The road is coming to an end…

So, my time here in Florence is coming to an end. I’ve been here for almost 3 months and it only feels like 2 weeks. Next week is finals week, I have an oral exam with Professor Mariotti and we have a final showcase of our work for drawing. Unfortunately, they moved the show case to Wednesday, so my mom won’t be able to come, but I will be able show her my work when she comes.

This weekend is our last weekend, it’s kind of bittersweet. I love going out with all the girls in the program, I’ll definitely miss them, but I’m also missing my friends at home. I haven’t seen them in months and it’s kind of killing me. Hopefully when I get home, I’ll be able to visit them.

I’m working on my final paper for Mariotti’s class and clearly, I’ve been bitten by the procrastination bug. I have been doing research though, so I won’t call it a completely lost cause. It should be an interesting paper, so I’m not too worried about getting it done in time.

Wild ride… e La cittá di acqua!

I know, I am getting really bad at this whole updating thing.

SATURDAY (Feb 25th) UPDATE – We ended up going to Twice and Babylon which was an AWESOME club, they played the most random music and we danced until our feet hurt. Haven’t had that much fun in a while…

The unfortunate thing is that I don’t have much to talk about from last week except my weekend in Venice.

Last week we visited St. Appollonia which was a convent for an order of Benedictine nuns in a cloister. In the refectory of this cloister is a fresco of the Last Supper (a tradition in Florentine convents and monasteries since the gothic period) by Andrea Castagno. It is a really beautiful painting and a pretty important painting. We then talked about Dominico Veneziano, another important painter, who according to Vasari brought oil painting to Florence from Venice.

10 crazy days…

I know it’s been a while since I posted last, it’s been a crazy 10 days.
I got sick-ish again and missed another day of class, so I’ve been trying to catch up on all the notes, homework, and quizzes etc. It kind of sucked, but that’s what happens when you are sick, you miss things.
Last weekend I kind of took it easy, I didn’t go crazy, which is kind of sad since it was the last weekend of Carnevale. Some people went to Venice and they said it was amazing, it’s certainly on my bucket list now. The weather has been beautiful, so I’m hoping to make it to Viareggio for the last of the parades and enjoy a warm day on the beach (fingers crossed). Tuesday was Mardi Gras, or Martedi Grosso in Italian and it was a fun day, also because it was SO WARM outside.

Message from sick bay!

So, after a crazy weekend and a disgustingly awful sinus infection I am back in action!

I would like to that the lovely bartenders at Naima for making this weekend awesome. They are super nice and will give you free water if you ask for it!

There isn’t much to say about this week so far because I have been in bed for the past 3 days with a horrible sinus infection. The weather is turning for the better and I’m excited to leave the house and enjoy the warm (49 degrees Fahrenheit!) day and run some errands.

I have class this afternoon, cooking and drawing class tonight, I’m looking forward to not being attached to the bed. More to come later… hopefully.

This past week:

I went to some cool churches for class.

Started a new drawing in drawing class.

Found a new favorite bar, Naima.

Met cool people.

Went to an awesome club.

Made homemade pasta, roasted rabbit with potatoes, marinated peppers, and tiramisu.

Nothing else of note to add, it’s been great so far, we’ll see how the rest of the weekend unfolds. Also, there is a chocolate festival. Out of control.

Winter Wonderland… Roman style.

Well, what an eventful weekend!
Thursday, we ended up not going to the Baptistery because professor Jodie was sick. So, instead we all went to this bar/restaurant called The Club House that was really cool. We had some drinks and hung out with the new kids until some of us had to go to drawing class as Cecil. Luckily, I did make a lot of process on my drawing, however my drawing skills aren’t much better:

After class I booked back home for dinner and packing for ROMA! We had to get up at 6AM to get to our train at 7 for the speedy train. The ride was really quick and when we got to Rome it was pretty cold and pretty rainy, which was unfortunate since Rome typically has better weather than Florence. Our first stop was the hotel, and then we met at the caffé across the street for cappuccinos and brioche. Once everyone had a bite to eat we went to the Vatican (!) to see St. Peter’s Basilica, the necropolis below it, and the Vatican Musems. The necropolis was really cool, it was an ancient pagan necropolis that was there before St. Peter’s and the church was just built on top of it. It was also the sight where the St. Paul was supposedly buried by Roman Christians during the persecution of the Christians by Nero. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

February…

This weekend I failed miserably at my goal to go to the outlets and to check out other markets, I did however succeed at equally, if not more awesome things so I’ll still give myself a pat on the back.
On Sabato we went to Pranzano in the Chianti region to try out Mac Dario’s the restaurant of the famous “Poet Butcher”. Can I just say it was the best burger I have had in my entire life, it was a medium rare patty of the best beef I’ve probably ever eaten and the people and atmosphere were amazing as well. All the tables are family style so you sit with other customers and it bright and really welcoming. After our delicious lunch we split up and I went with Katie to an Enoteca to try out some wine. I got a classic chianti that was made in Pranzano and it was DELICIOUS. I bought a bottle for dinner that night and my host family also gave it their stamp of approval. For the win!