The 5th Busy and Beautiful Weekend in Cinque Terre, Pisa and Lucca

It is amazing how fast time has flown by! We have only three weeks left and that feels weird, but we are loving our time here in Italy. We have done so much and still have so much to do. We had had so much fun and have enjoyed spending this time in Italy together as husband and wife. This week was probably our most busy week and weekend so far. On Wednesday we went out to dinner with a bunch of our friends in the Oca (Goose) contrada.They won the last Palio on July 2nd. It was really fun to enjoy getting to know and hanging out with Italians. We ate a lot of food, and were able to tour the trophies that the Oca Contrada won during different Palios. It was a really neat experience.

The street lights in the Oca Contrada

Then came our weekend trip...and a bit of a fiasco with travel plans. We were planning on getting out to Cinque Terre (on the Italian Riviera) on Friday night but our trip was postponed due to a national train strike...we are in Italy afterall. So thankfully Matt speaks Italian and was able to call the place we were staying and get our reservation changed to Saturday. That morning we went out to Cinque Terre. We were both so excited to go hiking and explore the coastline. We then decided on Sunday on our way home to stop in Pisa and Luca.

The View from our Room in Riomaggiore

We took the train from Siena to Cinque Terre. We stayed in a cute little apartment in Riomaggiore. It was a very cute little town with only a few restaurants, shops and is the farthest south of the five cities. When we arrived we quickly unpacked out workout clothes and set out to hike the trains in between all of the five cities. We took the train to the northern most city called Montorosso and began hiking from town to town working our way south back to Riomaggiore. We decided to do this because we would do the hardest hikes when our legs were the most rested. The first hike took us from Montorosso to Vernazza. Montorosso is the biggest city and has the biggest beach. It is beautiful but a little more overwhelming than the other cities.Vernazza was probably our favorite city. It was beautiful and small. It had a quaint beach. From Vernazza  we hiked through grape vineyards and olive groves perched on the steep hillside to Corniglia, which is the smallest town. It had only one gelato shop. The best part of Corniglia was the amazing honey gelato. They are known for having amazing honey and their gelato made of honey is very good. The hike from Corniglia to Manarola was closed because there was a landslide. We took the train from Corniglia to Manarola and then walked from Manarola to Riomaggiore. That short walk is known as the Via Dell'Amore (the street of love). It was filled with love notes and locks on which couples had written their names and then locked them on the fence. The hikes were great. They were gorgeous! The coastline reminded us a bit of Kauai...just more Italianized. It was so much fun to explore each cute city together and to have time to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the great hikes. When we got back to Riomaggiore that night we went and got dinner right away (we were hungry after a day of hiking). Matt got a clam and pesto pasta, and the noodles were made from chestnut flower. It was a local dish and very good! I had a baked fish which was also amazing! It was a very busy day and we had a ton of fun. 

 The next day when we woke up we spent the morning in Cinque Terre on the beach and then headed off to Pisa by 11. We only stopped for a short while in Pisa because we had heard from many sources that the only thing worth seeing is the tower the duomo and the baptistery. They were all really pretty but it was definitely not the nicest city we had been to so far in Italy. 

After we went to Pisa we went to Lucca and it was beautiful. Lucca is located in Tuscany. It is known for its massive walls that encircle the city and you can see why. There are beautiful walls that that have parks and trails all along the top of them.  Many people run, ride bikes, and walk around the top of the walls. There are parks and trees located randomly throughout the walls. Walking around the walls was really a fun experience. Lucca also had some beautiful Catholic churches. It was so much fun. We also found a yummy sandwich place that I loved...and we went back twice because the sandwiches were just so good! Our favorite was the soft goat cheese and sundried tomato sandwich. They were delicious. Lucca was a beautiful city and certainly worth the afternoon that we spent in it.

It was a very busy weekend and we saw a lot. It was a lot of fun. It felt like a very nice vacation in a very beautiful place! We are excited to go down to Sicily this next weekend (well really the weekend and a few days around it too) where Matt served his mission. Until the next post!

What we are doing here in Italy ...

Eight weeks in Italy may not seem like much but it is our entire summer and do not worry we are keeping ourselves busy. We are not just traveling throughout Italy all though that is part of the fun. We are also keeping busy with Matt working at his internship and me learning Italian.

My cute husband working in the law office!

One of his days in court!

During the weekdays Matt is interning at a law office learning the ins and outs of Italian law. He is loving it. Every day he comes back and tells me something new he learned and compared it to his job at working in an American law firm. I am so proud of him and am happy that he loves what he is doing.

For me during the week I am learning Italian and trying to learn more about Italian culture. It is an interesting adventure but I am really enjoying myself. I take 4 hours of class a day, and then walk around the city listening to what I can pick up on, or try to communicate with people in shops until I meet up with Matt about an hour later. The language is coming slowly but surely. I even downloaded study helps onto my ipad to help me study.

I am learning more about the culture which I am really enjoying. Italian culture is different depending on the region that you live in. The north is more westernized and similar to America there are still differences. Here are some of the differences I love ...

1.  I love that lunch is their bigger meal of their day.
2.  I love the importance of family and friends in their life.
3.  I love how at night in the summer cities come alive with people walking around with their families.
4.  I love how sweets in Italy are not as fatty as our sweets. 
5. I love how they use olive oil instead of  butter. 
6. I love the beauty of the cities. 
7. I love the architecture and how old they are
8. I love how people dress up when they go out doing the day. They believe in looking good all the time. 
9. I love that families stay in the same cities for their entire life and so do their kids. They have very tight family relationships. 
10. I love how people walk everywhere. 

Half way Point and Florence again!

This week we hit the half way point if being here which is bittersweet. I feel like I am finally becoming more adapted to Italian culture and understanding the language. I can go to a resturaunt and order in Italian. I can also understand what is going on in Church with out Matt having to translate for me. I can also write paragraphs in Italian. These things are giving me more confidence in my Italian language ability and helping me love the culture even more. I also feel very grateful to have Matt here helping me every step of the way.

This past week was another great weekend. We stayed in Sienna on Friday and Sunday and explored around the city. On Saturday we  went to Florence again to go shopping.

The Entertainer of the Evening

A honey, fruit, and cheese plate

Us at Gallo Nero

On Friday night we decided to have date night and go out to this authentic siennesse restaurant called Gallo Nero (meaning black rooster). It was very yummy and they had a midevil show going on. Matt and I loved it. The food was lovely and so was the atmosphere. We ate in a former aqueduct used in 1200. It was very cozy and fun.

Outside of the Ferragamo Museum

The Florence Court House where Matt Spends Some of his Days

The Florence Duomo and  Baptistery

The Shop at Ponte Vecchio where Matt got my Earings

On Saturday we took another day trip to Florence. It was so much fun. We went with a group from BYU also doing internships in Sienna. We went to the big shops such as Zara and H&M. Where Matt and I were not very successful. We also went to Ponte Vecchio again so Matt could show me where he got my earrings for our one year anniversary. The lady was really nice and remembered Matt so we were able to talk to her for a bit. After Ponte Vecchio we went to the leather market with everyone. We shopped around where Matt bought more ties, and I bought a beautiful leather purse.

After the leather market everyone else went home except for Matt and I We stayed in Florence a little bit longer to explore. We had so much fun. Matt's Mom had emailed me about the Salvatore Ferragamo museum and I could not wait to go. I was bugging Matt about it all day and he agreed to go with me. I loved the museum. It had shoes dating back to the 1920's that I still would wear today. They had shoes made our of gold, and showed how he got his inspiration. If you ever go to Florence and have time to kill I would highly recommend going to the Ferragamo museum. After the Museum we headed over to the Florence Baptistery which was beautiful. The ceiling was little tiny gold mosaics. It was incredible. We spent a good ten fifteen minutes just staring at the ceiling (and so was everyone else). After the baptistery Matt took me to the courthouse to show me where he went to work some days. It was neat to see where he goes to court in Florence. It was such a fun trip. I am loving these adventures with Matt and our friends.

Rolling Tuscan Hills

On Sunday we took it easy. We went to Church in the morning came home and took a nap and then went out to where the girls from BYU are living. They are out in the beautiful country side of Tuscany. It was so fun to walk around and see the rolling Tuscan hills. After our afternoon walk we went home and made dinner. We had the missionaries over for dinner, which is always fun. We are loving Italy and cannot seem to get enough. 

Bari Italy 2011

We went to Bari Italy last weekend. It was so fun and beautiful. It was the perfect vacation. We spent four days in Bari staying with some our friends. We were able to relax, shop, and enjoy the Italian culture. When we first got to Bari it was early in the morning and our friend came early to pick us up. She had already planned for us to go to the beach and began making eggplant parmigiana (Matt's favorite). We went to the beach for most of the day and relaxed while getting some sun. We laughed talked and swam in the Mediterranean sea. After the beach we went to this little town that was built in about 2000 BC. It was really beautiful and neat. After that we went home took a shower and walked around the Bari boardwalk.

A four story United Colors of Benetton!

The second day we were in Bari we woke up, got ready for the day and went shopping. I was so excited because I heard that Bari had great shopping. I heard right. When we walked down the street there was a huge Louis Voutton store that you had to ring a door bell to get into. There were several stores, all having their July/August sales. One of my favorites was the United Colors of Benetton (its like a mix between H&M and Zara). We also went to a six story Zara which was my favorite. Matt and I both had a very successful day shopping. After shopping in the morning we went to the Mother's house of the lady we were staying with. She made us a very yummy lunch complete with spaghetti and muscles, octopus, delicious mozzarella and fresh fruit. It was so yummy and really fun. It helped me learn the language to be able to hear it so much and speak more. That night we went out to a little town about thirty minutes away from Bari. It was so beautiful. The churches were made of beautiful white marble, it had a beautiful garden to walk through. It was fun to walk around and enjoy the beautiful city.

Bari Coast on the Mediterranean Sea

Best Focaccia Ever!

The second day we walked around Bari. We went shopping agian (of course). We went and ate focaaccia and mozzarella. The best I have ever had. We also were able to go to St. Nicks grave and church. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Bari. The Church was beautiful. It had beautiful paintings on the ceiling. We were able to go down and see St. Nicks tomb. It was a really neat experience. Although I am not Catholic the Churches are very beautiful and is such an important part of Italian culture.  After we went to the church we walked back and then went to the beach in Bari where we had a yummy dinner and walked around.

Beautiful view in Trani

On Sunday we went to Church in Bari. I love being able to go to Church while I travel. It is so nice to know that even if I am on the other side of the world I can still enjoy going to Church and it exactly the same just in a different language. Everyone at Church was so nice and kind to us. After church a lot of the members in the ward had lunch for all of us. It was so delicious and fun. We talked and enjoyed everyone's company. After church we went back pack and then had our bus ride back up to Sienna. It was such a fun trip and I really wish we could go back.

Us in Tranni

Beautiful Bari Night

The Palio - Siena

Piazza del Campo was very very full the day of the Palio!

 We have been in Italy for yet another week and it has flown by. We have been enjoying it and have been keeping busy. This weekend we stayed in Siena. We both love Siena. It has it's own special charm. The people here are very proud of their city. It is almost always voted the prettiest city in Italy and it is easy to see why. The streets are cleaned multiple times a day, it rests on a hill surrounded by a large wall.It over looks the rolling hills of tuscany that are golden and green.We actually have a nice view of all of that beauty from our apartment. Oh, and we have turtle friends that live in the garden that surrounds our apartment!

The Tortise Contrada's mascot

Saturday was the Palio...AND our 1 year anniversary! It was a great way to celebrate our special day (even though it feels like the past year has flown by). The Palio is a midevil bareback horse race that happens twice a year in siena. It is life here in Siena. People say that soccer is their passion, but the Palio and their contrada (or the quarter of the city that they live in) is their life. Each region has a mascot, color schemes, a jockey, and a horse. The week of the Palio is huge here. At the beginning of the week the entire town gets transformed into a parade of colors, contrada flags, and cool street lights for each contrada. Everyone in the city wears a bandana around their necks from their contrada and singing the contrada's song happens often. We chose the Tortise contrada because the colors match our wedding colors and because that is the contrada in which the Dante Alighieri School is in. On Wednesday they have a lottery to see which team gets which horse. On Thursday they have a practice run, on Friday, they have another practice run and on Saturday it's the Palio. 

Saturday they bless the horses in the individual churches and the regions all dressed up and sing their own song. They arrive to the piazza (where the race happens) no less than 3 hours before the race to parade their colors and their horses. This was the only time that we have ever seen Italians not only be on time but early. We got to the piazza at 4:50 because they close off most of the entrances at 5, but the policeman said they had already closed the streets! So we packed in with thousands of other people to get into the piazza through the last remaining entrance. We met up with all of our friends in the piazza and enjoyed the following 3 hours of parading before the race.  There is then a flag parade where each contrada marches and they display the prize (A huge tapestry). At around 7:45 the horses come out to begin the race. They name off the order they are lined up in. The race begins and it is a whirlwind. The horses run so fast and the jockeys are falling off. They do three laps in a little over a minute the race is done. After that minute it is filled with so much emotion. Some are happy, some sad, but most excited still feeling the adrenaline from the race. After the race they go to the church to give the prize, bring the horse, and the jockey.the winning contrada sing and dance their way to the church hugging and kissing everyone. They line up to kiss the horse.We had perfect timing because we were able to be some of the first ones to get to the church so we got to see it all! There were many people crying out of happiness that their contrada won (I told you they consider the Palio to be their life). Then the rest of the night everyone was parading and singing and celebrating the victory. Definitely a day to remember!!

Favorite moment of celebration for the Goose Contrada which won the race

The day of the Palio happened to fall on our one year anniversary. It was the perfect day though. We made a yummy breakfast and lunch, we relaxed, we traded presents, and then we went to the Palio and had dinner at a nice pizzeria by our house with friends. It was the best anniversary. I loved my present which was a beautiful pair if gold earrings from ponte vecchio (in Florence). It was so fun. I feel so blessed ton have such a wonderful husband and to be here. He made this all happen.