Trying to learn Italian | Lifestyle

Before moving out here I downloaded an app called Duolingo and I must admit, it’s amazing how much this little app really helped me whilst I was at home. Duolingo works really well because it is repetitive and we all know if you do something enough times it will eventually sink in. You have to pass each level to move onto the next however over a day or two it will prompt you to go back an redo the previous levels so that the words remain fresh in your mind. I have one issue with the app and that it start of so incredibly basic that a lot of the words I have learned I can’t even really use such as, whale, bird, orange, skirt, newspaper etc. Like it’s good to learn those type of words but it’s not something that comes up every day, I would have rather have started on sentences such as “how are you?” “May I have?” “My name is” these types of basic sentences that would actually help me a great deal in everyday life. I was doing quite well but unfortunately you can only use this app when you have wifi or data and being in Italy, still using my English phone I have neither or very limited. If I had known I was moving out to Italy like 3 months before I think this app would have be absolutely perfect.

I have also go the Marco Polo phrase book, which I must admit is incredibly good, it breaks down words phonetically which means regardless of how I read it I can still say it and it makes sense. I guess on of my favourite things about this little book is all the helpful tips such as the importance of pronouncing double letters. For example the word “penne” you can see it has two “n” which means you should pronounce it “pen-neh” if you just say it like “peneh” it means penis… These types of tips are funny but actually incredibly helpful. Not only this but you also get a little cheat sheet that you can cut out and carry around with you that has the basics whether you are shopping, at a restaurant or just small talk.

As you guys know, I don’t speak any Italian, I guess the frustrating thing for me is that I have literally zero knowledge and it makes me feel really bad when the native speakers have to speak in English just so I’d understand. Of course, I appreciate it but they shouldn’t have to, I should have at least the basics. That said, I have to keep reminding myself that I have only been out here for less than a month and these things do take time and I am learning some words like “allora” which Italians say A LOT it just means “so” at the start of the sentence. Little steps guys.

Do you know any other languages? 

All’antico Vinaio, Florence | Food

As I know some of you like my little foodie posts I thought I would share with you my delicious meal at All’antico Vinaio. Just to give you guys a bit of background, this is a small chain of sandwich shops around the centre of Florence more towards the Duomo so in the main tourist area. This shop is literally famous for is amazing sandwiches, guys there is literally a 20 minute queue just to get to the door of the shop. Whilst you are waiting you see everyone with these giant focaccias filled with delicious meats and cheeses, so you totally know the food is worth the wait but in this specific area there is also a restaurant which doesn’t serve the focaccias but offers these wonderful platters of cold meats and cheeses.

I was taken for lunch to All’antico Vinaio by one of my very lovely roommates Valeria who wanted to show me what real Tuscan meats and food really are. As we were in the queue waiting for the sandwiches she said that she wanted to see whether there was any space at the restaurant and we were actually lucky enough to get in. I genuinely mean we were very lucky because had we been but a minute later we wouldn’t have been able to get a seat, this meant we could enjoy our food at a more relaxed and comfortable pace. As I just mentioned, inside they don’t offer the sandwich but instead the offer the biggest range of platters I have ever seen, ranging from vegetable ones to just meat or just cheese, plus a whole range of sizes to cater for who you are dining with.

Me and Valeria went for a medium sized platter which had a bit of everything as you can see we have 4 different types of meat such as prosciutto, salami, roast pork and finocchiona (which is like a spicy sausage), two different types of cheese one was a goat cheese and the other I can’t quite remember but was delicious anyway, Tuscan jam, roasted courgettes, sundried tomatoes, Tuscan pate and two little meat ball things. I must admit that this sounds like a lot of food but I’d say it’s actually the perfect amount to share between two and I was in heaven. I absolutely love meat I’m the biggest fan of cold meats from all around the world, I actually think I get it from my father because he loves it too and this was right up my street. I literally didn’t know what to try first, Valeria advised that the jam is to be had with the cheese, it was like a strawberry jam but very nice, not too sweet but a great combination together. The finocchiona was probably the spiciest of all the meats but it was amazing, so incredibly flavoursome as it had peppercorns in it, but it was a must softer texture than other hams I’ve had before but still great. The little meat ball thingys weren’t quite what I was expecting, they definitely had meat in them but it was more of a breaded texture I kinda bit into it not really expecting for it to taste the way it did, it was good. I do just have to take a moment of appreciating for the pate…Oh. My. God. I mean, I don’t even know where to begin. I have always loved pate, I once ate so much of it I actually made myself sick because it was too rich for my young stomach, for years after I couldn’t touch it but as I got older it worked its way back into my heart. Just at the right time too because apparently Tuscany is known very well for its pate and I can wholeheartedly say I completely understand why now. I won’t talk about the salami or proscioutto because you can get both of these meats in England but they tasted fantastic, but the dish as a whole was delicious, the only thing I didn’t really have an opinion on was the roast pork, it was great but ya know roast pork is roast pork.

For dessert we decide to just have something very small which was a dessert wine and some almond biscotti, I must just point out, there is a very big reason for why this dessert wine is so small because bloody hell does it pack a punch. I took a sip not expecting it to be anywhere near as strong but geez it made me wake up a bit. That said, it was a very good accompaniment to the biscotti which was wonderfully sweet.

My first experience at All’antico Vinaio was amazing, we were sat at the bar an watched the chef create each platter in a beautifully artistic way.  I can’t wait to go there again and cannot wait to take my pals or family there as I know they will probably love it as much as I did. However I would definitely try and book a table next time because I don’t think I would be that lucky again.

Is this the type lunch you’d like or have you even visted All’antico Vinaio’s before?   

Beauty Essentials | Beauty

As you guys know, when I moved out here to Italy I already had a job so I knew that when I was moving out that I had to have at least the essentials to look presentable for when I’m at work. So today I just thought I would talk through what I have brought out here and as you can see I actually managed to bring a fair amount of products with me.

Starting with the skincare bits, of course I had to bring out my Garnier Micellar Water, it’s quick and easy but just gets the job done, you can see that I also have a little bag to the right hand side of the picture with more facemasks, cleansers etc. But you will also see I have two of my favourite moisturisers Olay for my face and the Body Essential for my body, my skin would seriously suffer without these products. I also have the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Serum, I actually ran out of the facial pads before I left and couldn’t quite justify spending that type of money before I came out here so I just thought I’ll use the serum instead. I have my Oral B Brilliance toothpaste, I’m actually very fussy about my teeth so wanted to make sure I had the toothpaste that I am confident with and of course my Dr. PAWPAW tinted lipbalm. You will also see I have two nail polishes, some nail polish remover and make up brush cleanser. The reason I bought the brush cleanser out with me was because I actually didn’t have time to wash my brushes before I came over so I had to do them here.

Moving onto the make-up things, now I know what you’re thinking, did I really need two make up palettes out here? The short answer is yes, but there is a method in my madness you see. The Naked On The Run palette is just perfect because it has a bit of everything in it, it’s got the eye shadows, the mascara (which I’m obsessed with right now) eyeliner, blush, lipgloss, highlighter it’s a great all-rounder. That aside, it has a massive mirror and to be honest that was my primary reason for bringing it. When I came out here I didn’t know whether I would have a mirror or what the light would be like and turns out I didn’t have a mirror so this palette has been a life saver. The other palette I bought with me was the Sleek Au Naturel eyeshadow palette. As you guys know, I love a bit of shimmer never really been a matte girl but what I have realised since coming out here is that the Italian women are very much about the natural beauty, I mean they are gorgeous in an effortless way so I almost look a bit OTT with my eyeliner, highlighter, contour etc so I am laying around with some matte shades, I’m actually really loving them and this palette has 7 to choose from.

To be honest, inside my makeup bag is pretty uninspiring I still used my beloved Sleek CC Cream that I’ll need to find a replacement for soon *weeps uncontrollably* but I have also bought a long with me the other products I’m obsessed with. The Soap & Glory Kick Ass powder is just that – kick ass, it’s great for just setting everything without making me look too chalky and also I have got a Rimmel Bronzer that I randomly bought when I forgot my makeup bag one time. This bronzer is great because there isn’t any shimmer in it and it helps tone down my pale skin, especially when I am in a country filled with olive toned beauties. In addition to these two, I also go my Blushing Hearts blush because not only is it a great highlighter but has a little slice of colour perfect for blush as well.

So there we have my essentials, what are yours?  

5 Picture Post | Lifestyle

Today I just wanted to share with you 5 pictures I have taken whilst I’m in Florence, I may turn this into a weekly/monthly thing. I think there are so many beautiful things to see and I suppose the most obvious one is the Duomo and whilst it is stunning I wanted to share with you some images I’d class as "everyday beauty", searching for the beauty within something that isn’t so obvious like some flats or a piece of graffiti. 

Where have you been that is simplistically beautiful?

Food Glorious Food | Food

Well it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t have at least one post on the food here would it. I do want to apologise for the quality of some of these images, the lighting isn’t always the best but what can I do?

On my first week in Italy I tried out a lot of traditional/stereotypical Italian dishes, mainly Pizza and Pasta. As you know this year I had pretty much eliminated all carbs from my diet and developed a wheat intolerance but as I started to eat carbs/wheat again I started to build that tolerance up so now my body can handle carbs much better, thank god! So first things first, let’s talk about that funny looking pile of brown stuff in my first picture, which is truffle tagliatelle. Now, I have had truffle infused things in my time, it’s an acquired taste but just look at the amount of truffle on that! I was pretty shocked, truffle is a very unusual taste but packs a punch. The pasta was also in a creamy sauce which of course, had just a little more truffle thrown in for good measure. Truffle is actually in season right now for Italy as my tour guide/wonderful roommate Anna told me, so we both got a portion each. I do have to be honest, I wish there was just a little less truffle, I think I would have enjoyed it slightly more, but it was delicious but the truffle was a bit over powering. How many times can I say truffle in one paragraph, clearly trying to break a record or something.

Moving onto the fine specimen of a pizza, this was a takeaway pizza we got from the local restaurant not far from our flat. The thing that makes it different is that it’s a white or “Bianca” pizza meaning that it doesn’t have a tomato base, just cheese. My one also had Speck which is like a smoked ham and some tomatoes on top, it was by far one of the tastiest pizzas I’ve ever had. The thing about Italians/ Italian Culture is they really care about the ingredients they use, the mozzarella was buffalo mozzarella which comes from Napoli and the oregano that is added on top is from a roommate’s friend’s herb garden in Sicily. I love knowing where all the different ingredients are from.

So there is my carb heavy post, maybe I’ll write a healthier version another time. What is your favourite pizza topping or what type of pasta do you love?