Florence, Munich, Cinque Terre and Back!

Ciao!!!

So sorry I have been away from my little home on the web  but I have been so busy travelling! Hoping on a train, bus, or a plane every weekend is exhausting but I am loving every single second of it! But that being said Florence has started to feel more and more like home. I have finally found my little study cafes and restaurants and even had a waiter ask me when I sat down if I wanted my usual cappuccino!

School has been great, we are getting ready for midterms next week so wish me luck on those! In my chocolate class we have gone on field trips for the past two classes, one to try a famous hot chocolate and the other to try chocolate bars around Florence! Yes, I am getting class credit for this class, I even can’t believe it. In my italian class I just learned how to tell time and to say the members of my family. Little by little I am getting better at speaking phrases around florence, but honestly whenever I try in a cafe the people just laugh. But it’s the effort that counts right!

This past weekend Anna and Elizabeth jetted off to Barcelona for a few days, leaving me to kick my feet up in Florence. But fear not, I was not left all alone! I had 4 little visitors from Furman accompany me on my weekend adventure. It was so fun getting to play tour guide, I loved showing Margaret, Caroline, Eliza and Sarah all of my favorite restaurants, gelato shops and hidden spots in the city. It was also fun getting to explore lots of new places as well! We went to the Uffizi Art Gallery and bargained our way through the leather market very successfully I may add. We sipped cappuccinos on the roof of a department store (where we actually met Donald Trump's New York City apartment decorator and her husband who happened to be a former marine and was the stunt double for Tom Cruise in Top Gun - they thought we were so charming that they bought our lunch!)

On Sunday we went to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens (a second time for me) but still absolutely incredible. During this the Royal Apartments were open which were not open to the public the first time I went so that was incredibly exciting! After an exhausting morning romping around gardens and a large palace we indulged in the famous heart shaped pizza from Gusta Pizza. It was INCREDIBLE! I would like to think that I have converted my friends to be believers that Florence is the most amazing city in all of Europe… But even that being said this weekend was a blast it was full of lots of giggles, good friends, and a bit too much gelato!

Here a  little recap on a few trips I have taken over the past few weekends:

Cinque Terre:

We went to Cinque Terre the last weekend in September in hopes to soak up one last beach weekend. It rained the whole time! But still, we explored the 5 little towns nestled along the shore. Each town had its own unique character, some were fishing towns, some were beach towns. On Saturday we explored the towns, took boats and trains between them and ate our way along the coast. Just for your reference, I ate the most amazing calamari that I have ever had in my whole entire life. On Sunday we went on a hike from Levanto to Monterosso. While some of you might have laughed when I said I went on a hike, I did, and it was amazing. It was incredibly hard but so worth it! Cinque Terre was a quick overnight trip, but honestly one of the best!

Oktoberfest and Munich:

This was a weekend full of lots of first and lots of interesting adventures. The trip started off with Anna, Elizabeth and I boarding an overnight sleeper-train to transport us to Munich. We thought this was an absolutely brilliant idea, turns out not so much! But hey we knocked that off our bucket lists! When we arrived in Munich we checked into our hotel and met up with our first Furman friend Kate! The next few hours were spent wandering around Munich in search for the perfect dirndl (which I found) and finding a Starbucks! We went to bed early all 5 of us snuggled up in a king-sized bed while images of schnitzel and steins danced in our heads. The alarm had us up an adam at 6 am to start our Oktoberfest adventure. Wow is it crazy, you have to run to the tent and grab a table, elbows were thrown, feet were stepped on, it was nuts! But we succeeded and found a little nook for the group of us! The morning was spent eating large pretzels and playing heads up and dancing on lots of benches (no dancing on tables or else you are asked to leave)! We had a blast! Later on in the day, we decided to explore the festival and go on some rides which were a blast as well! Overall it was such a fun day but incredibly exhausting!

Sunday was spent eating a very large brunch and exploring Munich a bit! We sadly had to say goodbye to our Furman pals that day but I knew I was going to see them in a week when they came to Florence so it was only a short goodbye. On Monday, Anna, Elizabeth, and I went on probably one of the hardest tours that we have ever gone on. We visited Dachau one of the concentration camps outside Munich. It was an emotional and moving morning, the camp as a whole was very interesting to visit since we have learned about it in school growing up so to see it in person was aw striking. It was definitely a tough morning but well worth our time.

Jetting off to Paris this weekend with the most amazing Godmother Holly Tutun!

Ciao for now,

Phebe

Amalfi!

Ciao, 

Oh, my it is chilly here in Florence! Woke up this morning and it was 50 degrees (whoever told me not to bring sweaters I am not your friend right now!) But still, this cold weather has me falling more in love with this city. The fall fashion is in full bloom and oh do these Italian women know how to dress! They somehow can effortlessly pull off messy hair, sneakers, and leather jackets…. while riding a moped in a dress or skirt. It's unbelievable!

We are in Florence this week for a full week (Monday through Friday) which has given us a bit more time to explore and find some little coffee shops and study nooks. Yes, we have homework as some people may not believe! One of my favorite spots that we have stumbled upon is called Le Menagerie. It is sooo cute!!One part is a little knick-knack shop another is a florist then the other part is this little eclectic café. And just to report have found salad my all carb diet has come to an end!!!!

My classes in Florence are definitely different than they are back at Furman. That being said I am absolutely loving them! All of my teachers are Italian so that makes it a bit harder to understand them sometimes. Yet it also makes it a bit comical when they mix up words. I am taking 5 classes here, interpersonal communications, history of the Holocaust, everything chocolate, communicating in Italian, and fashion media and culture. Each class is in a different building across the city of Florence, each has its own unique character: some are historic, some are modern, some have frescos on the ceilings, some look like a scene out of Harry Potter! It makes each day in the classroom so fun!

My favorite class so far would have to be my fashion, media and culture class! My teacher is the former social media director for Ferragamo (which is actually based out of Florence) and she is sooo cool! In that class, we learn about the history of fashion as well as fashion icons. My other favorite would be the chocolate class because I mean who doesn’t love chocolate! Half of the class is a lecture and half is a lab where we literally sit and eat chocolate! It's incredible!

My favorite class so far would have to be my fashion, media and culture class! My teacher is the former social media director for Ferragamo (which is actually based out of Florence) and she is sooo cool! In that class, we learn about the history of fashion as well as fashion icons. My other favorite would be the chocolate class because I mean who doesn’t love chocolate! Half of the class is a lecture and half is a lab where we literally sit and eat chocolate! It's incredible!

Two weekends  Elizabeth, Anna and I went to the Amalfi Coast. It has always been a dream of mine to go especially since I have an obsession with Grey Malin and he constantly photographs the beach umbrellas there!! So, we got on a bus on Thursday night and drove 5 hours to the coast! On Friday, we hopped on a ferry to Capri! Where we did a boat tour around the island (did you know a lot of their landscapes and cliffs were actually the inspiration for Jurassic park?) On our boat tour, we were given the opportunity to see the Blue Grotto, one of the natural wonders of Europe! It was incredible! If you're ever in Capri I suggest you do it as long as you don’t get claustrophobic! Once on land we climbed up to the different tiers and tasted authentic limoncello (not my drink of choice) and enjoyed a pasta lunch! But my highlight of the day by far was getting my own pair of custom sandals made!! There is this cute, TINY, shop on the top of Capri, which makes sandals by hand. They size your feet and you pick out the leather straps and design them yourself. The thing that awe stuck me the most besides the little grandpa making my shoes (There is a photo of me with him below) , was that this was the exact place Jackie Kennedy went to get all of her sandals made when she was in Capri!! I, Phebe Huth have the same sandals as Jackie Kennedy!!

Friday night was my favorite night of all time I think! We ate dinner in an old Roman aqueduct! This gentleman, Marco, has turned it into a small garden and restaurant that he runs along with various other restaurants that he has across the world.  Our meal was outstanding! We started off with free Prosecco, then had stuffed zucchini flowers, house wine and homemade ricotta ravioli in a lemon sauce (that was made with the lemons from the garden we were in)! The experience of the meal was by far one of the most outstanding I have had in all my life.

On Saturday, we hopped on a bus to head to Positano! This city is full of colorful umbrellas and beautiful beach shops. It was a tad crowded for my liking but I got to see the famous umbrellas so I was a happy girl. But of course, when I am near water you can’t get me away from the boats! So, we went on another boat tour! While on the boat tour we went, cliff jumping, swam in grottos and explored various other beaches it was a great way to explore! We ended our day enjoying another fabulous meal in Sorrento with lots of pasta and wine.

Sunday was our last day in Amalfi but it ended in a monumental way – no pun intended! We visited the ruins of Pompeii! While it was a long and hot walking tour around the city it was incredible to see the ancient city that has been around for so many centuries!

I promise not all my time here is vacations! Although it seems that way! But cool things that are happening this week, our school (Florence University of the Arts) has a culinary school, so they have a restaurant that we are able to go to at a discounted rate and experience cool dinners. So tonight, some of my friends and I are going to a themed dinner with an 8-course meal!! The theme is revealed at the door so fingers crossed it isn’t something crazy!! But I’ll let you know how it is next week!

Off to Cinque Terre this weekend!

Ciao for now,

-       Phebe

GREECE!!

Ciao,

Sorry for the delayed post, but I have been busy unpacking my luggage that finally arrived on Monday!! This past week has been filled with tons of fun new things. First days of classes, first big weekend trip, first night out on the town and many more!

This past weekend Anna, Elizabeth and I went on our first weekend trip to Santorini, Greece. This trip honestly was one that I wish I could have recorded every second of it. Our Airbnb was located in a tiny little town called Emporio. It was a 5 min bus ride to the famous Black Sand Beaches in Perissa. The beaches are black because of  volcanic eruptions that happened hundreds of years  ago. They were beautiful but a tad hot on your bottom of your feet so just another reason to stay in the crystal clear water!

We spent all day Friday and Saturday at the beach! A cool thing they have are these chairs and umbrellas you can use if you eat at the restaurants there on the beach. So naturally we had to do that! For lunch on Friday we all had gyros because when in Greece! On Saturday we all decided to have the fish because it was caught that day, but no one told us we had to debone it ourselves! So that was very interesting but delicious!

On Sunday we went on a little exploration in Emporio! Touring some beautiful old churches and wandering narrow alleys!! At noon we boarded a bus to go to Oia where we hopped on a catamaran for an afternoon of sailing and exploration!! This by far was my favorite part of the trip! The boat took us to the hot springs, the red beaches, white beaches, fed us dinner, then we sailed around and watched the sunset and danced on deck. It was an amazing night and the best way to conclude our trip in Santorini!  

We arrived back in Florence on Monday and resumed class on Tuesday (I only have class three days a week for those of you who were wondering)! Off to a busy week again!! But this time I have all my clothes so I am one happy girl!! Bless that kind woman at Air France!!

Today we are going to see the original David. There are actually three “Davids” in Florence (1. The Original, 2. A copy outside the Palazzo Vecchio, 3. A bronze copy on the Piazza Michelangelo.) I’ll let you know how it is next week!  

Going to the Amalfi coast this weekend!!

Ciao for now!!

- Phebe

Ciao Florence!!

Ciao from across the sea! 

I have officially been in Florence for 5 days! It's crazy to think that this amazing city is my home now (well for the next 4 months that is). These past few days have been a whirlwind. Long days filled with school orientation, getting lost just trying to get to the grocery store, oh, and living out of only a carry-on because I lost my luggage!

But when life gives you lemons, just make some lemon-Chella! 

This week we have explored our new city getting lost almost every time, but I can now report that I can make my way between many of the well-known spots around Florence. On Friday we had a walking tour with our school program and learned lots about the history of the city! Did you know that Florence was one of the first capitals of Italy!?

Our little apartment is located just a block away from the Duomo which has been incredible. It is truly the heart of the city, constantly bustling with energy at all hours of the day! Around our apartment is also one of the largest markets. It has everything and anything you could need such as Italian leather bags and belts, fresh produce, pasta, Tuscan wine, and even painted pottery.

On Sunday Elizabeth, Anna, and I woke up at the crack of dawn to take use of the free museum day (which is the first Sunday of every month!). We started at The Palazzo Pitti which is a very large Castle on the other side of the Arno. The Palace was built by Luca Pitti but then bought by the Medici family.  Walking through the palace today I was completely in awe. Between the beautifully painted frescos on the ceilings as well as the large art collections displayed on every wall, I don't think I even blinked once! 

After exploring the palace we set off to get lost in The Boboli Gardens. When I say lost I mean incredibly lost! We walked around for hours just exploring. Discovering fountains, hidden gardens, and even a lemon house! 

Lastly, these past few days I have further fallen in love with Italian food! Everything here is so fresh. On our second night here my friends and I went to Osteria Santo Spirito a very famous restaurant on the other side of the Arno. I had the truffle gnocchi and it was AMAZING. While that meal set an extremely high bar -  every meal has been just as good. We have had Florentine pizzas, lots of house wine, and lots and lots of gelato. Probably too much gelato, but I am bound and determined to find the best in the city. Hopefully, by the end of these four months, I will be able to give a full report! 

 Ciao for now, see you next week!

- Phebe