Moved into my apartment on the 17th of Feb, the day before we started classes at Bocconi. I'm living with an Italian who's about 25, her name is Cristina, she's a lawyer - and she has a cat, Minu'! Minu' is not quite an adult cat and after having Shadow for about 14 years I'd forgotten what it's like to live with an energetic cat! But it's fun.
My housemate is very friendly, and we talk to each other in Italian which is great for me, but we are rarely at home at the same time - she is often still in bed when I leave for class in the morning (strange?), and works until quite late. At night she often goes out with her friends (or if she doesn't, I do), and like most Italians she never eats dinner before about 9pm, so we're rarely around at the same time - and never have to use the kitchen at the same time (which is just as well because we wouldn't fit!).
She's quite involved in politics - the left-wing government recently collapsed in Italy, and there's an election in a few weeks - so at the moment she's very busy and often goes away for the weekend for conferences etc. Her party, Forza Italia, is quite right-wing and is lead by Berlusconi, an entrepreneur who was president for 5 years and did a few shonky things. He lost the election 2 years ago but my housemate's convinced he will win again. I find it pretty funny - I guess for us if you're really right-wing you tend not to make a big deal of it! She's very anti-left - but I gather the left over here is a fair bit more radical than in Australia.
Cristina is also obsessively neat. I'm not a messy person but I have found sometimes she tidies up after me - particularly around the kitchen (she likes to wipe down the sink after every use, which I find a bit unnecesary!). But Minu' walks around on the kitchen bench all the time and she doesn't seem to think that's a problem! Very funny. Things are going fine, though, no problems so far and I don't think there will be!
Cristina's brother lives close by, and I have also met her mother on a few occasions which is great - she's quite a character, typical Italian!
The apartment itself is recently refurbished, and quite spacious for an Italian apartment. I have a desk and huge wardrobe (a bit ridiculous, really, I barely have any clothes to put in it!) and even a double bed! It's really close to uni, just a 5 minute walk across the park, which is great!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Arezzo, Perugia and Assisi
For the week before we started classes I decided to go on a jaunt to Perugia and a bit of the surrounding area. First stop: Arezzo. For the first (and hopefully only) time, I rocked up without having booked accomodation, only to find that the hostel I was hoping to stay at no longer existed! After a bit of ringing around, I found a B&B nearby which wasn't too expensive.
There isn't much to see in Arezzo. There are some remains of a Roman Aphitheatre and a museum with lots of ancient artefacts (and the change they gave me looked like it had been dug up with some of the exhibits). In the morning I had a walk around and saw some lovely churches, and the remains of the fort on top of the hill, with a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.
Perugia was much more exciting than Arezzo - a gorgeous hill-top town, once inhabited by the Etruscans and then the Romans, which has gradually expanded down the hill and into the surrounding area over time. There are lots of remains and buildings remaining from - so all the streets wind around the old buildings in no particular system, and are often just steps rather than roads. The ride up in the bus was incredibly awkward - I swear Italians can't drive buses! Standing up with the weight of my pack pulling me around was incredibly difficult, and my ears were actually popping as the road kept winding further up the mountain. The hostel was just out of the historical centre with amazing views over the city and countryside (and 16th century (according to my Lonely Planet) frescoed ceilings) and a great kitchen. It was run by a friendly old couple who have had the place since 1974!
Like most other monuments in Italy, the Duomo of Perugia is covered in scaffolding. I don't think it's really an indication of Italy's commitment to public works, so much as of something that's had works started on it in about the last 15 years.... The tourist office had a booklet with great walks which I followed around (although it was very easy to get lost). The streets in the historical centre seem to be still largely determined by the placement of old medieval buildings and structures - the streets wind everywhere (and of course they're not signed well), and most are pedestrian only (some are just walkways with steps, others are too narrow, winding or steep). One of my favourite things in Perugia was Via dell'Acquedotto - a street which followed the course of an old Roman aqueduct over other streets! Very cool!
Just on the outskirts of Perugia is a chocolate factory called La Perugina - the birthplace of Baci chocolates, and still the only place in the world where they are made. Now of course the whole thing is owned by Nestle, and it's the largest Nestle factory in Italy. I got to go on a free tour around the factory (not as cool as the Cadbury factory in Tasmania though!) and they gave us HEAPS of freebies!
I spent a day in Assisi, the home of St Francis and another beautiful hill-top town - unlike Perugia, though, the whole town seems to be built of this white and pink stone, which is very striking and beautiful. It was another long bus journey to reach the top of the hill from the station, but I walked back at the end of the day, down a very direct footpath (and it probably only took me as long as the bus would have anyway!). Like Perugia, there are streets winding everywhere and lots of steps, but it was (relatively) more spacious! Headed first of all for the Basilica di San Francesco - which is actually two churches (why they needed two was never explained!) one over the top of the other, both very richly decorated, built over the top of St Frances' remains. The hill (right at the end of the town) used to be called Hell Hill - because the town gallows used to be there - until St Francis decided he wanted to be buried amongst the criminals like Jesus was. It's now called the Hill of Paradise. Ha.
There were plenty of churches and museums to see, as well as great views and cute laneways, but the highlight for me was the old fort, Rocca Maggiore, on the very top of Assisi, which offered an incredible panoramic view of Assisi, the lower town and the surrounding countryside. There was a mist everywhere, so no good photos. We were able to wander around the remains of the fort, see where the soldiers slept, where the kitchen was, the look outs etc (now all just empty rooms and corridors). Lots of climbing around in stone passageways, and the most unstable-feeling steel spiral staircase I've ever been on - walking down was pretty scary!
On the way back from Assisi I also discovered Perugia's Minimetro - mini automated monorail-type carriages which run up the hill (almost to the centre of town) from a fair way out of Perugia (via the train station). SO COOL. And I later found out that the whole system had only just been installed, it was maybe a week or two old when I was there! It's an attempt to reduce the traffic problems at the top of Perugia - there is also a system of escalators running up the hill intended to encourage workers or visitors to walk rather than drive.
On the last day in Perugia I took the Minimetro to the Pian di Massimo, the foot of a big hill nearby, in the hope I might find a bit of a walk in the countryside. Turns out there's a market there, selling (like most Italian markets I've seen so far) anything from cheap clothes, meat, cheese, other food, and even a place selling eggs, chickens (in the most cramped cages I've ever seen) and other birds and rabbits. The percorso verde nearby is a set of walking paths - not exactly challenging (or bush-bashing) and it was absolutely freezing so I soon headed back to Perugia - but it was worth the trip just to take the minimetro to the end of the line and back!
I spent that afternoon exploring the Rocca Paolina, a series of old houses which were then built together into a fortress and now partly destroyed and built over, entirely underground. A lot of it was blocked off unfortunately (but I'm getting used to it - we're in Italy, after all), but the part I could see was pretty cool. Some of the escalators up the hill end up in there, so there's a corridor (all underground) which is frequented by people going up to the historical centre of Perugia. Very cool.
On the train trip back I had an interesting chat with a girl who had been staying at the hostel - a Japanese girl who has been brought up in France. Very cool. Unfortunately when I changed trains at Florence I was stuck in the middle of a not so interesting conversation (actually, I would say inane) between two Hawiian sisters and their English friend who lived and worked in Bologna. They asked me all sorts of strange questions about Australia, including the cost of living, the price of petrol, and even if we had an efficient postal service ('How much does it cost to send a letter in Australia?'). They had been in Italy for two weeks and were heading back home after seeing some of the highlights of Tuscany ('We got bored of Florence after a few days'). Oh well. They gave me some chocolate.
There isn't much to see in Arezzo. There are some remains of a Roman Aphitheatre and a museum with lots of ancient artefacts (and the change they gave me looked like it had been dug up with some of the exhibits). In the morning I had a walk around and saw some lovely churches, and the remains of the fort on top of the hill, with a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.
Perugia was much more exciting than Arezzo - a gorgeous hill-top town, once inhabited by the Etruscans and then the Romans, which has gradually expanded down the hill and into the surrounding area over time. There are lots of remains and buildings remaining from - so all the streets wind around the old buildings in no particular system, and are often just steps rather than roads. The ride up in the bus was incredibly awkward - I swear Italians can't drive buses! Standing up with the weight of my pack pulling me around was incredibly difficult, and my ears were actually popping as the road kept winding further up the mountain. The hostel was just out of the historical centre with amazing views over the city and countryside (and 16th century (according to my Lonely Planet) frescoed ceilings) and a great kitchen. It was run by a friendly old couple who have had the place since 1974!
Like most other monuments in Italy, the Duomo of Perugia is covered in scaffolding. I don't think it's really an indication of Italy's commitment to public works, so much as of something that's had works started on it in about the last 15 years.... The tourist office had a booklet with great walks which I followed around (although it was very easy to get lost). The streets in the historical centre seem to be still largely determined by the placement of old medieval buildings and structures - the streets wind everywhere (and of course they're not signed well), and most are pedestrian only (some are just walkways with steps, others are too narrow, winding or steep). One of my favourite things in Perugia was Via dell'Acquedotto - a street which followed the course of an old Roman aqueduct over other streets! Very cool!
Just on the outskirts of Perugia is a chocolate factory called La Perugina - the birthplace of Baci chocolates, and still the only place in the world where they are made. Now of course the whole thing is owned by Nestle, and it's the largest Nestle factory in Italy. I got to go on a free tour around the factory (not as cool as the Cadbury factory in Tasmania though!) and they gave us HEAPS of freebies!
I spent a day in Assisi, the home of St Francis and another beautiful hill-top town - unlike Perugia, though, the whole town seems to be built of this white and pink stone, which is very striking and beautiful. It was another long bus journey to reach the top of the hill from the station, but I walked back at the end of the day, down a very direct footpath (and it probably only took me as long as the bus would have anyway!). Like Perugia, there are streets winding everywhere and lots of steps, but it was (relatively) more spacious! Headed first of all for the Basilica di San Francesco - which is actually two churches (why they needed two was never explained!) one over the top of the other, both very richly decorated, built over the top of St Frances' remains. The hill (right at the end of the town) used to be called Hell Hill - because the town gallows used to be there - until St Francis decided he wanted to be buried amongst the criminals like Jesus was. It's now called the Hill of Paradise. Ha.
There were plenty of churches and museums to see, as well as great views and cute laneways, but the highlight for me was the old fort, Rocca Maggiore, on the very top of Assisi, which offered an incredible panoramic view of Assisi, the lower town and the surrounding countryside. There was a mist everywhere, so no good photos. We were able to wander around the remains of the fort, see where the soldiers slept, where the kitchen was, the look outs etc (now all just empty rooms and corridors). Lots of climbing around in stone passageways, and the most unstable-feeling steel spiral staircase I've ever been on - walking down was pretty scary!
On the way back from Assisi I also discovered Perugia's Minimetro - mini automated monorail-type carriages which run up the hill (almost to the centre of town) from a fair way out of Perugia (via the train station). SO COOL. And I later found out that the whole system had only just been installed, it was maybe a week or two old when I was there! It's an attempt to reduce the traffic problems at the top of Perugia - there is also a system of escalators running up the hill intended to encourage workers or visitors to walk rather than drive.
On the last day in Perugia I took the Minimetro to the Pian di Massimo, the foot of a big hill nearby, in the hope I might find a bit of a walk in the countryside. Turns out there's a market there, selling (like most Italian markets I've seen so far) anything from cheap clothes, meat, cheese, other food, and even a place selling eggs, chickens (in the most cramped cages I've ever seen) and other birds and rabbits. The percorso verde nearby is a set of walking paths - not exactly challenging (or bush-bashing) and it was absolutely freezing so I soon headed back to Perugia - but it was worth the trip just to take the minimetro to the end of the line and back!
I spent that afternoon exploring the Rocca Paolina, a series of old houses which were then built together into a fortress and now partly destroyed and built over, entirely underground. A lot of it was blocked off unfortunately (but I'm getting used to it - we're in Italy, after all), but the part I could see was pretty cool. Some of the escalators up the hill end up in there, so there's a corridor (all underground) which is frequented by people going up to the historical centre of Perugia. Very cool.
On the train trip back I had an interesting chat with a girl who had been staying at the hostel - a Japanese girl who has been brought up in France. Very cool. Unfortunately when I changed trains at Florence I was stuck in the middle of a not so interesting conversation (actually, I would say inane) between two Hawiian sisters and their English friend who lived and worked in Bologna. They asked me all sorts of strange questions about Australia, including the cost of living, the price of petrol, and even if we had an efficient postal service ('How much does it cost to send a letter in Australia?'). They had been in Italy for two weeks and were heading back home after seeing some of the highlights of Tuscany ('We got bored of Florence after a few days'). Oh well. They gave me some chocolate.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
On cultural and other differences
One of the things people ask me the most about is Australian weather. As we anticipate, most people have this concept of Australia being a haven of hot weather, with sun all year round and sandy beaches everywhere. I try to explain that down south, at least, it's not at all like that. But when people ask me how cold it gets in winter, I have to say that it rarely gets below 8-10 degrees during the day - and for most people that's very warm for winter! It's certainly warm for Milan and Prague, anyway! Just like the kangaroos in Anglesea, I guess it just makes you think that there is often a fair bit of truth to a stereotype.
Another thing that has come up is insects. I don't think I've seen a single window with flyscreen in the whole of Europe so far. One evening I was over visiting Nina and her housemate Hannah (both Germans) when I heard a scream from the kitchen. Nina had just discovered a red bug, about the size of a slater but thinner, and with antannae, crawling out from under the fridge, and she was terrified, as was Hannah. I tried to convince them that the bug was not going to do them any harm but Nina grabbed the flyspray and both of them, somehow convinced that the bug was going to crawl back out from under the fridge in the middle of the night and eat them or something, sprayed enough under and around the fridge to kill a small army of insects. Nina spent the next twenty minutes sitting next to the fridge with a shoe in hand, just in case it came crawling out again - 'I want to be sure it's dead'! I tried not to laugh too hard at them but it did strike me that very few people in Australia would be bothered by that - apparently in Germany there are not many bugs of that size! Now I have to be careful not to tell any of the Germans about finding white-tails in the house or huntsmans in my academic gown, or they'll never come and visit me!
Another thing I've noticed about Europeans in general is that they tend to blow their noses very loudly!
Another thing that has come up is insects. I don't think I've seen a single window with flyscreen in the whole of Europe so far. One evening I was over visiting Nina and her housemate Hannah (both Germans) when I heard a scream from the kitchen. Nina had just discovered a red bug, about the size of a slater but thinner, and with antannae, crawling out from under the fridge, and she was terrified, as was Hannah. I tried to convince them that the bug was not going to do them any harm but Nina grabbed the flyspray and both of them, somehow convinced that the bug was going to crawl back out from under the fridge in the middle of the night and eat them or something, sprayed enough under and around the fridge to kill a small army of insects. Nina spent the next twenty minutes sitting next to the fridge with a shoe in hand, just in case it came crawling out again - 'I want to be sure it's dead'! I tried not to laugh too hard at them but it did strike me that very few people in Australia would be bothered by that - apparently in Germany there are not many bugs of that size! Now I have to be careful not to tell any of the Germans about finding white-tails in the house or huntsmans in my academic gown, or they'll never come and visit me!
Another thing I've noticed about Europeans in general is that they tend to blow their noses very loudly!
Florence
At the end of the language course a lot of people (probably at least 15) decided to head to Florence for a few days. Olivia, Amanda, Jess, Christina (another Canadian) and I got up at 5am to catch the 7am train, in an attempt to make the most of the day (it was worth it but it sucked)! We were joined later by Anne and Lydia (Germans) - we stayed in 2 different hotels but met up (usually in smaller groups) to do things together during the day.
During the first day we climbed 463 steps up countless spiral staircases and through many fairly claustrophobic passages to the top of the Duomo, and it was definitely worth the effort! It is right in the centre of the city and we had a great view - it was a beautiful afternoon and we spent a while sitting up there and enjoying the sunshine. The Duomo has an stunning marble facade but we were really surprised by the inside, which is very bleak and plain - except the dome which is decorated with a huge mural of heaven and hell (and lots of very gruesome images!)
In the afternoon we paid our $6.50 to see the real Michaelangelo's David 'in the flesh', as it were. There are at least two replica Davids in significant public places in Florence, but it was definitely worth seeing the original! It was really impressive, he's over 5 metres high which was a surprise to us, we hadn't expected something so imposing. Photos are forbidden but between us we managed to get a few!
On the second day we started off with the Uffizi Gallery. We only had to wait 20 minutes or so in the queue, and passed most of the time playing hackey, much to the bemusement of those around us! Cost 10 euros to get in! Almost all places in Florence only offered student discounts to EU citizens and we got really sick of paying full price. It's not like it's cheap for us to come here! The artworks are arranged pretty much in chronological order, and I rented an audioguide, which was basically Art History 101, really worth having. Saw the Birth of Venus and Primavera and countless other masterpieces!
That afternoon I found Dante's house (for those who don't know, Dante wrote 'The Divine Comedy' amongst other works, considered the founding work of the Italian language as well as a literary masterpiece), and wandered along the river for a bit (there are lots of bridges over the Arno) and found some sunny spots as well as parts of the old city walls. At night we went to 'The Fish Pub', a place right across from our hotel, and as soon as I walked in I ran into Amy, a girl from my Italian class in Melbourne! So random - we both knew that the other would be in Italy (she's doing a language course in Florence) but never expected to see each other!
Like most Italian cities I've visited so far, the centre of Florence is a pedesrianised area (i.e. car-free: bikes, taxis and public transport are usually allowed but you rarely have to move for them), and I'm a big fan. We found Florence a very calm, relaxed city that you could really enjoy just by walking around in the main streets - you get so used to walking around on the road that it's a bit of a shock to walk on streets outside the centre and have to make way for cars! I have no idea if it actually helps to reduce pollution or traffic problems but it's really nice - they really should do that with Swanston st in Melbourne (and Moorabool in Geelong). In my humble opinion, that is. There are also lots of amazing gelaterias in Florence. Think the most amazing gelati display on Lygon. That's like the minimum in Florence. Amazing. We found one place that had well over 50 flavours - I promise we didn't try them all....
During the first day we climbed 463 steps up countless spiral staircases and through many fairly claustrophobic passages to the top of the Duomo, and it was definitely worth the effort! It is right in the centre of the city and we had a great view - it was a beautiful afternoon and we spent a while sitting up there and enjoying the sunshine. The Duomo has an stunning marble facade but we were really surprised by the inside, which is very bleak and plain - except the dome which is decorated with a huge mural of heaven and hell (and lots of very gruesome images!)
In the afternoon we paid our $6.50 to see the real Michaelangelo's David 'in the flesh', as it were. There are at least two replica Davids in significant public places in Florence, but it was definitely worth seeing the original! It was really impressive, he's over 5 metres high which was a surprise to us, we hadn't expected something so imposing. Photos are forbidden but between us we managed to get a few!
On the second day we started off with the Uffizi Gallery. We only had to wait 20 minutes or so in the queue, and passed most of the time playing hackey, much to the bemusement of those around us! Cost 10 euros to get in! Almost all places in Florence only offered student discounts to EU citizens and we got really sick of paying full price. It's not like it's cheap for us to come here! The artworks are arranged pretty much in chronological order, and I rented an audioguide, which was basically Art History 101, really worth having. Saw the Birth of Venus and Primavera and countless other masterpieces!
That afternoon I found Dante's house (for those who don't know, Dante wrote 'The Divine Comedy' amongst other works, considered the founding work of the Italian language as well as a literary masterpiece), and wandered along the river for a bit (there are lots of bridges over the Arno) and found some sunny spots as well as parts of the old city walls. At night we went to 'The Fish Pub', a place right across from our hotel, and as soon as I walked in I ran into Amy, a girl from my Italian class in Melbourne! So random - we both knew that the other would be in Italy (she's doing a language course in Florence) but never expected to see each other!
Like most Italian cities I've visited so far, the centre of Florence is a pedesrianised area (i.e. car-free: bikes, taxis and public transport are usually allowed but you rarely have to move for them), and I'm a big fan. We found Florence a very calm, relaxed city that you could really enjoy just by walking around in the main streets - you get so used to walking around on the road that it's a bit of a shock to walk on streets outside the centre and have to make way for cars! I have no idea if it actually helps to reduce pollution or traffic problems but it's really nice - they really should do that with Swanston st in Melbourne (and Moorabool in Geelong). In my humble opinion, that is. There are also lots of amazing gelaterias in Florence. Think the most amazing gelati display on Lygon. That's like the minimum in Florence. Amazing. We found one place that had well over 50 flavours - I promise we didn't try them all....
On Saturday morning I went to have a look at the Chiesa di San Marco (like everything else in Italy, it is covered in scaffolding) and the adjoining convent which had significant frescos painted in most of the rooms as well as over the outside corridors. They had an exhibition on illuminated manuscript (as in old bibles) which was actually really interesting. I also went to the Basilica di Santa Croce, which has a marble facade much like that of the Duomo but is much more impressive inside - there are many famous Florentines buried here, many with graves just in the floor of the church (weird) but some more significant people - including Rossini, Gallileo and Michelangelo - have enormous tombs at the side of the church. I felt really uncomfortable walking over the graves in the floor but other people seemed to have no problem!
One of the main sights in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge in the centre of town which is stacked with shops in a fairly haphazard manner. The bridge is lined with expensive jewellery stores, but apparently they were ordered there by one of the Medici to replace the butchers who used to work there, and would toss their remains into the Arno river at the end of the day! eeeeugh.....That afternoon I walked with Anne and Lydia to Piazza Michelangelo, a big piazza that overlooks the city and another great photo point! Again, there's a replica David there, looking out over Florence. A little further up the hill we found the Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte, an old church with more frescos and mosaics. We walked all the way back down the hill until we reached the city walls, and decided then to follow the wall back up another hill, to Forte Belvedere, a fort at the top of the Palazzo Pitti which also overlooks Florence at a similar height to the chapel - we did a lot of walking that day! In the end the fort was closed so we went back down to the city and did some shopping.
We found the most amazing shop, which sold just black and white t-shirts with some really funny cartoons on them. Anne and I got chatting to the woman running the shop, in fairly haltering Italian, telling her where we were from and that we were on exchange. She told us that her son (who used to go to Bocconi) had drawn the cartoons and that she ran the shop. The cartoons were hilarious - my favourite was one of a fish in a bowl, looking confused, with the caption 'mi faccio un giro' (2 meanings in Italian - I'm doing a trip, and I'm playing a trick on myself). In the end I settled for a bag with a Roman gladiator and two lions (the caption: the important thing is to participate) - see the photo on webshots! The woman was really lovely, the price included a book of cartoons that her son had drawn, but she gave me an extra 3 books and gave another to Anne even though she didn't buy anything!
On the last day we went to Palazzo Pitti, a former residence of the Medici family. We had a look at a costume exhibition inside and got to see some of the furnishings in the rooms. We also spent plenty of time wandering around in the incredible gardens behind (and found one very friendly cat in the gardens, and another sound asleep on the counter of the souvenier store!). I wandered up to the top of the hill to Forte Belvedere, where we'd been yesterday - but this time it was open! Had a wander through the fort and admired the amazing, panoramic view of Florence and the surrounding hills. It really is a beautiful area!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)