Firenze (Florence)

Firenze, Firenze, Firenze ...

Ah, yes, Florence. It was an interesting two days to say the least at this stay! It was our last visit of Italy before heading home. We had a bit of trouble getting to our Airbnb place.

In Rome, we were blessed enough to get a ride to the train station, so to get there it went pretty smoothly. The day started out good. We were up and ready, early, and eager to get to Florence.

Although, once we got there, we had an misunderstanding with the people who were letting us stay at their apartment (via Airbnb). We had to buy bus tickets and the place was 45 minutes away (not like the 15 minutes away from Florence as stated on their website...). So there was that frustrating part, so it took a while to get there.

Once we arrived, the bus stop was not far away from the place at all, thank God. But once we got inside, they told us there was no doorknob. So there was that. The people that stayed before us broke it and didn't even bother to fix it. We felt horrible, but... our safety was a huge concern.

They told us our rooms locked, and that Impruneta (the town we were staying at) was completely safe and we shouldn't be worried. Well, we were worried. But nothing happened. We locked our things in the rooms, and nothing happened to us. They tried their best to fix the doorknob before we left, but it didn't happen.

Don't get me wrong, the couple was extremely nice and super helpful, but the circumstances just kind of stunk. 

Once we settled, we told ourselves we didn't have enough time to explore Florence that night since the last bus left Florence at 8 pm. That was so early. So we stayed in and went the next day.

We found that one day to explore Florence was enough for all of us. We saw a huge cathedral, which I can't remember the name for the life of me, and we got to visit Michelangelo's David statue. That was magnificent!

Cathedral

Michelangelo's David statue!

Also, we bought our last cones of gelato, which made me super sad. I will miss the gelato the most from Italy!

The rest of the day in Florence, we shopped and bought gifts. And then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, and then left back to Impruenta. The only thing good about staying that far away was being able to see the countryside of Florence! It's breathtaking, and the pictures don't do it justice!

Countryside of Florence

My view in the apartment we stayed at.

Leaving Italy

I will admit, my heart broke a little when we left. But I was also excited to get back home. I was homesick, admittedly, for most of my trip in Italy. Phone calls and photos made it bearable. But I made it.

All our crazy adventures opened my eyes and made me more aware that there's so much more to life than Nebraska. I knew that, and I know that, but experiencing it brings the realization to a whole new level.

There was so many things that I will take with me from Italy that I know I wouldn't have learned anywhere else.

My beloved gelato! :(

Italy was so welcoming and wonderful that I wonder if other foreign people feel the same way about America. There's so many differences between the two countries that it surprised me.

Something I learned that shocked me was that water costs in restaurants! Usually you can get free water almost anywhere in the U.S. Whether it be from Burger King to some fancy restaurant, water is mostly free when it's tap water. But in Italy, water always costs and they don't serve tap water. It's always in these fancy bottles that you would guess would carry something alcoholic. 

The street signs are also different. In the U.S., the street signs are always visible around the streetlights or are in bright green squares. Well, in Italy, they were on cement blocks plastered against the walls of the buildings. Sometimes they are hard to find and a bit confusing (we managed!). Also, they do give kisses on both sides of the cheeks when saying hello or goodbye. Sometimes just one kiss. I didn't figure out when to do when yet.

Overall, even with the cultural differences, I would not have traded my experience in Italy for anything! It was a door of opportunity that God had granted me, and I was blessed enough to walk through it.

I know I did not come back the same. And for once, I feel like this change is a good thing.

My last day at the Duomo in Milan.

Grazie, Italia!!!

Last Week in Milan

I cannot believe that our last week in Milan went by so fast! It's crazy to think that I will no longer be in Italy. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming, I can't wait to come back.

We learned a lot about fashion that week and we went around the fashion district. We went into Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Tod's, and so many others!

We had to go into groups and talk about one brand. Our group had Tod's. It was very nice, elegant, and modern. I wish I could buy a pair! At the end of the week, we did a presentation. I was so nervous for that part but I was told I did great!

During that week, we got to hang out with our tutor, Ilaria, one last time. It was so heartbreaking for all of us to say goodbye to her. She's been so helpful, welcoming, and loving that we just can't believe we had to say goodbye.

She took us to lunch to grab gelato one last time with her. It was so fun and very refreshing!

Her birthday was that Saturday, so we got her a birthday card and signed it, saying thank you and happy birthday! She really loved it and cried when she read all the messages from us!

My lovely tutor, Ilaria!

Class picture with Ilaria!

One my very last day in Milan, I went down the Navigli and the Duomo one last time. I went with a group of friends and we had Mexican food in the Navigli, and gelato in Duomo. Duomo has been my favorite place so far since coming to Milan (as I've mentioned before), so I got a bit emotional once I had to say goodbye one last time.

Rome

The day we left Milan, a group and I went to Rome. We had to run because we were late! We missed our train, but we managed to get on a faster train after we talked to an employee, so we arrived earlier than expected! We were very blessed!

It was a crazy day. We had to wait to get to our place forever, but it was so random. I'm still laughing about it.

That night, we decided to go out for a bit to the Roman Colosseum. It is gorgeous! We walked around for a bit before we headed back because it was late.

Roman Colosseum

The next day, we explored Rome a bit more. We visited The Vatican City, which we went to Saint Peter's cathedral then. It was so mesmerizing, and I felt so overwhelmed because I know that my grandmother would have loved it. We then walked 350+ stairs to reach Saint Peter's done. My soul died on the inside. But it was worth it!

St. Peter's Dome

On top of St. Peter's Dome--all of Rome!

St. Peter's Bascillica

After, we headed to the Roman Colosseum during the daytime and went inside. That was so amazing to see, and I felt the history run under my hands as I slid my hand across the walls.

The last thing we saw in Rome was the Trevi Fountain. Even though I was there for only a short time, I took it all in as long as I could. It was hypnotizing and it was a lot smaller than I imagined! But gorgeous! I tossed a coin and made a wish! Felt like I was in the Lizzie McGuire movie (haha).

Trevi Fountain

But for now, ciao e baci! (Bye and kisses)

This Is Real

I still feel like this whole trip was a daydream that I was going to wake up from soon. But after two full weeks of actually being here, it's been drilled in my head that it's real. This whole week was full of crazy adventures...

School Week & Field Trips

Last week's school week was crazy! We learned so much in so little time, except we learned something different every day instead of Italian. We learned about the connection between cinema and tourism, video games and art, and the economy.

It was really interesting learning about many different things but I have never really thought I would look at things differently until I was taught it. I have a deeper respect for video game designers, I never really thought about how movies (or TV shows, books, music, etc.) increase tourism in certain places, and I learned that professors here are more laid back!

We had several field trips that our professor, Guido Ferilli, planned. The first one was a tour around the famous fashion district in Milan, called Via Monte Napoleone. It was ... interesting to say the least.

Via Monte Napoleone, famous fashion district in Milan, Italy

I saw a lot of famous brands that I would never be able to afford (Versace, Gucci, Armani, Dior, etc.) but their window displays were a little funny to me. This could be because I am not into fashion at all (although next week that's all we are going to learn about in class!). I saw this window display for clothes for Versace and laughed, because I thought they were trying to bring back some Zenon style outfits (an old Disney Original Movie). Some things I saw were beautiful, but other things I wasn't sure why people would pay over 700 euros for.

We did go into the Armani store, which was kind of cool, but the people there would hover us like we were going to steal something. Every time we touched something, they would come up and fix it right away. It kind of bothered me, because yeah, obviously we look like tourists, but no need to be rude. 

But later on, we did go out to eat with our professor at a place called Eataly. It was very cute! The food was amazing. After talking to our professor, we learned that it's quite common for professors to hang out with their students. We compared how it is over here with our professors in the United States.

We told him how formal and professional we have to be and that it's not really common to "hang out" with professors outside of school. He said that of course students have to be respectful and formal with their professors during school hours, but it's perfectly fine to dine out with them. I think he meant as a class since we were all sitting together. He was a great professor and really fun to hang around with! He gave us a lot of tips about Italy and where to go eat, and which places to not miss out on! I will certainly miss him!

Eataly!

Something we saw on our way to Eataly.

We also had field trips at the Game Video/Art building on campus. It was pretty cool to see all the art that can come from video games!

The Game Video/Art building

In addition, we visited an art museum. It wasn't really my cup of tea, to be honest since I'm not really into modern art. I really like the Renaissance period, so that artwork is more interesting to me. Although, I do think all art is hard work and I commend all artists around the world! 

Another field trip that we took that week was with our tutor, Ilaria (who, by the way, is amazing. I'm definitely going to miss her). We went to Porta Garibaldi, which is my second place we have been to in Milan. There, you can see the vertical skyscraper (the Unicredit Tower) that Milan has built. It is not common to see vertical skyscrapers here in Milan like you would in New York City, because most of their buildings were build horizontally.

In Milan, they have a statue called the Madonnina, which is pretty much a statue of the Virgin Mary. By tradition, the Madonnina has to be on top of the highest building, because she protects everyone in the city. The statue used to be on top of the cathedral, but since the new building (the Unicredit Tower) is the highest point in Milan, so they made a replica of her on top of the Unicredit Tower.

A popular place of Porta Garibaldi

The Unicredit Tower

The Madonnina (the statue of the Virgin Mary)

We went to eat as a group with Ilaria, and afterwards she pointed out some famous people in Italy! I thought that was exciting! We practically pushed her to introduce us and she hesitated, but she did it! They were sooooo kind! Even though I had no idea who they were (hehe), I was really glad we met them. They were hilarious and extremely welcoming. Their names were Stefano Corti and Alessandro Onnis. They were going to the Italian MTV Awards in Florence that weekend (Sunday, the 19th of June) and invited us to go! They were hosting a social party for the award show. Apparently, they feature in this popular show in Italy about roommates, and they also host the Italian version of Ridiculousness (in the American version, the host is Rob Dydrek).

Group photo with Alessandro Onnis (bottom center) and Stefano Corti (top center, right above Alessandro).

Venice & Cinque Terre

This weekend, a group and I got to visit two amazing places! Venice and Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. There are 5 towns in total, and each of them have colorful houses and ancient vineyards that cling to the steep terraces.

I'll start with Venice. Oh, God, Veince stole my heart. It is quite different from Milan, but the views are beautiful! We got to ride a gondola, which is  a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat. I don't think I've ever felt so happy at that moment than I did while we rode around.

I was so nervous stepping into the boat! First of all, I'm terrified of water, but a gondola ride was on my bucket list and I wasn't going to skip an opportunity to cross it off!

Gondola rides in Venice, Italy

I was so sad when our ride came to an end...

 There were so many shops as well. I did buy a few thing, so I'm really happy about that. I think my least favorite part about Venice is how many stairs there are! It's also like a huge maze. Like very confusing and scary maze, but with a lot of beautiful places to look at whenever you meet a canal or the sea.

Me with my new hat! Okay, it's my grandpa's... but I secretly want to keep it!

Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy

The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark

For Cinque Terre, we had to take a bus three hours to the place where we got on our boat. The ride was long but well worth it! I do not regret going at all. As I've said before, I'm terrified of the water, but at the end of the day, I did not want to get off that boat!

One of the cities of Cinque Terre

The day started off a bit rocky, because we were late, tired, and the weather was awful. It was extremely cold and it even started to rain! Thank God I always come super prepared (with an umbrella and sweater), but I literally thought I was going to fly off the boat!

My hair in the crazy wind that morning!

But by the end of the day, the sun was shining, we grabbed a drink, and we enjoyed the views. The boat rides toward the end were super peaceful and I could not stop smiling at the views. I thought I could stay there forever.

One of my favorite parts of Cinque Terre!

The sun finally peeked out!

I was so jealous of Lisa's gelato...

We visited a castle while we were in Cinque Terre and the views were gorgeous. When looking at the sea, I felt like I would never see the end of the water.

The mini castle

The endless, scary sea.

And to top it all off, we even got to see a rainbow at the end of the day. What a perfect way to end an amazing, gorgeous weekend.

Rainbow!

Ciao, Italia!

Ten days.

That's how long I've been on my crazy adventure in Milano, Italia. It doesn't even feel like I've been gone for that long. I really planned on blogging every day, but I now found that impossible. Our first week has been so busy that I have been too exhausted to stay up at night to write at all.

First & Second Day

My first official day in Milan started off with hanging out with my sisters, Cleo Rogers and Jessica De La Torre. The first night we just went out to eat somewhere close to our hotel. The next day was more fun! Since Cleo had already been in Milan a few more days than us, she wanted to show us Duomo. First of all, let me just say Duomo has definitely been my favorite part of the city to visit thus far.

Me, Jessica, & Cleo (left to right)

It has the Duomo Cathedral, which I did not get to visit the inside until later on the next week. 

Duomo Cathedral

We also went to eat that day! I had spaghetti alla carbonara, and it was one of the best things I've had! I was really scared to try something new, but I thought, "Whatever, you only live once, right?" That has been my train of thought since coming here.

Spaghetti alla carbonara

We also had our first taste of gelato that night! Oh. Mama. It was the best thing I have ever tasted. I will admit, I will miss the gelato the most from Italy. Overall, the day was spent amazingly and we got to see a lot of cool things! The Duomo square is mostly busy during the early day. There are photographers that go around and try to get you to take pictures that they can print off but you have to pay. One tried to do this with Jessica and I, but we refused. He got pigeons to land on our hands to help convince us, but we just took each other pictures to get them for free! It was really cool how he just whistled and a whole bunch of birds just land on your hand or arm.

Me holding a pigeon!! Credit: Jessica De La Torre

There was a lot of entertainment and I will really miss this place.

I wonder what trick he did to float this way...

Day 3

Our third day, we arrived at the hotel that we are staying at for the rest of our stay. It's called Zumbini Hotel and we got room 210 (crazy, the same room we had back at home in our dorms!). One of the administrators from UNK showed us around that night (Michael!) since Tim hadn't arrived yet!

We went to the Navigli area, which is pretty awesome at night. It's lively and has a lot of places to eat. We did aperitivo, which to put it simply is eating whatever you want, for how many times you want, from a buffet of appetizers after you buy one drink. It's delicious.

I Navigli

Day 4

The next day, Monday, we started classes. We had two amazing professors: Massimo and Filippo. They taught us so much in such a short amount of time. I will miss them teaching us!

Class picture with Massimo (in the middle!)

Group photo with Filippo (on the bottom left)

That night, Michael showed us around one more time before he left. We went to Duomo where a few went for the first time. It was a lot of fun and we ate out together.

Statue of Leonardo Da Vinci

Roaming the Duomo area

Milan's official first skyscraper!

ESN Hosted Events 

At school that week, we got invited to two events from this group on campus called ESN. It's pretty much for foreign exchange students to help them get comfortable in Italy and have a fun time. The first night was an aperitivo night at a club called Old Fashion. It was Cuban night that night so the dancing was super fun. I had a lot of fun and was very glad I went!

My favorite part so far in the club was being under one of the roofs of the dance floor outside while it rained. The air was chilly, people were swaying, and nobody gave a care in the world. We were just dancing and having a good time, enjoying each other's companies. It was amazing. I thought, "This is the life."

Group photo with Fausto at Old Fashion (on the very left), who is one of the leaders of ESN.

They also invited us to another event they hosted, which is "Prom." They told us they try to make an American prom, but I'll just say their proms are wayyyyy better than whatever proms we try to pull off!

First Field Trip

We had our first field trip on Saturday (the 11th of June). My feet were already hurting from the night before (because of prom), so this day was kind of killer.

It was still a lot of fun, and we got to view a castle, the inside of the Duomo cathedral, and the inside of the Teatro alla Scala, which is one of the most precious theatres to Italy. It was beautiful and overwhelming to see everything. I loved every minute.

Castle

Castle

Teatro alla Scala

Close up to the Duomo

Inside of Duomo

Group photo with our tutor, Ilaria!

Our tour guide, Manuela, did teach us something that I thought was super interesting. On the Duomo cathedral, there is this statue at the front that kind of looks like the Statue of Liberty. Well, she said that the artist, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who made us the Statue of Liberty came there for inspiration. He saw that statue and that's how the Statue of Liberty came to be!

The statue that inspired Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who did the Statue of Liberty

Everyone so far has been so amazingly kind. One thing I have noticed is that they have so many dogs around here! I love that. I love dogs so much. They allow them in many hotels, restaurants, shops, and on the metro! It's kind of awesome! It's a big difference from where I live where they are so picky about where dogs are allowed.

And to top it all off, our hotel is right next to a dog park! What better way to end the day than to come back and see a whole bunch of dogs being happy??