Ciao Tutti,
So, I'v been here over a week and it is still really surreal living in Italy :) Iv been keeping pretty busy and I have a lot to tell you all:
Saturday my roommates, Marianna and Valeria and I took the bus to the Orio al Serio shopping center, a huge mall out by the Bergamo airport. We went to H&M, Zara, etc. and to the huge supermarket that is inside the mall (the second supermarket that I have searched for peanut butter in, but have found none). It was quite an experience, we were very tired by the end of the day! That night Marianna and Valeria had a party for me to meet their friends at our apartment. The party was so much fun and also very crazy for me because there were so many Italians all speaking at the same time and I was completely lost :) But, we played some trivia games and many of their friends attempted to speak to me in English which was very nice of them. My roommates also made Tiramisu for the party which was amazing. Meeting so many new people was really great but I dont remember many of their names :)
Sunday I walked around Citta Alta again, this time I went to the center, Piazza Vecchia. The Duomo of Bergamo and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Cappella Colleoni are in Piazza Vecchio, and both are stunning inside and out. I also visited La Rocca, the old castle, which looks over Citta Alta and has amazing views. I went to a caffe in Piazza Vecchia and order my first cappuccino on my own and drank it while standing at the bar like a real Italian :) Wondering through the streets of a medieval city is something that I cannot even describe... it is so amazing, I dont think I will ever get tired of it.
Monday I woke up bright and early to go to my intensive italian class in Citta Alta. The walk to my class is quite a workout but has amazing views. On my way to class on Monday was the first day that it has been clear and I could see the alps over the foot hills and it was absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately I was in a hurry and didnt get to take any pictures so hopefully it will be clear again soon so I can show you how beautiful it is. So anyway, my intensive class is not quite as difficult as I thought it would be. It is definitely beginners italian and is pretty boring for me because we just go over grammar rules and what I need is speaking and listening experience. It is definitely not a waste of time though, because I have met a lot of cool people. There are people from all over the world in the class, Germany, France, Norway, Mexico, England, Croatia, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, and it is very fun getting to know everyone (thankfully most of them speak English so we dont have to totally rely on Italian).
Tuesday I went to class again and then went and got my first gelato with the other girl from the US, Melissa. It was a little too cold for gelato, but totally worth it, DELICIOUS. Tuesday night there was a party for exchange students at a local club, Velvet so pretty much everyone in my class went. Before going to the club I went over to my new friend, Mia's apartment (she is from Croatia) to meet her roommates and hangout. Some of the other girls from our class came over and we had a lot of fun :) We finally went to the club around 11:30 which was also very fun, but very crowded. The experience of a European club was very interesting, the same as the ones in the US but just louder, more crowded, and more techno music (awesome).
Wednesday I decided not to go to class :) So I woke up late and decided to go walk around Citta Alta again because it was sunny and beautiful out. I took many more pictures because the city is decked out in Italian flags for the 150th anniversary of Italian unification and for Italian President Napolitano's visit to the city. The city is just that much more beautiful wearing its green, white, and red. I had lunch at the Funicolare Caffe in Citta Alta which is inside the station for the Fuicolare (a cable car that carries people up and down from Citta Alta). The caffe has a balcony and a view of the city so I sat outside in the sun and sipped my cappuccino and ate my sandwich overlooking Citta Bassa. After my relaxing lunch I ventured into Citta Bassa to find EsseLunga, a large grocery store, where I continued my search for peanut butter. My search was successful, finally I have my peanuty goodness! Tonight my roommate, Valeria, made me the first bruschetta I have had in Italy and it was molto buono (very good).
Thursday it was finally clear enough to get some pictures of the Alps, so I hope you enjoy those! I had lunch in the old piazza in Citta Alta with some of my new friends from Germany. The weather was beautiful and sunny and after lunch I went on a run with my roommate Marianna in Citta Alta. Needless to say it was very hard because of all the hills, but the scenery made it better :) Thursday night there was a happy hour at a bar for all of the exchange students where I met even more new people. After that a few of my new friends and I went back to club Velvet to dance and we had a great time because it was much less crowded and more laid back.
Well, I miss all of you so much and wish that I could share this all with you, hopefully the pictures help.
I will post again soon, next week we dont have class so hopefully some of us are going to travel so I will keep you updated.
Ciao!
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| The view of the airport from the mall |
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| My roommate, Marianna and I at the mall |
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| My roommate, Valeria and I at the mall |
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| The huge grocery store in the mall, as close as you can get to Walmart in Italy :) |
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| The party at my apartment |
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| Homemade tiramisu! |
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| Streets of Citta Alta |
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| Streets of Citta Alta |
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| Sweet shop window in Citta Alta |
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| Polenta cakes, a Bergamo specialty. Very, very sweet |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| My university in Citta Alta |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Cappella Colleoni |
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| Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Cappella Colleoni |
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| Inside the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Cappella Colleoni, it is stunning, the walls and ceiling are covered in sculpture and painting |
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| The Bergamo Duomo |
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| Inside the Bergamo Duomo |
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| Vino :) |
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| La Rocca (the castle) is the highest part of Citta Alta |
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| La Rocca |
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| View of Citta Bassa from La Rocca |
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| View of the rest of Citta Alta from La Rocca |
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| Pathway along the castle wall |
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| Gold statue is the St. Augustine, the patron saint of Bergamo and sits atop the Duomo |
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| New amici (friends): Ana Maria from Croatia, Mia from Croatia, Niki from Hungary and Gabriella from Hungary |
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| Mia (Croatia) and me--she is alot of fun! |
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| Club Velvet |
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| Dell (Norway) and I at Velvet |
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| Citta Alta walls in the sunshine |
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| One of the Citta Alta entry gates |
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| St. Agostino, an old monastery where some of my classes will be held |
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| St. Agostino |
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| St. Agostino |
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| St. Agostino |
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| Inside St. Agostino, where my classes will be |
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| View from St. Agostino |
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| View from St. Agostino |
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| Caffe and fountain on my walk to class |
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| Banner for the celebration of Italy's 150 years as a unified nation, since 1861-- the following pictures are of the decked out city |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| Piazza Vecchia |
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| Il mio molto buono cappuccino a Funicolare Caffe |
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| The view of Citta Bassa from my balcony seat at Funicolare Caffe |
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| Bergamese Flag |
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| Piazza Nuova, the central square in Citta Bassa |
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| Citta Alta view from Piazza Nuova |
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| The street I live on |
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| My apartment building |
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| The courtyard of my apartment |
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Here are some pictures of my apartment--disclaimer: there are paintings of naked women all over the walls (its very european)
My bedroom |
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| In my room, my wall of pictures from home with my map of Bergamo |
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| My desk and window overlooking Via Pignolo |
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| View from my window (you can see the stars) |
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| The kitchen and living room |
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| The bathroom |
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The toilet, THE BIDET, and the tiny washer
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| The dining room |
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| The Alps! |
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| The Alps over Citta Bassa |
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| Lunch on the Piazza Vecchia...the birds wanted to join |
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| Velvet night 2: Me and Mariana (Portugal) |
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| The crew at Velvet: Franzi (Germany), Melissa (US), Maxi (Germany), Dell (Norway), and Mariana (Portugal) |
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| Franzi, me, and Melissa at Velvet |
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| Franzi dancing and in the background is a family with a 5 year old boy and 12 year old girl at a club at midnight on a Thursday....very Italian... |
