Assisi

From March 2009:


Assisi was amazing!!!!!!!! If you can get away from the swarms of tourists who flood the this town that has only eight hundred residents!!! There are tiny little streets everywhere and you feel like you stepped back in time.
The town is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. Literally, every souvenir had St. Francis on it. We went on a walking guided tour (Rick Steves of Course) and started off by going into St. Francis’ basilica. . The whole church was floor to ceiling frescoes depicting his life. I saw a few frescoes that I studied in my classes! We were able to go downstairs (in the basement? I'm not sure if that's the proper term..) and see the remains of St Francis. It was eery down there, with a priest in the corner constantly praying over St Francis.
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After St. Francis basilica we walked through the town and arrived at the Santa Chiara basilica. This basilica was beautiful as well. I would definitely recommend walking downstairs and seeing her tomb. However, I must warn you, they place a wax figure of her remains over her actual remains, so I thought I was actually looking at the real St Claire!!!
After the tour my friends and I decided that we should climb to the top of Assisi were there was a monastery because we thought the view would be amazing. It was completely worth it! 30 minutes climbing!!!!We did reach the top and views were incredible!!!

A very belated entry

I have fallen so behind on this blog I have decided to do a {very} quick re-cap of what I’ve done these past few weeks, and you can look to my pictures for more.

I’ve gone to Barcelona, Assisi, Cortona, Rome, and Spoleto. All were wonderful, with the exception of Cortona, which frankly, I found quite boring. Anywho, that’s what I’ve seen and done. I was able to see Saint Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel, which to describe here would just be an insult to how amazing they truly are. I’ve realized a lot of things here are indescribable. I’ve recognized a lot of things can’t be shown through pictures and you really just have to ‘be there’, ya know?

This weekend I’ll be going to Venice with Ashley, John, and Lupi. We’ll be meeting Jaime and Jenna there too! We’re going for ‘Carnivale’, which I know absolutely nothing about, but it’s supposed to be something like the Mardi Gras of Italy. We’re staying in a guest house a bed and breakfast. It should be interesting and very, very ridiculous.

School is going well. Jenna and I had to teach a class on the Old and New Italian Constitutions. It went just fine, but we both realized how difficult it is to be a teacher. Our professor, Peter Fischer, is a German guy who gets so excited about what he’s teaching it’s contagious. We talked to him after class about how hard it must be to stand up there everyday and see people zoning out and not even caring what comes out of your mouth. His answer was actually heartbreaking. He told us “It kills me every single time”. Needless to say, Jenna and I have become even more enthusiastic participants. It’s not hard though, it’s all about the politics of Italy, which are both fascinating and extremely confusing.

Other exciting news, Mischa and Nora are here in one week and two days!!!!!!!! It’s weird. I’m not homesick at all (sorry Mom and Dad), but I am homesick for people. I want to see Mom and Dad and even Bailey (though I don’t know why J ). I want to see all of my Boston friends and Matt. I love it here and love being here, but the people are a little hard to deal with. I don’t know what it is. Our school is maybe a hundred or American students. That’s it. All people do is talk and gossip. It gets a little tiring after awhile, especially since I really don’t care to hear much of it.
Perugia itself is amazing. It’s kind of the perfect blend of everything. I’m used to living in a city and didn’t want that coming here. It’s small and manageable, but still big enough that there is a lot to do at night. When I come home from trips, Perugia is actually starting to feel like home. It’s going to be so weird to leave here and realize I won’t be coming back!!!

Spain- Where it always rains.

This past weekend we decided to go to Barcelona on a whim. It's pretty cool that you can do that here. We flew RyanAir, which was great, except it flies out of obscure airports and makes everything a bit more complicated. We ended up having to take alot of extra shuttles and buses, but no complaining here.

Me, Ash, Jenna, and Jamie all got up at 5 am on Friday to get to Rome. The flight to Spain took no more than an hour and a half, which was pretty cool.

We decided to spend the first day just walking around and getting ourselves acclimated. We walked down "La Rambla" which is probably the most famous street. It means 'built over water' because the street actually has a river running under it. (My only goal in Spain was to see "La Sagrada Familia" by Antoni Gaudi. I have seen tons of pictures of it and heard alot about it.)

A Quick Catch-up

Last week flew by here. Unfortunately, because I had a DOUBLE eye infection, I didn’t go out the first half of the week. It was nice to just rest and watch some movies and relax. I caught up on some reading for classes, which was also very convenient.

Classes here are great. I don’t write about school much because there isn’t really anything different. Our school is American, so all of our teachers speak English and all of my classmates are American. I’m taking four classes; The History and Politics of Modern Italy, Italian, Art History: Michelangelo, and the Economics and Politics of the European Union. And in case anyone was wondering, they are not easy and I actually do have to study!

The two politics classes I’m taking are interesting because it’s cool to hear about the United States from a different perspective. I feel like the US is pretty self-deprecating when it comes to our history. We have been studying WWII and how it affected the development of the European Union. My professors keep stressing that the United States was loved by Europe. They were considered huge saviors and the reason the war was won. I feel like back home, we were taught to question our involvement and to be critical of our late entry into the war. Then again, I go to a pretty liberal school in Massachusetts, so our professors question the government a lot!

I am really enjoying taking an Art History course. We have two class trips, one to Rome and one to Florence. We’ll be seeing Michelangelo’s famous stuff; La Pieta, David, the Sistine Chapel, etc. Our professor is great and you can tell she absolutely loves what she’s talking about.

Back to my week. The rest of my week flew by. We decided to go to Spain for the weekend, and finally choose to go to Barcelona. Planning that trip was pretty easy, and it was very, very cool. (More about that later)

Thursday night we had a big potluck dinner. Lupi came over to use our stove, and he made homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes. Ashley and I made a chicken dish (chicken, mushrooms, peppers, onions). We brought everything to Lupi’s apartment, where there were about 15 of us overall. It was really good!!! It’s nice to sometimes not eat Italian food, and the stuffing and mashed potatoes were a nice change.

We had to get up at 5:30 on Friday morning to get to Barcelona, and it was crazy getting there, but more about that in another post. I have to go to class!

The Best Meal of my Life-and more Florence

All of my Florence pictures are at: http://www.piccirilloinperugia.shutterfly.com/

Besides the amazing Duomo, we were able to see a lot of the major attractions in Florence. The Ponte Vecchio (the famous bridge over the river) was so exciting to see! As corny as it sounds, seeing all of these things on TV pales in comparison to actually being there. Our Florence group (there were quite a few of us) wandered around the city and just looked at all of the buildings and statues.

One of us, Jenna, had been to Florence before, and remembered eating at a great restaurant not far from the Ponte Vecchio. We were somehow able to find it! Me, Ashley, Jamie, John, Jenna, and Brittany all went to a 9:15 dinner at Ristorante Dell Buca’Orafo (I’m pretty sure I butchered that spelling). First of all, it’s really off the beaten path and wouldn’t give it a second look if you didn’t know any better. There are maybe ten tables inside, and we were the only non-Italians, which was a good sign!

For our primi, we got gnocchi again,which is becoming pretty typical, and a spaghetti artichoke dish. To say this may have been the best food I ever tasted wouldn’t even be a little bit of an exagerration. For our secondi (meat dish) we all got a rosemary beef with pecorino cheese. The beef was done very rare, drizzled with a very basic rosemary oil sauce, and topped with shaved pecorino. It sounds so basic, but it couldn’t have been better. Finally, we got a huge tiramisu for the table, which was, in case you didn’t guess, amazing!!!

What I haven’t mentioned quite yet is the atmosphere we were dining in. We were surrounded by what must have been regulars to this restaurant. They knew the waiters and chef and were very loud! Once all of us Americans finished dinner, we got a little tap on our shoulders. (In Italian) They asked us if they could smoke. We didn’t know who ‘they’ were, but of course we said yes. All of a sudden,every single person besides us was smoking in this restaurant. It was as if they all had a ciggarette in their hand under the table and were waiting for the moment we finished dinner. It was actually a really courteous gesture, and it was so funny to watch! The minute people started smoking the waiters turned on some music and everyone started drinking wine and sambuca and whatever alcohol you can drink after dessert!!! The Italian men were all loosening their ties and getting louder and louder.

We look to our right and see the Italians to our right dancing all over the place! They danced with the chef and the waiters and just didn’t care who watched. This went on for an hour, and they made us dance with them for awhile!!! (A little sidebar-After a little we realized our friend Jenna was missing and we found her with the owner of the restaurant torching crème brulee in the kitchen). Oh, and did I forget to mention that the Italians made US dance on tables with them? A Joe Biden Italian look alike (no joke) made me speak Italian and then twirled me. It was the funniest night, and all of us couldn’t stop talking about it and still really can’t. I hate to say it, but it’s definitely one of those things that you have to see to appreciate! I’ll remember that meal forever though.

After our dinner, which didn’t end until past midnight, we all headed back to sleep! The next day we woke up, grabbed some pastry, and had breakfast on the Duomo steps, which was an experience in itself. From there, we wandered around to shop. I purchased my first pair of Italian leather boots, which Ashley and Jenna BOTH bought too! (What can we say, they were really cute!!!) There are tons of street markets in Florence, and you can find some really great stuff.

I have so much more stuff to write. I’m way behind!!!! I’ll put up some more posts later. I just got back from Spain and I have alot to say.

Love everyone!

I'm so behind!

Hi everyone!!!!

I'm very very behind on all of my posts. I'll be putting them up tonight. Until then, I'm absolutely loving Italy, but missing everyone very much.

Love,
Megan

Best Weekend Ever-Florence!

Buon Giorno,

Its 11 am in Perugia. I have just finished my first Italian test (which wasn't bad, by the way). Right now we're looking into traveling this weekend. Alot of places have been thrown around; Madrid, Paris, Milan. We'll see!

Last night a huge group of us went to "Loop Cafe" to support our friend, Lupi, whose a magician here. He is a real, live magician! I had to go up in front of everyone and help him with a trick because Ashley called me out in front of the whole crowd. I think it went really well!

Recently, I've been pretty sick here. I have a double eye infection and a cold to top it all off. I had to go to an Italian hospital yesterday to get my eyes checked. Being a foreigner in a hospital is probably the most confusing thing ever. I ended up walking into the operating room area, which I thought was the eye exam area. Nice work. My doctor was really nice and I'm feeling MUCH better, so no worries!

This weekend a big group of us traveled to Florence. It wouldn't be an understatement to tell you that is was one of the best weekends of my life. Right before we got on our train from Perugia to Florence, we were able to get McDonalds, which tasted just like home!!! The McDonalds here are much, much nicer and they even sell beer and fancy pastry. After a really nice train ride (you pass through lakes and half of Tuscany), we arrived!

One of the first things I saw in Florence was the Duomo, the famous cathedral there. It was amazing. After getting situated in our hostel, we were able to go explore the Duomo some more. (And, in case you were wondering, hostels really aren't that bad. We had our own private room so it was kind of just like a really basic hotel.) We stood in front of the Duomo for a long while, taking pictures of all of the tiny little details. They have statues everywhere and the doors themselves have all of these intricate carvings on them. There are frescoes painted over the doors. If you check out my photo page, you'll see one of my favorite ones, which is of the Last Supper, over the doors of the Duomo.

Once inside you are completely overwhelmed. The ceilings are SO high and there are paintings everywhere. You don't know where to look. Everyone goes completely silent. The actual cupola (the big dome) is completely covered in one massive fresco. Six of us decided to make the climb up to the cupola to see the frescoes up close. I've never realized how big my fear of heights was until I did that climb. You are able to walk around a little three feet wide path hundreds of feet above the ground. If you can get over that, you can see every little brush stroke the artist made.

If you're even more adventurous, you can climb EVEN HIGHER to go onto the top of the Duomo. The stairs are so narrow and dark and very steep. The fact that I didn't fall was complete luck. Ever dozen or so stairs there is a little whole cut out of the side of the wall, and you can see outside and how high you've climbed. I was pretty nauseous when I got to the top!!!

While I didn't get too close to the edge, the top of the Duomo was so exciting. You can see all around Florence, and into the hills around Tuscany.

Second Post!!!!!!

Ciao from Perugia!

I have officially been here for ten days, which is incredible. I have already seen and learned so much. Every day here gets better. Since I last wrote, I have had two home cooked Italian meals and both were absolutely incredible. I’ve learned a little more Italian, and I am finally getting the hang of “Italian time”.

First and foremost (an in my opinion, most important), the food!!! Last Friday a huge group of us went out to dinner at “La Dia Bocco”. It’s a price-fixed five course meal, and it’s conveniently located right near my new apartment. The only catch is you eat what the family is cooking for that day. There are no special orders, and everything is served family style. We started the meal with three different kinds of bruschetta: zuccini, sun-dried tomato, and carmelized onion. The bruschetta here is on foccacia and is not just chopped tomatoes and herbs on bread like at home. After that, we had a pasta course, which consisted of homemade gnocchi and tagliatelle. Absolutely delicious! Salad comes AFTER pasta here. It was your average salad, except they toss in some breadcrumbs. This was followed by the meat course, which was sliced pork, lemon rosemary chicken, and some kind of smoked beef on the bone. It was incredible. Finally, for dessert, we had a chocolate chip amaretti cake with a custard middle! The whole meal included a really good red wine (which I don’t even normally like). At the end, you are given a tiny little glass of very sweet wine, which is a digestive here. It comes in a shot glass, and some of the people I was with didn’t know what to do and drank it just like a shot. Luckily, I was able to glance around the room and saw lots of Italians slowly sipping it!!!!

Ashley and I moved into our new apartment on Thursday. It’s so nice. We have two floors and each have our own bedrooms. We have an eat-in kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room. I’ll put up some pictures later!

I’m slowly getting used to “La Pausa” here. It’s a midday break from 1:30-4ish here, where almost all of the shops and stores close down. You can find a few select places open, but it can be frustrating when you really need to buy something. Ashley and I got internet in our apartment also, so I’ll be able to put up a lot more pictures.

I have been checking in the Church de San Lorenzo almost every day to see Mary’s engagement ring. Right before I left, I read a guide book that said a church here in Perugia has Mary’s engagement ring on display twice a year. Unfortunately, the guide book we purchased must have been wrong. You can still see where it is, but the actually ring is three stories up behind a red curtain and about a dozen or so locks. I took a couple of pictures anyway. The church is like nothing I’ve ever seen. St Patrick’s in NYC always impressed me, but when you look at the churches here, there is no comparison. There are frescoes painted all over the ceiling and stained glass everywhere. The paintings are done by some of the most famous painters in the world, and the altar and displays and hundreds of years old. You could honestly spend forever just walking around one church.

On Sunday the school took all of us to a farm on Lake Tirosmieno. The family who owned the farm makes their own wine , olive oil, and prosciutto. We were able to see all of the olive trees and massive wooden barrels that contain the oil. Locals just drive up to this place with massive jugs and fill up on the wine and olive oil. After we toured the farm, the family cooked all of us lunch. We had another five courses, with more bruschetta (one with just the olive oil on bread, another with a tomato sauce, and another with cooked crushed beans). The family also served us their homemade pasta (that they let us help make!) with a pork bolognese sauce. We had foccacia with spinach and best of all, fresh sausage. While I don’t care to know the logistics of how the family made this sausage, I guarantee it’s the best I’ve ever had. They also served us lemon cake, biscotti, and some of their famous wine! To top it all off, they gave everyone champagne to toast the day.

Ashley and I ended up buying some of the family’s olive oil because it was so, so much better than any kind I’ve had. It seems like everytime you eat something here, it’s better than anything else, so you’ll probably be hearing that a lot from me. A little fun fact, we ordered pepperoni pizza the other day, and instead of meat, the pizza was topped with all different kinds of peppers. A little different than back home.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I promise to write soon. (I’ll even try not to write about food as much!!!)

I miss everyone so much.

<3

First Major post

Hi everyone-



I have been in Perugia for a little over four days now. The Italian lifestyle is taking a bit of getting used to, but I'm really enjoying it here.

We have been going around non stop for the past four days. Between orientation and taking some intense Italian classes, we haven't had much time to see all that Perugia has to offer. Pictures will be posted soon, I promise!

Perugia is absolutely beautiful. There is a huge Plaza that everyone hangs out in -either to eat lunch or sit on the steps of the massive church here. As I walk to class, I have the Italian countryside on my right. It's amazing. On another note, Perugia is all hills. Steep, steep, hills. I wake up everyday with sore muscles. However, each day is getting a bit better with that.

It's very overwhelming here. The language barrier is alot to handle, as well as the lack of things that we take for granted-internet, toasters, tv, microwave, coffee makers, even heat! Italians conserve heat and electricity alot and regulate both heavily.

Ashley and I are actually going to be moving out of the apartment that the school put us in. It was a single room with a bathroom..kind of like a glorified dorm room. You slept and cooked in the same room-not good! When we started seeing other people's apartments and hearing what other people had in theirs, we realized ours wasn't typical. Tomorrow we're going to tour some other ones!

I haven't been able to sample too much of the food just yet, but from what I have, it definately doesn't disappoint. The pizza is amazing. The gelato is amazing. And the sandwiches are amazing. We had piadinis today-grilled flatbread sandwiches-with prosciutto and mozzarella. They were so good!!!! There are alot of foods that aren't here that are sold in America. You won't find any mac and cheese, Eggos, bagels...any of the packaged stuff they make really. However, I am still surprised to see Pringles and M&M's all over!

Perugia has a clear view of the Italian Alps, which is absolutely amazing. Because of classes and orientation, I don't have much of a list of things I've seen yet. The one cool thing we were able to walk around was the underground tunnels of Perugia. While I can't tell you what year this was, one of the Popes seized Perugia and forced all of the Perugians to live underground for over 100 years. The Pope built his castle on top of these tunnels and didn't let anyone leave. There is a really extensive network under the city. It's pretty creepy to realize these people had to live underground, considering there was no electricity or really anything when it happened.

Going out in Perugia is so much fun! Almost all, actually, probably all of the bars cater to Americans. They have Rock Band and Kareoke and all that stuff that we are used to at home!

There are alot of little nuances that are interesting about the Italian culture that I'm getting used to. Besides not having alot of the amenities that we use at home-Italians just do things a whole lot different than we do! Getting coffee, for example. We order a coffee and pick a size cup and go on our way. Here, you either stand at a bar and drink it out of a china cup, or you can pay to sit down and drink it. Otherwise, you can take it to go, but they put it in the tiniest styrofoam cups and it's kinda funny. Most shops close down around eight (dinnertime). Also, alot of shops close from 1-4:30, which is their siesta. Then, at around 5:30 EVERYONE comes out and walks around!

I'll write more soon! Love and miss everyone!