CIBO

OK…. So I LOVE the food here. Even grocery shopping…. Everything is so fresh, delicious, and relatively cheap! My roommate (Irene) taught me how to make a pasta sauce… it’s SO good… it will change your life! ;) I’ll share it with you…. Just because I care

Irene’s Pasta

1.       Chop up fresh garlic and shallots (you can use onion instead if you want…. Shallots are just easier sometimes).

2.       Start boiling water to cook pasta of your choice

3.       *Put garlic and shallots in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried parsley and oregano

4.       ‘Sweat’ ingredients on low heat and then turn up heat a little to cook

       Coarsely cut up some cherry tomatoes and add them to the pan

5.       When ingredients are cooked, add a heaping spoonful (or more) of mascarpone cheese (looks a little like cream cheese and is used to make tiramisu) into the pan and stir around

6.       Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix around – Serve with bread and ENJOY!

7.       For those cheese lovers out there…. Add parmesan cheese on top! yummmmmmm

*if you want to add chicken, cook in olive oil  and herbs until it is almost cooked and then add the garlic and shallots

You don’t even have to eat it with pasta…. You could just serve it (kinda like fondue) with bread and it will still be delicious!

This next one I have been making for the past couple years… I learned it while studying abroad here and I added balsamic too it…because I love balsamic! :p

Super-Duper Easy and Delicious Pasta

1.       Chop up fresh garlic and onion (or shallots)

2.       Start boiling water to cook your favorite type of pasta

3.       Add garlic and onion in a pan with olive oil (lots of olive oil…..this is the “sauce” part of the pasta), red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper – cook

4.       Add balsamic vinegar to the sauce to heat it up a little

5.       Add cooked pasta to the sauce and mix together – top with cheese and serve with bread

(you can also add chicken to this too). SO GOOD!

Another one of my favorite things that I have made is a mix between bruschetta and caprese! I’ve been eating it on a pretty regular basis… and just made it for an aperitivo and everyone really liked it, so I thought I would share this one too :p

 Bruschetta/Caprese

1.       Slice a baguette into moderately thick slices and toast lightly (so the top and bottom are harder… but not super crispy) in a pan (or an oven if you have one)

2.       Mix olive oil * with salt, pepper, dried oregano, parsley, rosemary and basil….and garlic powder if you so choose – spoon a little bit onto the slices of toasted bread

3.       Place fresh basil leaves on the slices so they are covered (usually one big leaf or a few little ones)

4.       Slice up cherry tomatoes and place a few slices on each piece of bread

5.       Slice up fresh mozzarella (I like to use the little balls because they are about the same size as the cherry tomatoes) and place on top

6.       Drizzle with balsamic glaze over the top and add salt and pepper if you would like

*if you don’t have balsamic glaze you can add some balsamic vinegar to this mixture… but I highly recommend getting the glaze because it is sweeter and makes this so much better!

Rainy Days and Flaming Drinks

I have a ‘job’. I am working with GPSmycity and creating Tour Apps that people can download from ITunes and go on self-guided walking tours around different cities (obviously the ones I will be making will be in Florence and surrounding cities). Essentially what I have to do is pick a theme for the tour or directory guide. I submit my ideas for approval and then, when approved, start working on it. I have to have between 6-15 sites for each tour and have to write a blurb between 100-250 words (it is VERY hard for me to widdle it down to 250 words….because there are so many interesting  facts about the places/pieces) for each site. Once I have researched what I don’t already know and write out my ‘blurb’ I have to record myself reading it (which I find extremely awkward), add a picture from each site and then submit it! Then it becomes an app that people can download on ITunes. It sounds pretty cool and interesting.  I’m going to try it out for a bit to see if the pay is worth the time. I have already completed one tour “Sculpture of Florence”. I chose this one because I didn’t really have to research these places/pieces so I thought it would be easier to start out with something I’m really familiar with. I have to come up with different themes now and create some more…the more tours I do, the more money I make :-p 

Other than that, I’ve just been hanging out and trying to enjoy my time as much as possible. I’ve been without internet for the past month living in my apartment, but our landlady is coming on Monday or Tuesday and we are HOPEFULLY getting internet set up this time…. Full wireless coming our way! Thank God! It has been interesting, and while we’ve been able to steal a connection sometimes in different parts of the apartment, it will be nice to have internet access and be able to contact friends and family as well as different companies here and submit tours I make!

It’s still cold here, although not as cold as it was when I arrived and DEFINITELY not as crappy as it is at home (sorry guys!) No snow here…. Just a few windy and rainy days. The weather is tricking us here because it will be mildly warm and nice and sunny out for a few days and then it goes right back to wet and dreary. Non va bene! Also, the windy rain reminds me of why I hate umbrellas. I never really used umbrellas… partially due to the fact that whenever I was in a place that was rainy, I was usually in close proximity to a shelter (ex: school, car, house, store, etc), but also because they don’t really protect you from the rain. The other days I was walking around the city running errands. When I came home my hair and face were dry for the most part, but my shoes, pants, purse, shopping bags and half my coat were soaked. If there is any hint of wind….. rain doesn’t fall straight down, but from several different angles…..many that your ‘shield’ cannot defeat. Also… this little gust of violent wind can transform your perfectly whole umbrella into this:

A deathtrap for eyeballs that is hungry for hair. Anywho… enough complaining about the weather…. Since I’m not stuck inside because of 9+ inches of snow (haha!) :-p

The other day I went with Krista to Lochness. On Tuesday’s they serve special drinks and she had gone with Lorenzo a few weeks ago. They had a bunch of snazzy drinks served in very unique ways. (I didn’t take pictures this time, but I will next time). The one that we got (Krista recommended) was the “Red Hot Flambé”.  They started by flambéing different mixed fruits with nutmeg and cinnamon and put it in a round jar. They then filled it with ice, added vodka, and topped it with more ice, a straw, and the jar lid. They also gave you a little jar with an eyedropper filled with some sort of liquid (potentially eucalyptus) that you can add to the drink to change the taste – it was very refreshing! They had some other fancy ones like the “CSI Investigation” which was served in a white rectangle box. You take off the lid and there are three different compartments, one containing your drink, and the other two filled with ice and viles of ‘evidence’ (shots) – one that looked like blood and another one that I think was green. It was pretty creative. I’ll have to go back again and take a look at all of the different drinks.

Just Some Pictures from things I’ve done recently :-)

There was a Chocolate Festival in Piazza Santa Croce for the past week and a half. I went a few times and bought some truffles and these amazing chocolate spoons for your coffee! BUT the best part (or so I think) was this Focaccia. It was INCREDIBLE! I tried only a few different kinds, but there was one with pesto and cheese and one with onion and they were so delicious!!!! 

The chocolates were tasty as well :p They were beautiful and some were so creative. Chocolate tools, food, flowers, accessories….even a chocolate Moka Express with cups! There was one booth that had a Chocolate Kebap. They would shave it off (like you typically would do with the meat) and put it in this sweet roll… it was funny. 

There were plenty of ‘chocolate covered fruit’ and hot chocolate booths. Deliciousness all around! :D  

There was also a food fair set up in Piazza Reppublica. An abundance of cheese, meat, honey, wine and truffles! I didn’t buy anything…. But we had samples of all of them. TASTY! I forgot how much I really love Pecorino cheese until I came back here! (Pecorino comes from the word 'pecora' which means 'sheep'. So yes... it is made from sheeps' milk - Mom... that means you can eat it!) Pecorino and honey sandwiches are amazing! :D

Every night at around 530pm there are thousands of birds that come flying around! Here is a picture… you can’t really tell, but it’s the big black spotted cloud looking thing….

 

There were so many that I couldn’t fit it into one picture. They swarm around in waves and lines… it’s so cool! And when they fly towards you and above you it sounds exactly like the brushing of wind through the leaves of a tree…. Very cool and calming!

I finally got a comforter (extremely bright but oh-so-warm!) which made sleeping a little more pleasant… and possible, and I was able to buy a Moka Express (also bright….but it does the trick). So now I have my bed (still would like to get some more comfortable sheets) with my bright comforter and Costa Rica Tapestry (doesn’t quite match, but that’s ok) and I’m working on my wall and shelf (I need to get some more pictures printed off!)

Ok... well this is getting extremely long and probably less and less interesting to those reading... so I'm done for now :) 

The Internet Debacle and Life So Far

We have had a few lucky breaks regarding internet access (aka: stealing a connection from people around is), but we are still without internet. I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal not having it, but when you are away from your general means of communication and looking for a job, it does become quite difficult when you don’t have access to the internet. We were supposed to be getting internet last Friday…. And yet, still no internet. HOPEFULLY we will have it soon…. It would be nice to check in, give updates and contact people here and at home. 

Let’s see……what else? OH! I had a job… and when I say that I mean a school hired me, then I didn’t hear from them for a couple of days, and when I called them asking about it they said “Oh, you didn’t get our email?” Basically they said they ended up being under-budget and were no longer able to hire other teachers. I said if there is any position available in the future to let me know. I had a different offer to teach an intensive English course to university level students. It is three weeks long, MTR 8am-6pm, and WF 8am-1pm.  Needless to say… I am WAY under-qualified for that job, and the lady was very unclear with the details. So… still no job. I have posted a few things online and sent my CV to a few other schools…..things would be a lot easier if I had internet in my apartment!

In the meantime, I have gone to a few museums and churches with one of my flat-mates (she is actually done with Erasmus tomorrow and is leaving this Saturday), I have slowly been making my way through my extensive DVD collection, and have been enjoying my fantastic apartment. During the week I have gone out a few times with friends, but going out does cost money…. And I am severely lacking in that department! What else?.... I have been cooking! It is incredible how much more inexpensive certain things are here! Like cheese…..herbs….produce….bread….and WINE! Some of my favorite things :D I have also, of course, been looking for job postings and applying to different places when I can, but I have also been looking at my other options (which I can get into later).

As far as Valentine’s Day goes… everything is too expensive to want to go out to dinner, plus I’m going out this week somewhere else… so I spent a lovely evening at my apartment. I had ravioli with a red sauce (tomato, onion, garlic, chili flakes and basil) which was delicious and a glass of wine. I also watched a movie (the Italian Job…. Thanks Jason!), made some necklaces, dyed my hair (although… it turned out basically the same color that my hair is naturally and I was trying to dye it a little darker…) and relaxed. It was nice! Plus… it didn’t cost me anything :D I hope everyone else had a wonderful Valentine’s Day (or ‘Singles Awareness Day’ for those of you who celebrate the day in that manner). Ciao!

Museo dell’Opera

If you go into the Duomo (the main cathedral in the center of Florence) you really won’t find much. For one reason or another (I have heard both that it is due to the fear of pollution as well as being a distraction during mass) almost every original artwork from the inside of the cathedral, and some of the work on the outside, have been moved into the museum behind - the Museo dell’Opera dell Duomo. I went there today with one of my roommates, Moira, as well as to the Baptistery, and it was great to see all of these famous artworks again!

This museum holds one of the three Pietas by Michelangelo. Sculpting this during his 80s, Michelangelo intended this to be the top of his tomb. I think this Pieta is interesting for a few different reasons. One reason being that the face of the top figure (Nicodemus – who isn’t usually depicted in the Pieta) is supposedly a self-portrait of Michelangelo, which is a pretty rare occurrence. Another reason I find it interesting is because it shows the mass amount of talent this man possessed (since he was sculpting this in his 80s) and shows his personality. Michelangelo was a pretty short-tempered man and at one point during the creation of this statue he became frustrated or enraged and took a hammer to it. You can see lines on the arm and leg of Christ where the statue had to be pieced back together. The last interesting fact pertains to Mary Magdalene, who is on the left of the statue. You can see that she is not only slightly detached from the rest of the piece, but that she is smaller than the other figures and more “polished off”. This shows that she was not actually sculpted by Michelangelo, but most likely by one of his students.

This next statue is also one of my favorite pieces from the Duomo. It is the morbidly fascinating sculpture of The Magdalene by Donatello. I remember when I was studying abroad here my art history teacher took us to the Museo dell’Opera. When she was leading us into this room she said “this next statue is going to be the most beautiful statue you have ever seen.” Now….. when you are in a city full of amazingly beautiful artworks, it’s a little hard to imagine something that is ‘more beautiful than anything you’ve seen’, but I was intrigued. So, having that image in my head and walking into a room and seeing….. this…. I was a little taken aback! Our reactions were exactly what she had expected. When you walk up to this statue, you get a pretty creepy feeling. Standing to the right and looking at it, it feels almost as if she is going to reach out and grab you. But the more you examine the statue, the more you do realize the beauty and intensity of it. In almost every depiction of Mary Magdalene you see a beautiful, young woman. Here, you see a woman with matted hair, veins and tendons that are protruding from her leathery skin, and hollow, tired eyes that exemplifies her pain and suffering. The intensity of this statue is incredible….. even looking at her feet, you can see how she grips onto the rock with her toes and the strain it puts on her food and her leg…. It is amazing how a person can make such an inanimate object look and feel so lifelike.

After looking at many other artworks and plans/tools for the dome, we went over to the Baptistery. The Baptistery of San Giovanni is the oldest building in the square. There are three sets of famous doors in this building: the South Door by Andrea Pisano (scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist), the North Door by Lorenzo Ghiberti (scenes from the New Testament), and the East Door, better known as “The Golden Gates of Paradise” by Lorenzo Ghiberti (scenes from the Old Testament). Inside the Baptistery is the 13th-century mosaics of the dome. The section above the altar is a depiction of the Last Judgment. The rest of the dome is created by rings of stories. The first ring consists of the Choir of Angels. The second is made of stories from the Book of Genesis. The third ring has stories from the life of Joseph, fourth is stories from the lives of Mary and Christ. The fifth is made from stories of the life of St. John the Baptist, and the final ring is made of ornamental mosaics