Saying Goodbye

In Italy very few people drive cars; most people walk where they are going or ride their bikes. Today we rented bikes and rode them around town. Before today I haven’t ridden a bike in years, thankfully I still remember how to ride. We started at our hotel and rode to their local market place. This market is open once a week and sells things like purses, shoes, and clothes. It is a great deal like an American flea market. It is also right across the street from the pier. It was nice to be able to walk out on the pier and to see nothing but ocean. It is moments like this I am reminded how small I am in comparison to everything else in the world. When we finished at the market we rode to this path in a park. It was beautiful. The path swerved around the trees instead of them cutting the trees down for the path. I love that here in Italy they really seem to try to preserve nature. Along the path we came upon this quaint little bridge. It made for the perfect photo opportunity so we all got off our bikes and took a group picture. As we were finishing our picture a bride and groom arrived to take pictures at the same spot. They looked lovely and I wish them a life of happiness together. We all got back on our bikes and continued along the path which led us to vacation villas of the wealthy. They had stunning homes and it seems such a pity that they only use them for such a short time of the year. After we finished gawking and dreaming of owning a home like that one day we went to lunch. I ate at small bar which served Panini’s. The waitress didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Italian so I pointed to the menu and hoped it would be good. Thankfully not only was it good it was delicious. I followed up my lunch with some Gelato. I am going to miss being able to eat Gelato whenever I want to when I go home. There are Gelato shops everywhere but you have to watch out for the tourist Gelato because it doesn’t taste near as good as the rest. After lunch we rode our bikes back to the hotel and returned them to the rental place. I wish more people rode bikes in America it was such a great experience and I am going to miss that bike. Tonight was our last night all together as a group. It is a bitter sweet time here at the Hotel Eden as we all share our last meal together. I have made many lasting friendships with these people and can’t wait to see where life takes each and every one of us. Now its time to make even more memories in Florence!

Party Time

Mardi Gras is one of America’s biggest annual parties. Here in Italy they have an annual party as well, The Cittadella del Carnevale. Every year they make giant floats and have a parade while the entire city celebrates. Today we got to visit the place where the floats are created. Because it was not the right season for the floats they were all already made and had been used. These floats were amazing, they were huge and hilarious. The majority of them were making fun of something in their country that had taken place over the last year. For example, Italy’s Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi is currently being investigated for having an affair with a seventeen year old girl. They had created a float with Berlusconi sitting on the lap of young girl. There were also floats with Obama on them. I find it so interesting that the majority of people here know about American politics but very few Americans know about Italy’s politics. Each float was literally larger than life with vibrant colors and details. I would love to be able to be a part of all these festivities one day. After we looked at most of the floats we then went to the beach. The beach in Italy is different from the beaches back home. Here you have to pay for the majority of the beaches or you have the option of going to a designated free area. Being a poor college student I opted for the free beach option. But before we went to the beach we ate and shopped. For lunch all I wanted was some French fries and a Coke so that is what I had. The fries were much crispier here than back home and the coke tasted nothing like it does in America. From now on I will stick to American cokes instead of trying them overseas. I was surprised by how many stores played American music. It felt like I was still in Tennessee. Then we went to the beach! The beaches you pay for had umbrellas and chairs and the sand was clean but on the free beach there was no chairs or umbrellas and the sand was not very clean. Many of the women went topless, the men wore speedos, and there were vendors who persistently asked you to buy whatever they were selling. It was rather annoying but I give them credit for their perseverance. Although I do love Italy I think America has much better beaches or at least better than this particular one. I can’t believe another day has come and gone here in Italy. I fear my trip will be over before I know.

Marble

Carrara is known for its marble. Because of them nearby towns are decorated with stunning marble sculptures. Today we were given the opportunity to visit Pietrasanta and its sculpting studio. There we learned about how marble sculpture is created. Our guide explained that people come here for weeks and months at a time to sculpt marble and if they do not have money for a hotel or an apartment they provide a small room for them for free. The sculptures start with a small piece of marble and it is carved, shaped, and more marble is add to it until it looks the way the artist intends for it to. Today there were many artists there working on their sculptures. One artist explained her work to us. She was making the human anatomy. She explained that she received her inspiration from studying about anatomy. She thought it was a beautiful thing and wanted to sculpt it. Her first sculpture only took her a few weeks but the one she was currently working on will take a matter of months. These artists have to have a great deal of patience to work so long on these sculptures but I am sure the feeling they have when they complete it is great. Next we went inside the building. It was filled with sculptures people had done in the past. They were beautiful. One artist had sculpted a model of an entire city. There were so many details I can’t imagine how long that must have taken. Our guide allowed us to go upstairs to see their living quarters. Upon reaching the top of the stairs the air was filled with a spectacular aroma. They were preparing a lunch for the entire artist so they could eat together. I loved the strong feel of family they had even though none of them were related.  It just goes to show that family is not always what we are born into but it can also be what we make it. Shortly thereafter we left the sculpting studio and visited the marble quarries. There we were able to learn about where the marble came from. The mountains were white like snow but it was not snow it was marble. We climbed a steep hill to get to the next guide. He explained the process of producing the marble. His grandfather used to cut the marble out of the mountain and now he does so also. It was a fascinating process to see how they cut out tons of marble from a mountain and moved it down the mountain to be manufactured. After leaving the quarries we travelled back to Pietrasanta for lunch and to visit a few churches. The first church we entered was stunning. The celling was painted; there was painting of angels and Biblical scenes on the wall, and wooden pews. The next church we went was much darker. The paintings were of hell and an obese Virgin Mary. I appreciate the art but it was not my style for sure.

Wine!

Today we went to a vineyard, the Vincenzo di Vaira. Our day was laid back and relaxed the way it should be in this country especially when enjoying wine. Wine is a big part of Italian culture. Unlike in America, Italian enjoys their wine instead of drinking to get drunk. They take great pride in their wine and their food. The vineyard we visited was family owned. Our rather attractive tour guide is married to the vineyard owner’s daughter and his sister in law is a dancer on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars.  Our tour began with the grapes and olives; he explained how big the grapes got, how they hand pick each grape for their wines, and about the different types of wines. After looking at the fields of grape vines and olive trees we moved to the cellar. It was a breath taking view to see rows and rows of grape vines with mountains behind them. In the cellar he explained that the grapes ferment in their skins. A special machine separates the skins from the grapes. Then they are placed inside a stainless steel temperature controlled environment. These must be cleaned by hand every fifteen days. In order to clean them one of the workers must actually climb inside through the small door. It is a grueling task but it is very important. The wine is then transferred into wooden barrels or they remain in the stainless steel temperature controlled environment until they are ready to be poured into bottles. We then left the cellar and enjoyed lunch and wine. Our lunch spot was gorgeous; it was under a pavilion with beautiful scenery in the background. For lunch we enjoyed cheese, honey, bread, and cold cuts. It was tasty. Our guide taught us the correct way to taste wine. You start by smelling the wine first. Next you swirl it in you glass and smell it again. After that you may take a sip.  Sip is the key word, Italians never gulp their wine and they only fill their glasses half full. Once lunch was completed we were given the opportunity to purchase some of their wine and olive oil. Almost every person bought at least one bottle if not more. I personally bought two bottles to take back home to America with me. After that we were given free time to sit and enjoy the beautiful country side. Some people played soccer; others sat and talked to each other, while others took pictures. Today was a picture perfect day; it was as if nothing could go wrong. I did not think it was possible but I do believe I fell even more in love with the Italian culture today. If I continue having days like today I may never want to return home again.

The Tarot Garden

Today is my second day on my adventure in Italy. We had a very full schedule like we do for most days this week. After having a delicious Italian breakfast of croissants and pastries we headed to our bus tour. I have always wanted to go on a double decker bus tour and today that dream came true. We boarded the bus and of course, sat on the top level. I do not think I will ever be able to get over how beautiful and so full of history Rome is. As we drove around Rome looking at all of their marvelous sights we listened to the history behind each thing. As I took in each bit of Rome, I began to talk to the elderly man sitting next to me. I love talking to those who have more wisdom and life experience than I do. He and his wife were from Australia and this was their fifth time around the world. To think of all the amazing things he must have seen and the stories he has to tell. I hope to one day be able to travel around the world and share it with someone special. After we completed the bus tour my group said good bye to Rome. We grabbed our luggage and boarded the bus for Capalbio. It appeared that we were in the middle of nowhere but then out of the nothingness Giardino dei Tarocchi appeared. As we pulled into the driveway all you could see was a giant wall. It reminded me of a castle wall that kept everything which didn’t belong on the outside. On the inside of this great wall laid a majestic sculpture garden. Each sculptor was based on a tarot card. For the artist, Niki de Saint Phalle tarot cards were not a fortune telling device but instead for her they represented her life journey. These sculptures were brightly colored and covered in mirrors making them shine. They were remarkable and each had a deep meaning and story behind it. The Empress was in the middle of the garden. It looked like a woman but it was shaped liked a sphinx. Niki actually made her home inside this astonishing sculpture. What it must have been like to live inside a work of art and to be able to look out your window each day and see your dream becoming a reality. Niki’s story was an inspiration. She had a nervous breakdown at a young age and in rehab she began creating art. After a trip to Barcelona Niki found her life calling, she was going to create a sculpture garden of her own. Because Niki did not have a great deal of money, she had to work hard to make everything come together. All of her hard work paid off because now her garden is there for everyone to see and to find their own inspiration. Our day was completed today with about a seven course meal. It was delicious!  

Rome

Today was an incredibly busy but exciting day. We toured many places in Rome starting with the Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish Steps. There are one hundred and thirty eight steep steps made from marble. They were decorated with bright pink azaleas to celebrate the spring. These flowers are only put out during April and May. I am so glad I was able to see this because they made the stairs look even more beautiful than they are. At the foot of the Spanish Steps was the La Barcaccia fountain or “The Ugly Boat" fountain. This fountain was built in memory of a terrible flood Rome experienced in 1598. I spotted many different people drinking out of the fountain which seemed odd to me until our tour guide explained that the fountain contains fresh water from an aqueduct. Romans were the first to create an aqueduct system which is now used all over the world. Rome is nothing like the movies portray it. In movies, Rome is not very crowded but in reality Rome is filled with people and cars. I do not believe I would enjoy living Rome because I need my personal space. Our group also visited the Trevi Fountain. It was breath taking. Of course, seeing the Trevi fountain would not be complete unless you threw coins in the fountain. If you throw a coin in the fountain it means you will return to Rome. For lunch I tried some pizza. It was nothing like the pizza back home; it is much better. I will never be satisfied with American pizza again because the two are nothing alike except in name. I was surprised to see so many American drinks at the restaurant we ate at. After lunch we went to the Coliseum. I had seen movies with the Coliseum in them but the two look nothing alike. In the movies the Coliseum is white and beautiful but in reality it was more of a tan or gray color and falling apart. Either way it was still beautiful. In fact I think it was more beautiful in reality because it was full of character and history. I learned that in ancient times women and the poor were not even allowed inside the Coliseum. This made me grateful to be living in modern times.  Once our tour was complete we went shopping! Rome is filled with a variety of different stores from clothes to souvenirs. I enjoyed getting to go into the different stores. While out I also tried gelato for the first time, it was even better than I expected. I did a great deal of walking today and my feet hurt by the time I returned to the room but it was all worth it. It would have been nice to spend more time here but there is so many more places to see. Rome is a beautiful city and I hope to return one day but now I am off to my next adventure.