Instagram Recap: December

December flew by because I was counting down the days until my family's arrival in Milan. It began with all the usual things...

I took a trip to Parma, where I admired the ceiling of the baptistery.

Typical December weather for Milan: 40-50 F with just a slight chill in the air. For the first time in my life I didn't have a white Christmas, but I can't say I'm disappointed to have avoided the -50 F temperatures that the midwest U.S. has been experiencing.

I've since worked through the difficulties of baking with an ancient gas stove, and Greta and I put together this masterpiece of Frosty the Snowman - complete with a real carrot nose.

And more cupcakes... I'm starting to think I should just open up an American bakery somewhere in Italy.

I still can't figure out how this is done. I circled this person four times and stared in what was probably a slightly rude manner for a few minutes, and I'm no closer to discovering the secret of Levitation in an Italian Square Using Only a Pole.

Milan's massive Christmas tree arrived in Piazza del Duomo in late November and it was all decorated and lit up by December 1. Every town I visited over the holidays had some sort of big tree in their main square, but Milan's was definitely the largest.

The adjacent Via Dante was lit up as well with shimmering ornaments.

And finally, the family arrived, bringing with them my much anticipated Kindle. If you don't have one, I can't recommend it enough! Especially for traveling!

In the last week of December, we devoured dinner after dinner of delectable pastas...

... and a few glasses of wine...

... though Ben was always on the lookout for a beer. I don't think the Italian brews quiiiite reached the Wisconsin potency he's used to, though they do make up for it with their espressos.

We snooped around cathedral roofs in Milan...

... and admired Venice by boat (and later found ourselves lost in its dark, twisting alleys, but let's just admire this photo and assume a fabulous time was had by all!)

In Florence, we stood in awe of Michelangelo's David; at least, I did - everyone else thought his hand was grossly out of proportion and my sister cynically declared that any Michelangelo works we saw probably weren't even done by him, but rather by his apprentice "Johnny."

We strolled through Florence at night...

... usually with copious cups of hot chocolate which, if you've ever had hot chocolate in Europe, bears more similarity to chocolate pudding (definitely not complaining, they're delicious!)

We spent a gorgeous, sunny day at Pisa which was only mildly interrupted when Ben tried to crush Celia and I with the tower...

... and we finished off December - and 2013 - in Rome. Five years ago, I stood by the Trevi Fountain and tossed in a coin. They say that if you do this, you are destined to return again. It must hold some truth, because my 18 year old self never would have imagined that I'd be back in Rome someday - on the five year anniversary of my first visit, no less!

Happy New Year!!!!

Instagram Recap: November

Didn't I just post this for October? November came and went in the blink of an eye. Maybe it went so quickly because I wasn't counting down the days of class left until Thanksgiving break, or half-heartedly studying really hard for midterms. Either way, somewhere in the beginning of November I made the shift from feeling like I was visiting Italy to feeling like I was really living in Italy. Now that it's December, the countdown to my family's arrival has begun, and I can't wait to show them around!

"Dear Father Christmas, for Christmas I would please like: XBOX, but can you please bring me two because I have a sister. Thank you! A roll of paper for drawing. Oh and I forgot, can you bring me also a game for the XBOX? For example, FIFA 13? THANK YOU! Merry Christmas, Tobia Pizzoli." Tobia had a hard time coming up with things he wanted for Christmas this year - he just really wants an XBOX! He also made sure to write "a roll of paper for drawing" because he didn't want Santa to think he meant a roll of toilet paper.

I firmly believe this cat I found wandering around at Pitti Palace is the reincarnation of Cosimo de'Medici. Can't you see it in his eyes? He just has the look of a Renaissance banking lord.

This beautiful cappucino is from....McDonalds!! Have you ever seen anything so classy from a McDonalds in the States? Not that I frequent them regularly (this cappucino is probably the first McDonalds purchase I've made in 5 years) but I did notice the ones here are just nicer overall than those back home. And, understandably, they offer a vast array of coffee/espresso/cappucino drinks.

The Duomo in Milan is exquisite on sunny days! The brighter the day, the brighter the church. I don't think I'll ever get sick of walking past it on a gorgeous day, or popping inside to admire the architecture on a rainy day.

Street music in Palazzo della Repubblica in Florence

This photo already appeared in my post about Brunelleschi's dome, but I love it so... here it is again.

My friend Becky knows my love of Harry Potter, so she sent me this photo of a hand-knitted Dobby. I think it's the greatest thing ever! Don't worry, she gave it a sock, so he's a free elf.

Tobia's basketball coach pulled out all the stops for team pictures with an all-out photo shoot, which Tobia really got into. He loves football and basketball and wants to be a professional football player, but with his charisma, I think he needs to start auditioning for musicals and plays!

Not the most appealing photo, but words cannot illustrate how vicious the mosquitoes here are! Somehow, they get in the apartment and they literally eat me alive in my sleep. I've been cursed with perpetually dramatic reactions to mosquito bites and bee stings, so you can imagine my horror upon discovering Italian mosquitoes are freakishly large and aggressive.

I've been really excited to see the enormous tree I was told appears in Piazza del Duomo for Christmas, and I wasn't disappointed! This thing is massive! I have no idea how they transported it through the narrow streets and alleys of Milan, but who cares? I can't wait to see it decorated.

Speaking of Christmas trees, the apartment has been decked out as well!

The green thing on the top is from United Colors of Benneton. It used to be a comfy, cozy sweater as big as the pink one underneath. Then I washed it... hung it up to dry... and learned the hard way that wool has to be washed by hand with extra care to avoid creating a 90's crop top catastrophe.

My obsession with Christmas, as well as a few years of working at Bath and Body Works over the holidays means that I have a love and appreciation for holiday packaging. I became ridiculously excited when I saw a snowflake on the Nutella jar and biscuits in festive shapes.

St. Anthony's Basilica boasted one of the most lavishly decorated interiors I've ever seen. I got this photo before my phone died. Padua clearly wasn't my best trip, photography wise, but I might return another day to remedy that.

I took a day trip to Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel (famously frescoed by Giotto). That took up most of my time, but I managed to hunt down the beautiful Basilica of St. Anthony. It's a gorgeous, multi-domed church, which you can't really tell from this over-filtered Instagram photo. Sadly, I forgot my real camera, so this is the best I have for now!

More Christmas decorations from around Milan!

Finally, a massive stained glass window from inside the Duomo. This photo was taken on a cloudy day, so you can just imagine what it looks like when the sun is shining. Bellissima! 

Instagram Recap: October

Time really is a strange thing... my second month in Milan has flown by, yet I simultaneously feel as though I've lived here forever. The weather has gotten a bit chillier - meaning, it's consistently in the low 60's instead of the high 60's. It's also rained quite a bit. Apparently, it doesn't snow here until mid-December. Coming from Wisconsin/Minnesota, the lack of snow will be a welcome change! Here are some Instagram favorites from October. 

Halloween in Italy: Greta and I made these pumpkin cupcakes to take to her class on Halloween. Yes, they do celebrate it in Italy, but apparently it has only just gotten popular in the past decade or so. A few storefronts were decorated and I saw a couple kids running around in costumes, but overall it's not quite as big of a deal as it is in the States.

Fall in Italy = squash, pumpkins, and chestnuts at the market down the road from my apartment. Are roasted chestnuts a thing in the States? I feel as though they must be in the bigger cities like New York, but I've personally never experienced them until coming here. All of the little street foot carts around the Duomo sell roasted chestnuts. If you've never had them, they taste...kind of like ham.

My coffee prayers were answered when I stumbled upon Arnold Coffee.

Countdown to Christmas by the ever so artistic Tobia! He loves Christmas as much as I do, if that's possible, and he's filled me in on all the holiday festivities in Milan. I'm looking forward to an enormous tree in Piazza del Duomo and lights and decorations all over the city. I also learned that in one of the buildings surrounding the Piazza, somebody plays Christmas carols from a window and is joined by a new instrument every day leading up to Christmas, until there's practically a full orchestra on Christmas Eve.

InterNations threw a party to celebrate 1,000,000 members. Or maybe it was their 10 year anniversary. Or maybe... honestly, I have no idea what it was for. I went with a friend at the last minute and therefore didn't RSVP for the event. I feigned ignorance at the door when they told me I wasn't on the list and somehow managed to sweet talk my way in. I'm glad I did, because the cake pictured above was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.

"Madonna and Child" by Andrea Mantega. This is a wonderfully restored original in the Bergamo art museum. Mantega was a Renaissance genius and all, but I can't help but think Jesus looks a bit...odd? Like he's all strung out on heroin or something. Maybe the Three Kings brought too much frankincense.

Sample of the words Tobia had to memorize for an English spelling test. As hard as it's been for me to truly learn Italian, it's always interesting to see it the other way around. English really is a difficult language, and trying to figure out how to explain to Tobia why coffee had a C and not a K reminded me of that. Or, as he put it: "But so many rules! Why can't one sound come from one letter?" Though I did applaud his creativity with "coke" - good use of the "ou" combination.

Ceiling frescoes in the Bergamo cathedral - definitely one of the most beautiful cathedral interiors I've seen to date.

Castelvecchio selfies in Verona

Eerie trip to the Monumental Cemetery in Milan. Multiply this photo by 1,000,000 and you'll have the massive burial ground that is the Monumental Cemetery. All of the crypts and statues are a photographer's dream. (Post coming soon!)

Pure joy after trudging up an ancient mule track to reach the crumbling ruins of the castle in Vezia, overlooking Lake Como...

...and this awesome view from the top!

Speaking of awesome views, here's Verona from the top of the Lambert Tower.

And the inside of the Verona Arena, where concert prep was taking place.

Baking chocolate chip cookies with the kids. My first baking attempt here was definitely a learning experience. First of all, measuring in grams and mL was an odd change from using cups and tablespoons. Second, the oven in the house is absolutely ancient. You have to turn on the gas and then physically light it with a flame. It pretty much just has an on/off setting; no temperature options. Needless to say, these cookies came out pretty burnt.

Finally, some confusing live street art on Via Dante. Always a good way to end another month in Milan. Really though, how is this happening...?