Una Bella Estate

lucky to have been where I have been, lucky to be coming home again.

2009-08-06T18:00:00.003+02:00

BASTA! Took my Italian final yesterday, art history final this morning, and packed this afternoon. Tomorrow is my last day in Firenze, and Saturday morning I embark on my journey back to JFK! A couple final shots of campus:

So, I suppose some sort of conclusion would be appropriate, after all:

″A traveler without observation is a bird without wings."

- Moslih Eddin Saadi

Throughout this summer, I've been thrown theory after theory about art and culture - especially in art history, it's a constant game of categorizing - what does red mean? what does blue mean? What does that really small hand gesture that you can't really see mean? I've learned that although we can theorize all we want, not everything can be put into neat, definite categories. Sometimes, something is wonderful simply because it makes you smile, and that's all the sense that needs to be made out of it.

Italians do what makes them happy - they take long siestas at the most inconvenient times, they organize their day around eating, they drive terribly because they gain no pleasure from traffic rules, buses are late because the driver felt like sleeping in for five more minutes, guidos whistle at girls because it makes them feel macho, the little old man in Bar Lidia takes ten minutes to put a ball of mozzarella on a plate because that's how he wants to do it, and there are saldi throughout the country in the summer so that everyone can afford to look fabulous. Because in a world of anxiety and chaos and deception and heartache and worry, sometimes only what makes us happy can be trusted. Sometimes, only the beauty in our lives, no matter how it is categorized, is real. In Italy, the goal is to live, however obnoxiously, in beauty - to please one's self in whichever manner desired, simply because life is too short not to enjoy it.

Allora, ciao amori. See you in the apple :)

Laura

"The matrix of Italian art is Italy itself, a land whose physical beauty has attracted visitors from time immemorial." -Hartt

2009-08-03T23:03:00.001+02:00

Buona sera! I have returned from an escapade through Cinque Terre with Erica, which was full of unbelievable natural beauty, quaint towns on the water, an absurd amount of hiking, some transportation malfunctions, sunbathing on rocks in the middle of the ocean, and lots of seafood and vino bianco.

On Saturday we hiked from Riomaggiore to Manarola, then from Manarola to Corniglia. Once we arrived in Corniglia (after climbing over 400 steps to get up there. The thought of a town on a cliff is nice, but when you actually have to get there, it's a serious pain in the butt. Literally...) we realized its motto is "la dolce di fare niente" (the sweetness of doing nothing - typical) so we had lunch and descended back down the staircase. After Corniglia we hopped the train to Vernazza because we were too full to think about hiking the 4 km between the towns.

From Vernazza, we hiked the hardest hike of them all - a two hour, 3 km journey to Monterosso. We completely ignored the advisory to NOT hike in the early afternoon and proceeded to climb and shuffle through the mountains until we arrived in Monterosso after 90 minutes. Yea, we may live in New York and like to wear high heels and sip cocktails, but our outdoorsy-ness is not to be underestimated. After sweating profusely and nearly passing out, we arrived in Monterosso and immediately threw our stuff onto rocks and went into the ocean. A very, very rewarding experience to say the least.

On Sunday we successfully missed ALL of the morning buses (and got yelled at by the hostel man to get out of the hostel so he could clean). We halfheartedly attempted to hitchhike from Biassa (population: 40), which was, obviously, unsuccessful (and probably a terrible idea anyways). We managed to get to Manarola for lunch and gelato, then went to lay on the rocks in Riomaggiore for the afternoon before dinner, appertivo and calling it a night. Yet another successful journey of the Mals. Le mie foto of this gorgeous place:

(Riomaggiore)

(Via dell'Amore, between Riomaggiore and Manarola)

(trying to be happy after climbing up to and down from Corniglia)

(Vernazza)

(View of Vernazza from the mountain top - yeah, we climbed up there, that's right)

(hiking to Monterosso)

(beach in Monterosso! photoshooting. Hi Mal!)

(see that struggling figure in the middle being attacked by a wave and a spontaneous swarm of children at the same time? that's Erica)

(channeling Little Mermaid)

(amazing)

(Sunday "hitchhiking" aka wandering through Biassa and whining)

(Erica's trademark picture)

Allora, today was the beginning of the last week of classes! Class tomorrow, Italian final Wednesday and art history final Thursday, then basta! Back to the apple I go! In the meantime I'll be enjoying my last few days in this beautiful place, and taking some more pictures when I can to share with you all. A presto.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

2009-07-30T23:24:00.003+02:00

"We don't see any colour in its purity, as it really is, but all mixed with others. And even when they're not mixed with another color, they are at least with rays of light and shadows; they thus appear different and not as they are in reality."

-Pseudo-Artistotle

Ah yes, the Ferragamo color wheel. After running from the Uffizi to Ognisanti to Santa Maria Novella, then meeting Jenna for lunch (hadn't seen her since December!), I found myself in the Ferragamo museum, sitting on the carpet of a secluded room with a color wheel of ballerine on one of the walls, philosophical quotes about color on all of the other walls, tranquil music in the background, and lights above my head constantly changing colors. Oh Italian class, the places you take us. One day, torture, the next day, therapy. After admiring le scarpe, we continued to frolic up and down Via Tornabuoni "learning" vocabulario revolving around clothing - aka going into shi-shi stores, commenting on how expensive but pretty everything was, and meeting Gao an hour later without having completed much of anything. We all declared "basta," Gao admitted that he was tired, and we got ourselves out of Italian an hour early. After our successful finagling, Cat, Audrey and I frolicked down some narrow streets before I met Erica for la cena.

"I love you because of the way you smell in the morning..." we liked this one

Met Erica by the Duomo to people watch and shoo some gypsies for a bit, then went off to La Giostra for dinner, where we received complementary vino spumante as a greeting and limoncello as a farewell, so that was delightful. Domani Erica and I are off to Cinque Terre! Allora, many pictures of gorgeous cliffside towns and tales of hiking and seafood will be here on Monday. Off to my last weekend in Florence!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

2009-07-29T20:24:00.004+02:00

"The painter ought to keep his own company and reflect upon that which he sees. He should debate with himself and choose the most excellent parts of the kinds of things he sees. He should be like a mirror which is transformed into as many colours as are placed before it, and, doing this, he will seem to be a second nature." - Da Vinci

Buona sera! Spent this morning dancing around, then showed Erica La Pietra and frolicked for a bit before Italiano. Pictures from the gardens:

Ciao Mal!

Not much else today. Domani I'll be in Firenze ALL day long - first at the Uffizi and such for art history, then to meet Jenna (!) for lunch, then to the Ferragamo museum for Italian! With that: a domani!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Banane in Fiamme.

2009-07-28T21:19:00.004+02:00

So, for Italian class today we went on a culinary escapade beginning at La Carraia (gelato) and ending at Gao's apartment. After shopping for gelato, banane, burro and, of course, cognac, we were ready to cook our banane fritte on Gao's authentic Italian stove (meaning you turn it on, the gas comes out, you need a lighter to make it a working stove...). Bananas were peeled, cut, and fried in a pan with burro, sprinkled with zucchero, splashed with cognac, then put over gelato (once we had literally almost burned Gao's apartment down a number of times). It was quite a delightful diversion from the usual 3 and a half hours sitting (slash melting) in a classroom in Villa Ullivi. After dolce at Gao's, I took a stroll by the Arno to meet Erica for dinner.

Quote of the day for a little philosophy:

"Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate the reason."-Leonardo da Vinci

Experience before reason - flames before wonderful banane fritte, chaos before order. Such is life...basta. A presto.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Domenica: dance, mozarella, and meditation sul monte

2009-07-26T19:05:00.007+02:00

Buona sera! Began today by dancing around in the fitness room (so not the same as real dance class) and taking a lunch trip up to Bar Lidia with Erica (today I was greeted with a "Ciao bebe! sandwich? sandwich? two sandwich?" to which I always have to respond "no no, io vorrei in un piatto...").

This evening, Audrey, Erica and I went up to San Miniato al Monte - the church above Piazza Michelangelo known for its gorgeous views and the daily "Gregorian Chant." We went in freely (no snobbiness in this church, just an open doorway), and sat ourselves in the crypt to listen. Religion in Italy is so different than religion in the states - it's not hard to understand why religion was, and still is, such a large component of culture here in Firenze. In San Miniato, we were surrounded by artwork, sheltered in a dark, cool building overlooking all of Firenze, listening to the enchanting harmony of the monks. No wonder why religion affects people so much - it was the perfect environment for meditation and spiritual awakening and all that jazz. I wish I could have recorded it, but I found a clip on youtube of the same chant in the same church - it's not the same as actually being there, but this gives you an idea. It was a very zen experience.

(San Miniato al Monte)

(this one's for you, Marc!)

(Hi Audrey!)

That's all for today. Shout out to the Aunts (that was for you, Baba. No more complaining now). Tomorrow Erica and I are taking a trip to the mall for a final round of finding cheap Italian couture, then another week of classes (my eighth week of class here in Italy, isn't that crazy?).

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Lucca e Pisa

2009-07-24T22:41:00.008+02:00

Spent the day in Lucca and Pisa today - the land of the tranquil and the land of the tourists. Lucca was beautiful and relaxing in a sleepy Italian way, with 87 churches within its tiny walls. Pisa was a bit like Disneyland, but there was a tower with swarming tourists taking dorky pictures instead of rides and Mickey Mouse - but, of course, it would be a shame to leave Italy without seeing Pisa and its tower.

(Lucca)

(Pisa)

(Hi Alex!)

(the most difficult picture to take and it didn't even work)

(Alex, Me, Audrey, Cat)

After a day of running around between Tuscan towns, dodging tourists and fighting death by heat, I'm exhausted. A presto.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"Nothing ever changes here - except for the Gucci and Armani."

2009-07-22T18:51:00.006+02:00

- Venetian gondolier, July 2007

Just returned from a morning marathon of art, running around from 8:30 this morning until I returned to the villa about an hour ago. After seeing art from various different portions of the Renaissance today (and, well, throughout the past 7 weeks), it has become apparant that Mary is STILL wearing blue, Jesus still looks like a bizzare little man as a child, and they are both still in almost every single painting. Surprisingly, Renaissance Art has not made any shocking new developments. That being said, although the Renaissance and it's art are fascinating, they are, well, in the past. And no matter how much we study them and apply our fancy color coding and perspective theories and "ohh" and "ahhh" over the introduction of trees as naturalism, the art doesn't change. And even with all of those theories, the fact of the matter could be that Cosimo di Medici was really rich, and when he commissioned the thousands of paintings that he did, he really wanted people to add some trees. Just saying. There are two sides to this Renaissance coin: one is beautiful, and the other is, well, exactly the same. Art here is repetition - there is growth, of course, but the subjects remain the same.

Anyways, now off to Italian for the afternoon. We're going to a photography museum this afternoon, which could be a nice breath of fresh air - art that didn't happen during the Renaissance! Art of the present!? Woah. After that it's time for some real dinner in Firenze after I locate Erica, who is planting her crazy self in Florence for the next 8 days :)

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"All these ways of making a living, since they depends mainly on our personal powers, are what you call arts."

2009-07-20T20:46:00.002+02:00

"There are activities in which the powers of body and mind function together to bring profit. Such are the occupations of painters, sculptors, musicians and others like them. All these ways of making a living, since they depends mainly on our personal powers, are what you call arts, and do not go down in shipwrecks but swim away with our naked selves. They keep us company all our lives and feed and maintain our name and fame." -Della Pittura Introduction

Buona sera! Spent this morning roaming around Firenze singing along to my ipod, ducking in and out of stores to buy presents for people, and savoring the temperature of less than 90 degrees (in l'estate Italiana, one can NEVER take bearable temperatures for granted). This afternoon it was off to Italiano to start learning the past tense - aye, dio mio. Just another day around Firenze and La Pietra. About to go finish up an art history essay on Filippino Lippi's Apparizione della Madonna a san Bernardo and call it a night. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Roman Holiday

2009-07-18T22:19:00.011+02:00

Just back from Roma! Spent Friday getting extensively lost by myself en route to the Spanish Steps and frolicking in and out of designer stores with SALDI written all over the windows. Spent Saturday morning in Cinecitta' to see set after set of extraordinarily deceitful styrofoam which completely fascinated me (Gangs of New York was filmed there - isn't that crazy?). After lunching by the Spanish Steps with some friends, Audrey, Aggi and I made our way to the Catacombe di San Callisto to see one of the ancient underground Christian burial sites - very, very cool.

After, we decided we wanted to go to "the mouth of truth" (it's in Roman Holiday, forgive us for being Audrey Hepburn fanatics and really dorky tourists) - anyways, we asked our Catacombe tour guide how to get there, who was standing with a Priest (dressed like a normal Italian guy), who thought my Italian was entertaining, as usual. Long story short, Priest (who I thought could have been in the Mafia based on his constant reference to "brothers" - apparently this was religious) announced to various comrades that "these English-speaking people need to get to la bocca della verita," and then drove us to the said mouth with his sidekick Luigi sitting in the passenger seat giving him directions. As we drove, he told us all about how he has a special pass to the Vatican (including a parking spot - very serious) and nonchalantly told us about ancient landmarks as we drove by them. While making an illegal three-part (at least) u-turn, he turned around and said to us: "ok, now we're doing a little bit of cheating here..." coming from a Vatican Priest, that was one of the most hilarious sentences that any of us had heard in a while. Everyone needs a Roman adventure every now and then. Anyways, pictures!

(Friday)

(Saturday: Cinecitta')

("oh...this isn't a rock...this is styrofoam...")

(the Fellini museum inside Cinecitta')

(La Bocca della Verita!)

(ciao ciao photographers!)

(strolling past Il Colosseo)

Allora, io sono molto stanca! Domani: a much needed day of resting and dancing around in the fitness room before another week of running around Florence. A presto!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Miercoledi

2009-07-15T18:31:00.004+02:00

Buona sera! Marc is safely back in NYC and I am back at Villa Natalia. Here are some pictures from the past few days that I haven't had a chance to post yet:

(The Duomo - inside and on top!)

Off to study for our Italian midterm tomorrow (after doing some egg tempera painting in the art studio for art history). A presto!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

“Fate plays tricks on us all. If you’re not laughing, then you don’t get the joke."

2009-07-13T17:50:00.003+02:00

Hi everyone, it’s Marc (Laura’s boyfriend). I know you’re all used to Laura’s blog entries sprinkled with beautiful, sepia-toned pictures and references in Italian that you (or at least I) don’t understand, but Laura’s off at class, so I thought I’d give her a rest and fill in for a day.

I arrived here in Florence on Friday morning, and it’s been kind of a whirlwind ever since. We’ve done the typical “you gotta see this when you’re in Florence” things like the top of the Duomo and the Piazza di Michelangelo, sure, but we’ve also done a lot of less-touristy things that Laura has discovered during her first month here (Hannah and Branson, that steak place was every bit as good as advertised… good call). I’ve gone to the “good” gelato place, the “great” gelato place, the “incredible” gelato place, and the “oh my gosh, we have to go to this gelato place” gelato place. Our hotel is right in the middle of town, but that hasn’t stopped me from instinctively walking in the wrong direction every time we leave to go somewhere. Laura has shown me around with unfailing good humor and patiently ordered for me in Italian on more than one occasion. Molto bene, Arachidi. Grazie. (oh, and Ali, I’ve heard the “voice” quite a bit… “yehhhh…”)

More than anything, it’s just been good to see Laura, and to get to experience some of the things that she’s seen and done over the last five weeks or so. I leave on Wednesday, so you’ll all get your regular correspondent back. Until then, we have plans for dinner at Circolo dell’Unione Firenze tonight and maybe another walk through the Piazza della Signoria. It’s been a quick few days, but I’m really glad I came. In keeping with tradition:

“A domani! Ciao!”

luce d'oro

2009-07-09T19:04:00.005+02:00

This morning had an art history lecture on Sienese art, then basked in the sun outside of Villa Ullivi for a bit before Italiano. After class decided to take some pictures and capture the pomeriggio sole. One might think that after five weeks living on this campus I would run out of beautiful things to capture, but this is by no means the case. There's always something new and beautiful that I haven't posted here yet. Allora, le mie foto:

Also, yesterday morning I made a second (and likely final, the saldi attract way too many tourists) trip to the mall and made some solid purchases, among them a pair of khaki suede Ferragamo pumps. This picture doesn't do them justice, but trust that they're pretty fabulous and will last for decades:

That's all for today. Domani Marc venga qui!! :) Bene bene! More soon. A presto.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Behhhnaaaay behhnayyy (bene bene).

2009-07-07T20:46:00.005+02:00

Began today by painting a fresco in art history class in the art studio next to Villa Ullivi. That was quite the production, and very, very interesting. As our Professor kept assuring us "fresco is the hardest type of painting! So this is like giving a beginner piano player Mozart to play." We painted with "Giotto's palette", and although there were by no means any replications of Giotto's artistry, we learned a lot and had fun being artisti.

After that it was off to the Piazza della Signoria to meet Gao for a pseudo Italian class under the loggia and then a scavenger hunt! We started at Santa Croce, where Gao gave us strange Italian instructions, and off we went. We did some photo-shooting, met a live Gipetto, read some Dante inscriptions and failed to identify churches. So, the scavenger hunt was a blast for about an hour, then we decided to quit with half of the second page incomplete and return to Gao with tired faces and whines for gelato (to which he complied!). Pictures from our Florentine frolic:

(insert photo-shoot. Mio, Audrey, Cat)

(A Pinocchio store! We found Gipetto!)

(Brans remember this dress? Still there. Still fabulous.)

Currently finishing up some art history reading in my colossal Hartt book about Sienese art, then passing out. A domani: THE MALL! The sales officially started all over Florence today, so this visit to The Mall (yes, it's capitalized, it is indeed a proper noun) should be even more thrilling than the last. BENE!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Lunedi

2009-07-06T13:14:00.008+02:00

Began today by heading into town in search of the myserious Buonuomini Chapel for an art history paper. At the bus stop, I managed to have a conversation with an Italian woman in Italglish (does that work? like Spanglish? but Italian....whatever, you get it) that involved us complaining about the bus being late by throwing our hands up into the air with me saying "non lo so!" and her saying "sono addormentato!" It was pretty funny, I kept cracking up and interjecting a "si" and of course a "bene" or five whenever necessary. I learned that she is from Switzerland and her native language is German, and she learned that "mio famiglia e Italiana pero io...only speak...un po!" Anyways, she got a kick out of me.

Managed to find my way to the chapel, which was hidden in vicino della casa di Dante, ran into my professor inside the chapel, and then of course got rained on (because it wouldn't be a day in Italy without me getting caught in a monsoon). Made my way back to Villa Natalia to have lunch (Silvia, the head of the cafeteria, now greets me with a "ciao bella," which obviously makes me incredibly happy. Gluten-free pasta AND a "ciao bella"!? Perfetto!)

Then it was off to Italiano, during which Gao gave us his number, followed by a "yea but don't hassle me." Oh Gao, chiamami! A domani painting a fresco in the morning over at the art studio (should be interesting) then a SCAVENGER HUNT for Italiano around Firenze, bene bene!! Currenty listening to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (freaks) and finishing up some art history work. A domani.

(La Bella Luna)

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Siena

2009-07-05T21:49:00.005+02:00

"It is the hard-won harmony between man and nature that makes not only the landscape of Italy but also the art of its people different from any other in this world." - Frederick Hartt

After waking up and doing a ballet barre this morning, I embarked on a solo day trip to Siena, doing typical Sienese things like admiring the Duomo, getting lost in little streets, and dining in the Piazza del Campo. Pictures from my journey:

(NICK THIS IS FOR YOU!!! Niccolai, Niccolai, does whatever a Niccolai does...)

(S. Domenico Church)

(post-thunderstorm and getting mildly hit by lightening. che pizza.)

(The Duomo)

(memorial wall in the Duomo)

(Piazza del Campo)

Allora, io sto stanca! About to go read Cennini's The Craftman's Handbook and call it a night. A presto :)

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Umbria: il cuore d'Italia

2009-07-04T22:20:00.007+02:00

Just returned to Villa Natalia from a trip to Spoleto in Umbria, the only Italian province without a coastline, referred to by Italians as the heart of Italy. Spoleto was having an art festival, so we went to a ballet on Friday night and an opera this afternoon. I SAW ALESSANDRA FERRI at the ballet! Had a bit of a heart attack, it was so cool to see her. There was a piece called "After the Rain" choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon that was absolutely gorgeous. Anyways, quote of the trip from Stefano, the program director (in his Italian accent):

"The reputation of the United States of America is in your...mouth."

Oh goodness. Happy fourth of July! Celebrating it over here by doing absolutely nothing American whatsoever. Pictures from Spoleto:

(Mio e Audrey)

That's all for now. Tomorrow I'm going to Siena for the afternoon. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Religion makes people do beautiful things...

2009-07-02T13:43:00.004+02:00

At least in Italy, religion tends to make people do beautiful things. This morning went to San Miniato al Monte, the church that sits above Piazza Michelangelo overlooking Firenze. The church has been almost untouched since it was built and has some really interesting Byzantine art (and a mosaic on the floor of the nave with the zodiac signs, the only use of zodiac signs in a church in all of Italy. Che interesante, no?). After that, we trecked down the hill and across the Arno to Santa Croce to look at some of Giotto's frescoes (introduction of naturalism into religious art!), then I grabbed a gelato and trecked back up the montagna to Villa Natalia to eat some food overlooking the grounds and whip out an essay.

(view of Firenze from San Miniato)

(San Miniato)

Italiano was, as usual, quite entertaining this afternoon. We learned how to tell time (sono le seidici e mezzo) and had a discussion about peninsulas (that was around 5, when the delirium fully hits). Had our first quiz and then basta! Finito! Tonight going to a restaurant on the other side of the Arno called Fuori Porta than likely to La Dolce Vita at Santo Spirito for some bellinis or something. Domani it's off to Spoleto at the crack of dawn until Saturday evening. With that, a presto!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Uno, due, tre...ottocento ottantotto!

2009-06-30T18:52:00.006+02:00

(Villa Natalia - our house - from Villa Ulivi)

Well, we learned how to count, among other things, in Italian class. By the time 5:15 rolled around, after almost three hours of class, we were all getting delirious. To solve this problem, Gao (il professore) decided to play a game. Has anyone played the game when you sit in a circle and count off skipping multiples of seven (and eleven, and reversing, and all of that) ? - well, we played that, saying "ciao" whenever we hit a multiple of seven. You can imagine how ridiculous this was, considering we had just learned numbers and were not prepared to do math - nonetheless, we continued to play this game until we were just about at trecento. Dio mio, che pizza.

(il sole Toscana)

Had my first art history class this morning - "Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting" - like Jane's class but more focused on painting. I think I might have a little bit of background thanks to Jane (when il professore asked what was notable about the Madonna in various paintings, I said "blue!" acting all nonchalant and intelligent, like normal people actually know that. Blue means royal and heavenly, did I tell you all that? And it's my favorite color...), so hopefully this won't be too overwhelming, although I think I have to read about a hundred pages of reading for Thursday.

(on the terrace outside of the art history classroom)

That's all for today, no inspiring quotes came up - although you should try saying ottocento ottantotto (oh-toh-chen-toh-oh-tan-toh-toh), it's kind of fun. At around 5:00 we all found it incredibly amusing. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Salve!

2009-06-29T12:47:00.003+02:00

WELL, after taking the bus down to Santa Maria Novella and walking over the Ponte alla Carraia to get to the other side of the Arno, I discovered, after about a half hour of sitting in the lobby, that Florence Dance Center is closed for the summer. Che pizza, and how typically Italian, taking vacations whenever humanly possibly. So, I stretched around in the studio a bit then found out, through my broken Italian, that the only reason the studio was open today was for some audition for their teen company in September, or something. ANYWAYS, looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of barres in the fitness room by my lonesome over the next six weeks - ballet buddies, I miss you! (and tap buddies...theatre buddies....etc etc).

Had our first day of Italian classes today! Mi piace!! Vorrei un gelato!! We had fun and learned about a month's worth of Italian in three hours. So, accordingly, io sto stanca! Currently sitting in our room with the door open and the windows wide open looking out onto the Tuscan countryside. About to shower, make some te di menta peperita and eat some gluten-free cookies. Look at this! I sit at my window and this is what I see:

A presto! A domani!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Sometimes only beauty can be trusted.

2009-06-28T17:46:00.009+02:00

“Because the world is so corrupted, misspoken, unstable, exaggerated, and unfair, one should trust only what one can experience with one’s own senses, and this makes the senses stronger in Italy than anywhere in Europe. This is why, Barzini says, Italians will tolerate hideously incompetent generals, presidents, tyrants, professors, bureaucrats, journalists and captains of industry, but will never tolerate incompetent opera singers, conductors, ballerinas, courtesans, actors, film directors, cooks, tailors. In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted. Only artistic excellence is incorruptible. Pleasure cannot be bargained down. And sometimes the meal is the only currency that is real.” - Eat, Pray, Love

Had academic orientation today (I'm the only Gallatin kid...I miss you Gallatinos!), then went for a walk through Florence with the new group of kids and got some free gelato across the Arno. Also had a brief conversation in Italian when I was getting a water bottle - the ladies working there asked me where I got my shoes (the sandals you got me, Mom) and kept saying they were pretty (bellissima! bellissima!) so that was yet another opportunity for me to pretend like I speak Italian legitimately (soon enough!). Pictures:

(La Pietra)

("pineapples mean welcome!")

(our window in Villa Natalia)

(San Marco)

(gypsies by the old orphanage)

(see that? Pucci! as in the designer!)

(window in Natalia)

That's all for today. Tomorrow I'm going to the dance studio downtown (finally!), then the first day of classes of this second program. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"You all made your own world here, and you're all going to disperse and this won't be here anymore, but you made something." - George

2009-06-27T16:36:00.005+02:00

Another rainy day in Firenze over here. So, the Gallatin program is OFFICIALLY over.

Said my goodbyes to Gal-pals this morning (starting at 4 am with Hannah), found a bunch of money in Branson's abandoned room (seriously, Branson? was the process that expedited?), then schlepped all of my stuff over to Villa Natalia from a very sadly empty Villa Colleta. Finally all settled in at Natalia, with a bathroom in our room (so nice, walking down the hall was getting kind of annoying), a mattress WITHOUT SPRINGS (thank the lord, beds at Colleta were, as Hannah would say, revolting), and a GORGEOUS view of our campus. Although I'm really sad that the Gallatin program has come to an end, I'm so happy for the friends that I've made and I'm looking forwards to the next six weeks in this bellissima villa :)

Tonight is notte bianca in Firenze, which means that everything stays open all night and there's music everywhere! Unfortunately, there are supposed to be thunderstorms all night, and most of the kids here are severely jet-lagged, so this notte bianca thing might not be quite as fabulous as one would think. We'll see. Tomorrow some orientations and walking around Florence in the rain. To many of you reading this: mi manchi! (I miss you). A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"Bella che fa?"

2009-06-26T23:12:00.005+02:00

A rainy day in Firenze today. Went to our favorite steak place last night ("I just don't understand how life could be bad if food tastes this good." - Hannah) before going to see Aida at the Boboli Gardens, which was quite lovely. Today I frolicked around Florence in the pouring rain, getting totally lost (I went in the world's biggest circle and took twenty minutes walking from Santa Maria Novella Station to Santa Maria Novella Church - they're literally back to back. Che pizza). It was nice though, I haven't yet had a chance to really get lost in the city - although the rain was a pain in the ass. It was the kind of rain that comes at you in every direction, so regardless of an umbrella (which I've determined must have some holes in it or something) I was completely soaking wet by the time I waded through the rivers (streets) and arrived at a spa on the far side of the Arno at Porta Romana. I stayed there for a couple hours, got a much-needed massage, then went to the Gallatin farewell dinner at Il Latini with the whole class (including some professional idiots as well as George&Mimi, of course). Pictures from today:

(frolicking in the rain)

(mid-dinner photoshoot, hammy moments all around)

Currently forcing Hannah to pack and listening to Branson serenade me with MY guitar that I haven't yet had time to learn how to play. What can you do. The Gallatin program is officially over, everyone is leaving tomorrow! So sad. Tomorrow will likely be another downpour as I schlep all of my stuff from Villa Coleta over to Villa Natalia. Could be worse though, right? :)

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"Freedom is primarily experienced in action...to be free and to act are the same." - Hannah Arendt

2009-06-24T20:07:00.005+02:00

Buona sera! Felice Festa di San Giovanni! Today is Florence's version of fourth of July in celebration of their patron saint, John the Baptist. This morning we had our final art history class. We met in Piazza della Signoria, where we watched the 9:30 am procession (complete with loud drums, funny little Italian ensembles with feathered hats, and the throwing of Florentine flags). Then it was to the Palazzo Vecchio before having our final class with George. Heading down to the Arno to watch the fireworks in an hour or so - our cab driver today stressed that we absolutely must go! Pictures from Palazzo Vecchio this morning:

Also, of very much importance is the fact that Ali GRADUATED from high school yesterday!! HOORAH! You made it, Alexandra (that was for Poppop), onwards and upwards you go. This obviously requires a picture of the day:

This was definitely before you chased me out of garages with brooms...ANYWAYS I love you, I'm so proud of you, and I wish I was there yesterday! I was in spirit, of course, and I expect molto pictures from your party! (Yehhh, dat's wight, yew did it - yes, that was my accent, you can't tell me to shut up via blog).

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"Therefore, painting is philosophy..." - Leonardo Da Vinci

2009-06-23T18:29:00.003+02:00

Went to The Mall this morning - the outlet about 30 minutes outside of Firenze, with stuff straight from factories in Italy. Needless to say, it was a very successful experience - Hannah and I were incredibly successful at La Perla. After The Mall it was off to art history class at the Uffizi. Pictures from today, sitting in Piazza della Signoria at the end of class:

That's all for now, about to go eat some gluten-free pasta (or something) and do some serious paper-writing. Tomorrow (Italy's version of July 4th) we're busy ALL DAY with classes downtown and possibly in the Boboli Gardens, then watching fireworks over the Arno and going out for drinks with George (gotta love Gallatin professors). A domani!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"We are free to change the world and to start something new in it." - Hannah Arendt

2009-06-22T21:03:00.002+02:00

Revisited the idea of social construction in class today - talked about how we are shaped by our experiences, and the fact that we become who we are through action. We put on masks, we play roles, etc etc. As George said: "I have no idea what it means to be an adult...it's just a role that I seem to have found myself in." The masks we wear and the roles we play are not necessarily deception, but extensions of ourselves. That's all the philosophy I have in me today...take it and run with it. Just had a great Florentine steak and some red wine with Hannah and Branson after writing a paper, definitely ready to go to sleep now. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Adios Barcelona, Ciao Firenze

2009-06-21T10:29:00.018+02:00

FINALLY back in Firenze after a whirlwind of a trip to Barcelona (a taxi to a bus to a plane to a shuttle bus to a bus to a taxi...), but firstly:

"Boy I hear you in my dreams, I feel you whisper across the sea..."

Clearly, this has to be a picture of the day. Hi Marc! Happy birthday (yesterday I was clearly too overwhelmed to post this on time) to my favorite dork. I miss you, I love you, I wish you were here (soon enough!).

So, Barcelona. Saturday night we had delicious tapas and seafood paella, then to a really shi-shi hotel (Hotel Arts) to sit on the couches of the roof bar/lounge, sip cocktails, look at the stars and feel the ocean breeze. Not too shabby. Met quite a character, a Barcelona native who apparently lived in the hotel (rich) and was very entertained by the fact that we are from New York (ah! New Yorkers! I love these New Yorkers). With him, we discussed the art of bullshitting (ahem, Branson): "oh yea man, good bullshitting job man, brava!" - that went on for about a half hour. Then he took us to a club on the beach called Opium, where we waltzed into, since apparently everyone knows him (Javier? that was his name), where we stayed for about five minutes and decided we were over it. Solid night in Barcelona.

(Arc de Triomf)

Sunday we went to the Picasso museum (amazing! so, so interesting), then to Parc de la Ciutadella (where the "Arc de Triomf" is...bonjour Paris?), then to the Sagrada Familia Church (designed by Gaudi, still in the works, but very awesome), then up to Parc Guel for some frolicking in flowers and cloud watching. Smooth, sailing, right? Yes, until we went back to the hotel to get our luggage and I realized my external hard drive (you know, that thing with my entire life on it? every picture I've ever taken? Every paper I've written?) was gone. Obviously, I must have left it in the room. Long story short, they wouldn't let us back into the room until we haggled them, Branson and Hannah called their parents to devise a plan, we left a note with an offer for a reward, I had a very teary breakdown to my parents (and then Marc) on the phone, and we all came to the conclusion that whoever saw it in the room stole it. SO, that sucked. CHE PIZZA ("what a mess," as the Italians and Allie Swatek would say). But such is life, we'll figure it out. On that note, I'm very happy to be back in Italy, although Barcelona was certainly a place to see. Pictures!! :

(Parc de la Ciutadella)

(blowing kisses? ham.)

(Hannah and Branson singing George Michael and rocking out...)

(Sagrada Familia Church)

(Parc Guell)

(Branson you took this one! Brava)

That's all for now. About to finish up some reading and head over to Villa Ulivi for class with George.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Viva Barcelona!

2009-06-20T19:26:00.011+02:00

Hola!! So, after two trains, a Ryanair flight, a bus, a taxi, and significant drama (and complaining, and trying to be positive, and complaining...), Hannah, Branson and I made it to Barcelona at about midnight last night.

Since then it's been tapas, sangria, and frolicking around Barcelona! It's beautiful here - very Parisian with the juxtaposition of old world Europe and modern times. Today we went to see the Casa Batlio, Gaudi's absurdly amazing creation - we decided that there must have been some sort of acid involved in his creative process. Currently having some siesta time, then it's back out to Barceloneta for dinner and mas sangria! Pictures!

(Gaudi house!)

(frolicking around Barcelona)

(street vendor by the beach - mom do you like the one in the middle? I thought of you when I saw it)

Hasta luego! More soon.

Adios!

Laura

Casa Machiavelli

2009-06-18T21:04:00.010+02:00

"A toast in the Machiavellian spirit....to Fortuna!!"

Took a field trip to the Tuscan countryside today to see Machiavelli's farmhouse - to which he was exiled by the Medici (tragic...not). Inside this house, he wrote molto famoso works, including, of course, The Prince. After Machiavelli's house it was off to lunch (with George's toast to Fortuna) then to a wine tasting at a vineyard near Siena. Tons and tons of pictures! :

(the ridiculous view)

(inside)

(the first copy of The Prince! and George sitting in Machiavelli's desk "channeling Machiavelli")

(Hannah. Branson. Mio...and George!)

(Jon: what's the Laura pose? Me: it's like: "YAY I'm in Italy!!" Jon: ok, can we do the Laura pose?)

(everyone!)

(wine cellar in Machiavelli's house)

(Branson was being a paparazzi...jeez..ok and maybe I was being a ham)

(at the vineyard, watching the machine bottle vino!)

That's all for today! Tomorrow have some art history business to tend to in the morning, then it's off to Barcelona for the weekend tomorrow night! More soon!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"Because whoever deprives himself of pleasure, to live with anguish and with worries, doesn't know the tricks of the world." - Machiavelli, Mandragola

2009-06-17T19:03:00.009+02:00

For George's class this morning we sat outside of Villa Ullivi, looking over the grounds, and read the entirety of Machiavelli's Mandragola, all about deception and adultery - of course we had tons of fun with that.

After that it was off to the Galleria Academia for Jane's class to see the statue of David, which was truly remarkable. To all of those who requested, I told David hello or you (Poppop!). After that we went to the San Lorenzo Church to see the Cappella Medici (the Medici Chapel), which was decked out in marble and gold, among other displays of enormous wealth and appreciation of beauty.

(San Lorenzo church)

(entrance to the Medici Chapel)

I decided it was essential that I purchase a poster of Botticelli's The Birth of Venus (because it's beautiful and I love it), so after class Branson and I went on a quest to do just that. I found a vendor, told him what I wanted, and upon asking "quanto costa" I got a "venti euro," and he got an "um dude no way." He asked me how much I would pay, and I said "quattro euro," to which he refused, but when I started walking away he said "ten please!" as he was rolling it up for me to take. I said no - he said "seven!" I said "no, quattro!" to which he pulled out Botticelli's Primavera and said "ok, both for eight." I agreed, pulled out a 10 euro bill as he ripped some other American off (10 euro for one poster? really?), and offered him the money saying "ok, I need due back," to which he pulled out Raffaello's Angels (the two baby cherubs, molto famoso) and said "ten for all three." He turned to his comrade, explaining in Italian that he did it because I spoke some Italian, to which I laughed and said "va bene, va bene!" He shook my hand, and off I went with my three posters for 10 euro after having started off with one poster for 20 euro. That was a long story, I know, but isn't that impressive? My psuedo-efficiency in the Italian language is getting me places around here! Or at least getting me some bargains on posters, whatever. I was proud of myself.

That's all for today, about to head outside to do some serious reading as the sun goes down, then some pliés, paper planning, and tinkering around on my newly strung (and semi in-tune) guitar. Off to the country tomorrow with the class, should be a good time! A domani!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"There is no art but has had its beginning in faulty things. Nothing is born and perfected at once." - Leon Battista Alberti

2009-06-16T19:53:00.005+02:00

Buona sera! This morning went down to the Convent of San Marco to look at Fra Angelico's Annunciation for art history (when we told George about this, he proceeded to tell us about how the Priests slept with the Nuns, and the Nuns slept with each other...etc etc. Oh, Italian history), then it was some risotto for lunch and off to the Uffizi for the afternoon.

It's so amazing to see works that I've studied up close - it brings a sense of reality and life to what is sometimes a bit lifeless when viewed on overhead projectors. It was incredible to see the materials used - like the gold leaves used in paintings like Giotto's as background and intricate detailing. I was also happy to hear that blue, my favorite color, is used to clothe the Madonna because it was considered an exotic and precious material at the time. It was also really cool to see how artists discovered the concept of perspective, transforming from a more abstract art to a more humanistic, natural art. After the Ufizzi and sweating our butts off, we got seriously ripped off for gelato, found me some guitar strings, and popped into a Florentine vintage store. Ok, enough blabbing. Here are some pictures from the Uffizi terrace:

("well I'm ridiculous, and you're ridiculous...so obviously a picture of us together is just going to be completely absurd")

(view of the Arno from the Uffizi)

That's all for now! A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"It is better to act and regret than to not act and regret." - Machiavelli

2009-06-15T20:14:00.008+02:00

(Not that there's anything to be regretting around here, that quote just came up today and I quite like it.)

Buona sera! Had a grand old time last night with an INCREDIBLE bistecca alla Fiorentina at Caffe Italiano and some vino and prosecco (my favorite). The waiter fell in love with Iwona, so we were showered with some free beverages after. Then we stopped by the pizza place next store, made some Italian friends ("you come to my house, I show you the best wine in Florence" - oh boy), and headed to a bar down the street for a final dose of vino:

(some people thought pizza was necessary post 12lbs of steak. clearly i disapproved of this absurdity.)

As for today, I successfully went grocery shopping all by myself, got a bunch of cibo senza glutine, bought some peonies (Hillary!!) for fun, and almost died on the trek down and up Via Bolognese aka Mount Everest (singing along to my ipod like a dork the whole way). Pictures from my morning frolic:

(Piazza della Liberta)

(23 Via Bolognese. my future home.)

Class with George this afternoon was really interesting. Quote of the day:

"When painters want to represent landscapes, they stand on low ground to get a true view of the mountains and hills; they climb to the tops of the mountains to get a panorama over the valleys. Similarly, to know the people well one must be a prince, and to know princes well one must be, oneself, of the people."

- Machiavelli, The Prince

We talked about politics as profoundly relational, mainly that the reality of who you are is based on how other people perceive you to be - you must understand how others see you in order to fully know yourself. Nothing is real unless it's shared, and what you think about yourself isn't reality unless people see you in that same light. The reality of who we are is socially constructed (ahem Stephen Duncombe). Perception, like art, creates the illusion of reality - a painting provides the illusion of depth to create something real on what is, essentially, nothing but a flat canvas. In the same way, the way the world perceives us dictates the reality of ourselves. Whoa, that's a lot to think about.

We also talked a bit about fortuna, and arrived at this Machiavellian conclusion: any circumstance, no matter how good or bad, is an opportunity. We have the ability to utilize creativity to shape the situation into whatever form we see fit. Kind of the whole "if life throws you lemons, make lemonade" thing. Or throw the lemons at someone. Whichever you see fit.

Ok, enough blabbing! Tomorrow we're off to the Uffizi. Added more pictures here and there in past posts for those of you who maybe miss my face (and ridiculousness) just a little bit. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Domenica

2009-06-14T18:37:00.007+02:00

So, Lucca didn't happen today, partially because I was too tired and partially because my Italian class has a trip planned sometime in July, so va bene, Lucca will happen eventually. Last night we stumbled upon the most shi-shi place for drinks in Florence (as the Four Seasons told us after the fact, we're posh and didn't even know it). It's in the Piazza Strozzi, with a seating area of white and red couches outside and a dimly-lit Tenjune meets Employees Only kind of interior. I mean, there really is no New York equivalent - where in New York can you sip cocktails and see the stars and the Palazzo Strozzi all at the same time?

After waking up at around 1 (I needed it), I strolled up the hill to Bar Lidia despite the smothering heat (90 something degrees today, oye) and had a delicious caprese salad drenched in olio, followed by an ice cream bar (part of the daily diet, of course). I started to head back towards La Pietra and decided to turn down a side street, wandering into a deserted, shady park, where I sat for awhile reading some Machiavelli, looking at the Tuscan hills in the distance, and sweating like hell. Came back to Villa Colletta to dance around in the sala musica, and now getting ready to head into town with some friends for some cibo e vino (and, lets be honest, probably some gelato as well).

(side street and the park)

(120 Via Bolognese, La Pietra through the gate)

Apparently some people are not satisfied with my lack of presence in the actual pictures - fine, fine, va bene. Proof that I'm actually here is soon to come once I steal Hannah's pictures.. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

La Vita Spiaggia

2009-06-13T19:50:00.008+02:00

Buona sera! Just returned from a little escapade to Viareggio after a crazy first week in Italia. Viareggio is about an hour and a half outside of Firenze by train, so we went out and stayed for the night, ate some seriously good fish as instructed by Hannah (yes, I have begun to reform my diet to include fish, since I can't eat anything normal anymore), drank lots of vino, soaked up some rays AND bought a GUITAR for 28 euro (and began my "lessons" with Branson on the beach. We'll see how this goes).

The whole gluten-free thing hasn't been too terrible (they made me gluten-free penne at the cafeteria for dinner tonight!), but it's a pain sometimes - like when all Italians eat for breakfast are pastries and I have to eat a peach as a meal. Or when all that's around for lunch is pizza so I have to eat a gelato and call it a day (ok, that's not SO terrible). No bene. That's alright though, I'm making it work. And hey, things could be worse right? What's a little bit of starvation when you're spending the summer in Italy? Anyways, here are some pictures from Viareggio:

Likely off to Lucca for the day tomorrow, so more pictures on the way! A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Buon Compleanno Julia!!

2009-06-11T21:57:00.006+02:00

Ah yes, what an absurdly mature individual. As you begin your teenage years, Julius, I wish you, well...luck, patience, and a lot of ice cream. Happy, happy birthday, I'm keeping my eye out for the perfect Italian gift for you. I miss you, and even though you're a ridiculous barnacle, I love you and your thirteen year old self.

As for today, I successfully asked for directions in Italian, kind of understood, and got us un-lost! :

Me: Scusi, dove la Piazza Indipendenza?

Cab driver: a sinistra....blah blah blah something about another piazza...sinistra....blah blah...sinistra...

Me: Va bene! Grazie! Ok, we go...left!

Then it was off to three hours of George and lots of talk about politics (oye vey), then to write a paper for art history, have some gluten-free pasta made especially for me by one of the cafeteria ladies, and finally book my flight for Barcelona next weekend. This week has been quite overwhelming - in a good way of course - but I needed some serious unwinding time. So, as prescribed by my wonderful boyfriend, I had some Laura time walking around the grounds taking pictures and listening to good old Peter Bradley Adams. The results:

That's all for today. Off to the beach tomorrow. A domani.

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"I love my city more than my soul." -Machiavelli

2009-06-10T23:14:00.010+02:00

This morning, George casually saved our lives by deciding that having us read hundreds of pages of reading a night was simply not reasonable (we love Gallatin professors with earrings who encourage students to drink wine). That being said, hopefully we will have some more time to, you know, breathe. Today was class in the morning with George (during which we discussed art as the "ought" and politics as the "is," among many, many other things) then down to Firenze to observe the ridiculous work of art that is the city of Florence. Jane (our art history teacher who literally knows everything about everything) took us to many of the piazzas, which are designed by artists and architects to be public spaces in which to bring people together. Of course, being Florence, there were some stops at churches, but the focus today was public space and the articulate artistic detail through the design of the city.

(The Duomo)

(Piazza della Signoria and the Abundance Column)

After class Hannah, Branson and I walked around a bit (making EXCELLENT leather jacket purchases), then it was up to Piazza Michelangelo, for some vino, dinner, and sunset watching.

(Piazza Michelangelo)

(Branson. Hannah. Mio. photoshoot after dinner overlooking the Tuscan sunset)

LONG day. This many pictures will not be happening tomorrow, there's lots to be done before Viareggio this weekend!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

"By Jove, everything here is striking and decorated with outstanding beauty." -Leonardo Bruni

2009-06-09T20:08:00.002+02:00

Every once in awhile, one of us looks around and sighs with a "ridiculous" or "unbelievable" or "this is absolutely insane." It's quite beautiful. And ridiculous/unbelievable/absolutely insane.

Today, after sitting in the unbelievable gardens of Villa La Pietra reading up for art history and taking a break for lunch (one of the cooks came up to me, concerned: "va bene? va bene?" to which I smiled and laughed: "Si si! Va bene!") we had our first art history class. We have loads and loads of reading to do, but I can tell this class is going to be great. Today, after a brief introduction (during which Jane - our professor - mentioned Boticelli's The Decameron, which I got really excited about and summarized to the class, like a nerd), we went over to Villa La Pietra, the main villa of the five-villa estate that is the NYU campus. La Pietra is now a functioning museum, so we were shown the ridiculous abundance of art inside the Renaissance-building villa, and then, of course, we received the tour of the gardens, complete with fountains, endless statues, meadows galore, a butterfly garden and a natural stage complete with perfectly trimmed hedges as "wings." Might need to jump up there and whip out some shuffles and pirouettes. Pictures from the garden! :

Un cane!

reading in the garden

one of the 30-something designed views from the garden at La Pietra

That's all for now! A group of us officially booked ourselves a hotel at Viareggio (the BEACH) this weekend, and three of us are shooting for Barcelona next weekend. We'll see! Off to read Machiavelli for George's class tomorrow. A domani!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Day one under the Tuscan Sun

2009-06-08T23:55:00.001+02:00

Day one of class with Gallatin's wonderful George Shulman, which was, of course, great. Woke up and did a little ballet barre, then frolicked around campus and headed across the way to Villa Ullivi to have class. It's unbelievably beautiful here, and I know that once we start to see some art it will only become more beautiful. The quote of the day, from George, regarding the Florentine philosophy:

"The creation of beauty is what makes life meaningful."

I'm all about this city. After class it was off to orientation (during which I met the cafeteria staff, who are making me feel very special for being my newly-discovered celiac self), then planning some weekend trips with some cool kids, then to our welcome dinner at Acqua Due downtown with ample wine followed by gelato and a walk across the Ponte Vecchio. Life could be worse. Anyways, pictures! That is, after all, what this blog is for, right?

the walk to Villa Ullivi (workout!)

view of Villa Colletta (our "dorm") from Villa Ullivi

A domani! Ciao Amori!

Laura

Sono qui!

2009-06-07T17:46:00.000+02:00

La Pietra

I'm here!! After two Swiss Air flights, a 5 hour layover in Zurich, and maybe two hours of sleep, I have arrived at La Pietra! The weather is lovely now, but naturally there was a downpour throughout the time period of Laura catching a cab and Laura rolling all of her crap across an expanse of pebbles to the villa. What can you do. I have my own room in Villa Colletta with a gorgeous view! I know I said one picture a day, but I'm overwhelmed! It's beautiful!!

my window

view from my room

the " grounds"...ridiculous.

Off to find some friends and eat dinner (I've been living off of gluten-free chips and power bars for the past 15 hours, bad news bears), and I think some sleeping is definitely necessary. More tomorrow!

Ciao Amori!

Laura

Ciao!

2009-04-03T05:50:00.000+02:00

Welcome to my piccolo side project of the summer. I'll be providing a daily (well, I'll try!) dose of photos and such during my time in Firenze at NYU's gorgeous La Pietra. Bring on the obsessive picture taking, (gluten-free) pasta, wine, gelato, new friends, crazy Italians (I should fit in quite well) and BELLA ITALIA! May the adventure begin!

Ciao Amori!

Laura