For six weeks I lived in the Chompi Residence with Italian and other foreign exchange students. Amy, my roommate, and I shared a room in side a room number five. At first we weren’t smitten with our living situation but it slowly grew on us and we learned to called it home.

This was our unfashionable beds. We were only given one pillow each so I put a towel under mine to give it more volume.

My desk!

The view from our hall window!

Our kitchen we shared with the other residence. I learned to use a gas stove thanks to the lovely Amy!

This was our shower that we only used twice because the water pooled in the bottom.

This was our toilet that we had to sit on sideways because our knees would hit the shower. And the smaller toilet to the left is a bidet which “are primarily used to wash and clean the genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus.” Yes, I googled that one.

This was a view of one of the street of Siena. I loved walking down the street, it felt like taking a step back into time.

Here is the door to our apartment. If you clicked the button at the top you were let in.

This was a view from our door!

This was one of our windows in our room that looked down to the street

This was our very steep stairway to our apartment. It was slightly slanted and hard to walk up when we came back late some nights.

This is Fasto and Emilio. There were some of the Italian students that lived in

Chompi. We became friends and they would joke around with us, help us with directions, and prank us constantly.

Before I come to Siena, I really wanted to cut my hair. So after finding Fasto cutting Emilio’s hair , I asked Fasto to cut mine! He only took off a couple inches and it actually looked really good. So thank you Fasto for my Italian hair cut <3

This is all of us getting gelato in the Piazza!

The Chompi residence was located in the Leocorono or Unicorn contrade! Being able to live within the walls of Siena was such an experience and I am honored to experience the beauty and the locals. Chompi will always have a spot in my heart and I will always call it a home away from home.

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

Since I’ve been home I have complied some of my videos I took in Italy and made it into a video.

Some of the events in the video include:

Canal ride in Vince,
The Palio in Italy
Cinque Terre
Piazza del Campo in Siena
The Duomo Church in Siena
San Pablo Bar in Siena
Space Bar in Florence
Enoteca Winery
Scurtrola Winery
Trevi Fountain in Rome

Music: How To Love (feat. Sofia Reyes) (Boombox Cartel Remix)

After the weekend of the Palio, I headed to the beautiful Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is compromised of five different villages and is connected by trains.

The train ride was about 40 euro and was supposed to take four hours but we accidentally took the wrong one and got stuck in the Pisa and Empoli train stations. In Cinque Terre some of the trains aren’t announced and there are not signs saying which train is which so be careful!

We got up at 4:00am to catch our first train.

This is the view of Cinque Terre! There are colorful houses on the hill and beautiful blue Mediterranean seas!

It felt like paradise there and nothing like the beaches in Oregon.

This was our first stop and we jumped off these rocks into the water!

Be careful of the rocks because they are very sharp and will cut your leg easily.

Here is Kylie, Sammi, Deva, Claire, Jasmine and I in the water!

The next stop we made was dinner where ate pasta by the beach.

And of course we got gelato! This is my favorite combination of Fragola (strawberry) and Chocolate.

Our last stop was the beach! We had to pay five euros each to sit on the beach with an umbrella and chair.

Amy and I split a drink!

Overall, I had great time in Cinuque Terre and it will be coming back there again some day.

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

Before going to Amsterdam, my friends and I headed to the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was very tourist and there were lots of people taking photos.

This is a photo with Amy, Matt, Cooper, and Brandon! Some of the guys from our program!

This is Jasmine and I!

Just a little Theta love at Pisa!

When we got onto the bus to head back to the Pisa airport, one of the girls in our group got pick pocketed. Unfortunately her wallet, debit cards, license and money got stolen. It happened very quickly and none of us noticed it. We believe someone reached into her purse and grabbed her wallet and then got off at the next stop. Luckily, she was able to call her bank and put a block on her credit cards.

When you are traveling in a tourist place make sure to hold on to your wallet and purses. This is where the most pick pocketing happens. But if it does happen to you, remember to stay calm and remember there is a lot worse that could happen.

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

In the Social Media and Marketing study abroad program, part of our curriculum was going to Tuscan wineries to meet the owners and have wine tastings. Normally we would tour the cellars and see the facility and then head to a wine tasting. It was such an honor to meet the owners and have them personally show us around their home and winery. Each winery we visited was assigned to a group and we made a social media and marketing plan for them. This applicable, hands on experience was one of my favorite projects in college. On the last day of our program, we went to present our plans to our winery and the other five wineries.

This was our first wine tasting at the Enoteca Italiana winery, which was located in Siena.

This is some of the prosciutto, cheese, and bruschetta they gave us to eat. It was delicious and a great paring for the wine they gave us.

First red wine is served and then the white wine. White wine must be served cold!

This was the Montecchio Winery!

They had a beautiful estate and amazing wine!

This is Jasmine and I at the winery! She was assigned this winery for her social media and marketing plan!

This was a photo of our whole class and our professors!

This was the beautiful Villa Trasqua Winery! They had a pool on site!

I loved their white wine!

The next tasting we went to was the Col D’Orcia Winery!

This is me laughing at the fact that wine tasting is my new favorite thing. While we were there it starting dumping rain.

This was my favorite winery and the one my group made the marketing plan for! San Gervasio!

I loved visiting the estate and meeting the owners. San Gervaiso is an organic winery and ran by Luca and Lisa. They export 80% of their wines and were great host to us.

This photo was taken at the Capezzana winery! They were known for their world winning olive oil!

This is a photo of the Scurtarola Winery’s grapes. We were allowed to walk in the vineyards.

What an amazing view!

This was the Tuscan regions oldest wine collection!

This is Amy (my roommate) and I at the winery!

This was Scurtarola’s pasta dish! It was sweet and very yummy!

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

The Duomo is the historic medieval church in Siena, Italy dedicated to the Roman Catholic and later, the assumption of Mary. This stunning 253 foot tall cathedral is jaw dropping and a great place to learn about the history of Siena.

This is a photo of the stain glass window and the story of the Virgin Mary. The original one is located in the side of the Dumo.

This is the twelve disciples in stone.

This is a photo of the alter of the church. Every inch of the Duomo is filled with intricate details and design.

A photo of the ceiling of the Duomo.

My roommate, Amy and I, found a skull incased in this golden glass casket.

This is a photo of their library! Look at the amazing design and colors.

This was a sculpture done by Michael Angelo. If you look to the bottom right, then that is a self sculpture of himself.

This is the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus together.

Amy and I hiked to the top of the Duomo and saw the whole city of Siena and the Tuscan Region.

We could see the Piazza del Campo!

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

Wow! I have been busy with traveling, school work, and experiencing the culture.

On last Tuesday, my friends and I had a day off school and decided to head to Rome! We got up at 5 am and caught a bus that went to the Tiburtinoa train station.

After a hot and smokey bus trip, we arrived in Rome at 10:00. We used the metro system to go to the Colosseum. I highly suggest using the metro system, it is inexpensive, reliable and efficient.

Here is a picture of some graffiti in the subway!

The colosseum was beautiful and there were tons of tourist. If you want to go inside the colosseum, I would suggest buy tickets in advance and getting a skip the line pass. I didn’t go into the colosseum but felt satisfied with just seeing the outside.

One thing that amazed me about the colosseum was how it was constructed. Two thousand years ago, they didn’t have the modern technology so I can only imagine how they got the stone there and carved it.

Here is Ashley and I standing in front of some of the original colosseum.

To the right side of the Colosseum there is the Arch of Constantine!

Afterwards, we headed to a small coffee shop to get breakfast. Unfortunately, Amy and I have had the worst luck getting food and we got an unappetizing sandwich. Luckily there was another coffee shop down the street and we bought another one.

We then headed back to the metro station and caught the next train going to the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain was my favorite part about Rome! My inner pre-teen girl was excited to be where Lizzie McGuire was!

Wishes do come true because this is what dreams are made of!

I threw a coin into the fountain and made a wish!

A gelato a day keeps the doctor away, right?

Next we headed got back on the bus and headed to the Spanish steps. Unfortunately they were under construction and we didn’t get to walk on them.

One great thing about Rome is that there is running water fountains. The Romans were proud of the aqueduct system so they installed water fountains around the city! I was surprised and grateful to be able to drink from them! The water was fresh and cold.

We then walked around the city and went into some shops. We went into Gucci, Tiffany and Co, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and other higher end stores. There were men in suits that would open the door for you when you entered!

After a while of waling around we found the Altare della Patria! It was built in the honor of Victor Emmanuel the first king of the unified Italy.

Just a little theta love!

On our way back to the train station we had to crammed into the metro and three young girls stood in front of us. One of them tired to pick pocket Ashley but Ashley noticed and moved her bag back. The girl then hit Ashley on her shoulder and said something in Italian. Thirty minutes later, another man yelled at a woman for trying to pick pocket him on the train. It can be stressful and crazy in the train station and this is a perfect time for people to take your money! Be careful and watch your stuff.

Overall, Rome was magical and I loved seeing all the history and people. If you are traveling to Rome, know that you can’t do Rome in a day and choose three or four landmarks to see! I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back to see Romes magic again but I can’t wait to experience more of it.

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

I stood in the Piazza for seven hours in the hot sun, for a five minute hours race and it was completely worth it.

Each year on July 2nd and August 16, 10 horses and jockeys and 60 thousand people gather in the Piazza for the race of a life time. Since the 14th century, the people of Siena have been dedicating this event to the Virgin Mary and Madonna of Provenzano.

Siena is divided into 17 different contradas or “neighborhoods.” You can think of a contrada as a huge extended family with unique colors and a distinctive mascot. To belong to a contrada you must be born into it and be baptized within the church. Each contrada has their own square, museum, well or fountain. My apartment was located in the Leocorno contrada and was represented by a unicorn!

Leading up the day of the Palio, the Piazza is converted into a race track and tons of dirt is brought into the city to cover the cobble stone. When I was on my way to school, I was shocked to find the Piazza completely transformed in one night.

Only ten contradas are allowed to race and the horses are randomly assigned to them. The locals do their research and know which horse will preform the best, this year the Lupa (shewolf) contrada received the best horse. Days before the race each contrada celebrates with huge dinners in their streets with singing and drumming. The day of the Palio the contrada takes their horse and their jokey to their church to be blessed by the priest. Each horse and jokey is told to “go and return victorious.” In addition, each contrada has their own enemies and allies. My contrada enemy was the owl contrada. This year some of our friends lived in the Lupa (shewolf) contrada and their enemy, the Porcupine contrada, was our professors contrada.

To get a good spot, my friends and I headed to Piazza at 1:00 and waited in the hot sun for seven hours for the race to start. We stood around the start line and had a great view of the Piazza and the treacherous corner where a lot of the jockeys and horses fall. After six long, sweaty hours at the piazza, the parade began. Each contrada parades around the piazza with their flags and horses. In addition, once the parades starts, the gates close and no one is allowed to enter or exit the Piazza, this meant no bathrooms.

Around 8:00 the horse and jockeys enter the Piazza and get lined up. This can take several times because the horses and jockeys don’t always corporate. This year it took three times to start because the Lupa contrada was edging on the Porcupine contrada, their enemy. Without any warning the 10 horses were released and charged down the piazza. This was one of the most intense moments I have experienced. People were crammed into the Piazza and you pressed up against the person next to you. People are shouting and screaming and waving their contrada flags around. The emotions and excitement were at an all time high. Since our group had a good view of the most treacherous corner, we saw two of the horses fall and their jockeys get crushed. Once the horses were around the next corner, the medics pulled the limp body off the track. For the first two laps, the shell horse was in first place, but at the end the Lupa horse made the last corner better and pulled ahead. Once the Lupa won, the members stormed the track to thank and celebrate the jokey and the horse. Some people were crying in joy while others were furious with the outcome of the race.

Being a part of an event that has happened over hundreds of years was an honor and such a memorable experience. I can’t express my gratitude to experience it. It was a hard and long day but completely worth it.

As we were leaving the Piazza, we ran into one of the cast members of The Walking Dead, Darrel! In addition, Alex Pettyfer from Magic Mike and Kate Moss the Model, were there.

Here is a video from where I was standing in the Piazza! The horses were getting ready to line up and race!

Until Next Time,
The Italian Duck

Studying abroad can get tough, so we headed to the Terme Antica Querciolaia Spa. I had the day off from school so Jessica Lewis, one of our professors, took us to the Hot Springs.

The bus ride there was only 4.40 euros and we were there in about a hour and a half. We took the train and then went to the Rapolana Terme station!

There were about six different pools that contained different minerals and vitamins. My skin was exfoliated and soft afterwards!

This has probably been one of the most relaxing things I’ve done on this trip. It felt like paradise and was needed after lots of traveling. Some people got burnt, so make sure to bring sunscreen!

Here is the link to the website and more information on the Terme Antica Querciolaia Spa!

Home

Ciao,
The Italian Duck

Last night I watched my first Football (soccer) game in Siena. Italy played against Spain and won with a score of 2-0!

Here is one of the many local bars that was airing the game!

After a while the bar got too crowded and my friends and I moved to the piazza to watch from a TV outside.

Here are two Italian waiters after we won the game! Soccer is like their football and the locals broke out in chants and cheers once they won!

Ciao,
The Italian Duck