Thursday, 1 December 2011
Bar Culture
Without a doubt my favourite thing about the Italian way of life is the bar culture. Bar does not mean the same here as in England, it is more of a cafe, but that still doesn't quite describe it. Bars are, in general, open from very early in the morning to very late at night - something of a rarity in an Italian business - and they are central to the communities. You can get anything from a coffee to your evening (or morning, if you are so inclined) Grappa and pastries, panini and pizza at pretty much any time of day. Though don't be fooled, just because something is available, that doesn't mean it's always socially acceptable; for example, ordering a cappuccino after lunch time will get you some very strange looks in some bars, espresso or macchiato are safe at any time of day. And beware - while Starbucks will understand what you mean by 'a latte', if you order that here, you will literally just get a glass of milk. While most bars do seem to have some kind of affiliation with the brand 'Sandy', unlike in England where Starbucks and Cafe Nero dominate, each bar has a unique and independent feel, most of the clients will be regulars to their own bar and there will always be someone standing chatting to the people who work there, be it in the village bar or in the middle of Florence.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Palazzo Pitti
I could go on about the Palazzo Pitti forever, there are so many amazing things to see, it's well worth a visit especially as you can get student tickets for €9 which last for 3 days so you can see everything properly. A couple of my personal highlights...
I couldn't take any photos inside and Google hasn't helped either, but I must tell you that the jewellery museum was absolutely mesmerising, I wasn't such a fan of the contemporary designs but they had the most incredible diamond necklaces and tiaras dating back to the early 19th century which I just could not keep my eyes off.
My favourite part though, was the fashion exhibition. It was so cleverly done; comparing different fashion cycles to the political climate of the periods, for example how dresses with fuller skirts generally reflect periods of economic stability or growth, then showing a variety of examples of such dresses, ranging from 1775 to modern day Gianfranco Ferre.
The quadratura by Agostino Mitelli and Angelo Michele Colonna
'The Kiss' by Francesco Hayez
'Portrait of Emilio Zocchi' by Odoardo Borrani
'Portrait of the Painter Ambrogio Raffaelle' by John Singer Sargent
I couldn't take any photos inside and Google hasn't helped either, but I must tell you that the jewellery museum was absolutely mesmerising, I wasn't such a fan of the contemporary designs but they had the most incredible diamond necklaces and tiaras dating back to the early 19th century which I just could not keep my eyes off.
My favourite part though, was the fashion exhibition. It was so cleverly done; comparing different fashion cycles to the political climate of the periods, for example how dresses with fuller skirts generally reflect periods of economic stability or growth, then showing a variety of examples of such dresses, ranging from 1775 to modern day Gianfranco Ferre.
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight...
After the sunset, we came down and there was the most incredible red sky which made the otherwise postcard-y pictures of the Duomo quite cool...
Tramonto Fiorentino
One day in early October when it was still over 30 degrees, I had taken my cousin out of her boarding school for the afternoon for an ice cream and a wander around Florence, and as we walked past the Duomo we saw that the queue to go up to the top, which normally consists of a few hundred tourists, was only about 5 people long so we took our chance and joined in. Once we got to the top, we saw that our timing could not have been more perfect, we watched in awe as the sun set over Florence.
Piazzale Michelangiolo
This is one of Florence's most famous tourist attractions, and for good reason. The view over the city is literally breathtaking.
Firenze
I have since moved into Florence to live with a gorgeous Italian family near Porta Romana. After a few weeks of just enjoying the city, seeing the sights by day and going out for drinks with my new Italian friends in the evenings, I finally found a part-time job! I have been working now for a few weeks for a small events and PR company which is a complete dream, I've been helping to organising parties for high-end fashion brands and given that the company is so small I've actually been given a lot of responsibility and my Italian has improved massively.
Florence itself is completely beautiful, it doesn't seem to have changed much since the Renaissance, the father of the family I live with, Donato, told me that Florence is one of the only major cities that hasn't had a big fire (like London 1666 etc) and as a result, there hasn't been much change at all, and the roads are all still only wide enough for horses, having obviously not been built with cars in mind. While this gives the city a real sense of history and is great for tourists as you can actually picture Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo walking down the very same streets, it's not so practical for every day living...think ambulances in rush hour.
One of the best things about living with an Italian family, apart from the obvious language benefits, is that I'm really getting a insight into real Italian life. Especially at the moment with all the political developments, it's really interesting to get an Italian's point of view. Every evening after supper, when everyone else has left the table, Donato and I sit and watch the news and discuss Italian politics. Before I came out here, my best friend's boyfriend told me that the best way to learn Italian was not by getting an Italian boyfriend, as others had suggested, but by befriending someone older as they will be full of interesting stories and won't speak English. While Donato isn't the elderly gentleman that Ben had in mind, more like a surrogate Italian father, he certainly is full of interesting stories and refuses to speak English with me so it does seem to be going to plan!
Florence itself is completely beautiful, it doesn't seem to have changed much since the Renaissance, the father of the family I live with, Donato, told me that Florence is one of the only major cities that hasn't had a big fire (like London 1666 etc) and as a result, there hasn't been much change at all, and the roads are all still only wide enough for horses, having obviously not been built with cars in mind. While this gives the city a real sense of history and is great for tourists as you can actually picture Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo walking down the very same streets, it's not so practical for every day living...think ambulances in rush hour.
One of the best things about living with an Italian family, apart from the obvious language benefits, is that I'm really getting a insight into real Italian life. Especially at the moment with all the political developments, it's really interesting to get an Italian's point of view. Every evening after supper, when everyone else has left the table, Donato and I sit and watch the news and discuss Italian politics. Before I came out here, my best friend's boyfriend told me that the best way to learn Italian was not by getting an Italian boyfriend, as others had suggested, but by befriending someone older as they will be full of interesting stories and won't speak English. While Donato isn't the elderly gentleman that Ben had in mind, more like a surrogate Italian father, he certainly is full of interesting stories and refuses to speak English with me so it does seem to be going to plan!
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