Professor Looney's Festa

After an entire week of only school and almost no fun, Thursday definitely made up for it! It started off with another 8 hours of class: 3 language, 1.5 literature, and 3 humanist literature. Thankfully, it was a gorgeous day so during my 2 hour break, I walked around and got lunch with Tylar and Chris. I tried a kebab for the first time and... guy, it was magical! The florentines working at the kebab place were also really nice, so that definitely added to the experience! We ate our kebabs on some outdoor benches, people watched (my favorite hobby in Florence, by far!), and then got some gelato. Luckily, Tylar and Chris feel the same way as I do about gelato: always get gelato after lunch. No ifs, ands, or buts. We tried a new place and I got a coconut flavor that made me feel like I was on a tropical island!

Somewhat unfortunately for me, both of my literature classes were covering Petrarch- I had 4.5 hours of instruction on Petrarch's sonnets, letters, and life. It was especially boring (and kind of infuriating) because Petrarch is my least favorite of the Italian poets/writers I've studied, but Professor Tellini and Professor Looney kept it interesting.

About a week ago, Professor Looney invited all Pitt students in the CAPA program to his Italian apartment for a small party! We walked over to class and his wife greeted us at the door with wine and noms- everything was delicious and they were such perfect hosts. Talking to Professor Looney outside of the classroom was also incredible; he is probably one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met, but is always interested in what others have to say. At some point he asked who taught my morning literature class... when I said it was Professor Tellini, he almost died I swear! Turns out that Professor Gino Tellini is a world famous writer and professor, having published a vast amount of articles discussing Italian literature and taught at many universities around the world! He even taught Professor Looney as a teaching assistant when Looney studied in Florence for a year! It was so amazing to learn that, and I will definitely be going into my Italian lit class with even more respect for the professor.

The party was a blast and to continue the fun, Catie, Lorenzo and I decided to go to a bar on the other side of the Arno river. And so began the biking adventures: both Catie and Lorenzo had their bikes, and because it wouldn't make sense for us to walk 30 minutes to the bar, I was convinced to ride side-saddle on the back of Lorenzo's bike through the cobblestone streets of Florence as cars and vespas darted out of alleys. In other words, I was convinced into the most harrowing (and somewhat painful) experience of my life. Miraculously, I stayed on pretty well, through bumps, turns and all... might have also been some good biking skills on his part though. It was so fun riding a bike through Florence, that I am honestly considering buying my own bike for the next few months!

Anyway, this bar was a very hip place right in the piazza of Santo Spirito; it was very chill and full of Italians, which I enjoy. We got drinks and sat down at a table outside, chatting for a while before we decided to make a responsible decision and go home... class at 8:45 every morning can really put a damper on weekday nights, but it was still the perfect ending to a very enjoyable day!

I hope to have more pictures soon, but for now, here's the elevator in my family's building... It's absolutely teeny and I still have no idea how I managed to fit both of my suitcases in there the first day!