Italia: Part I

Since Maddy and Agata visited Monica and me in Sevilla last month, it was only polite of us to return the favor.  So for most of Semana Santa, we decided to head to Viterbo.  And Bologna.  You know, let's just throw Florence in there too.  And you can't go to Italy without seeing Rome!

The skies were intent on ruining another day of Semana Santa, but we had already seen enough processions to take the airport shuttle guilt-free.  As Monica and I stood in line at the RyanAir gate with our size-approved backpacks ("my purse won't fit...do you think they'll notice if I hide it in my coat?"), we noticed that there were no RyanAir employees in sight.  Shortly thereafter, the gate's sign changed from boarding to delayed, and it got really noisy in many different languages.

Paris was throwing a fit about their short smoke breaks, so the board at the Sevilla airport Monday evening looked like this:

"I am le tired...let's strike."

Ginrummy for 3 hours!!

Thankfully, Monica and I are really good at having fun anywhere we go.  With the Idaho Potato cards sent with love from Susan Barry, we had no problem entertaining ourselves in the airport.  

Bologna

Overall impression: Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.
Fun fact: No one in Bologna's public transportation system speaks English after midnight on a Monday.
Saving grace: Spanish and Italian are similar enough that we were able to find the right bus stop.  The first hostel we found literally could have been the setting for the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.  The sleeping Gringott's Bank elf behind the desk gave us some marvelous directions to our actual hostel, which was situated in a charming graffiti-filled neighborhood.  The elderly desk manager woke up long enough to show us to our room, where we spent another night bed-bug free.

Florence

Maybe one day I will return to Italy and give Bologna more than twelve hours of my life, but we were really excited to get to the birthplace of the Renaissance, the statue of David, and Ezio Auditore.  What we didn't know was that these Italian cities really do get expensive.  A coupon for "free cover and water" to a local restaurant is not something to laugh at, especially when that place also offers delightful fettuccine alfredo with homemade noodles.

THE DUOMO

The Day of the Duomo

Not only is it fun to say the word Duomo, but the Duomo of Florence is also a great thing to center your entire day around.  Monica and I found the wrong Duomo (much smaller), then accidentally stumbled upon the real Duomo while searching for gelato.  

The ticket lady at the Duomo does not accept student IDs from Sevilla as a reason to give a discount, so we had to pay the full 8 euro to get to the top.

"You can do it, push through!"

It was a glutes workout better than even Shaun T. could give as we climbed hundreds of steps.  Old steps, remodeled steps, creaky steps, stone steps, windy steps, tall steps, narrow steps...we got them all.  Just when we thought we had finally reached the top, we would turn a corner and find more.

Worth. It.

Syncing...45% complete.  Where's the pile of hay?

No I did not share.

After the climb down, Monica and I rewarded ourselves with our very first gelato as we sat in Piazza della Signoria with Michelangelo's statue of David imposter and watched the other tourists go by.  Dinner was the greatest pizza I have ever had, consumed near the Duomo.  The day ended on the hostel's balconey as our friends Sarah and Matt joined us for some wine while we watched the lights of the Duomo twinkle in the distance.

Goodnight Moon...Goodnight Duomo.

The next day we waited in line for a couple hours to see Michelangelo's statue of David at the Accademia Gallery.

Let me rephrase that:

David killed Goliath a couple thousand years ago.  A few hundred years ago, Michelangelo commemorated him with a giant-sized (irony?) marble statue.  It wasn't until April of 2012 that I witnessed the marvel with my own eyes. Unfortunately, photos aren't permitted inside the museum (Dave is kinda camera-shy) but feel free to google image search him as much as you want.   Later, we trecked all over the outdoor market for Monica's Perfect Statement (but not too statement-ey) Purse.  There are tons of little tent-shops set up, all selling the exact same leather items.  "Hey, bootiful, ohmaigawd I have a purse for you!" The vendors think they're hilarious.

                                    Viterbo

We'll see more of you another time, Viterbo.

We were sad to watch Florence slide out of view from our train window, but Maddy's hugs and big plates of homemade gnocchi and rosemary chicken quickly made up for that.  It was a wonderful evening full of cultural exchanges, copious amounts of giggling, Skyping with our counterpart Claire, and peaceful sleep--secure in our faith that Maddy's couch is bed-bug free.

Just like Bologna,  we were only able to spend roughly 12 hours in Viterbo.  Some would say that's not enough time to get to really know a city, but all I needed to know in the morning was the 1 euro cappuccino place with Maddy, Monica, and Agata.  At 11am we caught another train, and thus began a new chapter in my life called Being in Rome.

My life's current chapter is named Been to Rome, which is still great--but with less famous attractions and a teensy-eensy bit less magic.  Rome gets her own blog post...which will be coming right up after I return from Portugal, folks.