The Final Hours

It is somehow, suddenly, my last day in this wonderful city. I walked around this morning, got my last cappuccino at my favorite café, and took in all the sights one more time. And I thought, how strange that it feels like I got off the plane here yesterday. Venice seems like a day ago and Rome a week ago. Paris might have been a dream I only imagined. Yet at the same time, it feels like I’ve been away from America for an eternity. I got comfortable here and it almost began to feel like I’d been here forever, would be here forever. Here, Florence – the city that took me in and showed me Italian life, the best pizza and the best gelato, how to order an espresso and how to avoid the clawing eyes of creepers on the streets. How to walk in heels on cobblestone streets, cook pasta with a boatload of different sauces, shop for the best tomato. In four months, I traveled outside of it too – to three other countries and about ten other cities and towns in Italy. Each one had its own charm, traditions and people welcoming me along the way. Each one I will never forget. And with the best of friends to join on me on these travels, I cannot think of a better way to have spent this semester. I’ll return in less than 24 hours to the land of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, all-day internet access and cell phones that always work. Like I said in the beginning, a novel is like a dream in which everyone is you. I hope this record of my trip has been that for you – a world of crazy Dubliners, historical gravesites, shining monuments and whirlwind bus-rides that you could feel a part of. Ciao, all, and see you back in the States!

The CinqueTerre - a roomie daytrip

CinqueTerre means “five lands” – an area of the coast were five typical Italian seaside towns are lined up along the ocean. Tourists and excited Italians alike walk between the towns on footpaths that connect the adorable communities. The hikes are different levels of difficulty between each town, so my roommates and I stuck to the easier areas, then zipped by train to the final two towns since the walks there are more difficult. Between the first three towns, we took a leisurely stroll along the cliffs of the coastline, winding between tree-covered hills overlooking the water the whole time. It was absolutely gorgeous. Be sure to look at the attached pictures, because words just don’t do justice to the CiqueTerre! It’s a lazy, dreamy kind of place, with not too many people crowding the paths, and just enough quiet to make the waves the only soundtrack you’ll hear. Me, Allie and Colleen were awed by the tourquoise ocean and bright green hills, dotted at intervals with the CiqueTerre towns – miniscule communities of probably 300 residents each, full of multi-colored buildings, laundry fluttering in the wind, and lots of seafood restaurants. Each town sat nestled into hillsides, looking out at the ocean peppered with colorful boats and beaches of tourists sunning themselves. We picked a beautiful day for a CinqueTerre walk and nearly overheated in our sneakers – something even too hot to be wearing in nice warm Florence these days. But it was perfect: eating sandwiches as we “hiked” through paths lined with pink, red and yellow flowers – preserved by the National Park that oversees all five towns. We found a random cemetery at the peak of one hill and a long stretch of what looked like the CinqueTerre housing projects on one path. We think these were actually shacks destroyed by a storm and never restored, since some even had furniture and sinks left broken inside. Other than that point though, the trip was full of sunshine and amazing views. Walking between towns was one great view in itself, out into the water, while each town had its own charm and scenic appeal. The first two were smallest, but the fourth town (Vernazza) had great sunning spots – a small beach and cove with a rocky peninsula scattered with people snacking and chatting and enjoying the view of kids running in the water. We stopped there for a while and called home to say hello (where Mom and Dad were Googling pictures of the CinqueTerre to check out where I was), as boats moved in and out of the harbor. A large “cruise” type boat full of tourists came toward the peninsula, where we were sunning on the tip, and suddenly its driver called out “Scusate! Scusate!” meaning, “Excuse me!” or basically – move out of the way, and fast. It turned out we happened to be sitting on the exact spot where the boat was docking. Woops! We scurried away just in time for the huge bow to hit shore, and moved to a more low-profile spot. After resting, we took the train to the last town called Monterosso. This is the most beach-resort type town, the largest of all five with a long boardwalk of restaurants and a stretching sandy beach. After our day of sweating in the sun, the girls and I hunkered down on the beach among stones and felt the cool water, tried to skip rocks, and prepared for the three-hour ride back to Florence. Of course, that train was delayed, therefore causing us to miss our connecting trains later, and it ended up being quite the five-hour travel home. As usual, the night presented us with its very best example of Italian transportation. I was thinking of journeying to Assisi next weekend, to check out Saint Francis’ Basilica, but after the train disasters so far, I’ll just have to see!

Either way, it’s going to be a great last two weeks here. I went to a photography exhibit with my Photo class this afternoon (no more Italian class, so I can sleep till 2:00!) which was interesting since we got to see lots of original “first-cameras” from the 1890s. Tomorrow is the final day of Art History with a trip to non-other than the Pitti Palace – right across from my apartment, where I’ve been trying to tan on the Palace’s concrete lawn the past few days. And after that, just a review of my sketchbook with my Art professor and one last celebratory weekend before final exams begin. Then, can you believe it, I’ll be taking tests and packing up before Saturday the 16th rolls around and I hop on a plane to JFK. See you then!!