momma mia (10.15.07)

well, then. wow. this is late!

i was exhausted thursday afternoon, and thought that i could do this last friday but thursday brought some unexpected trama in my personal life (dont worry, i wont go into it, but its fine). so, capa as it always does closed early on friday and without internet access over the wkend...well, alora eco me. tutto bene.

so, i have two wkends to brag about about now. and i suppose that is fine too. back track with me...
Two weekends ago i made the essential journay to cinque terre. Hiking from Monterosso to Vernazza left me absolutly exhausted, but clammering over uphill paths on cliffs overlook the medeterranean sea will do that. It was however, entirely breathtaking, and the company was fantastic, some of my capa favorites and i took on the hike and celebrated together our arrival in the second of the five towns, Vernazza. Once arriving amongst the clattering of the bell tower we slipped down the hills and slunk into the jovial town. Once breath was caught, each of us dove into the sea, squealing at the cold waters, and laughing in delight. Seeing the view from above however brought me a sense of dejavour that i couldnt place. That is until i realized my brother Aaron had stood in the very place just years before. The concept was rather mindblowing...

We took the train from the second town and in time constriction forged ahead to last. After taking in the town, we settled into a restaurant. Everything you hear of Italian cusine..its superiority of that of the rest of the world, is entirely true. Leaving the table, our hunger satisfied we returned to train station to catch the train back to Florence, a three hour trip. Caught however in the rain, we sprinted into the subway like tunnel, just as the overhead lights cut out... the lightings spuratic flashing our only illumination until the train pulled through.

Sleepy, we feel asleep on the way home. Back to Florence.

This weekend brought new wonders and some of the best times i have had, a bold statement indeed! The roomates and i took a days journay to neighboring Greve, a town in the heart of Chianti, the land of the wine. Myself, emotionally exhausted and one of the roomates sick, we took a bus and rented bikes upon our arrival in the hidden town. Cruising the streets was in and of itself an adventure, trying it ourself, the defying way the Italians ride, weaving in and out of cars, trucks and bus with hesitation. When Steph and I saw the tattered sign indicating the castle at the top of the hill, we knew what we would spend the afternoon doing. Ditching the bikes in a vineyard on the way, we continued to climb, stopping to take in the olive grove covering the hill and to take grapes warm from the tuscan sun and vicid in juice we slowly made our way up the discouraging steep hill. Arriving however, rewarded our efforts. We stumbled through a nearly abandoned city, quiet and still. Fall leaves swirled around our feet, until they became trapped in the cracks of the old stairs or cornered between buildings, and steping on them released the familiar scent. Steph lead the two of us down a side street she had discovered, and we ended up in the middle of an enormous vineyard, sitting on the dusty ground, covered in the dirts evidence and overlooking the town on one side, rolling hills on the other and splititng the earpieces of my ipod listening to...Micheal Jacksons song..will you be there? and giggling uncontrolably at our fine fortune of being where we were. hiding in the center of a random vineyard in the middle of Italy,overlooking a gorgeous town no one knows about, the turrets of the castle peeking over, on the top of an enormous hill and sharing a bunch of grapes pulled from the vine moments before. Life is an incredible journay and if there is something i have learned..its that there is wonder around each bend (no matter what goes wrong, that you werent ready for). Part of me will always be in the vineyard…sometimes your heart splinters off, and you leave pieces along the way.

Pounding down the hill, we found our other two roomates who had insisted on biking to the town, on one speed street bikes. And 20 mile uphill journay. Now that! Was a good laugh!

Sunday brought the second of my three favorite David sculptures. Donetellos, and yes, incase I didn’t live in an incredible enough place already, I found him one block from school, just as Michelangelos is a quick walk from my apartment. For the first time in Italian history he is under restoration in the museum, and instead of pulling and hiding him away in a lab, they are doing all the work in the gallery, under the watchful and lusting eyes of the visitors. Well done, Bravi, as I wrote in the guest book.