A beautiful Sunday in Cinque Terre

We left Florence around 7am and set out for Cinque Terre! Of the 5 little towns, we visited 4: Manarola, Vernazza, Corniglia, and Monterosso. 

We started off our trip in Manarola, where we walked through the town and climbed up this hill to see some great views. 

After Manarola, we headed to the next "terra," Vernazza. Here we walked through the little town and got some lunch. The towns are famous for its focaccia bread and pesto sauce because it was invented in this region! It was absolutely amazing.

After lunch we began our hike. We started off in Vernazza and hiked along the mountainsides of Corniglia. Here are some views during the hike.

The hike was really tough! The first 40 minutes was just straight uphill and the Lord knows I hate uphills. However it was totally worth it!!

On the way down the mountain, the stairs were so steep that my legs were trembling! However, the beach at Monterosso was awaiting us at the bottom!!

After a great hike, we all got some fresh fruit daquiris and relaxed on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Some friends and I even went paddleboarding.

It was such an amazing day! I love Cinque Terre so much! 

First Weekend in Florence!

After a long orientation day on Thursday and my Italian placement test on Friday morning, I was ready to have some fun! Babbo (my host dad) took my roommates and I to the beach on Friday afternoon!! I'm not sure what the name of the beach was, but it was only an hour away near Pisa. When we finally got there the beach was so beautiful. The water was a bright blue and the weather was perfect.

After sitting on some lounge chairs and taking a quick nap, Babbo decided to rent a boat and sail out to this little island in the ocean where people anchor their boats. When we got there we all jumped off the boat and went for a swim. The water was so refreshing and warm, it was awesome!

After the swim, we all just tanned on the boat and hung out. It was so relaxing!

After the boat ride back, Babbo treated us to some pizza, and then some Nutella pizza. Both of which were amazing. On the ride back, we all fell asleep because we were so tired. It was a great day!

That night, I went to a pub crawl with some Bentley friends and that was also a blast. We went to a couple of different bars and danced literally the entire night. It was so fun!

The next day I got to sleep in a little, and then Valentina, the oldest daughter took my roommates and I to Lucca, which is cute little city in Tuscany. The buildings were all very old and the architecture was amazing. We started off our afternoon with some lunch, and I went for gnocchi with mozzarella and tomato sauce. It was AMAZING! I'm a huge gnocchi fan. The restaurant was so authentic too because instead of having cooks there was just the one nonna (grandma) cooking all the food and bringing it out to people. So cute.

After our lunch we went on a walk though out the town. The city is completely surrounded by a wall, but the walls are flat and wide on the top, so people climb up and walk along the top. It was really cool!

After our day in Lucca we headed home and then got ready to go to Flo, which is an outdoor bar in Piazza Michelangelo. Once we got there Zef and I were able to get into the VIP section and we got to see the incredible views of Florence at night.

By the time we got home we were able to get 2 hours of sleep before heading to Cinque Terre the next day (post to follow). Overall it was an awesome weekend!!

First night in the Homestay!

Sorry for the delayed post! Last Wednesday all of the Bentley kids left Tuscania for Florence. Once in Florence we were all supposed to take taxis to our new places, but my Italian parents were actually waiting for my roommate and I to pick us up! It was so sweet :)

My host mom's name is Gianna and my host dad's name is Paolo or "Babbo" as we call him. They don't really speak English, so it was a little tough to communicate on the ride to our house. Once we got home I met their youngest daughter, Martina, who is 13. They also have two older daughters, Valentina who is our age, and Caterina who is 17. Gianna gave us a tour around the house, showing us our room and bathrooms. She also told us some of her rules and expectations. I was happy to find out that there was no curfew as long as we are quiet! We also were allowed to have friends over if we ask permission which is nice. There are 9 study abroad students currently living in the house, and we all have our own wing of the apartment and two bathrooms. Its pretty big! There are only two other American girls in the house (besides my roommate and I) and they go to Holy Cross so we instantly bonded. 

After unpacking and settling in, we went to dinner at 7pm. For every meal we get bread, a primi piatti (which is pasta), a secondi piatti (meat) with contorni (usually vegetables), and fruit for dessert. At dinner we only speak Italian, so I try really hard to understand what everyone is saying! I feel like I'm getting better and better everyday though which is good. I feel as though I can at least communicate a little to them.

After dinner, Babbo told my roommate and I that he was going to take us somewhere. We got in his car and he drove us to Piazza Michelangelo, which had an incredible nighttime view of Florence.

(Babbo, Meredith, and I)

Next, he drove us to Fiesole, which is a city just outside of Florence. It is up a large hill, so we went to a park and got to see some additional views of the city. It was so beautiful!

On the drive home Babbo stopped and got us frappes, which are like milkshakes but with a lighter texture. Naturally I got chocolate and it was amazing. What a great start to the semester!