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Ciao a tutti! Sono tornata con un nuovo podcast in cui parlerò di città italiana favolosa – Siena! Oggi la mia ospite e’ Sarah Mastroianni, una giovane ragazza che è cresciuta e ha vissuto per tanti anni a Toronto, in Canada, figlia di un padre italiano e una mamma canadese. Ma alcuni anni fa, dopo un viaggio in Italia, si e’ innamorata dell’Italia – in particolare della città di Siena. Adesso lei considera Siena la sua città adottiva.
Today I’m back with a new podcast in which I will be talking about a beautiful Italian city – Siena! Today my guest will be Sarah Mastroianni, a young woman raised in Toronto in, Canada – the daughter of an Italian father and a Canadian mother. But, several years ago, after traveling in Italy, she fell in love with Italy and, in particular, the city of Siena. Now she considers Siena her adopted town.
Sarah scrive il blog “Not Just Another ‘Dolce Vita” Ci siamo incontrate in internet e, visto che condividiamo molti interessi, siamo diventate amiche – naturalmente! L’amore per l’Italia e’ proprio un buon modo per rompere il giaccio e per conoscere bene una persona, no?
Sarah writes the blog“Not Just Another ‘Dolce Vita” We met through the internet, and seeing as we share many similar interests, we became friends – naturally! The love of Italy is a great way to break the ice to get to know another person, right?
Sarah è una ragazza molto divertente e interessante. Mi piace molto il suo blog perché, come me, scrive in uno stile un po’ comico e ironico per dipingere tanti diversi aspetti della vita italiana. Viaggia spesso per scoprire altri paesi in tutto il mondo, ma torna sempre in’Italia, nella città che ha rubato il suo cuore. Quando non scrive sul blog, lei insegna le lingue.
Sarah is a fun and interesting girl. I like her blog a lot because, like me, she writes comically and ironically to paint the various aspects of Italian life. She often travels to see other countries worldwide, but she always seems to return to Italy and the city that stole her heart.
Nel tempo libero Sarah si gode la vita alternativa bevendo prosecco, mangiando cioccolato e assaggiando vari tipi di gelato! Oggi Sarah ha una notizia spettacolare da comunicarvi! Sta per trasferirsi in Italia per vivere e lavorare lì – proprio a Siena! Dopo mesi di burocrazia per ottenere un permesso di soggiorno, ha finalmente avuto successo. Ora che l’ha in mano è pronta a partire per il bel paese e per cambiare la sua vita.
When she isn’t writing her blog, she is teaching languages. In her free time, Sarah enjoys life drinking prosecco, eating chocolate, and tasting various types of gelato! Today Sarah has some wonderful news to tell us! She is about to move to Italy to live and work there – in Siena! After months of red tape and dealing with bureaucracy to get her Italian living permit, she has finally had success. Now with it in hand, she is ready to leave for Italy and change her life.
Siena è davvero una città’ magica, che ospita tanti turisti ogni anno, in cui potete ancora vedere le radici mediovali, ma e’ anche una città’ abbastanza moderna, con un’importante università’. Siete mai stati a Siena? Io sì! Un paio di volte. La prima volta è stata quando ero una studentessa universtaria e ho visitato la città con la mia professoressa di storia dell’arte. Mi ricordo bene la sua piazza cosi’ unica, in cui due volte all’anno viene ospitato il famoso Palio ogni – una gara di cavalli in cui tutte le contrade di Siena si sfidano.
Siena is a magical city that hosts many tourists every year; you can still see its medieval roots, but it is also a modern city with an important university. Have you ever been to Siena? I have! A couple of times. The first time was when I was a student in college, and I visited the city with my Art History professor. I remember very well the unique piazza where the famous Palio of Siena is held twice a year, a type of horse race in which the neighborhoods of Siena challenge each other.
Avevo anche visitato il Palazzo Ducale dove avevo visto i begli affreschi “Allegoria del buono e del cattivo governo” dipinti da Ambrogio Lorenzetti nel 1338 nella sala dei Nove. Poi con gli altri studenti ero salita in cima al Palazzo Ducale per godermi una vista mozzafiato del paese. Da lì potevamo vedere la Toscana in tutte le direzioni…ho visto alberi e campi di grano e di uva. Erano le immagini che avevo gia’ visto tante volte nei quadri rinascimentali ma avevo sempre pensato che fossero stilizzati; da questa altezza mi sono resa conto che i pittori avevano catturato il paessaggio esattamente com’era veramente! Che rivelazione!
I also visited the main city hall, where I saw the beautiful frescos of “Good and Bad Government” painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in 1338 in the Hall of the Nine. Then with the other students, I climbed to the top of the Palazzo Ducale to enjoy the breathtaking countryside view. From there, we could see all of Tuscany in every direction…I saw the trees and fields of grain and grapes. They were images I had seen many times in Renaissance paintings, but I had always thought they had been stylized; from such heights, however, I realized that the painters had captured the landscape exactly as it was! What a revelation!
In Siena, I also enjoyed exploring the famous Duomo. It is a beautiful church with an exterior designed in black and white marble in alternating stripes, with red marble added to its facade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena and recall the black and white horses of the founders of the legendary city – Senio and Aschio. Perhaps it is only a legend…who knows!? The Church dates back to 1215, and the lantern that sits on top of the Duomo was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the famous Baroque architect and sculptor that designed many fountains and sculptures in Rome.
Adesso vorrei presentarvi Sarah e lei ci parlerà’ di tutte queste cose più in dettaglio. Parlerà’ anche del suo lavoro, della sua esperienza con la lingua, del suo amore per l’Italia e per la città’ di Siena e i suoi motivi per traslocare li’ per un tempo indeterminato.
Let me now introduce you to Sarah, and she will discuss all of this in more detail. She will also talk about her work, her experiences with the language, her love for Italy, and especially her passion for Siena, and her reasons for moving there for an undetermined period.
Grazie Sarah! In bocca a lupo! Ti auguro un buon trasloco e una buona permanenza in Italia! Magari possiamo incontrarci in Italia uno di questi giorni! Io sto per partire per Roma il mese prossimo; sarebbe bello se lei nostre strade si incrociassaro! Se volete unirvi a noi fateci sapere! Io andro’ il mese prossimo per l’Italia e c’è ancora posto se decidete di venire all’ultimo momento! Ad ogni modo, potete viaggiare con me attraverso le foto che metterò su Facebook e i video delle mie avventure che pubblichero’ su il mio canale di Youtube.
Thanks, Sarah! Good luck! I wish you the best of luck with your move and stay in Italy! Hopefully, we can meet up in Italy one of these days! I am about to leave for Rome next month, so it would be great if our paths should cross. If any of you would like to meet up with us, let us know! I take off next month for Italy, and there are still spots available if you decided to join last minute! At any rate, you can travel with me through the photos I will post on Facebook and the videos of my adventures that I will publish on my Youtube Channel.
Spero che un giorno tutti noi ci incontreremo! Un abbraccio grande da Melissa! Alla prossima! ciaooo!
La musica in questo podcast:
L’amore vero – Bianca Atzei
La differenza tra me e te – Tiziano Ferro
Ti prendo e ti porto via – Vasco Rossi
Indietro – Tiziano Ferro
Ciao Melissa. I am a ‘silent’ viewer of your blog, never commenting, but always listening and reading. You have made great strides over the years that I have followed your blog, easily moving from information and language to tours, etc. Brava! Complimenti!!
My husband and I are purchasing a home in Umbria this September. We have had a contract on the farmhouse since last November, but you understand how slow the bureaucracy works. Spero che ci sara’ in Settembre. As my husband and I are not that young, we are a bit terrified of flying into Rome and then driving to Ficulle, the small town where we will be living. I realize this may be out of your scope, but do you know an easy way to navigate out of FCO and towards Umbria? I have looked at many websites, but am looking for an ‘easy’ way where after our flight from Miami we can easily make the drive without having a nervous breakdown.
Mile grazie, Lisa
Ciao Lisa! Grazie per il tuo messaggio! Complimenti! Che bello che abbiate comprato una casa in Umbria! Wonderful news that you have purchased a home in Umbria. Driving in Italy can be a bit intimidating. But, it is a wonderful experience. It is really pretty easy to rent a car at Fiumicino – you can set it up on line – and once pick up the car and get out of Rome, the autostrada is easy to drive and navigate. But, then again, I have a husband who is quite comfortable driving in Italy – loves it infact! (I translate, he drives! 🙂 )
So, if you are jet lagged and worried about tackling the drive up to Umbria after landing I recommend you contact a service to shuttle you up to your destination. You could contact Roberto at Driver in Italy. I have worked with him in the past and have found his company to be reliable. He organizes transfers and excursions and might be able to organize something for you. it might be a bit costly, but if you are tired and just want comfort and peace of mind it might be worth it to you. Here is his website: http://www.driverinitaly.com/
In bocca a luppo!