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Published: January 28th 2007
So, as it turns out, January is a dangerous time to be in Italy...
The January Sale (Saldi!) is a huge deal here. In every window you see -50%!,(MISSING) -60%!,(MISSING) etc, etc! Some stores get very creative with their Saldi signs and paint over their entire store windows with their promotions. I may have gone a little overboard with the spending, but I was able to get a pair of Florentine leather boots and the perfect recital dress from Massimo Dutti for a 1/3 of what they would normally cost. Now, I'm not a huge shopper, but this thing is troppo pericoloso for girls of all kinds. Funny Story: while I was buying my leather boots and trying to ask in italian how much they were, I accidentally asked the young attractive salesman how much
he cost. He started laughing so hard, saying "No, no!" and told me that he was free. I was all confused and turning red by the time he felt like correcting me.
Friday I went on my first trip outside of Florence to the small hill town of Assisi, where St. Francis started all of his saintly deeds. Sadly though, we picked the absolute worst day to go. The beauty of Assisi is that you can hike to the fort at the very top of the mountain and see for miles and miles. It's the beautiful stereotypical Italian town, with stepped streets, flowered paths, and gothic buildings. But, as soon as the buses pulled up, it began to downpour and there was a haze of fog covering the entire valley.
Yet, the tour of the Basilica was amazing. The Gothic frescos and tomb of St. Francis were enough of a reason to go, despite how awful the weather was. Apparently this time of year is the only time that the entire church isn't packed full of tourists ("pilgrims") and our school had almost the entire place to ourselves. But after the tour, we were thrust out into the downpour at the exact time that every store/restaurant/place of shelter was closed for lunch. convenient. Desperate for a dry place, we found one of the only cafes still open. We were served the worst meal I've ever had since I've been here. Though, to somehow make up for the terrible food, the owner not only had an adorable little pug that followed us around, but she looked exactly like him. I've literally never seen eyes like that on a human being. It was like that scene in Disney's 101 Dalmatians, where all the owners look exactly like their dogs. It was amazing!
While I wish I could've seen the town during a better day, it was still quite enjoyable. We left early and had dinner in Florence at the place rated "Best Italian Cuisine" in my Florence Day-by-Day book. I had amazing seafood pasta, followed by eggplant parmesan . It was our first sit-down meal here and it was quite a lovely experience. Our waiter looked just like Eugene Levy. Better than looking like a pug, I suppose.
Another thing on miscommunication...I posted earlier that Marina has a niece who lives in Russia. Well, Saturday she says "my niece and her little girl are coming over today!"... and I said "here? from Russia?" and she told me, that the girl (who's two and adorable) was
adopted from Russia, and they live out in the country. So, yes, I got that one way wrong. At least I'm getting better... I think.
hope all is well on the homefront! I'm really into writing letters on my new pretty Italian paper, so send addresses! Ciao e buona giornata!
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Mom
non-member comment
So are bringing home your "free" young man? Aunt Kathy will be so jealous. She'll want you to find a free one for her. Lov ya!