Nutella

A little something from my travel writing class...

Give me a piece of cake and I’ll only eat the frosting.  Yes, I was that girl at birthday parties.  It wasn’t that I didn’t like the cake…I just loved the frosting.  But in Florence, after searching high and low, I have yet to find this comfort food unless you count the thin layer on top of napoleons.  Instead frosting has been replaced by its new found rival: nutella.

During the first few weeks of living here I referred to it as ‘want to be double fudge frosting’.  What exactly was nutella anyways?  Wasn’t it just chocolate in a jar?  I could not figure out why it was three times cheaper than peanut butter or why it was everywhere and on everything.  I could make my own nutella by melting candy bars...or so I thought.

My first encounter with the imposter was on a crepe, which was shoved in my mouth before I could object.  And the worst part: it was good.  A smooth combination of chocolate and hazelnut and heaven melted and poured into a jar.  Richer and creamier than any frosting I’ve ever tasted. From there my relationship with nutella escalated until I found myself eating it by the spoonful on a daily basis.  Nutella has become, as mush as I hate to admit, my new found love.

Nutella in now a staple in our apartment and I encourage it to become one in yours too.  One lick can brighten your mood; one slab can make anything taste scrumptious. Just the other day I made nutella chocolate chip cookies and topped them with additional nutella.  Addiction? Possibly.  But I heard chocolate, like wine, is good for your heart.  How can frosting compete with that? 

Nice to Be Home

The past few weeks have been a blur.  Classes are starting to pick up and I’ve been traveling every weekend.  I can not believe it is already half way through February…that means I’ve been in Florence for over a month!

A few weeks ago our program took us through Tuscany on a weekend trip.  Our first stop was Assisi, a small city on a hill surrounded by walls.  We saw and toured St. Francis’ Church which was definitely the highlight for me considering I work at the St. Francis House soup kitchen in Boston.  Seeing the actual place was unreal and reinforced the meaning behind St. Francis’ teachings of helping others.  I also found out that he created the first nativity scene!

Next stop was Perugia.  Amazing view at the top of the city but even better chocolate.  I was surprised to find out that a lot of students study there too.  The next day we traveled to Siena.  Siena is unique because the city is broken up into sub sections.  For example, you could be a goose, dragon, or even a caterpillar!  It’s these smaller communities that compete in the huge horse race held twice a year in the main square. 

Finally we went to San Gimignano.  This smaller city is famous for its taller towers and beautiful vineyard views.  I hope to come back to all of these cities one day and explore them more in depth!

The following weekend Joe and I headed to Germany.  We rented a car and covered 6 towns and over 600 miles in two days.  It was amazing.  Highlights included the adorable town of Rothenburg, climbing the church steeple in Norlindgen, the beautiful church in Weinshiche, and of course the Neuschwanstein castle.  The views and towns we saw were breathtaking. 

This past weekend I traveled to Prague with all of my roommates and met up with Taylor.  Prague was a fun older city with a modern feel.  We saw the John Lennon wall and walked up to the castle.  It was colder than Florence (I felt like I was in Boston!) so we ended up getting delicious hot chocolate.  Saturday night we went on a fun pub crawl after a wonderful dinner at a vegetarian restaurant called Radost.  Only negatives were that the first hostel we stayed in had bed bugs (eww!) but luckily they moved us to a nicer one.

After all of that traveling it is good to be back in Florence!  We are all staying here this weekend which will be very relaxing and fun (it is my birthday after all!).  Skyped with a lot of my family last night which made me miss them a lot.  I know I’m so blessed to be able to have this experience but sometimes I do miss the comforts and familiarity of home.  Counting down the days until my family comes!

More to come soon!

Midnight Snack

Here's a short piece I had to write for my food writing class...

           It felt like we had been walking for hours and I was growing tired.  The cobble stone was drilling through my boots making my feet raw with every step.   On either side of me the buildings kept repeating themselves with each slow curve and turn.  I was thankful for the Italian boy leading our group of six. This new city was overwhelming during the day, let alone at three in the morning. Hadn’t we already seen that street?  Didn’t we pass that sign?  My feet were throbbing. This better be worth it.

            The smell reached me first.  The aroma of sweet and buttery bread engulfed me and warmed my whole body.  Although I had not been here before, my feet pulled me closer and closer to the irresistible sent, leading me down a side street.  There was less light on this road and I could barely make out the clouded window on the small door we walked through. My heart was racing as my head tried to wrap around the enchanted feeling of where we were and what we were doing.

            The smell was now overwhelming and made my mouth yearn in desire for some of the sugary dough I could only picture in my head. An older man appeared at the doorway of the little area we were squished into, no bigger than my apartment bathroom.  A few Italian words were exchanged and he disappeared, returning quickly with two small white bags.  I heard the crackle of the paper and then something was placed in my hand.

            Under the low light of the small room its buttery top was glistening and I eagerly welcomed its warmth.  Bringing it slowly to my lips I bit down directly in the center, ruining the half moon shape.  My teeth sunk slowly into the chewy dough, the top layer flaking off effortlessly.   I was taken by surprise at the cream also hitting my lips, a cool contrast to the doughy blanket.  The second bite was even better than the first.  I tried to savor the gift but was soon left with only one piece that melted in my mouth.

            I do not remember leaving the small room or walking back down to the main street.  All I remember is thinking about what I had just eaten and what I would give to have another one.  Lying in bed that night I was thankful to be living in Florence and dreamt of the opportunity to return to the secret bakery.  After all, I heard there were eight.

Am I actually living here?

The idea that I am actually living in Florence for 4 months has just begun to hit me.  Everyday I find a new street or shop or café.  I feel as if I could live here for ten years and still discover new things despite the fact that Florence is relatively small.

I wore a step-o-meter (thanks to my dad!) just to see how much I was walking on average a day and it’s about 6 miles…so bring on the pasta!  This must also be why Italians are so thin!  With gelato shops on every corner and no gyms, it’s amazing how few overweight people there are here.  The portions are also much much smaller so people just end up eating less. 

This week I started classes (I forgot I had to go to school here!).  I can already tell my favorites are going to be travel writing and professional food writing.  All my teachers seem great and know the city very well.  A lot of my classes also involve walking around Florence to look at museums or attend food markets too!  

There were many other highlights of the week.  My roommate celebrated her 21^st birthday and we went out to a nice dinner with two of our other friends from BC.  The food was delicious; complete with complementary champagne and appetizer sampler that had stuffed zucchini and bruschetta.  The best dishes were balsamic filet mignon, spinach ravioli and of course tiramisu for dessert!  I’m definitely taking my family there when they visit in March.

We also hiked to the top of Piazza Michelangelo and saw the amazing view of all of Florence.  I liked it so much I did it twice!  When I stood up there and looked out over Florence it took my breath away.  I was in awe of the city’s beauty and felt so blessed to be able to live here.  My next goal is to see it at sunset.

Florence is hosting festivals all the time in one plaza or another.  This week it’s the chocolate festival and it’s VERY close to my apartment.  They had everything from chocolate covered fruit to chocolate rum to chocolate that had hints of lavender!  Samples were everywhere but I settled on the classic chocolate covered strawberries.  However, the festival is here all week so who knows what I’ll get tomorrow!

We just came back from a weekend trip all through Tuscany!  I’ll blog about that soon and put up pictures!

I forgot to mention that it was 60 degrees and sunny here on Friday!  And I have to say that I don’t miss snow one bit!

Talk soon

Ciao 

The Beginning

Although my journey began two weeks ago, I finally feel like I’m settled in Florence (or Firenze as they say) and falling in love with it.  Don’t get me wrong, London was great but nothing like Italy.  It was too grey for me and too big.  I like a city where I can walk everywhere and know my way around within a week aka Florence.

Arriving here was a whirlwind.  I’m living in a beautiful apartment one block from the Duomo.  Yes, one block from the Duomo.  The location could not be better.  I’m living with 5 other girls: one is my friend from BC, 2 go to Fairfield, another goes to SMU, and the other goes to St. Joe’s.  We are already getting along great and cook dinner together almost every night.  Classes started today so we’ve had time to settle in and explore the city.

When most people think of Italy they think food; pizza, pasta, mozzarella, pastries, gelato and so much more.  And let me tell you it is better than anything you’ve heard.  There are markets everywhere and a major one (San Lorenzo Market) is very close to my apartment.  While they are most know for their leather products, they have meat, cheeses, fruits and vegetables (all extremely fresh!).  Some of my favorite foods so far are buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad, blood oranges, and gelato (yumm).  The bread here is a little strange because it’s unsalted but the pasta is unreal.  And of course there is wine, wine, wine, and more wine.  They sell bottles across the street for 1 euro!  My goal is to have a glass a day (it’s good for your heart…right?).

We visited Pisa the other day which I have to say was somewhat disappointing.  I was expecting this cute town but all there was the tower and lots of people trying to sell you things.  After you take “the picture” (below) you’re pretty much ready to leave.  I’m looking forward to more trips coming up.  Planning can be stressful but the opportunities are endless.  We have a trip through Tuscany next weekend and then Germany with Joe in two weeks!

While I love Italy there are a few things I miss (besides my family) and some negatives.  The showers here have to be short because with six girls we loose hot water fast.  There’s no such thing as ice coffee (even café Americano isn’t the same as home).  The washing machine can fit 3 pairs of jeans and there’s no dryer.  Internet is SLOW.  Milk is room temperature.  The Italian men are very forward and some are creepy (so we always stay in groups!).

More to come soon!

Ciao!