My Parents' Visit (!) and Beginning of the Semester

On our wine tour at Castello del Trebbio

My parents at Cinque Terre, in Monterosso al Mare specifically

Yes, you read that right, beginning of the semester. Finally, today, February 23, second semester classes are starting here in Firenze. But more on that at the end of this post, first I need to write about my parents' time in Italia!

So my mom and dad made the lovely and generous decision to come visit me here last week, when my dad had "February Vacation" off of his job teaching high school, and my mom took a week off of work. I hadn't seen them since I left in August, so it felt great to be reunited! Also, neither of them had ever been to Europe before, and it was great to be such a big part of their first experience on the Continent.

They got into Firenze airport on Sunday morning, after an overnight flight from Boston to Amsterdam and a morning flight from Amsterdam to Firenze. They were tired, but everything went according to plan and I was there to meet them after taking the shuttle from downtown Firenze (luckily the airport isn't TOO far outside the city). After our greetings, we went outside to catch a taxi to the apartment they were renting for 5 nights, in the middle of town. They got a nice sample of Italian-style driving on the way, and got to see the Scienze Politiche "campus" where I went to class from September to November. Soon enough we arrived at their apartment - where our first impressions were of the street construction going on immediately outside the door, and the huge size of the door itself! My dad took some pictures to record the size of the "portone" - porta means door and -one is a suffix meaning large, very appropriate!

The owners of the apartment, Miki and Franco, were there to give us a sort of orientation when we arrived. My presence was helpful because Miki and Franco spoke some English, but not great English, so I got to fill in the gaps. They showed my parents all around, what was what, and I tried to make sure to remember anything they'd have questions about. After that little production, Miki and Franco left, and my parents and I headed to lunch at a nearby restaurant, Il Latini. It was quite full and we couldn't get in right away, but they brought us white wine and really good cheese while we waited, which was a nice touch. After a little while, we got in and were seated at a table. One of the trademarks of Il Latini is that they don't really do menus, so we simply said "yes" to antipasti, pasta, and dessert, along with the red wine sitting in the middle of the table. Antipasti were some good slices of prosciutto and salami, along with crostini toscani and polenta with mushrooms on top. Crostini toscani are pieces of bread with a sort of chicken liver pate spread on top - but it tastes a lot better than it sounds, at least in my opinion. For pasta we had one with cinghiale (wild boar) sauce, and another that was ravioli with tomato sauce. Dessert was a panna cotta and a "semi-freddo" - an ice cream like substance covered in cookie... sort of. It was a great introduction to Tuscan eating for my parents.

Since by the end of lunch my dad was pretty much falling asleep, we went back to the apartment and he settled in for a nap while my mom and I headed back out to spend some time in the city. I showed her some of the important places in town, and we even took the bus up to Fiesole, the hillside "suburb" where Georgetown has its villa program. We didn't spend much time there, mostly because it was cold, but it was good that she got to see it. After that we headed back to the apartment and eventually went to dinner at Tre Merli, a seafood oriented restaurant that I'd passed many times and wanted to try. Dinner there was also good, though I know by the end of it, my mother was hitting her jet lag crashing point! We parted for the night afterward, ready to rest up for the next morning.

Monday, we went on a wine tour my mom had booked with a local company, when she bought airfare over to Italy on Expedia. The tour could hold up to 8 people, but as it turned out (maybe not that surprisingly in February) we were the only ones on the tour. Also, our tour guide was an American expat from Connecticut, who had been living in Italy for 5 years. That meant we had a lot in common and we found her very personable and friendly. Christina (our guide) drove us around for the day in a van, and we got to see some of the beautiful scenery that really isn't all that far outside Firenze.

Our first winery stop was at Castello del Trebbio - named for the castle on their property, which was originally built in the 1100s. In 1478 (or thereabouts), the famous Pazzi conspiracy to kill two important Medici brothers and take control of Firenze, was hatched at the castle. Nowadays, the castle and the surrounding property/vineyards are owned by a Austro-Italian family, and they all live on the premises, making work and home there in the beautiful environment. After Christina gave us the lowdown on the castle history, we headed into the tasting room to try the wine. By that point, we were quite well educated in categories of Italian wine, as Christina had described the system to us on the way there. We also had the chance to sample some "olio nuovo" or olive oil from recently harvested young olives, which we had with bread. After the tasting, we had a delicious lunch at a nearby trattoria, owned by the same family that owns the vineyard - it's all one connected enterprise. After lunch, we rode to the next vineyard, Selvapiana, in the small Rufina region, where certified "Chianti Rufina" wine is made. There, we got to tour all the rooms where the wine is made, including the fermentation room with large tanks, aging room with many French barrels, and the cantina (basement) full of large barrels and very old wine - including vintages up to the 1950s I believe. Once we'd completed that part of the tour, we headed back upstairs to taste three wines made there, at Selvapiana. That concluded our daytrip tour, and after a drive we were back in Firenze and said good-bye and thanks to Christina. Despite the cold weather, it had been a beautiful and enjoyable day, I learned a lot and enjoyed the food and drink, and it seemed like a great experience for my parents' first full day in Italy.

That night, we went to dinner where I usually go to dinner - at my host family's apartment. It was nice to have the opportunity to introduce my parents and host parents, and show my parents where I live. Despite the language barrier, we had a good conversation, some of Cristina's good cooking, and of course, my parents got to witness La Ruota della Fortuna.

The next day was the only rainy day we had to deal with in Florence, thank goodness. We started off with a visit to Mercato Centrale, home to lots of delicious foods (inside) and many stalls with all sorts of non-edible products (outside). After that, we went to Palazzo Pitti, a large palace and museum that I had never visited before. We decided to skip the Boboli Gardens because of the weather, but we did visit the Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments. It was a very impressive museum, and in fact in many cases the beauty of the rooms themselves distracted me from all the beautiful art! Regardless, I was glad I had finally gotten myself to Palazzo Pitti. For lunch, we went to Gusta Pizza, my favorite pizza place in Florence. After lunch, we headed to the Accademia Gallery to see the David Statue, among other things. It's possible we also stopped in at the Duomo on the way... but I honestly can't recall. After that, we returned to the apartment for our requisite pre-dinner rest.

Dinner that night was at Perseus, a restaurant which was recommended to be my numerous Florentines, and is actually in my neighborhood (off the beaten tourist path). It absolutely lived up to its promise, boasting delicious soups, gnocchi, and above all, bistecca alla fiorentina. This bistecca was decidedly better than the only other one I've ever had, but also more expensive so I suppose it makes sense. In addition, Perseus was filled with real, actual Italians out to dinner enjoying themselves, so it felt all the more authentic. It's possible that was one of my favorite eating experiences of the week.

Wednesday was an early morning because we were off on a daytrip to Cinque Terre, the set of 5 small towns in Liguria that have recently become a noted tourist attraction. After taking the InterCity train to La Spezia, we changed trains for a short ride to the easternmost town in Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore. When we got off and went to the tourist office, we realized that all but one of the 4 seaside paths connecting the 5 towns were closed due to landslides (or the danger of them, I am still not exactly sure which). It was slightly disappointing, but it also meant we didn't even have the option of doing any of the more strenuous hikes, so we just had to settle for the easiest, shortest one. After we bought our Cinque Terre cards (for access to the paths and trains) we explored the town of Riomaggiore on foot a bit. For background, I went to Cinque Terre about a week into my time in Italy, but it ended up being with a large obnoxious group and while I enjoyed the scenery, the company could have been better. This trip was nicer in that it was quieter, with a small and familiar group, and unlike last time there was a clear blue sky and the sea was a beautiful aqua, almost greenish turquoise, color. Riomaggiore was fun to explore, and afterward we headed off on the "Via dell'Amore" - the path to the next small town Manarola. From there, we ended up walking back to Riomaggiore to catch a train to Vernazza, the 4th of the towns. We did not actually stop in Corniglia, but that seemed ok with my parents. We had lunch near the water in Vernazza, and my parents got pasta with two traditional Ligurian (that region of Italy) sauces - "noci"or nut sauce for my mom, and a delicious pesto for my dad. I had a scampi-type sauce with penne. After lunch, we explored the biggest and flattest town in Cinque Terre, Monterosso al Mare, before getting on the train to La Spezia once more. There, we bought tickets to Pisa so my parents could do the requisite Leaning Tower visit, and had to wait about an hour for the next train to leave.

Once we arrived in Pisa, we took about an hour to see the tower, mostly walking there and back. It's interesting that I have spent relatively little time in Pisa, but I've done short visits there to the tower with Anne, David, and now my parents! After Pisa, we took the last leg of the train ride back to Firenze, arriving just in time to have dinner at Yellow, one of my favorite casual Firenze restaurants. We ended up eating a lot, but it was good to have a chance to try some of Yellow's meat dishes, as I always get pasta there. My dad and I had "paglia e fieno" which is a very comforting yummy dish that I often have at Yellow. After stuffing ourselves full, we headed back on home - my parents to their apartment and me to mine.

Thursday was our last full day in Florence, so we had a lot of things to fit in. We did quite well though, all things considered. First we visited the Uffizi, the most well-known art museum in Firenze. Time of year is critical there - there was basically no line, and Dave and I had waited at least an hour and ended up abandoning the line on January 2. After we finished there, we headed back to Mercato Centrale so my parents could make some purchases. They decided which pieces of Italy to take home with them, and then we stopped by the apartment to drop it all off. Soon after, we went to Quattro Leoni, a restaurant that I've always been to with Lucia, to... well actually, meet up with Lucia so that she and my parents could meet. All four of us had the delicious "fiochetti di pera e taleggio con asparagi" - pasta filled with pear and cheese in a creamy asparagus sauce. I've had this dish every time I've been to the restaurant - it's irresistible! It was nice that my parents could meet Lucia and vice versa - I felt like my parents got a good feel for my life here between the places they saw and the people they met.

Directly after lunch, my parents and I walked up to Piazzale Michelangiolo to take in the incredible views. Oops, more stairs for us all to climb! We made it though, and took lots of pictures and enjoyed the scenery. Then I showed them San Miniato al Monte, a really pretty church which is the first place I went after I got into Firenze, when Lucia took me there the morning of my arrival. After the piazza, we visited Santa Croce, in the eastern part of downtown Florence, which in addition to being a very attractive church, houses the remains of Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo. After Santa Croce, we finally got to buy some of the gelato my mother had been yearning for, even though it was so cold that I realized the outside temperatures were basically keeping my gelato frozen. It was enjoyable anyway, and I will have to return to the place we went (called Perche No or, Why Not in English) once it gets warmer.

Dinner that night was at La Giostra, in a quiet corner of Firenze. I'd chosen it in part so my parents could try tartufo, or truffles, which have a very particular taste. Italy is the only place I've ever sampled them, and usually in the form of a sauce on pasta. La Giostra had very good food, and gave us bonus antipasti and prosecco, yum.

The next day was departure day from Firenze for my parents. We all went to Rome where we'd spend an afternoon and a night before they had to leave the next morning. I met up with them at the apartment with my overnight bag, and we headed off on the Eurostar train to the city. Upon arrival, we hauled our luggage to the hotel, which wasn't too far away but still required a bit of an effort. After checking in and resting briefly, we were off to explore as much of Rome as we could in an afternoon. I took them around based in part on my knowledge from my daytrip with David in December, and we saw/visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, gigantic Vittorio Emmanuele II monument, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and St. Peter's Basilica and Square. We also had lunch and dinner in Rome, sampling some of the very simple but hearty delicious food they have there. The next morning we had an early breakfast and departure to the train station, where we had to part ways as my parents took a train to the airport (a bit outside the city) and I got on a train back to Florence. I got back pretty early in the day and took the chance to catch up with people online and upload my photos from my parents' time in Firenze.

I am so glad my parents could visit. Of course I hadn't seen them in a while (or since I got engaged) so that aspect was great. They also were able to bring some important items to me, above all, my engagement ring, which had to go back to the US with Dave to get re-sized. My dad carried it on a string around his neck to keep it secure - he was like my own personal Frodo! What's more, it was great to share life in Italy with them a bit, and be their tour guide on their first trip ever in Europe! It was an exciting occasion in many ways. I am so lucky that I still have more visitors coming, both my grandparents and members of Dave's family.

Two days after my parents' departure (yesterday, Monday) it was finally time to start up classes at the Universita degli Studi di Firenze again. While I did enjoy many aspects of my very long vacation, I was ready to get back into a more regular and normal schedule. Much like normal in Italy though, I am having to change some things around. At the last minute Sunday night, I changed my mind from doing an Art History course I was looking at to doing a history of the Risorgimento (Italian unification) that I hadn't found up to that point. So far that class is pretty interesting - my professor, Professore Ciuffoletti, is very animated and opinionated, which is important in the morning and in general. The only thing is that I'll have to do a bit of background work because instead of being an introductory class, this class is instead aimed at deepening ones understanding of the Risorgimento and historical interpretations of it... so I will have to fill in some gaps there, but that should be okay. My second class of the day (normally I'll have it Mon, Tues, Wed 11-13) is actually not starting til tomorrow, so I can't say anything about it yet. It's called History of the Church, and from what I understand it should be about political and social aspects of the Catholic church and its relations with Italy. The third class of the day that I was thinking of doing was Medieval History, but it became clear to me relatively quickly that I didn't actually want to do it. The room was overcrowded, without any actual desks to write on, and when the teacher arrived I couldn't really hear her, even when the boys next to me stopped talking. I realized I am not interested enough in medieval history to go to class in those conditions all the time, and I knew I had the choice to find something else. Upon further reflection, I realized that for balance it would be best to find a course I can take in the second module, or half of the semester, since I need 3 modules and I am doing 2 now. I am still working on finding a good class that will work, but I have collected some possibilities. I'll keep you posted.

The crazy thing is, these changes really don't even phase me. After my experiences from last semester, I more or less expected it. Here you sometimes have to try classes out to make sure they really work. 4 of the 6 girls in the Georgetown group tried a literature class yesterday morning and it became clear the professor didn't want anyone there who wasn't following a specific course of study, and that included foreigners - so they left rather quickly and had to find another class to take instead. Just in general, jumping back into Italian university I am reminded of all the problems (administrative, systematic, etc) that exist in the system. Prof. Ciuffoletti speaks very frankly about his opinions, confirming even more the politics and inefficiencies involved from his perspective. He has also taught in the US (at Middlebury and Smith Colleges) and at the end of class today he was talking about American colleges and made it sound like paradise... which even if that is a bit of an exaggeration, I've got to tell you I am so excited to pre-register for Georgetown classes again. I know that sometimes people have trouble with registration at Georgetown, but being here really puts things into perspective. Come the end of March (in about a month) I can choose all my classes for fall, and a bit after that I will know my schedule for sure... MONTHS in advance. This concept seems miraculous and wonderful now that I have spent this time here in Italy. And I can say now without hesitancy over cultural prejudice that the American university system is just better, and Italy's has a lot of issues. I think most Italians would agree with me, and certainly Professor Ciuffoletti would. Our wine tourguide, Christina, asked me last Monday if I could tell her anything about Italian universities to change her bad opinion - she thinks she will make sure her children don't attend them, even if they grow up in Italy. I know there are other factors at play, such as the much higher amounts of money we have to pay for university in the US, but it just seems such a shame that it's like this here. Though I am not really sure how anyone would go about attacking the problem to try to change it.

I am starting to make a new friend now that classes have started. Her name is Eva, and she is from Germany. She's doing the Erasmus exchange program, and she is in my Risorgimento class and will be in my History of the Church class. She seems really nice and from what she says, German universities are more similar to American ones than to Italian ones. Even though she is still European, Italy strikes her in some of the same ways it strikes me. Also, Neza from Georgetown is probably going to be in my Risorgimento class, because another history class didn't work out for her.

That about brings us up to speed. Oh, except that I got a sore throat and congestion on the first day of school! Awesome! But I made sure to rest last night and I feel a little better today, though not all the way. Also, more exciting travels coming up - the weekend after this weekend, I'm going to Zurich, Switzerland, with my friend Marissa who is studying in Milan, and the weekend after THAT I am going to London, where I'll meet up with my friend Alexandra and possibly one or two others - Alex will be in London visiting her friend Emi for Georgetown's spring break. I am really excited for both these trips - I feel like London is just a place I need to go, and I have heard so many great things about Switzerland. I also plan to have Eva teach me some essential German! Yay!

Okay, that's all for real. Until next time!