Happy late September from Florence! I am back, yet again, to share another week of adventure in Italy.
To update on my classes, they are going very well and keeping me extrememly busy. My repertoire of dishes is growing weekly in my cooking class. I have mastered the perfect wine for souffle and authentic bruschetta along with learning a century old pasta sauce recipe. I will be offering my cooking services at a discounted price to family and friends once I return.
In my visual merchandising class, we recently visited two department stores in Florence and are currently working on an analysis of both. During our visit, we were required to take photographs for the project but neither store allowed photographs. So, of course, that didn’t stop me and I got great shots of Gucci mannequins, Roberto Cavalli dresses, and other Italian brands sold. I was yelled at a few times and pulled the American card to then receive eye rolls from the employees. After all of this – I better receive an A on my project.
Over the weekend, I traveled to Milan for Fashion Week. Although the team at Gucci lost my invitation in the mail, I still took the three hour bus ride to see the fashion capitol of Italy. We (Jess, Morgan, and I) left Florence in the morning to arrive in Milan around noon. Our first stop was the Duomo. It was an exquisite cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows. Next, we moved on to the area where all of the shows were held. A pink carpet covered the ground and there were several pop-up shops for spectators. A live streaming of the shows was projected on a big screen outside of the venue. I was not able to sneak into any shows but I DID meet a gorgeous Italian security guard who didn’t speak any English. I offered my hand in marriage but, because he didn’t understand me, we took a picture instead (to share with the Facebook world). Sorry to all who suggested I find a husband while in Italy.
From the area of shows we walked to the shopping district to find countless window displays of high-end stores. Each display was elaborate and eye-catching. It was very inspirational to see the taste level of these brands. For the sake of my father’s sanity, I did not spend my entire bank account on a gown from Versace. (To clarify, my bank account would probably cover a key chain at Versace because of the brand’s price point but a girl can dream.) It was a busy day filled with expensive fashion. The city reminded me a lot of New York City and I was very glad that we made the day trip.
The following day, the team (Maia, Morgan, Jess, and I) attended a Tuscany wine tour. We began the day at a larger vineyard where we learned about the production process and tried several wines. I don’t know if it was the amount of wine I was drinking or the quality but every tasting was better than the previous. The next vineyard was small and ran by an Italian family. At this vineyard we had an authentic meal cooked by the mother and served by the sons. With each dish the leader poured a new glass of wine to taste. During the meal, we tried a family recipe of lasagna that was centuries old. I’ve had a lot of great food in my life, but I’d sell a kidney to eat that dish of lasagna again. It was amazing!
We ended the day in San Gimignano where we had the world’s best gelato. Literally, it was the ranked the best in the world. The bus ride home consisted of deep naps from all members of the team because of the “hard work” we put in tasting wine all day.
I’ve just started my fifth week in Italy and can hardly believe it. We have many adventures ahead and before long my partner-in-crime/mother will be joining me in Florence. Enjoy some pictures from the weekend below.
Sending my love from 4000 miles away,
Mary Kate
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