Fall Break: Part 1

OK SO….. FALL BREAK….

As many of you may or may not know, my wonderful, handsome, and perfect fiancée Colin Laury flew from Philadelphia all the way to Rome to stay with me during my entire 10 day Fall Break. It was the biggest gift I could have ever received, and before I recount our adventure, I would like to thank my parents. I wrote this in my journal somewhere on the way to Siena:

“I would like to thank my parents for many things. They instilled the importance of travel in me at a young age. And with that, the importance of documenting each trip in written form. I remember each family vacation that I have ever been privileged enough to have, and with each one I hear in my head, “Ok, time to journal!” I used to roll my eyes or groan, and try to avoid my turn. Even now, spending the time and effort it takes to write about a day feels like a chore, but I know that it is worth it, because not only do I want to remember every little detail (especially the funny, random things that happen in between), but I also want others to know what happened, because I know they care and deserve more than a simple, “It was nice.” So I will work to carry on the tradition. I also want to thank my parents for supporting my trip, especially Colin’s visit. It really means the world to me, more than I would ever put into words. I am beyond blessed to have such an open and loving relationship with the people who raised me, and it makes me so happy to see that circle of love extended to Colin so readily, loving and accepting him as a son already. My life just feels so complete. I love you, Mommy and Daddy, with all that I am.”

I did just as I said- I bought a leather bound journal in Florence, and told Colin when he arrived that we would write in it every day, and I would (and have) tape every train ticket, museum ticket, business card, map, etc. within it, and that in the end it would the ultimate souvenir. I am so glad we put the time and effort into it, I am very proud of the final product. You will see both he and I wrote separate sections, so where my name is would be where I wrote, and Colin’s name where he wrote. So, here it is:

October 14^th 2011

7:30am

Sometimes I just can’t believe this is my life.

Juliana:

To get to the airport:

1.       Line A Metro to Ponte Lungo

2.       Walk to FR1

3.       Take FR1 (Note: people stare on this train)

4.       Realize getting to the airport is only half the battle

5.       Wishing Colin would walk through the door is the other half

My dearest Colin,

The day has finally come. It makes me sick with anticipation. My every thought has been consumed by this day for the past week. I have not been able to focus on anything at all. I feel incomplete without you and this separation has only further reminded me how lucky I am to have you in my life- for the rest of my life. I love showing off my ring talking to everyone who will listen about you and our wonderful future together. I absolutely LOVE calling you my fiancée- proclaiming to the whole world that I have found the man I will spend all my days with. It is such an honor.

8am

I realize I have about another hour and a half to wait until you are in my arms again. After waiting 6.5 weeks you would think this is nothing, but every minute seems to take forever. It is the longest 90 minutes of my life, and the butterflies in my stomach keep getting worse.

8:30am

So I made it to the airport, waiting in the arrivals section, freaking out. Your plan is estimated to arrive 10 minutes early, which is great for me because every second that I get closer to you, the smile on my face gets bigger and bigger. I’ve never wanted to see the word “landed” next to US 718 more!

8:50- You landed

9:45 - We are reunited!!

Colin and Juliana’s Adventure Begins!!!!!

Next, we had to find our driver (I had pre-booked a shuttle service back to the Residence), which was not as easy as anticipated since it ended up being the last name on a whole list! We were lucky to be the first of the group to be dropped off. Arrival at the Residence: 11am.

Colin: We did not pass away as I thought we would on the way to the Residence. Italian traffic has no laws (or at least any that are observed). I received my Residence key when they finally found it. My room was 96 (on the 7^th floor) and they key was hung with room 69- easy mistake I suppose. So. About my room: It’s on the top floor. In fact, it’s the only room on the entire floor. We talked into one main living room with a double bed, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The tub is hard to shower in as the shower rod is hand held only. The best part about my room is the balcony. Being on the top floor, I have the best view of Rome.

Juliana: It is so nice to finally have Colin in Rome, but even better his first two nights are in the very building I have been living in! He really gets a true feel for my life here, and it is so convenient to have his room only 2 staircases away. I took Colin to a coffee bar (just called a bar here, but once I explained what it is- not like a bar in the U.S.- he started calling it a coffee bar) right across the street from the Residence. They may not have been smart for our finances….

Colin: Juliana would like to skip by one of the most substantial parts of the whole trip…the coffee at these coffee bars is AMAZING. Dunkin Donuts, what? Juliana ordered for both of us for the first time (ain’t she great) and we both got caffe lattes and croissants. And my life was changed forever… at these coffee bars (Juliana just calls them “bars”- weirdo) they have a simple countertop. One arrives, orders, drinks, pays, and leaves for their next destination. As soon as one walks in they say, “Ciao! Buongiorno!”- it’s an extremely friendly environment. One gentleman walked in with what appeared to be an expensive pin-striped suit and a motorcycle helmet, ordered an espresso. After saying “Ciao!” poured about as much sugar as there was espresso, downed it in one sip, and left. He hopped on his motorcycle with his fancy leather shoes and sped away. How cool!

Juliana: I’d just like to say that Colin went BACK to the same bar maybe an hour or two later and got a double (dopio) shot of espresso. Yeah, we found his weakness…

So, the first real place I took Colin was the market! I have been waiting for this all semester- it’s such a big part of life here, and a part of my daily life. First, we bought a slab of fresh salmon, bones and all, then some huge balls of fresh mozzarella, and finally Colin’s favorite- prosciutto! I wanted prosciutto crudo (raw- the darker colored option) and we found the nicest vendor who let us taste a piece first without us asking! Va bene! After buying bread, basil, tomato, and fruit we went back to make sandwiches! Colin loved the meal and it was the perfect way to show him Italian culture and people!

Then, off to the Vatican museum! We were very privileged- Uncle Bob Brucato’s secretary got us tickets for free! A big help! It was quite overwhelming- it went on FOREVER with priceless works of art! I even saw Laocoon, which I learned about in Art History 1- so it was totally overwhelming in so many ways. The various hallways leading up to the Sistine Chapel were so brilliant- they were covered floor to ceiling with frescos and carved reliefs. Of course the Sistine Chapel was beautiful, and people had a hard time following the “no photos” rule…

After this we went into St. Peter’s Basilica, which was our favorite part. It was just awe-inspiring in beauty and size. This history of this church was so present, from the list of Popes since St. Peter himself to Pope John Paul II’s tomb, it was all just so monumental.

Of course I had to take Colin to my favorite place for his first gelato- Old Bridge! He got bacio (hazelnut, his favorite), caramel, and caffe. I got bacio, caffe, and nutella. Perfection.

The nighttime was nice- I let Colin rest and catch on some sleep while I cooked dinner. It was 3 courses (I was obviously trying to show off)

1.       Caprese salad

2.       Pasta with ricotta cream sauce

3.       Salmon with light honey glaze and homemade apple sauce topping (I bought the apple sauce from the woman who made it, I didn’t make it myself unfortunately)

Colin: My turn! This meal was perfect. Juliana succeeded in showing off her culinary skills. The caprese salad was a blend of the freshest tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella with high quality olive oil- simply amazing. The flavors were simple yet complimented each other perfectly. The next course was a delight! Pasta with a fresh ricotta cream sauce- what’s Rome without a special pasta course! The sauce was made from scratch on the stovetop- I’m so proud of my girl! But then the salmon with the apple honey topping was simply cooked to perfection. The salmon was tender and melted in your mouth. The apple complemented it perfectly. I was full and happy, not to mention impressed. Great Job baby.

 

October 15^th

Juliana: We woke up at 6am in order to get ready and pack lunches for the day. Of course, we could not go anywhere without hitting the bar for Colin to get his fix. However, he failed to say “caffe latte” and just said “latte”, like he would in the states, and found just hot milk in his cup. Lesson learned. I took one for the team and swapped to give him my cappuccino. We hit the metro for the first time together and made it to Termini by 7:30 for the 7:43 train to Perugia for the chocolate festival. It was packed! We literally got the last two seats next to each other- there were people all along the aisles that had to stand the entire ride, it was that crowded. This was only a sign of things to come because after 2.5 hours we got to Perugia to find it packed. We figured out how to take a special bus running for transport to the festival, and made some American friends along the way. We went all the way to the top of this hilltop town, which was beautiful but very windy. I was unfortunately vastly underdressed with my skirt, light sweater and sandals, so this put a damper on the mood a bit since I already had a cold. The Chocolate Festival was packed, so our favorite parts ended up being our visits to the Duomo and Sandris. The Duomo was beautiful, and best known for housing the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary. Immediately to the right of walking in is a gated corner, and behind it an elegant box where the ring supposedly rests behind 14 locks. The huge painted portrait of Mary and Joseph’s wedding ceremony was so memorable to me, and very humbling, especially standing next to the man that I will pledge my life to in less than 2 years.

Colin: So we were standing in the middle of the Piazza when we realized we had no clue where we were going. An Italian man randomly came up to us and asked if we needed help. We showed him our little map that we ripped out of the Italy 2011 book and said we wanted to go south on a specific road. Well, he must have been more interested in his BBQ Restaurant that he was peddling to us, because we were sent in the completely wrong direction! But that was fine by us because we explored little windy streets with gorgeous views and Juliana’s hand felt nice in mine. We eventually found Sandris, which is a coffee/liquor/ pastry bar which was established in 1860. The place was beautiful and artwork was painted on the ceiling and a lot of old wood made up the architecture. Of course I had to get a caffe latte and then I bought one for Juliana because I love her!

Juliana: So because of the crowds and already seeing the main sites we decided to take an earlier train home. It took us quite awhile to get back, though, as our train had 2 transfers, which was quite an adventure trying to figure out. Let’s just say we were very happy to make it back home. Of course, naps were in order, and I made reservations for dinner as Colin passed right out.

We went to Tiepolo for dinner, right off Via Flamina (the road I walk on after the metro to get to school), a place Pasquele took Sarah and I to before, so I was excited for Colin to eat here with me. I was pretty good at ordering, and here is what we got:

Colin: Baltic salad and a beer- spinach, smoked salmon, mushrooms, and peas (we think?)

Juliana: Tre Stelle- radicchio, pears, gorgonzola cheese, gruyere cheese, gorgonzola vinaigrette dressing

Shared: Hot baked potato with sour cream and smoked salmon and dill

Delicious and affordable! Woot!

Unfortunately at this point I started feeling sick again, as I had earlier in the day, so we headed back and went to bed at a reasonable hour.

October 16^th

Juliana: Today we enjoyed a relaxing morning- I made potatoes with apple and applesauce for breakfast, we packed for Siena, and reviewed the game plan for the next 2 to 3 days. We decided we needed an earlier train than the one I booked, so we went to Termini to change it. The wait in line was worth the nice woman we get to help us, and she got us a cheaper train which gave us 14 euro credit- so we used it to buy our tickets from Siena to Pisa. We had a whopping 50 euro cent balance. Ouch.

We had almost 2 hours to kill, so I took Colin to the Pantheon! Getting there was nice and sweaty on a crowded bus, and I was just glad to know where I was going already, so we made it there in no time. We of course had to stop for a caffe latte for Colin, then walked maybe a few more feet before this alleyway just opens up into the Pantheon. I love this about Italy- the best sights are seemingly hidden gems, that always surprise you when you hit them. Colin really enjoyed the Pantheon, and I was glad we made some time for it.

So the trip to Siena was about 4 hours long- the tickets were cheap for a reason! We had 1 transfer- the first train we rode for 2.5 hours (after a short freak out in Termini, trying to find the train, then asking every possible person/conductor/worker if we were on the right one). We were dropped off at our stop around 4:50pm, called Montepesca. Well, it could have been the middle of nowhere for all we knew. We were surrounded by the countryside on all sides, and the “train station” was just 2 sets of tracks and one board with the trains written on it. When our train did arrive we had to do a double take. It was only 2 cars, so people were standing in the aisles. We, too, had no choice but to stand our remaining 1.5 hours, I didn’t mind too much, though, because it was a gorgeous ride- we saw gorgeous hill towns, fields, and castles just as the sun began to recede. My favorite memory so far is the various vineyard estates, all with an ancient look with sheep and live/grape trees lined up for miles. I feel so lucky to have seen these views people only dream of.

I will say this: no matter how many times it happens, by far the worst feeling of any trip is getting off a train with an address and no idea how to get there. A new city is terrifying at first, and the act of getting on a random bus, with no clue where it is going or, worse, where to get off, is my least favorite thing so far.

Colin: We randomly asked one of the bus drivers if the bus we were on goes to Via Tozzi where we needed to go and he said yes. In retrospect, I think all the buses stop there… Anyway we then had to enter a Tabacchi, which is like a convenience store, to buy a map of Siena. The nice Italian man, without even asking, drew an x-marks-the-spot on the map where we were- we clearly looked lost. We then asked where Via Delle Terme was and another x was placed- finally we knew where to go! We arrived after a five minute walk and rang the buzzer labeled “Casa di Antonella” next to a wooden door. The door buzzed open and we walked up three flights of stairs to the very last door and we rang the bell. We were greeted by Fabrizio, the hostel owner. He was incredibly nice and welcoming. He showed us which room was ours and told us that breakfast was from 8:30-9:30am. He asked us if we ate meat- ugh, duh, that’s our favorite food! Our room was incredibly clean and the bed was nice firm which supported my back nicely. Juliana and I decided to take a nighttime stroll. It was about 8pm at this point. We perused the stores which reminded me of Maine because they were small and intriguing. We visited the Piazza del Campo, the largest and most famous Piazza in Siena. It was simply stunning and romantic with all the restaurant tables in the Piazza and the lights. We ended up buying a bottle of Chianti and headed back to the hostel. We asked Fabrizio where a great place would be to go where we could enjoy the countryside. He recommended San Gimignano (I still can’t pronounce it!) Little did we know that the bottle of wine we purchased was made in San Gimignano. So we decided we would take a bus there tomorrow! We relaxed the rest of the night, drinking wine, and making friends with an Asian couple from Taiwan. They were travelling all over Europe for over 100 days- must be nice!

October 17^th

Juliana: Well breakfast was fabulous at Casa di Antonella, with a full spread of eggs, sausage, salami, yogurt, cheese, bread, and various pastries. I really hope Colin doesn’t get used to this (Fabrizio even made individual espressos for us!) We left around 9:30am to buy our tickets and hop on the 10:15 bus to San Gimignano. Our Asian friends did the same actually! It was a nice ride, about one hour, through Siena, then the countryside, before we saw the towers of San Gimignano. It supposedly has 13 towers, so it is very striking against the backdrop of a sprawling countryside. It was the perfect spot- an old medieval hill town, with an incredible view. At first we just wandered the shops and streets before visiting the Palace of the Commune and climbing the tower there. We got to see the General Council Hall where all political meetings took place from the 1300s onward, as well as multiple chambers filled with Florentine and Sienese frescos painted in the 19^th century. We then climbed something like 200 steps up to the Pinacoteca tower, and were rewarded by the most incredible view of the city, and all of Tuscany, even- it was magical. Our next stop was the town’s Duomo- the Collegiata Cathedral. It was a great stop because it was filled with history and art, dating back to the 12^th century. Broken into 5 aisles, the outer 2 are covered with frescos that depict stories of the Bible- the Old Testament on the left and the New Testament on the right. It was fun to follow the stories with my guidebook and discuss some stories Colin was not familiar with- we both learned a lot at this site.

On our way out we enjoyed some gelato and purchased some wine and pesto, which we enjoyed later with dinner. The ride back reminded us of how tired we were, but we pushed through- we only stopped at the hostel to drop our stuff off before hitting Siena’s sites. We bought a combination pass that was good for 3 days- it was for the Duomo (Cathedral) and its surrounding sites, so we started underneath the Duomo in the crypt, which was only recently uncovered and open to the public in 2003. We then saw the Baptistery, which centered around the baptismal font in the middle. It was a beautiful hexagonal shaped piece and above it, beautiful frescos of scenes from the Apostles Creed. We briefly saw the Museum of Art before climbing to the top to enter the Panorama. There was a bit of a wait since the walkway could only fit a few people at a time, but it was worth the wait because we stepped our right at sunset, and it was the perfect view at the perfect time. You could see for miles and the sun set right behind the Duomo- I felt really lucky to have that work out. The perfect ending to our adventures for the day.

For dinner, we had a “picnic”! We bought a loaf of bread, meat, and mozzarella cheese, and used our pesto and apples that we had, and made a mess of the dinner table at the hostel. It was a cheap but fun way to eat, and it ended up being the most social as well, as two girls from New Zealand also joined us for some wine. We had met them at breakfast- and they were hilarious! We laughed about everything from TV shows to relationships to family stories and so on. Soon, a couple form London also joined in, having a picnic and wine of their own. It was a fun night, and the hostel was a great way to meet new people (as well as enjoy speaking English again) and make some great memories.