Arrivederci Italia!

It's late, and I'm sitting in my room packing up the last of my things before I fly back home tomorrow. But I thought I would write my last blog post about my Italian Adventure. And what an adventure it was! I had the time of my life, and I learn so much about myself and life over these last three months. I did things I thought I would never be able to do, I saw so many places, made so many friends from all over the world. And I now have an awesome Italian family :) I will be forever grateful to them for giving me this amazing adventure. And I'm going to miss them so much. 

Romeo :) 

Aurora 

Today me and the family walked into town to go to a puppet show. It was super cool to watch, even though I can't understand half of what they were saying. Then we went to see the Lecco Rugby team. Let me just say they are quite attractive haha. After that we came home, had dinner, and just talked. It was definitely a wonderful last day here. 

It is going to be so hard to say goodbye tomorrow. This is definitely a bittersweet moment. But I am ready to go home and see my family and go back to my normal life. I've missed it a lot. I still can't believe I had this amazing opportunity to live here. And I can't wait to come back and visit everyone.

 So it's been a great time but it's time to say goodbye to the beautiful Italy! 

Ciao! 

Bergamo

Today I went into a town called Bergamo. It's about a 40 minute train ride from where I live. I spent most the morning and early afternoon looking around, it's a really pretty town. There are two parts of Bergamo. The lower Bergamo. And the higher Bergamo. I went into like 5 different churchs, which were really nice. I love finding random churchs and going to look in them. It's amazing how you can literally just find a church between like a few stores or something, and It looks really small. But when you go inside its actually way bigger. 

The view from the higher part

A random path I found.

Fall colors 

It was my last little trip before I go home this weekend. And my last time on a train here haha. Only a few days left until my adventure is over...

Last week...

I'm leaving Italy in one week. I can't believe it's my last full week here, time has gone by so fast. But I'm ready to go home, and see my family and friends :) I've definitely had the most amazing time here and I will never forget it! 

The past two weeks have been good. Super busy and doing a lot of things. My friend Courtney (who is studying in Rome) came up to Lecco for Halloween! It was so much fun having her here. Last Saturday Carolina took us all to a town called Verenna. It's about a 45min drive from Lecco and its at the north part of the lake. It's was so beautiful there! 

The sunset was amazing

Courtney is adorable :) 

On Sunday me and Courtney went to Milan before she had to leave. We met Amy there (one of my Au Pair friends.) and I got to say goodbye to her before she went back to Africa. So yeah, it was a great weekend with Courtney! 

I've definitely made some amazing friends from all over the world. And I hope to be able to visit them someday :) 

Ferrata

Yesterday one of Carolina's friends Laura took me to the mountain to do Ferrata which means "Iron road" There are basically chains and cables that run up the mountain. And you have a harness so you can secure yourself to the chain as you climb up. There are ladders, bridges, pegs, ect. That you can use to climb up. 

One of the ladders

The lovely wire bridge. (Wasn't my favorite part)

The view was amazing 

It took us about two and a half hours to complete the Ferrata. Then we had to walk back down the mountain. I had a great time, and it was definitely a good workout haha. 

There were some parts that freaked me out. Like the wire bridge, I hated it. But I'm so glad I had the chance to try it, and to be able to add another cool memory here.

Rome

Nolite Timere (Be Not Afraid.)

That is my favorite saying by Saint John Paul II. I even have it tattooed on my foot. And it's definitely something I've had to be since I came to Italy. And I finally had the chance to see where John Paul lived. Rome was such a holy place, you could feel it. Also what was amazing was I got to be in Rome for the Fest Day of Saint John Paul II. Which is October 22nd. God definitely worked some things out for me while I was there :) 

I woke up at 4am to catch my train to Rome on October 21st. It took about 5 hours to get there. I got into Rome around 12pm and went to my hostel to check in, then got on a train to go to the Vatican! I could see the top as I was walking to it, then I turned a corner and there is was...

It was so big!

When I first saw the Vatican it brought tears to my eyes. It was so amazing, I still can't believe I saw it. I spent the afternoon walking around St. Peter's square, and then went inside the Vatican. It was the most beautiful church I have even seen. I spent over 3 hours inside just soaking it all in.  

Michelangelo's Pieta 

The tomb of Saint John Paul II. My favorite part 

The Main Alter  

After the Vatican. I went to go see Trevi Fountian. Unfortunately they are restoring it, so it's mostly covered up. But still was cool to see that. I wondered around some more, then headed back to St. Peter's square to meet a friend of mine Courtney who is studying in Rome. So we could hangout and have dinner. It was so great to see her! After that I headed back to my hostel, and got super lost :/ I got on the wrong train and ended up about 45 mins outside of Rome. In the middle of nowhere and no more trains were running that late. So thank goodness for Courtney I was able to get a taxi. 70 euro later I got back to my hostel and went to sleep. 

Day two in Rome was super exciting for me. Because I got to see Pope Francis! On Wednesday's there is the Papal Audience. It starts at 10am, but if you want to get close you need to get there really early. I got to the Vatican around 6:30am and there was already a pretty long line. They opened the gates around 8am and it took forever to actually get in. I ended up getting a pretty good seat near the front middle where he would drive up in the Pope mobile. Once he came out everyone quickly stood up on chairs to try and see him. I couldn't see him at first then he came up near where I was sitting and I saw him and just cried. 

He was hugging and kissing children from the crowd, blessing people. It was amazing. We did prayers and he did a blessing over everyone in the crowd. 

So grateful I had the chance to see him. 

After that I went to the Vatican museums and Sistine chapel! I loved all of the art and different sculptures. 

So we weren't allowed to take pictures in the Sistine chapel. But I snuck this really bad quality picture of the "Creation of man" I have wanted to see this for so long. 

Later that afternoon I met with one of my moms friends son, (who I guess I knew when I was a kid. But I don't remember.) Who is a seminarian in Rome. Brother Jonathan showed me around and took me to some of his favorite churches. He was such a nice guy and it was great to see/meet him again. 

I didn't stay out very late, I went back to the hostel and went to bed early. 

My final day in Rome. I got up early and went to the Vatican one more time. I sat outside drinking my cappuccino, just looking and thinking. I stayed there for a few hours then sadly left the Vatican. I headed to the main part of the city to go see the Colosseum. It was huge! 

I walked around just looking at different places the rest of the day. Then I had to get to the train station to go back home. I had the most amazing time in Rome. I'm so grateful and blessed to have had this chance to see such a holy place. It definitely help my faith a lot. I will never forget it. And I look forward to when I can go back! 

Venice

My host family took me to Venice! I can't believe I actually got to see it. It was a magical, beautiful place, that I'll never forget. Sunday morning we left the house really early and set off for Venice. We arrived around noon, and parked the car outside of the city. (No one drives in Venice there are no streets for cars at all.) we got on a ferry boat that took us through the Grand Canal. To the hotel. We spent the day walking around and enjoying all the beauty. We took the ferry to this small island outside of the main part of Venice called La Giudecca. It's amazing to see people who actually live in Venice. Like just living a normal life with a boat parked outside of their door, I couldn't even imagine living like that. It's like a dream. But it's their normal daily life. 

Grand Canal.

Gondola's!

Unfortunately I didn't get to ride on a Gondola. They cost about 80 euro for only a 30 minute ride. So yeah it was a bit expensive. We stayed out pretty late just walking around and had dinner. Venice at night is just how I imagined it. People playing classical music, and randomly dancing on the streets. It was perfect. 

San Marco Square 

Monday morning we had breakfast at the hotel. And went out for the rest of the day. We went inside San Marco Basilica.  And all I can say is wow. There where mosaics covering the ceiling. And the stained glass was beautiful. (I honestly think San Marco was more beautiful than the Dumo.)

Outside of church 

amazing. 

We looked around for the rest of the afternoon. Then got back on the boat to head to the car and go home. I'm so happy I got to see Venice. And my host family is so awesome for taking me. Definitely made some great memories with them :) 

Ciao! 

Halfway point

I've been in Italy for six weeks now, and now I only have six weeks until I'm home. I honestly can't wait to be home. I know that sounds weird, like I'm in Italy and I should never want to leave. But I just miss home, my family, and being able to go out and actually understand people. And I really miss surfing! Living here is easy now at least. I've gotten use to the lifestyle and I'm slowly starting to understand Italian better :) 

This weekend was quiet for me. I didn't travel anywhere, just spent time with the family. We went up to the family's mountain house Sunday and collected and rosted chestnuts! They were so good.nwe had cheese, bread, and of course wine. It was a lot of fun.

So I'm super excited because in two weeks I'm going to ROME!! I'll be going October 20th-22nd. I've wanted to go to Rome for a very long time, and I can't believe I'm actually getting a chance to go. I'm looking forward to seeing the Vatican and as many catholic churches as I can go to. And all the other historic sights there. Heck maybe I'll even see the Pope!

This is where I go to run at. 

Ciao! 

Milan

Finally got to go to Milan today! Me and Amy went together, which was a lot of fun. It was amazing to say the least. The day started out by taking a 45min train ride to Milan. (I've never been one a train before so it was a cool experience.) Once we arrived in Milan. We had to get on the metro, to go to the Duomo. I think one of my favorite parts today was when we walked up the stairs from the metro, and the sunlight starts to hit your eyes. And all of a sudden. BAM! Literally there's the Duomo right in front of you. It was beautiful, and huge. And just amazing. Like the architecture, and all the art that is on the building is beautiful. 

Just look at that. Amazing. 

Me being a tourist 

We took some pictures then walked to some stores and looked around. It is so expensive in Milan. We went to this famous shopping mall called the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It's one of the oldest shopping malls in the world. Built in 1865.

It was so pretty when the sunlight came through the roof. 

We got some lunch. Pizza if you wanted to know. Which was kinda expensive, but it's pizza so it's always good. And walked around some more. Of course we found Gelato. (You can't go too long without eating that amazing stuff.) And saw this group of breakdancers. it's so cool how all the people who are always moving so fast stop to watch these people just dance. We went back to the Duomo so we could look inside of it. I've never seen such a big church before. It was so beautiful, and the stained glass was just perfect. 

It was really big.

After that we had to find our way back to the metro. So we could get on our train back to Lecco on time. Of course we got a little confused about where to go. But once all the was figured out, it was all good. So yes, it was a very nice day and I'm so glad I finally saw Milan. 

My night ended eating Mexican food (yes Mexican food in Italy.) and drinking a margarita. Now to start another week and more adventures :) 

Ciao! 

IL Resegone

So today I climbed the mountain IL Resegone. Which means Big Saw. It's one of the bigger mountains that is in Lecco. And you can see it very well from the city. Now climbing mountains is fun and all, but being from Florida. I am so not use to it. The climb up took about two hours, and I thought it would NEVER end. But once we made it to the top the view was totally worth it. 

City of Lecco. In the distance you can see the Alps. 

Cross that's at the top. 

It was so cold. 

We stayed at the top for about an hour and had lunch. Then headed back down. The climb up and back down took about 5 hours I think. Now I am super tired and sore. But it was worth it. And I'm going to sleep...

Ciao! 

A day on the lake

I've been in Italy for four weeks now. I can't believe how fast time is going here. It has definitely gotten easier to live here and I'm not as nervous to go out anymore. Plus I made two new awesome friends! Amy and Erica. They are both Au Pairs nearby. Amy is from South Africa. And Erica is from Scotland. It's so nice to have English speaking  people who are my age to hangout with.

 Yesterday (Sunday) we were all planning to take the train and go to Milan. Well we found out the trains decided to go on strike (which was so frustrating.) So we had to change plans and we went on a ferry boat to go to Bellagio and Lenno. It took about an hour and a half to get to Bellagio. It's such a beautiful town looking over the lake. We walked around and looked in some shops. Then had lunch at this cute little restaurant that over looked the lake. (The food was good too.)

A pretty street in Bellagio. 

We then got onto another boat to go to Lenno. It is another nice town on the lake, that has a famous Villa called the Villa del Balbianello. It was built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery. 

( I didn't take this.) But that's the how it looks from the water.

I found out that a scene from the second StarWars movie was filmed here too. Thought that was pretty cool. 

 My favorite spot at the Villa. 

I'd love to live here. 

After we finished looking around. We went and got Gelato and sat by the water. Then got on the boat to go home.  Overall it was a perfect day. I look forward to many more adventures with Amy and Erica :) 

Ciao! 

21

Well my 21st birthday was today. I've been waiting for this day forever. And I never throught I would spend it in Italy. It's crazy how life can change so fast. I will admit it was a hard day, not being able to be with my family, or friends. But the family I'm living with made it a really great day. I started my morning with a sunrise run which was awesome. Later on I went to my favorite bar (Covo Nord Ovest Cafe) for a Cappuccino and croissant. 

Best. Drink. Ever. 

After breakfast I went to downtown Lecco. And walked all over town. I love looking in all the little markets and shops here. They have some really cool things. I got to go on a boat today that went up the lake Como. It was cool being able to see all the different towns on the lake, while drinking a Corona. (With lime of course) The rest of the day was relaxing and chill. Later we had dinner, and the family I'm with opened this bottle of amost 10 year old wine. Which was so good.

 

And the family surprised me with an awesome cake and gifts. It made me really happy. We spent the rest of the night sipping wine and coffee, and eating gelato.

My cake. It was great 

  

 Overall it was a great birthday. I'm so grateful for all the sweet messages from my family and friends back home. No matter how hard it is to be away from home, I'm really enjoying my time here. 

Now after Skyping with my family, it's almost 1am and I really need to sleep. 

Italian life

I've learned a lot about how the Italians live the past few weeks. And let me tell you it's so different than what I'm use to. For one they eat A LOT! Like they think something is wrong with me because I don't eat that much. At around 6pm bars have what they call Aperitivo. Which is basically a snack before dinner. And you have drinks with it. They don't eat till very late here. Like it's usually 9pm or later till dinner.(it's almost 9pm and I haven't even eaten yet) And the meal typically consists of: antipasto (appetizers) Primo (pasta or rice dish), Secondo (meat or fish course), and Dolce (dessert). And coffee is welcomed at nearly every hour (which I love). So yeah, a lot of eating happens. They also drink achohol like it's water haha. I've tried a lot of different drinks since I got here. But the wine is my favorite so far. And the Gelato is so good. I've had gelato in America, and it is nothing compared to the real thing. 

 I live in a town called Malgrate in the providence of Lecco which is in the northern part of Italy. Surrounded by beautiful mountains. There are not many houses here almost everyone lives in apartments. And the way they drive over here is terrifying. The cars are smaller. the roads are very small, and they drive so fast. (It's kinda fun sometimes tho). 

Those are some things I've learned so far.

Ciao! 

How I got here

I arrived in Italy on August 27th. To be an Au Pair for an Italian family. I've always wanted to come to Italy, but I never thought I would actually get a chance to come. So, it's a funny story how I got this job. I found out about the job back in June. The day I found out I was actually looking to go to a school in Gainesville for the fall. I was pretty sure I was going to go to the school, and I just had to give them the application. But that night when I got home, I got onto Facebook and a lady I was a nanny for had tagged me in her friends post about a family (in Italy) looking for an English speaking Au Pair. I quickly messaged the family, and over the next few days we talked with each other. And they asked me to come to Italy! I took that as my sign that I was not meant to go to that school. I've been here for almost two weeks now, and I'm slowly getting use to living the Italian lifestyle. But I'm loving it. I hope to learn Italian while I'm here, and be able to travel all over Italy.  

The city of Lecco