melissa grace kreider

Here in Florence, Italy, there is a massive indoor market everyday from 7am to 2pm where you can stockpile fresh fruits and vegetables for a week and only pay 5 euro. It's one of the most cost effective ways to live here! I also love going there to watch the people. Tourists, Italians, and people making their livelihood flock here under one roof. 

This past weekend I finally decided to take some photographs of one of my favorite places in Florence.

If you're interested, you can see the rest of the series here.

Ciao for now,

-m.

      I've now completed one digital photography class and one darkroom class in Italy. As a compulsive photographer, I can say that I prefer film above all else. It's genuine, real, and I like how I feel when I shoot with it, process it on my own, spend hours choosing the shots I like, and then printing them. It is my own creation from start to finish. With that said, I understand that it is a digital world we live in and I will never (unless I am incredibly lucky) shoot with film professionally. Accepted. I still have a beef with digital.

Why are the most accessible DSLRs so bulky (i.e. Nikon D5100, Canon Rebel T2i, Olympus EM-5, etc)? If I want good street photos, portaits, documentary photos, actually, wait, any kind of photo that I would personally take, a massive black box is going to geek my subject out along with the reverberating shutter noise. It will intrude and call attention to itself, and everyone knows that when the camera goes up, the act comes on. That's not real, nor is it genuine. Digital teaches budding photographers instant gratification, and inpatience. That is not photography. Photography is slow, thoughtful, careful. A process. Seeing your work through a screen, barely ever printed, is so impersonal and quick...I don't know if it can be called art anymore.

      The reason I love film so much is because it is simple. The cameras (35mm, in my case) are small. There is a thin box protecting your film from light, the basic aperture, shutter speed, ISO settings, and your lense. They are quiet. They are inconspicuous. Film is thought of as antique; before instant view options, uploading to every social network imaginable. Film is comforting, constant, gentle, forgiving, honest, and puts my subjects at ease.

I'm on a mission, now, to find a digital camera that makes me feels like I'm shooting with film. I want to trick myself and my subject. The above photo is of a camera (which I can't recall the name of-it is Fujifilm, though) my current professor has which is as small as a Leica, has a miniscule lense, is as light as a feather and digital. I'm sure that on my current budget I could never afford it, but I plan on seeking out the name, then things like it as soon as possible. I'll keep you posted; and in the meantime, shoot with film for me. ;]

Ciao for now,

-m.

Piazza Santo Spirito; my favorite place in all of Florence. I spend most of my time here in the summer, day and night. Now that I'm running low on funds, it's a great place to relax and people watch while getting a tan...or in my case, any other color than my usual translucent. 

This Piazza is very close to my heart, very Italian, and I'm going to miss it dearly when I return to Akron! 

-m.

     Some background information! I was a vegan for four years. No meat, dairy, egg, or animal product. Ever. I completely and totally planned on continuing my veganism while I was here, but happily Gusta Pizza tempted me with their Napoli mozzarella and after a month and a half of living here, I broke and ate cheese. From then on I ate cheese and gelato like it was nobody's business and lived my life as a vegetarian for three fantastic months. No regrets, but as I find myself sashaying into summertime, I decided to transition back into veganism. Fruits, veggies, beans and grains are plentiful at Mercato Centrale and cheaper than any cheese or meat that I could ever want. 

       While I don't regret eating cheese or dairy here in Italy (everything is local and fresh; humane...not to mention...it's Italy), veganism just works for me personally and brings joy to my life.

       A question to you:  do you know how delicious gelato is? It's like ice cream on steroids. The biggest problem with transitioning back into veganism was the fact that there would be an gaping absence of gelato in my life. Wrong. I googled 'vegan gelato in Florence, Italy,' not expecting much and up came two options! The first being Festival del Gelato and the second being Perche No?. I've only had the pleasure of trying Festival del Gelato, and sooner rather than later I plan on trying Perche No?. 

"Diet Gelato" Made of Rice Milk! There were only two kinds of vegan gelato offered that day, but they were two I am particularly fond of: Nocciola [noh-cho-la] aka Hazelnut and Zuppa Inglese [zoo-pah in-glay-say], or Trifle. 

      It was completely delicious and tasted just like the gelato I had fallen in love with previously! It's nice that I have the option to still enjoy gelato because my wisdom teeth are coming in and it's pretty much the worst pain I've ever felt in my life (more on this later!). It's nice to have something cold, chewing not required, and vegan to remedy the pain temporarily.

      I will certainly return to Festival del Gelato if I'm in the area, but I'm looking forward to trying Perche No? as I have read that they have a wider range of flavors not only vegan, but non-vegan Organic flavors! 

Ciao for now,

-m.

       As if Florence couldn't get any better, I got the wonderous news that every single solitary May of every year, there is a week-long Festival...dedicated to gelato..

That's right.

Gelato. 

    Naturally, I had to investigate! In three difference piazzas around my city, there are stands upon stands of gelato-making extraordinares,  each dedicated to only one flavor. How does one choose which flavor to pick? For 15 euro, you purchase something called a Gelato Card. Included are 5 gelato tastings, 1 gelato cocktail and 1 'cultural workshop,' or an event going on during the Festival that pertains to ice cream.

One the day we chose to visit the Festival, I was generously given my roommate's unwanted tastings equal to three. I tried Rose Chocolate gelato, Cafe Espresso gelato, and MY personal favorite, Pecan-Walnut-Canadian Maple Syrup gelato. 

Pecan-Walnut Canadian Maple Syrup Gelato-y Goodness

     I'm pretty sure that if I had enough money, I would return over and over again just because of the shockingly unique flavors offered! 

Ciao for now,

-m.

10 Good Reasons to go...again and again...

Piazza Santa Maria Novella!

In Piazza della Repubblica!