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Meanderings through Siena, Pisa, and Cinque Terre

In the weeks leading up to the start of my classes at the Università di Firenze, I’ve had a little bit of extra time to go on a few excursions to some beautifully surreal locations nearby Florence. I think that one of the strange things about traveling is that it’s often difficult for the mind to reconcile the image of a place with the place itself. I’ve logged a fair chunk of time imagining myself traveling through Italy to the extent that now, when I’m actually here, it feels dreamlike. I can’t count the number of times that myself and the other students here with me have asked each other versions of “Is this real?” and “Are we actually here?”

I recently visited Siena, Pisa, and two of the small beach towns that make up Cinque Terre. I thoroughly enjoyed each trip, but there was something about the medieval city of Siena that particularly spoke to me. Its history was so palpable; the air was heavy with it as I walked up the narrow, cobblestoned alleyways and crossed over the threshold into the main cathedral. To say it was like stepping back in time would oversimplify the experience, it was more like having a nagging intuition that the past and present were somehow happening in tandem.

One of the events that Siena is famous for is Il Palio, a horse race that takes place twice a year in the Piazza del Campo. Although I did not have the opportunity to time my visit with the spectacle, I did get to spend some time admiring the Piazza del Campo.

I first caught a glimpse of it at the end of a small side street which then magically opened to reveal a massive space lined with cafes and restaurants. And sitting at the edge of this sloped piazza, with a prosciutto filled panino in hand, I couldn’t help but feel validated in my romantic predilections about Italy and excited for the months to come.

-Kate

 

 

 

 
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My First Week

After an overnight flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then another connecting flight I finally arrived in the Florence airport around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Walking off the plane I was filled with nerves as I mentally prepared myself to meet my host family and imagined what my life would look like here. But, in my state of anxiety and sleep deprivation I walked right past the baggage claim to the main part of the airport. If anyone else has ever made this rookie mistake you’ll know that after exiting the secured area you’re not supposed to reenter.

Alas, I had no choice but to sneak back in so that I could retrieve my luggage by timing another traveler’s exit through a set of automatic doors with my own entrance. I knew with living in a foreign country would come the necessity of having to think on one’s feet, but I wasn’t expecting my arrival to be quite the comedy of errors that it turned out to be. As much as I wanted to emulate the cool confidence of a veteran traveler on my first day in Italy, I’m fairly certain that I instead modeled myself after a true idiot abroad.

I found myself outside my host family’s apartment building, flanked by two more than sizable suitcases, after a short taxi ride from the airport. All of my prior fears were quelled when after ringing the bell I was greeted by an older couple who would put anyone’s Italian grandparents to shame. Before I even saw my room, I was given a heaping serving of lasagna and a bowl of gelato.

The next morning I met up with the other five Holy Cross students who will be here with me in Florence, and we managed to find our way to our language school without getting too lost. I’ll be taking Italian classes there for the whole year, but my university classes don’t begin for another two weeks. Until then, I’ll be exploring the city and trying my best to acclimate to life abroad.

A presto,

Kate

The view from the Piazzale Michelangelo
Il Ponte Vecchio, or “The Old Bridge”, over the Arno River
La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore