Alex came to Florence!!

I know I have been a little behind on my blog but I've been really busy traveling. But two weeks ago, Alex came to visit me in Florence. I had so much fun with her (as usual) and it gave me a chance to further explore Florence. We stayed in an adorable hotel near the Palazzo Pitti, called Hotel Analena (I would highly recommend it). The staff were so nice and the hotel was quaint and adorable.

But we went to Santa Croce and tried to find Dante's grave, but alas, it evaded us. Still worth going though. Around Santa Croce are some of the most fun places to go out. You can get aperitivo at Moyo, a swanky lounge with attractive people, protect your friends from getting groped by creepy old men at Twice, or go to YAG, a gay club in Florence which is one of the only places where they play American Top 40 music (Alex and I were very deprived). There's also a really cool club nearby called Babylon. There's a room upstairs filled with nothing but porchswings where a lot of Italians (and American, simply not myself) engage in less than wholesome activities.

We also went to the Serial Killer Museum!!! It was so cool. Alex and I both have a passion for scary movies, but neither of us knew about half the stuff that's gone down in the real world. The earliest serial killers, in my opinion, were the most interesting, because their motives lied in mysticism and magic. If you're interested, just Wikipedia Erzsebet Bathory. She is ridiculous.

We also climbed the hill on the South side of the Arno to Piazza Michelangelo, which has, undoubtedly, the most breathtaking view of Florence. It's kind of a trek up the hill...

...but even the walk is gorgeous. Once you get to the top, there is a bronze reproduction of Michelangelo's David. It doesn't have the same grace of proportion as the original, but it serves as a monument to the greatest artist, and the greatest sculpture, in all of Italy.

And the views are absolutely astounding. It reminded me why I love this city so much.

Alex and I also had some great food (obviously because of Italy's culinary reputation, and because of my obsession with food). The first night, we went to Dante. It's right near my apartment and they give students free wine. I got the veal, and Alex got some delicious truffle tortellini. The next night we went to Gusta Osteria. Delicious, and some of the best service I've had in Italy. I started with bruschetta with Lardo di Colonatta (basically slices of fat on bread...mmm). Then I got some sort of beef in a pepper sauce. I forget the name but it was also delicious. The last night, we went to Il Santo Bevitore. I've wanted to go here for a looooong time. It is right next to my apartment and I walk past the swanky restaurant with brick vaulted ceilings everyday. And my friend from Italy, who studied in Florence, told me it was one of his favorite restaurants in the world! Our reservation got messed up (because when I made it the man couldn't understand my name) so we got an aperitivo of Tuscan cheeses in there cafe next door. Then, once seated, I ordered the foie gras with toast and some sort of sauce. Alex got the raw tuna. It was absolutely delicious. It was what my aunt calls "pile food," where they give you a tiny amount of food neatly arranged in a little pile on a huge plate, but it was delicious and very reasonably priced. Sorry for the food rant.

But I had the best time with Alex and I can't wait to see her again!

And updates on Paris and Berlin for spring break are coming soon I promise!!!

Il cibo meraviglioso a Siena

Sorry for waiting so long to post. I've been busy. Pictures of Alex's visit are coming soon, and I have been studying (believe it or not) for midterms.

But two weekends ago, Emma, some of her friends from home, and I went to Siena. We rented a car and drove through the Tuscan countryside. The drive was so beautiful. The hills were so green and studded with tiny villages made of yellow stucco. The olive and cypress trees also were quite a site.

But once we got to Siena we parked out wonderful little Fiat and went in search of a restaurant near the Campo. We ate at this place called La Torre. The food was absolutely amazing:

To start, we had tagliatelle di cinghiale (sheet pasta with wild boar). It is a Tuscan specialty and it was delicious. The pasta was so light and fluffy and the boar was succulent and amazingly seasoned.

After that we moved on to meat. I got the lamb, which was delicious. It was prepared rather simply but perfectly cooked. Emma and Sara got bistecca fiorentina, which is another Tuscan specialty, and Julia got the sole.

Then, we moved onto desert. Tiramisu is, by far, my favorite desert, and the tiramisu at La Torre was one of the best I've had. And after we washed it down with a cappuccino and the rest of our bottle of Chianti. It was the best lunch I've had in Italy.

After that, we walked around and checked out the shopping. I bought a new wallet, which I have been wildly searching for. It's bright green and multicolored on the inside. I finally got some of the world renowned Tuscan leather that I'd been searching for.

That's enough for now. As soon as Alex puts her pictures up I will steal them for my blog.

Ciao!