Firenze (pt. 1)

Well, after the excitement of the previous night, we all got about two hours of sleep before checking out of the hotel and boarding a bus back to Alla Posta Dei Donini for the reception breakfast. After breakfast, a small group of us broke off and made our way to Florence via train. We met up with Derek and Tito Deo at the train station in Perugia, but while Tito Deo was helping us get our bags aboard the train, the doors closed and the train started moving. So, Tito Deo ended up taking an unexpected trip with us! Once we got to Florence and checked into our hotel, we grabbed lunch at a pizzeria next door. Oh, our group consisted of myself, Joan, Daniel, Derek, Marjorie, Joe, Desiree, and Christian.


We then made our way to the Central Market and shopped for cheap silk ties and leather goods. We all wandered around Florence and made our way to the Duomo, Uffizi, and the Arno River.


One of the neatest things we saw was a bundle of locks on the Ponte Vecchio. The custom is for lovers to write their names on a lock, lock their "love" to the bridge, and toss the key into the river.We also managed to watch a gypsy band in the Piazza Republica (but I didn't get any pics because... I dunno... I guess I was just lazy). Our posse went back to the hotel to chill for a bit and then made our way to dinner. Thanks to a recommendation by Rick Steves, we decided to eat at La Congrega. I had the osso bucco, which was phenomenal!

We decided to stop by the "America Bar," which was totally lame, and had really disgusting bathrooms (according to Desiree). Finally, we decided to call it a night and go to bed.

The BIG DAY!!!!

So today was the Big Day -- the reason 100 Filipinos from the Philippines, Canada, and the US (mostly Texas) came all the way to Italy -- Joan and Daniel's wedding!!! But... since the wedding wasn't until the afternoon, we occupied ourselves with the usual Sunday activities. First, we attended Mass at Santa Maria degli Angeli (pictured in yesterday's post). The funny thing I've noticed about Catholic mass is that no matter what language it's in, you can always figure out what part of the Mass they're at. The general structure and cadence is pretty much the same.

After Mass, we went to a laundromat down the street to take care of some laundry. One thing this laundromat had that I think the ones back in the States should have is a vending machine stocked with cheap beer --

As we waited for the laundry to dry, I wandered around town a bit, checked my e-mail, and saw a procession of vintage Fiats (way coool!).

Okay, you probably want me to get on to the good stuff, right? Fine, fine...
The wedding was spectacular. The ceremony took place in Chiesa di Santo Stefano, one of the oldest churches in Assisi. It has stood since the 12th Century.


Joan looked absolutely radiant in her wedding gown, just like a princess. The ceremony incorporated elements of a traditional Filipino wedding (the coins, the bride and groom getting wrapped in the veil and cord, etc.).

After the ceremony, Joan and Daniel released a pair of doves, but Daniel's dove refused to fly away.

Okay, so on to the reception, which was held at Alla Posta Dei Donini. Before the actual dinner there was a bunch of time to mingle while munching on some fantastic appetizers, including an impressive selection of cheese and some gorgeous-looking prosciutto.



Dinner itself was equally impressive:

Umbricelli with tomatoes, duck breast, and pecorino

Fillets of gilthead sea bream in mediterranean style spring veggies

Entrecote veal steak with black truffle sauce on aubergines

There were waaaayyy too many desserts for me to sample, but I did my best.

Aside from all the great food, there were the usual wedding day shenanigans --





Much fun was had by all! We didn't go back to the hotel till 3 AM!

Assisi

Today, we loaded up into a bus and made our way to Assisi for Joan and Daniel's wedding. Assisi is gorgeous! After coming from the hectic pace of Rome, Assisi is absolutely idyllic. It's so peaceful and relaxing here. Actually, the wedding isn't till tomorrow, but the rehearsal and all-important rehearsal dinner took place today. Most of the wedding guests are staying at the Hotel Porziuncola which is across the street from the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli (pictured below)

After checking into the hotel and dropping off our bags, we took the bus up the hill to Assisi proper. We walked... and walked... and walked... past the Basilica of St. Francis, up to the church where the wedding was being held -- San Stefano.

The rehearsal dinner was held at a restaurant named Medievo. The food was delish! Also, people tried to set me up with two different girls -- Arianna (the Italian wedding planner) and Melanie (the cousin of the bride).

Nighttime in Rome

A few of us decided that we may as well check out the Roman nightlife. Mang Mario dropped us off near the Piazza Navona, and we decided to get something to eat. The piazza was gorgeous at night; there were street performers (at least one of which was tossing around flaming implements), and the fountains were lit up.





We tried a few different desserts. I ordered the chocolate tartufo which was absolutely divine!







After eating our desserts, we walked a short distance south to the Campo de' Fiori. This is where all the "young people" hang out, and man, was it packed! It was full of people just chilling, smoking, and drinking. Derek and I got these gigantic Heinekens! I later split a sandwich with Ronald and then followed that up with some gelato. Seriously, you couldn't go fifty feet without hitting a gelateria. It was pretty amusing seeing all these people in their clubbing clothes lined up for gelato. They certainly know how to do it right!

Junior, Rowena, and Derek