Cinque Terre and Earthquake Evasion

Cinque Terre

I spent last weekend in the region of Liguria with my friends visiting Le Cinque Terre. Cinque meaning five and Terre meaning lands is the name for five villages on the western Italian coast which are all linked by a national park. I’d never even heard of Cinque Terre before coming to Italy, but I would definitely recommend it to everyone!

We stayed in Riomaggiore the southern most village nearest La Spezia. It was so funny when arriving by train as leaving La Spezia we went though this long tunnel and when we emerged all the passengers were hit by this dazzlingly blue vision of the sea. The way people reacted you’d think that they’d never seen the ocean before. Having said this it was  a spectacular view.

Arriving in Riomaggiore my friend Kirsty made the most accurate observation that the villages seem to be like a real live version of Balamory! With the windy cobbled streets and the brightly coloured houses, it’s difficult not to fall in love with it. We stay at a fairly cheap hostel called Cinque Terre Holidays, and although the rooms were a little disappointing the owners were delightful.

The Cinque Terre are linked by several walks and hiking routes, although unfortunately at the moment part of the coastal route is still blocked due to the devastation caused by the flooding in October 2011. We started out on the path which runs along the coast connecting Riomaggiore and the next village of Manarola called Via del’amore meaning the path of Love. Along the route there were locks fastened with names of lovers and writing on the tunnel walls with names of couples who’ve walked the route. It has to be said, it’s kind of depressing walking along side loved up couples when your a single girl ... Ah well it only gives me an excuse to return with a man in toe.

Manarola was a pretty little village, although the rain did kind of dampen it’s beauty, where we stopped for lunch. Being so near the coast fish courses are of course wonderful, however if you’re on a bit of a budget but don’t want to miss out on the Italian culinary experience I would suggest trying the Genovese pesto. It is a typical dish of this region and once you’ve tried it there’s no way you can go back to tesco’s basic range. Similarly there a little cafes and bars where you can get a cheap meal but excellent food such as focaccia with pesto or fried calamari.

Moving on from Manarola we decided to take the red path through the hills to get to the next village since the coastal path from Manarola to Corniglia is still blocked. It is well advisable, as we soon found out, to wear proper shoes for walking on uneven terrain. There was a steep incline to get you to the top, unfortunately for us in the rain as well! But once we got out on the side of the hills the sun broke through and the views were spectacular. The only downside was that none of us could walk properly for the next few days.

Stopping in Corniglia for a drink, we noticed how different it was to the other two villages we’d seen. Built right on top of the cliff it boasts one of the best panoramic views. The train station near the shore used to be only reachable by the 365 steps, however the village is made much more accessible by a handy shuttle bus which runs pretty regularly. We were unfortunate enough to miss our train by seconds forcing us to wait another hour for the next one. Not wanting to walk back up the stairs we wandered down these little steps to the beach. We sat eating ice cream on the rocks right by the sea - I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to miss a train before!

When we got back to Riomaggiore we joined the many people who had set themselves around the harbor to watch the sunset. Many had bought takeaway pizza and bottles of wine to eat on the rocks. We decided to get in the spirit and bought some fish and chips - how very british seaside! Then we headed to La Zorza bar for it’s amazing/deadly cocktails. This was such a great place, the bar staff were lovely and so hospitable since there seemed to be no tables when we arrives because the chelsea match was on but they moved some chairs and tables about to accommodate us. Plus you could get free wifi if you ordered a drink which was a god send.

The next day was too wet to hike or walk so we decided to take the train to Montarosso al mare the biggest village out of the 5 and the most northern. It’s a great place to do shopping and buy products produced in Cinque Terre. We had a free taster of the sweet wine they make there called Sciaccatera and plenty of other liquors and wines. It has to be said they were very liberal with their tasters! We also found a beautiful little boutique jewelry shop which sold pendants we painting of different Italian sights from the tower of pisa to the colosseum to fiat500. Luckily for me they have a website where you order items!

It was clear the Montarosso and Vernazza, the next village down, had been worst hit by the flooding. Around the two villages there were photos showing the devastation that had been caused. The two churches in Montarosso had be badly affected by the flooding  but the rest of the village looked like it was pretty much back to normal. However getting off the train at Vernazza made fore such a sorry sight it made me feel so sad. The road was muddy and parts of shop fronts were being rebuilt and half the shops were empty due to damage. This being said the one thing which brightened the scene were amazingly colourful doors lining the main street painted by artists in the village to help raise money to reconstruct the place. Vernazza is slowly and surely getting back on it’s feet so don’t be put off visiting. We went there for lunch and had a mix of foccacia and cinque terre wine in this lovely little enocoteca by the harbor.

Earthquake evasion!

So the second day into our holiday we received some shocking news that there had been a serious earthquake close proximity to Ferrara. The whole day we went round cinque terre and all anyone was talking about was this earthquake, so we decided not to go back the day we originally planned instead we took a detour to Florence, two hours south of Cinque Terre. So we booked a hostel that morning (using the wifi of bar zorza whilst having a cafe and cornetto - told you it came in handy)

We spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the streets of Florence in the sun, when the rain started so we took shelter in a little covered arch way near Dante’s house. Here we had the BEST Schiacciata which is a type of tuscan bread, rather salty, made into sandwiches. It was so cheap and so tasty, definitely recommended!

That evening we tried a restaurant recommended by tripadvisor around the corner from or hostel called Trattoria da Girgio. There was a set menu which offered pasta, meat and side and wine and water for 13€! The food was excellent and the place was packed with Italians - always a good sign!

We came back to Ferrara to find the majority of this still standing. There were bits of rubble here and there and part of the castle had broken off, but all in all I’d say we were very lucky. There’s still been aftershocks, although I haven’t felt any. The huge shame is that they’ve had to cancel the Palio, the medieval horse race! One of Ferrara’s main attractions and it’s cancelled! such a pain, ah well I’ll just have to come back next year to see it.

Ain’t No Party like a Secret Party!

Saturday night had to have been one of my best nights out in Ferrara thus far! 

Over a month ago I was invited to a “Secret Party” on Facebook which explained that on this date and this time there would a huge party held at and unknown venue. Now being a little skeptical It did sound a little fishy but I thought you never know it may turn out to be real. When I spoke to a friend of mine about it, he told me he was DJing at this “Secret Party” and gave me a vague indication of where it was going to be held. 

Over the following weeks there were various speculations made about where it may be held - including someone saying they would be using an empty supermarket. 

Two days before the event they put up on the Facebook group that it was taking place in a 
airfield not far from the large shopping centre at the southern end of the city.

The brilliant way of keeping details on a strictly need to know basis and everyone being held in suspense meant that by the time saturday night came everyone was eager with insane amounts of anticipation.

Saturday night
we cycled in convey to the venue. I have genuinely never seen so many bikes heading in one direction before. Surprisingly there was no police presence in or around the area as there most certainly would have been in Britain. We locked our bikes securely in the shopping centre and walked down a long and winding dirt track in the dark to the airfield.

The place itself was basically a field with a couple of beer tents and a club house which belonged to the airfield. There were bouncers who were checking bags for alcohol and drugs. My friend Ashley tried to sneak his bag full of beer in with him but failed, however unlike in Britain the bouncers were happy enough for us to sit around outside and drink until we wanted to come in. 

We watched the first DJ set in amongst a huge crowd of people, at least 500 people. the atmosphere was incredible, everyone was enjoying themselves high on life (or just high). There were also a few fire jugglers at the edge of the field performing insane tricks. 

When It was time for our friends to go up and do their set, we rushed to the front to get a good position. The music at the front was so loud that I has taken me two days to get my normal hearing back. There was also this small wire fence in front of us to stop us getting too near the scaffolding of the DJ booth and speaker - to be honest it didn’t help - It was as useful as chicken wire to keep in an angry tiger. There were guys standing there stopping people jumping over said fence, but mainly they were just chilling out enjoying the music and pouring the crowd mouthfuls of gin and rum which had been unsold by the bar. There were also two guys who had water pistols, or should I say alcohol pistols, shooting shots into the mouths of the crowd - unfortunately one of the guys had really bad aim and instead I received an eyeful of Gin, which stung massively. I was not surprised the next day to find my hair and face sticky with alcohol.

Our friends did a great job, the music they played was so good. Unfortunately the crowd had depleted a bit by the time they started as the wind had really caught up seeming to signal the arrival of the foreseen storm. Luckily the rain held off for the entire gig, a good thing too since there was zero shelter. 

We cycled home stopping for a piadine on the way and made it home just in time before the rain came plummeting down.

Mantova, Palio and Rain

Ciao tutti! This week has been pretty packed since I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'M LEAVING ITALY IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS! So I'm trying to pack in as much as I can before I have to leave. We had another bank holiday on 1st May for Festa di Lavoro, equivalent to labour day. Unfortunately I hadn't realised that this meant University was closed on the monday as well as the tuesday this week, so I turned up for an 8:30am lecture which wasn't on. To celebrate the occasion there were musical performances in the centre and by the Duomo. I arrived in time to hear the most beautiful male operatic voice, but since there was such a big crowd all I could see were the accompanying children's choir. However my friend Anna went round to take a look at the singer and it wasn't a man at all but a 13 year old boy! Absolutely blown away. We stayed a bit longer and watch one of the old girls do a solo. She sang "Distratto" which was sung by the winner of 2011 X-Factor Italia Francesca Michelin (video posted below). I now absolutely love this song, and the girl I saw singing it was probably no more than 15 and had such a great voice. 

There was meant to be a couple of bands playing and a DJ set that evening in the main square, however I have now learnt that slightest drip of rain will caused any outdoor event to be immediately cancelled without notice. Therefore the rain at 4pm meant that the event at 8pm was cancelled, LAME! Luckily we had a good evening of aperitivo, gin&tonics and free shots. Me and Ellie also found an English styled bar called Molo round the corner from Maracaibo, and they serve Magners! First bar in Italy I've seen to sell cider, happy days!

Wednesday evening we went to watch the sbandieratori - flag throwers - practise for the big medieval competition at the end of May called the Palio. For those Hilary Duff fans out there, It reminded me of the military drill competition in the film "Cadet Kelly" but with flags instead of rifles. There was also drumming and trumpet playing accompanying them. It was so crazy to watch them, sometimes they had 3 or 4 flags at a time catching it in the leg and then throwing it back in the air. I cannot wait to see the actual competition if the practising was anything to go by.

Sbandieratori da San Giorgio

 

Here's a video of one of the teams practising in the square.

Thursday we went to Piazza Ariostea for ... a spanish tradition of bringing a couple of bottles and heading to the square to all drink together. I was a little unprepared so I had some of my friend’s wine called “la Sangue di Giuda” - yes that’s right the blood of Judas. Whats more it tasted lovely!

Mantova

On saturday I spent the day in Mantova with Kirsty and Alex. My housemate Grazia recommended it saying that If she could live anywhere in Italy that wasn’t on the coast she would choose Mantova, and I can completely understand why. It’s a lovely city, similar to Ferrara in terms of size and architecture, with three lakes surrounding the northern part of the city.

We visited the Palazzo Ducale which was well worth the small sum we had to pay to go in. We spent around an hour and half wandering around the lavish rooms of the Gonzaga palace. I particularly liked la Camera di Zodiaca with it’s beautiful ceiling painted with a motif of all the zodiac signs, the Sala dei fiumi which had these ornate alcoves at either end of the room which seem to be made out of shells and such (much more impressive than my description) and la Camera degli Sposi which have the most well preserved freschi (make sure you spot the court dwarf!) . The gardens were also particularly lovely especially at this time of year.

We also tried the traditional torta sbrisolana of Mantova which is a kind of nutty biscuity cake, so good with a cappuccino! We also tried some farinata di ceci, a kind of flat pancake made with chickpeas and fried. It’s traditionally made in the Liguria region but it was pretty good here too!

We went for a wander around Piazza Virgiliana which was constructed during the french occupation in 1797, and walked along the bank of the lake(s).

We went into three of the churches in Mantova. The Rotonda di San Lorenzo was quite special considering it was the oldest (built in the 11th century) and one of only a handful of rotunda - round - churches in Europe, another being St Chad’s in Shrewsbury. (I will have to visit when I get back home). 

Then we visited the Duomo next to the Palazzo Ducale which was on the small side considering it was a cathedral. What I loved most was the fact that they happened to be getting ready for a wedding and I think the fact that people still use such a cathedral for weddings, christenings, funerals and so on makes the whole place even more beautiful.

Relic of Christ's blood

Finally we saw the Basilica di Sant’Andrea, commissioned by the Gonzaga’s as they didn’t believe the Duomo was grand enough to house the relic of Christ’s blood. Admittedly the basilica is impressive, although it’s grandeur was marred slightly by the scaffolding inside, however I think that I preferred the other two churches to this one.

Palio Procession

So I said I saw them the teams practising for the Palio on wednesday, Saturday night it all kicked off with a huge procession. Each team marched out of the Duomo and towards their respective areas of the city. There are 8 teams in the Palio in Ferrara; 4 teams inside the city walls, San Benedetto (white-light blue), Santa Maria in Vado (yellow-violet), San Paolo (white-black), Santo Spirito (yellow-green), and 4 villages outside the walls, San Giacomo (yellow-blue), San Giorgio (yellow-red), San Giovanni (red-blue) and San Luca (red-green). I managed to get a few photos but my camera doesn’t work too well in the dark.
My team for my area is San Maria in Vado so I shall be cheering them on during the Palio.

Buona Pasqua!

I've stopped my galavanting for a moment so that I can update my blog! April has been busy busy in Piazza-Land what with Easter, St Georges day and Liberation day. I've come to realise now that the Italians absolutely love an excuse to have a day off, and why not!


Packages from home:
I have had my first visitor (not including my parents) in Ferrara from home!!! My friend Sarah came to visit me during her easter holidays which was so lovely. I got to show off the place I've been living in for the past 7months(!?) I'm really glad she came since I'd been feeling a bit down about no one coming to stay during my year abroad. It's hard when everyone else has had friends visiting left right and centre and you don't.
But Sarah and I had a great time, I took her on her first trip to Venice, we ate enormous amounts of pizza and copious amounts of wine, and we visited the castle here in Ferrara.
I really hope that some of my other friends will try and visit before I leave in the summer, but it doesn't seem to likely to happen.

Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Salvador Dali:

I've been studying Avant-garde cinema whilst in Italy and one of the films we watched was called "Chien Andalou" by Salvador Dali and Louis Bunel. So when I heard there was a Dali exhibition in Venice and I thought why not take a look. The exhibition was good, small but enough information to keep me happy. There were a lot of explanations into what his sculptures and paintings meant, for example; He put drawers, partially opened, on the sculptures of women's bodies so symbolise the hidden compartments of the mind and personality. This being said one of the things which I enjoyed the most were ll his quotes around the walls, to list a few:

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.

At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.

Take me, I am the drug; take me, I am hallucinogenic.

There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad.

Espagna!

Unlike University in Britain we only had a week of uni for Easter, but luckily for me it coincided with my parents holiday to Spain, therefore I joined them on the coast of Malaga for sun and Sangria. It was really juts nice to see my parents, although the sunbathing by the pool was an added bonus. I also spent a day in Malaga city centre as well on the way back to Italy and went on the most amazing FREE walking tour of the city. The company is called Pancho-tours and they offer free walking tours in certain cities in Spain and Portugal and I can't recommend them more highly. I learnt a lot about the city and our guide Michael was really enthusiastic and witty. After spending a week in sunny Spain, I was a little disappointed (to say the least) to arrive back in the rain of Italy.

Grazie San Giorgio!

For some strange reason the Patron saint of the city Ferrara is, like England, Saint George. However, unlike in England, here the city has a bank holiday to celebrate. Therefore, since we had no lessons, we took advantage of the day and went to Desenzano on Lake Garda. Unfortunately you can only get to the southern side of Lake Garda by train, but Desenzano was such a pretty little town it didn't matter. It has a lovely inland harbour and really quaint little cobbled streets. The only problem was that the day we went it was really windy which made it cold to sit out (although we did have a picnic to which the locals gave extremely odd looks). Hopefully I can manage a trip back there when the weather is better.

There was also a really amazing monument built in support of the resistance movement during the fascist era in Italy which I thought was so emotive. I took this photo but in reality it's much better.

Milano:

I went to Milan to see an old friend from 6th form who's doing a law internship as part of her year abroad. We had such a lovely time, sat outside and had lunch, sipped cocktails on the roof terrace overlooking the Duomo, and had aperitivo in Brera - I felt like a real lady of leisure. I thought Milan was great to visit for a couple of days but I'm not convinced that I'd like to live there. One the cost of living would be ridiculous, and two I don't think it's very Italian. It struck me as very chic and cosmopolitan and a bit unfriendly. I love the real Italy with it's little windy streets, big piazze and friendly faces. This being said it's well worth a visit. I loved the Duomo which was exquisite from the outside, although on the inside I wasn't as impressed. The Brera art gallery was AMAZING! Well worth the money, much cheaper than those in Florence and Rome but with just as impressive collection. I also spent a sunny afternoon reading a book in the park behind the Castle near the Arco della Pace which was such a nice way to escape the crowds in the city centre. I also found the most beautiful church on via Magenta which had the most incredible freschi all over. There are very few times in my life when I can honestly say my breathe was taken away, but this was definitely one of them. I loved the fact that they were so well maintained, and the emotion in the faces of the characters on the walls. I don't know who had painted them but he was definitely a skilled artist indeed.

Since I went to Milan on Liberation day (25th April) I wasn't therefore surprised to see some kind of protest in the street, but I wasn't expecting it to close down the metro stations. Ah well if you can't do a protest big, what's the point in doing it at all.

That's been about it as far as travelling is concerned. other than that I've been trying to go the gym as regularly as I can to balance out all this pizza eating. We went to Renfe last saturday which was a massive success as they played proper music that you can dance to! And I am starting to realise how little time there is left here =[ I don't want to leave just yet!!! Well hopefully I'll be back sooner than later. baccio x

Robert Capa

I recently went to an exhibition in Verona which had a collection by photojournalist Robert Capa. Capa spent the majority of his life documenting wars, but unlike many others he is particularly noted for his up close shots and photos of children. He believed that war was an emotion which he aimed to capture in the expressions of those affected by it. Born in 1913 in Hungary, he covered at least 5 different wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War. He died at age 40 in Vietnam where he stepped on a land mine in 1954. I was so moved by his work I wanted to share a few of his photos in my blog with you.

"If your photos aren't good enough,

 then you're not close enough"

Japanese Boy Soldier

Probably Capa's most well known photo taken during his time documenting the Sino-Japanese War.

Taken during the Second World War in Naples. A Neapolitan man is pointing out the direction in which the German Soldiers went to an American Soldier. I love this photo because I see the same acts of kindness and helpfulness in Italy today, although they are usually pointing out the directions of train stations than soldiers.

Women crying at funeral of twenty teenaged boys who had fought the Germans before the Allies entered the city. This is clearly an example of Capa's ability to capture an emotion and make felt by the viewer.

After the liberation of France from the German occupation those women who had collaborated with German soldiers had their heads shaved as a sign of humiliation. This women is carrying a baby which she had with a German soldier and is being marched back to her house.

Spanish Resistance Soldiers using the corpse of a horse as a barricade during fighting.

French Resistance Soldiers hiding behind an army truck.

Robert Capa spent over 20 years documenting the effects of War all over the world, and eventually his dangerous lifestyle got the better of him when he stepped on a land mine, ending his life prematurely. 

"The pictures are there, and you just take them."

Robert Capa - Magnum Photos

Verona, Che Bella!

This weekend I decided to take a trip to Verona to see the sights and my lively friend Alice who is doing her Erasmus there this year. I think Verona is a really beautiful city and well worth a visit if you’re in the Veneto region.

Firstly getting from the train station into the centre is not easy, unlike most cities where the station is situated usually at the bottom of the main street leading into the centre, in Verona you have to take a right and head as if you’re walking towards the motorway. I used my age old trick of following the people out of the station who are clearly Italian, walking at a brisk pace with a clear sense of direction. Luckily by doing this I found myself on the main street Via Porta Nuova in no time. (Warning this doesn’t always work and you may find yourself in some random car park - but the majority of the time it pays off.)

Piazza Bra and the Arena - On a beautifully sunny weekend like I had this is such a nice place to come and sit in the shade, rest your feet and maybe have a gelato. It’s also a great meeting place as everyone who passes through seems to be stopping for a chat with somebody they know. The only drawback is that it does attract a few weirdos, and tramps can be found taking their morning wash in the fountain but other than that it’s great. The Arena is right next to Piazza Bra and although it isn't as big as the Colosseum in Rome, I think it's just as impressive. I really want to go watch one of the operas held in the summer there, we’ll have to wait and see. Interesting fact: They soundproof the Arena when there are performances on so people cannot hear the music from the outside.

La Casa di Giulietta - So you can guarantee one of the busiest places in Verona will be the infamous Juliet’s balcony. The hype surrounding this place really sets my teeth on edge since IT’S NOT REALLY HER HOUSE! IT WAS BUILT IN THE 60s!!! But once you can get past this it’s fine. The place is amazing for one thing I must admit the thousands and thousands of signature declaring their love and padlocks all over the railings. The padlocks or love locks which can be found all over Italy have become a spectacle in itself within the courtyard. Apparently both lovers have to be present at the time and it is seen as an expression of their love. Perhaps I’m cynical, or just jealous, but i don’t really see the fascination. However they do make for pretty pictures. There is also a statue of Juliet which if you rub her breast it's meant to give you luck. But what many people don't know, as Alice informed me, you have to touch it with your left hand otherwise it doesn't count. Even if all of this doesn't appeal it's worth a visit simply to go in the gift shop. Now I don't mean the one filled with overpriced tacky souvenirs, but go into where they do the embroidery. Literally anything and everything from aprons to baby bibs, embroidered with any lettering. I got a sample of my name and watching the man work was incredible, the speed and dexterity with which he worked was amazing!

Piazza dell'Erbe - A great Piazza, full of bustling little market stalls where you can buy souvenirs. It's also a lovely place to sit with a spritz and do some people watching. But be warned the bars are much more expensive in this square than most other places.

Piazza dei Signori - Perhaps not as busy as Piazza dell'Erbe but worth a look for the beautiful frescos on the buildings. Just a little way along are the extravagantly gothic tombs of the Scaligeri family, the nobility Verona. Being down a small side street they can be easily missed

Duomo - Although I didn't actually go inside the outside is still pretty impressive. 

Castel San Pietro - This was perhaps one of my favourite places I visited whilst in Verona. On the top of a hill overlooking the whole of Verona the views are incredible.




Castelvecchio - It seemed to me to have similar architecture to that of the Castello here in Ferrara. You can walk across the bridge and through into the castle interior. Recently it has been the set for some of the shots in the new Romeo and Juliet film. But only a handful of scenes were actually filmed in Verona itself, the main site was in Mantova, a near by town, a bit smaller than Verona and a hell of a lot quieter, making it easier to film.

Overall as well as Verona being a great city to visit it was just as lovely to catch up with Alice and meet her friends. We all went out for drinks on the saturday night and was lovely to get to know everyone. I also branched out from my usual prosecco to try something a bit different. Firstly Alice had bought a bottle of Soave white wine which is from the Veneto region and it was lovely. Then we went to a bar that did Spritz bianco, which was like a white wine spritzer with mint leaves and lime. Then I had an apple mojito, so refreshing!


Gnocci EVER!

All in all a wonderful weekend filled with interesting people and places. I will definitely be returning soon!

Who says you can't Party when you have an Essay due!

Ok, I know I promised to be better at blogging more frequently but i honestly have a valid excuse this time. The French Department at Birmingham Uni thinks it’s not enough that we have to gets to grips with new culture/language/university system, we also have to write a language project and essay as well. Great, thanks Brum! Anyway this is what has been occupying my time - that is to say when I haven’t been making the most of my new Italian lifestyle.

4th - 5th Feb:

Grazia’s Festa di Masquera

Carnival season is upon us and you can’t walk around the centre of town without some child trying to throw confetti at you. My housemate, Grazia, told me that she has always had a masquerade themed party ever since she was little as her birthday is the around same time as the beginning of Carnevale the famous masked festival in Italy. 

It was such a pleasant weekend spent with my housemates, we cooked the desserts on saturday afternoon ready for the sunday evening. Grazia’s friend Sara made Bignès (chou pastry with crema pasticcera) and Grazia cooked a beautiful Pan di Spagna (equivalent to sponge cake) with crema pasticcera inside. The following morning we went for a wander around the centre taking photo’s of Ferrara in the snow, although I felt rather inferior with my little digi compared to Chiara and Grazia’s SLRs. That evening we donned our masks and face paint and sat, drank, ate and overall had a wonderful time. 

Later we went to Clandestino our local for a drink and a game of Taboo. For those who have never heard of Taboo I will explain briefly: You pick a card with a word on it which you must describe without saying said word. There are also a list of words underneath which you are also not allowed to use in you description e.g if the word was Father Christmas, the words underneath might be, reindeer, jolly, sleigh, presents etc. Well in Italian Taboo becomes much harder, especially when you don’t know the word that you’re trying to describe. Somehow all my descriptions revolved around the kitchen (goes to show where my vocabularly lies). All in all a fantastic weekend with the ladies of via Borgovado 26.

11th - 16th Feb

Roma, Not La Dolce Vita in the Snow:

Let it (not) snow! Unfortunately my prayers went unanswered - my train to Rome was cancelled. Fortunately I was able to use the same ticket to get the eurostar instead - which is 1. a nicer train, and 2. 2hrs less travel time than the train i should’ve got. Rome was not as I expected when I got out at Termini station. I just found that architecture was so mismatched in the city that there didn’t seem to be that same coherency as in Ferrara, admittedly Roma is much much bigger and the historical movements have been etched on the landscape. Particularly striking is the Fascist architecture in the city, no greater example of this than in Piazza Venezia with the incongruous Monument dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II sitting a stones throw away from the Roman Forum. 

Piazza Venezia

Furthermore Roma/Italy can not cope with snow! To be fair the day I arrived it was like a blizzard, I didn’t even venture out of the hotel. However the following day, only a small amount of snow remained, and yet the Galleria Borghese was shut! This being said the Villa Borghese is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever been in. I found the most lovely little orange tree groves there along with a replica of Shakespeare’s Round Playhouse where they perform his works in the summer months.

Finally my parents got a flight into Roma after their first one had been cancelled. Although again thanks to the stupid snow, the Colosseum and Forum were shut so we only managed a couple of photos outside. 

Colosseo

However we did get to wander around some of the many piazze to be found in Roma. Piazza Navona was definitely a hub of activity for artists as all kinds of painting were being sold around the central Fountain of Neptune.

Piazza Navona

Piazza del Popolo

Whilst Piazza del Popolo was swarming with street performers for Carnevale and made for a lively atmosphere throughout the week.

Statue of St Peter

Tuesday is the day to go to the Vatican, Fact. Usually swarming with tourists and people trying to sell you guided tours don’t think about going an other day. We arrived at the entrance of the Vatican Museums at 8:30am (it doesn’t open until 9am) and although there was a queue it moved very quickly once the doors were open. The Vatican Museums are so densely stacked with amazing and rare items that it is impossible to mention them all. Of course the Sistine Chapel and the painting by Raffaello are absolutely breathtaking when you see them up close, however I particularly enjoyed the gallery of Maps which shows how Italy was before Unification. After that we were able to walk straight into St Peter’s Basilica without even queuing. For a Church it has to be one of the most grand that I have seen, with incredible statues not just Michelangelo’s Pietà, but also the stature of St Peter himself which tourists would line up to touch his foot, as pilgrims did many centuries ago, in prayer. For this reason the foot has been worn smooth - it’s obviously seen a lot of love.

Mum and St Peter

Whilst in Roma I also got to catch up with my friend Rosie who is on her erasmus year there. We went to Trastevere, a little out of the way from the main tourist attractions of Roma, which was great to avoid the crowds of tourists and also find cheap cafes and restaurants.

Despite the snow we managed to see a fair bit of Roma, however there is still so much which I want to see. My housemate, Grazia, informed me that she has been visited Roma every year since she was little and still hasn’t seen everything... next time I will have to work faster.

18th Feb 2012

Venice Carnival:

I think that I would definitely have to say that you can’t be an erasmus student in Italy and not go to Venice Carnival. However to my mind perhaps it is a little over rated. Firstly getting there. Normally I can get an 1hr40 train straight through to Venice without much difficulty, however during Carnival season you’re lucky to even get on a train never mind a seat! So after playing sardines with a bunch of Italians for 2 and half hours, I probably wasn’t in the best mood. This being said the costumes and masks are exquisite.

Luckily my friend’s Italian friend, who was from Venice showed led us along a route to St Marc which avoided the huge crowds. As well as the huge show on in St Marc’s square, there were also mini street performances dotted all over the place.

My issue is, around St Marc’s you couldn’t properly enjoy the atmosphere because there are so many people.

I’m not exaggerating, a sea of people.

Ah well it’s one to tick off the bucket list. Although I think I’d prefer to be in Venice any other time of year to Carnival.

8th March

La Festa della Donna

In Italy the 8th of March is a cause for celebration for the female population.... possibly. In Italy it is tradition for the men to give the women in their life mimosa (a yellow flower). In Ferrara we were lucky enough to also be allowed free entrance into the city’s museums that day as well. Although I enjoyed taking full advantage of this, it does make me annoyed that there has to be a set day to celebrate women (shouldn’t everyday be like this?). It also seems to me that Festa della Donna in Italy is not used to the same affect as in Britain for example where we really emphasise the importance of equality (or lack of) between men and women. I watched a great video of Daniel Craig who dressed as a woman in a campaign for International Women’s Day, with a voice over from Judi Dench.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/07/james-bond-video-womens-day

It’s incredible that there is still so much inequality even now in the 21st century which is why Festa della Donna, in my eyes, perhaps is regressive here in Italy.

10th March

I’M ON A BOAT!

(I couldn’t resist I had that song in my head the whole night.) For Emilia’s birthday we moved from our regular haunt, Sofistis, to try out Sebastien’s Pub. It’s basically this old boat which has been transformed into a huge restaurant. We we lucky enough to be seated in our own little upstairs cabin which was full of sailing memorabilia. The pizzas were HUGE, and delicious, and they also served beer by the metre (yes, metre!) Overall it was an excellent evening, can’t remember laughing so much!

16th March

I’VE FINISHED MY ESSAY!!

It’s all been printed and sent off, and now I have my life back!!! Such a load of my mind, but however much I have complained about this essay (and believe me it’s been a lot) I think I might actually miss it a bit. I wrote about modern french novelist Benoît Duteurtre who writes really satirical novels on contemporary society and how he has been compared to Molière. It’s been a bittersweet relationship between me and my essay, for although I resent the amount of time it’s taken me, now that it’s over i feel like there’s a big void in my day which I now need to fill - Ah well it’s St Paddy’s day tomorrow I’m sure a cheeky Guiness will help.