The Very Top

One of the sight seeing adventure Giacomo took me on was to the Piazza Duomo in Milano. I havent even seen the inside of my Duomo in Firenze but whatever. The security outside of the door wouldnt let me take the camera I had inside the church becuase he said he was unfamiliar with that brand and thought it might not actually a camera. I quickly took a roll of film so I could open the camera and show the fool that infact it was a camera. The Duomo inside is expansive, dark and gothic. Its like a time machine. After that he told me he wanted to go on the roof of the structure. I couldnt tell you how high it was but its up there. No we didnt just climb up the outside of the building illegally or anything, we just took the elevator. It was neat up there. You could see the whole country side. So this is just a photo of me on the roof of the Duomo

The Milano

The Milano train station is an interesting sight indeed. I have the photo project for photo class that is kinda creepy and I feel like a stalker doing it but Im supposed to photograph someone I dont know. I tried to do it but you quickly lose interesting people in the crowd. I feel like a private eye following a cheating husband and thats probably what they think i am.

The Family

In the photo is Virginia (the mom) Davide (2 years old) Gabrielle (8 years old) me and then Giacomo (the dad). The family is fantastic. The treated me nothing short of king. I met Giacomo outside of the train station in Milano, which was difficult because I have never met him before and we went to lunch. He thinks is english is poor but i think its pretty good considering I dont know a word of english. After a filling lunch and tour of the city we drove to the Vallotta family house in Fara which is about an hour drive with traffic and everything else. I met the rest of the family there. That night I met Giacomo's mother and Virginia's brother, his wife and their three kids. The next morning I awoke to coffee and biscuits. After a short tour around the city I met someones cousin and then had to go to the train station to catch the train back home. Overall it was a very enjoyable experiance.

The Merchant Bridge

The Ponte Vecchio is the Merchant Bridge of Florence. Now it is occupied by gold dealers. Legend has it that they first started to sell goods on this bridge due to tax exemption. I heard a story recently that blacksmiths occupied bridge because it was illegal to have a black smith shop in the city of Florence because they are dirty. Whatever the reason, this bridge, like the bronze pig, is a short walk from my front door.

The Beast

This pig is called Il Porcellino. Its a huge bronze pig and if you touch its nose you get good luck. The swine is a 385-year-old bronze statue by Italian artist Pietro Tacca. Like anyone knows who that is... Anyways, its a huge tourist attraction not to far from my front door so I thought I could clue you in on it.

The Beach... Oh The Beach

Yesterday we went on a day trip to the beach. The town is called Vaireggio. A short train ride and a short walk gets you to a nice but completely private beach. 5E more will buy you a seat and an umbrella. I wish I would have used the umbrella beacuse now I look like a lobster. Anyway, you go throught the mountains and arrive at the beach which makes for a spectacular sight.

The Lovers Locks

So what is this a photo of you might ask? These are called lovers locks. On every railing and gate and fence you see these things. There must be alot of lovers in Florence. So heres how it goes... You fall in love with someone... Then to proclaim your undying love you put a love with yours and her name on it and lock it a famous land mark. These locks are on the Ponte Vecchio. I saw a city worker there the other day with a huge pair of bolt cutters. He was barely making any progress.

The Failed Vacation

This weekend I was planning with some friends to go to Vienna. One buddy even went so far as to book a hostle for us. We came to find out that the cheapest flight we could take is about 500E. So, pretty much our weekend plans were ruined. Instead I think were going to take a trip to Vaireggio Beach.

The Five Lands

Yesterday (Sunday) I visited Cinque Terre. Its a collection of these five little towns that are inexcessable by road. You have to hike in and out through the mountains. It was a good time. I swam for the time in Mediteranian Sea. Yeah, its salty just like the ocean. The country side near these towns was great, Green Hills and Black Cliffs. As you can see from the Photo the path you take to go through mountains is quite difficult.

The Leaning Tower

Just a short 40 minute train ride for Florence is Pisa. Its home to the one and only leaning tower (of Pisa). Its quite interesting. I mean, this is probably one of the biggest engineering flub-ups in history. They basically built a huge marble tower on a bog which might suggest why its leaning. Otherwise in Pisa I went to a neat little pizza place because, as i was told, Pisa has the best Pizza. Whatever, nothing tops Papa Johns.

The Minority Problem

So in florence there is this problem with minorities just like every other city in the world. The Albanians, so Rocco told me, have gangs and start fights with Florentine citizens. They hate the Italians. The Eastern Europian block countrys that used to be a part of the USSR have been migrating to the area and are starting to take over. They open thier own bars that wont serve Italians. The main reason for their migration? Health Care. I guess this whole comment is just about how the human condition is the same everywhere in the world. Whether it be Mexicans or Ex-Soviet Patriots jumping boarders nothing really changes.

The Piazza

Piazza Republica is a neat place. I think this fountain depicts the 12 Olympians. The square is a bunch of tourist taking pictures so I asked someone to take mine. The square also has a these designer shops and expensive stores. I went into one and promptly left. I am saving my money.

The Camera

Today I ordered a Camera of the internet. I have used this camera before and I find it to be amazing. It uses 120mm film which is about 4 times bigger then the normal 35mm film that every other camera uses. Im excited for when it arrives. Otherwise, I walked around downtown florence today to shoot a roll of film for my photo class. The teacher said to expect to shoot two or three rolls a week of film. Fun... but expensive. Whatever, your only in Firenze once.

The Classroom

School started this week and its pretty interesting. I have one class a day each day. I have no class on friday and no class before noon. This school really is in never never land. So far I have had Political Philosophy and Photography. They both are pretty interesting. Its difficult to understand the professors sometimes because they have strong Italian accents. You get used to it after a while. Other then that my classes are filled with girls. It seems surprising to me but more then three quarters of this school are girls. I would think that going abroad would be an adventurous thing a man would want to do... but who is complaining.

The Duomo

The other day I went over by the Duomo. Its real name is Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which pretty much means the cathedral of St. Mary. Anyways, its a fantastic sight. It probably does not look like its big but its pretty big. Its first brick was laid sometime in the 1300's and took about 200 years to finish. The exterior is white, green and red marble. Come visit me and Ill take you by it. Otherwise, school starts tomarrow. My class, which starts at noon, is Political Philosophy. I am excited to meet my classmates.

The Start

Yesterday I had orientation at the College. It was long and boring and it was in a chuch so the speakers echoed so I couldnt even understand anything. The whole talk was just about how you shouldnt walk alone or leave your drink (common sense). After that was over I walked around the Duomo and looked at the clothes and shoes and things. When i was walking around this guy grabbed me and I spun around because he looked like a gypsy. I thought maybe he was a pick pocket or something. I walked to a safer place and looked through all my stuff and thankfully nothing was missing. There are real gypsys everywhere here, they play the accordion on the side of the road, and beg, and try to pickpocket you. It just makes going to the market that much more exciting. The photo is of the internet cafe that I go to, Its called MoYo's.