moda.

Beautiful people, beautiful clothing, beautiful city. Vogue's Fashion's Night Out was complete with designer labels, the who's who of Milano, and endless amounts of champagne.

What better way to spend the evening than to snag a bottle of the bubbly and drink on the steps of the Duomo? When in Milan!

the riviera.

I cannot help but laugh when I think about lo scorso weekend and my trip to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is comprised of five villages situated along the rugged coast of the Italian Riveria. It is quite a popular spot for tourists (mostly Americans) to spend time on the beach and hike, seeing as the region is unreachable by car.
After hearing that many students in our study abroad program were planning to visit there, my pals and I decided it necessary that we also partake. We took the metro to Stazione Centrale and waited in line, let me re-phrase...waited in crowded mess, to buy our train tickets. Naturally I asked, 'What's the cheapest ticket and can we get a student discount?'. The clerk answered, '12.5 euro, 7:20 am'. Done. We'll take it.

What happens next?
We miss our 12.5 euro, 7:20 am train. Naturally.

We were so impressed by our ability to act so savvy with our money, that we decided to celebrate the night before our trip. A little too much dancing into the wee hours of the morn' and its really no surprise you don't make it in time.
Nevertheless, we were able to take the next train (8:20am) and still get to Cinque Terre by noon. Tired and uncomfortable we arrived at our destination and headed to the water.

Schedule of day:
12:15 Arrive at Monterosso.
12:30 Slight disorientation, walk in the direction everyone's walking.
12:32 Realize water spilled all over the inside of my bag. My camera!!! My ipod!!
12:35 Bathrooms?? 2 euro. Nope, we'll wait thanks.
12:50 Explore village. This takes about 10 mins. Make multiple circles down the same streets. Still a little disoriented and upset about my camera/ ipod.
12:53 Sulk in corner for 30 seconds because my ipod refuses to turn on and my camera screen is fogging.
1:30 It has been half an hour and I've had a dark chocolate gelato and two lemon slushy drinks.
2:00 Beach time. Much needed. Hop into the clear blue water. I hope a shark doesn't eat me. Oh wait. I fall asleep in the sun for 3 hours. Somehow manage not to get sunburned.
5:00 Walk into town. Eat another lemon slushy. I cannot manage to eat real food. Too upset.
5:30 Still wandering aimlessly.
6:55 Train back to Milan. We literally get on the wrong train at first and the doors close on us. Bang on the doors and jump out. Close one.

Good news. My fortuna in Italy is benissimo. My camera and ipod work.

Thank God we planned a day trip because as soon as I got home I fell asleep and didn't wake till 15 o'clock the next afternoon. Viva Italia!

Some of these photos are taken at a pit-stop in Genova.

milanese if you please.

This first photo is a view from my bathroom window. Taking it was a difficult task to say the least and may or may not have involved balancing on the bidet.

when in milano.

I love how the Milanese always look so chic, even when riding bicycles.

a penny for the thoughts of a poor college student.

Vino in Italia is cheaper than water. If I am a poor college student, does that make it acceptable to substitute water with wine?

As I and many students like me have learned, Europe is expensive, expensive, expensive! Especially Milano. Thus, to avoid high costs and survive the brutality of no longer relying on the resources of ma and pa, I have put together a small list of viable options to consider when choosing how to spend your denaro. (Applicable to those studying in Milan, yet can be comparable to other cities):

Uno) Live off of eggs, bread, mozarella, yogurt. Its the cheapest, and provides you with suitable protein.
Due) Sometimes, take advantage of the aperitivos. Usually at every cafe in the evening. For a set fee, you can enjoy a drink and an unlimited buffet of Italian dishes. Delizioso!
Tre) Don't eat. You won't spend extra money on food and you'll be thin?
Quattro) Avoid insanely expensive club cover charges (anywhere from 10 to 30 euro) and attend 'international night' events hosted at many clubs any night of the week. Free is my kind of party.
Cinque) As the metro and other forms of public transportation shut down after 12:30 am, avoid high taxi costs by either a) going home before the metro closes, b) squeezing 8 people in one cab, c) hitch a ride from an attractive Italian on a Vespa, d) walk home (come on, Milano is not that big).
Sei) As hard as it sounds, refrain from shopping or purchasing those fantastic cowboy hats and 'glow-balls' from the gypsies on the street. Remember, 5 euro is NOT 5 dollars.
Sette) See wine versus water dilema above.
Otto) Try to get price reductions by showing your school identification everywhere. If that doesn't seem to work, try batting your lashes or crying.


Time to study for my primo Italian test tomorrow. Wish me fortuna!

a dolce vita.

to foam or not to foam.

Example of how real Italians like to party:

Take anything that can literally produce foam. This can be a mixture of shaving cream, soap suds...anything that contains polyurethane...Take some shirtless Milanese, add some alcohol, and voila! You've got yourself a good ol' foam rave experience.

Keep out of reach of children.
This is real people.

milano is not only a cookie.

Things to consider about Milan and the Italian culture:

1. Everyone drives a Vespa. This automatically makes everyone very cool.

2. Everyone drinks black coffee. Ehem, I mean espresso. This also makes everyone very cool.

3. Italian public displays of affection are, shall we say, very public. What can I say, closeness is part of Italian culture.

4. Pedrestrains apparently do not have the right of way. Thus, you must look 6 times before crossing the road and be wary of random automobiles, scooters, etc, that may appear out of nowhere.

5. Generally, everyone is very attractive, and generally, everyone has a fantastic sense of style. This makes everyone uber cool, once again.

6. Sitting down on the floor, on the steps, on a ledge, etc, in any public place immediately makes you a 'gypsy'. If you do this, you will get stared at and most likely will be given change.

7. Italians need lunch breaks too, so generally from 1 to 3 pm, every store shuts down.

8. Alcohol is to be consumed for enjoyment with food, and not for the sole purpose of intoxication. Silly Americans.

9. Tips are included in checks and not to be handed in addition to the price requested. Doing so results in frustration and offense.

10. Hand gestures are standard forms of communication. Theres a signal for everything. Useful to make across large rooms.

11. No need to be startled or embarrassed when you catch both men and women intently staring at you. Italians are just curious in nature and love checking everyone out - take it as a compliment...well, sometimes.

12. It takes hours to do simple tasks like fixing the internet, mailing a letter, checking out at the grocery store, etc, etc.

13. It is possible to ride a bicycle, while wearing stillettos.

14. There is no such thing as a single file line.

15. Communism and socialism are perfectly acceptable.

See, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWBL9_alKs to give you more of an idea.