the vitals

Tomorrow, I'll be skipping language class in favour of day-tripping back to Parma to hopefully sort out all the necessaries with my new appartment. Drop some stuff off, sign a contract, sort the deposit, meet the landlords (i padroni) and hopefully meet two lovely english girls who'll be living nearby. One at the university who's promised we'll drink cocktails, speak Italian and meet Erasmus students together, and the other at the Conservatorio with me, living not so far from my house and with whom I'll always be able to spend a rainy day reminiscing about Newcastle. If it ever rains here!

So here's my bag of vitals. Purse, map (which unfolds to a ridiculously awkward size and is not at all a one-man job), kindle, journal, camera (so I can actually take pictures of the room this time!), sunnies and anthisan... Because Italy is still warm. Gorgeously warm. But filled with mosquitoes.

So off to the land of cheese and ham I go! The last time as a tourist.

why day trips are just better

Living in Firenze is an amazing experience. More than anyone could ask for. I feel so privileged to have been able to become a real part of this City and not have to rush around and do all the sight-seeing in just a few hours. It becomes a plus and a negative however. I still feel like there is too much of this City I still am yet to see. 

I have learnt that when I see something interesting, I have to go and investigate. Because it most likely will be even better close up. I have wandered into many many churches, enjoying the cool air and silence that greets me from within - and more often than not some truly beautiful frescoes adorn the walls and the sight is spell-binding.

But being a tourist in the place you're living in is an extremely difficult thing to do. I walk around the streets and see thousands upon thousands of foreigners. No one here is Italian really. Everyone speaks English which makes being here at a language school trying to learn Italian just a little bit harder. It gets worse in the afternoon when more and more people start flooding out onto the streets and plonk themselves in the middle of the road whilst they take a photo of something and refuse to get out the way... Being English, I find faffing about instead of walking with an intention a difficult thing to comprehend - especially as I have already done all my wandering about!

So the other day I escaped.

Some friends and I took a bus up to the small ancient town of Fiesole after the usual four hours of language school in the morning. It sits on the top of a hill, from which you can see Firenze stretched out in front of you, shimmering in the distance when the weather's warm enough - which it was.

We drank wine in a tiny little trattoria at the top of the hill, watching the sunset's light grow richer and richer on the side of the church until it was dark. After a meal of Lampredotto (something to do with a cow's stomach... I'm just glad the description is in Italian so only half-comprehensible....), we happily returned by bus back to the City centre.

the start of a new chapter

Yesterday was my first ever visit to the city of Parma. This is where I'll be spending the whole of my actual erasmus year abroad after I finish at the language school in Firenze. I went there yesterday to house-hunt.

As per usual, I took a photo of everything I possibly could, but this time in black and white. After seeing my friend Ellie's post of Düsseldorf in b/w, I was inspired to create my own. It felt justified as my time spent in Parma yesterday was not as a resident but as a tourist. I was Dorothy in Kansas. When I move there officially in October, I'll be moving to Oz (and hopefully not having to witness any flying monkeys...) and spending my days drinking in the beauty and colour of the extremely sophisticated and tranquil city in the north of Italy.

Statue in Parco Ducale

 We arrived at Parma station at 10am after an extremely well-air-conditioned two hour long train journey and bought a ridiculous map which took my friend and I about ten minutes to open and close every time we wanted to look at where anything was. My first impression was of a silent town. With no people and no cars and not even much of a river; just a dried-up old thing left behind between the two halves of the City.

So we began to hunt. The first two room-viewings I had were not inspiring to say the least. One was dirty and in an extremely dubious-looking neighbourhood. The second one was the same plus the added bonus of two practically rabid and angry dogs and a cat sat on "my possible future bed" covering the questionable mattress stains... I wish I were exaggerating (okay maybe about the rabid dogs...).

We left the second viewing in silence, and walked to find the third and final. I have to admit I was not yet inspired by living in Parma. I had such a fear that I hadn't found a connection with the city, that it wasn't letting me feel welcome. The clouds and the chill in the air did not help in the slightest.

But then it all changed when we walked into the centre of the city. The clouds passed and the sun shone, and the people started appearing - nearly every single one of them on a bicycle. I found the Conservatorio Arrigo Boito - the music college which has kindly opened its doors to me for this academic year - and the place was beautiful. Though I'll save pictures of the inside of the building for another post on another day.

After a brief tour of the cloisters (yes that's right - cloisters!) and discussing things in Italian to some of the people who worked in the Office, we meandered our way back alongside the river to view the final house. It was perfect. And now I'm waiting patiently to hear back if I'll be allowed to live there or not. But my fingers have been crossed since I left that sweet little Italian apartment!

A bicycle seems to be a must in this city, so I'm thankful that my man took me on a bike ride this summer before he left for Sweden and built up my confidence a bit.

After first impressions being truly uninspiring I slowly started to fall in love with this place, even more so when I found all the people (considering how deserted anywhere outside the centre seemed) and saw that oh-so-stereotypical Italian architecture which fills every town with its own character. It was gorgeous. And I was so glad!

It's always scary starting out somewhere new, so I find it the most important thing to find its charming qualities and really appreciate them.

A unique clock tower in the centre of Parma

Dappled sunlight on the frontispieces of the shops

Now that I'm one step closer to finding a home in this city, I'm almost ready to accept offers of visits! Any takers?

one sunny sunday in siena

The Sunday just gone was spent traversing the streets of Siena. 

It took us a while to get going but we finally managed to navigate ourselves away from the station and to the actual City Centre via some complicated escalator system which takes you right up the hill.

It was such a beautiful day, as it always seems to be in Tuscany, and all the old old buildings looked so impressive against such a strong blue in the sky. It was extremely stunning.

The whole place is surprisingly different from the tourist-infested streets of Firenze; it's much calmer and all the tourists seem much less urgent in their explorations of the City.

Here are a few of my favourite moments from the wonderful day we spent there:

A gorgeous sign I saw on the way to the City Centre

First glimpse of Il Campo

Siena's passion for flags and what I think are lights in the shape of fish....

A serious pig.

I loved this so much; a display outside a shop near la Piazza del Duomo

Some amazing vintage cars taking part in the Euroclassic. And me posing like a tourist beside them.

On the way to lunch.

The floor in il Duomo.

The big lesson I've learnt in Italy is that there's always something to see on the ceiling. So lavish!

I loved this day so much, and even more so because everything reminded me of my Dad and his love of culture and art and anything beautiful; buildings, cars, paintings... So I hope one day we'll both get to go back there!

my chat with God

Today was spent climbing the many steps up to Piazzale Michelangelo and the church of San Miniato al Monte, across the Arno, the other side of the river from Firenze. It was such a beautiful day, with blue skies and sunshine right into the evening. The view was stunning - made even better by the arduous climb up the hill. It's unbelievable that you can see so much history from a distance, without even having to turn your head!

This whole view just made me love Firenze even more than I thought was possible!! The fact that I live two streets away from this beautiful building in the photo above is just amazing.

We climbed more steps 'til we reached the church which overlooked what seemed like the whole of Tuscany. I loved the Tuscan-ness of it all. We'd arrived just at the end of a wedding service, where a tiny little old Italian lady was sweeping up the rice. So cute! 

When I stepped inside, the whole church was filled with plainchant, so I sat and listened. I felt so peaceful and so calm. And I had a chat with God. And I left the church smiling.

Before we headed back down and homewards, I caught sight of a beautiful couple, newly married who looked so happy. I was glad for them that it was such an exquisite day.

the two faces of Firenze

I've been living here officially for just under a week now and feel like I've already done so much yet still managed not to be too touristy! In some respects, this is a shame. I spent the last year of University absorbing any and every tiny scrap of knowledge I could find about the Italian Renaissance in Music, learning that Florence was at the very heart of it. Everywhere I look when I'm walking around I can see all these buildings and their influences but haven't yet been brave enough to go inside... Apart from one.

Il Duomo is massive. It's so impressive and grand and breath-taking, much like every other thing in Firenze. When I went inside, it was the first time I'd been able to be completely on my own since arriving so I savoured the hushed atmosphere and just sat and admired this amazing building. It reminded  me a little bit of being back at University as I slowly started to remember everything we'd been told about the importance of this Dome, and made me then remember the real purpose of my visit to Firenze; to improve my Italian to learn music. So it's now a must that if I have company or not I have to go inside every building, instead of just some. I really do want to see as much of the City as I can. I'm here for a month and I want to savour it all.

Accompanying all this grandeur and rich history, there is certainly a quirky side to Firenze perhaps slightly lesser known, but as I've been walking round the city these past few days, trying to take as much in as my eyes and my very excited brain can handle, I've spotted some extremely strange sights...

I love these strange little moments I spot even more than the stunning architecture. It's what gives this city so much personality, and makes it seem real.

mia madre

After a long skype to my mum tonight, during which she asked me why she had not yet been mentioned in my blog, I decided to post about her. The past year was sometimes very difficult for me for many many reasons, but throughout all of it I always had my mum close at hand (if not in person, certainly via some form of electronic communication!). This month away at language school will be no different thanks to the wonders of technology, and what makes this month even more special is that my Mum did the same thing in Austria around thirty years before. Although many things have probably changed since then, and I'm not learning the same language as her, it's interesting hearing the similarities and differences between the two. I also know that if my mother made it out alive the other side, then so can I!

Of course, I never hear her speak much German, but the little I do know has mostly come from her reminiscing about her time spent abroad. I may get my love of history and culture from my Father but I have my mother to thank for my love of languages. Together they seem to have fashioned me into some kind of culture-sucking machine, always keen to try new things and always keen to try out a new sentence or talk to someone new.

It's not directly due to my mother that I find myself here in Firenze this September but it is so comforting to have someone so closely-related to me and with whom I spent many a car journey regaling - with plans of this and that, of future dreams and up-coming events - who can sort-of-directly relate.

Here is my mummy and me, separated by an hours' time difference an several countries (depending on which way you travel), but ever remaining the same.

Lots of love to Mother, who I hope will be happy now that she's been mentioned in a blog..!!

fuori della finestra

I woke up at 7 o'clock this morning after having drunk a fair amount of red wine last night ("if we get you drunk, will you sing to us?") feeling a little worse for wear and still getting used to sleeping under a single sheet, walked to my kitchen and happened upon this marvellous view from the window in the corridor. It immediately took away my grumpiness and made me really appreciate how lucky I am to be here, right in the middle of Florence with such amazingly Italian sights everywhere you look. 

la bella cittá

I simply cannot believe that this one full day I've spent here has felt like about three. I arrived yesterday morning at Pisa airport at 9am sharp, collected my bags in under twenty minutes and found myself a coach to Firenze which left at 10:20. I felt so grown up, sat on this coach without any air-conditioning, not taking a picture of the girl asleep next to me whose chin appeared to be swallowing her own face and not even laughing about it...!!

As I hoiked my enormous 'hand luggage' onto my back and wheeled my suitcase away from the coach, I started off in what I'd thought, from googlemapping, was the correct direction and confidently walked that way for five or ten minutes until I realised I was lost... very lost. I went back the way I came and, not wanting to appear touristy (as if the bags weren't clues enough), I peripherally read the map beside me, found myself and started off again. 

Next hurdle: standing outside the flat, I searched for the name of my landlord which was definitely not there... I rang him up. I don't speak Italian (hence the language course) so was not prepared for the awkward interchange, which I gather now translates as something like:

"Are you in via del melarancio?"

"I am sorry. I don't understand. I am in via del melarancio"

"So you are in via del melarancio?"

"I don't understand. I think I am here, in via del melarancio"

The conversation above, all in Italian and all over the phone was extremely frustrating. All I could understand was the road I was supposed to be on and not much more. It really highlighted the need for a language course before I begin proper studies...

Once inside, we discovered we both spoke French so I dusted off my A-level French and got by quite nicely. He told me that the other two would be arriving later, so I set off to explore the City.

I didn't stray too far, having  already got lost earlier, but I found my way to Il Duomo. And that first glimpse you catch of it is absolutely breath-taking: the first thing to make me truly smile since my arrival and despite only two or three hours' sleep caught here and there.

The other two girls arrived later that day, one in time for us to explore the City together and the other just in time for bed. One's German and one's French so we all speak in English. Very helpful...!!

Monday, the first day of the language course was spent taking a comprehension test (somehow, probably thanks to singing so much in Italian, I have managed not to be put in the very beginners' group) and being shown the sights of Firenze by someone who does know their way around. I cannot believe how much history this place is saturated with!

I look forward to my first real day of language-learning tomorrow, and to uncovering more of this city's delights.

there's no place like home

In less than six hours my adventure begins. As excited as I am, I've tried to spend as much time as possible making beautiful memories of my family and my home and my last full month in England for a while. This means putting my feet up and having my Dad cook me any yummy meal I request (lucky lucky), playing horrendously long games of monopoly, out-walking my dog as we traverse the South Downs, perusing shops in my home town, lunches and drinking with friends and short trips to the seaside.

If anything, as well as having had a great time with some truly great people, it's taken my mind off any worries I've been having!

Beating the younger brother at Monopoly

The Father's home-cooked curry. Delishhhh!!

The neatest packing I have ever done (there's even some folding!)

Gorgeous little sister choosing educational books again...

My lovely big sister. Learning life's lessons.

My beautiful dog Merlin.

And now, with relatively little left to pack, all that's left to do is partake in the last supper, squeeze the rest into the suitcase (fingers crossed the whole time that I won't have to do a swap-around when at the check-in desk!!), have a pitifully short sleep then be driven down to Gatwick at two in the morning by my brother and my Dad and begin ADVENTURES!!