SIX MONTHS IS APPROACHING!!!!!!

Hey Ya'll

How has everyone been???? Well, It has almost been 6 months since I have lived over here in Italy. And everyday I get to do something new that makes me understand 100 % why I am here. The past month was a rush of things and then it all has calmed down now. So let me fill you in.

So after my parents came to visit me alot has happened. I have barely had a chance to sit down. Around the 6th of may I went to Milan for the first time with school. It was amazing, a really different city... not italian at all... but very much similar to ny... not not with all the skyscrapers. So we were there for 2 days. We had a lot of appts. with hotels like the savoy and jewelers like buccelati. It was really interesting. We saw the famous gothic style duomo... i love mine in florence much better! hahah Then we had a great dinner in a really funky/artsy part of town. It was great. Nice to finally see people in Italy who care about fashion and what to wear... etc. Its a very interesting place. So then the next day our teacher told us that she had a surprise for us. We had no clue what she was talking about! So we all walked to monte-napoleone- which is the main street where you can find gucci, prada, ferragammo etc. and we waited outside of a beautiful building. And as it turns out... we got to take a tour of GIANNI Versace's apartment. It is the place that he lived when he died. And we got to see how over the top his home was… just like his designs. Also they have not moved anything since his death. Which was kind of creepy. But Donatella and Allegra live there when they come to Milan now. It was interesting. So if you look at the photos you can see some pictures of versace and a house.. now you know who that is. Well all in all the trip to milan was great. We also got to see fornasetti.. a furniture company. Im sure you all would recognize the designs. They were incredible. Well, Since we were already in Milan Sara and I thought it would be great to take the train up to NICE or NIZZA as they say in Italian. So we got on the train on Wednesday afternoon and we stayed in Nice till Sunday. Sara has a friend she went to college with that lives there so we were lucky to be able to stay with them. They picked us up from the train station and we went to dinner. This was my first time to france so I wanted to try all the famous foods of france… excluding the froglegs and snails. HAHA. So the next day we got into the car and drove 3 hour to provance to a lake that was the bluest thing I have ever seen. We went to a small town close to the lake and walked through the little market..testing all of the sweets and olive pastes…etc. Then we made our way back to the lake and had an amazing picnic on the shore. Filled with meats, cheeses and of course baguettes and wine. After lunch Sara and I went on a paddle boat through the lake. I later found out that the lake was man made about 50 years ago. But that before there was an old town there that had been abandoned and they filled in the valley and made the lake. You can now go scuba diving and go through the town. Sounds so amazing.

Anyways, so we made our way back and hung out the rest of the day after our long journey. Then the next day we spent in Nice, walking around and enjoying all that nice had to offer. The following day we woke up and went to a huge lunch at her grandmothers house. It was hilarious filled with tons of french people that didn’t speak a word of english. I just sat and ate and ate and ate. They never stopped feeding me. Her grandmother was like 96 years old and she was drinking more than all of us. It was hilarious. That evening, we got in the car and made our way over to monte carlo in Monaco. The road took about an hour to get there and the second that we made our way into monaco you could tell the difference. It was so clean.. no trash, no stickers on the bus stops, advertisements, tons of police and cameras everywhere. It was kind of creepy, yet beautiful to see such a nice city. We finally made our way to a sushi restaurant and had an amazing dinner and then drinks on the terrace of the hotel. Monaco was incredible. The next day sara and I made our way back to florence.

The next couple of weeks or so were filled with parties and dinners. A lot of my friends were leaving for jobs, internships and to go back to their countries so we had to have a great few weeks before we said goodbye ☹

On may 29th we had a ceremony with school and ferruccio ferragamo gave us our diplomas. It was short but sweet. An interesting graduation to say the least.

Then 2 days later sara and I left for Paris for 3 days. We stayed with her friend Olivie in an amazing part of the city. I don’t know how we possibly fit into his apartment which was much smaller than my bedroom. But we made it work. The first night we got there we ate at a very french restaurant and walked around the area he lived. The next day, Sunday we got up and walked around. We saw notre dame, a small market for birds which was so cute (I found one that looked just like my bird), then we saw the river, and had lunch in the jewish ghetto. Such a cute area, then we got on the bikes that you can rent and we saw the opera house, lourve, place ven dome, lourve gardens, chams des lesay, arc di triumphe, effiel tower… I don’t know how we managed to do all of that in one day. But we did. It was amazing, yet tiring. The next day sara and I woke up early to go to the lourve. We spent about 3 hours there and we were rushing to see everything. It was one of the most amazing museums I have ever seen and I would love love love to go back. The mona lisa was great, but there was so much more to see. I couldn’t help but think about the da vinci code the whole time! Hahah. After the lourve we had lunch with one of sara’s friends and then we took a bike over to monte marte and the moulin rouge. Little did we know that the area was all up hill. So once we ditched the bikes we got stranded in the rain. But we walked through monte marte. It was one of the most interesting places I have ever seen. It really does still have the same feel as it is known for.. not comercialized at all.. The only thing I was un impressed with was the moulin rouge. It would def. be a waste of money. Anyways so the rest of the trip was great. We also got to see the luxemborg gardens as well.

Well, as if that wasn’t enough to keep me busy. The past month I had a bunch of friends come to visit. The week before I left for paris my friend matt from dallas came to stay. We had a blast, and I brought him as my date to a club party. It was a floral theme and we had a great time. Then after paris I was so excited because 2 of my friends from my program I studied in last time came to visit. Ashley my roomate from last time with monica and another girl liz who I went to greece with. It was great, nice to show them all the old places we used to go. We also went to dinner at monica’s and had a great time. Nothing like eating all the old foods! Right after they left another friend Michael who was one of my best friends in my last program in italy came to visit. I got to meet his girlfriend and see them for dinner a few times. Then a day after that! Hahahah I know I know. 2 girls that I was great friends with in high school came to visit! It was so good to see everyone! I always love to see familiar faces. Also in florence right now are a few girls from high school who are younger than be that are studying here. It makes me feel old! Hahah And lastly, the other day I was leaving my apartment and I ran into two of my teachers from high school and the principle. I felt really accomplished to tell them that I was living here and just completed my masters! It was great! Let see what else did I do. I went to filippo ricci’s 25 birthday party at a great restaurant in florence that is only made of 3 tables! Nice and cozy.

OH and Daniele and I went on a little tuscan adventures. We drove 3 hours to a small city in tuscany to stay in a bed and breakfast. It was a great road trip. It was close to grossetto on the sea. We had so much fun, Going to dinners and big lunches and just enjoying italy! It was a nice vacation!

WOW I DIDN’T REALIZE HOW MUCH I HAD TO SAY!

A week ago or so, we had the privilage of seeing one of the most famous happenings in florence. Historic football. It was crazy. One of our friends lives above santa croce piazza and she invited us all over to watch the game. It was great, they set up a huge dirt field with bleachers and then we got to watch the 4 teams battle it out.. I mean really fight to make goals and become the winner for the year. I was for the blue team because I live in santa croce. It was great, they had everyone dressed up as knights and medieval figures. This is something they have played since like the 1500s and they brought it back about 40 years ago. It was really neat to see.

Over the past week or so I have done a lot of things as well.. Last week my friend alberto graduated from college. He is the other guy that is coming with me to the us. I will fill you in on that in a minute. So we went to his graduation and had a big lunch after. The last week was florence fashion week or pitti, so I went to lots of parties for that. There was a billabong party up at forte belvedere (a huge fort across the arno) it was beautiful. Then I was invited to classic italia, a party at the palazzo pitti. Then last Friday the ricci’s invited me to a dinner called the ricci trophy. And they had 25 historic cars and they judged them on many different categories. We had a nice candlelight dinner in the middle of the boboli gardens! It was amazing.

Then the really exciting part. Monday morning I woke up and I got to go to Milan with Daniele for fashion week. We arrived on Monday night and had dinner with karen katz’s son ( the ceo of neimans). Before though we were walking by armani café and we saw adrien brody! It was so cool! Then we had drinks and went to sleep early because we had to be up for a big day on Tuesday. So that morning we woke up and went to meet all the buyers and ceo of neimans at the westin and they gave us our tickets to the shows. They even let us ride in the car with them! It was amazing. First we went to Marni, then john varvatos. We met him! So cool. Then we took the car in a mad rush to dsquared. That was the coolest show by far. More my type.. rap music, fun and energetic. Then we went to Fendi, etro, dolce and gabana and armani. At armani, I got to see someone I have always wanted to see… ANNA WINTOUR! She was exactly how I thought she would be.. her little bob with her glasses. She never moved a muscle! It was so amazing. We also go to see mr armani himself. But I had already seen him before, so that was not so impressive! Hahahah Anyways it was amazing, and so tiring. All that dani and I could say was that was so fun, but tiring but how do these people really work at these things. They were so hot, and crowded, but we were so happy to get to see it all! It was incredible!!!!!!!


I got back to florence last night and then we celebrated the patron saint of florence, saint john. It was his holiday yesterday! They had fireworks above piazza michelangelo! It was great, it really feels like summer here. Its so hot, we have the most famous gelato place down the street. We are going to the pool, riding bikes. I really love it!!!!!!!! Its nice to live in a city for the summer. It really is a change from dallas. I know dallas is a city but its really different than here hahah!

So back to the trip! On july 27 I will be coming back to the us for vacation. I cannot wait. Daniele, alberto and I are going to be in ny for 5 days, then boston to see haley! And then miami for a few days. We are really excited. It is also there 1st time to the us so I am so happy I get to show them around. Let me know if you will be in any of those places. It is so funny, because so many of our friends will be in the states the same time as us… its like all of florence is coming here! Then after for 2 weeks I will be in dallas. And then the week after haley is coming to italy to stay with me!

SO THERE HAS BEEN TONS GOING ON, but right now I am just relaxing and enjoying my time here in italy.

Love to hear from you all, sorry I gave u a novel to read! Hahaha

sarah