Spring in Europe: Firenze

The first time I was in Firenze* I really enjoyed it.  After spending two weeks in Roma, it was such a relief to be at a slower pace in a city that seemed a little bit more real.  It actually seems like people actually inhabit the city: there are locals, local eateries, local specialties, etc.  While Roma is constantly catering to the tourist, and constantly being epically grand, Firenze has a much more approchable feel to it in my opinion.


*that's right.  I'm calling it Firenze because that's what it is.  I'm not trying to sound pretentious, despite the fact that being a native english speaker it is completely pretentious to call it such.  Ridicule as you wish.  When I'm back I'll go back to our English interpretation: Florence.


While we were here in April we spent a few days in the city and traveled to Bologna and Sienna (aka Hogwarts South, cause that town is build for wizards by wizards I'm sure of it).   While here with the group it was the usual whirlwind tour, walk here, sketch this, sketch that, move on, get yelled at in churches for taking pictures.


At the end of our stay we were given some free time, many decided to travel to the Cinque Terre or Ravenna.  My original plans were to go visit Old Man Savey up in Copenhagen, but unfortunately that fell through so I just decided to relax in Firenze with Sam, Duy, Kohlton and Kim.


As much as I like people (and I like people a lot) I have either become more introverted or realized that I like more intimate interaction.  I'm not all about being lost in a big crowd; a hand full of people having good conversation is just right with me.  Some of my favorite moments this entire trip have been shared not with the whole group, but just a few people that I've gotten really close to this trip.


One of these small group experiences was the five of us roaming around the streets of Firenze on Notte Bianca or White Night.  It is an all night festival of the arts where the museums were all open, the streets were packed wall to wall, and TONS of people were dancing.  It was great.  It was one of those times when you look around and realize that this.  this is life.  One of those I am in the midst of an adventure and I love it times.


I left Firenze happy and rested, ready to take on Vicenza and studio.


I returned to Firenze emotionally and physically exhausted.


School was over but that last week in Vicenza had taken a toll on me.  It wasn't too hard saying goodbye to my classmates, I knew I'd see a few over the summer and the rest in September.  What was difficult was the realization that my time in Europe was coming to a close, the program is over, "closing time" was playing in my head.  What made this week more difficult was I felt like I lost so many people.  Some I will see again, I promise, and one who I will never see again, and I will miss deeply. 


The train ride here was comforting, like going to see an old friend to re-live good memories.  


Unfortunately, however, it should be noted that Firenze has changed since I've been gone.  No longer is it the place where I can walk from Santa Maria Novella to the Olt'Arno and potentially hear no English what so ever.  Now I'm surprised when I hear Italian.  The city has become tourist central, which makes sense but is AWFUL. I've gone most of this trip in the off season and hitting the city like this was kind of shocking.  Though I haven't let it ruin my stay.  In fact, this is probably the most relaxed I've finally been all trip.  I know how to get around, I have nothing to do, and my parents are paying for things.  Firenze is still treating me well.


The Parents and I had a little fancy night out the other night at this restaurant on the south side of the Arno River overlooking Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi.  It seems fitting to end this post with some images from the night:

















Ciao ciao, Firenze.

Spring in Europe: Vicenza and the Italian Culture

The entire time I was in Vicenza I shot less than 100 images, most of them were facades for our site model.  I really regret not taking more to show you the beautiful city I lived in for 2 months, but if you just look above to the header of this blog you can see the Piazza dei Signori which I walked through on a daily basis and in which I designed a building.

I loved my time in Vicenza.  I really did.  While I have my complaints, living in the centro of Vicenza was a great experience.  Every day I would walk along Corso Palladio - named after an architect, boo ya - through a mix of renaissance, relatively contemporary infill, and medieval remnants.  Our studio was in what would have been the old roman theater (half circle; amphitheaters are full circles) of which the old fabric could be seen in the building forms.  All these ideas, good and bad, new and old were constantly floating around us and as an architecture student it was interesting to be able to see so many expressions just walking to class.  Vicenza also has a series of great parks, some much much much closer than others (oh don't you even act like you don't know what I'm talking about), where we played some memorable games of soccer.

Finally, what we've all been waiting for, and reminded to me by special request of John Matarrese:

Food.

Italian food is delicious. It's so funny to me how quickly I get sick of pasta when I'm cooking it for myself in Eugene compared to here in Italy*.  Though it's not just pasta, it's the sauce that they put on pasta, the sauce that they put on anything else, a wide range of meats, delicious veggies, etc.  Coming into this experience I was under the impression that Italians ate pasta and pizza, and well, that's kind of true, the variety which is consumed in this country puts the american diet to shame in some ways.

*When I was at Righetti - the self service restaurant that we had pre-paid cards to eat at pretty much every night - I noticed Enrico the primi guru opening a six pack of pasta and guess what.  I USE THE SAME PASTA.  I felt so classy and Italian for that moment.  If you too want to feel classy and Italian head down to your local Costco and pick up a pack.

One of the best meals I ate the entire trip, however, was prepared by our professors, Don and Jenny.  They invited students in groups of 3 or 4 over to their apartment for dinner in the first few weeks we were there and it. was. delicious.  Oh, so good.  Bruschetta with sun dried tomatoes and olive paste and of course copious amounts of olive oil.  Artichokes simply prepared, of course with copious amounts of olive oil.  Delicious pasta and veggies with copious amounts of olive oil, etc etc.  Moral of the story when it comes to Italian cooking: fresh food and olive oil are always a win.

Pizza Pizza Pizza.  Pizza here is delicious too!  Go figure.  As many of you probably know it's prepared differently, usually around 25-30cm wide pizzas are individual and come in many varieties.  Many of the topping combinations are seasonal and traditional, also many with potatoes which at first I loved, then I got sick of, and now I'm just okay with.  The main differences though are the crust - in italy it is super thin and delicious - and the idea that you don't add toppings based on what you like, you order a combination of toppings that comprise a certain type of pizza.

The most important of all food groups in Italy is gelato.  A good friend of mine who just returned to the states said that she had some ice cream when she got back and that it was a terrible mistake.  Agreed.  I am going to miss gelato, oh so much.  It's not only the gelato itself, in it's richness and deliciousness, it's the social idea of a gelato break.  There were so many times on this trip that we all bonded over how crazy Don and Jenny were for dragging us to this or that place without time to go here or do that, or how awful the weather was, etc, all while eating gelato.

Our local gelato guy in Vicenza - Carlos - had lived in Canada and spoke english quite well and we got to know him so well that on our collective last night in Vicenza he ended up coming out for a drink with us.  That guy is pretty much what I want to be like when I am older: always smiling, always up beat, very intelligent, and speaks five different languages.  It was great to meet him too because the little Italian we did speak wasn't enough to begin to be immersed in the culture, and he was somewhat of a looking glass into it, and it was all thanks to gelato.

Culture.

The Italian culture is very social.  Perhaps the biggest difference between Italy and the US - and perhaps Europe in general - is that people don't usually entertain in the home, they go out.  Piazzas at first seemed dead to me, people would just be walking by a few people stopping to eat lunch and then I experienced the piazzas at night.  Everyone was there.  The whole town is out.  From about 6:00 in the evening on everyone is walking around, seeing and being seen.  Unless it's raining or extremely cold, the indoor seating in most bars is left vacant while the patrons are out in the piazzas sitting on the steps or at the tables conversing.

Personally I love that idea.  It's an idea that the American planning and building culture has somewhat denied us for years.  There is an architectural theory that what's killing the building culture in the States is the lack of a third place; people go from work to home, with no in between.  Italians are all about the in between, not work and not home.  Some of my best memories of the trip are sitting on the steps of the Basilica Palladiana, meeting and conversing with friends new and old.

A few notes:

If you ever plan a trip to Italy or many other places in Europe for that matter watch out for the turkish toilet.  It is essentially a hole in the ground.  The first one I encountered was marked "Ideal Standard" and my only thought was they couldn't be more wrong about that.

Clothing is very important here.  I, a poor college student who usually wears a skiing t-shirt, jeans and vans or birkenstocks, have not exactly been regarded as the king of fashion at home.  Here it's much worse.  I need to get me some fancy clothes once I graduate, but thankfully for now I still live in Eugene and can get away with a lack of style.  Next time I'm in Europe I will look good though, don't you worry.

While in Vicenza there were copious amounts of opportunities for the locals to get excited about soccer.  However, at each opportunity the city disappointed, barely turning out anyone for the Inter v. Bayern München Champions League final, let alone the World Cup itself.  Every night we were the only ones packing Ovosodo - the bar that projected each match on a big screen.  Although gli Azzurri didn't exactly impress this year so maybe it's for the best.

Overall it was a great experience.  I'll be back.