You're Full of Bologna!

EDIT: The links to my two photo albums from Bologna, along with some more pictures from Siena, are listed on the left! (They're through facebook, but you don't need to have a facebook account to access them.) I'm just figuring out some more features on blogspot, so expect some more fun stuff to appear on the sidebar! :)

Ciao tutti!

This past weekend I went on my first trip since I got here! My friend Elise and I traveled to Bologna (about a 2.5 hour bus ride) and we stayed there from Friday to Sunday morning. It was a lot of fun and we got to see a lot of amazing things, but it was also really exhausting....

So the trip started out with a 7:20 am bus ride out of Siena, getting us to Bologna by around 10. We then had to take a city bus to our hostel to drop off our bags, and then we took a bus back to see the city! We walked around all afternoon and saw all the major sites (including numerous churches, towers, and porticoes - I'll get to those later), and then when we were too cold and exhausted to walk for much longer, we decided to duck into a cinema and see a British film that was dubbed into Italian... that was interesting to say the least! Then we had a nice late dinner and headed back to the hostel to get some much needed sleep.

On the second day we got out pretty early with the goal of visiting a few choice museums, including the Pinacoteca Nazionale Museo (which we could never remember the name of and so we kept mistakenly calling the Paninoteca Museo, which would have meant that we were going to see a museum of sandwiches...), the Archeological Museum, which has a lot of Etruscan Art from Bologna, and the Collezioni Comunali in the main square, Piazza Maggiore. After a long day of museum-visiting, Elise and I headed back to the hostel and ordered delivery pizza - they had mentioned it earlier, and we were desperate for food... And it was actually really good! (I don't think any pizza in Italy is bad...) and chatted with a few people staying in the hostel before going to sleep.

Ok, so that's the overview. Now here are some highlights!

- The sites: First of all, Bologna is known for its porticoes (covered walkways along all the main streets that are made of beautiful arches, often with designs or paintings - see picture above!) which came in handy when it was rainy one day... Anyway, we went straight for the Piazza Maggiore first, where the enormous (i'm talking huuuge) Duomo of Bologna is. You can see in the picture below that the lower portion of the cathedral's facade is beautifully decorated with white and pink marble, and then above a certain point it switches to an ugly brown color with no decoration... This is because, back in the 14th century when it was constructed, the Bolognese people got a little too ambitious with the decoration, and ended up running out of money by the time they got past the first level... good job, guys. But, as my Italy Guidebook insists, the fact that it's unfinished gives it character.

the Duomo of Bologna - Basilica di San Petronio

We visited a bunch of other churches, but the most interesting was a group of churches at Santo Stefano that are all connected, called the Sette Chiese ("Seven Churches", although now only four remain there). They stand in a great cobblestone courtyard, and one of the four is the oldest church in Bologna, dating from the early 11th century. Actually, while we were there the churches were housing a modern art exposition, and it was really interesting to see the juxtaposition between the old and new. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, otherwise I would show you what I mean!

- The hostel: It was really cheap and really nice! The staff was really helpful, too, which was great. We stayed in a room for 4 people, with a full room the first night and then only 3 of us the second. The other girl there on our second night was this 23-year-old Australian girl who just got signed to be a professional rugby player in the UK, and is getting her PhD in business administration... Yea, we had a very long chat one night in which we basically heard her life story, we all tried to compare feet/meters, fahrenheit/celsius, and we discussed all the other differences between the US and Australia. It was definitely an experience. And she was really nice, so it was fun.

the view of our hostel, Ostello San Sisto

- The food: Bologna is known for its delicious food, and it did not disappoint. We had pizza for dinner both nights (the restaurant we went to on the first night's was really good!) but the best meal was definitely our lunch on the second day. I got a few tips from a friend who studied abroad in Bologna for a year, and he suggested this little restaurant in the University district called Osteria dell'Orso (Restaurant of the Bear). It had a really rustic atmosphere, in which most of the tables had benches for seating, and multiple groups would eat together... Both of us got big sandwiches, and they were incredible. If anyone is considering visiting Bologna, definitely make this a stop.

- Now to the most important thing - the gelato: I had the most wonderful gelato I think I've ever had. It was at this place called Sorbetteria Castiglione, where they made home-made gelato in their own flavors. And the cool thing is that each flavor has about 3 flavors in it, and then you can get 2 different kinds so you basically end up with 6 flavors in all. For example, I got this flavor called Dolce Karin (white chocolate, hazelnut, and caramel latte) along with one called Crema Guglielmo (espresso, cream, and stracciatella). Oh my goodness, it was incredible. All that, and they made it look all fancy, yet it only cost 2 euros, which is pretty much the norm for gelato around here. And I would make another trip to Bologna just to eat this gelato, it was that good. See picture below!

yummmmm

Over all, I'd say that Bologna has more of a city feel than Siena, with its main asphalt roads, city buses, and a ton of graffiti, so it was definitely a change of pace. It was a lot of fun and I'm really glad I got to go, especially because it made me really excited for future trips!

Alright, I think that covers all the exciting points... I'll be posting a link for a bunch of pictures from Bologna in a few days, so keep an eye out for that! Until then, here are a few more from the trip to hold you over:

me with a giant head sculpture, in the courtyard of the Collezioni Comunali Museum

a typical Bologna side street, with one of the two famous towers in the background

me in front of a beautiful colonnade in a church courtyard

Ok, now I have to pack because IES is bringing us to Milano tomorrow for a group trip! We'll be there from Thursday to Saturday, so I'll be incommunicado until then... But I'll post another blog entry a little after I get back! Until then, arrivederci!

Wine, Waves, and Underground Adventures

(Update: Pictures finally added to the first post! Scroll down to see them!)

Well, I've been in Siena for over a week now, and I definitely  feel settled in. Our apartment is pretty much fully furnished now, with the new additions of dish towels, a bath mat, pots and pans, and, most importantly, food. So other than a few more decorations and pictures I have to put up, it feels pretty homey. :) I've done laundry - which is quite the experience since the machine runs for over 2 hours, and there are no dryers -  I've been washing dishes left and right, and I've gone to the grocery store three times already. Speaking of the grocery store - ours is called Conad - it is so little and hectic that it's very stressful to shop in. The store directs your shopping path in a big circle, so you end up at the cash registers by the end of your trip. But if at the end of your trip you decide you need something from the entrance area - good luck. You feel like a salmon swimming upstream, against the path of a ton of Italian salmon. Believe me, I've tried. Hectic, I tell you. Anyway, they have a great selection of food, so it's been fun to explore.  The gas in our stove wasn't on until this tuesday, otherwise I would have cooked already, but now it's been remedied and we cooked our first dinner last night! We made pesto pasta and grilled chicken - nothing too fancy, but it was delicious, and my roommate and I felt very accomplished. :)

My program, IES, gives us the same status in town as the students of the University of Siena, so we get a lot of  perks, like access to the several libraries and the two University cafeterias in town. I haven't checked out the libraries yet, but I've gone to one of the cafeterias twice now, and it's amazing. It's really good food at an excellent price. Last week I got a huge plate of two pastas, a bowl of vegetables, bread, yogurt, and soda, all for only €2.60, and last night I got a huge personal pizza (made to order), french fries, fruit, and a soda for the same price. It's a lot cheaper than any restaurant or cafe in Siena, so it's a really nice option when you don't feel like cooking (or your stove isn't working, for that matter!).

I've been trying to meet Italians, but so far have been mostly unsuccessful... But it's only been a week so far so I have plenty of time. I have met one Italian, the roommate of some of the IES guys, Guglielmo (the Italian version of William), and he's really nice and patient when I try to  practice my Italian. It's been fun to learn what  Italians do and don't say in conversation (even if it IS in our textbooks) while talking to him, and I've even been able to translate some of the other Americans' conversations into Italian for him so that he can better understand, which is fun! It makes me feel like I can actually speak Italian. :)

We're still in our "orientation period" at IES, so we've been doing a bunch of group activities in the afternoons. On Monday, for example, we went on a group trip to a winery tour and wine tasting. We're in the Chianti region of Tuscany, so we learned how Chianti Classico wine is made, how it's flavored, etc. It was a really interesting tour, and the wine tasting afterward was wonderful. They had a big spread of bread, cheese, and meat (very Italian), and we tried three different wines: a Chardonnay, which won the title of second best Chardonnay in the world last year, and was therefore delicious; a Chianti Classico, the red wine that this particular winery specializes in; and lastly what they call a "Super Tuscan" wine, which is a term that originated in the U.S. and denotes a mixture of different red grapes from all over Tuscany. [My favorite was the Chardonnay!]

here's me in front of a huuuge barrel of Chianti Classico

these barrels can cost up to 20,000 euros, but can be used for up to 30 years

On Tuesday we visited a church and museum dedicated to the contrada of Onda. Contradas are very specific to Siena, and they are areas/neighborhoods of the city with distinct borders, each given an animal or other mascot. For example, Onda's is the wave and I live in the "Istrice" contrada, which means porcupine! :) There are 17 contradas in all, and those compete in the semi-annual horse race in the city center - Il Palio. It's  a really big deal in Siena, and most of the contradas' citizens don't even talk to each other when the Palio is coming up. It's a long-running tradition here that started in the 1400s, and it honors the Republic of Siena, which fell to Florence in the 1300s. -- Ok, end of lesson! Anyway, we got to see all of the traditional Palio costumes and flags from Onda, and it was really neat because they usually don't let people that aren't part of the contrada into their church.

group picture in the Onda contrada museum! (that's me on the bottom right)

Then yesterday, the IES group had an expedition into the ancient underground aqueduct beneath Siena, called the "Bottini". It's basically a tiny tunnel, built in the 1300s, that spans the entire city and was used as a well-system. So we took a tour down there, each with a flashlight, walking single-file, ducking our heads for most of the time, and occasionally slipping on the wet floor. It was great. :) We had an Italian tour guide and our director Amanda was translating. You usually have to reserve a tour about 9 months ahead of time, but  Amanda seems to know pretty much everyone in Siena, and she tells us that she uses her so-called "Mafia Connections" to get us into all these things. :)

inside the bottini - here you can see the tiny passageways we were walking through, 

with the water flowing beneath us

Ok that's it for now. These posts are too long (sorry!) so I think I'll try to post shorter ones more often instead from now on... Oh, and this weekend I'm planning to take a trip to Bologna, since we have no classes tomorrow! So I must go plan buses and a hostel and whatnot... I hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all.

Sono in Italia? Davvero?

I can't believe I'm actually here!  Just for a recap, I flew into Rome this past Monday and traveled to the small medieval city of Siena (in the Tuscany region) on Tuesday, and will be here until May! I'm participating in the IES Siena program, which has about 30 American students in it, and I'll be taking classes at the IES Center during my time here.

Now. Down to business... Well, the only things I've really done in Siena so far are: try to become familiar with the city and my program, meet and hang out with a lot of new people, start my intensive Italian class, and eat really good food. But that description gives little justice to the fact that I'm having a really great time here! Siena is amazing - it's so beautiful in its medieval charm, and it's small enough that I can already  find my way around my area and some other parts of the city. It's also really safe compared to some other Italian cities, so rest at ease. :) The Sienese are friendly, but not many of them can speak much English so it's definitely a challenge in that area. But to be honest I really love that, even though it's difficult, because I'm already improving my conversation skills with ordering food, etc. And we just started our intensive language class, as I mentioned, and since I'm doing the advanced class that should be a challenge as well. Until the end of next week we only have our language classes, and then we'll start our other classes, so I'll fill you guys in on those once they start!

Siena. is. a. workout. It's so hilly here, so it seems like every direction is uphill! But I decided that I definitely can't complain, since I'm here after all. :) And because the food is so delicious , I suppose all the exercise is a very good thing. :) We had to go out for food for the first few days (I say that as if it's a bad thing...) because we didn't know where the supermarkets were until thursday. But now that we have a little food in the apartment, we even had a few people over to our apartment tonight for antipasti (appetizers) e vino. It was really a great time, so we'll definitely be doing that more often in the future.

Speaking of the apartment, it's  amazing! Ok, so a few things are slightly falling apart, but we can't complain: 1) we have a great location, only about 3 minutes away from the main piazza (Piazza del Campo) and on a pretty happening street, and 2) we live on the fourth and top floor of our building, and we have a private terrace on the roof! It's incredible, and the view is breathtaking. You can see most of the city, and on a clear day you can see the far off hills of Tuscany. There's also a table and chairs, an umbrella, and even two lounge chairs, so we'll surely be spending a lot of time out there once it gets a little warmer.  (See pictures below!) My roommate, Lauren, and I are super excited about it. Lauren's from Wisconsin, and she's really nice so we're getting along just fine. The other students in my program are really cool, and I've been hanging out with a lot of them, so that's been fun. :)

our terrace!

the view from our terrace :)

I have a few comments about Italian culture brewing in my mind, but I think I'll wait until my next post so that they can fully take form (plus this first post is long-ish so I won't go on for much longer).

And now for just a few important notes:

     1. Remember, it's 6 hours later in Italy than in the US on the East Coast. So when it's noon for you guys, it's 6 in the evening for me. (Apparently I've not only traveled to Europe but into the future as well...)

     2. My address: So I do live in an apartment, but the best way to send anything to me is through the IES Center, where I take classes every day. They have a mailbox for me, so I'll be sure to get it. :) Here's the address:

               Lindsay Gaskill

               c/o IES Siena

               Via A. Pannilunghi, 7

               53100 Siena (Si)

               Italy

     3. I would appreciate any and all emails, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! I'll be on skype when I'm in the apartment too, so you can find me on there to chat! :)

Alright that's it for now. I miss you all so much and I hope you're doing well!!

Buona sera!