Firenze: The Cradle of the Renaissance and American Tourism

My time abroad has been pretty unpredictable.  Every day really is a new day...I should be in my photography class right now, but my teacher is currently on the other side of the world.  As soon as we find out where the gym is, Matt and I are going to go to the Università di Verona and get in a pickup game with a bunch of Italian dudes.  Other than the fact that they'll be hairier and have more sex than me, I think we should be able to let them know what real men are like.  One of my favorite things about being here is that I can't foresee having a dull day when there's so many new people and experiences waiting for me.  It kind of makes me think about how much I miss out at home by taking things for granted.

culture time

It's amazing how accessible Europe is.  I took a four hour train ride from Verona to Florence last weekend and witnessed some of the most historically and artistically significant figures in a matter of hours.  There was a large group of us traveling and I knew that a bunch of friends were coming from Milan, meaning that I had to be ready for anything.  I think I handled the weekend pretty well and I'm glad I did...there was no way I was climbing 414 steps with a hangover.  I was pretty moved when I saw The Birth of Venus and some of the other works in gli Uffizi, and of course the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio were awesome, but they could not compare with my favorite part of Florence: the Galleria dell'Accademia.  When people talk about Michelangelo's David, they say that it depicts a young King David as he contemplates his upcoming battle with the giant.  This is a research mistake on my part, but I had never really heard about all its history and impact that is what makes this work truly awesome.  I literally gazed at it for two hours straight.  Not only was the size incredible, but its precision was breathtaking.  It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend seeing it sometime.

One thing I didn't really like about this city was that it was ridiculously touristy.  Don't get me wrong, it was nice to meet other Americans and not have to make up words to make conversation flow, but everywhere we went, there were Americans that were allowed to be American.  Florence was a sweet place that everyone should see in their lifetime, but I am perfectly happy in Verona.  It's less boisterous and you can't really expect to get by in the city without adapting to the Italian way.  Maybe I've already established loyalty to my home city, but I feel really fortunate to get to live in a place that I feel can show me authentic Italian lifestyle.

old faces, new places

It was pretty hilarious to run into my grade school buddy, Mike Higgins.  The kid likes to get a little drunk, is very forward with girls after a few drinks, and realizes that we're in another country for little time...the perfect wingman for a discoteque. At one point during a normal conversation with some girls, he said, "Dude let's get out of here, these girls suck."  I didn't think they were that bad, so I said that we should stay.  Little did I know, he had already told them that they sucked and we therefore had no choice but to leave.  My man!  I hope I run into him again at some point during my time here. I also got to see my bros Jake and Chad, which brought back memories from being back with my friends in Champaign (unreasonable alcohol intake, disregard for strangers, unwillingness to pay cover charge or wait in line at bars).  Being in a program with 36 girls and one other guy, it was nice to be able to relate my friends for a little while.  It's not easy sitting quietly as girls talk about their favorite Jane Austen movie adaptation or Desperate Housewives characters.  Che coglione.

more new experiences

I learned a lot about culture from seeing David, il Duomo, and gli Uffizi, but I think I learned just as much from the interactions at the discoteque.  For any Elmhurst homeboys/skanks out there, imagine the exact opposite of Ryan Borchert.  The venue was Space Electronic and while it smelled better than any campus bar, it still kind of made me want to throw up.  (Station * 2) + (Eurobros) = Space Electronic.  I knew from the moment I walked in that this was the kind of place where you really couldn't have that great a time without acid.  With all of the mirrors, oddballs, flashing colors, and N*SYNC techno remixes going on, I figured that I could use a cocktail or two before making a fool of myself on the dancefloor.  The upper level was a dancefloor where I distinguished myself as the only guy suitable for American females to dance with.  Not only am I a fantastic dancer in this kind of setting, but all European males in this kind of place are scum, so I got a lot of security dances, which was fine by me.  It took so long, but with all the English speaking people grinding up on my d, I finally felt like I was back home where I belonged.  It was a fun experience overall, but I vowed after that first night I would never go back again.  I was wrong...we went back the next night.


in the meantime

After our Italian 1 test was finally over (no more 9:30 class every morning!), a bunch of my friends went to Milan for Friday and Saturday.  I decided to stay in town to go with Davide to check out some parts of Verona that I hadn't yet experienced.  We went shopping, got some gelato, and touched Juliet's b00bs for good luck.  A couple out-of-towners were in for Saturday night, so I decided to join them for dinner at their hosts' place.  It was a cool little get-together with plenty of food and drink, which was very fun, but I learned that little good comes from plastic jugs of wine.  The next morning, our group got the chance to take a day trip to Salò, Sirmione, Borghetto, and Castellaro, which were dreamy.  With mountains on one side and Lake Garda on the other, this tranquil site was my ideal summer home.  On Sunday alone, I had pizza 'frutti di mare', donkey, and rabbit.  None were anything special, but I had to know, ya know?

This past Wednesday night, I stayed with Jake and co. in Milan so that I could get to Torino early on Thursday.  I didn't really get to see much of the city, but it was a fun time going to aperitivo and a club with some friends.  I hadn't been very successful with meeting foreign girls at this point, so I made it my goal for the night to charm some girl in Italian.  After a few minutes of successfully dancing with one girl, I said in Italian, "Dancing is the universal language."  She smiled and replied, "I think I need a drink."  Oh well.  Matt and I made our way to Torino the next morning and had a really awesome experience.  We went to a car expo and a couple museums, but the best part of the day was when Old Man befriended us at Palazza Reale.  He showed us around some of the coolest parts of the town and recounted a lot about his travels abroad.  He was born in Torino and still lives there in the winter, but we gathered that over the years, he'd lived in the US, South America, Australia, Russia, and different parts of Italy.  It was so cool to see that this wealthy, worldy old man was still humble and willing to take the time to reach out to two American strangers and pass along some of his knowledge.  It was a really intimate, moving experience for me and although I never learned his name, I think it's better off that way.

the future

My upcoming outside-of-Italy trips are Ireland and Amsterdam and I don't think I could be more excited.  Ireland is guaranteed to be a blast and for Amsterdam, I'm staying in a five-star hostel by the name of 'Bulldog' with Miiiiiiatch and P-Crowe.  These upcoming weeks very well may be some of the most memorable of my life.  "But what will I wear!?"