Firenze, Pisa, and Terremotos!

Ohh Florence, where do I even begin?  Florence and Pisa has got to be my favorite weekend trip here thus far! Besides being totally captivating and transforming me into a complete tourist, Florence offered so much for us to see and do!  I was also traveling with 6 girls, so that was pretty crazy in itself. :) 

If you don't believe me when I say I became the case definition of a tourist... 

here is your proof. a little embarrassing I know, but if you were there, you would understand. 

gettin' the shot!

The first night we arrived, we got settled into our hostel and decided to go out to dinner and just see what the night had in store for us.  Walking around trying to find a good place to eat, we split up and Jenny and I wandered into this gorgeous restaurant overlooking the water.  As soon as we walked in, we knew we were fine dining that evening. A server brought us glasses of champagne while we waited.  I got a soup there called Ribolita (a suggestion from my host mom before I left) and it was amazing!  I've never really been a soup person, but this was good. 

the girls before our night out!

Jenny and I at dinner!

my soup! tasted a lot better than it looks. 

After dinner, we all met up again and decided to go out for the night!  For all you Jersey Shore lovers out there, we ended up going to a discotec that they loved called Space. 

SO. MUCH. FUN.

On Saturday, we got up early to go out and see the sights!  Such a busy day, but so worth it.  

Palazzo Vecchio - Medici "Old Palace" - City Hall

View from Uffizi's terrace!

street art!

Michelangelo's David - a lot bigger than I imagined him to be!
in Galleria dell'Accademia 

One of my many gelatos that weekend! :)
I justified it because Florence is actually known for their gelato! 

Bargello Museum

The Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore)
 The biggest, most breathtaking church I have ever seen in my life.  

Lunch next to the Duomo!

View of Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi Gallery

Santa Croce Church
The tombs of Galileo, Dante, Michelangelo, Leonardo di Vinci, and members of the Medici family are inside.  We were surrounded by so much history, it was amazing.

After a very long day of seeing Florence, we went back to our hostel and crashed.  The next morning, we woke up early for our day trip in Pisa.

Finding our way outside the train station!

Across the street from the train station was this little caffe we went to for breakfast! 
They served us our cappuccinos in martini glasses! So cute.

Breakfast!

Church next to the river

Keith Haring art on our walk to the tower

Such a great weekend! It was strange going back to school the next morning and getting back into the daily routine. But little did I know, Verona was going to get a lot more exciting!  


2 days after our trip to Florence (January 24) we were hit with an earthquake!  I was out at a local bar with some friends, when all of a sudden we felt the ground tremble, heard things breaking, and a very loud noise.  Instantly, I thought it must have been a table that tipped over or something, but then I realized everything was rattling.  It only lasted a minute or so, and when it was over, the bartenders said it was a "terremoto." It was a 4.2 on the Mercalli intensity scale.  The next morning around 9.00, we were hit with another one that was a 4.9.  We all had to go outside in the courtyard with the rest of the Don Bosco school so we could be safe in an open space.


The next day, the mayor cancelled school city-wide in order to judge and see if the schools were safe enough to be in.  You know when you were a little kid and sometimes it would snow so bad that you would have a snow day?  And you would get all excited and play all day? Well, that is exactly what I did on Terremoto Day! It was like being 6 again. That night we went out and celebrated, and the next day we shopped.  :)


It was perfect.