yum.

GIORNO DICIOTTO

Got our PI CHI status on the "Balls" of Firenze

Let me start with last night.  We wound up at some Americanized bar called the Lion's Fountain.  It was a bad decision.  American study abroad students everywhere, and not the good kind.  These people made us embarrassed to say we came from the United States because they followed the stereotype Europeans have fashioned for us... crazy drinkers.  That bar was the epitome of what we are trying to stay away from.  It is so frustrating when people fall to their stereotype... being different/yourself is WAY more fun and honestly, it is so much easier!  It is just like smiling, it is so much harder to act upset than it is to act happy!  Sot turn that frown upside down and in the words of Kristen Wiig from Bridesmaids, "get your shit together Carol (Carol meaning the Americans at the bar)!"  Please excuse my French. (haha ironic... as I am in Italy!)

At least we got a good picture out of the night! CON ERIKA!

This morning Tarah and Savannah woke up to meet their parents at ten for the day, while Christina and I planned a whole day out for the Uffizi Museum!  We downloaded the Rick Steve's app on our phones and received the full overview of the important paintings and a complete tour of the entire gallery!  If you want to go travel through the museums... I would recommend that app!  It was free, useful, funny, and a great tool for all of his travel locations.  Allora, we of course got into the museum for free, skipping all the lines, and went up the rough four flights of stairs to the top U-shaped floor with ALL the paintings.  The gallery was very convoluted, but with Rick Steves leading us around it made it all make more sense.  We mostly were excited about seeing the "Birth of Venus," which of course everyone has heard of, but there were other paintings that were very interesting to look at.  There were the first paintings where depth perception was attempted... some were failures because there would be men in the background who would be the size of giants if they had been in the foreground.  We saw paintings where there was an attempt to create a sense of 3D by tilting the paintings at certain locations.  Some had such ornate frames that looked as if the people in the paintings were in a 3D castle.  They were all very cool to look at.

Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" was a very beautiful piece because compared to all the other paintings of that time period, the colors of it were so soft and pastel-like.  The soft sense of the picture created more of a happy and a sense of purity, while the other paintings are almost dark and intense to look at.  Also in that room was the "Allegory of Spring," which is also a well-known painting by Botticelli.  This one was creative because of all the different aspects of the painting and you guessed it, METAPHORS behind each person and action occurring in the scene.  Adam and Eve, Cupid, Mother Nature... they all represent a different aspects of springtime.  Sometimes it is just amazing to think about how artists in these ancient centuries painted these enormous masterpieces.  I feel like it is not as appreciated as it should be.  I know I am guilty of not appreciating how amazing these pieces of art are because I see so many that they all begin to blend together in a massive ball of boredom, but it is truly remarkable and it is, as I always say... WORTH IT.

After that room though, me and Christina could feel our stomachs beginning to rumble, so we shuffled on through, continuing to read through Steves' narrations of the paintings and the view of the Arno from the southern side windows.  After leaving Uffizi, we first checked out Zara to pick up some clothes that Christina had on hold there... of course I saw a few things as well.  Classic Rachele.

BEFORE

AFTER!!!

Shopping only made us more hungry, so on the way home from Zara, we stopped by a Salumeria called Antico Vinaio Osteria to buy some salami and mozzarella. We made a homemade pizza!  It was SO AMAZING!  We put fresh and delicious salami and buffalo mozzarella and balsamic-carmelized onions on a thin pre-made crust.  I am telling you it was so good!  We are now professional cooks and will be opening up a restaurant in Gainseville...


Christina and I hung out in the apartment for a while until Savannah and Tarah returned from their day out with their parents.  We all just relaxed before we were supposed to get ready to eat at a nice dinner with their family.  I finally finished my book, Defending Jacob, which was very good and well-written, but ended annoyingly!  I still recommend it because it was a fun read!

After we all cleaned up... pretty nice I might add in our dresses, we walked to the corner to meet up with her parents and sister for dinner.  The place we made reservations at was this cute little place called Giostra.  It was phenomenal!  Probably the best food I have had yet in Italy!  The restaurant was off the main drag on this side street and inside there were Christmas lights strung up on the ceiling as if it were a rooftop terrace.  It was a beautiful ambiance.  I even got to taste the Cianti Classico for the dinner wine!  It was pretty legit.  I tried to act professional, but I felt cheesy haha!  YUM!  THE BEST MEAL.
The waiter first brought each of us a complimentary glass of Prosecco, which is the Italian form of Champagne.  It was sweet and delicious!  We all felt a little overwhelmed by the menu, which was solely in Italian and listed meals that all sounded equally amazing and exotic.  We chose a few appetizers and primi piatis before we moved on to sharing a few main dishes.  Everything was perfect.  Everything was just...

Of course after this giant meal we had to get gelato!  We went to our usual place, La Carraia 2 to be greeted by our favorite guy, Roberto!  He still remembered my name!  We had a great night hanging out with all of the Benefields and eating a great meal!  If you are reading this, thank you so much for dinner and letting Christina and em join you for dinner!  We loved it!                 

Anyway, I got to go to sleep because we have an early and long day of horseback riding in Chianti tomorrow!  Of course there will be wine involved... don't be silly, we are in Italy!  It never gets old saying that... I am in ITALY!

Buonanotte!