well as visit Monteriggioni. What’s more, we have a test on Thursday (our last class!), and then we are leaving very early Saturday morning!

I’ll hopefully get at least one more post written before I leave, so keep an eye out.

I can’t wait to see everyone at home! I love and miss you all!
Ciao! <3

roma.

Buongiorno!

Sorry my posts have become so sporadic lately! I’ve been pretty busy, what with my overnight trip to Rome last week, and reading for class. I had my second in-class essay today, which I think went pretty well.

Anyway, I’m going to tell you all about Rome, finally! It’s been almost a week since I went!
We left around 9 in the morning last Wednesday, and the bus ride was almost three hours. When we arrived at the hotel, the rooms weren’t quite ready, so we left our stuff in a locked room, and headed off for a walking tour of Rome. That first day we saw the Trevi Fountain, the Roman Pantheon, and the Spanish square and steps.

The Trevi Fountain was really awesome. Like most of the most amazing sights in Rome (at least, I found), the Trevi Fountain comes out of nowhere. You are walking down a street, which all of a sudden opens into a square, one side of which is taken up by this huge baroque fountain. It is a scene featuring Triton in a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two seahorses. Even before this scene was created by Nicola Salvi, this spot was used as a fountain. In the Roman times, it was the end of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. It was used to provide water to the thermal baths. There is a legend surrounding this fountain that says if you throw a coin into the fountain backward over your shoulder, you will return to Rome. Of course, I threw a coin! I do hope to come back to Italy, and Rome, one day.

The Roman Pantheon, built between 27-25 B.C., was the first temple ever built for the common people. Before this, temples were meant only for priests. In fact, the word “temple” comes from the Latin word templum which means “delimited space.” It has been rebuilt twice, both times because of fires. The current Pantheon was built in 110 A.D. It is huge, which is meant to make the worshipper feel small in front of gods. The dome represents heaven. There are seven niches around the inside of the Pantheon, one each for the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Saturn, and Mercury. These were replaced with small altars dedicated to various Christian martyrs with the rise of Christianity.

There are no windows in the Pantheon, only a hole at the top of the dome. It was included not only to let light in, but also to let smoke from sacred fires out.

I found the Pantheon to be one of the most amazing sights, not only for its size, but for its timelessness. It has barely changed in 2000 years. The floor is even the same. 2000 years ago, people walked the same floor I walked, Emperor Hadrian walked that floor. I think it’s pretty mind-blowing.

The Piazza di Spagna, or the Spanish Square, is so called because sometime after the seventeenth century, the Spanish Ambassador lived there. The stairs themselves were built in the eighteenth century, I believe by the French.

After this walking tour around a small part of Rome, a couple girls and I went shopping. Then we went out for dinner and went back to the hotel.

The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we had a tour around the Coliseum and the Roman Forum.

The Coliseum is the largest Roman amphitheatre in the world. It was opened in 80 A.D. by the Flavian family. What is left is really just the skeleton of what it used to be. It used to be completely white; it had four floors with arches and statues. Now, the stone is not so white, thanks to pollution. Also, a lot of the materials, such as metal bolts and three fifths of the outer brick wall, were taken in the middle ages to be reused in other buildings.

The Coliseum was used for watching sports and shows in Roman times. It could hold up to 70 000 spectators. It was free for all Roman citizens, but where people sat depended on social status. The higher the social status, the closer to the arena you sat. Sports could include fights between animals or fights between people and animals or gladiators fighting. Gladiators were often prisoners of war who had been given the choice either to become a slave or to fight. If they won, they would be given their freedom. When a gladiator was wounded, he could raise an arm to ask for mercy. The emperor would decide the man’s fate. If he gave a thumbs up, the gladiator’s life was spared, thumbs down and the gladiator was put to death.

Under the floor of the Coliseum, there is a maze of rooms in which animals etc were kept.
At one point in the middle ages, the Coliseum was under threat of demolition. So, it was declared by Benedict XIV as a monument dedicated to the Passion of Christ. It became a worship place for Christians and restorations took place thanks to various Popes.

I really liked the Coliseum, it was pretty amazing looking down at the arena and thinking about what used to take place there.

After we were done at the Coliseum, we continued on to the Roman Forum.

The Roman Forum was actually marshland until a couple thousand years ago. The two last Etruscan kings commissioned a canal to drain the land, so it could be developed. When the Romans took over, it became the thriving centre of the city.

By the middle ages the forum was in ruins, and much of the material was taken to be reused. Although there are certain temples, for example, that they could not figure out how to tear down. Sometimes, they would just build inside the Roman temple. So you’ll get a 2000 year old Roman temple with a 600 year old church built inside of it.

I really loved Rome for the history. You can feel the ancientness of the city just walking around. A Canadian can never really feel this in any city unless they leave the country.

In the afternoon I went shopping, but I couldn’t really find anything that I wanted for a reasonable price, and I didn’t have enough time to really search for something. Unfortunately, we had to meet back at the hotel at 4:30 in order to catch our bus back to Siena.

Trust me, 2 days is not enough time for Rome. Plan to spend at least three nights there if you ever go. :) Even this wouldn’t be enough time, but it wouldn’t feel as rushed for sure. I didn’t even see the Vatican. I’m finding that I don’t really feel like I’m actually seeing Italy, it feels more like I’m getting a teaser so that I know what to do next time I come! Hopefully I will one day.

Anyway, that’s it for now. Tomorrow I am going on an overnight trip to Venice! And this weekend I plan on going to Florence for some shopping, and maybe one or two other day trips. Hopefully, though, I will be able to tell you a bit about Venice this weekend. If not, I definitely will next week. I have a couple more things I would like to write about before I leave Italy, so hopefully I’ll get enough time to next week. There are only about 10 days left before I come home!

I can’t wait to see everyone! Miss and love you all!
Ciao <3

un po 'di italiano.

Ok, so here’s the little guide I promised you in my last post. :) I realise this definitely should have come a long time ago, like at the beginning of my blog, but I didn’t really think about it.
Anyway, this is going to come directly from my guidebook, same examples and everything. It’ll show you the letter or letter combination in Italian, and a word that exemplifies the pronunciation.
Here it is:

a: cat
e: air
i: sip
o: fox
u: soup
ci or ce: chart
gi or ge: joy
gli: million
gn: Tanya
qu: quick (you always pronounce the u)

For instance, Ciao (which can mean either an informal “hi” or “bye”) is pronounced ‘chaow.’ And things like Monte, you do have to pronounce the ‘e’ on the end.

I think that’s about it. If you need to know anything else, let me know! :)

il palio.

Buongiorno!

We, that is myself and three other girls, arrived in the Piazza del Campo at 2 in the afternoon, approximately 3 hours before the parade was to begin, and 5 hours before the race was scheduled to be run. At first we found some shade to sit in, but the piazza was slowly, but surely, filling up. We decided around 2:30 that we should move into the piazza itself. We found a great spot right by the fence that ran around the inside of the track, right in the centre of the bottom of the piazza. We spent a long afternoon in the sun waiting for something to happen. Thankfully, we were able to sit, it didn’t get crowded until we had been there for an hour or two.

At around 5 the historic parade began. Contrada members dressed in medieval costume paraded around the piazza along the track. There was flag-throwing and instrument-playing. There was flag-throwing for each of the seventeen contrade (plural of contrada), even though only ten participate in the race. Seven of the ten are the contrade that didn’t get to run in the last race. The other three are decided by draw. There were also people dressed up in knight costumes with the visors drawn down. These are to represent the dead contrade. There used to be more than seventeen contrade, although I’m not quite sure how many more, or what happened to them. Unfortunately, the flag-throwers didn’t parade in front of the Palazzo Pubblico (which is where we were standing), so we weren’t able to see much. However, later our position was to be rewarded. After the flag-throwing was over, a large “triumphal chariot” pulled by 4 huge, white oxen made its way majestically around the track. The members of the parade sat in the stands across from us, in front of the Palazzo Pubblico. They sat in groups according to which contrada they belonged to. This is when we were rewarded for our position. A drummer and flag-bearer for each contrada came out and spread across the stretch of the track right in front of us. It was pretty amazing how the drumming built up the excitement. I could feel my heart start beating a little quicker, and everyone was cheering.

Then the horses came out, jockeys riding on their bare backs. This race is very exciting, not only because of the way it shapes the city and the celebration and tradition surrounding it, but also because it is dangerous. The jockeys ride bare back, and it is common for at least one to fall off. This doesn’t matter for the race though, it is the horse, not the jockey, that wins the race. It is also very dangerous for the horses themselves. About fifty have died in the past thirty years.
The jockeys aren’t from Siena, they come in just for the race and are assigned to the horse. The contrade do deals between each other to try and get the best rider. However, jockeys also make deals between each other, and can be paid off to lose the race. The horses are assigned to each contrada by draw, and cannot be changed.

Each jockey directed their horse to stand in front of the contrada members, and the contrada members yelled encouragement to their horse. The horses then proceeded around the track to the starting point, which was unfortunately on the other side of the piazza. The centre of the piazza was absolutely crowded, although I heard it wasn’t as packed as other years because of the economy.

All of a sudden, a hush fell over the crowd. No one had said anything, but all of a sudden everyone was silent, including all the tourists. I found this one of the most amazing moments. There were thousands of people, but you could have heard a pin drop. Then they started announcing the order the horses had to line up in. I believe this has something to do with who won in the first trial run. The horse running on the inside of the track has an advantage over the horse running on the outside of the track. Also, I believe that one horse is supposed to decide when to start running. Believe it or not, it took an hour and a half to get it right. There were three false starts. Personally, because of my cold, I had to sit on the ground for most of the hour and a half so I didn’t pass out. There were quite a few people who passed out, which isn’t surprising considering the heat, the physical exertion of standing, and the proximity of the crowd. Thankfully I didn’t. Finally, the race was run. The horses run three laps around the piazza, and it was over in less than two minutes. Civetta (owl) won. It was amazing to be there for this particular victory. The Civetta was the nonna, or grandmother. This means they were the contrada that had gone the longest without winning. In fact, the last time they won was 1979. Now they are the “baby” of the Palio.

Aquila, or eagle, was second. He was also the one who kept causing the false starts. Since jockeys should know how to handle their horse, this indicates that he was possibly throwing the race on purpose. He was also the only one to fall off his horse. If he wasn’t throwing it intentionally, he had a very bad day. Coming in second is not fun for the jockey. If a horse comes in second, the contrada assumes the jockey could have been first but was paid off and threw the race on purpose. The jockey who came in second gets beat up by the contrada they were running for. Basically, it’s better to come in last than to come in second.

As soon as it was over, we hopped over the fence onto the track, following the example of the locals. It would have been crazy of us not to. Because of our position right in front of the fence, we would have been run over by the crowds behind us trying to hop the fence. We ran from the piazzo to the duomo. We made pretty good time, and the cathedral wasn’t very crowded yet. Shortly thereafter, the Civetta members entered bearing flags and drums, crying, cheering.
They come to the cathedral right away in order to thank the Virgin Mary for letting them win. The Palio is very centred around the Virgin Mary. The August 16th Palio started in the 13th century, and was originally to mark the end of the celebrations for Her assumption. This is also why so much of the Palio, such as the assigning of the horses, is left up to chance. It is assumed that if a contrada gets a better horse, it is because the Virgin Mary wanted them to.

After the celebration in the cathedral, the contrada members paraded around the city with the pallium. The pallium is a banner made from some sort of precious material, and the victorious contrada receives the banner as a reward. This is actually where the name “Palio” comes from. I know the parading around the city lasted for at least 3 days, but as far as I know, they might still parade around in the evenings. I was in Rome Wednesday and Thursday. Anyway, the celebrations usually go on for months. The contrada members all eat together outside.
The thing I find the most amazing about the Palio is the way in which it shapes the city. According to my guidebook, it is almost as if time is measured solely by how much time there is until the next Palio. There is an intense feeling of community within each contrada. I can see it by the way they come together every night to eat dinner together. I’m guessing it is volunteers that prepare and serve dinner. Preparations for the next Palio start soon after the last one is finished.

Oh, by the way, most of my pictures of the horses are either from a trial run, the dress rehearsal, or the false starts. The actual race was so fast, and there were so many people pushing for a good position to take photos from, that I couldn’t get any clear pictures.
Also, just to let you know, I’m also going to publish another post, due to a request I recently had (thanks mom! :P). It’ll give you a bit of an idea how to pronounce some basic Italian. Just so that when you see the name of a city or some other Italian word I use in my blog, you know how to pronounce it. That’ll come just after this one!

Sorry for not posting all week! I’ve been sick, and quite busy. I went to Rome Wednesday night, which was pretty amazing. Expect a few more posts this weekend. :)

The halfway point of my trip was this past Monday, but somehow 5 days have passed, and I have about 2 weeks left! I have a lot to do in the next two weeks, and I think I’m going to be home before I know it! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone back home!!

Miss and love you all!
Ciao <3

hiking monte ceceri.

Buongiorno!

Yesterday was the hike with my class. I was looking forward to it, and I wasn’t disappointed! It was a great hike with some fantastic views.

We boarded the bus and left Siena around 8:30. The drive to Fiesole was about an hour. When we got there, we met up with our tour guide, Manuela. Even though we weren’t in Fiesole for a long time, I’ll give you a little bit of information about it, which was passed to me by our tour guide and my guide book. :)

Fiesole started off as an Etruscan settlement in the 9th or 8th century B.C. Some of the walls date back to the Etruscan time. It actually used to be more important than Florence, ruling over the valley from its height. Florence was encouraged to grow by the Romans in order to take importance away from Fiesole. Eventually Florence succeeded, and after many years of conflict, Florence destroyed Fiesole during the 12th century. It has since been a popular destination to escape the pollution and business of Florence (since it is only about 20 minutes away). It also has an amazing view of Florence and the surrounding hills and mountains.


So after getting organised with the lunches which had been prepared for us, and a quick bathroom break, we walked through Fiesole uphill to the Via degli Scalpellini. Via degli Scalpellini means “stonecutter’s street.” I don’t remember exactly what Manuela said about the street, but I can guess. The park used to be a heavily quarried area. The stone was probably transported from Monte Ceceri to Fiesole along this road.

From this road we entered Monte Ceceri park. The stone which was quarried here is called pietra serena. Much of this stone was used in building up Florence. Our guide said it is thought that about half the stone in the Monte is now part of Florence. The quarry in the picture above is called Cava Braschi.

From Cava Braschi we walked uphill to the highest point of Monte Ceceri, Piazzale Leonardo. It is so named because this is supposed to be the mountain from which Leonardo da Vinci tested his idea for giving man wings with which to fly, one of his many inventions. Of course, Leonard didn’t test the wings himself. He had his assistant put on the wings he had built and jump off the mountain. Although the wings did not work, the assistant got away alive with only broken bones. The plaque in the picture below commemorates this experiment.


After seeing the Piazzale Leonardo, we walked back down the Monte, and left the park, heading for a small town called Settignano. To get there, we crossed forests and an olive field, where we stopped under some olive trees and ate lunch. The forests were mainly made up of oak trees and Cyprus. As well, we saw some wild fennel and asparagus (seen in the picture below).


Settignano is a quiet, old, small town. It is and was popular among artists and scholars. It is easy to see why; the beauty of the landscape around this area is great.

This is where the hike ended, probably around 2. It was a fairly short hike, especially compared to the hikes I’m used to back home, but it was just as tiring, if not more so. A lot of the walking was uphill, and during the hottest hours of the day. At the end, everyone was hot and exhausted, so we stopped at a gelato shop. :) Then the bus took us back to Siena.

While we were gone, by the way, Siena had started preparations for the Palio. The horses for the ten competing contrade were chosen. Trial runs also started yesterday, but I haven’t seen any yet. I hope to see the trial runs tonight and/or tomorrow morning. When we arrived in Siena, all the contrade had decorated their streets. Now, the streets are coloured with different flags and lamps. The city is getting ready for the big race! It’s pretty exciting!

Anyway, that’s it for now. I’m really happy I finally got to go on a hike, and I hope to go on at least one more before I go home. I found out that a couple of my friends might just be interested in going on another one. It would probably be best to start early in the morning, when it isn’t so hot, relax for the middle of the day, and then return later in the afternoon. Therefore, I can’t go between Monday and Thursday since I have class. I have to get on the plans for the hike though. After this weekend, I only have two weekends left!

Hugs & kisses to everyone back home!
Ciao <3

siena.

Buongiorno!

Today, I went on a hike! Finally. It was really good. It was short, but exhausting! So keep an eye out for a post about it hopefully either today or tomorrow (probably tomorrow, since I have the whole day off).

To continue with the good news, I bought a card reader the other day, on my dad’s suggestion, and was able to get all my photos loaded onto my computer! So, if you take a look back at my other posts within the next few days, I’ll be adding some pictures to them. :)
Now for the bad news. Unfortunately, I’ve come down with a cold. There was something going around the residence, which now I’ve apparently caught. So the plan for tomorrow is to rest and relax, in hopes of getting better before it gets worse. I have some reading for class, so that’s probably what I’ll do.

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to write about the city that has become our temporary home for these 5.5 weeks: Siena. So here it is!

Siena is a gorgeous medieval walled city. This city sticks to its traditions, especially il Palio, a horse race which has been run in Siena since the 1200s. One of the most interesting things about Siena, to me, is how the Palio shapes the city. The city is divided into 17 contrade (neighbourhoods, basically). The contrade compete against each other each year in the Palio. But, I don’t want to say too much. I’m going to write specifically about the Palio this weekend after it has been run.

In the centre of the city lies its huge, shell-shaped piazza, Piazza del Campo (as I’ve mentioned before, this literally means “Field Square”). This piazza was completed in the 1340s. At the bottom of this sloping piazza is the Palazzo Pubblico, a gothic building, which was, and still is, the seat of the Sienese government. Now, especially at this time of year (what with the gorgeous weather and the Palio coming up this weekend) the Campo is usually full of tourists, since it is surrounded by shops and cafes, but at night it’s a really great place to go with a group of people to sit and drink a bit of wine.

In the Campo, there is a really beautiful fountain, Fonte Gaia (or “Fountain of Joy”). Apparently, this fountain was actually a replacement for another, older fountain. The older fountain portrayed Venus. In 1348, however, during the time of the plague, the church in Siena believed the city was being punished for displaying a pagan symbol. The original fountain was thus destroyed, and buried in Florentine territory with the hopes of passing the curse to Florence. Unfortunately, I have not yet taken a picture of it, but when I do, I'll add it.

The city is divided into thirds, or terzi, which radiate out from the Piazza del Campo. According to my guide book, each third has a different character. The Terzo di Città is the oldest third and is characterised by many, many backstreets and lanes. One thing I want to mention is this is what I love about Italy, from what I’ve seen so far in Siena and Florence. There’s always something to be found on a “backstreet,” be it a café or a little shop or a little museum. In Siena I never feel isolated turning down a small, narrow street, as I might in Toronto. Anyway, this terzo is also home to the Duomo (cathedral) and Santa Maria della Scala.

Then there is the Terzo di Camollia which is where the major shopping is in Siena. I believe this is also the most crowded area, from what I can tell. The Porta Camollia in this terzo faces Florence, which has always been Siena’s greatest rival.

Finally, there is the Terzo di San Martino, which includes more Renaissance buildings.

The reason Siena even exists is pilgrimage. The via Francigena was the road pilgrims and merchants followed from Northern Europe to Rome. It could be a dangerous journey. When first entering Northern Italy, travellers were met with malarial swamps in the west, and bandits in the east. The safest route was through Siena. Hospitals and banks began to develop for the travellers. This is the only way Siena could thrive economically, as there is no river nearby on which goods could have been transported. Because Siena was also a banking city, and Florence is not too far away, these two cities have always been rivals.

Just as a bit off interesting information, Catherine of Siena is Siena’s patron saint, as well as a patron saint of Italy (St. Francis is the other patron saint), a patron saint of Europe, and a Doctor of the Church. She was born in 1347, and was one of 25 children. She had visions as a child, and declared at age 7 that she was going to remain a virgin for her entire life. She refused to be married off, and lived for three years as a hermit. Apparently, she regularly flagellated herself, she had a stone for a pillow, and she is supposed to have lived for a year eating nothing but communion wafers. All the while she continued having visions. When she finally did stop living like a hermit, she came out into the world and helped the needy. In 1375, she apparently received the stigmata. After this, she became more and more influential in the political world. She even convinced the Pope, in 1378, to move the papal court back to Rome from France. She died in 1380 at the age of 33, and was canonised by Pope Pius II.

Anyway, that’s about all I have to say about Siena for now. I haven’t really done any of the touristy stuff in Siena, I figured I’ll wait until after the Palio is done, and hopefully there are less people! Once I have done this, I will write another post for you about Siena’s attractions. :)
Today marks the 2 week point. We have been in Siena for exactly 2 weeks! Time has been flying by so quickly, but I have a feeling the next 3.5 weeks will go by even quicker! The Palio is this weekend, and then next week my class goes on an overnight trip to Rome, and the week after an overnight trip to Venice. Plus, I’ve still got to do the “tourist thing” in Siena, and hopefully I can get a couple people together for another hike. I’ve also got a lot of reading to do for class, and writing to do for you, my dear readers! :P

Anyway, my stomach is grumbling, it’s time for dinner!

Love and miss you all!!
Ciao <3

toscana.

Buonasera!

Yesterday, after class and a bit of food, I found a nice little park, where I spent the afternoon reading. I have finished the book I needed to read for class this week! :) On my way back to the residence it started raining. It poured for about twenty minutes, and then cleared up completely. Anyway, the day before I ended up reading for a long time, and then talking to some of my family and Ioni (miss you all!), so I didn’t get a chance to write another post. Now, here is the promised post, all about Tuscany. I wanted to give a bit of background about Italy, but I have realised this would be way too much information!

Siena, where I am staying, is in Tuscany (or in Italian: Toscana). Just so you know, most of my information will be coming from my guide book and my good friend, Wikipedia, since I don’t know much about Italy’s history or culture. Plus I’ll throw in some of my own impressions of course!

Tuscany is home to some very popular destinations, such as Florence (which I have posted about previously), Pisa, Siena, and Chianti. Besides which, it is just a beautiful landscape. Most of my views of the countryside have been either from inside Siena or on the bus, unfortunately. However, I am going to Fiesole with my class on Thursday, plus I may have a walk around outside of Siena sometime in the near future. We’ll see how it goes.

Anyway, if you want to know more about Florence, see my previous post (firenze.). Right now, I’ll tell you a bit about the rest of Tuscany. I am staying in the southern part of Tuscany, just north of the Southern Hill Towns. This area is well-known among wine-lovers, with wines such as Chianti and Carmignano. There are also many medieval towns and abbeys, and rolling hills covered with sunflowers and fields.

Northern Tuscany is where Pisa is found. Pisa is, as you probably know, most famous among tourists for the leaning tower. This is also where Vinci, Leonardo’s birthplace, is found, as well as the marble mountains.

Before the rise of Rome, most of Tuscany was populated by the Etruscans. They were actually the original founders of cities such as Siena, Fiesole, and Pisa. Rome eventually started to expand, and after many wars, Rome took over many Etruscan cities. In about 88-90 BC Rome was in complete control.

Tuscany was originally called the Duchy of Tuscia in about the sixth century. The Lombards, a Germanic people from Northern Europe, had taken over in 568 and established this duchy.

During the Etruscan time, each city had been established as its own individual state. This tradition continued even after Rome had taken over. After a series of complicated wars, annexations, and successions, the area was mostly unified as the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1557, with Florence as the ruling city.

In about 1799, Napoleon invaded and captured Tuscany. After Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty took Tuscany over.

Tuscan cities became popular among tourists, for their immense volume of art and history. At this point (the early 1800s), Italy was still not united. However, since Napoleon had planted the vision of a unified Italy in the minds of the population, there was a move toward this vision. The Kingdom of Italy came into being, ruled by Savoy monarch Vittorio Emanuele II. Tuscany joined in 1860. Later, in the 20th century, Italy, of course, participated in the two world wars. The First, Italy fought on the side of the allies. In the second, Italy was forced, at first, to fight on the side of Germany thanks to Mussolini, who had taken power in Rome in 1922. However, in 1943, Italy switched sides. After the Second World War, Italy became a republic.

Nowadays, Tuscany is a very popular tourist destination. I can tell you, August may not be the best time for visiting Italy! There are people everywhere. Walking down the main streets of Siena it is hard to move, and Florence is even worse!

Of course, this weekend coming up is Siena’s famous, historic horserace: Il Palio. The choosing of the horses and the practice races are starting within the next couple days, and the race takes place this Sunday! I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll tell you more about Siena’s history and culture sometime in the next couple of days though. And I’ll even write an entire post just for Il Palio, but I’ll do that after the race itself.

I’m feeling a little bit homesick now; it’s been almost two weeks I’ve been in Italy! I can’t believe that one third of my trip is already over. A few more weeks, and I’ll be going home. Then regular classes start soon after that. It’s amazing how fast the time passes by!
Right now, I’ve got to write an outline for an essay that we are writing tomorrow in class. I’ll post again within the next couple of days!

Love and miss everyone!!
Ciao <3

the tuscan coast.

Buongiorno!

Earlier in the week, I was invited to go to a beach with a bunch of other people, so yesterday that is what I did. In total there were 11 of us. The day started off a little rough, it’s hard to organise 11 people. But, gladly, we all ended up on the bus on our way to the beach at 7:50 yesterday morning. The beach was near Castiglione, and the bus ride was about two hours long.

I didn’t know much about this area when I went yesterday, so I’ve just been reading about it in my guide book.

According to my guide book, the northern stretch of the Tuscan coast is much more heavily developed than the southern area. Viareggio, in the northern part, is very busy and developed. To the south, the Maremma coast is a combination of beaches and nature reserves.

I believe the area we were in was the Maremma coast.

We did originally plan to go to Castiglione, but at the last minute we decided to stay on the bus for a couple more stops and go to that beach. It was only about half an hour from Castiglione.

On the bus ride, we passed beaches, resorts, marinas, but also nature reserves. According to my guidebook, there is a park called Parco Naturale Regionale della Maremma. The habitats found in this park are mostly beaches, marshlands, maquis and pinewoods, with animals such as boar and porcupines and many types of birds.

In case you didn’t know, maquis is a scrubland, featuring, in Italy, shrubs such as lavender and rosemary. According to Wikipedia, the word maquis actually comes from the Italian word macchia, which means thicket in English. Because of the dense, thick nature of this type of vegetation, it was often used by bandits and guerrillas to hide from authorities. This is where the French resistance group, the Maquis, derived their name from during the Second World War.

There are apparently many walking trail around this area. I would love to go back there and explore this area. A nice hike would be perfect! I had become accustomed to hiking once a week back in Burlington. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen this trip. I don’t think I know anyone here right now that would be up for a two hour bus ride in order to hike. Fortunately, this Thursday my class is going to Fiesole, where we will be doing a hike of sorts. It isn’t going to be a very intense hike or anything, but it should be really nice. This town overlooks Florence, but I’ll tell you more about Fiesole after my trip there.

I find it interesting travelling this way. I’m used to travelling with my family. Our trips are usually about two or two-and-a-half weeks, and we try and see as much as possible in that short amount of time. This trip is over double that (five-and-a-half weeks), but I am only getting a taste of a very small part of Italy. I am getting to know Siena pretty well though. It’s a different way of experiencing another country, and both have their pros and cons. I’m beginning to see, however, that I prefer seeing as much as I can. In an ideal world, I would have five-and-a-half weeks, but would be travelling around the country more.

Anyway, we arrived at the beach around 10, and found a spot to spread out our towels and open some umbrellas. We were there all day, alternating between tanning and swimming in the ocean when we got too hot. Unfortunately, even though I was applying and reapplying my sunscreen, I got burned all over my legs, stomach and back. Thankfully, my arms and face didn’t burn. These were the areas I already had a tan, from hiking and spending time outside. I’m guessing my sunscreen wasn’t really doing much, and my existing tan is what saved my arms and face from being burned.

Our bus back to Siena picked us up sometime after 6, and we got back to Siena around 8:30. Most of us were sleeping, or at least relaxing, on the bus. When we got back, I decided to put on some aloe vera (borrowed from a girl I know) and go to sleep. Today, I have my comfy cotton dress on, and other than an excursion to the store for some after-sun cream, I have been taking it easy in my residence room, trying to find some way to sit that doesn’t irritate my burns. This may not be my only post today. I’m going to read for a bit, and then maybe write some more about Italy and Tuscany in general. :)

Arrivederci! <3

firenze.

Buongiorno!

So, as promised, this post will be all about the cradle of renaissance: Florence (or, as it’s called in Italy, Firenze).

Yesterday, as a trip with my class, we went to visit this city of art and churches. After an hour-long bus ride from Siena, we arrived in Florence around 10:00, and met up with our tour guide.

Originally founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BC, Florence was flourishing by about the 14^th and 15^th centuries. This city was extremely wealthy, due to the textile trade and banking. Siena and Florence were very competitive during this era, as they were both cities based on banking. Even now, each city claims to have created the first bank in the world. However, as far as I know, Florence is generally accepted as the first.

One of the first things we saw was the Basilica di San Lorenzo and the Cappelle Medicee. The Medici family were prominent bankers in Florence, the wealthiest family for a long time. This family funded many great works of art. In this way, they are, at least in part, responsible for the renaissance. They unofficially ruled Florence, and much of Tuscany, starting in approximately 1434 until about 1494.

Another notable sight, of course, was Florence’s famous Duomo. Construction of this cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore (Our Lady of the Flower), begun in 1296 and was completed in 1436. It is built out of three different colours of marble: red, green, and white. There are three parts to the church: the baptistery, the tower, and the cathedral itself. Other than the overwhelmingly stunning detail and art on the outside of the building, the dome is the most striking part. Built out of over four million bricks, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the dome is a marvel of renaissance architecture and engineering.

Unfortunately, due to air pollution and the porous nature of marble, the stone is being destroyed. Bit by bit, the statues and other features of the cathedral are being brought down, restored, and copied by a sculptor. The copy replaces the original on the cathedral and the original goes into a museum to be safely stored under a roof. We saw the workshop of one of these sculptors.

Regrettably, we weren’t able to go inside, as the line was ridiculously long, and we didn’t have much time. According to my guidebook, as well as the tour guide, the inside is not nearly as ornate as the outside. The tour guide noted that this points to the idea that the cathedral was built more as a representation of wealth than as a religious building. Florence wanted to impress its neighbours.

The last building we saw on the morning’s tour was the Basilica di Santa Croce. If you ever go, make sure you cover up. Bare shoulders and short shorts or short skirts are unacceptable. Don’t worry though, if you forget, they have blue paper wrap-arounds you can use as a long skirt or shawl. Personally, I was wearing pants and a t-shirt, so I was ok. A few of my classmates, however, were required to cover up.

The Basilica di Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Inside, the tombs of many famous people can be found, including Galileo, Ghiberti, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo. Also, covering a few walls are the works of Giotto, one of the first painters to break away from the flat style of the gothic period and into the more realistic, 3D style of the renaissance.

So ended our morning of churches. The tour guide mentioned that in Florence alone there are approximately 200 catholic churches, and over 200 churches of other denominations. This, she explained, was probably due to the way churches worked during the renaissance. In order to have one’s sins repented, one used to have to pay the church. Since Florence was full of wealthy sinners (it was considered a sin to work with or trade money), churches were constantly being built.

We had about an hour and a half for lunch, which wasn’t nearly long enough. Personally, I would have liked to walk around, explore the city, take in the sights, and maybe do some shopping. But in the time provided, just about the only things we were able to do were to eat and take a few pictures outside of the Galleria degli Uffizi. Inside the gallery is where we spent the rest of our time in Florence.

When we got inside the first room, a few of my friends and I realised that if we followed the group, listening to the tour guide, it could be interesting but we wouldn’t get to see much of the gallery. We had had a long day, with a lot of information, and it was hot (around 35 degrees). It was hard to focus on the tour, and we really wanted to do some exploring on our own. So, after a word with our professor, we broke from the group. We were able to walk in each room and find the paintings that drew us, rather than having someone tell us what to look at. Don’t get me wrong, a guided tour can be very interesting, but also interesting is discovering paintings on your own. Besides, the information had been just flying over our heads by this point anyway.

Here’s a bit of information about the Uffizi. First of all, it’s huge, and it would be very difficult to see everything in one day. However, it is very beautiful. The rooms are arranged chronologically, so if you start from the beginning, you can see the development of Florentine art. Art-lovers from around the world come to the Uffizi to see works by influential artists such as Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael, Lippi, Caravaggio and many, many others.

I don’t remember many specific artists, but I can tell you what draws me most is the baroque style. Baroque art began during the counter-reformation in the 17^th century. It is usually quite dramatic, with people in mid-action, and a high contrast between the lights and darks. To me, the art always seems like it is about to move, to finish the action. I also love the sculptures. I find it completely mind-blowing how someone can take a huge block of stone and turn it into something so real.

Anyway, we got on the bus back to Siena around 5:00. Believe me, seven hours is not nearly enough time to really see Florence. There is so much art and history packed into just this one city. If I ever come to Italy again, I would like to spend a couple days exploring Florence, including, hopefully, the interior of the Duomo and the Arno River.

Sorry to say, even though I was able to get some pictures onto my computer a few days ago, it is not working again. So I am unable to show you any pictures from Florence. If I can get some onto my computer in the near future, I will add them to this post.

I can’t believe my first week is already over. No more classes until Monday, and then it will be week two! Tomorrow I am supposed to be going to the beach with a bunch of friends, so my next post will probably be about the coast of Italy!

Thanks everyone for reading!

I love and miss you all! Ciao <3

first impressions.

Buongiorno!

Months ago, I decided I would like to take a summer course abroad. I could travel to another country, earn a credit, and meet some new people. I’m majoring in English at the University of Toronto, and there were only two summer abroad programs with English classes. One in Oxford, England, one in Siena, Italy. Since I’ve already been to England, I decided on Italy. I’m taking a course called “The Novel.” There are only about eighteen students in my class, but there are six other (larger, I believe) classes.

The group flight left last Thursday (July 30) just before 9:00 p.m. (Toronto time). We were flying for seven hours, and arrived in Rome, Italy at 10:45 a.m. (Rome time). Now, remember, most of us were in Toronto right before this. Toronto, when we left, had yet to see real summer. The temperatures weren’t rising above 25 degrees and it had been rainy and cloudy almost the whole season. We arrived in Rome, where it was closer to 35, and the sun was beaming brightly. We were hot and tired. But, we were in Italy!

From Rome, we took a bus to Siena. It was a long ride, but the view out the windows was pretty stunning. There were hills everywhere, and houses with red clay roofs dotting the countryside. Unfortunately, I was pretty tired from having flown all night with little sleep, and my first look at Italy was through sleep-glazed eyes, which kept closing on me.

Siena is a medieval walled city, built high on some Tuscan hills. It has some pretty steep hills throughout the city, and you can’t walk anywhere without going up and/or down at least one slope. The bus wasn’t allowed inside the city walls, so we got off at Porta san Marco, one of the many gates leading into the city. The gate was pretty gorgeous itself, and was just a taste of what was to come inside the wall. We walked over the hills to the residences. Again, I must remind you, most of us just came from Toronto. Walking up and down hills in the heat after a long day of travelling would not seem like the most pleasant experience, however, we were walking through the streets of a medieval Italian city. I, for one, was happy taking it all in.

The buildings run along the sides of streets, with hardly any sidewalks to be found. The thing is, there isn’t much traffic in Siena. Most of the vehicles I’ve seen are mopeds to zip around the city, or trucks carrying goods. Everyone else walks. The streets are crowded with tourists, and are fairly narrow in some parts, which would make driving a car through the city most likely slower and definitely more frustrating than simply walking. Cafes, restaurants, and shops can be found down every alleyway. However, there are a couple streets dedicated to shopping. And the closer you get to the Piazza del Campo the more shops there are, especially tourist shops. (Piazza del Campo basically means “Field Square,” and is the square in the centre of the city).

Over the weekend, I did a lot of exploring, wandering Siena’s back streets and paths. Our first couple of days we had sunny, hot weather. Yesterday, however, it rained. Not for very long, but while it lasted it was a torrential downpour with very aggressive-sounding thunder. This didn’t stop me however. I continued my exploration through the city. I was soaked, but it was worth it. The colours, especially of the red clay roofs, were really brought out in the wetness. Siena is a beautiful city with stunning views, but I’ll post more about Siena’s sights and history another day.

Just a warning though, my computer didn’t seem to want to read my SD card properly. So, thinking it was the card, I bought a new one. I was able to load yesterday’s pictures onto my computer, but today I tried to load more pictures, and it didn’t work. It keeps saying “You need to format the disk in drive F: before you can use it. Do you want to format it?” But if I say yes, it tells me that if I format the disk, all the info on the disk will be deleted, so I say “Don’t continue.” If anyone has any suggestions of how to fix this, please let me know! I don’t think I’ll be able to get through five and a half weeks in Italy with only 3 GBs of space. If not, I may have to just buy some disposable cameras once I run out of room, or another larger SD card. In any case, I may not be able to include many pictures in my posts, unfortunately.

One thing I was really worried about before coming here was that I didn’t know anyone on this trip. However I do love meeting new people, and I have met a lot of really cool people :) .

The other thing I was afraid of was being homesick. I’m not devastatingly homesick, but I miss everyone already! The past few days have been awesome and I feel like I’ve been here for weeks, but at the same time, when I look back on the past couple days, I can’t believe they’re already done. I have a lot of reading, writing, and sight-seeing to do, so I have a feeling the next few weeks will just fly by.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I’m going to Florence on Thursday, so my next post will be all about the birth-city of renaissance :) .

I miss and love everyone!! Ciao <3