Tripe

The food cart right under our apartment that believes no part of any animal should be wasted seeing that their main dish is called trippa al florintine or other wise known as tripe florentine style (cow stomach). 

This dish is served on a roll here with a red sauce that is a salty paste that smells unsettling and is a little unsettling to the stomach.

enough about what with the tripe the actual meat was chewy at first, but some pieces were quite tender and rather delicious. The rancid sauce was actually  quite pleasant with the tripe which seemed to have little to no flavor by its self. Since the sauce was a little overpowering the choice of bread was excellent it was light and had little flavor but it added something that was needed, a different flavor. Over all I would give this sandwich 3 1/2 stars (I couldn't figure out how to actually add stars). In the next weird foods blog post we get a little specific and try the fourth stomach of a cow, lampredotto panino with the traditional parsley sauce.   

-Kendall (if your reading this I think you know our last name)       

Lucca

Hey all 

Yesterday we took an hour train ride to a small walled city called lucca. The city was full of beautiful art and buildings and full of many many stairs I counted approximately how many steps we climbed and got over 1000 stairs! Just as an FYI the pictures are out of order because some are from mom's phone and some are from mine.

This is the view from the top of torre guinigi a tower with several trees on top

Here Kendall and I are looking down the cities renaissance walls

Kendall examining a French symbol on the side of a wall

Here is a view of torre guinigi from the bell tower

Here we are on the train

Now start my pictures. This is a view down the walls down to the ground

Here mom gram and Kendall are all enjoying their lunch on the wall

This is the staircase down from the bell tower which has 207 steps in it total

This is the towns clock tower

Here is a view of the cities red roofs from the top o one of the towers

Here is a patern created by the stained glass in San martins cathedral

These are the striped pillars on San martins cathedral

This is mom gram and Kendall just outside the city walls

All in all a great day in Lucca

-Joel

The little things

Today was orientation for the students arriving in Florence (101 total,  15 from PC).  What great fun to see all eleven Elementary Special Education majors, and four other PC students in a hotel near the airport in Florence.  Weary, but excited.   Joanne (the Fairfield director),  Erin (program assistant) and Sylvia (program administrator)  led the students through much helpful information, but many admitted to me later they were on overload with so much information.   In just the week here,  I could add more stories to those told of those little things that are different.

1)   The keys... our first night we thought we were locked out... but really we didn't know how to use the keys.   We needed to walk to the Fairfield office (lucky it is open till 6:30 - working hours ~10-6:30 here) and luckily Joanne was still there.   She walked back with us to the apartment;  no locksmith was needed, just a lesson on how to use the key!  I now think to myself as I use it,  square to the left, push it all the way in, turn to the right as many times as needed (1-3 depending on how it was closed when you leave).

2)  The stove and oven.   You need to turn on the gas with the lever on the wall, then turn on the burner you need.   Then there is the oven,  well it is still an issue as all of the symbols and numbers are worn away.   We have learn by experiementation that the left knob is the setting -on, bake, broil (and today I learned a setting with above or below heating),  the right button is temperature -- 9:00 can heat bread (say 200-250),  6:30-7:00 cooks chicken or meatballs (350 or so).

3) Coffee ... well it is espresso over here, and we have walked by many a cafe, but I have not had an espresso out of the apartment.  On our second day, Joanne (at Fairfield) taught me how to use this Italian coffee maker.   You put water in the bottom, you add coffee grounds in a filter that sits on top bottom part,  you then screw in the top, the pitcher.  Then you heat the pot on the stove for 15 or so minutes till it stops perking.    I am happy to report the coffee is good, not too strong.

4)  3 prong outlets.  220 Volts.

thus the spaghetti of converters to charge our laptop.

5)  The washing machine  ... many different cycles,  two dials (cycle, temperature).   Even the short cycle is more than 75 minutes...   everything does take time in Italy.

6) The night shutters ... to keep some air flowing, but to block the light (and bugs).   There are no screens on the windows in Florence.   

7) and  Google and YouTube automatically switch to Italian!   And on a related note, the computer in the office is in Italian -- learning new Italian words for all the Microsoft software commands as well as a  unique keyboard (many of the symbols are in different places!).

I can't say we have it all figured out, but after a week we are making everything work... including figuring out how to make risotto from scratch with minimal instructions in Italian.  A wonderful dinner after a long day: mushroom risotto, salad and carrots.   Perhaps tomorrow we will make it back to the macellaio for some chicken or pork.

Ciao till next time.

Laura

Home Alone

So some of you may be wondering what Adam's up to since his wife and kids are in Florence. Is he pining away at home? Is he moping about inconsolably? Is he bored out of his skull? Is he counting the days until his arrival in Tuscany?

Well, all of that, yes. But mostly he's been working long hours in preparation for the start of school at Providence College.

At the end of a ten hour Saturday, though, I decided to go downtown and do some walking of my own by a river. Tonight was a full lighting of Waterfire in Providence.

The river before lighting, with logs in braziers. (Don't know why it looks so pixelated, but I kind of like it -- like a Seurat painting!)

Along come the gondolas...

And the river after lighting!  Really a striking sight, and I'm glad I was able to see it again before leaving for Italy.

Of course, I couldn't resist the opportunity to enjoy a taste of a Rhode Island tradition!  It may not be the same as gelato artigianale, a walk by the Arno, or a trip to Florence -- but I will be there soon.  This is the second post today, by the way, so don't forget to check out my family's adventures in Fiesole!

A più tardi!

Fiesole

Saturday August 24

Today we took the public bus #7 to Fiesole, a quaint old town with ruins from both the Etruscan and Roman time.   It was a short 25 minute ride up hill.  That seems the only way our travels take us in Tuscany :) 

While the guide book didn't lead us quickly to the Roman Amphitheater, but rather we got lost and found an Etruscan tomb... our first ancient site in Fiesole.

Hiking up Via San Francesco,  a view back to Florence.

Chiesa di San Francesco

We found the Roman Theatro!

"All the world's a stage"

Baths

Enjoyed a relaxing Tuscan lunch.  Started with wine, cheese bread and three types of salumi.

Tomato and Bread Soup,  Wild Mushroom Rissotto,  Fried Chicken and Vegetables

Kendall's pasta with Rosemary Rabbit Ragout.  Raving reviews... he didn't want to finish his last bite, because he liked it so much.

Rejuvenated after our leisurely two hour lunch we decided to hike down the trail for 2 KM.  Joel led the way.

and we followed along.   Looked in behind the walls to several very nice Villas.

We all voted to skip dessert with lunch, and instead had gelato for dinner back in Florence (after a one hour rest in our apartment).    Kind of amazing that we can walk two blocks, pick up gelato (Triple Dark Chocolate and Pistachio for me, Double Dark Chocolate Frappe for Kendall, Lemon Ice for Joel, and Nougat and Double Dark Chocolate for Gram) and enjoy it by the Duomo.

Tomorrow the forecast is for showers... perhaps we will all finish Dan Brown's Inferno,  three of us are currently reading the adventure through our new neighborhood.

Laura

Pasta con verdure

Fresh pasta, vegetables, parmesan, Pomodore sauce-- a delicious Italian meal cooked at home

Sorry for the sideways picture.

Exploring Florence

While not our early morning back in Massachusetts, we were able to begin our day (9:30 am) at the Mercato Centrale.   We are slowly adjusting to Italian time.

Many stands of vegetables, fruit, olive oil, pasta, meat, bread.  

Fresh made spaghetti and Pomodoro sauce will make a wonderful dinner later this week.

The afternoon walk began at the Ponte Vecchio bridge

Galileo lived here in the 1600s.

Hiked up to the Forte di Belvedere built in 1590 to see a beautiful view of the city 

   
  a disappointing and confusing entrance lead us down the hill towards the Plazzale Michelangelo next to the old city wall and olive trees   

When we arrive at the Piazzale we are greeted by the breath-taking view of the city in which you can see all the famous attractions including the Duomo, St. Croche, Mom's office (lower yellow building in fore ground across the Arno -2nd floor), the National library and the new abstract courthouse.

At the end of the day we discover a street artist's work shop (Clet Abraham - more later on him) that turns street signs into funny art pieces 

and at the end of the day we stopped in a cafe for a cold drink and chocolate covered meringue.

            Kendall Hauerwas