July 18th 2020: Grazie mille! I have met some of the absolute best people on this wild adventure and thought they deserved a shoutout!! These Italians supported me, laughed at me, teased me about mamma mia!, and loved me. They are truly my second family!!
First up is Ilaria. She was my teacher from level 2 all the way till 5/6. We spent many, many hours together over Skype and she taught us so much more than grammar! Her outlook on the whole pandemic situation helped me to keep moving forward. Unfortunately, she agreed with many other people in my life that mamma mia! isn’t the only work of art in the world. So she and Danielle would choose a weekly film to ‘broaden my horizons’ and ‘expand my film curriculum’. She had so much fun giggling with us when we finally had in person classes about all my Mamma Mia! themed answers so I included some of her favorites here: Se fossi stata la figlia di Meryl Streep, avrei cantato meglio. Se mi fossi sposata con giovane Bill, avrei ballato per sempre sul nostro barco. Penso che mamma mia! sia il film migliore del mondo e tutti debbano guardarlo. TRANSLATION: If I had been Meryl Streep’s daughter, I would have sang better. If I had been married to young bill, I would have danced always on our boat. I think mamma mia! is the best film in the world and and everyone should watch it. Ilaria is not just the best teacher, but one of the best people I know. Ti voglio bene!!
It has been well documented that I love Pino! Best panino in the city and nicest guy around! He loved making my gluten free panino…the Tuscan and when I would walk by on days I wasn’t buying a panino he would would yell across the street and laugh with me!! He’s just as excited as I am for the Dino-Pino meeting and every day he teased me about Vermont. I told him and his lovely wife Antonella that I was from a small state and they guessed Utah…oh how wrong they were! Even though I failed to meet the 30 panini criteria, I did get a Pino’s bag and it will hang proudly next to the mamma mia! bags on the wall!!
The absolute best bakery in the city (sorry Zio Boio) with prime location right near my school and Palazzo Vecchio! The workers were super sweet and loved hearing my Italian improve throughout my stay. I have figured out the best way to navigate a full display case is to ask the bakers what their favorites are. I have no idea what some of the things I bought are called but they were delicious! One of my favorites was this little truffle like ball that was basically a really gooey brownie in the middle that had an outer layer of chocolate and then pistachios on the top. They were so kind and I can’t wait to head back and visit them!
A family favorite, gelato is always a staple of our trips. With the craziness of this spring I wasn’t able to see Marie and Francesco as often as normal but luckily they were both working on my last day. Lemon and strawberry is always the way to go but stracciatella with coffee crunch can be a safe bet in a pinch!
It all started because she didn’t know the homework one day during lockdown! Danielle and I spent soooo much time together and were judged so hard as being some of the few Americans out and about together. We laughed and cried and sang mamma mia! and ate amazing food! Come visit the East Coast sometime, we do things right! Thanks for being my go-to, moose hands for life ❤
If anyone is interested in learning Italian, the Parola School is the way to do it! They offer in person and online classes and the teachers are the absolute best. I may be biased but Ilaria makes the world a better place.
Thank you all for making me so happy! I love this city and have a new appreciation for all the individuals who make it so great. But for now:
Abbie Abroad 