Under The Tuscan Sun: My first week in Italy!

What a busy week it has been! I have learned and experienced so much in the past week than I probably have in a normal year of my life! So on Wednesday, January 22nd, I left Toulouse and flew to Amsterdam. I met a girl in the Amsterdam airport in my program so it was nice to have someone to talk to. I also coincidentally sat next to a girl on the plane from Amsterdam to Florence who was studying abroad in Florence this semester. We saw the snow covered Swiss Alps from the plane which wasn't a bad view! We landed in Florence and I found out my luggage was stuck in Amsterdam, which didn't turn out to be too bad because I didn't have to lug around my big suitcase! After meeting everyone at the airport we got on a bus to go into the countryside of Tuscany. We spent Wednesday and Thursday night at a family farm halfway between Florence and Siena called an agriturismo. The farm itself is called "Fattoria Poggio Alloro." The family who runs the farm now is the fourth generation to be working there. The woman who runs it is the great granddaughter of a former worker on the farm. When the farm was up for sale, her grandfather bought the land in 1970 and now everyone in the family works to keep the farm 95% self sustaining and 100% organic. Our breakfasts, lunches and dinners were all incredible. The wine we drank was from their vineyard, the pasta we ate was made from wheat they grew, the meat we ate was from the animals on the farm, so on and so forth. Every meal had at least two courses, and we were all extremely full on delicious Italian food for two days straight. It seemed like an eating marathon so that you could taste everything put in front of you. We got a tour of their winery, barn, vineyard and property on Thursday with plenty of "free time" put into our schedule to explore the land. It was a great place to have orientation and to meet everyone. On Friday we left the agriturismo and spent the day in the small medieval town of San Gimignano. It is a beautiful and historic town and it was another great way to introduce us into the Italian culture and way of life. It is a town that thrives during the summer, so we pretty much had it to ourselves to explore. We went into churches, a contemporary art gallery and ended the day by climbing 218 steps to the top of the city's oldest and tallest bell tower. We had a breathtaking view of Tuscany from the top of the tower, easily the most beautiful view I have ever seen! It was a great day in San Gimignano learning about the town and its history. I felt like we had entered a whole other world, due to San Gimignano having town walls and gates that you enter and exit through, a fun way to really see what a medieval town was actually like. After leaving San Gimignano we packed up the bus and finally arrived in Siena! We were basically dropped off in a parking lot and were paired up with our host families! My dad, Marco, arrived in style and picked me up in his Audi. He insisted on taking my luggage and opening my door for me, and we were off! I arrived to my host mother waving to us from the top of the stairs and immediately felt comfortable. For dinner we had a pea soup and...frozen pizza! Not exactly what I expected but it was the best frozen pizza I have ever had if that paints a picture! On Saturday Marco walked me into the city walls of Siena. To get into the city walls from where I live, I actually take five escalators to the top of the city. It is funny because you are entering the city's medieval walls and gates, but take a modern escalator to get there. Marco was very sweet and gave me a tour of Siena before I met up with my school group. He showed me my school and everything! He doesn't speak any English so I didn't know what anything was at the time he was showing me, but now that I have become more familiar with the places I can now understand what he was showing me! We got a tour of Siena on Saturday by our school which was very confusing but exciting at the same time. The town is so beautiful and I feel so lucky to be able to live in such a historical place for four months! There is not an ugly or dreary looking building to be found, everything is so interesting. On Saturday night, after a wine and food tasting with my group, I attempted to walk home for the first time. It was unfortunately in the dark and my friends and I got lost for about an hour. We had our maps and everything but it was frustrating because it was cold and at night. I think that night was probably one of the more difficult things I have experienced here because I just felt helpless not knowing where I lived or how to get there. Luckily we were shown the way by some nice gentlemen in the end! On Monday we started school, which consists of an intensive three week Italian class for three hours a day, five days a week and a two hour cultural class about Siena. At the end of the three weeks we take a test to determine our Italian placement for the rest of the semester. At that point my three museum studies classes will also start. Overall, It has been a very busy week having orientation and getting acquainted with the city of Siena. It has been fun making friends with everyone here, eating fantastic food and exploring this beautiful city I get to live in for the next four months!

Here is a link to the farm we were at for orientation:

http://fattoriapoggioalloro.com/

Ciao!

-Rachel