Albergo Marcella Florence

... headed into the cemetery. It was actually very ornate, the headstones were huge (I remember one being a life size statue of 2 people dancing), and some were in rooms/buildings, I’m sure there is a proper word for them. We each broke off and strolled around separately, then convened together and started walking further up the road. We made it to the Piazza we had wanted to go to, took tons of pictures, and goofed off (I can’t express enough how ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I spent the morning taking an Italian exam!!! The afternoon was a little more fun, touring Palazzo Pitti with my Art History class.

It was a little strange spending it without everyone but my school put together a little gathering for us. A group of us dined on a typical American Thanksgiving at a local restaurant. We were served Butternut Squash soup with bread, Turkey ...

... all the other hotels/apartments that they've tried to turn into a "hostel" by simply throwing some bunk beds into existing hotel sized bedrooms.
Wandered around Florence which is a beautiful city and great to just wander around - apart from there being more US exchange students there than locals.
Found Mostodolce brewpub and tried their beers. First decent beer I've had since entering Italy.
The Pils was a bit average but the ...

Hi Everyone!

After an exhausting weekend in Brussels, I was in for yet another treat with cooking classes in Florence. Organized by my school, a group of us met with a chef for some lessons.

We were taught how to prepare typical Tuscan cuisine including Ribollita and Stuffed zucchini-flowers.

Everything was delicious & I look forward to trying these recipes at home!

I'll update you soon,

Siara

... a cab, I think we were just in the wrong spot. Witek tried to give me a piggy back at one stage but I thought he was going to drop me so I leaned forward and we both went down with me flying over his head. Not a good move!

We did eventually get a cab and got back to our hotel where we slept through until 11am the next morning. Nice!

Day 2 – Saturday 5th September – When we eventually surfaced we decided to go into town and have some lunch and maybe ...

... 8217;s granddaughter a while back. I basically just had the address and the bus route and figured that I’d explore until I could find it. I did indeed stumble across the villa, and the views from it were magnificent. Because it was Sunday, the villa was unfortunately closed, but I still peeked in through the gate to see the garden, complete with orange tress bearing fruit.

I took the bus back down from the hillside and just got ...

... get a real kitchen in Tuscany and we can once again have Mark's simple and delicious chicken for dinner. Eating out every meal is great, but I'm sure I've gained 5 pounds, just from my first 2 days in Italy! Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we wander, we go to Garibardi for lunch, everyday, and we find our great evening deck spot, the Hotel Continentale right next door, a partner hotel to ours. We look down over the main street ...

... going back to the meeting point in Piazza Santa Croce. When we got to the pick-up point, Patrice was there waiting. Apparently, they were able to get into the Uffizi and were really glad they endured that long line. While waiting, I decided that I can't leave Florence without purchasing something. So I dashed into a few nearby shops looking for something leather to purchase. I eventually settled on a leather wallet for 20 euros. In no time, we were back on the coach, for a few hours ...

... very impressive even if I had absolutely no idea what he was saying. We all jumped on the bus about 3pm and we headed off to Florence. We had time for a quick look around before we headed to the Hotel to get ready for a night out on the town. 16th - Today was our free day in Florence. We were given a walking tour of the city and then we headed off on our own to check out the city and see what we could find ourselves.

... but nothing is cheap. If you are paying so much for something, you really want it to be just right. but of all the bags there, not one is "just right". The sales person is in tears! Its low season and he'll probably sell nothing else today. Onward through the Lombardy countryside to Florence . You realize that Florence is quite different from all the hill towns such as we have been seeing during the last few days. The suburbs creep up on you, and ...