Ciao amici!  The past week has been INCREDIBLY busy, but I have loved every minute of it.  Last I wrote, I was spending my first night in my home-stay, with my host mama, Rita.  So far, it's been absolutely amazing living here!  I absolutely adore her, she has a beautiful home, and wants to do everything she can to make sure we take in as much of the Italian culture and the city of Florence as possible.  Last weekend was Full Immersion weekend, where students staying with host families eat every meal with them and spend the weekend together.  It was also my first weekend to experience Florence nightlife, and I had an absolute blast.  Friday night we had dinner with a girl who stayed with Rita four years ago and now is doing her Master's in Florence.  It was amazing to see that they still kept in touch and see each other whenever they can- it definitely left me feeling hopeful about this experience!  After dinner, my roommate and I met up with some of her friends.  We didn't have much of a plan, so we bought some wine, and drank it by the Duomo.  We then continued on to a bar called the Red Garter and a friend I met at Skidmore met up with us.  Normally, its very American, but since we are one of the first programs to get here, there were a lot of Italians there.  That night, I did something I have never done, but always wanted to do- karaoke!  We sang two songs, and it was so much fun!  It was a perfect first night out.

The next day, we had breakfast with our host mama and left to go meet her sister and brother-in-law and hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which overlooks the entire city of Florence.  I have never seen anything so beautiful.  You can see everything from there- the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, Santa Croce, and all the surrounding hills.  We took some pictures, then continued on to the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte.  It was unbelievably beautiful.  I wasn't sure if you were allowed to take pictures inside, so I didn't, but I will be returning to capture the beauty of this church.  After exploring the grounds, we hiked back down, saw the Via del Monte alle Croci and the Via S. Niccolo.  That night, we went to another family's house for dinner with three other host families.  It was a giant meal, and we all enjoyed great food and company.  All the students then went out together to a cafe by the Duomo for drinks and back to the Red Garter to watch some football.  It was a very low key, but enjoyable night!



Sunday was a very long, but wonderful day.  We had lunch with Rita's ENTIRE family, and we had the best lasagna I've ever had.  To work off all the food we ate at lunch, we met another host mom and her students and hiked up the hill Fiesole.  There, we explored a market, saw the Teatro Romani- Scavi Museo (an ancient Roman theater- the actual site was closed, but I will be coming back to see it!), the Duomo di Fiesole, Chiesa di San Francesco, and the Antico Convento e Cella di San Bernardino.  On the way back down, we caught the sunset over Florence and the surrounding hills- breathtaking!  Later that night, we had a host family over for dinner and met her two students- one of whom is from Norton and has known one of my best friends from home for years!  It's amazing how small this world truly is.  It was yet another delicious meal!


Monday marked the first day of classes.  This semester I'm taking 20th C. Europe, Italy Since 1870, Italian II, and Italian Cinema since 1945.  So far, I like them all!  We've already watched two films in the cinema class- "Rome, Open City" by Roberto Rossellini and "Bicycle Thieves" by Vittorio De Sica, both of which I fully enjoyed.  Unfortunately, I had a very bad flare up of Fibromyalgia on Wednesday; I stayed home, but luckily it's the first week so I didn't miss much.  We had dinner with some more host families and friends of Rita (she is a VERY popular lady!).  I've become good friends with one of the girls we've had dinner with, and we booked Spring Break!  I am now looking forward to 11 days in Paris, Amsterdam, Ireland, and possibly even London!  I'm very excited!

Finally, we come to this weekend.  Friday I didn't do much- there was a school trip to Assisi, which is also offered next Friday, so I stayed in Florence.  I got my coursepacks and books, and just explored the city with a few friends.  Yesterday, I went on the school trip to Ravenna, which is on the west coast of Italy.  It was a beautiful drive through the mountains, but when we got there it was extremely foggy and VERY cold!  I was definitely not dressed for the weather- no one was!  Ravenna is a city that is famous for it's mosaics- I have never seen anything like them.  We started off at the Basilica di S. Apollinare in Classe, continued onto the San Apollinare Nuovo, Dante's tomb, the Orthodox Baptistery, Piazza del Popolo, the Basilica di S. Vitale, and the Galla Placidia- lots of churches, and lots of mosaics!  I couldn't believe how beautiful they were, and its unbelievable the amount of work and skill that it takes to make such amazing creations.  We spent the morning touring with the school, then left on our own for lunch and exploring.  I had lunch with two of my friends at a restaurant called Il Melarancio and had a DELICIOUS eggplant ravioli and a regional wine called Sangiovese.  After lunch, we walked around a bit and did some window shopping until it was time to meet back up with the group and head back to Florence.  Last night, I went out with some friends to a bar called Naima that was hosting a "Welcome to Florence" night just for Syracuse.  We had free drinks, drink specials that were colored blue and orange, free champagne, and an entire room to ourselves.  It wasn't anything crazy, but it was definitely a great night out!

I've only been in this city for about two weeks, but I have absolutely fallen in love already.  2011 was tough, and I went through a lot of struggles, both emotionally and academically; the only thing getting me through it was the fact that I knew I'd be coming here.  Within these two weeks, I can already feel the scars from the past year healing.  I am happier than I have been in months- I feel so at home, and just so content and happy with where my life is now.  These two weeks have been some of the best of my life, and I know the next few months are going to be simply wonderful.

A dopo!  Abbracci e baci!  xoxo

1 Comment

1. Liz on January 22, 2012 at 7:02 PM

   Hi Lauren, I am enjoying every word you write. It can see it all through your eyes. I am so happy that you have adjusted so well. Sounds like you have the best host family, you better get some yummy recipes. It sounds like you are really enjoying the wine too, you know how much we love wine. Try a Classico chianti. It will be dry to you at first but it is light and delicious. Your classes sound very exciting and fun too. Enjoy every minute and be safe. I think of you every day and look forward to the blog. God Be with you always love you, Auntie Liz