L'Ultimo Giorno

Thursday, June 19th

Today was filled with more lasts.

I had my last day at my internship, in which I finished editing the archeological museum guidebook (which took forever, thanks for asking) and kept my badge because they didn't ask for it back (I think they forgot). Once we finished, I went and got my last tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwich from the pasticceria down the street—seriously so good. (Have I mentioned how I love tomatoes here and hate them in America? 'Cause I do.)

the Tuscan landscape

The rest of the day was spent getting the last souvenirs on my list and enjoying my last day in Siena. I am truly going to miss this city and the ability to just sit in the Piazza del Campo and read on a beautiful day. I really wish we had an equivalent of piazzas in America. We've got public parks, etc. but there is nothing like a big piazza where people hang around, eat, meet up with friends, and love life. I will miss it!

young Anna (bella, no?)

Tonight Shauna and I had our last dinner with Anna and Marcello. It was delicious as always—spaghetti alla carbonara, fillet, salad, bread, and an apple torta dessert. The best part was when Anna brought out the old photos of her and Marcello that she showed at dinner last night, because Shauna wasn't there. There were so many pictures of a young, handsome Marcello and in each one he was with a different girl, none of whom were Anna. She assured us, however, that she wasn't jealous at all, since she's the one who ended up with him. Love it. She also pointed out Marcello's receding hairline in every picture.

After looking through all the photos Shauna and I asked Anna for some of her recipes to bring home, which I'm very excited about. I can't wait to make my own spaghetti alla carbonara! Mmmmm.

my last night on Via San Marco

Around 10, most of the people in our group met up for a last gelato at KopaKabana (our favorite spot) and then went for a walk in the Campo. A few people had a speed-walking contest around the piazza that was very entertaining, and other than that we mostly reminisced. This was our last time all together, which is really sad. We have all become such close friends that it seems unreal that I won't be seeing any of them anymore (possibly ever, since I'm not returning to BYU). But I guess that's what Facebook is for, right? I have been blessed to be in the company of really good people and fun friends. I got lucky.

So, I am headed for Rome in the morning! I am way excited to have one day in Rome as a bookend for my trip, bringing it full circle. I plan to take tons of pictures and listen to Dean Martin songs all day. Then, Saturday morning I head home! What a whirlwind. I really cannot believe it is over.

A domani,
Ciao!

Some Lasts

Wednesday, June 18th

Last night my group had a final dinner together, since most of us are heading back to the States this weekend. We went to a restaurant where one of the girls from our group works for her internship. It was fun to all be together one last time! And the food wasn't bad either. Mmmm gnocchi.   ---->

Today there was a big rainstorm, even though it was meant to happen yesterday. Note: Italian weather forecasts are generally one half to one full day behind, so don't put away your umbrella if it was supposed to rain yesterday but didn't. Because it will most definitely rain the next morning and drench you as you walk home from your internship. Hypothetically.

Tonight a girl from BYU who stayed with Anna and Marcello two years ago came to dinner with her parents and brother and sister. Her family didn't really speak Italian, though her parents understood some because they speak Spanish, so it was fun to help her translate for them. It made me want so badly to come back with my family next year!! I know Anna and Marcello would love it. They are so fun and really good at having a conversation regardless of the language barrier. They brought out old photos of them from the 40s and 50s and we all had good laughs.

That was about it for today. Tomorrow is my last day at my internship! And the next day I leave for Rome! Time has really flown.

A domani,

Ciao!

A Pasta Situation

Monday, June 16th

Funny story.

I decided to bring back pasta as souvenirs for people. Because what could be better than an edible souvenir from Italy? Nothing, that's what.

I had quite a bit of downtime today, so I decided to go get all the pasta I'd be bringing home. No reason to put it off till the end of the week.

I went to the grocery store and spent a long time finding just the right pasta, and eventually I found this great-looking brand that was on sale and had a variety of pastas.

I bought five packages of pasta (penne, mafalda, casarecce—a few different kinds).

Then I went home, excited that I got some great pasta and my souvenirs were all taken care of and I could relax the rest of the week. Hooray!

So I worked on my Venice blog post for a while, then hung out with some friends for a while, then ate some dinner. After dinner, my mom FaceTimed me for a little bit since we hadn't talked for a while.

I was so excited about all the things I bought this past weekend that I started showing her my gifts (for myself and others). I showed her the Venice t-shirt I bought for myself, the keychain I bought for myself, and finally—the pasta!

Me: "Look! I bought all this pasta to give to people! I even got different kinds."
Mom: *looks at it through the camera* "Cool! Wait. Let me see that again?"
Me: *holds up pasta to camera* "Isn't it great?!"
Mom: "Oh, yeah. They sell that at Costco."

. . .  world. shattered.

I was SO DARN EXCITED about getting this amazing just in Italy pasta and then I go and pick the one they sell at Costco. Costco. Gah.

But the packaging is all in Italian, and it says it was made in Napoli! Still. Costco. Ugghhhh.

the culprit

So, I might be leaving the pasta with my host parents and finding something else, some other—TRUE ITALIAN—pasta to bring home. We'll see.

A domani,
Ciao!

Venezia on My Mind

Friday, June 13th through Sunday, June 15th

VENICE!!

My dreams have officially come true.

Besides Rome, Venice has always been that one place in Italy where I have dreamed of going. And finally it happened! I spent almost three days there, and it was magical.

First, Friday the 13th. Things seemed to be going wrong. We found out there was a train strike planned in Venice from Saturday at 9pm to Sunday at 9pm, and we had tickets to leave Venice on Sunday at 2:45pm . . . so that was a major problem. We eventually decided that we would worry about the strike when it was time to worry about the strike, so we pushed it out of our minds. Then we arrived in Mestre (just outside Venice) where our hotel was for the weekend, and couldn't find our hotel for a while. Eventually, we walked down this alley-like street and found it, the Hotel Giovannina, and it was completely awful. It was burning hot inside and there was no air conditioning. In the meantime, an Indian guy was working on pulling fans out of boxes and assembling them to put in the rooms.

When we got to our room it was stuffy and sweaty and tiny. There were no sheets on the beds and no towels, and it was beyond hot. We basically dropped our stuff and then left, hoping that the fan (which the Indian guy eventually brought to us) would have cooled down the room by the time we got back. (No such luck.) Then, we got on a bus to Venice.

Venice is so so beautiful! I felt like I was in a dream as I walked around the city, going over all the bridges and watching gondolas and boats float by. Every bridge was an opportunity for a photo—Venice looks good from almost any angle. It was wonderful to just take our time and really look at the scenes around us. I can't tell you how perfectly amazing it was to realize over and over that I was in Venice, the Venice. It felt like a major accomplishment.

After wandering for a while and taking too many photos, we went to dinner at a pizzeria. I got a carbonara pizza because I had had spaghetti alla carbonara in Rome and it was the greatest pasta I have ever had in my life (true story). So, I assumed the pizza version would be just as wonderful.
Here's how it went:

Me: "There's an egg on my pizza."
The group: "Yeah, that's carbonara. Egg and prosciutto."
Me: "But there's an actual egg sitting in the middle of my pizza."

In the spaghetti, the egg yolk is all mixed in with something delicious to make a sort of sauce for the pasta, so you never see an egg and you don't even taste it. With the pizza, they hide the prosciutto under the cheese and then crack an egg on top of the whole thing, then bring it out to you like it's the most normal thing in the world. Weird. So I popped the yolk and tried to spread it around as best I could, then just dug in. It tasted pretty good, but it just wasn't the same. My heart is set on spaghetti.

After dinner we continued our touristy wandering before heading back to our hotel for the night. The fan had done nothing to lower the temperature of our room, so we went from sweating in our day clothes to sweating in the shower to sweating in our pj's. But what can you do? Just be grateful that air conditioning exists somewhere on the planet, I suppose.

We got up early the next morning to make sure we had a full day in Venice, grabbing a quick bite to eat and getting to Venice around 8:30am. Our first stop was going to be St. Mark's Basilica and the Square, which was quite a walk from the bus station (especially since we didn't know how to get there).

St. Mark's Basilica

It took us around half an hour to get to the Basilica. When we stopped to ask an Italian man for directions he told us that in Venice it is good to get lost. I liked that.

Bridge of Sighs

We found the Basilica, and then we saw the line. It spanned the entire square, and as it was still blistering hot outside no one in our group was particularly interested in finding out what St. Mark's looks like inside. So we opted to take pictures outside (even though almost the whole facade was covered in scaffolding . . . seriously bad timing) and then hang out in the Square for a bit.

Being Mark Wahlberg

My favorite part of being in St. Mark's Square was walking through a group of pigeons just like Mark Wahlberg did. All I needed was Donald Sutherland and millions of dollars worth of gold bricks and I would be living in The Italian Job. Pretty sweet.

After taking many touristy pictures (per usual), we walked around the city a bit more before getting tickets for a ferry to take us to Murano and Burano, two islands just outside of the main city of Venice. Murano is famous for its glass and Burano is famous for its lace (also its colorfulness, I think).

Murano

We got to Murano and were immediately ushered into a glass factory for a (free!) glass-blowing demonstration. The guy made a vase and a fish—really cool. After the demonstration we were directed into a store where we could buy almost anything made out of glass. Seriously, there was everything from jewelry to clocks to chandeliers. As much as I would love to have a glass chandelier, I don't think it'd make it to the States. Darn.

Burano

We strolled around Murano for a bit before getting on the ferry to Burano, about a twenty-minute ride. Burano is gorgeous, almost beyond belief. The colors are so bright and beautiful, especially reflected in the water. It is an opportune place for pictures, and I took plenty of them.

After getting some food and walking around, taking in the beauty of the island, we decided to head back to Venice. The weather was starting to look stormy, which was a major relief from the heat, but we wanted to be back in Venice before the rain hit. We made it back and looked around a bit more, doing some window shopping and actual shopping, before heading back to our hotel in Mestre.

That night at midnight (Italy time) Italy played England in its first World Cup game, and we won! Forza Azzurri!! I was too asleep to notice until the morning though. Plus I have never watched soccer in my life (except for Madelyn's games). Anyway, viva l'Italia!

Also, there was a major rainstorm Saturday evening and night that dropped the temperature down to a livable level, which was wonderful. Because of the storm, we stayed inside our hotel room and I read The Fault in Our Stars and bawled my eyes out for a while before we went to bed.

Sunday morning we slept in a bit before getting packed up and checking out of the hotel. After a quick breakfast we took a bus back into Venice for a final hurrah visit. For most of the time we sat on a dock on the Grand Canal and people-watched, gondola/boat-watched, and read. I really wanted to go on a gondola ride, but no one else was up for it. And although "gondola for one!" might have gotten me a discount out of pity, I didn't think it would be very much fun to go alone. So, I guess I'll just have to come back! (I am definitely okay with that).

After relaxing and enjoying the (much cooler) day, we headed back to Mestre to catch the train to Florence. We decided to stop in Florence for a bit of shopping before going back to Siena. We went to the market and I finally got a leather wallet that I've been wanting! Then we got back on the train and made it to Siena in time for dinner.

Anna (my host mom) is so funny. As soon as we walked in the door (carrying our heavy backpacks and damp from rain) she gave us big hugs, told us she missed us, and then pushed us into the kitchen to eat dinner ("Venite! Mangiate!"). It was like coming home. Siena has become this home base, which makes these "vacation within a vacation" excursions more fun. I'm definitely going to miss Anna, and Venice, and Siena, and all of Italy. Everything.

So that was my amazing weekend in Venice! It was incredible and I can't wait to go back to ride in a gondola and see what's inside St. Mark's Basilica. Perhaps next year . . .

I can't believe I have less than a week left in Italy. I'm not ready for my dream to end!

A domani,
Ciao!

Oh Summer Nights

Wednesday, June 11th

some of the editing we've done

Shauna and I have a new roommate! She actually came on Sunday but I forgot to mention her here before. She is a British woman in her late 60s (ish) named Caterina. It's kind of nice to have someone else to bounce questions off of when we don't know what Anna and Marcello are saying at dinner. Also, it's awesome to hear her accent. Also, she told us to give her our contact information and visit England. Done and done.

at the market with Shauna

Aaaand that's about it! I went to the Siena market this morning and bought some more (awesome) gypsy pants and after that I went to my internship (more editing...hooray for having work to do!)

Tonight there was a warm, summer thunderstorm—love. We're hoping that this means we're in for cooler weather! Crossing fingers.

Well, I have a week and a half left in Italy! I'm excited for more adventures.

A domani,
Ciao!

I'm Melting

Monday, June 9th

Last night I didn't blog because—drumroll—I was tired. Like always. But it was actually a pretty fun day!

In the morning I had my internship, and I didn't have anything to do again. So the other two girls and I took initiative and went to explore the museum for the second time since we've been there. This time we took time to read labels and look in different rooms that we missed last time. It was fun to go slowly and look at everything, but the most fun was going down into the archeological section and going through the excavated rooms and corridors.

Don't know if you can tell, but those are bones.
This is one of the mass graves from the Black Plague
(remember the museum used to be a hospital)

After that we sat for a while and drew random pictures until it was one o'clock and we could leave. Then after that, not much happened during the day. I went to the grocery store and all the chocolate bars in the store were melted, because—did I mention?—it's really really hot here. REALLY. The real-feel temperature is between 96 and 98 degrees. Apparently that it very unusual for Italy in June. Awesome. But hey, I am in Italy so there really isn't much I can complain about. So anyway I didn't get a chocolate bar.

Mostly everyone has been staying inside, either at the school or in their houses, to avoid the heat so we haven't been doing much as a group lately. However, last night we had a surprise birthday party for Rebeca, a girl in our group, which was really fun. We had Italian cake and some Sicilian sodas on the steps of Siena's Duomo—a successful Italian party, I'd say. It was really fun to all be together again and just hang out in the city.


Tuesday, June 10th 

Today has been much of the same. Actually, at my internship we were given a task! Edit a guidebook for the museum that was translated from Italian into English. The English translation is really poor, but luckily I actually enjoy editing. And I got work to do! Hooray! We spent about an hour and a half editing two pages and the book is pretty long, so we should be busy for a while.

That's about all for the past couple days. The biggest aspect of my day is doing my best to stay cool while also trying to see as much of Siena as I can before I leave (in less than two weeks . . . noooo). In the meantime I'm working with Shauna to plan what we'll do in Venice! Woot woot!

Ciao ciao!

Catching Up: Niente, Bottini, and the Beach

Sunday, June 8th

I haven't blogged in a few days, mostly because I didn't have anything to talk about. I know I know, how could I not have something to share? I'm in Italy!

Well, at my internship we haven't had anything to do besides read novels and play tic-tac-toe. Still, it's exciting to go to work every day in a centuries-old building that is now a museum and interact with Italians.

one exit of the Bottini

So on that front, Thursday and Friday included nothing significant to report. However, yesterday (Saturday) I had a pretty great day! In the morning our group went to the Bottini, the underground aqueducts spread out beneath Siena. Way cool. Warning to claustrophobic tourists: do not attempt this adventure.

Most of the way, the tunnels are so narrow that you must walk single-file while also sidestepping the little river carrying water throughout the tunnels. At some points, you have to bend in half to avoid meeting the ceiling with your head—or if you are tall, you pretty much have to stay bent the whole time. Luckily, I did not experience that problem. Seems uncomfortable.

(not my photo)
This is what the Bottini look like.
Except darker, since I didn't have
a floodlight on hand

We had a guide showing us the way, but as he was Italian and spoke rather quickly—and also because we were in a single-file line down a tunnel and therefore could not hear him very well—I didn't actually learn anything about the Bottini. Some of us had to ask returned missionaries who are fluent to give us a brief summary of the tour once it was over, but I still didn't learn very much. It was definitely a cool experience though. Very Indiana Jones. Also, we each had a little flashlight because it is pitch black in there without one, and guess whose light slowly dimmed as we walked further into the deep darkness? That's right, it was mine. It just added to the excitement.

Castiglione

After the Bottini, a group of us decided to make the one and a half hour trip to the beach! We went to Castiglione della Pescaia, which is absolutely beautiful. Plus, not many tourists! Huzzah! I know it's wrong to hate tourists since I technically am one, but really. They are pretty annoying sometimes. Anyway, we spent several hours there—and I have the burn to prove it—enjoying the gorgeous sunny day.  Overall it was a great day with great friends . . . and for the second time in a week I was at a beach in Italy. It still amazes me.

Me and Shauna

So, that was about all for yesterday. It was a lovely day to relax and enjoy our last weekend in Siena. Next weekend we go to Venice (!!!) and the weekend after that a few girls and I are headed to Rome to fly home! It's seriously crazy how quickly and slowly this trip has gone. It feels like a dream and a new life all at once. I am excited for what the next couple of weeks bring!



A domani (or when I write next),
Ciao!

some very kind Italian graffiti