Under the Train Tracks

I was immediately drawn to the train tracks of Certaldo in Tuscany, Italy when I saw these monumental pieces of work looming below the tracks.

I have so much appreciation for the artists after seeing the size and detail of these works.
Enjoy!

Healthy Italian Inspired Popcorn

My Italian inspired popcorn

There is no snack I enjoy more than popcorn, and I love it soaked in butter.
When I say soaked, I mean I want my popcorn orange and dripping in butter. But recently, I’ve been trying to eat a little healthier.

So I made the mistake of buying “healthy” popcorn. It may be healthier than buttered, but it sadly tastes like cardboard because they forgot to add flavor.

But I can’t let an entire box of popcorn go to waste! So I started brainstorming about what I could put on it without it being unhealthy.

So I decided to try out a few of the random bits and pieces of condiments around the house. And I discovered that coating popcorn in olive oil and white cheddar popcorn seasoning is like a taste of Italy in my mouth.

At first, I was a bit worried of whether or not olive oil was healthier since I noticed the high caloric content, but after more research (and a little common sense) I realized that olive oil would be much more beneficial to my body than to eat a stick of butter with my popcorn.

These a few of the things I learned:

1: Olive oil has a high concentration of monounsaturated fat, which can actually help to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol)

2: It also has polyunsaturated fats which help lower blood cholesterol level and to maintain a healthy heart.

3: Saturated fats (an ingredient of butter) and trans fats (found in margarine), can raise your LDL cholesterol levels as well as increase risk of heart disease and several other health problems

After digging a little deeper, I found information on The Mediterranean Diet, which is the diet of those who live in the Mediterranean region such as Italy and Greece.

You can read further on the Mediterranean Diet at http://www.filippoberio.com/yourhealth

But I did learn that their main substitute for butter and margarine was olive oil.

And not to mention, it tastes much better than butter!

Happy healthy eating! (:

The local dragon in Certaldo

A wall of shadows danced to the rhythm of the flame as she moved her hips to the beat of the song. The thick fog of steady beats and beautiful music floated up to the tower of the castle we were standing below while the tinkling of the coins on her hips tickled its way through the streets, nosing its way under doorframes and peeking through windows.

Her liquid movements entranced the eyes of the audience, made of about 50 students and 10 professors, as we sat in awe, eager to dance along. Waves of golden cloth fluttered before our eyes, a whirlpool of shimmery reflections.
In celebration of the American students’ arrival to Certaldo, this local belly dancer and her partner put together a street performance to give us a warm welcome (well, more of a hot welcome). They started to build the night with a gypsy dance to tribal music.
And I thought that was one of the coolest things I had seen, which it was until they pulled out fire.

For the first fire act, dressed in all black, she arches backwards while swinging a massive ball of fire on a chain. It orbits around her chest and her face. Her partner comes out doing the same and they engage in a daring fire dance, swinging the fire balls in perfect synchronization with each other, a blur of pure, hot light and a massive amount of faith.

Their routine shifts into separate performances. As she balances swinging two flaming buckets, he stands in the background furiously spinning a wheel of flames.

At this point, none of us can stand sit still. Looking around, everyone is clapping and screaming and laughing, kicking their legs and giggling with delight. Watching the street performers like a child at the circus for the first time.
The performance and cheers grew quickly and loudly, the melodious sound of a satisfied audience filling the streets and magnetizing those who happen to wander by.
The music blaring from the speakers fell silent as if smothered by the night’s darkness. We shot to our feet in appreciation of the performance, thinking it was over.

As soon as we finished our standing ovation, the male performer topped off the night by spitting massive explosions of fire from his lips. Going around the circle, he would lean in with his back to us and close enough for us to feel the warmth of the fire shooting out of his mouth.

The fire breather has been street performing in Certaldo for several years, but locals are continually delighted to watch the act. He and his partner, the gypsy dancer, have begun a group of street dancers and are teaching them the tricks of performance.

Falling In Love With Certaldo

The countryside of Certaldo, located in the providence of Tuscany

Overlooking Certaldo Basso

Standing atop the tall tower in Certaldo Basso. An old man yelled at me in Italian about 5 minutes later. Ooops

I couldn’t resist

As I stepped onto the roof of the tower, I was more out of breath by the view than the 100 or so steps I climbed to see it. Every direction was a new landscape. Hills were decorated with castles towering over the terrain, green fields speckled with trees collided with small towns, and houses were stacked on top of houses and colorful gardens covered the roofs of many homes. Everything was overset by an orange glow from the sun’s yellow rays bouncing off the red buildings.

I could not believe that although I spent the last couple of weeks living in Certaldo, I had neglected to climb the tower of Casa del Boccaccio, which was in the middle of the main street of Certaldo Alto, via Boccaccio. The tower was a part of the home of Giovanni Boccaccio, a famous medieval writer who greeted his life and said his last farewell to life in Certaldo. After his death, the town turned his house into a museum to keep the 14th century’s literary artist’s history alive.

From the top of this 700-year-old tower, I could see all the surrounding towns, Even towns that were hours away from reaching stood tall in the distance, proud to be a part of the marvel.

Although I was standing atop what seemed to be the highest place in all of Certaldo, I still was not satisfied. There had to be a way to get higher; I had to see more of the land. My sense of adventure had completely taken over, leaving my practicality and common sense cowering in the corner.

Putting both hands on the wall atop the tower, I thrust my body upward until I was high enough to get my legs over the brick. Trusting my body not to hurl me over the edge, I swung my legs around until they were dangling over Certaldo. Satisfaction spread through my body like a chill, happy to still be sitting on the tower and not tumbling down the building.

I sat, soaking up the sensation for a few moments until my common sense came out of hiding and suggested I hop down to a safer platform before something bad happens. However, before giving in, my curiosity had one more plea.

I wanted to stand on the wall. Slowly lifting my body, I put each foot flat and delicately on the brick surface. Standing was going to be the tricky part, especially with the wind whipping around as harshly as it was.

Playing with my luck, I knew that my chances were as only good as a flip of a coin. I would either succeed and adopt a sense of accomplishment, or I would fail and experience unyielding pain and an unforgiving sense of stupidity.

Taking a deep breath, I convinced myself to toss my fear over the edge and take a chance.
And that’s when it happened; I fell. In love, that is.

I fell in love with the landscape, with the town, with the experience.
I fell in love with the Tuscan country side.

Make a wish

Legend has it that if you close your eyes and toss a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi Fountain and make a wish, it will come true.

Make a wish.
Make it happen.
Make a new wish.

Those last two steps are often times forgotten.
I know I used to forget all the time. I would sit around waiting for something I wanted to happen, thinking it would simply because I wished it to. Obviously, I was wrong.
Simply wishing for something is just the beginning.
If you wish for something, you want it. And if you want it bad enough, you will do what it takes to get it.
No. Matter. What.

When I traveled to Italy two summers ago, I had the wrong mindset. I thought negatively about all the dreams and wishes I had, telling myself I couldn’t do them.
A year passed and by the time I went to Italy again the second summer, I was finally living a few of my dreams, things I never thought would happen.
I took a year Italian classes to learn the language, I arranged in advance ways to help me get back to Italy, and I worked more than ever so that I would not be stressed about money in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
When I returned to the Trevi Fountain in Rome this past summer, I knew exactly what I had to do.
Tossing the coin over my shoulder and making a wish was almost like making a silent promise to myself that I would make anything happen.
I am proud to say that I have continued to follow my dreams and take the steps I need to improve my skills.
So I just wanted to offer a few tips to help you make what you wish for come true.

Write it down!
I am constantly writing lists and little reminders on sticky notes and am guilty of constantly texting myself reminders. I wish I could have an organized little book of all of my ideas but sometimes they pop out of no where!
Since I know how forgetful I am, I wrote a list of the things that I wished would come true in my life so I could go step by step and complete them.

Be proactive.
Say you wanted to be a professional photographer, but you had never taken any sort of class on photography, you know nothing about how high-tech cameras work, and didn’t really keep up with trends and new photo technology. Now you could cross your fingers and hope for it to happen while doing nothing to pursue it or better your skills for it.
While I honestly hate to burst anyone’s bubble, it’s unlikely that your dream will come true.
Go after it! Get ready to chase it!

Engage yourself.
You have to surround yourself with your passion and people who share the same passion. Literally, you’ve got to be willing to drown in what you love. Nothing gets you more pumped that sharing the excitement with those around you, and knowing that there is a mutual support.

Don’t be afraid.
Having courage is like having a super power. You can do literally anything that you want, as long as you keep the mindset that you can. The best part is that everyone has this super power inside of them. As Shel Silverstein said, “Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me–
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.”

Now the last thing you must always remember is that once you make what you want happen, its important to make a new goal for yourself. Always be aiming higher. Never stop improving.
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and its up to each of us how we spend them.