Yesterday marked one month since I've been in Italy! Whoa. This is exciting and frightening. It's exciting because there's still so much more to see and do while studying abroad here. It's frightening because it's becoming clearer that my time here is finite, so I want to make sure that I make each day count.
My roommate and I took a trip to Milan, Florence, and Pisa this past weekend! (We had a short break before the start of the semester). We saw and did so much, so I'm going to jump right in!
Milan
AC Milan v. Empoli Soccer match! This was the first professional soccer game that I've ever attended, and it was quite an experience! (You might want to double check your volume setting before playing this video haha).
My roommate and I took a trip to Milan, Florence, and Pisa this past weekend! (We had a short break before the start of the semester). We saw and did so much, so I'm going to jump right in!
Milan
AC Milan v. Empoli Soccer match! This was the first professional soccer game that I've ever attended, and it was quite an experience! (You might want to double check your volume setting before playing this video haha).
The huge cheering section on the right consisted of mostly (maybe only) men with huge AC Milan flags and who chanted call and response cheers. The leaders of these cheers stood with one leg over the balcony and the other in front of it with their backs to the soccer field. For the duration of the game, they led the fans with high energy. Whenever Empoli would get close to the goal, the fans would respond with the high pitched whistle that you hear in the video. I tried to figure out what they used to make that sound but could not see what it was.
The security guards were very relaxed about smoking inside of the stadium, so I stepped outside for a few minutes during the game to get some fresh air. As soon as I walked back in and sat down, I was up on my feet again because Milan scored its second goal! We won 2-1!
I anticipated that the soccer match would be the highlight of the weekend, but surprisingly, it wasn't! Earlier that day, as I began to climb the stairs out of the Duomo train station and caught the first glimpse of the cathedral, I gasped, grabbed my camera, and recorded the rest of the moment to share with you. Seeing the Duomo (in English- Cathedral) for the first time created an iron-pressed imprint in my mind.
I anticipated that the soccer match would be the highlight of the weekend, but surprisingly, it wasn't! Earlier that day, as I began to climb the stairs out of the Duomo train station and caught the first glimpse of the cathedral, I gasped, grabbed my camera, and recorded the rest of the moment to share with you. Seeing the Duomo (in English- Cathedral) for the first time created an iron-pressed imprint in my mind.
From far away it just looks like a beautifully constructed building, but up close it tells stories from the Bible very vividly. We walked around the entire building and took in the view from all four sides.
After seeing the Duomo, we entered the Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele II. It's a shopping area with fancy stores like Prada, Gucci, and Ferrari, but there's also an H&M, McDonald's, and a bookstore called Rizzoli. The bookstore felt more inviting than some of the other shops haha so we browsed the shelves, soaked up the AC, and got a nice view of the Gallerie from the second floor.
After sitting outside listening to a talented singer/ guitarist for a while, we took the train to Castello Sforezco and walked through a multifaceted park called Parco Sempione.This was clearly a place where plenty of locals go. There were people playing basketball, working out, laying out on the grass having picnics, there were cafés and there was a scheduled orchestra performance in the park that evening so there was a set stage as well.
After sitting outside listening to a talented singer/ guitarist for a while, we took the train to Castello Sforezco and walked through a multifaceted park called Parco Sempione.This was clearly a place where plenty of locals go. There were people playing basketball, working out, laying out on the grass having picnics, there were cafés and there was a scheduled orchestra performance in the park that evening so there was a set stage as well.
The Priest and the Nun
On Sunday morning, my roommate and I boarded the train, and shortly after a woman and two men walked on. The woman and her husband helped the man store his bags in the overhead compartment, took a selfie with him, and then the woman turned to me and said with a smile, "Lui é un prete." Prete means priest in Italian. Shortly after, a nun dressed in all white boarded the train with her companions who helped her get settled. Her ticket indicated that she had the window seat next to me. What are the chances that we'd get seats with a priest and a nun? haha!
I value making connections with people, especially people from backgrounds and cultures that are different from mine. Priest Virgid kindly shared in English so much about his Filipino heritage and experience as a priest. The conversation got heavy as he told me about his experience with Typhoon Yolanda that destroyed his hometown in Tacloban in November 2013. Just a month before Christmas, he described the storm and the months of recovery thereafter as dark and depressing. There was no electricity, very little food, and dead bodies were scattered in the streets. The horror of the situation that he described made it impossible not to sympathize with him. I had heard about the storm on the news, but Priest Virgid and his family and friends had lived through it. We reached the point in the conversation where I felt comfortable asking him a more personal question. I asked, "As a priest, why do you think that happened?" His response, "natural calamity." It was something out of our control, he told me. He said that some may say that God was punishing them, but "God wouldn't do that." He said to think about the thousands of innocent children dying. "God wouldn't do that." At the core of his answer stood the belief that God is good. While his answer carries implications that must be examined next to what God's Word says about who God is and what He would and wouldn't do, this man's answer reflects his strong faith. Priest Virgid dedicated his life's work to the God, who he proclaims is the most powerful being, yet after the suffering and darkness he endured, he still maintains that God is good. His faith touched and encouraged me.
Later he asked me, "So, what do you think of Donald Trump?" We laughed as we discussed some of the recent news regarding Trump's presidential campaign. I won't get into that, though. :-)
Florence
Florence seemed to have more tourists than Milan. I heard lots of English, especially at the Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo's David sculpture.
On Sunday morning, my roommate and I boarded the train, and shortly after a woman and two men walked on. The woman and her husband helped the man store his bags in the overhead compartment, took a selfie with him, and then the woman turned to me and said with a smile, "Lui é un prete." Prete means priest in Italian. Shortly after, a nun dressed in all white boarded the train with her companions who helped her get settled. Her ticket indicated that she had the window seat next to me. What are the chances that we'd get seats with a priest and a nun? haha!
I value making connections with people, especially people from backgrounds and cultures that are different from mine. Priest Virgid kindly shared in English so much about his Filipino heritage and experience as a priest. The conversation got heavy as he told me about his experience with Typhoon Yolanda that destroyed his hometown in Tacloban in November 2013. Just a month before Christmas, he described the storm and the months of recovery thereafter as dark and depressing. There was no electricity, very little food, and dead bodies were scattered in the streets. The horror of the situation that he described made it impossible not to sympathize with him. I had heard about the storm on the news, but Priest Virgid and his family and friends had lived through it. We reached the point in the conversation where I felt comfortable asking him a more personal question. I asked, "As a priest, why do you think that happened?" His response, "natural calamity." It was something out of our control, he told me. He said that some may say that God was punishing them, but "God wouldn't do that." He said to think about the thousands of innocent children dying. "God wouldn't do that." At the core of his answer stood the belief that God is good. While his answer carries implications that must be examined next to what God's Word says about who God is and what He would and wouldn't do, this man's answer reflects his strong faith. Priest Virgid dedicated his life's work to the God, who he proclaims is the most powerful being, yet after the suffering and darkness he endured, he still maintains that God is good. His faith touched and encouraged me.
Later he asked me, "So, what do you think of Donald Trump?" We laughed as we discussed some of the recent news regarding Trump's presidential campaign. I won't get into that, though. :-)
Florence
Florence seemed to have more tourists than Milan. I heard lots of English, especially at the Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo's David sculpture.
Florence's Duomo had an elaborate exterior as well, but it did not compare with that in Milan, in my opinion. The interior was also less ornate than I had expected. The alter at the front was large and was the most decorated part of the church.
Climbing the stairs to the top of the Piazzale Michelangelo and the rewarding view it granted was the second highlight of the trip for me. My roommate and I relaxed there with other spectators as the sun set.
Moments when you see the world from that angle cause a perspective shift. In the course of the day I had seen buildings that looked big, statues that looked big, but from up here "big" took on a new meaning. I scanned much of the city of Florence with a slow, 180-degree swivel, and in my heart, I thanked God for giving me more than I could imagine.
Moments when you see the world from that angle cause a perspective shift. In the course of the day I had seen buildings that looked big, statues that looked big, but from up here "big" took on a new meaning. I scanned much of the city of Florence with a slow, 180-degree swivel, and in my heart, I thanked God for giving me more than I could imagine.
Pisa
We spent the afternoon in Pisa, and of course, I snapped a few of these classic photos.
We had a delicious lunch, Paninis, at a cool little restaurant. My sandwich is on focaccia bread and has eggplant. It was the best panini I've had since I've been in Italy.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was one of those places where as a young girl when I first heard about it, it seemed like a place that would be cool to see in real life. I didn't grow up constantly thinking to myself, "I'd love to visit Pisa, I'd love to visit Pisa," but I knew that I wanted to travel around the world. I want to encourage everyone reading this and myself to dream intentionally.
I watched a video from City Hope Church in Texas, and Pastor Jeremy Foster talked about Ephesians 3:20-21 that says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." I want to leave you with what he said in response:
"If God can do more than you can imagine, why wouldn't you start imagining HUGE."
Again, thank you to everyone for the positive feedback. I'm glad that you're enjoying the blog! Remember, if you have any more specific questions about my experience whether logistics where I stayed, ate, etc. or anything else, leave a comment or send me a note. I'd be happy to tell you more!
I'm working on figuring out a way to allow you to subscribe to the blog to get email notifications when I publish a new post. For now, please just check in on Mondays at 2PM EST!
Coming up for next week's post: The 72nd annual Venice Film Festival started this week!
Have a good end of the week!
J McKoy