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:

July 12th 2020: Tanta roba! This literally means a lot or so much stuff but culturally it is one of the highest compliments you can give for food! We were saying this quite a bit this weekend!!

I took a bus from Florence to Chianti for a day of exploring the small towns, eating alllll the great food, and seeing the wonderful views. It started out a bit rocky because the bus wasn’t stopping at actual stops, just the side of the road once somebody had requested it! I didn’t know where to get off let alone where I was in the countryside! I ended up hopping off on the same stop as another person and then walking around the town hoping for wifi so I could call my friends to come pick me up. Unfortunately there was no free wifi but I did see a sign that I recognized so I knew I wasn’t too far away! I met some very nice people who let me borrow their phone so I could get in touch with my friends.

After the craziness of getting to Greve, I ended up having a blast. We walked around the beautiful streets and they showed me the main piazza which is shaped like a triangle! All of the little shops were so much fun to see but my favorite was the butcher shop. It was super cute and had photos of the family through the generations. And they ship their wine and oil internationally 🙂

Lunch was a beautiful outdoor restaurant called La Castellana and I tried a Florentine favorite for the first time. Truffles were highlighted on this super unique and specialized menu. The best part of this restaurant was that my friends’ butcher shop supplies it so they brought out the raw meat to make sure we were happy with the cut! So many laughs were shared around the table, my abs are still hurting from laughing so much!!

Once we finished lunch, we headed up to Montefioralle which is a beautiful little village. Walking around was so much fun because there was very few other people and the views were amazing! Many homes had absolutely beautiful flowers and the village church was fun to see as well.

After we hung around Montefioralle we moved on to Panzano. It was so fun to see the local families spending their Saturday in the piazza and the local Gelateria was booming because it is HOT! I met world renowned butcher Dario Cecchini who was born and raised in Panzano and is the eighth generation town butcher. But he has left the tiny village as well and has been featured on Chef’s Table and Top Chef to help the world redefine meat.

The countryside is a lot like Vermont with lots of green and way less people! We even passed a tractor while I was on the bus! With the bus ride to the country and the car ride back into the city I was able to see nearly the whole Chianti Wine Route so that was lots of fun! I wholeheartedly recommend exploring the country to everyone! Even though the day started out a little rough, it ended up being one of my favorite days ever!

July 3rd 2020: Happy belated Canada Day! I hope everyone celebrated with some Stompin’ Tom! I hope that one day my Canadian people are able to accept that Vermont maple syrup is superior. Just like I’m speaking Italian, I hope I can speak Canadian soon too! Lowry fam, teach me!

It has been another big week! Monday we started off bright and early with a trip to Fiesole (the tiny village above Florence.) We took the bus up, walked around the main piazza and headed up to the first lookout point before walking back down. The view is always stunning from Fiesole but it is even better on a clear day. You can see all the highlights of the city – Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Palazzo Vecchio, Duomo. I took a photo of Nonna and asked her to point to one of the landmarks and she chose the University….priorities!

School this week was so much fun. The reopening of in person group classes is happening in stages. The first week was two classes, this week three and next we have four! It has been great to get to know people without the computer screen. Since there is no new content we have been reviewing and learning new strategies. One of these new activities involved the dictionary (I know…what even is it????) This was our first experience at Italian-Italian translation so it was challenging but also fun. We set competitions (have no fear, I won 3 of the 4) for who could find the most false friends (words that sound like one thing but mean something else) in a set time and my personal favorite game was choosing a random word you didn’t know and using it in a sentence…correctly!! I had tons of fun and I get really competitive so I am proud to say my trash talk skills are quite good in Italian. Our homework last weekend was to watch Tea with Mussolini (of course in Italian) and it was really interesting. This created a great discussion about World War II in Florence and we heard some shocking stories about the families of people from school. On a lighter note, we also sang MAMMA MIA! together so that was just as amazing.

I had more delicious food this week! I went back to Osteria de Peccatori for lunch after class one day and had a blast. The food was so amazing and I discovered one of my new favorite inventions. For the outdoor seating, they have little ‘spritzers’ to keep people cool because it is insanely hot. They remind me of the little water bottle fans that were the coolest thing ever at the Wellesley tournament in ’11. I also tried another dessert and because it is so hot you have to go with lemon…it’s a rule.

This week has been so much fun for many reasons but soccer has been lots of fun. Unfortunately not me playing…hopefully soon! But now it is easier than ever to watch all my favorite teams play. Fiorentina has been struggling but that doesn’t mean we stop cheering. And we’re not going to talk about Aston Villa. But for some games that won’t make you cry…the NWSL is back!!!! I urge everyone to hop on CBS All Access and watch some of the best talent in the world! We are only a few game days in and I am so excited to be watching them all month. If you need help picking a team, I can help! It is pretty easy….anyone but North Carolina!!

In other news: it has been 100 degrees nonstop and it is not for me!! Gelato and lying on the marble floor with soccer games or mamma mia! is the only remedy. I’m getting excited to float down the Ottauquechee soon!

June 27th 2020: Another amazing week in Florence! While the weather is getting hotter, the city is continuing to open up!

I went back to school! We all wear masks and are super spread out but it is so great to be back in person! Now my class is made up of a Venezuelan, two Californians, and your favorite Vermonter! Our teacher is super excited to have us in person and was showing off Danielle and me as her ‘American daughters.’ The class is a mixed level to encompass us all but now Danielle and I are the top students at the school!! It is pretty nice to be able to say I know all the grammar!

Osteria de Peccatori opened this week for the first time since March so I was there! I had a great socially distanced meal with some friends and friends of friends. I had pesto pasta and then was convinced to have the Panna Cotta all’ fragola because it was gluten free. Everything was sooo delicious and it was lots of fun to support this great restaurant. When I met one of the people we were eating with, she asked me where I was from and I told her Vermont. She asked ‘no like what state is that in??’ Everyone else laughed and I explained it was almost Canada.

I also went to the Uffizi with some friends and had an absolute blast. I was super confused as to why they weren’t showcasing my artwork but I guess it is more suited for the Louvre! One of my friends took an art history course in college this year so while he was presenting the pieces to us, his brother and I were pretending to be art critics (barton style!) While masks are obligatory, circles are placed on the floor to show were you can stand to be properly spaced out, and many less people are allowed in each day, one might not even notice a difference with how aggressive the ‘shush patrol’ is. I first learned this term from a blog but quickly discovered how true it is. In each room the people are sitting in blazers in the corner and just shush you!

After the museum visit, we headed down below the Uffizi to see the rowing club. The club was founded in 1886 and previously was used as stables. This area was used by the Medici families so I felt right at home where the royal dukes used to exercise!! The view of the Ponte Vecchio is absolutely amazing and unmatched from anywhere else in the city as you can see in the featured image at the top!

All of this marveling made us pretty hungry so we made a stop for the best gluten free pizza! This time I got a calzone and it was my first one in years. It was absolutely delicious and I will definitely be going back!!

I stopped by Perche No today and Marie is back! She asked about everyone, especially my menta-mom! She can’t wait for the whole crew to be back together in Florence!

In other news: it has been so crazy hot here. The way people greet me in shops has changed now when I wear shorts or dresses. If my knee tape is visible, instead of ciao or buonasera, the first thing I get asked is “cosa hai fatto” which means what have you done. When I start to explain what happened very basically (I don’t know these fancy words!!) they immediately cut me off and give me food…this works pretty well!

June 22nd 2020: the city is filling up! I had the city to myself for quite a long time so I am happy to share it now! The Duomo and other large piazzas are beginning to go back to their usual hustle and bustle. Complete with masks and distance of course!

Nonna and I explored the region of San Domenico which is home to beautiful villas, walled streets and wonderful views. The streets are super narrow and very curvy so cars honk before rounding a bend to avoid a collision. The walls are topped with either barbed wire or broken glass….sometimes both! This technique was used to keep people out of the fields but it didn’t stop me from getting some photos of the hills!

Most people understand how important pizza is in Italy so understandably the hunt for gluten free pizza is a challenge. As I mentioned before, I found an amazing gluten free place but the regular pizza is lacking there. One day, I was meeting my friend for pizza in a piazza so I picked up my pizza and then walked across the river to one of the most famous pizza places in Florence for hers. I waited outside with my pizza and then it began to rain. I stayed on the street because I didn’t want to bring rival pizza in but the owner and workers didn’t want my friend to leave and go out into the thunderstorm. He convinced me to come inside but then he saw the pizza in my hand. “Why you eat that??” was his immediate reaction. I explained that I couldn’t eat gluten and so he told me why he didn’t make gf. He announced he does make a great gluten free pizza but he only had one pizza oven so it wasn’t safe from contamination. Our conversation ended with him declaring he could make a gf pizza for me…but he didn’t 😦 This whole exchange was so much fun because it was in Italian, it was about rival pizza places, and he welcomed us into his restaurant to escape the thunder!

I had an amazing meal with some of the best people in Italy! Piazza Santo Spirito is the ‘young people piazza’. Normal summer nights would find the steps and benches filled with study abroad students and locals hanging around eating pizza and drinking. But we all know this year isn’t normal! We sat outside and used disposable menus and munched on schiacciata from a paper bag and dipped in olive sauce from a plastic container instead of the usual service. I had risotto alle zucchine con cuori di parmigiano (zucchini and parmesan heart risotto) followed by some adequate gelato …not perche no 😦

Fiorentina is back in action! Nonna and I set up the game and watched from the living room. We tried our hardest to create an in stadium atmosphere, complete with me singing the anthem horribly off key and Nonna swearing at the opposing team! Please know that this photo was taken before Fiorentina went down 1-0 to the worst team in the league. it was taken before both a defender and the coach got red cards. it was before Fiorentina had two second half goals disallowed. it was before 4 yellow cards were issued (per team!!). and finally it was before the game ended 1-1. Let’s just say the faces looked different after the game!

I go back to school tomorrow and I can’t wait! I have been practicing my ‘get to know you speech’, the highlights are: Vermont, MAMMA MIA! , Greece, political science, soccer and fiorentina, and pasta di cinghiale. I’ll let you guess what the categories are 🙂

Exciting life news: I have officially received my CAQ from the Quebec government! This means I am one step closer to college!

In other news: a swarm of pigeons attacked some schiacciata during our lunch right next to our table and it was in fact terrifying.

June 2nd 2020: Buona festa! Cheers to the end of the monarchy! While celebrations weren’t as elaborate this year (parades and concerts were postponed till next year) I had a great day!!

I went to Siena with some close family friends and had so much fun seeing the Tuscan countryside. We stopped in Monteriggioni for a delicious lunch and enjoyed the view. This small walled community is famous for its location in the mountains of the Chianti region, and also because the famed poet Dante used it as inspiration. My meal was amazing! I had Spaghetti alle Cozze (mussels) and then baccalà alla livornese (cod from Livorno) and finished with a cheesecake!

I learned so much driving through ‘la campagna’. I saw a winery/vineyard that was built into the side of the mountain. You drove under the grapes to get to the building and then there was more grapes on top of the mountain which was on top of the building! The views were breathtaking and some parts looked very similar to Vermont. The highway being surrounded by trees all around brought me home!

I heard the super interesting story about the border between Florence and Siena. The legend is after one of the many conflicts between the two cities, it was decided that there needed to be a clear line where one province ended and the other began. A ‘race’ was set to decided where this line would be. Supposedly, one runner was chosen from each province and the race would begin when the rooster awoke in the morning. The line would be drawn wherever the two racers met along the road that connects the two cities. (*disclaimer* I heard this story from a proud Florentine so keep that in mind) With Florence being the more intelligent city, they decided not to feed their rooster as much the night before so it would wake up earlier. Their plan worked (of course, they were so smart!) so by the time the Sienese racer began, Florence was already ‘winning’. The competitors met about 2/3 of the way to Siena from Florence so that is where the border stands today. Also random fact: the rooster is the symbol of the Chianti region.

Class has been going really well! I am about to begin level 5! I have enjoyed the fairytales I wrote about in the last post very much. One of our assignments this week was to finish one story that ended open. Here is my writing: Gennaro poteva scrivere tutti i cartelli e dopo lui ha scritto un libro se chiama ‘la coperta.’  Il suo libro sarebbe diventato molto famoso per i bambini di tutto il mondo. Ha scritto la storia della coperta in un modo per i bambini. Lui ha descritto i posti la coperta aveva visto con suo babbo e dopo con lui. Nonostante abbia avuto tempi difficili quando era piccolo, ha aiutato i bambini a superare loro paura del buio. I genitori leggevano questo libro a loro bambini ogni notte prima di andare a letto. Molti bambini hanno una coperta speciale a causa del Gennaro. Please excuse the issues with the articles….they’re not my favorite!

Walking around the city and picking up a pastry is one of the best parts of my day. I won’t claim a favorite because I am still happily sampling but everything I’ve tried so far has been so good! Some frontrunners: cannolo, mezzo e mezzo (half and half cookie), apple strudel, pizzeta.

In other news: the kitchen has been working very hard here! I made paella, spinach risotto, and stuffed peppers the last couple days!!

May 28th 2020: I am having so much fun exploring new neighborhoods and eating allll the good food! I’ve never been to Florence in the spring so I am enjoying this new experience!

My favorite panini place (yes, it is the only one I have tried) might be the best hangout in the city. The people that run it are the nicest and have lots of fun teasing me about Vermont. They remembered me as ‘la ragazza senza glutine’ and were cheering when I walked in! Pino (yes, the store is called Pino’s Paninos) said to me ‘less bread means more good things’ so he stuffed my panino with extra cheese, meats, and pesto. He said it was his gift to me!

The bakery that I love is beginning to add more hours so I try to visit them (and get some delicious treats) whenever possible. The first day I went in after lockdown was lifted, the woman remembered me and started speaking English but then I ordered in Italian so she switched. She was so proud of my progress and was shocked that I had stayed so she decided that I am now ‘quasi italiana’.

School has been going really well as well. They opened up the in person classes but only individual privates can happen for now. I’m hoping that will change soon but online has been lots of fun! I have almost finished all the grammar so now we are doing lots of conversation and games. Now we are reading a book of fairytales and trying to understand the moral of the story. It’s a really fun book, the idea of it is a man would call home to tell his daughter a goodnight story each night but he didn’t have enough money to pay for a long phone call so they are all short stories. His wife wrote down the stories and kept them so now it is a famous fable book!

The city is still fairly empty but there are more people just moving around than a couple weeks ago. Some of the smaller tourist attractions are beginning to open and many Italians are taking the opportunity to do them. Even though there is more people, I can still find an empty piazza every now and then.

In other news: in class we pick a movie every weekend to watch and then discuss. I am still waiting for MAMMA MIA! to get picked but I was promised we would watch it before I left so they are running out of time!