Skeletons, Beaches, and Fresh Fish

The weeks are going by faster and faster....

It seemed like right when we got back from Firenze we hopped on the train to Sicily!

Danielle, Christine, and I took the overnight train from Rome to Sicily. We had a cabin with three beds all to ourselves.  It isso nice to take the night train because it was a 12 hour trip but we slept all through it so it felt like nothing!

We arrived in Sicily early the next morning and went right to our Hotel on the via Vittorio Emanuele, which is the main street in downtown Palermo. The city was so cool!  The island is so close to Africa so you can see the influence in the architecture, food, and even in the people.  The first thing on the list were cannoli (invented in Sicily).  We went to a caffe and ordered two and their other specialty, which is an almond cookie.  The next thing we wanted to do was go to the famous Catacombs in Palermo.  It was quite of a walk actually and when we got there they were closed for the afternoon siesta.... so we decided to try to find a lunch place.  After a few miles of wandering in a small town, passing fish market after fish market, we finally found a spot.  It was a small family run Enoteca.  We ordered a chilled bottle or rose and I ordered the seafood salad.  It felt like we were on vacation :)

On the walk to the Catacombs 

African Influence: Turban Men! 

After lunch, we went back to the catacombs.  When I think of catacombs, I think of underground tombs and you might see a few bones... but this was a completely unexpected experience.  I took five steps into the catacombs and had a mini panic attack.  Inside were rows and row of puppet-like skeletons of real people hung up on the walls, posed, and dressed.  Some still had facial expressions, skin, and hair.  I have never been so disturbed. I told Christine and Danielle that I needed to leave because I couldn't handle it.. but Christine told me to just push though it so I did.  The entire time I tried to just look forward and not directly look at anyone of the bodies.  It was kind of like watching a scary movie and only peeking out between your fingers covering your eyes.  This was a collection of people from the 1800's until the 1920's.  There was even a children's section with infants in cradles and children hung on the walls with their little dresses and bonnettes on.  Apparently the people buried there wanted to be remembered and respected by their families so they wanted to be perserved this way.  I think it may have started out as a way to respect their wishes but I think now it has turned into a puppet museum.  In my opinion, I think it is really desecrating the dead.  I couldn't get out of that place any faster.. we probably spent all of 5 minutes there.

Afterwards we were all kind of silent... we decided we needed to do something happy ASAP so we went to the port to see all of the ships and the incredible view of the Mediterranean.


Then we got a quick snack and some Cafe Cremas and then went back to the hotel to rest for a bit.  Our legs were dying from all of the walking we did that day.

We decided to do an Aperitivo for dinner that night because we wanted a cheap meal.  We went to a place right on Vittorio Emanuele and ordered bellini's and got an assortment of Sicilian specialties, which included couscous of course! It was so nice to be able to sit outside and be in warm weather!

The Cathedral of Palermo (on our walk to the Catacombs)

Santa Rosario, Patron Saint of Palermo 

The next day we woke up early and headed to the famous Mercato di Ballaro (which literally means market of yelling).  It was probably one of the best experiences I have had abroad so far. I can't even explain what it was like.. and the pictures definitely do not do it justice.  I understand the name for sure! The market was huge and had the most incredible products, octopus, sea urchins, swordfish, spices, artichokes, olives, special sicilian cheeses, desserts, and bread.  I couldn't resist the olives or the cheese so I bought some.  We also all got sicilian bread which is covered in sesame seeds.  It was fresh out of the oven and absolutely delicious!  We also got fresh strawberries and the man gave us a sample with fresh cream.  We got to taste a lot of the food at the market.  Some of the seafood was still moving! I took a video of one of the Octopi trying to escape his crate! There were also a lot of products from Africa.

Loved the Cheese Man

yummy 

We wanted as much time as possible on the beach so we headed there as soon as possible with all of our goodies from the market.  Mondello beach was spectacular.  Sicily actually has some of the top beaches in the entire world.  The sun was blazing and the water was the most beautiful shade of turquoise.  It felt like a dream with cliffs on both ends of the white sand beach.  We couldn't believe it was warm enough to lay out! For lunch we had to get seafood so I got calamari from a small hut next to the beach.  Then it started to rain so we rushed back to our hotel to take cover. On the way back we saw the Teatro Massimo from the Godfather!  

Teatro Massimo. Dad told me to watch out for Don Corleone! 

Christine and I then went to mass that night at the church directly next door to our hotel, San Giuseppe.  It was so beautiful and enormous! I was obsessed with one of the side altars because it had an unmistakable Islamic influence in its decoration.  The mixing of cultures is so interesting to me.  The priest was this little African/Italian/Islamic looking mad with long curly hair and a gotee.  He looked like someone right out of the Count of Monte Cristo, a three musketeer, or a pirate.


After mass, we looked for an authentic Sicilian meal.  We found a place right down the street which we actually saw on trip advisor so we decided to check it out! We ordered a Sicilian red wine and the gave us sesame bread (of course) and then I told the girls we should just see what they give us from the kitchen! They agreed so we orded the house specialties so we could get a true feel of what the flavors of Sicily were.  The appetizers were different types of fish prepared in different ways: fried, pickled, grilled with raisins.  The flavors were so different from Rome.  There was a good combination of sweet and salty.  The food was heavily spiced but also had things like raisins, dates, and almonds in it.  This is definitely the African influence.  I then ordered the mixed seafood risotto.  I die just thinking about it today. It came with mussels, clams, and shrimp and was prepared with a white wine butter sauce..... honestly one of my most favorite meals I have ever had.  The one turn off in the end was when I realized the clams had little eyes........  oh well, they were delicious!


We were absolutely exhausted from our long day so honestly we went right back to the hotel and passed out!! We initially went back to find a dessert place, but once we sat down in our beds, we couldn't get back up.  It was alright because we had an early train the next morning.

The next day was absolutely gorgeous and I was secretly wishing our train would be cancelled so we could have another day on the beach.. but nope, had to go back....

Let me just tell you, this was the most beautiful train ride of my life.  It went all along the coast of Italy. I can't even begin to describe what I saw! It definitely made the ten hour ride worth it.  

Ok well some of you may be wondering..... Sicily is an Island, so how did I take a train there? I wondered the same thing my self... So one the way to Sicily I woke up in the middle of the night and realized we were stopped.  I could fall back asleep so I started to play some games on my phone.  I then realized an hour went by and we were still stopped... I thought it was really bizarre but thought nothing of it and fell back asleep! On the way back we stopped again and I recognized the place! I told the girls this is where we stopped before.  All of a sudden everyone got up and started leaving the train.  I was curious to see where everyone was going so I told Danielle I would go check it out.  I followed some people out of the train and then up some stairs...... WE WERE ON A FERRY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.  Let me put it a different way: OUR TRAIN WAS INSIDE OF A BOAT. Who knew boats could carry a 9 carriage train!!!! I quickly ran down back into the train to get Danielle and we rushed back on deck.  We could not believe it! It was such a good way to break up the ride being able to sunbathe on the deck for an hour.  The trip finally made sense!

The next week's post will be up shortly! Stay tuned.... Election of Pope Francis, getting stuck in London, and being in Dublin for St. Patty's day (for 3 hours) .

Bacioni xxxx

Firenze

wow I am really sorry.. falling way behind on the blogging! A lot has happened since Milan…..

The week after Milan was midterms which was funny because we kind of forgot how to study with all this traveling and adventures ( don't' worry Mom and Dad, we buckled down and think we aced them all :) ) 

Ok so we met the accessories designer for Brandy Mellvile, which is a really cool Urban Outfitters- like place.  They have two stores in the US, LA and NYC, and then all over Europe.  He asked Danielle and I to come to the store and meet with the boss to give our opinions for the new accessories collection.  Every one of our friends is obsessed with the store here so we were really excited!! 

So we went to the Brandy on Via del Corso, which is the main shopping street in Rome, and went to the back room for our meeting.  We met the head of accessories and the head of Brandy in Rome.  They brought a huge bag into the room and dumped a bunch of handbags on the table.  They wanted us to say what we liked and didn't like about them and what we would change and then why.  It was so fun and we gave our honest opinions. Then she told us to pick out something we liked so they could make it for us! Danielle and I each grabbed a bag and then she said, "no grab everything that you like!"  We couldn't believe it… so we each grabbed three more! Then they had us go through jewelry and do the same thing! We came home with so much jewelry, six bags, and two shirts… it was unreal! Danielle and I were kind of in shock and couldn't believe all of that happened…. Apparently the bosses all really liked us and want us to continue to help and give our opinions.  They asked us to see if we wanted to go to with them to London this weekend for another meeting and it just so happens, we already were planning to go there anyways with all of our roommates! 

Friday morning we hopped on the train to Florence with our program. Right when we got there we headed over the the Academia to see Michelangelo's David.  It was so impressive! So much more beautiful and gigantic than I ever imagined!  We also saw all of his unfinished slaves which were in the hallway on the way to see the David.  On our way there we ran into my friend Jessica on the street! it was so amazing to see her!

Afterwards we had a guided tour of the city and then had lunch at Il Gato e Il Volupe. On our way there we heard someone call our names and my friend Lucie was waving out her window, which is right in front of the Duomo! It is so crazy that Florence is so small that you can run into people you know on the street! That would never happen in Rome..

After lunch, I went back to Jessica and Lucie's apartment because thats where I was staying.  We took naps and then got ready for dinner.  We were meeting my best friend Alli, who is also studying in Florence, there.  We hadn't had Mexican food in forever!! It was so good.  They are also famous for their Margheritas, so of course, we couldn't pass them up!  We all got a different flavor so we could try them all.  Afterwards, Jess and Lucie had everyone over to their apartment and it was like a Providence reunion!! It did not feel like we were in Italy at all.  

The next morning, Alli took me to her favorite bar to get cappuccini and her favorite sandwich place, Antico Noe, which is famous in florence.  Then we went back to her apartment to get all of her roommates who were hungry as well so we went to the other most famous sandwich place, Antico Vanaio.  Next we went to the Duomo to climb to the top.  Right before we went in we ran into my roommates and Christine's friends who wanted to climb as well so it was perfect!  The view from the top was stunning and It was the most perfect day because the sun was shining and it was warm out.  

The next thing I wanted to see was Santa Croce, so Alli and her roommates and I split up from the group to go to the church.  Inside are the tombs of Machiavelli, Dante, Michelangelo, and Galileo.  It was beautiful and the architecture and decorations were so much different from the churches in Rome. There was also a spectacular courtyard out side that was golden because the sun was about  to set.  

Machiavelli's Tomb 

Dante's Tomb 

Michelangelo's Tomb 

Galileo's Tomb 

I was told that one thing I could not miss was the sunset from Piazza del Michelangelo so I hurried over there to meet my roommates and we all sat and watched the sun go down over all of Florence with a bottle of wine and some cheese.  It was breathtaking and looked so unreal! 

Afterwards we had reservations at this Florentine steak restaurant called Aqua il Due.  Danielle came with me and we met Alli and her roommates.  We ordered a pasta sampler was five different pastas of the chef's choice.  We ended up getting a gorgonzola risotto, broccoli pasta, gnocchi with an onion ragu, penne all'arrabbiata, and a Bolognese sauce.  We then all ordered streaks.  They are famous for their blubbery steaks so two of the girls ordered that.  The owner came out and told us his favorites so I decided to order one of them, the steak with green pepper corns.  It was delicious and I hadn't had any type of red meat in so long so it tasted even better because of that.  I also tried the blubbery steak which was surprisingly really good! We got the dessert sampler afterwards which was the perfect amount for all of us. 

View from Jessica and Lucie's Room

The next morning, Alli took me to the Diner, which is a favorite of all the American students there.  We ordered iced coffees and I got a breakfast sandwich.  I never imagined I would be able to order something like that in Italy!! It was kind of nice to have some american food (not complaining at all about Italian food!).  Florence really felt comfortable for us.  We all almost felt like we were back in the states because they really cater to all of the American students.  Almost everyone spoke English and you could get a large coffee (which is unheard of in Roma).  It was a great place to visit but we were all excited to get back to Rome!

Alli and I strolled around all day because It was absolutely gorgeous out that day.  We went to the Ponte Vecchio and afterwards went to the leather markets so I could get a pair of gloves.  You cannot go to Florence and not come back with something leather! I bargained with the vendor and got them 25 euros cheaper than the original price! I was really proud of myself :) 

We went to mass at Santa Croce afterwards which was so beautiful.  

Then I had to catch a train back home to Rome! 

It was crazy to be able to be with so many of my best friends at one time!! I saw Alli more than I would have back in the states! I was in heaven :) 

Florence was incredible and was so beautiful but we missed our Roma... 

My next blog about this past weekend will be up shortly!!

Bacioni xxx

MFW13

Sorry I have been sooo bad with my blog! The past two weeks were absolutely crazy… I don't even now where to begin! 

Monday, Danielle and I got in from the overnight train from France.  We left our bags at the train station grabbed a cappuccino and went straight to the Scavi tour at the Vatican.  It was probably the coolest thing I have done so far in Rome.  The entire tour is underneath St. Peter's.  It used to be a city for the dead consisting of tombs; we got to experience the layers and layers underneath the main basilica.  It was super humid and and only a few people could go at a time; we also had tone vacuumed sealed before you entered the ancient city.  At the end of the tour we saw St. Peter's actual bones!!! They built the main altar directly over the spot where they found them.  It was such a crazy experience…. Sorry I have no pictures because you weren't allowed  :( 

Nothing really happened during the school week….. 

But that weekend Danielle and I took a day trip to Milano for Women's Fashion Week! Right when we got in we met our friend who lives in Milan for lunch at a mozzarella bar at the top of their famous department store, Rinascemente, which is the fanciest and biggest store I have ever been in…. Our meal was absolutely delicious. It consisted of all my favorites: artichokes, mozzarella, prosciutto, olives, tomatoes, and focaccia.  Our friend, Christian, is a model for DSquared and Caesare Paciotti, he had photo shoots in the morning, but during his break he gave us a little personal tour of his Milano.  I have never seen so many Ferraris, Porsches, and Lambourginis…. and Louis Vuitton bags. Milan is so wealthy and it was even crazier than usual because it was Fashion Week.  We walked down the main high end shopping street and saw so many Paparazzi just waiting outside of the stores.  We saw a famous Brazilian model that is apparently on a TV show in Italy that they we snapping pictures of.  Then we made our way to where all the catwalks and everything for Fashion Week was set up.  They had all of these booths where you could get your hair and makeup done by famous makeup artists and stylists.  They even had a live talk show going on.  We couldn't get tickets to go inside the shows but they had giant screens outside where you could watch them live.  Danielle and I watched a few of them. Then we had a brilliant idea… since we were watching them live we saw when they ended, so once they ended we sprinted over to the exit of the show and saw all of the models, designers, and fashionable people leaving.  We were sooo tempted to take photos but we wanted to pretend like we belonged and weren't phased by it… but we were secretly dying inside!  we have never seen such crazy fashions… one guy was wearing a kilt thing and all of the women were wearing these giant, bright, colorful fur coats.  Right before we left for Fashion Week, I looked online to see the trends…… the inspiration is Muppet fur.  Seriously. I thought it was a joke and could not imagine people actually wearing bright yellow fur coats and bags… but what do ya know, they were everywhere in Milan!

Our friend Christian said the cheapest way to eat in Milan is to go to an Apertivo.  What you do is pay 7 euros for one drink and then you get an unlimited buffet of food like pizzas, pastas, cheeses, roasted vegetables, olive, etc…. So thats what we did!  We ordered spritzes which is the typical Apertivo drink and got our plates of food! It is such a fun time to eat because the places get packed and its such good people watching.  

 

 

Christian also told us where some of the MF13 after parties were and we just had to give it a shot and try to get in… We went to Roberto Cavalli's which is right behind the famous castle of Milan.  We pretended we were models and were supposed to be there and the guy said some random name and asked if we were with him and we said yes… It worked!!! We got into the Cavalli after party and hung out with the designers and models.  It was so cool! We could not believe we actually got in…. 

The next morning we headed back to Roma… 

My Firenze blog will be up within the next couple of days!

bacioni xxx