Urbino and San Marino

March 19
Our first destination for the day was Urbino. This is where the famous Duke of Urbino resided. We had a chance to tour the inside of the Palazzo Ducale and the Galleria Nazionale della Marche. It was very interesting because it is located where the Duke used to live. We got to see many great works of art and where the Duke and his wife lived in many years ago. They each had their own living quarters and bedrooms. And their bedrooms were a room inside a room, basically to keep as warm as possible during the winter. The Duke also had an area to show off his interests such as books, authors and philosophers he admired and his armor. While touring the gallery we saw different areas of the palace that we gi-normous! There were amazing fireplaces all around to keep the palace warm, and all of the fireplaces we much larger than the ones we have in homes today. They were also all decorated with angels and vines and flowers, extreme decorations for a fireplace but beautiful nonetheless. There were also large tapestries that covered the walls… they kind of looked like huge rugs, but they used them to cover the walls in order to insulate the palace.

After touring the palace we split up and went to the restaurant of our choice for lunch. While trying to find a place we saw a bunch of students who had just graduated college. It was interesting to see them because in Italy it is traditional to wear a crown of ivy rather than a cap and gown. After following signs for restaurants all over town we finally decided on one and took a table. They woman there was so nice and when we asked her questions about different dishes she was more than happy to describe them in the simplest Italian she could. I settled for penne alla vodka with crab. It was most delicious! The others had a pizza and a sampler plate of three different pastas. Then we got dessert that was pretty much an ice cream sundae, yum! We were more than pleased with our choices!

Then we boarded the bus again to head to San Marino. In case you didn’t know, it has actually been a goal of mine to go to San Marino. My senior year of high school on the first day of my government class my teacher explained his trip to San Marino. He went on and on about how gorgeous it was and you have to take these narrow winding roads up the mountain to get there, but that it was completely worth it. So, three years ago I wrote in my government notebook, “Note to self: visit San Marino.” And wouldn’t you know it- I got to go!
My teacher was definitely right in saying the winding roads were worth it. There were times I could have sworn our tour bus was going to fall off the edge but alas, we made it just fine. San Marino is actually a country all its own, completely separate from Italy. But from atop La Prima Torre (medieval fortress of the city) you can see all of the surrounding Italian countryside. We were very fortunate to have a clear day because we were able to see the Appennine Moutains and the Adriatic Sea. It was spectacular!

After many pictures from the top of the fortress, we had free time. I took this opportunity to gift shop and found some perfect gifts for you guys back home! Feel free to get excited :) San Marino was so gorgeous and all the shopkeepers were very helpful, but it must be swamped with people during tourist season, so I’m glad I got a chance to see it without tons of people everywhere!

Brussels: 3 languages in 1 country...the ending of the Spring Break chronicles

March 6th
Thursday morning we left for Brussels, which I didn't realize was so much more North so it was quite a bit chillier. Oh well. We found our way to our hostel all by ourselves this time and figured out the tram of Brussels, we were proud of ourselves. Our hostel was really cool, it was pretty mod and we had a private 2-bed room which was SO nice and had down comforters and a private bathroom! Much needed after a very exhausting week. We explored Brussels a bit and found that pretty much all of Europe has amazing shopping (don’t worry Mom, I didn’t get anything this time). We accidentally ended up in a shady part of town though, it was like porn central- uber creepy! So we diverted off that path and found a super great restaurant, Brussels Grill. We had a good dinner and then headed to bed. Where we had wireless internet and fell asleep to movies.

The streets of Brussels

March 7th
The next day we explored Brussels and ate lots of waffles! We had too much though because then we really didn't feel good. The first one I ate was from a café and had banana’s on it. Then the second one I had was from a street vendor and had chocolate and strawberries on top. To put your questions to rest, Yes, Belgium waffles really are better in Belgium.

Chocolate and strawberries, so good I couldn't even finish it!

We wanted to do some site seeing so we walked over to where the Palace was, where the King lives, and we were standing outside of it looking at the monstrously huge building and all of a sudden we get a lighter chucked at us! We had no idea where it came from and were a little afraid because it was a seedier part of town so we just booked it.

Then we saw the famous Peeing Boy Fountain of Brussels! Oh yes, you read that correctly. Apparently Belgium created it to symbolize their sense of humor, but I guess it’s so famous that throughout history it has been stolen twice! Once by the English and another time by the French! The fountain now has a gate around it and security cameras, too funny. So we took lots of pictures of it. We then proceeded to buy 25 euros worth of Belgium chocolate. So get your bellies ready, I'm not even sure how I'm going to lug it all home.We ate a huge dinner the last night of our spring break; we got steak with béarnaise sauce, baked potatoes and creme brulee for dessert. It was so good I got sick because I haven't had steak in so long! But in my opinion it was totally worth it.

He just keeps peeing...

March 8th
Saturday morning we had to take a taxi at 4am to catch a bus to go to the airport to fly to Rome to take a train back to Macerata. Who knew that public transportation would be so hot? We finally got back home at about 6pm and did a TON of laundry. I would like to consider myself somewhat of a pro after all that traveling. Nothing like being home sweet home though.

Fish and Fairies in Barcelona... the Spring Break chronicles continue

March 3rd
We landed in Barcelona, yipppeee, and found our bus to take us into the center of Barcelona. During the 1.5 hour bus ride I got to know a fellow named Francesco. He grew up in Rome, goes to school in Perugia, but is studying abroad in Barcelona. He knows three languages fluently and I struggle with just one, ha. He then helped us navigate the metro (thank God he was there to help us) and we found our hostel. It is called Centric Point hostel and it’s right in the middle of the city. Perfect location! It’s seven stories high and has a common room for breakfast and a bar and internet and TV. It is so cool! We got our room, which we shared with 10 other guys. They were all from Scotland and we in town for the big football (soccer) game the next day. They slept in till like 3pm and smelled bad and slept in their boxers which was REAL awkward in the morning when we had to walk by them while they were sleeping. Ew. But anywho, Amanda and I settled in and then went out to roam the streets and get our first plate of paella. We found a great restaurant, Ba-ba-Reba, that had tables set outside and we got to sit beneath the city lights and eat dinner. We had our first plate of paella (a Spanish rice dish) which was so friggin good and an avocado and chicken salad- yum! After a long day of traveling we went back to our hostel and slept.

March 4th
The next day we walked down the main streets and found some really great shopping places. I got two new shirts, a sweater and hairclips, obvi all are adorable. Then, while looking around in a store we saw a woman had a Starbucks in her hand! We immediately freaked and dove outside in search of Starbucks. It wasn’t a block before we found it! So precious and tucked in between two other adorable clothing stores. We walked in only to be greeted by the heavenly smell of roasting coffee and Americanized merchandise. Don’t get me wrong, I love Italian café’s, but there’s just something about a to-go cup of Starbucks that just warms my heart! I got an extra shot vanilla latte and a blueberry muffin (I can’t remember the last time I had a muffin) and we sat down to enjoy our much deserved cup of coffee. That night we went to a Tapas restaurant and indulged in about 6 different dishes (fish, chicken, vegetables, potatoes, shrimp, etc.) and a cute little cup of chocolate mousse for dessert. Then we went back to Ba-ba-Reba to visit our waiter-friend and watch the soccer game on TV with a nice pitcher of sangria. Perfection.

We woke up to clanging beer bottles and smells of drunkenness at 5am when the Scottish boys finally stumbled in and flicked on the lights after drinking away their sorrows of losing the big game. I thought they smelled bad after just sleeping in the same room with them, but add on the intense liquor breath and you’ve entered into a whole other side of stink. I threw the blankets over my head and slept for another couple hours until Amanda woke me up for breakfast.

The fairies on La Rambla

March 5th
After a hearty breakfast of cereal and tea, we made our way down La Rambla towards the sea. The streets were filled with gift shops for tourists and people dressing up in crazy costumes to make a few dimes. Then we arrived at the Christopher Columbus statue! It’s a big monument where he is actually pointing in the direction of America. Barcelona, according to the website, is home to Europe’s largest aquarium. So we just had to go! We saw lots of fish, penguins, sharks, octopi, eels, and sting rays. It was pretty fun, it’s been a while since I’ve been to an aquarium. It was also located right on the Mediterranean Sea and we had lunch at a nice Asian restaurant overlooking the pier.

My new pengium friend, Bubba.

Lots of fishies!

We made our way back towards our hostel and grabbed another cup from Starbucks and then headed back for a quick nap. Once rested we went to the Bones house, a building constructed by the famous architect Gaudi. It was interesting to see the house from the inside since his architecture is all over Barcelona. He focused on incorporating a lot of nature’s shapes into his designs. He is also famous for constructing the Sagrada Familia so we hiked across town to find it, but we too late because by the time we got there it was closed. Bummer. We found a really good restaurant though and had dinner there. We were sitting next to these girls who were speaking English and it was so weird! I haven’t been around people who speak English in public in such a long time that it caught me off guard! We had a delicious dinner though, I had corn on the cob and grilled chicken. Then we went to bed because we had to wake up early the next morning to catch our plane for Brussels!

I’ll write more for our stay in Brussels…

A Roman Holiday... the beginning of the Spring Break chronicles

Saturday March 1st
We boarded the 7:30am train for Rome. The whistle sounded and we got as comfy as we could in the stiff seats to begin our journey to see not only Rome, but also my dad and brother! Filled with excitement and anticipation I didn’t make much use of the 4.5 hour train ride, except getting to know my iPod very well. We finally stopped at the Rome Termini station and exited the train station to see Rome in all its glory for the very first time. We immediately became enveloped in all the hustle and bustle of the big city that seems rather absent from Macerata. And not having the slightest idea where my Dad’s hotel could be we got a taxi and gave him the address. After weaving and bobbing between cars we made a stop and he pointed us down the street to the hotel. We thanked him, unloaded our green monster bag and started walking. We entered into the Best Western hotel and just as I was about to ask the front desk if my dad had checked in yet, there he was taking a little snooze on the couch! I yelled “Dad!” and ran over where he popped his head up and immediately smiled. “Hi Boo-boo!” he said with open arms. It sure felt good to have a warm hug from family in such a long time.

He explained that the room still wasn’t ready and might not be for a few hours. However, he did already stand in line at the Vatican Museum and got tickets for us. We handed over our luggage to the concierge and made the 5 minutes walk to the museum. The guards at the metal detectors were almost scarier than those at the airports, but we proceeded through with ease- only to get stopped by the ticket machine. Apparently when you buy a ticket its only good for 2 hours… which had long since passed. But after thoroughly confusing the ticket guy he just waved his hands and let us pass. Oh the joys of being a tourist.

The museum was really cool. It had a million+1 artifact’s and sculptures from anywhere you could possibly imagine. They also had an Ancient Egyptian exhibit which I thoroughly enjoyed! We took lots of random pictures and followed Dad who led us to the Sistine Chapel. If do say so myself, Wow! Although I had expected it to be a lot bigger, the faultless details in the paintings were anything but disappointing. To actually see in person what I have heard so much about in classes, books and television was stunning. There were no pictures allowed, but every once in a while you would see someone try to sneak one and then all the guards would seek out the person and yell “No photo!” Those poor guards probably have to deal with idiotic tourists all day.

My dad and I making a wish into the fountain at the Vatican Museum:
After that we headed back for a much needed nap. Amanda and I had been suffering from the cold all week and after traveling it hit us like a heard of elephants. My nose was literally running so much that I had a hard time catching it and the only way to stop it was to lie horizontal. Once we were rested and breathing a little better we got directions to a pharmacy and a great restaurant. Standing in line at the pharmacy we realized we had no idea how to say we need medicine or even what kind. So once it was our turn we started making coughing motions and blowing our nose. She got the point, probably because we have almost perfected the art of charades. We got this green syrupy medicine that she said to only take at night for three nights in a row. At least a healthy body was in sight.

The restaurant we ate at was Venerina al Mascherino Osteria. We got there right before the dinner rush, which was perfect so that we could get a nice table. I ordered a dish with a tomato based sauce and was very pleased with the meal. After that we went back to our hotel room and snuggled in the big bed of comfiness for a nice cough medicine induced slumber.

March 2nd
On Sunday we woke up and went down for a scrumdiliumptious breakfast with everything you could want for breakfast. After filling up our engines we got a phone call from Jeff (my brother) and they had just arrived in Rome! They needed some time to check in to their hostel, but then we were to meet at the Trevi Fountain. We caught a cab to the fountain and anxiously waited to spot my brother and his two friends, Reed and Danny. After being bombarded by gypsies to buy lame gifts and taking enough pictures to fill up a disposable camera, there he was! Jeff, wearing his red jacket, wasn’t too hard to spot in the sea of tourists. It was really nice seeing him and his friends, like a little slice of home and made its way overseas for me.

Amanda and I in front of the Trevi Fountain:
After catching up and taking more pictures of the fountain we went to go get some pizza for the starving young men. Then we went to the old city part of Rome where the Coliseum and arches are. We also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and other huge monuments. It was such a nice day that we didn’t need jackets or anything. The boys wanted to go inside the Coliseum and we wanted to go to the Spanish Steps so we split up and said we would meet for dinner.

The Spanish Steps were so crowded we could barely even make out that they were there. We climbed to the top and had our pictures taken. Then, we strolled down to get gelato and eat it on the steps just like they did in “A Roman Holiday.” Since we had been walking almost all day we decided to head back to the hotel and freshen up/ rest before dinner.

My brother, Jeff, and dad with me in Rome!

We met up with the boys at square St Peter’s Basilica. It was a wonderful night, rather warm and clear skies. We had dinner on the Borga streets. I had a wonderful plate of pasta with clams, oh how I love that seafood! The boys wanted to go out to a bar after, but Amanda and I passed up that opportunity considering we were still sick, it was early and also a Sunday. I’m not sure what the guys were hoping to find open on a Sunday night!

March 3rd
Monday morning we woke up to have another filling breakfast. Then we walked to St. Peter’s Basilica to view the inside of the extremely large church. The inside was very ornately decorated with marble sculptures of St. Peter and other important Catholic disciples. I don’t even think I can imagine how much money it must have taken to complete the basilica, which is unfortunate to think what else the money could have been used for. We also toured the crypt below and got to see the tomb where the last Pope was buried. There were a lot of gifts/ flowers that people had left for him. Then we went outside to meet the guys before we had to take off for the airport. They were their silly selves and joked around before they went to wait in line to get into St. Peter’s Basilica. I said goodbye to Jeff and left him to his adventures. We grabbed a bite to eat (from a man who can rap Eminem better than Marshall Mathers himself) then headed to the airport. We dropped Dad off first at Fumincino airport and with a heavy heart I said my goodbyes. Then the taxi man dropped Amanda and I off at the Ciampino airport. Figuring out which ticket desk to use we got our tickets and prayed our bag wasn’t too heavy.

To find out about Barcelona stay tuned…

Firenze has heavenly gelato

Wednesday February 20

Zoiks, I thought getting up early for other excursions was rough, but this time we had to be on the bus at 5:30am! I pretty much immediately made myself a bed and slept for a large duration of the ride to Firenze (Florence). Once we got there we went up to the Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte which overlooks all of Florence. It was an extremely large church and then we walked over to Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s this large tourist town square that has a great view of Florence and lots of vendors sell tourist junk there. We even saw a couple who had just gotten married getting their wedding pictures taken there.

Then we checked into our hotel, which was called Hotel Unicorno. Yes, they had unicorns everywhere, it was pretty funny. The rooms were slightly cramped, but it was a bed so I’m not complaining! For lunch we ventured over to this big market that is indoors. It literally had every food imaginable for sale there and all of it was very fresh. We located this guy who makes incredible sandwiches and so we ate those along with some pasta.

After that we bobbed up and down roads to meet everyone at the steps in front of the Santa Maria del Fiore, which is the famous Duomo of Florence. We viewed the inside and saw the mosaics of the dome and the beautiful doors of the Battistero first (just outside the church). Brunelleschi designed the dome of the Santa Maria and the inside of it was absolutely amazing! I’ve never seen such artwork before. Every crevasse had something different and no picture was repeated twice. The amount of time that had to go into that is unfathomable to me and I can only imagine that the men that had to work on it had the worst neck cramps ever.

Break time followed the viewing of the Duomo, so my hotel mates and I went back for a much needed nap. Then we got ready and went to dinner with the group at Ristorante Tirabaralla. We had our own little private room in the back. We were served red wine and a tomato based pasta, very delicious, which was followed by steak served with a salad. I had been craving some real meat and it definitely fulfilled my craving. We decided to go explore Florence’s nightlife after dinner so after calling my local friend, Kimmy, we got directions to the Lion’s Den pub. It is basically a pub where many Americans go. So we headed there and ended up having a good time, but I desperately wanted to sleep! So I lead the group back to our hotel, and to my amazement found myself already familiar with my surroundings and how to get to and from places around Florence.

Thursday February 21

Day 2 of our Firenze extravaganza led us straight to the very top of the Cupola (dome) of the Santa Maria del Fiore. It is over 450 winding steps to the top, but the sweating and shaky legs was totally worth it to see the view from the highest building in Florence. I had no idea how high I really was until I looked over the edge to see little humans running around that looked to be the size of ants. We spent time up there and took lots of pictures to be sure never to forget the amazing view! Then we climbed back down, but got to walk around the top of the duomo on the inside, right up against the paintings. It was awesome to see a close-up of the artwork that filled that place with such beauty. After finally making it back to the ground floor we gathered together and headed to the Galleria dell’ Accademia.

This gallery is home to the David! I mean there’s other artwork in there too, but quite honestly nothing can compare to seeing the David! I also had NO idea how gigantic the sculpture was. I mean, holy moly! He was also created with an extra large head and right hand in order to symbolize wisdom and strength. Pictures weren’t allowed, and the guards were definitely on top of everyone to make sure none were being taken… but we may or may not have been sneaky and gotten some. Although I am not trying to incriminate myself, I may be posting those pictures later… if they even exist of course.

After walking around the David in total awe we headed out to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. I was originally stoked because I thought they would have sushi, but alas, they did not. But we loaded up and rice, pork, and an exquisitely delicious form of Raman noodles. After lunch we went to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and visited the exterior and interior of the church. It was very nice inside, but also very cold in contrast to the beautiful weather we’d been having outside. After getting a tour of the church we were then let out for free time.

Some of my friends and I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to go shopping! So we went to the street vendors and Zara (kind of like a Marshall Field’s) and some other shops. I got a really cute new black coat, love it! Then we went to the covered bridge and indulged ourselves with some heavenly waffles topped with gelato. They definitely know what they are doing with their gelato here in Firenze. I made quite a mess though, it sounds great in theory but once you try to eat it a mess inevitably follows!

We went back to our hotel and after a quick cat nap walked down the street for our dinner at La Borsa. We sat in three different tables and were given plates that had three different sections on it. It kind of looked like those dishes you’d have your microwaved dinners served in. Anywho, we had three different pasta’s served to us that night and each was given to us in a different section. The first was one good, but the others I didn’t really care for much. They had experimented with am asparagus sauce pasta that was creepily creamy and a mushroom sauced ravioli that was just alright. Then we were given huuuuuge amounts of meat. I was very excited because there was chicken! But upon biting into it I heard a loud CRACK and saw that there were bones in places of the chicken that normally aren’t supposed to be there. There were also lamb chops though that were hmm hmm good. It was one of the girls birthday’s too, Casey, so we all got these amazing balls covered in chocolate and she got a cake with candles!

After dinner we went our in search of some bars to buy Casey here birthday drinks. The streets were packed and especially in this one club we went to. You literally had to squeeze your way through people just to get to the dance floor. And even once you made it you still felt like a stinky sardine being smashed together with the rest of them. A rather eventful night!

Friday February 22

Our third and final day started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then us stuffing our bags to drop off into the lobby. We marched out together for our last jaunt around Firenze and walked to many of the sights, including; Pallazo Rucellai, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza della Repubblica and to Piazza della Signoria.

After all that walking we end up at the Gelleria degli Uffizi! The Uffizi is a famous museum that holds some of history’s most famous paintings by artists such as Botichelli, Rembrant, Picasso and others. It is said that it is argued to be just as well known as the Louvre in Paris. It was so incredible to walk through the halls of this immensely amazing museum and see painting that were created soooo long ago! We saw many wonderful paintings, but those most well-known that we saw are The Duke of Umbria, Primavera and The Birth of Venus. We had an extensive tour given to us by Filiberto, but after a while I wandered a bit from the group and got to see rooms of art and just enjoy the view, rather than hear the whole group chit-chat.

By 1pm we were allowed to go by ourselves to lunch of leave Firenze to venture somewhere else. I went to lunch with Megan, Audrey and Casey and we ate a very simply but great lunch on top of a building that overlooked Florence. It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t have been happier to enjoy our meal while basking in the sun.

I said goodbye to the girls and gave Kimmy a call. For those of you who don’t know Kimmy, you are sadly missing out on one of the most genuinely great people of all time. Kimmy is in my sorority and although we didn’t know it before meeting a few years ago we also grew up in the same city! She graduated Grand Valley last year and is now working on her master’s degree in Florence. She has been there since September and I haven’t seen her since then, so it was very nice to catch up with her! She also just got engaged, yeah!!! Congrats Kimmy!! We met at the steps of the Duomo and I got to see her engagement ring and hear her oh-so-sweet tale of the proposal. Too cute. We headed back to here apartment that she shares with two other girls from California and where she has her own bedroom. She had some errands to run so I took a much needed nap… which turned into a 5 hour siesta. Haha, I can’t help it that her bed was so comfy!

I got some pizza from across the way once I woke up; it had mozzarella, tomato and eggplant parmesan on a ciabatta bread crust- outstanding! Then we watched a movie, the Chronicles of Narnia to be exact, not too shabby of a movie, and hit the hay.

Saturday February 23

The next day we went grocery shopping and then ate delicious burritos for lunch and then went shopping for a new pair of pants. Kimmy knows all the great finds and I found a really cute new pair of pants which are purple! Tehehe, not outrageously purple, but just enough where it feels fun to wear them.

That night was one of Kimmy’s friends birthday’s so she had a bunch of her friends over. It was nice to meet everyone that she goes to school with and hang out with people that I don’t see everyday in Macerata. We also played this amazing card game that’s called Terets. Simply amazing, ask me to teach you when I get back ;) Then we called it a night and headed to bed.

Sunday February 24

I had an early train Sunday morning and had to change trains twice to get back to Macerata. I felt like I was on trains all day, however, it was a very nice five days in Florence, and I definitely feel it’s someplace everyone should visit!

Beach bums and cave explorers

February 15

We started off the day going to Loreto. Many people, including Mother Teresa, have made a pilgrimage there. I'm sure you are now thinking, well why would so many people come all that way? For starters, the Pope has an apartment there. It was used more often in past years, but is still pretty neat for the Pope to have somewhere to escape from the Vatican. Loreto is also home to one of the very few black Madonna's. It's basically a statue of a Madonna, but she's made from black stone instead of marble and there are very, very rare to find. But, the coolest part is that the black Madonna is housed in the house of Mary!!!! That's right, Loreto has within its cathedral the home that the Virgin Mary lived in. There are pictures of it on postcards I sent to some of you, but there is a huge marble house encasing the brick house of Mary. People from all around the world pilgrimage here and walk on their knees all the way around it while praying. As soon as you walk inside her house its like a breathe of fresh air just hits you and everything seems right again. Although I have never been one to fully believe or understand miracles, I truly think this place could do just that. It's very quiet inside, not eerily quiet, but just very peaceful. I could have stayed there for hours and sort out my brain if I didn't have to catch up with my group.

After visiting the gift shop we loaded the bus to go to Sirolo. It was SO amazing there! There were huge cliffs that dropped off into the Adriatic Sea and a beach that stretched for miles! The weather was perfect and we stripped down to our skivvies and dove right into the water. Okay... we didn't exactly go skinny dipping but we did shed our coats and I accidently let the water run over my feet... with my shoes still on. Whoops. Then we climbed up these rocks that jutted out into the sea and basked in the warm sunlight. It was sooo nice.

I was sitting on the rocks watching the waves crash and attempting to be a shade darker than Casper when all of a sudden I heard a big SPLASH! I looked over and saw that one of my classmates, Clarke, had slipped and fallen into the water! Others had to help him back on the rocks because it was so slippery and he was sopping wet. Poor guy, he took it like a trooper though! After taking loads of funny pictures and playing hopscotch on rocks we realized we had to climb back up the mountain to pick up the bus, ugh. Weaving up treacherous paths through trees and roots we heaved and hoed our way to the top of the cliff… and I had previously complained about walking uphill to class, ha!

After the workout of a lifetime we drove to Genga/ Frasassi and went to lunch at Ristorante da Francesco. Starving we plowed down on the bread before us and all of the water we could handle. Then the pasta came which was- heavenly! It was a linguini in a tomato sauce and come to find out, had wild boar in it. I had no idea what the meat was as I was shoveling it in my mouth, but it was quite tender and delicious. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an adventurous appetite. That course was followed by a salad, and then dessert. It was marvelously presented, but then once we took a bite we realized it was soaked in rum, which wasn’t exactly a pleasant surprise. After our hike the last thing we wanted was something to upset our stomachs. But the rest of it was delicious.

After filling ourselves to the brim we took a short walk to the Grotte di Frasassi. It is this enormous natural cave that was first discovered by some rock climbers in the 80’s. There are 5 different chambers available for guided tours and they also offer cave exploration for extra money. In the cave exploration part they give you helmets, suits and rope to discover what’s off the beaten path of the tour. But with the group we got a tour guide and went inside. There were stalagmites and stalactites that were as old as 1.4 million years old. It was rather warm in there too, and the tour guide told us that it naturally remains the same temperature throughout the whole year. We saw mineral formations that looked like people, polar bears and castles. It was pretty neat to see a cave that has been around for so long.

After entering back into the land of inconsistent temperatures we went to a famous winery, Cantine Belisario, where they produce the renowned white wine “Verdicchio di Matelica.” We got a tour of the vats that they ferment the wine in and the barrels where it is stored. It is quite a long process that I hadn’t realized takes such perfection to get it right. Then we were brought inside to the store and had a wine tasting lesson. We each got a glass of wine and were taught the proper way to swish it to see how the wine runs down the inside of the glass. Then we learned the appropriate smelling techniques with wine and then finally how to taste it. We also got a discount on bottles of wine if we wanted to purchase any, so Mom and Dad, look for yours to come ;)

Contemplating Monk-hood

After prying our lifeless bodies out of bed at the butt-crack of dawn, we gathered ourselves together to board the bus and head to Assisi. Which, by the way, I learned is not pronounced Ah-sis-ee, but rather Ah-see-see. Assisi is the home to St. Francis, where he built his own church and started the Franciscan Monastery. He spoke about God and the bible to whoever would listen, including animals (there are a lot of fresco’s where he is talking to animals) and he gave up all his family had given him to live a life of poverty to be closer to God. He also vowed to a life of chastity and to display that shaved his head in the classic monk haircut- a big shaved circle on the top of his head.

So, anywho, we arrived in Assisi at about 9:30am and started in the Basilica di San Francesco. It is a monstrous church that could easily put a castle to shame. They started to build the basilica in honor of St. Francis after he died of pneumonia in 1263. We started in the Chiesa Inferiore (the lower level) and then descended to the Tomba di San Francesco. I saw where St. Francis’ remains are! It was incredible! He was originally buried in fresh dirt where he had asked to be buried when he died, but once the basilica was completed they moved his remains there. There were monks everywhere there (it’s a big tourist attraction) and so you couldn’t take any pictures, but I wanted to sooooo badly! His tomb is directly below the altar of the main church that is above. I mean, I am still insanely amazed that I saw where the remains of a saint are!

Then we walked upstairs to the Chiesa Superiore (main church) and looked at fresco’s that took up more area than my high school gymnasium. We’ve been studying paintings done by Cimabue and Pietro Lorenzetti in my Art History class, but all we really do is see slides of paintings. But then at the church we got to see the real thing!!!!! It was so incredible to see in person true works of art that have lasted for centuries.

When Napoleon conquered Italy he considered himself to be the anti-Christ and turned most of the churches throughout the country into something else. He had the basilica turned into a stable for horses… which would probably be a Ritz Carleton for those lucky horses that got to reside there. I mean, I can’t even properly give this place justice as to how huuuuge it is! Hopefully the picture at the beginning can give you an idea…

We also were able to view some of the remaining belongings of St. Francis. Although he didn’t have much, we got to see the robe he wore, as well as a robe of wool he wore underneath it during the winter. I wish I had a broader/ more descriptive vocabulary in order to explain the enormously sensational feeling of awe when seeing this. There were also handkerchiefs that had been used by him when he was sick with pneumonia to dab away his sweat, and a letter from the Pope declaring his brotherhood to be official in the eyes of the church, a rock where one of the monks used to lie his head at night, and a pair of boot/ moccasins St. Francis wore during the winter… which strangely resembled Uggs.

We then had lunch at this adorable restaurant, Ristorante Anfiteatro, which was within an old coliseum. The inside of the restaurant has pictures of Roman Gods painted all along the walls. This time we got a choice of what pasta and meat we wanted, I chose Spaghetti Carbonara and roast beef. The pasta was good, very filling, but a little too eggy for my taste. The pork roast was also pretty good, it came with a sort of carrot sauce and it reminded me of beef stew my mom used to make… except this beef was very thin and not at all chunky. Then we explored town a little and got some yummy gelato and saw decently priced shoes that I was going to buy, but of course the shop was closed. Probably best I suppose. Oh well.

We met as a group again and toured the Cattedrale di San Ruffino. After that we went to the Basilica di Santa Chiara. In English she is known as Saint Clare. She and St. Francis were in love before he devoted himself to God. She decided that she also wanted to follow that path and become a monk… or a nun… whatever a woman monk is called. And she started the women part of the Franciscan’s. We saw a wax outline of her body… kind of creepy, but there are a lot of wax outlines of body’s in churches. And we saw the cloak and robe that she wore… so old! There was also her wedding dress there that she had made before she decided to join Francis and God. And when she decided to devote herself to Jesus, they cut off all her hair (its part of the practice I suppose, just like the monk haircut, only they didn’t cut her hair quite that short or shave it). And they kept her hair in a box and it was there at the church, she had long beautiful locks of golden blonde hair- I saw hair that dates back to the 1200’s… holy moly!

After that we walked down a big hill through olive trees and came to the church that St. Francis and his brothers built by hand. It was quite a remarkable experience; to see the stones they laid by hand and smell the inscents burning and walk on the floors where they slept- absolutely amazing! After we looked at every nook and kraney of the church we searched the area high and low for a bathroom, but the best we could find was a big tree- which we decided to pass on. We labored up the steep hill that was so charming to go down, but felt intense leg pain when struggling to go back up it to catch the bus. Loading the bus and taking my seat I curled up for a relaxing, but curvy, ride home. Mmmm, nothing ends the day like complete physical exhaustion.

My roommate, Amanda, and I with our director, Filiberto. He is quite possibly one of the coolest humans on earth.

A view of the rolling hills of Assisi from the Basilica.

A quaint little side street on our way to lunch.