The beginning of travelling around Italy; Cinque Terre & Florence

After sitting in a hall way slaving away at Uni work for hours on end we decided to treat ourselves to a day at the seaside otherwise known as Cinque Terre. The early morning start at 6:05am would ensure us get there at a reasonable hour in order to enjoy a long day trip out. Due to travelling plans I have been researching places along the Italian Coast In particular Portofino and little did we know it was on route to Cinque Terre, with the early start and our brains like mush we arrived at the Portofino station and with much deliberation as to whether it was our final destination despite arriving an hour earlier than expected...we decided to exit the train as the door was closing, absolutely hilarious seeing Jess almost stuck between the doors (hilarious for me - not her of course)

With 2 hours till the next train to our actual final destination we decided to have a wander round Santa Margarita Portofino. This beautiful seaside port town was ghostly quiet at 9am with few locals roaming round, catching the sun and avoiding the busy tourist filled streets. The market was being set up amongst the brightly coloured buildings through the twisty back streets of the town. We walked along to find a coffee to sort our brains out and admired the mistake we had made, there is most definitely worst places to get lost.

We got back on our Harry potter train and spent the entire journey avoiding the ticket man only to scurry like mice to the next carriage when he arrived, he finally caught up with us much to our disappointment and after many hand gestures, 'sorrys' and 'it was a mistake' comments he let us continue our journey to 'La Spezia'. Cinque terre is made up of 5 small villages along the coast of Italy. The main town is called La Spezia and is home to a huge port bringing visitors in daily. The train that takes you to all 5 villages costs €12 and is unlimited for the day, you also have the option to walk along the coast- an option that was not sensible for 30'+ degree heat much to my disappointment as the trains were so unreliable and unclear. We managed to visit 2/5 villages with the guidance of trip advisor. Each village has its own properties which make them all so different and unique. Vernazza is a gorgeous village with shops aligning each side of the street all an array of colours. The street leads you down towards the sea where you are placed In a small square faced with different coloured parasols of alternate restaurants and a beautiful church built on the waters edge. Restaurants placed high up in the cliffs with the premium of the view and tourists flooding the cliffs edge, jumping into the sea and absorbing the sun. We moved onto Manarola, the smallest but most picturesque village of the 5. The buildings aligned the cliffs edge as if by magic and clustered together to form layers of houses upon houses, the spectrum of colour and pure perfection of the view is unexplainable, certainly the most beautiful place I've yet to witness.

The 3 hour journey home was unavoidable and definitely unwanted but we couldn't have been more blessed with the weather and the views we had seen. Cinque terre is tourist ridden and busy but is such an experience and I without a doubt will return to and enjoy in the future.

Our final hand in came and went and before we knew it our travelling trip was finally upon us after months of counting down, it felt so surreal. Living in Milan for 4 months had continuously felt like a holiday however now we were actually going on holiday. Both very excited and apprehensive we set off early Thursday morning towards San Siro stadium to begin our ride. We have decided to use the bla bla car service for most of our travels around Italy. This modern day hitch hiking service is cheaper than a train and offers a chance to meet people. The 3 hour journey to Florence flew by and in no time we were being dropped off at the station. However being naive or hopeful or both we soon realised we were not In the centre of Florence and had to catch another train. Fine, cool, we can do this ... Shit the machines not working ... Jess JESS. Panic over and we caught the train and arrived in Florence. After walking in completely the wrong direction at first we were finally on the right track towards out hostel. Bags on our back like little turtles we walked the streets of Florence almost melting in the heat. Our hostel was so snazzy! We had a chandelier! It also included a fan - this felt like someone had almost given us a personal butler or something due to so many sleepless hot nights in this heat. How can two people be so excited over a fan- Sandra the host looked amused especially after the fiasco of trying to explain the keys in broken English to two over excitable English girls. We also had a private balcony overlooking Florence, it was fabulous.

After dropping off our extremely heavy bags we made our way towards the city centre. The duomo cathedral was so beautiful, encrusted in shades of pink and green along with the white marble, teamed with a bell tower and huge dome (both of which you could go up.) Enjoying a beer In the square we planned out our day and headed to the campanile to voyage up and experiences the views, we also ventured into the cathedral. The dome was host to a beautiful religious mural. So high up and so impactful, we ventured down into the museum and viewed tombstones and parts of the cathedral that had been removed for renewal and continued to look round the tranquil squares of Florence. Walking along the river back to our hotel we stumbled upon the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge was unique with shops and buildings placed along (apparently it was for some royal person who didn't like the idea of crossing over water so they made it look like a street instead- fancy ey!) the views either side was spectacular especially on a summers day and the bridge almost had a Medieval feel with shop fronts which had wooden pull shutters and flags flying at different points. It was totally unlike anything I've seen before and gave Florence such an original feature. We came across a tiny bar for dinner which offered wine tasting of Tuscan wine along with a plate of traditional Tuscan food. We enjoyed 3 whites of which the most expensive we preferred (duh) and a plate of antipasti with the nicest cheese we've tasted since moving to Italy in March. Florence at night is almost as beautiful as it is in the day. The cathedral and main square is lit up with lights bouncing off the white marble and adding to its already impactful presence.

Having a mug of tea at breakfast was definitely one of my highlights of the day, our 'breakfast included' option gave us the choice of a brioche with jam (someone had already has a spoon out of jess' pot.,. Yummy) or cheese triangles and bread. So after copious amounts of bread we left feeling moderately content with our carb intake.. We were advised to cross the river and climb the hill to see Florence from a completely different perspective before we left for Rome. Florence is a large city which is surrounded by hills. Anthony Gormley an installation artist had an exhibition on at Forte di Belvedere, an amazing historical fort overlooking the city. Seeing Gormley's work in such a beautiful location was so memorable and so unique. The city felt like It was sunken down with a wash of terracotta and 'rapunzel' towers protruding with the dome as the impressive and focal point. Viewing the city in such a unique way was amazing. We sat and admired whilst also catching our breaths as we watched the city from above that we were soon to depart from.

Our next stop; Rome.

Ciao

S x

What deadlines?

The apparent declining of my blogging activity is due to the fact University is coming to an end and therefore deadlines are posing more and more of a threat.

So I will begin this blog with the end of Nick's trip and consequently my last visitor of my time studying abroad.
After our experience in Venice and combined with the necessity to attend University the next few days were chilled, I finally made my favourite meal (a Thai green curry) ((with the assistance of Nick.)) It seems that international food aren't easy to get hold of out here, especially in the main supermarkets and the cheese is appalling- I've had to ask for a delivery of cheddar every time a visitor comes, either I'm a princess or I'm extremely picky about my cheese (or maybe it's both.)

We visited the Fondazione Prada, a beautiful collection of buildings creating a exhibition space. It also is home to the Wes Anderson cafe 'Bar Luce.' We entered the exhibition 'Haunted house' with the works of Louise Bourgeois and Robert Gober, the exhibition relayed ideas of childhood and elements related to everybody. It was an amazing set of installations and for only €10 it's not to be missed when venturing round Milan.

We sat our first test for Made in Italy, a test on a book written by our Professor (clever yet cheeky way to boost the sales of his book.) The test had absolutely nothing to do with anything we have learnt (if that's anything) for the past 4 months and really it had no relevance at all. The fact we could talk, refer and even look at the book during the 'test' highlighted how hilarious this procedure was and we left wondering if we will ever hear of the grades we achieved... no update as of yet.

To end Nick's stay we decided to finally see the Last Supper. Its a must-see in Milan and is only €3.50 for students, however I do recommend booking in advance as they only have 15 people enter at a time and for 15 minutes only. The room where the painting is held is temperature controlled. The lights are dimmed and the painting is positioned on the whole of the wall. For someone not very inspired by paintings, I felt so absorbed by the atmosphere. After our 15 minutes we ventured round Milan and enjoyed our final meal together for 7 weeks.

Since Nick's visit university has become our priority - perhaps 4 months too late but hey we've adapted the Italian lifestyle. God help us when we return to Birmingham next September. We ventured to a derelict house near Lago Como to film our 'Colour and Interaction' video and it was definitely more play than work by throwing colour dust in the air and more or less redecorating this once beautiful house with colour.
Our Blazer project is now completed and handed in, working with pleather was certainly an experience and being taught how to use the appropriate machines will be a valuable skill. Every project is in groups at the Politecnico which is a complete contrast to Birmingham. Working in groups is alien enough but in another language woahhh Its another story. We've had so many ups and downs but to say the project is complete is such a relief and I couldn't be more happier with the outcome. Sewing the majority with Jess made it feel like our own project and seeing it hanging peculiarly in the entrance to the university we feel you can definitely tell it's been made by 'International Students.'

To end a week of 'hand in's' we eventually finished our Made in Italy project. A combination of work from myself, Jess and Gina to compile a design project creating a collection for Vespa. Instead of sportswear we decided to go a bit casual and turn it into lounge wear. Spending a mini fortune on printing and binding the work together we presented the project in front of the class only for our tutor to be having a lil chat with other classmates in a huddle in the corner of the room. They take the laid back attitude out here to the extreme. Despite only listening to probably 10 seconds of our whole presentation he proceeded to tell us we had scored maximum - so at least that's something however some feedback would've been much appreciated.

We now have a week to wait till our final deadline and then Jess & I are off on our travels around Italy starting with a taster of the seaside this weekend.

I can't believe it's all coming to an end, it has had its bumps but I sure as hell would do it again.

xx

'This never happens'

I feel so fortunate about the amount of visitors I've had since moving out to Milan, spending time with family and friends is so valued and the pure fact that I'm being a tour-guide round a city that was a stranger to me 6 months ago is so rewarding, I don't think that feeling will ever pass.

Nick clearly didn't see enough of Milan on his last visit so I was fortunate enough to be blessed with his company… for a whole week. Luckily I have a balcony so if times got tough at least I had the option to lock him out there…

After playing hide and seek in Centrale station at 10pm, I finally found him trawling along in a thick winter jumper despite the temperature being about 29 degrees and I could have predicted the first thing he said. Then home for cheese and wine on the balcony to greet my final visitor.

The Expo is a HUGE event out here in Milan, it's a fair that happens every 3 years and miraculously it is Milan's turn, the event is held for 6 months and draws in 3x more tourists than the Olympics, so It would be stupid not to go and see what the fuss was about.

The space where the EXPO is being held is vast, we've peeped out the window every time we've passed but other than buildings we couldn't really get a gist of what its about. So with a little hint from a friend we decided to go on Friday evening where the tickets are only 5 euros after 7pm! Bargain - especially as we were happily going to pay 39 euro to go during the day.

We entered the airport like security gates and then walked through a plaza of large pasta figurines leading you towards a mile long promenade with different buildings alining each side with 140 flags as far as the eye can see. These buildings all intricately designed to suit the country which promoted being able to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone, while respecting the Planet. We wandered round pointing and expressing 'oooh's' and 'aaah's' every so often when we saw an interesting looking building. The Brazilian pavilion is the one being talked about this year with its funky net/trampoline (but not bouncy) installation which offered people to walk along - I have no idea what it was about but it looked fun. Fun is a bit of an overstatement when I forgot what shoes I was wearing and Nick had to pretty much carry me along this 400m netting whilst Jess pranced along and laughed - not my finest hour. May I add I was also wearing a skirt and no where did it warn that there was people casually walking underneath. Yeah not happy.

So after that ordeal, I was more than happy to discover UK's pavilion, 'The Meadow' a beautiful daisy covered grass land leading you through to a huge metallic structure shaped like a bee-hive. We enjoyed a pitcher of Pimms and merrily enjoyed the rest of the expo.

On Sunday we caught the 8:05 train from Milano to Venice, the weather was beautiful almost 33 degrees, we walked through the city towards San Marco square, We headed over to the Biennale Art Show which happens in Venice every 2 years. It promotes upcoming and established artists whilst offering every country to promote artists work within their own buildings. It was like the expo but so much better. 

We started looking at each building and our interest in the content was evident at the amount of time spent in each one, the Dutch Pavilion was beautiful, a circular rug of flowers was positioned in the middle of the walkway with shades of pink, green and cream. The French Pavilion was a space with 3 surrounding rooms with foam seating with a tree ever so slowly moving across the floor. The British Pavilion highlighted the 'best' of Sarah Lucas' work, I felt there was very little explanation and felt the crudeness of her art almost a little embarrassing compared to other countries who were using trees and flowers …

but that's art I guess?!

Japan was by far by favourite, as soon as you enter you see a haze of red, string attached everywhere with keys protruding down from the ceiling with boats almost floating amidst the sea of red. It was so impacting and an absolute treasure.

The Biennale is definitely something I would return to, for a creative mind it's perfect and the solitude and serenity of Venice fulfils the need to think and gather thoughts, perfect location, perfect amount of things to view and a perfect price.

There was a lot more to see and I was very envious for leaving Jess to continue looking round however I wanted Nick to see Venice, we slowly walked back towards the square and took the elevator to the top of the bell tower, I don't think I'll ever get bored of seeing the panoramic of Venice, the wash of terracotta with mixes of white and the sea surrounding. Its breathtaking and definitely worth the trip up. 

We wandered the winding streets of Venice and ended up in a very quaint restaurant sitting on the street gasping for a beer- and a litre pint is exactly what we got (to share obviously - much to Nicks disappointment.) 

Wandering back towards the square for some dinner we stumbled upon a theatrical event, the Venetian annual regatta… why now? why today? These strange people waltzed up and down this gated area wearing the most ridiculous clothes and preventing us from walking along the waterfront. (Yes i sound ungrateful and perhaps it would've been a bit more exciting if I had actually watched this facade but my phone battery had died and with no other way of contacting Jess I kinda needed WIFI.)

We finally reached a restaurant on the front and a very excited Nicholas ordered a seafood risotto to share with a prawn cocktail starter and a bottle of venetian white. It was perfect. An hour before our train home (and may I add the last train going back to Milan) we decided to jump on a taxi boat and on reflection knowing how fast I can walk this was definitely the slowest means of transport. We jumped on the first boat only to turn round and see Jess didn't get on. Now in full panic mode and clock watching like never before the boat proceeded to zigzag across the canal and stop at every station, impatient as I am we jumped off and made a run for it through Venice, no idea where we were going nor if we were heading in the right direction. Reaching the train station at 7:51 we waved goodbye to our train home. 

Bla bla car was our saviour, after walking up and down and creating circles in the train station trying to work out where we were going to stay and what train home tomorrow morning we managed to find a car going to Milan for 3 people. Brilliant.

The journey home was hilarious, our flamboyant and extremely friendly driver was great. What other way to end our day then hit a huge storm which 'never happens'  according to him. The hailstones so large that they dent the roof and bonnet, seeing and being a part of one massive car huddle under a bridge on a busy motorway was definitely an experience. The car next to us was clever enough to get a towel out of his boot and put it on the bonnet only for himself to get extremely wet in the process and 2 minutes later be ushered on by Police with the towel still attached to his bonnet. Hysterical and tired we made it home after almost a 4 hour drive. 

So all in all, it was an adventure that I'm sure we will never forget but what a fantastic day. 

I think that's enough of a blog for now, don't want to bore.

More to follow

Ciao 

xxx