Villa La Stella - Casa Per Ferie Florence

I liked Florence so much the first time I went, I came back! I realized in August that I loved this city and that I didn't have enough time to spend here, so I decided I wanted to go back to enjoy the slower moving life of Florence.

The first day we got to Florence, Katy and I went straight to the leather market. I had been eagerly waiting the entire semester to buy a new purse, and I knew I had seen several I really liked in Florence, so I had made ...

... Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables. For dessert pumpkin pie, ice cream, and apple cider! It was nice to spend the night with classmates and a few professors.

Friday night, we had yet another Thanksgiving with all of my friends. Everyone prepared their favorite dish and we spent the night telling stories of our families Thanksgivings.

I'll update you soon,

Siara

nous sommes rester a florence pour terminer notre visite la ville en allant aux jardins boboli et bardini, situe dans la cours du palais pitti. Deux grand jardins qui a cette date n'ont plus autant a offrir qu'en ete. il n'y a plus de fleur, et la moitie des arbres n;ont plus de feuille, mais on a pu constater l'ampleur de la propriete en passant tout l'apres midi a ...

... food in Italy so far! Amazing!
Finished off with a gelati from Vivoli.

Walked up to Michaelangelo Square for awesome views right across Florence which is a pretty flat city and then over to Ponte Vechio.


Wednesday checked out Academia, the highlight of which was Michaelangelo's David which is a lot more amazing and stunning in real life than pictures or the copies littered about the city.
There was also a Robert ...

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

... place, there was Chris waiting for us on the platform! He then took us to his flat. His lives on the third story of this building and I proceeded to get my backpack strap stuck in the elevator door. A minor hiccup. He lives on one of the main streets in Florence. He lives with six other guys, five from USD, in a very typical Italian apartment. There are murals on the walls, small beds and a tiny kitchen. There is this wonderful breeze that screams ...

... speaking.

after that i went home to read a little before getting ready for our Italian Cooking class that API sponsored for us. it was delisouse to say the least. i want to get a pasta maker and make the dishes for my parents. it was so fun and i remember...hopefully how to make everything. we started by makeing dough from two types of flour and two eggs. then we molded it all together and put it thorugh a pasta maker. we stuff the ravioli with some potato ...

... in 1419, the city of Florence conducted one for the best dome design that would top off the basilica's octagonal base. Brunelleschi, a local artist and architect, competed and won against Ghiberti, the artist whom Brunelleschi lost to in an earlier competition for the bronze panels of the "Gates of Paradise", the eastern doors of the Baptistry (my next posting).

The contest specifically called for a dome design that would span 42 ...

... around every corner. Also a little shop on the main street sells the best pizza slices............... We arrived to Florence with out a problem and did our usual drive around an area 50 times trying to find the camper stop. We eventually found it only to discover we couldn't get in. Dave went to find some one to ask while I sat in the car right next to a boom gate hoping that no one pulled in behind us. In the end a nice old man let us in ...

... am sure that we will be able to keep touch! On the second day, I walked to the Uffizi gallery, only to discover a huge line! Instead of waiting, I stopped by the reservation office and bought a ticket for an hour later (probably the length of the line), and for the Accademia museum for the following day. There was a small fee, but certainly worth not waiting in line! The Uffizi gallery was fantastic. Unfortunately, Florence does not allow photos to be taken in the museums, so I ...