Volterra: "Los Tres Amigos"

Nicole and I spent Friday and Saturday in Volterra, visiting an old friend from Detroit, Vince(nzo), who has lived in Volterra for over one year. I knew within the first few minutes of being there why he fell in love with the place - it's beautiful, friendly, and feels like home. The sky is unreal.
It was a wonderful time, full of architectural visits (Vince is an aspiring architect), as well as good food (he also happens to be an amazing chef). After watching the sunset with a toast to good friends (and Italy), Vince cooked dinner and we simply relaxed on a Friday night, it felt good and very familiar (okay, American), to do that.
Today, we walked around to see the Etruscan and Roman remnants around town, get a feel for the place, and met a few of Vince's friends (one of whom has an interesting collection on the ceiling of his restaurant - see picture below). Nicole and I did not donate to the "collection" - perhaps next time. Ha. The soup we had was amazing though.


We returned to Florence to have dinner together where I managed to eat almost a whole pizza and finish my beer, unlike Vince - I am not sure if I should be proud of that or not. And as a side note, I invite you to check out my flickr site (link at right), to see more pictures from all of my adventures. Ciao mi amici.

Venice, Vicenza e Verona

I am a bit late on this post - this past week was hectic with a studio review, birthday parties in the basement, no sleeping, etc. etc... So last weekend (Set. 21 - 23), we went to Venice, Vicenza and Verona. All were amazing. I had been to Venice before, but it was even better (and more mysterious) the second time around. Some say it is a place for romance, I think it is (but somehow still dark, it hides something I think). Piazza San Marco still remains one of my favorite public spaces that I have visited, especially at night when all of the lights are lit, and live music drifts from cafe to cafe. From Venice, we hopped a boat, then a train, then a bus to get to Brion Cemetary, which is quintessential in my architectural education. Words cannot describe it, nor pictures do it justice - it was one of the most moving places I have ever been. We were even allowed into the chapel and meditation space by the groundskeeper (who knew the architect, C. Scarpa, who is also burried at the cemetary), and then shared in a group picnic outside of the chapel. You would think that eating dinner in cemetery would be strange, but it was quite relaxing.
We then jumped a few buses over to Vicenza and the next day Verona to see Teatro Olimpico (the first "in-door" theater), works by Palladio and more Scarpa at Castel Vecchio, along with a few other sites. It's funny - you can pick out an architect anywhere because they are taking pictures of doors, stairs, rails, details, bolts, boards, shadows and interesting cracks in the ground. We were going, going, going - and oh so tired at the end, but it was worth it. I think we all crashed hard Sunday night, and then the crazy week of reviews began. School, travel, school, travel... I like this pattern.

my addiction (to shoes)

One thing I did not mention about Lucca (or perhaps Italy in general), is that the shopping is amazing - specifically shoes. If you have been here, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The window displays, so carefully arranged, pull on the heartstrings of any shoe addicted female walking by (such as myself, and as I am learning, Rachel as well). Shoes are my indulgence.My mom has resorted to calling me the "shoe princess", although I will also answer to " the duchess of shoes". Nicole was able to capture the pure joy on my face in this picture, as well as the intensity of our finger pointing. I think I will need an extra bag for shoes on the way home. Case in point, my shiny new gold Birk's (purchased in good ol' Sesto), which will be talking the journey to Venice with me this weekend.

Lucca

Nicole, Rachel and I went to Lucca today. It is about a one-hour train ride from Florence, and is quite charming! The original walls around the city are still in-tact (and quite thick!), but have been made into a promenade, on which you can walk the entire city.


It's quite amazing, and filled with trees - it's like a tree-lined (pedestrian) road encircling the city, and it's really a neat way to experience it. The city center is also very pedestrian friendly, and many people ride and rent bikes to get around. The city has multiple piazzas, but the best (I think), is the Piazza del Mercato which is elliptical in shape due to the fact that it was built directly on top of a roman amphitheater.


The shopping is great, but the food wins out (hmm, how did you guess that with me. Beth - food?). Lucca is known for its yellow-colored noodles - the citizens of Lucca were more wealthy and could therefore afford to add eggs the dough for their noodles, hence the yellow color (thanks NME for the info!).


Lucca also has a good number of towers, which it successfully used to guard itself against Florence. Today, they make for amazing views of the region - the tower we climbed even had trees on top. In fact, this town was very "green" - green in the sense that they incorporated plantings and trees very well into the city, and was such a great accent to the earthy colors of the buildings. I would definitely like to return to Lucca before leaving in December.

Cinque Terre

A day in the sun...

Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It is composed of 5 towns (hence the name "five lands"), spread along the mountainous west coast of Italy. You can hike from town to town - it typically takes about 6 hours. We chose the hike from the farthest town, Monterosso, to the next town, Vernazza. It took two somewhat strenuous hours, but it was well worth it! The views were amazing!
What is also very impressive, is the fact that the hillsides are used for agriculture - mainly grapes and olives. The farmers have mechanical cart contraptions to carry them - and the harvest - up and down the mountainsides. (What I want to know, is what they did before the mechanical system. Perhaps I'll look into that. Right after I finish my thesis. Ha.)

For lunch, Nicole and I shared a seafood risotto. It was, by far, the best seafood I can ever remember having. We topped it off with some signature Cinque Terre white wine.


Afterwards, we trained it back to Montorosso to lay on the beach and swam in the ocean for a few hours before returning to Sesto. The water was so blue (think, Torch Lake blue for you Michiganders!), and the perfect temperature. I felt like I was on some exotic vacation - not at all at school. What a nice Friday get-away! Sunday will be a long day of work, but let's just play for now.

Greve (or quick decision no.2)

Saturday morning, we (Nicole and I), woke up with no plans for the day. A simple, quiet breakfast at the villa. Perhaps a trip to Esse Lunga (the local grocery store), some studio work, reading, a trip to Florence, etc. As the morning rolled along, we started to look up festivals in the Tuscan region. We became particularly interested in a wine festival in Greve in Chianti (north of Siena). When was it? (we asked ourselves) Upon more research, we realized it was going on as we spoke, and would only go through tomorrow! Why waste such a beautiful day!? So after spending a few hours of the morning figuring out how exactly to get to this place, we packed our day packs, and had a girls' day in Greve (there were four of us archi-girls total - it was great!). This little town was totally transformed to make way for their wine festival - apparently the largest in the region. We had all kinds of Chianti, a few white whines, and even tried some grappa (holy cow, that stuff is about 40 proof, no joke!). We had to laugh at ourselves though, because there were SO many English speakers there (mainly Americans). We are pretty sure this is just some big hoax for American tourists, and they probably have the real festival with the good stuff when we leave. We even bought wine glasses and the cheesy neck holders for them.



In all honesty, we did not care - we had such a great time and my lips were graced with truly amazing wines, and great company. (And as a side note, the windy, topsy-turvey, sickening bus rides through (beautiful) Siena are made more bearable by a few glasses of wine.)

Pietrasanta e Serevezza (or quick decision no.1)

As a studio, we traveled to Pietrasanta and Serevezza on Friday. We took two trains and a bus, but made it there! Both are towns in Northern Tuscany, near the coast and at the base of the Alps. Pietrasanta is known around the world for its sculptural work (due to is proximity to amazing quarries and sources for stone), and Serevezza is a rolling (small town) which we hiked through (and then up and up!) The views were amazing, as we tried to re-enact the route once traveled by Michelangelo to find marble for his works (although I highly doubt his route was paved, like ours). Along the way we found pools of water traveling down the mountain - some were even large enough to swim in, which we definitely did. All were carpeted with white marble stones. The water was crystal clear, and freezing cold, but I have never felt so refreshed. Jumping from the high walls surrounding the pool was amazing. Although I felt ill prepared for a long hike (hm, not enough water?I should know better!), a small group of us decided to return to Florence the same night (this will be known as quick/brash decision no.1). It was a fantastic day!

Firenze

Well, classes have officially started - and although they are great, it is very clear that this semester will keep me hopping. Not only will I be writing-up my thesis research here, but still taking an architectural studio, a history of Renaissance Art class (which is amazing!), and an Italian language class. I have been to Florence twice since my last post - both for school related activities, but none-the-less enjoyable. It feels familiar for my second time around in Florence, but I am so glad that I will have the time to before familiar with this city. Il Duomo still continues to be awe inspiring, and the city completely enveloping. Just when you think the streets can't get more crowded, or smaller, or more confusing, you find an open piazza. Ah - the sun! Tomorrow we are off for a few days with the architecture studio to see Pietrasanta, Seravezza, and Carrara (famous for its quarries) - can't wait! Ciao.

Oh food.

I was surprised to realize I had not yet mentioned the food that we are surrounded by. Of course, Italian food is fantastic. However, the food we are being served at the Villa Corsi Salviati is particularly amazing. In part, because it is being prepared for somewhere near 60 people, and still tastes like it was prepared for an intimate meal for four. The other, is that the food is so fresh - Strawberries picked from the mountains, vegetables picked from the large garden just outside the villa walls. My stomach has been nothing but pleased since we arrived. Our lunches, being the larger meal, have two courses - today we started with a vegetable rice soup, followed by roast beef, string-beans, and perfect mashed potatoes. And earlier this morning, Nicole and I ventured to the Cafe Fornacci for our first cappucino. The Barrista and Pastry-guy (I don't know the technical name for that yet), were nothing but nice to us as we struggled to figure out the appropriate way/when/how to order. Congrats to us - I think we successfully found out morning hangout. This lifestyle will be hard to leave.

Tuscany - Siena e Chianti

The past two days have been tiring, and amazing. Yesterday we went to Siena and Chianti. Siena is a medieval hill town - the rival of Firenze - with amazing views, culture and history (and it's a bit hard on the feet & calves, but totally worth it!). Afterwards, we took a detour to Chianti, and went to a (real) vineyard and winery. The owner - not interested in the economics of wine - said that we should taste the earth - the rocks - the terra in the wine. It was outstanding. Today, in-your-face Florence. Breathtaking and tiring. I will withhold on those pictures, and show a few from yesterday. Am I really so lucky to live in this place for almost four months? The answer, is yes.

Ah, Tuscany!

Chianti anyone?

This is how you do a door, dearies.

Atop Siena.