Last week we went to Venice. It is the city that floats, the sinking city and, in my opinion, the most romantic city in the world.



Yet another ancient gem of Italy, Venice is truly an enchanted place. Instead of roads, they have canals and instead of cars they have gondolas. Over 108 islands make up the picturesque landscape which makes it hard to convince oneself it is not a movie set.





A charming aspect of Venitian life are the thousands of shops that line the bridges and fill the bottom story of antique apartment buildings. Candy shops that overflow with gourmet truffels and bookstores that are brimming with a myriad of texts evoke the sensation of living in a fantasy world, a Willy Wonka meets Alice in Wonderland experience. The chocolate is designed to look like fresh fruit and the books are stacked to the ceiling, a mix of modern and antiquity work.






My colleagues and I were warned by a San Marko shopkeeper that the isand contained many Casanovas and that he actually was one of them. He told us that if women were flowers then we were boquets!

And then we met Andrea. I am convinced he is George Clooney’s better looking, younger brother. Born and raised in Venice he has been working the Gondolas for 24 years. He sang to us, he picked us flowers and he called us ‘darling’. He left us with the advice that to attract or keep a man, we should smile and laugh and omit happiness.


That is all for now! Provenienti da Italia, con amore! - Katie

Salve!

It’s hard to believe I have only been here five days- it feels like five months!

The plane ride from LAX went as smooth as possible. I definitely recommend Swiss United Airlines for anyone traveling to Europe.

Each passenger had their own television located on the back of the headrest located directly in front of them upon which they could watch their choice of a number of movies, challenge another passenger to game of battleship, or view one of two cameras attached to the body of the plane!

It was a ten-hour flight to Zurich where we caught the second half of half of the Germany v. Spain World cup game during our layover. Two hours later, my suitemates and I were fearing for our lives in the back of a taxicab on the way to our flat at 43 Via San Niccolo, (Saint Nicholas) in Florence.
Our apartment is a three-bedroom abode nestled on the third floor of a 500 year-old building. I have one roommate, and four additional suitemates who share the common living room and kitchen.

Our historical home is the closest to school but nearly a 15-minute walk to the other apartments! Every day, we cross the ancient Arno River, over the Ponte Grazie, and into the heart of Florence, the eternal city.



On average, it has been 92 degrees with 59 percent humidity and as charming as our home is, it lacks air conditioning. On average, we are taking four showers a day just to bear the weather!



For the 4th of July the majority of the group converged at a bar that was hosting a celebration for the American holiday and which was situated in the famous Piazza del Duomo. It was a great icebreaker for everyone to get to know one another.


Tuesday afternoon we visited the spectacular town of Pisa, including the leaning bell-tower and accompanying cathedral and Baptista.

The leaning tower is a magnificent sight and absolutely takes your breath away. The cathedral is just as fascinating although not as boisterous. While the 13th Century bell tower leans a whopping 12.8 feet from where it would stand if it was coreectly vertical. The neighboring cathedral is coolly undertoned. A close look at the exterior reveals recycled stones that were plucked from the Roman ruins that once stood in nearly the same location.
Later in the afternoon we took a charted bus to the medieval town of Lucca where we rented bicycles to ride.
This was by far my most favorite moment yet! The overcast weather provided a bit of relief from the suffocating humidity.

We rode our bikes atop the ancient walls that surround the city and were originally built to provide protection.






Provenienti da italia, con amore, Katie

Bon voyage!

I remember the first time I ever traveled over seas, I was clueless as to what to expect. Up until that point, the only exposure I had ever had were the filtered images that had come to me through a television screen.

I have since been to Europe three times - playing soccer in Sweden and Holland, cruising the Mediterranean to the port cities of Spain, Italy and France, and driving cross-country in Ireland and Scotland in search of my Klan history.

I can truly say that each experience was unlike the other and just as unique and exciting as the one before. Each time, a door with a different view of the world was opened in my mind leaving me hungry for more.

As a well-traveled college student, I know what to expect out of the rudimentary. It’s the joker card that I am most excited (or should I say nervous) about. Just what surprises are in store 6,200 miles away from home?

As I prepare for a month in the heart of Italy, I cannot help but wonder what the experience will be like this time around. Although Florence is a city I have visited before, it was only for a single day. Now I will be living there, immersed in the life of Italia.

My expectations are rampant and I am enticed especially, by the thought of life with minimal strings attached. A daily routine of freedom.

I have images of myself spending hours wandering the halls of museums, getting lost down ancient cobblestone streets and picnicking in the piazza with a bottle of vino. I am ecstatic at the prospect of shopping in the daily farmers market and can already see myself in the kitchen of my apartment, honing my cooking skills with the freshest ingredients.

I cannot wait for my escape to one of the most romantic cities in the world!

The bumping of history with modernization is what makes Italy truly unique and intoxicating.

Walking down the ancient stone streets of Italy in the present day, one can experience a culture whose beginnings date back to the centuries before Christ. A land that has seen it's share of Kings, emperors, monarchs and popes, while outlasting the Medieval era, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Each chapter of its history is evidenced sporadically around the city, in the cobblestone of the street, the architecture of the buildings and even the language of the people.

Rome, perhaps the most famous city-state in Italy, has survived since it's founding in 753 BC. The city began as the Roman Empire and its rule has since stretched across seas.

Florence, Pisa and Venice found their origins as places of commerce and trade in the 14th Century. The accession of wealth and prestige in these areas has resulted in hubs of art and fashion thousands of years later.

Adding to its allure, a myriad of legends checker the history of Italia; names such as Spartacus, Julius Caesar, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo and Christopher Columbus.

During the World War II, Italia was under the rule of Benito Moussolini, a fascist and close friend of Adolf Hitler. Eventually leading to the invasion of Sicily by U.S. troops and the convergence of capitalistic values prevalent in modern Italian politics.

Today, Italy is run by its Prime Minister and Billionaire media-tycoon Silvio Berlusconi who came into power in 1994.

The bumping of history with modernization is what makes Italy not only unique but intoxicating.

Treating this adventure as a trip would be a mistake. It is a learning affair.

Italy continues to grow, adding to its allure and enticing people to explore its boundless treasures. Its saga is the substance of fantasy, and I cannot wait to live it.

From Southern California, with love. – K