Day 12: Back in the USA

Day 12: Back in the USA

We awoke in Rome once again, traced our steps back through the same pathway we traversed the day before, and made it to the terminal with plenty of time to spare. The flight was uneventful except that a majority of us could not get to sleep on the plane. That really ruins everything, especially when we were so exhausted from the whirlwind that was the end of our trip. But before we knew it, we landed in Philly, went through customs, picked up our bags, and found our families and made our own ways home.

Here are some of our final thoughts on our Study Tour:

Melinda: “It’s hard to believe that less than two weeks before, I didn’t even know everyone’s names. Now, I miss the time we spent together abroad and friendships I made in Italy. Until next time Italia, buonanotte.”

Taylor M.: “It was a great trip with infinite memories and I am truly grateful for the experience and opportunity I had with such an amazing group of women!”



Jennie: "My goal when we got there was to have wine and gelato in some capacity every day. My mission was accomplished except for the last two days I did not have gelato. Naturally all of us bought a leather bag…or two. Over all our SAI representatives were excellent. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and excited to have us in their country. This truly is the best way to learn the language. These are my most used phrases in descending order:"

Thank you > Grazie 

Excuse me > Mi scusi

Greeting/Goodbye > Ciao

Sorry > Mi dispiace 

I speak English > Parla inglese 

I don’t understand > Non capisco 

You’re welcome > Prego 

Pass the wine, please > Passare il vino, per favore

Kelly: “This trip was amazing and I loved every second of it, Donna is amazing for doing this for us and for putting up with all 13 of us. I loved that I got to meet new people and get to know them on the trip and I will always hold this trip in a special light because I got to share it with some amazing people.”

Kristina: “This was the most unforgettable trip of my life. Not only did I get the opportunity to go with some of my really good friends, but I made friends with people on this trip that I probably never would have gotten the opportunity to meet. I got to experience being in one of the most incredible places in the world, learning a new culture and way of living. I also got to try unbelievable food and drinks. This trip opened my eyes to how different countries exemplify hospitality and the tourism industry. I was also given the opportunity to learn hands experiences through tours, workshops, and lectures. This trip was so well planned, organized, and fun, and it is all because of SAI but more importantly Donna Albano. She is an amazing teacher and just an all-around great person. She allowed me to feel comfortable being in a foreign country, and acted as a motherly figure while being away. She is easy to talk to and just fun to be around! None of this could have been done without her, and I would not have wanted to go with any other faculty member. I can never thank her enough for how much fun I had and how much this trip has impacted my life. This experience made me appreciate being a hospitality major even more, and I am excited for what my future holds! I will never forget this unbelievable journey, which was by far the greatest experience of my life.”

Magen: “Not only did I want to reflect on the highlights of my trip, but I also want to include the important things I learned during our adventure in Italy. The first thing I learned during our trip is the importance of planning. Our trip really went off without a hitch, minus the last day… but I’m sure someone else will go into depths about that dramatic scenario. Speaking of which, I also learned the importance of crisis management. After The Cow Incident of 2015, Donna handled our missed flight situation without a hitch. Even though we were all mad that we missed the flight, things could have gone way worse. Donna, along with SAI, managed to book us rooms at the Roma Airport Hilton Hotel and moved our flight to the next day. We were very lucky that things worked out for us. Donna was calm under pressure, handled this horrible situation with poise, and managed to wrangle a group of 13 agitated Wi-Fi-less girls into a hotel. I don’t know how she did it. Anyways, our flawless trip should really be accredited to our advisor/professor/Italy extraordinaire, Donna. Without Professor Albano, or Donna as we call her, our trip wouldn’t have happened. Donna worked so hard to make sure that we got the most out of our experience in Italy. She always pushed us to try different things and be adventurous. Donna always had so much enthusiasm and energy, and most of the time we had to keep up with her! Without her careful planning and her interaction with our study abroad company, SAI, our trip would not have been the same. I will be forever grateful that Donna took us on this trip, and that she had the courage to deal with 13 college girls for 11 days!

I also learned the importance of embracing new things as well as new people. Like I said earlier, going into this trip us girls only met a couple times before, so we did not really know each other. But when you’re exploring a foreign country with people that have the same interests and are in the same situation as you, you all bond together and enjoy each other’s company. We absorbed the culture around us and we felt like we were true Italians during the end of our trip. We loved every minute of the experience and none of us wanted to leave our newly beloved Italy. I am so happy to have made the friends that I did while on our study tour of Italy. I wouldn’t change a single thing about our crazy Italian adventure.”

Morgan: "As the only non-HTMS major on this trip, I was a little apprehensive in the beginning. I wasn’t sure how I would like learning about something so different than what I was used to. Now that our time in Italy has ended and that we are back in the States, I am so thankful that I was allowed this opportunity. Donna and the other girls made me feel completely welcome in the HTMS Program. I learned much more than I thought I would and it was so interesting to see how these hotels and wedding venues operate. It was also amazing to learn, witness, and take part in Italian culture. They really see hospitality as important. Not just for parties or large gatherings, but also for small meals and little get-togethers. Italians put a lot of value on togetherness. They want to be present for their company. They make sure to enjoy the time they are spending with friends and loved ones.

The success of this trip is entirely Donna’s. She tried to brief us as best as she could before we left and while we were in Italy, she made sure that we learned everything we could. Donna really brought diversity to the trip in terms of the museums, the hotels, the historical sights, and the wedding venues. There was something for everyone and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that Donna is an excellent professor. She put on an amazing Study Tour and I’m so happy that I got to take part in it."

     

Tamara: “Overall this trip changed my life and was amazing all thanks to Donna who really deserves the praising her knowledge and leadership was beyond compare always helping any of us it didn’t matter when or where. This trip brought a tangibility to hospitality and tourism majors In our careers, this could really be a game changer.”

Day 11: The Last and Longest Day

May 21st Day 11 in Florence then Rome

Kristina’s FitBit Information: 2.45 Miles walked & 5,650 steps

We gathered in the Hotel Arizona lobby at 5:30 AM to load the bus and hit the road for the airport in

Rome. It was supposed to be about a three hour car ride and everything was going smoothly for the first couple of hours. Who would have thought that after steady driving we would hit completely stopped traffic? Add that to a bus driver who doesn’t speak any English, mix both of those things with a tight schedule and you get a recipe for disaster.



Our bus hadn’t moved for a long time and we eventually had to play charades with the driver to

figure out why we were stopped for so long. After a couple minutes of guessing, we learned that there was an accident involving an overturned cattle truck. There was only one tragedy of the accident; a cow from the truck did die. This whole mess caused more than six kilometers (a little over three miles) of back up on the highway. We made extremely slow progress through the traffic and past the accident. We eventually made it to the airport, but did miss our flight.

Day 10: It’s Raining Because We’re Sad to Leave

May 20^th Day 10 Florence

Kristina’s FitBit Information: 7.33 Miles walked & 18,230 Steps

This morning we headed to the Apicius again, not realizing we were in for another cooking lesson. We were introduced to a few new foods, such as the purple carrots, and learned how everyone can make the same thing and it will come out a little different each time.

In groups again, we prepared a carrot, cheese, endive, and pancetta salad topped with fresh olive oil, and an asparagus risotto.

Our chef explained to us that a risotto was a great vehicle for chefs to create their own signature dish; they can add any flavors and pairings they want to create something that is unique them and their restaurants.

Beth said that “making the risotto was very new to [her], and required quite a process! After first toasting the rice in oil, you had to gradually add more and more water with the asparagus and other ingredients to obtain their flavor, all while making sure to stir it constantly so it wouldn’t burn and the rice wouldn’t be all stuck together. On top of that, simultaneously cooking the asparagus tips so they would soften for the dish! Everything came together though, and after the rice was at the right consistency, we added butter and cheese to make it even tastier.”

“This meal was hard to cook,” Kristina said.  “I burned my food a bit, but it was still tasty!”

Victoria “loved the risotto and [she] was glad [she] was taught how to properly cook it since I never knew before.”

Taylor V. said that “one of my favorite things about Italy is that they don't use any kind of produce that isn’t in season – asparagus is around from May and into the summer, but come fall, it’s gone. That’s how you know everything you’re eating is fresh and healthy and delicious.”

Tamara now realizes that these two classes made her see what she “had been dodging deep inside: That culinary school is [her] next step to add [her] educational roller coaster ride.” She used to think that “after graduating Stockton that would be the end of education for [her]. But this trip opened [her] eyes to great opportunities that could be.”

After cooking, the afternoon was ours for the taking! A plan was set to go to the Giardino di Boloi after a quick power nap. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans for us.

We waited and waited for the rain to let up but with no such luck. We sat around and chatted about our favorite memories and what we had learned during our Italian Adventure. Eventually some of us left the hotel to seek out a leather bag, a post office, or another last minute gift.

We all cleaned up from the long and dreary day and then set out for our farewell dinner at a restaurant called Torcicoda. http://www.cucinatorcicoda.com/?lang=en. 

The restaurant itself was beautiful, spacious and covered with deep red and brown hues. We had our own private dining room, where our table was a beige and white marble color with lights coming up underneath it, complete white rose centerpieces. We were given fresh bread in a leather basket, still and sparkling water, and an appetizer plate of prosciutto, bruschetta with tomatoes, and cheeses. For our main course we had an option of penne with fresh tomato sauce or risotto. And for dessert, we had a cherry topped panna cotta. All of the food was delicious and we got our first experience with salad coming at the end of the meal (a little known Italian custom).

“This restaurant was perhaps the largest I’ve seen in all of Italy,” said Jennie. “They had leather bound menus and leather aprons for the wait staff. Everything on the menu looked so good, that I wish we knew about it before our last night.”

It was the most perfect end to a perfect week. We headed home to pack and get a few hours’ sleep before getting up extra early to drive to Fiumicino Airport in Rome.

Day 9: "Don't mess up. This is our lunch!" -Donna Albano

May 19^th Day 9 Florence:

Kristina’s FitBit Information: 11.59 Miles walked & 27,632 Steps

“On our fifth day in Florence,” said Victoria. “We went to Apicius International School of Hospitality (http://www.apicius.it/).  I was so excited I love to cook in my normal life but to take a class in Italy was like a dream come true.”

Melinda said that “walking to Apicius, the local cooking school in Florence was a straight shot down the road our hotel was on. We walked in and got started right away with our aprons that the school gave us. We all took spots at random stations. We had no idea what to expect.”

Our class was held in their beautiful Beginner Kitchen. Two groups prepared the homemade pasta, another made zucchini flan, one group made tomato sauce, and two more made panna cotta for desert. We were pretty impressed with how delicious everything turned out and how relatively easy the recipes were. Our chef instructor was there to guide us through everything. He was patient and made sure that all of our dishes were executed to perfection.

 Beth was in the group in charge of making the past. She said that in order to make the dough, you need to “first [form] a little mound with the durum wheat flour [which will create] a crater in the

middle to crack the eggs into and add salt. After [she] mixed everything with a fork until it was well blended, [she] kneaded the pasta with [her] hands and fists until it was completely mixed together in a smooth ball of dough. [She] then rolled it out with a rolling pin, and ran pieces through a small manual crank flattener until it was thin enough to put through the pasta shaper. Once it was, [she] carefully let it down into the roller with the pasta shaper, and cranked out long strands of fresh pasta to be cooked!”

When it comes to Kristina, she said that she “very rarely cook[s] so [she] was a little nervous!” She was also in the spaghetti group and said it was “harder than she expected. But everything came out delicious!”

Once everyone else was finished making their part of the meal, we all sat down and got to enjoy what we just created! The pasta had an amazing texture, perfectly chewy yet soft, with a light tomato and basil sauce coating each strand of pasta. The zucchini flan was chilled, cheesy, and delicious, and the panna cotta was sweet and smooth, yet perfectly flavored and tart from the berry sauce on the top of it.

 

Taylor M. “had a great time learning to cook in Italy, it was an opportunity of a lifetime and [she] will never forget it!”

Victoria sums everything up by saying that “the class was a great experience and made [her] feel like [she] could cook anything from scratch.”

 

Later that afternoon, we met near the Ponte Vecchio for a tour of the hotels in the Lungarno Collection. 

“With Leonardo Ferragamo as President, the luxury hotels Lungarno Collection is inspired by the hospitality and the grand style that his family is known for. Traditionally Italian, yet beautifully international - just like its founder, Salvatore Ferragamo.”         

-www.lungarnocollection.com, 2015.

These hotels were absolutely fabulous! Each one had its own distinct features. We got to tour a few rooms at Hotel Lungarno, all beautiful and luxurious, complete with living rooms spaces, modern furniture, oak and marble touches, Jacuzzi tubs and high thread count sheets. One of the associates explained to us that the check in process for this hotel takes forty minutes with each guest; they ask them a list of forty-two questions in order to gain a better understanding of the guest’s needs to properly accommodate them throughout their stay. They can even put personalized pictures in the frames in the hotel rooms so that the guest feels more at home during their stay.

We visited two other hotels in the collection, the Gallery Hotel Art and the Continentale. The Gallery Hotel Art was very modern yet luxurious in its décor. The outside of the hotel was covered in decorative spoons, representing the Universal Milano Expo about international food and nutrition happening this year. The Continentale was also very modern and luxurious, even the elevator had a long couch with comfy pillows in it! This hotel also customizes the guests or client’s stay (just like Ferragamo customized his client’s shoes) and does so by asking specific personalized questions in a pre-arrival questionnaire. The Continentale had a lot to offer its guests: lounge and meeting spaces, but also incredible service standards and dedication to the people staying there.

Magen thought that “The Lungarno Collection hotels were the most beautiful things [she] had ever seen; [she] could even compare it to Michelangelo’s work if [she] really wanted to.” Magen goes on to say that the “first hotel tour of the collection was my favorite, and naturally the most expensive of them all. We toured the Portrait Firenze and I made a promise to myself that if I ever won the Mega Millions I would without a doubt buy one of those hotel rooms and live in Florence every summer… (I have big dreams people.)  From the individualized service, to the views of the Ponte Vecchio from the rooms, to the signature scents from Salvatore Ferragamo (!!!), I was blown away by the Lungarno Collection to say the least.”

 “These hotels were amazing,” Morgan said. “Each hotel was designed to fit a different personality or taste than the previous. Although they were all different, they each had a few similarities. One being iPads in the elevators. This allowed for guests to not only choose their own elevator music but they could also take pictures. Our tour guide said that when the hotel has guests, they want the guests to feel like they are a part of the Lungarno family. So they use the iPads as a ‘picture frame’ to capture self-portraits of all of their family members.”

Upon our return to the Hotel Arizona we were offered wine & snacks which was graciously provided to us by the hotel for the inconvenience of having to switch rooms during our stay. We all gathered to reminisce about the day and plan the evening.

After watching our last sunset on the Piazza de Michelangelo, Beth “had fabulous cream and truffle ravioli for dinner before going back to our hotel to rest for our last day in Florence.”

“Unfortunately, later that night,” Jennie said. “A group of us broke down and went out for wings and beer. At some point everyone begins to miss something from their own culture. Sadly, for us that was wings and beer. However, it taught us a lesson about respecting foreign cultures in our own home and what it’s like to miss the comfort food you know so well.”

Day 8: "My Pasta is Too Fresh to Sell in Local Markets" :(

May 18^th Day 8 Florence:

Kristina’s FitBit Information: 9.03 Miles walked & 22,315 Steps

This was the pasta and chocolate day, a day much looked forward to.

It was probably the most highly anticipated day of the trip. Who could resist a whole day centered on food?! Not just any food: homemade pasta and fresh chocolates. We had no idea what to expect at either appointment, but neither disappointed.

After our breakfast in the Hotel Arizona lobby, we all set out to our visit to the pasta laboratory at San Michele a Torri. One of the co-owners of the store Christian was there to meet us and gave us a great presentation! He was so happy, so knowledgeable, and so excited to share his work with us.

He first explained to us the farm, San Michele a Torri, where the grapes for the wine come from as well as ham, other produce items, and the ingredients for the fresh pasta he makes. When explaining to us one of the salami-type meats he sells in his store, Christian said that “when you eat the meat without the fat you lose something, it’s like drinking wine and holding your nose.”

Afterwards, he showed us how he makes the fresh pasta he sells in the store. He uses very old machines, there are only three left in the world and his is the only one that works! He showed us how the machines work and he made tagliatelle, fettuccine, and papardelle all right in front of us.

Christian also explained to us that fresh pasta changes depending on the weather outside, and that sometimes he has to add more water or more egg to it so that it is the correct consistency. It takes between three and seven minutes for fresh pasta to cook. It was so interesting, when he was finished making the pasta, he told us that it is “too fresh” to sell to markets or some restaurants that are further away from his store. The pasta doesn’t keep for that long and won’t be good after about a day.

After he finished his pasta presentation, he brought out for us amazing olive oil that was still green in

color and drizzled it over bread for us to try. He also gave us a taste of this organic vino rossa detavola. Everything was so fresh and delicious. Christian planned to give us pasta to take home but forgot in all of the excitement. This actually turned out to be a good thing because he hadn’t realized we had nowhere cook it and it is way too fresh to take back home to the States. This meeting was a wonderful insight to the lives of some of the Italian people and why they feel so strongly about food. It is because they truly care about taste, presentation, and above all else, quality.

Our next stop was a chocolate demonstration and tasting at Vestri Chocolate Bar right around the corner from our hotel. We were first given a tray that

held an assortment of pieces of chocolate.  There were some flavors that were so new to me but they were all good. We were able to try an orange piece, one that was completely fudge, a mocha, one hazelnut, and even one that was basil. Then we each got to pick two flavors of gelato to try; I picked dark chocolate and a dolce de leche, it was so creamy and smooth! After that, we tried a little taste of their rich hot chocolate, a fresh cocoa bean, and a chocolate hazelnut spread, similar to Nutella. The owners did not speak much but you can’t complain when people are feeding you chocolate.

Taylor V. wrote that “we had a chocolate tasting because dreams really do come true. We sampled chocolate bars and delicious gelato, and then we used some of the money we fundraised to buy a little something before we left. [She] went with the Italian version of Nutella and it puts American Nutella to shame.”

Of her experience, Jennie said “we all would have liked more information on the history of the shop and the details on the business and products. However, we did understand that translation may have been a problem. Regardless, the tasting was enjoyable and unique. The chocolate covered basil, chocolate covered ginger, and the hot chocolate were different. My favorite unique treat was the bitter cocoa beans.”

There was nothing scheduled for that evening, so the group split up and did different things.

Beth writes “After the tasting, a group of us make a hike up to the Piazza de Michelangelo to catch the sunset over Florence, it was amazing! Completely worth the climb, you could see the Arno River and the Duomo all perfectly touched by the pink rays of the sunset, the honeysuckles were smelling sweet and the air was still and at a perfect temperature. After it set, we climbed down and took some pictures of the beautiful night sky reflecting off the Arno River. We finally found a place for dinner downtown where I had a perfectly cooked fillet and salad with fried cubed potatoes and a scrumptious piece of tiramisu to finish off the whole day.”

Morgan said that she “really enjoyed hiking up to Piazza de Michelangelo. We weren’t really sure about it as our climb began- it was really, really steep! And once we got to the top pretty much all of the seats were taken. It was so crowded but once the sun started setting it was magical. After it was gone from the sky, everyone started clapping and cheering. This was one of the best experiences of the whole trip!”

Taylor M. said “Afterwards, we had some more free time in which Melinda and I finally found Ferragamo and I was able to buy my dad and cousin gifts. We then headed back to the hotel to get ready for round two of Mastica Brodo, this time bringing along more of the group! Tony gave us a bottle of Prosecco and he and Sal had a drink with us. That would never happen in the US! We had another great meal to end the day long eating extravaganza!”

Day 7: The Accademia, Mercato Central, and a beautiful Sunset!

May 17^th Day 7 Florence:

Kristina’s FitBit Information: 8.01 Miles walked & 19,828 steps

Beth shared her breakfast experience: “This morning, before departing for the Galleria dell’ Accademia, a few of us went out to breakfast at a small coffee bar around the corner from the hotel called Moka Arra. We bellied up to the marble counter and ordered cappuccinos and doughnuts, and stood and ate them inside before paying and leaving. I was in love with the attitude toward food and coffee in Italy, with every meal, it was all about taking your time, nothing was “to go,” there were no travel mugs or cups being given out, all beverage and food was consumed before leaving and moving on throughout the day.”

Florinda met us again this morning to give us a tour around the Accademia, the art gallery that houses Michelangelo’s David. The line was long, but Florinda was able to get us into the museum quite fast. She explained how all of the statues Michelangelo worked on were result of him trying to “find the art within the marble,” how the sculpture was already in there, he just had to remove all the extra marble out of the way. She also described to us how his sculpture motion style was similar to a flame, strong on the bottom, yet twisting and spinning perfectly balanced to the very top of the sculpture. After visiting other sculptures and observing Michelangelo’s changing styles throughout the decades, we finally got to see the real sculpture of David! The astonishing sculpture, impressive in size and talent, was begun when Michelangelo was only 26 years old.

Morgan said that she “loved learning about how Michelangelo created his statues! The gallery had a few statues that showed Michelangelo’s progress and they really helped her to get a visual of how the artist’s creative process worked.”

Taylor V. writes “After learning about Michelangelo and buying a biography of his life, I could not wait to see the David in person…I could’ve cried and luckily Donna was right there with me, so I didn't feel totally nuts.”

After the Galleria dell’ Accademia, Florinda took us to il Mercato Central (https://www.mercatocentrale.it/en/photogallery/) a large convention-like space of vendors and different restaurants cooking up and selling some of their best foods and flavors. Each shop had its own specialty from cheese to cold meats to pizzas to vegan to fresh seafood. If you could think of a dish, there was probably a shop that sold it there. Some of the other ladies went out to lunch elsewhere with a plan to shop the afternoon away.

 “What made some of us laugh,” Morgan wrote. “Was this old man who peddled around this little mozzarella cart! He would stop at every table throughout the market to ask if people wanted some fresh cheese.”

Taylor M writes “Tamara, Kelly, Melinda, and I went off and found a delightful little restaurant called MasticaBrodo for dinner.  The owner Tony and the host Salvatore were very sweet and treated us like royalty. They each bought us a round of Limoncello and the food was amazing! We liked it so much we ate there the following night!”

That evening we went to see the sunset look at the Ponte Vecchio. It was such an amazing experience and the way the light hit the water and bridge gave us the ability to take some sunning photos.

Day 6: Free Day in Firenze!

May 16^th Day 6 Florence:

Kristina's FitBit Information: 10.37 Miles walked & 25,584 Steps

This is the girls’ accountings of our free day in Florence.

Beth: “This day was our free day! We got to choose what we wanted to do on this day, so a group of us went around nine in the morning to climb the Florence Duomo. It was about ten euros for a ticket, and we waited in line for maybe only thirty minutes before we got to the door of the church. We entered and began our journey to the top! Over four hundred steps through tight and dark spiral staircases, around a scaffolding of the church and up a few more almost completely vertical stairways, and we finally made it to the top! The uneasy climb was completely worth it, amazing views of the entire city of Florence, the mountains and the river were completely breathtaking, definitely a view of a lifetime. The marble, gold detailing and murals all over the building are simply inspiring. It really makes you ponder how much time it must have took to complete a building like this.”

Jennie: “We finally had a day to ourselves! We were still coming off of a major swollen ankles epidemic, but many of us decided to start the day by climbing to the top of the Duomo. The Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore is a magnificent structure. You walk around the fairly small piazza because the middle is occupied by this breathtaking-in-size-and-architecture building. We climbed the small, steep, castle-like stair cases to the top (which was an experience in itself) where the 360 degree view of the city is just remarkable.”

Kelly: “This is the day I truly fell in love with Florence. Rome was great for all of its historical value and amazing sights, but Florence is where I fell in love with Italy. Florence is less of a touristy city and I think that’s why I took to it so quickly. The people are so friendly, and everything is so close, but it still had a city vibe to it; there’s just something about Florence.

We went to the leather market and explored the Ponte Vecchio. It was also a bit rainy so we had some fun with the hotel umbrellas.  I went pretty hardcore shopping today, but if you give a girl a free day in a city full of leather you can only imagine the damage to her bank account.”

Magen: “Onto another favorite of mine was climbing the Duomo in Florence.  Now I knew that this

Cathedral had a lot of steps, but man! Did it have A LOT of steps! A few of the girls and I made it a plan to go early in the morning so we didn’t have to wait on a long line to climb the steps, and our strategy paid off.”

Taylor V.: “Being on top of what felt like the world and seeing mountains, the incredible Tuscan countryside, churches, ant-sized people, and a bird’s eye view of Florence, home is exactly what it

felt like. Nothing quite puts your miniscule problems into perspective like gazing down on an entire city and realizing how small you really are.”

Taylor M.: “At the very last part of the climb, the stairs were so steep it was like climbing a ladder! It was all worth it because the view from the top of the Duomo was like nothing I have ever experienced before! It was gorgeous and it is something I will never forget! Definitely one of my favorite experiences!

The rest of the day we spent eating and shopping all over Florence! I treated myself to a Gucci wallet that I am really nervous to use, but I think I can get over it quite easily! Melinda and I explored some underground ruins underneath a castle. It was really cool that there were literally between two periods of time, under us were ancient ruins and above us was a very old, but more modern building compared to what lies beneath it. We walked all over Florence and embraced all that the city had to offer! We then met up with the group at the hotel for some wine before dinner, which would become a tradition each night!”

This night we had our first happy hour or “wine:30” back at the hotel. For the remainder of the trip we kept this ritual going of meeting up between 5 and 6:30 to debrief, enjoy local wine, and plan a dinner location.

We all went out to another one of Luke’s recommendations for dinner! An authentic Tuscan restaurant right around the corner from our hotel called Cibreo.

http://www.edizioniteatrodelsalecibreofirenze.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=902&Itemid=130

The menu there was quite interesting to say the least, so fresh that the menu items were written in pencil to change or add items at the last minute. We continued our tradition of tasting each other’s food. Victoria and Kelly shared the chicken neck dish (which Kelly did not love), the tripe appetizer and the ox tail stew, which were both beyond appetizing. We were all very nervous about trying these new foods at first, but everything was prepared correctly with all of the freshest ingredients and it was all very good!

Day 5: First Day in Florence

May 15^th Day 5 Florence:

Kristina's FitBit Information: 11.47 Miles walked & 27,411 Steps

Just when I thought this trip could not get any better, we arrived in Florence!

Another early morning took us from the Hotel Atlantico to Termini Train Station. We made it to the train with bags in hand and suitcases rolling behind us. The struggle of fitting American sized suitcases onto Italian train luggage racks was a special kind of crazy. Making sure that everyone had all of their belongings secure made for a stressful train ride.

Taylor V. wrote: “We took the high-speed train to Florence and my big (aka Beth) got crushed in the automatic doors twice before we even fully boarded. We also didn't have anywhere to put our luggage, and the conductor yelled at us for taking up a whole seat with our bags. I thought this foreshadowed a rough day, but thankfully I was wrong.”

On the train, we met two lovely gentlemen, father and son, who were traveling around the world. They were very funny and very entertaining! It was amazing to hear the stories of the places they’d already been and the places they were heading after Italy.

The high speed train was a cool experience as well; it only took us two hours to get to Florence which is normally an almost four hour car ride.

We were greeted almost immediately by our rather handsome SAI agent Pietro. He led us out to the Mercedes vans that were waiting to take us to our home for the next few days, Hotel Arizona! It was a short ride during which Pietro explained to us that Tom Hanks and Ron Howard were in town filming Dante's Inferno. I was hoping to "run into" Mr. Hanks, but no such luck.

Let us tell you about this hotel. The brothers that own it were absolutely great to us during our stay. Their hospitality and friendliness really made this stay memorable, from remembering our room numbers to playing FIFA in the lobby to the complimentary snack and wine our second to last night to coming in extra early to put out breakfast for us the morning we left. Undeniably hospitable.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we found out that there was a leak and that some of us would have to room in quads for a few nights, which was perfectly fine (we had all grown very close since we left the States). While we were waiting for our rooms to be ready, the incredibly hospitable owner/operator, Elton, made us all cappuccinos.

Feeling recharged, we took a walk around the streets and the open air market near our hotel. The store windows had fresh pastries, loaves of bread, and meats all hanging on display. All of the fresh food and produce looked and smelled so good!

After we finally checked in to our rooms, we all walked to Piazza Santa Croce where we would meet our tour guide after a quick lunch.

We met Florinda at the church in Piazza Santa Croce. Florinda is a walking, talking Florentine

history textbook and has a huge personality to match. She took us through all the piazzas and around the sculptures and down winding roads. Taking us through Piazza Santa Croce, explaining all the meaning behind all of the statues and historical buildings, meaningful sites, through all the shopping, Ponte Vecchio, and the Arno rive. The tour was a great way to learn about the city on our first day, as well as an excellent way to become more acclimated with the city so we could go back and visit these sites by ourselves later on.

Kristina wrote: “We also saw the lucky pig and I rubbed its snout for good luck. I also put the coin in its mouth and it landed in the slot, which means I will travel back to Florence! I was one of the only people in our group that tried it, and got it in!”

Kelly said that “it was great to hear about Florence’s history which [she] admittedly knew nothing about before the tour, and [she] loved hearing about the Medici family and the Ponte Vecchio. And when [Florinda] said that Florence was ¼ the size of Rome, I loved Florence more right on the spot.”

When the tour was finished, some of the girls went back to the hotel and others found a wine bar where they got a bottle of Chianti until our welcome dinner.

After getting back to Hotel Arizona to freshen up a little bit, we all walked to the Duomo to meet Reagan, another one of our SAI representatives. She took us to the restaurant Coquinrius. http://www.coquinarius.it/#filter=.home We had fresh bread with oil and balsamic to start, along with an array of appetizers: pesto wraps, pate and jam, cubed polenta topped with cheese, filled zucchini bites, and cheese wrapped in mushroom, accompanied with a chilled prosecco. Our second appetizer was one that was my favorite of the whole trip, a smooth spread of goat cheese on a crostini bread, topped with apricot jam and a mint leaf! Perfectly salty, tangy, minty and sweet. For our main course, we got to try a serving of both a pasta stuffed with pear and parmesan on top, as well as a think spaghetti like pasta with chianina meat ragu. Finally, we finished off with the dinner with a delicious dessert of berry pie, cheese cake, or chocolate cake. What a perfect meal to end our first day in Florence.

Kristina said that her “favorite meal of the trip was this night where we had shareable dishes at first. Our dinner was meat and pasta and stuffed ravioli with pears filling. It was so delicious and unlike anything [she had] ever had before! At night some of us went to a few bars, which was very fun.”

Melinda thought that “the food was delicious, as to be expected. The highlight of the meal was definitely the bruschetta with goat cheese and fig jam and the pasta pocket with peaches and cheese. Both so simple and so delectable.”

Tamara said that the “cheese ravioli with pistachio pesto and the cheesecake was amazing, every bite!”

Victoria wrote that this “dinner was a great way to conclude our first night in Florence.”

Jennie had a funny, personal anecdote about this particular day. She wrote: “this was the day my sister got married: 5/15/15. It was just a small backyard wedding, since my sister really wanted the date. Had she been able to do a bigger wedding I would have been the maid of honor. So while we were in Italy I basically knew what day it was, but not the numerical date and I hadn’t realized it was the 15^th. I texted my dad that night to let him know all was good and he replied as usual. Then he sent a second text, “your sister is getting married in a few minutes.” Like oh by the way! MINUTES! Meanwhile I’m in a hotel room ready for bed on the other side of the world. It was comical, but I am happy for her!”

At the end of our first day in Florence, Taylor V. realized that “Rome was incredible, but [she] could’ve spent the rest of [her] life in Firenze.”