Last day in Firenze

    So today is our last day in Italy. Once we get all of our packing out the way and clean up the apartment we are headed off to a final dinner at Gatto e Volpe, our favorite restaurant down our street. Although I am excited to be so close to American soil I have to say it is a little bittersweet. I am deffinatly going to miss Florence and Italy in general but the thought of having my bed back, AC, and a little peace and quiet at night will ease the pain. 

     My stay in Italy has opened my mind to a whole different world that I had always heard about but never really understood. The business practices in Italy are much more laid back than that of America. Here the shops close whenever they feel the need whereas in America you work 9-5 no questions asked in most cases. The coffee shops and smaller establishments are run by the owner, typically older in age, so you begin to form relationships with your neighborhood shops. Although the service from waitstaff is not always the best when you compare it to the American way of doing things, the Italians for the MOST part are very outgoing and try to understand what it is you would like. 

     This experience has really shown me a difference in how some cultures operate in a business setting. Before coming to Italy I was accustomed to the American way of doing things and trying to maximize profits in business. The Italian way of doing things is much different in that respect. The Italian culture from what I have learned believes that money is not everything you just need enough to get by. They also typically shut down their shops in late July-Early August for a month for vacation and rest. 

     I won't leave Italy sad because I know someday I'll be back. Time to pack and clean the apartment and get ready for dinner then its off to the airport at 4:45AM tomorrow morning. 

Ciao Firenze 

My Expectancy Theory Post

     This week in mgmt we spoke about motivation theories in business. We were asked to incorporate it into our blog post for the week concerning a situation we have had dealing with one of these theories. Expectancy theory summed up in short states that we are motivated by things that are desirable, that we know how to get, and that we believe we are capable of getting.
     I have worked in a couple restaurants over the years doing everything from washing dishes to now managing. One of the restaurants in particular stands out in my mind when I learned about the expectancy theory.
     This particular restaurant had a low-medium turnover rate when it came to employees. This being the restaurant industry was considered on the better side of things. I was working in several different areas of the establishment at the time but the kitchen was where most of this theory was recognized.
     While I was working in the kitchen I was forced to pick up several Executive Chef positions as well as Sous Chef when they decided to leave the restaurant unannounced. While this was a great opportunity for me to step up and shine, it also required approx 70-80hrs a week in some cases. This being said the money was great in theory but after working this much in one week all I wanted was a bed and a day off not more money.
     After the third instance of this similar nature I was noticing a trend that I was being compensated nicely when it was absolutely necessary because I was the go-to guy but after the position was filled I was "demoted" back to my normal wage. A person would think that if they came to the rescue several times for an organization that this would be noted and the normal wage might benefit a small bit for being a team player, this was not the case.
     Once I sat back and noticed that my skills were being abused and that I was not appreciated like I thought I should have been. the work I was willing to put out was not my best. I felt like the organization was not taking into consideration the individuals that came to the rescue when it really mattered.

Wine tour and Vineyards

     Wednesday our mgmt classes all packed up and headed out for the wine tour. We ended up touring 2 different vineyards. The first vineyard was at the Machiavelli estate. The Machiavelli vineyard was where this famous man was exiled to when he was banished from Florence. While we were there we also got a chance to tour his home, which included the desk where it is thought that his famous work The Prince was written. The Machiavelli estate was more of a commercial large production vineyard that pumped out several million bottles a year. While on the property we had the opportunity to eat a 3-course lunch paired with their wines. The food was amazing. We were served antipasti, risotto, wild boar ragyu, and a bowl of gelato for dessert each of these courses being pared with a red or white wine.

     

     The second vineyard we got a chance to tour was much smaller. This particular vineyard was organic and prided themselves on being sustainable and thought towards the future. The vineyard told us that while still holding true to the organic nature and sustainability they were still able to bottle roughly 250,000 bottles a year which is nothing to laugh at. While on the tour we were shown their high tech factory and processes as well as the construction they were taking part in to expand their facility.

     

     Wednesday was my first ever trip to a vineyard. I was at a loss for words when I heard that some of these fields could produce over 2 million bottles and still hold true to a family business, not a corporation. 

Siena and San Gimignano daytrip

     Tuesday we took a class trip to the two towns of Siena and San Gimignano. Started the day off in Siena where we saw the famous church in the town where they have 2 relics of Saint Catherine on display. The first relic is of Saint Catherine's skull that they have in a small glass case covered with a special covering to prevent any decay. The second is of the thumb of Saint Catherine which is also incased in a similar fashion. We also got a chance to see the famous Piazza del Campo which is home to the Palio horse race on July 2nd. This is a horse race with 17 horses and jockeys each representing a neighborhood in Siena. We were told each neighborhood pays for a professional jockey to ride bareback in the race but the horse's and the neighborhood they represent are always the real winners in the races, not the jockey's.

This is the stadium where the race takes place. 

Then we were off to San Gimignano.

     San Gimignano is a medieval hilltop town in the Tuscan region. While we were here we got a chance to try something I will never forget. Once we made our way to the first piazza we saw the crowds of people standing in line waiting for a special type of gelato. Turns out San Gimignano is home to the World's Best Gelateria. The gelateria has won this prestigious award since 2006. Of course being the fat kid that I am I had to taste several different kinds. On my TWO trips to the counter I got a chance to try mint with real mint leaves mixed in, imported vanilla infused with saffron, imported vanilla with chile spice, chocolate with grand marnier, and coconut with real coconut shavings. After this feast we decided to wonder around the small town to walk off the gelato. I bought a couple T-shirts and then it was time to head back to the bus to get back to Florence. 

This is a couple pictures of the gelateria.

Leaving Paris tonight

     Today is our last day in Paris. I am kind of sad to leave this city because the 3 days we spent here were not nearly long enough in my opinion .While we were here I got a chance to see 4 or 5 museums so I can't leave the city too sad. Our stay in Florence is also coming to a close in a little over a week as well. I will upload pictures as soon as we get back into Italy tomorrow morning.

 Ciao for now.

First night/day in Paris

     This weekend our group decided to travel to Paris. I was not big on the idea in the beginning being that I haven't heard the best things about French food or people. My first experience of French food was actually pretty tasty. Our group found the first place right off of the main road we came upon and chose that one. Despite how expensive the food ended up being I was very impressed. After lunch/dinner last night we decided to go check out the Eiffel Tower. We decided to hang out on the lawn and get a couple bottle's of wine and wait for the light show when the sun went down. Although it was extremely cold and windy, which none of us were prepared for, we were glad that we decided to stay this morning.
    
     Today we spent most of the day at The Louvre. I was amazed on how big it actually is and also how modern the inside was. I had always seen pictures of the inside and some of the more famous art pieces that are displayed but nothing compares to seeing them in real life, hands down. From start to finish it probably took our group about 3 or 4 hours to walk the exhibits we wanted to see but a person could easily spend all day inside appreciating all of the art. We also went to a famous tower here in Paris with amazing views of the city. The views have been said to rival that of the Eiffel Tower but we only had to wait for about 15 minutes instead of several hours to reach the top.
    
     Once we finished with what we had mapped out in The Louvre a couple of us headed to the Champs de  Elysees. The Champs de Elysees is a famous street with tons of premium shops located in Paris. We only spent about an hour or two walking the street but we plan on going back tomorrow afternoon for several more hours.
    
     Tomorrow we have a couple more museums to check out then its off again on the night train back to Florence for school Monday morning.

     Ciao

Movie night and Paris for the weekend

     This week has started off pretty hectic. We got home from the Amalfi Coast pretty late Sunday night and we are leaving again tonight. Monday morning was a little rough because we had to be up and in Italian class by 9am. We were told by our Italian teacher that this coming Monday we will have a test on what we have learned. It's hard to believe that we are almost finished with our semester here in Italy. I wish we could turn back time and start all over again.
     Tonight we have a movie night planned for our mgmt. classes and after that it's off to the train station to catch a train to Paris for the weekend. Our train leaves Florence at around 10pm and is scheduled to get into Paris at around 9am or so. This will be my first adventure taking a night train so I'm not too sure what to expect. Off to the lavarapido to wash and dry my clothes because I need to get packing for our trip tonight.
Ciao