Melted Chocolate

This morning I woke up a little earlier and skyped with my entire apartment that I will be living with next semester and we were even able to do a three-way to include my roomie Jenelle who is studying in Israel right now!  I am lucky to have such good friends to come back to in San Diego.  They truly make the whole process of leaving Rome bittersweet. 

After, I left my apartment for my favorite little café located near my school in Trastevere.  The bar/café is named Friends and it has free wi-fi which is huge draw especially to college students.  The layout is similar to that of Starbucks with a bar on the side and lots of tables.  A big difference is that you either have to order at the bar and drink your coffee or drink right there at the bar or you have an option of taking a table and a waiter will come and bring a menu.  There is no such thing as a to go cup,  To sit at a table you will be charged a service fee.  I came to class 3 hours early with a couple of friends to do work in Friends café.  The laid back, chill environment is a fun place to do your work.  The café has dark undertone, not very well lit with guitars and artsy posters hanging up on the walls.  Some of the walls are also lined with bookshelves for décor.  At each table there are outlets so I am able to plug in my computer.  Sitting at the table, I see students, workers, and business men come in and out all speaking the beautifully eloquent Italian language.  In the background there is usually a soft jazz piece playing or sometimes playing is what I would classify as indie music.  The café is warm and cozy especially when you look outside and see the pouring rain.

Despite Italy being world famous for coffee I still have not come to enjoy the taste or the caffeine in coffee.  However, I go straight for the hot chocolate.  Here in Italy it is comprised of milk, sugar, a thickening agent like flour or corn starch, and, of course, chocolate (often in the form of cocoa powder), hot chocolate in Italy has nothing to do with the watery, sippable kind that I usually have in the states. Hot chocolate in Italy and many parts of Europe is thick, almost the consistency of pudding, and the way to enjoy it is with a small spoon, one delicious mouthful at a time. It literally tastes like melted chocolate.  Just be careful because they usually serve it quite hot!

Tomorrow is a Friday and I usually do not have school on Fridays but it is a make-up day.  I came to the café to start working on my econ paper that is due the first week of December.  It is going t be 15 pages and that includes graphs.  My only guidelines is that is must be about a developing country.  I am choosing to do my topic on water in Sub-Sahara Africa.  I will talk more about my subject once I do some more research.   For dinner I will be having homemade ravioli with basil sauce. 

Tuesday

From looking out my window in my room it looks like its going to be a rainy week in Rome.  I enjoy running around and jumping in the puddles with my rain boots and my umbrella.  I went to the grocery store this morning.  I have become used to the Italian style grocery store and now bypass trying to read all of the labels for the food because I have memorized my favorite brands and can pick them out merely by the label.  I am still unable to read what type of milk I am buying.  There are four different color caps (red, green, blue, and white).  I never know which one to pick.  In the states I usually drink 2% milk but now I usually just switch off.  I can barely taste the difference between the different colors of the cap so why not?  My favorite section in the grocery store is the cheese section.  I usually pick out a new cheese every time and eat it with crackers for a snack the rest of the week.  I have become friends with the workers who work at the store and I get free lollipops every time I go.

I am a little bummed about my finger because I am going to have to take a few weeks off of basketball.  Dad, you better use this to your advantage and start practicing so when I come home I don’t beat you again.  Tonight Tara, Marni, Carly and I are going to have a study party in our apt and crack down with some homework before the weekend.   A lot of people in my classes are forgetting the “study” part about “study abroad” and are really struggling and at this point classes are coming to an end.  I am hoping to start seeing Christmas decorations up and around Rome in the next coming week.

Czech Me Out!

This past weekend Prague blew my mind.  Prague is often known as the pearl of Europe and I now understand why because it is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.  When I arrived at the airport I immediately converted my money from Euro to Crowns.  For every 1 euro I received 20 crowns.  Therefore, when I turned in 100 Euro for weekend spending I was returned back with 2000 crowns.  I felt rich!  I was traveling with my friends Jenni, Whitney, and Vanessa. 

Prague is not overrun by tourism, but its effects are evident for all to see. Much of the post-communism reconstruction and regeneration of Prague has been driven by tourism, as ancient buildings have been transformed into fine restaurants and stylish hotels.  We arrived at where we were staying called the Czech Inn and I immediately began figuring out the public transportation system in the city.  When I arrive in new cities I really like to figure out the transportation system and I think it is so fun.  I quickly learned that Czech is an extremely difficult language and is nothing like Italian or Spanish.  Czech, is a consonant-rich Slavic language, is one of the most difficult European languages to learn. English speakers find some sounds very hard to pronounce.  It literally looked like I just closed my eyes on the keyboard and clicked random letters and that is how the language originated. 

The weather in Prague was great!  The taxi driver was telling us that two weeks prior it was negative ten degrees and how nobody can believe the current weather.  On Sunday, there was not a cloud in the sky with the sun shining at a nice 65 degrees.  The city of Prague was so clean.  There was not a piece of trash to be seen and everything in the town was operating efficiently.  During the morning I saw machines not only cleaning the roads or merely picking up the trash but they were almost like suction tubes picking up excess dust and dirt.  No wonder the city was so clean.  The buildings in the city were tall all with distinct pastel colors often with  a gothic or baroque style.  The people in Prague were friendly and many people came up to me asking about my hair and I also saw lots of  ladies with their hair dyed red haha.  A lot of people thought I was from Russia or Hungry and not until I opened my mouth they did they think differently.

The Czech Republic has a long rich history and I was only able to brush the surface of it but it was fascinating epic story.  Inhabitants of the city have witnessed a declaration of independence, Nazi control, brain washing communism & capitalist democracy.   And that was just the 20th century!  On Saturday, I went on a three hour walking tour where I began to immerse myself in the city and learn about Prague.  By far my most favorite part of Prague was the Charles Bridge at night.  It is also popular with Czech artists, musicians and souvenir vendors whose stands line both sides of the bridge year-round.  At sunset I came to enjoy the breathtaking view of the fully lit Prague Castle against the evening sky.   The bridge is now a pedestrian zone (although both tram and car traffic were allowed there in the past) and is almost constantly filled with people. If you want to have it all to yourself, go there at night or very early in the morning.  The Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841.  It is aligned with over 30 baroque statues.  This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. One of the nights when I was out on the bridge I saw a proposal!  A guy got down on one knee and took out a little box from his pocket.  The couple did not speak English but I guarantee you by the expression on the girls face she said yess!

Another one of my favorite sights was the Lennon Wall.  The wall holds messages of peace, freedom and hope. People started writing messages in graffiti when the nation was still under communist rule. It became a monument towards free speech - in communist times the wall became the soapbox of the repressed people of Prague and people risked arrest and imprisonment to get their message across. The wall was repainted several times by the authorities but this didn’t stop the graffiti reappearing.  This wall is symbol of freedom and at every special occasion people are burning candles there. The first night I was there I visited it and then when I came back the next day it was different.  The next day when I came back I came back prepared with a black sharpie pen and wrote some of my favorite quotes!  I also visited the famous Prague Castle.  The Prague Castle illuminates the skyline and can be seen from many different locations from the city.  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world.  The outside has gothic influence and at night it is illuminated beautifully.  It is currently home to the Czech president.  When ever he is home there is a flag that waves in the air.

Another great place in Prague was Old Town Square.  It is a huge marketplace for Prague. Over the next few centuries, many buildings of Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic styles were erected around the market, each bringing with them stories of wealthy merchants and intrigue.  The Old Town Square's most notable sights are the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, the Old Town Hall Tower & Astronomical Clock and the stunning St. Nicholas Church.  The old town square was huge and in the middle there were food venders selling typical Czech food and many cafes surrounding the outside.  For dinner one day, I got a huge sausage link and then went to a bench and ate it and people watched in the huge lively square.  I quickly became a big fan of Czech food.  They are all about the meat and I love that!  Every restaurant was filled with burgers, ribs, and steaks.  One night for dinner I had some ribs, mashed potatoes, and the most delicious garlic soup.  For dessert I had heated raspberries with vanilla ice cream.  One of the main sights in the square is the astronomical clock.  The astronomical clock in Old Town Square has kept its time for over 6 centuries and continues to work till this very day. The clock shows three individual sets of data. It shows the revolutions of the Sun, the revolutions of the moon, and the revolutions of the stars. The clock is divided into red and blue halves representing day and night. It's quite an amazing thing to see, considering the relatively low technology they had in those times.  Loads of tourists flock to see the clock in action to strike the hour.  It is said that they made the creator of the clock go blind so that he would not produce another one ever again!  Right after the amusing chiming of the clock, a Czech in a traditional costume appears at the top of the tower and blows his trumpet. Again, the performance is very brief but it is unforgettable because it draws everybody's attention and brings a touch of medieval time. After that, tourist groups disperse but the atmosphere remains very lively.  In Europe, I have become very accustomed to piazzas and squares as a place to be outside and enjoy.  It is going to be weird to go home to backyard.

The very first night I had a little bit of a mishap to say the least.  I was pulling out my hairbrush from my locker/drawer where I had my stuff and I thought the top part would stay open.  Clearly I was wrong as the heavy top of the locker came smashing down on my thumb nail.  I immediately started gushing blood, finger swelled up really big, and yes my finger nail was officially off.  I quickly wrapped up my finger and gauze, tried to clean it out, and it was extremely painful.  I decided to just deal with it for that night.  The next morning I went off to a hospital that supposedly for foreigners.  Turns our they did not speak English and they were not very nice and it was confusing trying to figure out what the doctors were telling me.  Also, they are not very gentle as when I took x-rays they just throw your hand in different positions.  They told me I hurt a nerve in my finger area which was why it was so painful.  When the doctor and nurse figured out that I would be returning to Rome on Monday therefore they quickly wrapped up the finger in a soft cast and told me to go to a doctor in Rome and he will remove the soft cast for me.  In other words they decided it would be easier to just not deal with me since I would be leaving.  O well!  This happened the first night I was there and I was not going to let a little finger accident ruin my weekend.

I arrived back in Rome on Monday.  I got a t-shirt as a trinket and it says on the front “Czech Me Out” in cool writing.  Haha get it?  An interesting difference in air travel in Europe is that when a plane lands everyone claps and applauds for the landing.  This week I am not too busy and look forward to spending the next week and the weekend in Rome.

Boom Boom!

Thunder here in Rome, is loudest thunder I have heard before in my life. I woke my roommate up in the middle of the night because I thought the Vatican was getting bombed it was so outrageously loud. The next morning, I decided to do some research on what exactly is the cause of thunder is and how it is formed. This is what I learned (warning may be boring to some but I think it is really cool!) Thunder is the acoustic shock wave resulting from the extreme heat generated by a lightning flash. Lightning can be as hot as 54,000°F (30,000°C), a temperature that is five times the surface of the sun! When lightning occurs, it heats the air surrounding its channel to that same incredible temperature in a fraction of a second. Like all gases, when air molecules are heated, they expand. The faster they are heated, the faster their rate of expansion. But when air is heated to 54,000°F in a fraction of a second, a phenomenon known as "explosive expansion" occurs. This is where air expands so rapidly that it compresses the air in front of it, forming a shock wave similar to a sonic boom. Exploding fireworks produce a similar result. When lightning strikes a shock wave is generated at each point along the path of the lightning bolt. With nearby lightning strikes the thunder will sound like a loud bang, crack or snap and its duration will be very short. As the shock wave propagates away from the strike center, it stretches, diminishes, and becomes elongated. Then other shock waves from more distance locations arrive at the listener. At large distances from the center, the shock wave (thunder) can be many miles across. To the listener, the combination of shock waves gives thunder the continuous rumble we hear. In addition, the temperature of the atmosphere affects the thunder sound you hear as well as how far away you can hear it. Sound waves move faster in warm air than they do in cool air.

Today, the sun is out again and I just have my economics and history classes to attend too. After, my roommate Tara, is in a photography class and one of her projects is to have a photo model shoot and she asked me to do it for her. So after class I am going to the studio to help her out. She is a really talented photographer and always notices cool reflections and lighting on objects (things I never notice) just when we are walking around.

Tomorrow, I am leaving for Prague for the weekend and will not be returning until Monday. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. Recently, I have been doing research on Prague and plan to visit the Wenceslas Square, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Dancing Building, Prague Cathedral, Old Town Square, TV Tower and the Vyshedhard. On Saturday night I will be attending a Prada fashion show event. I am also really excited to try some Czech food. In my research I have found Czechs like sugar in just about everything, it seems. Sauces, gravies, and salad dressings are uncommonly sweet. A common meal for children is noodles, with loads of sugar, ground poppy seeds and melted butter. Coming from the girl who likes to eat candy for breakfast I am naturally unopposed to this sugar craze. I am also looking forward to some good sausage. The weather is going to be extremely cold so I am going to pack smart with warm clothes.

In my book Eat, Pray, Love I finished the section on India. I think Elizabeth Gilbert is a beautiful writer and I am always able to pull away some favorite quotes from every chapter. I have two favorite quotes from the section on India. The first is "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." Secondly, which is my absolute favorite is "Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be." That’s all for now and Na shledanou! (goodbye in Czech). The picture above is at a flower stand right next to my house that I pass by everyday and it is always so pretty. The other day I was wearing a flower dress so I decided to take a picture!

Attack of the Birds

This week I am busy catching up on all of the schoolwork that I missed last week.  School is starting to catch up with me as I have three 10 page papers that I need to turn in before the end of the semester.  Yesterday, I was extremely excited to go the grocery store and begin to start cooking my own meals again because I have been eating out for the past two weeks!  When I buy fruit at the grocery store I have to weigh it on my own by selecting a corresponding number on a scale before I can go through the check through.  I got hamburger beef, bun, tomatoes, onions, eggs, milk, cereal, grapes, apples, and the biggest bottle of Gatorade I have ever seen.  Even though the Gatorade tastes different here (a little bit more sweet).

On my way home from school I looked up in the air I saw thousands upon thousands of birds in the air all moving together encompassing a big black mass moving together.  I wish I had my camera to video tape it but I have a YouTube link to click on and you can see what I am talking about.  The video is a good description of what the birds look like but does not make clear just how many birds are in that mass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YadP3w7vkJA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVO827GK4tE

It turns our these birds are called Starlings.  They appear in Rome to sleep during the fall season.  During the day they fly out to the countryside for food, then after they fill the skyline of Rome and it almost looks as if they are performing a dance.  One thing I learned about them is that they poop everywhere- on the sidewalk, on cars, and on many lucky pedestrians. In fact these birds are becoming a real problem in the city of Rome. Hundred of thousands of dollars  are spent cleaning the ancient beautiful Roman architecture that becomes covered in bird poop during the fall.  Last year, a mass of the birds collided with a Ryanair plane that was landing at the airport. Several birds got stuck in the engines, and the plane had an emergency landing during which several passengers were injured.  The city has responded by trying to get rid of the birds. One strategy is to use a megaphone to project starling distress calls at a mass of birds. The birds react by fleeing into the sky to find another place to stay for the night. Supposedly this strategy is working, since the number of starlings decreases every year.  But starlings are still extremely present, darkening the  sky at 5pm every night. If your traveling through Rome remember to take cover!

Pisa, Florence, and Venice

We took the train from Cinque Terre to one the most famous cities in the world, Pisa.  Pisa is commonly known as a tourist quickie, meaning that it is a quick visit to take a look at the leaning tower, take a picture, and leave.  The fabulous collection of buildings that most people know are gathered on one side of the city and is called "The Field of Miracles".   The Field of Miracles is made up of three sights, the Duomo, Baptistery, and the Leaning Tower.  They all right in a row located on a beautiful big stretch of green grass.  It was refreshing to see so much grass and just be able to lounge on the grass, look at leaning tower, and enjoy the nice sunny day that we had.  So I knew that the tower leaned but I did not realize how much it actually leaned.  Started in the 12th-century, this most famous example of Pisan Romanesque architecture was leaning even before its completion. The 294 tilting steps to the top were closed for years as engineers worked to keep the bell tower from toppling. The formerly clean and tidy area around the tower was turned into a construction zone as engineers used steam pipes to dry out the subsoil and huge weights to stabilize (but not straighten out) the tower Now 30 people an hour can climb to the top.  I took the famous picture where I stick my hand out and pretend that I am holding up the leaning tower.  Unfortunate, my dad along with the pictures of the trip went back to America so it may take a little while before I can post the pictures. 

After Pisa we hopped back on the train and headed towards Florence where spent two nights.  Extra precautions were taken in the train station because the train station is known for pick pocketers.  That night we had a nice meal at a local pizzeria  and walked around the town a little.  Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants along with many college students who study there.  Most people when they decide that they want to study in Italy are usually conflicted with the choice to study in either Rome or Florence.  Florence lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A center of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.  On Saturday we went the Accademia Museum where we saw one of biggest attractions in Italy, the David.  After the Accademia museum we went to Piazza San Marco. Near the Piazza San Marco was University of Gonzaga Florence.  We checked out the school because John may want to study in Florence when he is a junior.  After, we walked though the leather market and mossied in and out of a few shops.  Florence was a fun filled two days including a visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Baboli Garden, and Pitti palace.

Our last stop on the trip was Venice.  I have already been to Venice so I will not bother with going into detail about the city itself again.  The hotel was really cool and our room was a little loft room with a downstairs where there was a couch which was made into a pullout bed for me and then an upstairs loft area leading to a bed for my parents.  There was a huge window that looked out towards the river and we could see and hear gondolas riding by.  That window turned out not to be my moms friend since during the night mosquitoes flew in waking up my mom because they were buzzing in her ear.  She woke up that morning with over 15 bug bites.  I guess she is more popular with the mosquitoes than my dad and I because we woke up scotch free.  We explored the city by getting lost, and then went to Saint Mark’s Square and Cathedral.  Saint Mark’s Cathedral is by far my favorite and in my opinion the most beautiful church in all of Italy.  The entire church is made of mosaic and a crazy amount of detail is put into every square inch of the church.  Look up pictures online and you will see just how detailed the entire church is including the floor.  The next morning we took the train back to Rome had a nice dinner in Trastevere and my parents took a cab to the airport to start in 18 hour flight back home.  We had a great 10 days and I am happy that they made it back home safetly!

Papal Mass, Trevi Fountain and Cinque Terre

Papal Mass

On Tuesday night we went out in the city of Rome and visited the famous Trevi fountain and ate at a little restaurant right around the corner from it.  We did the classic throw the coin into the fountain which is a tradition that says if you throw the coin into the water you are ensured a return trip to Rome.  Someone told me that they scoop out about 30,000 dollars a day which makes since because every person throws in about 10 cents and there are over 3,000 visitors a day.  

On Friday morning we went to a papal mass at the Vatican.  My parents went early to reserve seats and yes we ended up with front row seats to see the Pope Benedict!  About 8,000 people piled and into the center and about 10:45 the Pope came out from the back.  It was really exciting to be so close to such a worldly leader.  The blessing was given in six different language with a beautiful band playing from Turkey.  After the papal mass we did a tour where we were able to go under the Vatican and learn about the rich history and see the burial sights of Saint Peter himself and all of the past popes included Pope John Paul.

Late Friday afternoon we went off to the Termini train station in Rome to catch a train to Cinque Terre.  We took bus 64 and on the way there my dad almost got pick pocketed in the crowded bus.  We arrived to our hotel in CInque Terre around 9:30 at night and quickly realized just how quaint and small our town of Vernazza really was.   Cinque Terre is a remote chunk of the Italian Rivera, and is the traffic-free and there is not a museum in sight, just sun, sea, sand, wine, and pure untouched by tourism Italy.  There are five different towns they are all connected  by trails.  The entire route between the towns if you wanted to hike is about 5 hours.  However, since it was raining a few days before we came we were only able to hike the first trail from Riomsggiore to Manarola.  

We woke up early on Thursday, grabbed quick coffee ad headed toward the first town called Riogmaggiore.  In order to do this we hoped on the convenient regional train.   When we arrived we went up a huge residential hill where we saw spectacular sea views.  We were able to look over the entire Italian coast and the different cities.  The sky was perfectly clear with a couple of white puffy clouds in the sky and the water down below was a beautiful aqua blue that you could practically sea the ocean floor  it was so clear.  The town of Riomaggiore was probably my favorite towns and we were able to see true Italian lifestyle.  Riomaggiore's rugged and tiny beach is rocky but calm and peaceful.  

After exploring we went on our way to the next town called Manarola.  In order to get there we did a hike called "Via dell Amora"  which means pathway to love.  I learned some interesting facts about the hike along the way.  The Cinque Terer towns were extremely isolated until the last century.  After the blasting of the second train line in the 1920s a trail was made between the first two towns.  Happy with the trail, the villagers asked that it be improved as a permanent connection between neighbors.  It became established as a lovers meeting for boys and girls from the two towns.  Hence, why it is called the Pathway of Love.  This new lane changed the social dynamic between the two villages and made life much more fun and interesting for courting couples.  It was interesting as we were on our walk we saw hundred and hundred of locks connected to the railing (the kind of locks that you would connect to a locker).  I found out that closing a padlock with your lover onto a cable or railing is the current craze in Italy and became re popularized by a teen novel.  Manarola is tiny and piruresque with a bunch of homes on the cliff side and a fun-loving waterfront.  Manarola has no sand but offers the best deep water swimming in the area.  We were hungry for lunch and went to a cute restaurant literally right on the water called Marina Piccola.  For an appetizer, my dad got the local speciality which is accuighe or anchovies.  For my main course I ordered another local specialty.  This region is the birthplace of pesto which is made of basil, is ground with cheese, garlic, olive oil, and pine nutes.  I had my pesto on whats called trofie which is kind of like a noodle  made of flour with a bit of potato designed specifically for pesto to cling to.  After lunch we walked to the top of Manarola where we were greeted by a square faced by a church and a bell tower which served as a watch tower when pirates raided the town.  Manarola had particular interesting vineyards.  They lay on a hill side with naitivity scenes crafted by the locals spotted against the vines. 

 After we skipped the town of Capitola which was the only town not on the water and population 240.  Instead we went back to our city called Vernaza.  Vernazza is said by Rick Steves to be the jewel of Cinque Terre.  It has the only natural harbor overseeing by a ruined castle and a stout stone church.  Only the occasionally noisy slurping of the train by the mountain reminds you of the modern world.  Most of the action of the town is at the harbor where there are outdoor restaurants and a bar hanging on the edge of the castle.  Fearing the change the modern world would bring and the ideal to keep Vernaza small proponents stopped the construction of a major road into the town and region.  Leisure time is devouted to taking part in what is called "passeggiata" which is strolling lazily together up and down the main street.  This is also know as vita pigra di Vernazza which is translated to "the lazy life of the Vernazza."  It is important to note that my parents and I are getting a comply different experience going in the month of November.  The towns are extremely vacant and not many tourists are out.  However in the summer months the five cities are absolutely packed.  In the summer if you do not have a hotel reservation you will not be allowed into the town because it is so packed with tourists enjoying the sun, culture, and renting boats and kayaks.  In the winter,the population shrinks, as many people return to their more comfrtable big-city aartments to spend the money they reaped during the tourist season.  We stayed in a hotel called Albergo Barabra.  This hotel rents nine simple but clean and modern roomer overlooking the harbor square.  When we returned I went for a run around the city.  It was difficult to run because in 20 minutes in one direction I was already at one end of the city!  Running is an easy way to master the layout of the city.  

After a quick break at the hotel we went of the the last city called Monterrosse which is the most touristy of all five cities.  his is a resort with a few cars and lots of hotels, rent-able breach umbrellas, crowds, and a thriving late night scene.  The town is split into two parts ( new town and and old town).Right on the beach their was an indoor soccer field a bunch of little boys were playing a pickup game in.  I wanted to play so badly!  When your on the waterfront you can pick out each of the Cinque Terre towns decorating the coast.  After dark these towns sparkle.  For dinner we had trouble finding a restaurant even on the main strip because many of them shutdown for the winter.  Sounds like a pretty good lifestyle to me, work for 7 months and then take 5 months off to enjoy your family and just relax!  I am on the train now again on the way to Pisa and Florence!