Sophomore, Meaghan Latella, Week 2 in Italy

Chapter 2:

Singing (Karaoke) in the Rain

            Week two of the Italy adventure took me and my housemates to Florence and then to Pisa. We arrived late Friday night in Florence and made the trek to our hostel. As we neared, we could see the welcoming glow of the infamous Golden Arches in the distance. McDonald’s, the only food establishment near our hostel that was still open at midnight, simply beckoned for us to come eat some grubby fast food. Although I felt like I was living up to every stereotype that people have against Americans, I couldn’t resist. (Note: in Italy, chicken nuggets and fries costs 7 euros….total rip off).

This “meal” did not compare in the slightest to all of the wonderful food we’ve been eating on this trip. Each week, our class attends two formal cooking lessons at “la Scuola di Cucina di Leila e Giulia.” Leila, the head chef, prepares glorious four course meals over the span of five hours. We volunteer throughout the lesson to help her make sauces, pastas, desserts, meat dishes- you name it. Below are some of the scrumptious meals we’ve prepared so far:

 

After a much needed good night’s sleep, we woke up to an incessant downpour. Seeing as we were only going to be in Florence for one day, we knew we had to brave the storm and explore the city regardless.

            Luckily, the sun came out after lunchtime and the rest of the day was beautiful. We ducked into many shops and roamed around several markets, taking in all of the sights. That night, we met up with some other W&L students from a different study abroad trip and we all headed to a karaoke restaurant for dinner. Let me just say, we represented Lexington very well. The Generals took turns belting out some pop favorites for a very receptive crowd. Some of the highlights included “Hey Ya,” “Single Ladies,” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” In short: we killed it. (Video available upon request).

            On Sunday, we stopped in the lovely city of Pisa on our way back to Siena. As everyone knows, the main attraction in Pisa is the Leaning Tower. Like all good tourists, we took several pictures of us “holding up the tower.” See below:

  

….classic. If you took a step back and just surveyed the entire Piazza, you could witness at least 50 different people at once taking these cheesy, over-done yet obligatory pictures. Pisa was a lot less crowded and much quieter than both Florence and Rome, so it was a very pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of the past two weekends.

            The following Monday, the fun continued with a class field trip to a family- run olive oil mill in Montenero d’Orcia. The name of the mill was “Frantoio Franci,” and it was founded by two Italian brothers in 1958. It produces only extra virgin olive oil, which is the most natural and highest quality olive oil that you can eat. The little village in which the mill was located was absolutely breathtaking. Here is a view from the rooftop:

 

Week two: a huge success. Next weekend it’s off to the Cinque Terre for some hiking and kayaking. Can’t wait for that!! Until next time, ciao!

 

-Meaghan