Sergio's Vineyard

In Rome, if you don't know, the wine culture is very prevalent. No meal is complete without wine. When friends and I go out for a meal, we always order the house wine, always biancci, one, because we like white wine over red and two, because the house wine is the cheapest, and it is usually tasty. I often purchase a bottle of wine when I make a trip to the grocery store, but I never know what type of wine to look for and usually just end up grabbing the second cheapest white bottle off the shelf. After a month of drinking wine here in Rome it is about time I learned more about what makes white wine white and red wine red. And how does a grape from the vine turn into a corked bottle sitting in the store.

Today SAI arranged a vineyard tour and wine tasting in Civitella d'agliano, a town in the hills of Lazio (one and half hours away from Rome by bus). A group of about 30 of us took a bus to learn more about wine today. After the last event we signed up for through SAI, remember Ostia and the amazing meal at the farm, we knew we were about to have nothing less than an enthralling experience. We arrived to the vineyard at 11:30 and were immediately greeted by Sergio, the owner of the vineyard. He was a kind and warm italian man with grey hair and piercing blue eyes and with a great passion for wine. He toured us through the warehouse where the wine is made, fermented, bottled and corked and explained all we need to know about producing wine. We were taken to the vineyards, where there are hundreds of rows of vines, sadly without grapes at this time of year, but the fields went on and on. The scenery was truly grasping. The day was very nice, overcast, but the temperature was perfect, and the hills that surrounded us were foggy and the sun peaked out every once in a while. We were then taken to his other cellar for some wine taste testing and food!

We walked inside and Sergio instantly said, "ok who wants to taste some wine?" He poured us all glasses, beginning with a white lighter sparkling wine, which was one of my personal favorites. Throughout the wine taste testing we were served a delicious meal made up of crusty bread with chopped liver (not the traditional kind, more of a paste) and rosemary olive oil bread, penne pasta and a spicy red tomato sauce, stuffed chicken and potatoes and for dessert an apricot marmalade pie. Each wine he poured us matched the course to enhance the dish, and each wine pairing really did bring out the flavors of each dish. We sipped ten different types of wines and marked down which ones we liked the best and described the flavors of each. We were taken down into the dark cellar to see all of the bottles fermenting and lining the walls, similar to the bat cave, just with more wine.

My favorite was Civitella Rosato, a rose colored wine, which is truly a red grape, but with less of the red flavor of the grape. It is in between white and red and had a very floral and rosy sweet taste to it, very fruity. My other preferred wine was the first one he poured for us, Vino spumante Mottura Brut, a white fizzy wine that was very light. He also had us try a dessert wine called Magone, which was heavier and honey flavored, a bit too strong for me taste wise, but for dessert I could have a glass. He said it is mainly to be served with cheese and liver, hence why we had liver. It was a popular one for the others. Sergio was so inviting and hospitable to us and as we drank more of his wine he did too, and his explanations became louder and the smile on his face became bigger. You could just tell he loves his life, living for wine and greeting guests into his vineyard and passing on his passion for food, wine and company. His label is called "Sergio Mottura" and surprisingly, I was very excited when I saw this, there is a store in Minnesota that sells his wine! It is called "New France Wine Co." and it is in St. Paul....mom, dad, go check it out! Buy my favorite wine for when I come home ;( The label has a porcupine on it, very cute.

In our wine haze we sadly left the very quaint, rustic, vine covered town where the vineyard was located, and I could absolutely see myself living in a small town like this one, getting to know the few members living in the town and settling down there living off of wine and cheese, for maybe a year. It probably won't happen, but a girl can dream.

That is all for now! So far my first weekend spent in Rome has been wonderful and I am so happy with the choice I made to study in this city.

The Best Day

This weekend is the first weekend since I have been in Rome that I am not traveling, meaning...endless possibilities and finally getting to explore!

I woke up today thinking I would go to my on-site class with my favorite German teacher and then have some lunch and walk around and then return to my apartment...this is FAR from what happened.

I woke up to SUNSHINE! Ok, this is a huge deal! This week has been very rainy and cold and on the verge of monsooning some days, ok maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but the weather has not been so hot lately. And when I see sun, my face instantly lights up! You can do so much more when the weather is nice, and that is what set the tone for this marvelous and thrilling day.

Jori and I got dressed and struggled to pep ourselves up to go to our on site class conveniently meeting at a very close location (normally we meet at a destination we are far from familiar with and play a guessing game of how to get there and how long it will take us, and will we even make it?) Today's class included Largo de' Argentina and a visit to the Pantheon, as well as the Italian Embassy and a few other monuments. Along the way Jori and I noticed the very cute and undiscovered area we were walking through, and we decided to meander back and look at the shops we had passed.

Well we walked into a few stores then realized the hunger pains in our stomachs, so we needed lunch. W did not just get lunch, but we had THE BEST GELATO yet! How did we find this magical haven for gelato? I desperately needed coffee after class and walked into this mecca of gelato . Millions of flavors, any kind of gelato under the rainbow. And candy. And lollipops with the Pope on them. So we had lunch then gelato. Whoever comes to visit me in Rome will be going to this gelateria, lucky you! With gelato in hand we walked to the Trevi Fountain for Jori's first visit, not bad.

Hmmm, what event could be part of "the best day"...finding a new hat! While wandering through this new discovered area Jori and I found a hat store. The hats were authentic italian one of kind, and so cool. The man working could not have been nicer, he was actually a hat guru and helped me try on loads of hats. Needless to say I was extremely happy. Each hat I tried on was more unique than the one before it and this decision was not so easy. I struck up conversation with my new friend in the hat shop, he was an older man, so friendly and knew of Minneapolis! Soooo, he gave me a deal and said I was his favorite Minnesotan. I picked a wonderful new hat that I will be sure to not take off for awhile...well maybe when I go to sleep, and when I start feeling bad for my other hats.

Afterwards, we walked around the market in Campo de Fiori and then met up with Oliver and Todd and headed to the gardens near Piazza del Popolo. Just a walk down Via della Corso and up the Spanish steps leads to this green paradise. These gardens are an oasis like you have never seen, filled with lush green trees, statues, fountains and grass for miles. It really is gorgeous and so relaxing. It is the perfect place to sit and have a picnic and think to yourself, wow I am in Rome. After basking in the sun, lying on the grass and taking a breath from hectic traveling experiences and classes, a brilliant idea came up. Golf Carts. Yes, we rented a golf cart for a half an hour to drive around these wondrous gardens. Best half hour spent ever. The four of us each took our turns driving and and scooted all over the parks and gardens, waving, saying "ciao" and "bueno noche" to all of the italians strolling by, and a necessary honk of the horn when we were feeling extra excited. We parked the golf cart, wishing that half an hour didn't go by so quickly. The walk out of the gardens happened to be just as the sun was starting to set and the light was truly perfect. Exiting the tranquil bliss of a garden, I knew I would be coming back often. The walk to get there is far, but very worth it and I will be finding time to get back quickly.

Starting the day out at 8 am and heading home at 6:30 pm, the day was full and absolutely one of the best days yet! A truly amazing start to my free weekend in Rome. Saturday, SAI has a wine tasting and vineyard tour planned and I will be attending in hopes of learning more about the wine culture here and Rome. Ciao Bella!

Friends in Firenze

A weekend in Florence...

It so happens my friend Lindsay from high school is studying in Florence, giving me a perfect excuse to hop on a train and spend a weekend in another city!

My freshman year in high school for spring break my family and I traveled to Florence (Rome, and Barcelona) and toured all of the sights, the David, Duomo, Uffizi, ponte vecchio, the leather, etc. So this trip was more devoted to roaming the streets with Lindsay and other friends who came along, eating gelato, shopping the open street markets and getting more of a feel for the city.

Jori and I decided to try the "fast train" to Florence Friday afternoon after class...in class looking out the window to the SNOW, yes SNOW, I was nervous the train may not be able to get us to Florence. Fun fact: Rome has not seen snow since the 1980s, so I guess all of us wisconsin badger brought the snow. You're welcome Rome. It was not the normal snow us Minnesotans or Sconnies are used to, I needed my umbrella to walk around because it was more of a sleet snow, but indeed it was snow.
So, I said goodbye to a snow covered Rome and an hour later on the very nice, much fancier and enjoyable fast train we pulled into Florence's Santa Maria Novella station.

Lindsay and I met on the steps of the Duomo, I know how romantic right? It was a perfect location for our reunion after seeing each other briefly during winter break before each going our separate ways abroad to Italy. Who would have thought we would be meeting up in Florence? We certainly did not, and our entire time together we could not get over how we were hanging out in Florence.
Right away she took me to her apartment, and introduced me to her friends and got an idea of what her program was like, and had a chance to catch up. Immediately we grabbed gelato at a place called, Grom. Very tasty way to start the trip.
Later that evening a bunch of her friends on her program and the two of us sat down to eat dinner at a restaurant called "Zaza", our romantic vacation continued as we decided to share pizza and pasta and sip house white wine...over candle light. The restaurant was very cozy, stone walls and arches, wooden tables, and they serve you immediately with a huge tin of doughy bread. Afterwards we began to take on the night in Florence by starting at bar called "the red garter", really not what it sounds like. It was a kareoke bar, and no I did not decide to do kareoke this time, instead I sat back and enjoyed the others who courageously stepped up to the microphone. Next was to a club called "21", I know very catchy, and appropriate for the many americans, but still many italians flooding the dance floor. The night was eventful, and I think I got a good idea of what night life in Florence is like, there are many many clubs and bars for such a small city. Very fun.

The next day Lindsay and I woke up on a mission to get a sandwich. Her favorite sandwich place, "oil shop" was so sadly closed on the weekends, so we took advice from a friend and set out to find the famous "antico noe". After probably asking every person in Florence, well just every street vendor, we finally stumbled upon this tiny little sandwich place and happily sat down on a bench to enjoy the hot chicken, mozzarella and mushroom on a skinny crunchy baguette. The rest of the day we walked all over Florence, stepping in and out of shops, gelaterias and enjoying the weather. We walked around the open air markets, where they have gorgeous scarves, hats, bags, belts, and leather galore. I purchased a scarf to remember Florence by always, and I thought it was very comfy and pretty, I have yet to wear another scarf besides my new one.

That evening I was graciously welcomed into my family friends Tom and Maria's home for a delicious home cooked meal and wonderful company. Tom picked me up from Lindsay's apartment on his moped (!), this was my first moped experience. Dad, don't worry Tom made sure I wore a helmet and he was a very safe driver, and he said he was heavily insured. He took a longer route to his home than usual, so I could see more of Florence, and as he drove up the hill their house sits on, the view was incredible. It was dark outside and the entire city of Florence was lit, and the view was perfect. My trip to Florence was absolutely made more memorable from this one night shared in a warm house surrounded by friends of family. The meal was too enjoyable for words, and it was so nice and comforting to be sitting around a dinner table. I missed my family at home and our nightly dinners, but I could not be more thankful for this one meal shared with Tom, Maria, Emily, her friend and friend's mother for that one evening. I rode home in a cab feeling very lucky to have connections around the globe, and felt safer and more comfortable knowing they are near.

The next day on the slow train home, riding solo, Florence gave me a great farewell and it was a perfect weekend shared with friends. I spent valentines day with a few girlfriends, and of course we got gelato after dinner, I think we found a new favorite gelateria.

Thank you to everyone who made my weekend in Florence memorable and extra enjoyable!

An American (semi Italian) in Paris

21st Birthday in Paris, what more could a girl ask for?

It was off to Paris last Thursday afternoon, we have all become quite the jetsetters. I have never known what I would think of Paris, but I never imagined me loving it...well I thought very wrong. Paris is a wonderful city and I would love the chance to go back and experience more of what it has to offer. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and just could not stop smiling.

Arriving late Thursday night to the small apartment we found online, great deal and perfect amount of space for four girls and three nights. One bed and one pull out couch. Kitchen and bathroom (all in one tiny room). Finding it was like a treasure hunt, but we got to it eventually. Conveniently located between subway (Jared subway) and a cool bar, it really was in the perfect location for first time visitors! We set our bags down and immediately went to a club, le regine. This club was far better than any other club i've ever been to, very hip, lots of dancing, and everyone was dressed impeccably and so stylish. French men are also not so bad. I wish I could be parisian, so lets just pretend. It was a great start to our memorable vacation in Paree.

The next morning, we prepared ourselves for a busy day. We grabbed our first of three crepes while in Paris. Crepe #1: Tomato, mozzarella, basil crepe....umm heaven? Have I arrived? Then off to the Centre Pomidou, for a gorgeous view of the city, and modern and contemporary art exhibits. Next we walked down Champs des Elysees to meet up with a few wisconsin friends. This street is huge and could either make you very happy or depressed with all of the top designer stores and fun shops and delicious restaurants. We walked down this incredible street to the Arc de Triomphe. And after treated ourselves to macaroons to die for at the most precious and adorable bakery, it looked like a doll house. I got one pistachio and one chocolate macaroon. So sweet and yummy. Afterwards it was time to see the Eiffel Tower. Stunning. I walked off the metro stop and turned the corner and there it was. Quite the view. If I lived in Paris I would go to the Eiffel Tower and sit in the park, eating a crepe everyday. Not bad. Really the tower was stunning and I wanted to stay longer just admiring and enjoying the Parisian air. Two friends and I bought a bottle of wine and sipped it in the park staring at the Eiffel Tower, yes. To end the day of sight seeing we made our way to the Louvre, and yes we saw the Mona Lisa. In the Louvre we ran into some fellow badgers who were studying in Seville, hmmm o hey, way to just run into you in the Louvre...
That night a whole group of us, study abroaders of Rome, Seville and Paris all came together to eat fondue and drink wine out of baby bottles. Baby Bottles.

The next day we headed straight to the Jewish quarter to indulge and try the falafel of Paris. MOUTH. WATERING. I am telling you, yes I am going to Israel at the end of my stay in Rome, but seriously this falafel...wow. Israel watch out for Paris. We walked around, in and out of shops, which were too cute and just a tease for a student who would love to buy everything, but yes I am responsible and held back, really held back. Later we saw the Notre Dame and then walked through the Musee D'Orsay to see the works of Monet, Renoir, Cross, Van Gogh and other impressionist artists. What better way to treat yourself after an afternoon of art then hot chocolate? Well, this was no ordinary hot chocolate of course because we are in Paris. Scrumptious.
That night we celebrated my birthday by getting dinner nearby and sharing three entrees and for dessert...Crepe #2: nutella banana. Then we met up with a bunch of friends at the hideout bar. Great way to turn 21 and have my first legal drink...in Paris. It was very surreal turning 21, I still am still not sure how to feel about this, I guess I am old now. Knowing my sister was having an equally fabulous celebration in Israel I felt happy, but missed cheersing to our first drink together being legal. I miss you bunny. There will be another celebration when she comes in April to visit me! In Paris, birthday is said "Anniversarie", and Parisians still know that 21 is a pretty big deal. Great celebration! Thank you to everyone who helped! I will never forget it.

Sunday sadly came too fast and it was time to say farewell to Paris. We grabbed Crepe #3: Egg, Jambon, and formage and took the metro to the airport. And in a blink of an eye (I slept the entire way back) we were back in Rome. Again, so great to come back to my new home, but Paris, you made quite the impression. The vacation was nothing less than incredible and I think I got to see almost everything I could in 2 days, but there is just so much more waiting when I visit again! Great food, great fashion, great sights, great art, great night life. GREAT.

Arriving back in Rome, yes the Super Bowl was on my birthday, we went to the bar at 8 to get a table for the game to start at 12. Watching the Super Bowl in Rome...a bit weird, but probably the best super bowl viewing experience I will ever have. There was still beer and fried food, just in Rome. Go Saints!

Amazing weekend. Bonjour and Merci!

A Visit to Venice

Goodbye Milan....next stop Venice!

Immediately walking out of the train station I was in awe of the sinking city. It was a world a had never seen before and just could not stop smiling glancing around and taking in all of the gondolas, water taxis and restaurants lining the canal.

The five of us got straight to it and bought our first ever water taxi/bus ticket. Venice's transportation is basically just like any other city, a bus...but on water. So a bus boat. You walk on to the platform right on the water, it is a small waiting area on a dock and you wait patiently for your water bus to pull up, and then you board. The water bus took us to our designated stop and we managed to find our hotel. Our hotel, I have no idea how we found it, was located in the tiniest little street you have ever seen. If I had not coincidentally looked to my right we may have never found it. We checked in, after waiting about 45 minutes (apparently there had been some sort of Holiday over the weekend, so that the man working at the desk had not read the 200 emails in their mailbox, plus we were early for check in) but nevertheless we set down our bags and headed out to explore.

All of of us were STARVING at 2 in the afternoon, not having eat really anything all day. We found a pizza place, YUM. Venice, you have very delicious pizza, thank you for sharing it with us. I got mushroom pizza of course. All of my friends are realizing my slight affinity for mushrooms. If there is a dish with mushrooms in it on the menu, I order it.

Afterward warming our bellies, we walked, well, swerved and twisted through the tiny streets of Venice. The fish market was out, and there was fresh shrimp, fish, squid, scallops, octopus, you name it, these Venice fisherman were setting it out to be sold. The fishy smell and sulfur smell filling the canals grows on you after a few hours. But the sights definitely make up for the stench. We found our way to Saint Mark's (Marco's) Square. Gorgeous. It is right on the open water and the church and tall buildings are picturesque. We rode the elevator to the top of the bell tower, to look out onto the entire city of Venice. wow. Two of the sides are all clay tiled roofs and terracotta colored houses and buildings. The colors of the city are so warm The other two sides are all water and you can see a few mountains in the horizon. I took a lot of pictures attempting to catch the entire view. I wanted to ring the bells, but apparently that is not allowed. So next time Venice.
The next stop was the Argentinia Museum, full of renaissance art. We met up with fellow Roman traveler Oliver and his mom Linda (Loliver). We all walked thoughout the museum, staying out of the freezing cold.
For dinner we met up with a few badgers studying abroad in Barcelona. Our group was big and we started out with a spritzer at a small cozy bar. The choices were sweet or sour spritzer, I chose the sweet and it was pretty tasty. I guess the spritzer is a very popular drink in Venice. After the drinks followed dinner at a restaurant able to seat all 20 of us! It was a great atmosphere and we all shared wine, pizza and pasta dishes. Loliver and I split a very tasty prosciutto, artichoke heart and mushroom pizza. It was molto bene. We sat for awhile to digest our dinners, then exited the restaurant doors to cold rain...so we went to a bar. It was a small soccer bar, we found it because of the bumpin' loud music and bright blue lights flooding out into the street. Our crew of 20 were the only americans, we basically filled the whole bar, but there were plenty of italians joining in on our fun. Venice, not being known for it's nightlife ended up showing us a pretty good time. Jori and I were offered a private gondola ride from an Venice native, who's friend supposedly was a gondola driver...he showed us a picture of him wearing his striped shirt uniform and hat sitting in is gondola, but I still don't believe him for a second. We turned him down nicely, don't worry.
The next morning we ate a free breakfast at the hotel (croissants filled with orange jelly interesting) but hey it was free. We sadly checked out of our memorable hotel (we had a handicapped room) and said goodbye to Tony, the man at the front desk who turned out being friendlier than we thought.
The trip to Venice ended with a water bus ride around the city, we rode a pretty far way down the canal, and then headed back to the train station. After 6 hours our original 6 person traveling group made it safely back home to Rome.
All in all the very fast trip to Milan and Venice was three days jam packed with site seeing, eating and great company, oh and lots and lots of walking. Dad, let's go back to Venice in the summer and we can ride and look at all of the boats, you would love it!
Now, I am back in Rome, back to class, and very appreciative of and comfortable in my apartment. Next stop Paris (and 21 birthday babbyyyy!)

Train ticket to Milan

The itinerary for last weekend: Milan and Venice.

Two cities I have never been to. My first trip while abroad, so much to learn and so much to see!

Before coming to Rome, I was told to plan a trip to Milan and Venice together, a day in each is enough. One day seemed like a week in each city. So thank you for the advice, the three days spent traveling to see these two magnificent cities was time very well spent.

Accompanying me on this first journey out of Rome was a group of six to meet up with more. Grace, Jori, Rachael, Lucas and Todd were my fellow travelers, and we managed to figure out how this whole train, cab, metro, hostel thing all works. Man, did we learn a lot, just from one trip, imagine how big of an expert I will be by the time I return home to MN, piece of cake right?

Well anyway, the trip begins: 6:23 train to MIlan. 6 hrs to go.
Lets say we did not allot enough time to arrive to the train station, so we ending up running, half asleep with our carry ons, and we made it by a second before the train left. FUN. THRILLING. we started off the trip with a bang. The train, yes 6 hours, went by a lot quicker and we arrived in Milan at 1:30.

Milan is a lot different from Rome. Everything is more commercialized and modern. And their metro is underground and very efficient. The vibe of the city is less hectic and more calm. And Milan lacks the ancient and historical architecture you can find on every corner in Rome. We found our hotel, hotel sabatino, thank you hostelworld.com. The five of us decided to just take a map and head out after setting our bags down in our rooms. We walked down the main drag, Buenos Aires, where all of the shops and stores are located. You know Milan is the fashion capital?? Well it certainly lives up to it. After walking around, we found the Duomo. The Duomo is in a huge square in the middle of Milan, filled with pigeons. I am traumatized by pigeons now, as men stand outside with seed (for free surprising to feed the birds). No I do not want to feed the birds! But they thought it would be funny to sprinkle seed on me, sending several pigeons my way, one to land on my head. THANK YOU MILAN. Anyway, inside the Duomo was an enormous sight to see, and a gorgeous church to walk into. After the Duomo came the Galleria, a huge glass shopping center. Very pretty. You can crane your neck to see the glass ceilings and arched doorways. On the floor of the Galleria there is a bull within the mosaic, and it is good luck to place your heel on the balls of the bull and spin. So we each took our turn twirling in Milan, on the balls of the famous bull. Later, the good luck brought us to meeting up with a friend Nicolo, who is a native of Milan and graciously invited the five us to have pre-dinner drinks with his father at the Four Seasons. Ummm, thank you Nicolo, and YES!
Let me tell you, this Four Seasons was the most chic and beautiful hotel I have ever stepped foot into. The garden was dripping with twinkle lights and filled with manicured trees. As the temperature was very chilly, it began to snow in this garden and it was almost surreal. We headed into the bar to lounge and sip our fancy martinis and drinks, and gracefully eat the scrumptious appetizers served to us. It was a grand time. The most memorable part of Milan, hands down. The bar was warmly lit, the couches and seating area was comfortable and we all felt very lucky to be in the hands of the four season of Milan. We headed back in the wet raining snow to our hotel to meet up with the rest of our group for dinner. After not the best dinner we've yet to have in Italy, we didn't stay out too late to be prepared for our second early train to Venice!